Last night was a better one for Chris; He had a much smaller nose bleed, and he got it all in the toilet, except for one spot on the bed sheet. He was able to come back to bed and rest for the rest of the night. We got up and dressed, but he didn't want to go to breakfast, so I got it, and brought it back to the apartment. We ate here. Carla arrived to visit about 9 am. She and Rex arrived at Bianca's house in Pamona very late, after driving all the way from Eugene, Or. on Wednesday, after he did surgery at 8 a.m., and they left Eugene about 9. It is over 900 miles, and they were tired. This morning Rex played golf with Travis Westermyer, an old friend from Medical School, living now in Ensenitas, while Carla visited with us. Carla had lunch with us here, and we visited until Rex came later. He drove us down to the beach where we parked and walked a little way, then since it was quite windy, we sat in the car and watched a beautiful sunset along with lots of other people, who had come down just to see it. When we came back here, Carla and Rex sat with us while we had dinner. Then they drove down to Travis's house, where they were to have dinner and a New Year's Eve party. They will come back up here tomorrow, for another visit. Then we will all go to Karen and Terry's house for dinner, including Bianca and a friend, who will be able to come down. Bianca and her friend will be down for a visit sometime tomorrow and will stay with us, I think.

Chris had another nose bleed in the night, and he finally hit the emergency cord early in the morning, and an aide came by. She looked at the mess in the bathroom and called the nurse to come. The nurse brought gauze to plug his nose, since klenex wasn't doing it. The gauze works pretty well. Later I went to the dining room and brought breakfast back. Just as we finished it, one of the cleanup crew came up and cleaned up the bathroom. We had to give up the trip to Downey for Mabel's birthday. But we will see her and Charles later in the month. We stayed in the apartment, and Karen came over for a while to visit. We talked about going to the Kaiser Clinic for a blood test, but instead we called the coumidin clinic, and they said to wait until Chris' visit to the eye doctor in San Diego on Jan. 5. Then we are to call them again, after getting a blood test there. I went to the dining room and brought back lunch for us, and later for dinner, since Chris was still dripping a little. It has been a quiet day, but he should have a better day tomorrow.

The news for today starts out not too well; last night Chris had a nose bleed, and he spent the night sitting in his recliner in the living room. I stayed with him until 12:30 and went to bed as soon as he was asleep. I meant to check up on him, but I slept until 6. He came back to bed at 7a.m. and slept until 9:30. He got up and had a shower, and so did I, and then we went to what was supposed to be lunch. but we made a breakfast of it, and we had an omelette, bacon, toast, and orange juice. Later we went downstairs to read the paper and get the walker out of the car. Chris was still a little shaky, so he used it inside the building. As the day progressed, he got feeling better, and by dinner time we went to the dining room with canes only. He was feeling well enough to complain about the baked chicken, and so the waiter brought him another piece. I think they had to replace more pieces, too. Mine was burned, too, but I had eaten it, so I didn't complain. This is later in the evening. We have watched a news- cast and then an episode of Nova, explaining how all fish and animals, including humans, are alike. I knew most of it, but the program put it all neatly together. There was no reference to religion, but I'm sure the Lord had much to do with it all. Chris has dropped off to sleep again, so I'll stop this now and wake him to go to bed.

I have done it again - missed a day. Yesterday, Sunday, we went to Church as usual. Only, Karen wasn't there. She and Terry had gone to San Francisco, where they will visit with Candace"s and didn't come back until tonight, Monday. It was a good service, with an older couple telling about their mission to the Philippines. Anyway we didn't do much after that, read a newspaper in the coffee shop here, had lunch and a nap, and then we went to see Verla Reece in the care center. Back in the apartment we watched some TV, including the movie, "The Sound of Music. It was interrupted every little while with commercials, so it took a long time. We went to bed later. That's about all we did. Today we had breakfast and then read the newspaper again in the coffee shop and then went to the Gentle Exercise class. There were only 5 of us, and the instructor, instead of the usual roomful of people. I guess the others have gone away for Christmas or were just taking it easy. Anyway, the exercise was good for us. We talked to Kaye and then to Carla. Carla and Rex will be coming down to the L. A. area to visit their daughters on Tuesday, and then they will come down here on Thursday night. On Wednesday we will be going to Downey for a 90th birthday party for Mabel. Karen will drive. Lu-Wayne Harris is at Camp Pendleton, to visit his son, Gabe, who fortunately will not be going back to the war. He has gone two times, once to Iraq and once to Afghanistan. Lu-Wayne will come down here either Tuesday or Thursday to see us.

We slept in a little while this morning, and then we went to breakfast. There were clouds outside, but occasionally the sun peaked through. We sat with Ruth and John, and we talked a little, while eating. She was cold there in the dining room, but I was warm in my blue sweat suit with a short- sleeved sweater underneath the top. I noticed other people there with warm sweaters. I guess we all keep our own apartments warmer than the rest of the buildings. That's older people for you. Later we came back to the apartment, talked about going to the exercise class, but we didn't go. Instead we made a list of things to buy at Wal-Mart, and we drove to the shopping center off College Blvd. First, we stopped at the bank to transfer money to our checking account, and then drove to Wal-Mart. We had left the list at the apartment, so we guessed what we had written. We got most of the things on it. There is another day we can go back for the others. Back here we went to lunch, which is really like a dinner. We had that, and then came back the apartment, with the idea of a short nap. Later we talked to Kaye, and she and Kyle had gotten back from Seattle where they had visited Race, Stellan, Sara and Caden for Christmas. They were tired but glad to be back, without having had any trouble over the mountains. Carla and Rex had Logan and Meret visiting them. It's always nice to be with family during the holidays.

Merry Christmas! We first of all went to breakfast, and there weren't many people there. I guess some had gone to spend Christmas with relatives, and some just slept in, counting on an early dinner. The staff wants to be done with meals early, so they can spend the time with their families. At breakfast we picked up two of the boxed suppers for tonight. We were going to Karen and Terry's about 1:30 for dinner. When we got there, Brittany and Bianca were there, and after a while Al came. It was a very good meal, as Karen's always are. Then there were three choices for dessert. I had small pieces of carrot cake and Carla's gift of fruitcake, which I had brought over, and I skipped the cherry pie. The drinks were sparking cider and water, for everyone. We had a nice visit with everyone, and Brittany and Bianca told us about their schooling and jobs. They had to get back, so they and we left as the sun was going down. They stayed a short time at our apartment and then drove back to L.A. area . Al also left Karen's about the same time. Karen and Terry are leaving in the morning to drive to San Francisco where they will meet Candace and her family, and they will be back in a couple of days. This evening we rested a while and listened to a CD Carla had given us, along with the cake, and a book of family pictures of 2oo9. We had a part of the supper the dining room had given us, but we were still remembering the dinner Karen had cooked.

This has been a good day. After breakfast we talked briefly to Carla and Rex. Then we drove to The Kaiser Clinic here in Carlsbad. Last night the Cumaden Clinic called Chris, to get a blood sample taken; he had missed his date to be checked. It was a cool but nice day as we drove down the coast. At the Clinic he got his blood drawn and I bought some drugs in the Pharmacy. I also made appointments with Dr. Donahoe for Jan. 8, to have him check our faces. We both have small black spots that Karen felt we should be concerned about. After that, we drove back along the coast and stopped at Tamarack Beach and went for a walk. There weren't many people there, and and we thoroughly enjoyed it. And there were not too many cars on the roads, so the trip was an easy one Back at the apartment we went to lunch, and then came back to spend a quiet time. Soon the telephone rang, and it was the operator of the Beauty Shop here, to say she had an appointment that couldn't come and would I like to come right up and have my hair done. I said yes. She did a good job on it, and it was a good thing she called, because I had completely forgotten I had made an appointment for later in the afternoon! After I got back, one of the older women here, sitting in her wheelchair, knocked at the door. She was looking for a friend, whom she thought lived in the apartment. Chris wheeled her around the floor, looking for the friend, and then she said she had looked on the second floor already. So Chris took her to the dining room, hoping one of the waiters would know her. They didn't, but sat her down and she had something to eat. Then they called an attendant, who took her back to her apartment, I guess. Anyway, we went to dinner, and sat with the Chinese couple we have come to know. Later back at our apartment Kaye skyped us, from Seattle, and we got to see her, Race, Stellan, and Caden. He is a real, tiny boy now, and was playing with the little kiddie car Kaye had bought for him for Christmas from us.

Today we started off with breakfast, and then we took the clothes down to the laundry, and we had to wait a while to get started. We put them in the washer when we could, and then went to the Mild Yoga class. It was easier than yesterday's class. When it was finished we went back to the laundry and put the clothes in the driers. When we went back to check them, some were dry and the others not. Since it was getting toward the time Karen was to pick us up, we took all of them back to the apartment, and started out to meet Karen. There was what turned out to be a practice fire alarm, and we got stuck in the elevator. It was only for a few minutes, but during that time Chris called Karen on the cell phone, and told her. She was on her way here, and was waiting for us when we got to the main floor and to the lobby. She drove to Marjorie Rempel's house, where we were all invited to lunch. It was a great lunch, and it was a pleasure to be with her and see all the Christmas decorations she had painted, or others had made for her. We also met her daughter, who is awfully thin for a grown woman. On our way back to the apartment Karen told me about this young woman, who had been a successful entertainer, but now had mental problems, and was living with her mother now, who had left her husband. As we were leaving, there was a huge pile of food outside the door, that the ex-husband had brought and left there, after calling to say he would do it. We drove back to the Villas, and Chris stayed here, and Karen and I went to see Lorraine Pepper, one of the 3 women we visit teach. At the Villas again, I met Chris, we dried the wet clothes and had dinner.

This has been a good day. We went to breakfast, and then after a while we went to an exercise class. It is a harder one than we have been going to, but we managed by stopping exercising when it was too much for us. It felt good afterward, though, to have stretched out our muscles. Karen came to pick us up to go out to lunch. We went to Mimi's' and it was such a good and big lunch that we brought about half of it back here, to eat later. But we haven't eaten it yet tonight. We just went to the dining room and had a dish of chocolate ice cream. That was enough food for now. We can always eat the rest of the lunch later tonight, if we want to. We got our mail before coming back to the apartment after the lunch, and I found cards to us, from people I had sent cards to, and some I hadn't. So I looked again at my card list, and I had missed a page of it. Of course there are a lot of people crossed off because I had lost track of them, or they had passed away. Still, I had to spend this afternoon writing cards to people. Tonight I went downstairs to the living room, where there was a group of people who came in to sing Christmas songs. They gave all of us copies of the songs, and we sang along with them. I enjoyed it. Chris stayed in the apartment to listen to the news. I figured I could catch up on the news later, and there are lots of TV stations with evening news, some of them good ones, like the PBS station. The singing was more fun, anyway. This afternoon Ken Lofrano and his wife came over and brought us some cookies for Christmas. He is our home teacher, and they are good friends, too.

Now I'll write about today, Monday. We stayed here at the apartment, and I finished writing the Christmas cards. Also, we went to the Gentle Exercise class in the morning, and had our usual three meals. Karen came over this evening, though, and brought us part of the beef stew she had cooked. She said she did that because Chris had complained about some of the food here. We ate the stew, and went to the dining room later and had a salad and tried their apple pie. The pie was only half baked, really big uncooked slices of apple and a sort of cereal for a top crust, and the bottom crust not cooked. We came back here, and watched a little TV. Tomorrow is another day.

I did it again, missed a day writing. So, this will be Sunday's review, what I can remember of it. We did go to church, and stayed for just the Sacrament Meeting. I felt ready to stay for the rest of the meetings, but Chris didn't, so we went back to the apartment and I wrote Christmas cards. My list is limited now, only about half of what I used to write. Many of our friends and relatives are now gone, or maybe we just aren't writing to each other anymore. I got all but about 6 done. We expected our home teacher to come over in the afternoon, but he had already been to see us this month, and I guess he realized that and didn't come. We did have a visitor, though, The young man who used to do our cleaning before we moved here and helped us make the move by taking things to Karen's to store, and making a walkway to the new storage shed we put up at the house for things that wouldn't fit into the three- room apartment here.

I didn't write yesterday, Friday. We went through our usual routine here, and also went shopping again. Back at the apartment we tried out the little radio we had bought for Verla Reese. but we did find out it wasn't very good, and it had lots of switches and things, that were hard for me to operate. We thought about it overnight, and we decided not to give it to her. Instead, we chose a small radio in my bottom dresser drawer, that I hadn't used for a while. It turned out to be simpler to use, and we decided to give that one to Verla. It was too late by then to take it to her, so we waited until morning. Besides, I had caramels that Karen had made, to cut and wrap to send to Charles and Mable. Now this was today, Saturday. It was clear and lovely outside, so after breakfast we decided we would go for a long walk. On the way, we went to see Verla in the Care Center to give her the radio. She was awake, and seemed glad to see us. I got out the radio and the ear phones we had bought for her, and gave them to her, helping her to get the ear phone in one ear. It took a while, but she was happy with it when she could hear the music I had tuned in for her. She was a little confused by it all, and I really wasn't sure what more to do. Just then the nurse came in, and I asked her to help Verla use it. We left as she and the nurse were working with it. We came outside, and started our walk. I was carrying the newspaper I had picked up at the desk, and I suggested I put it in the car, and not take it with us. But by the time we reached the car, the heat and the sun had got to me, and Chris suggested I sit in the car and read the paper there. I asked him to go on and walk, but he decided to go back to the apartment, and I could come later. That's what I did. We never did get the walk, but it was a good day. Karen came over and visited a while, and then my visiting teacher. She is the same one I had in Carlsbad, and very faithful to visit me. After dinner we watched TV a while, and now it's time for bed.

This morning we had our breakfast, and then instead of going to the Gentle Exercise, we drove to the Carlsbad Kaiser pharmacy to pick up a medication. On the way back we stopped at Tamarack Beach and went for a walk along the lower ocean-side walkway. It was another beautiful day, and we enjoyed it. From there we went to the Walmart near the Plaza El Camino, and bought a few odds and ends, and then had lunch at Burger King. From there we went over to the Plaza and to the Radio Shack store there. We bought a small radio to take to Verla Reece, the friend of Loraine Pepper, and now our friend, too, who is in the care center at Las Villas de Carlsbad, where we live. We didn't have time to take it to her today, because we were late getting home, and figured she would be having her dinner. We'll go tomorrow. Tonight I went with Karen to the Relief Society Christmas party at the church. It was a good dinner and a great program; I just wish someone had made a movie of the whole program, it was so well prepared and presented. When we got back here, Karen gave us a pretty poinsettia plant in bloom, and we have it on our dining table along with the Christmas tree and the Creche, and a fruitcake Carla had sent to us from the Collin Street Bakery in Corsicana, Texas. This cake is my favorite Christmas- time dessert. Karen gave us our first one years ago, and we have had several since then..

This morning after breakfast I ordered two sandwiches to go, and I would pick them up about 11:45. That was because Karen had called and invited us to go to the beach and have our lunch there. After that we went down to the front desk and asked for a newpaper to read in the coffee shop, and we spent a little time with that. Then we went to the bank to buy a $5000 CD and to cash a check. From there we went across the street there to Wal-Mart and bought some crackers and cookies to have on hand for snacks. It was almost time for Karen to pick us up, so we didn't buy anything else. We got back here, picked up the sandwiches, and met Karen at the front of the building. She drove to a Circle-K and got a sandwich and a couple of sodas, and we went on to the beach. The sun was out, and as usual it was a lovely day. The ocean is a peaceful place to have lunch. We enjoyed it. Terry didn't come; his Parkinson's has been giving him pain since he got his pacemaker put in last Friday. I hope he soon feels better . When we got back here, I tried to buy a suit on the internet, and it took all afternoon. I had to call Kaye for help, and she ended up doing it for me. I hope we ordered the right thing, it's from Chris to me for Christmas. I haven't got the other presents yet, and there's only about a week to Christmas. I mailed 8 Christmas cards to friends, and I still have lots more to go. We have already received two cards forwarded from our Oceanside address. That's because I'm so slow telling family and friends our new address.

Last night as we were getting ready for bed, the power went off; I was in the middle of brushing my teeth. Fortunately the management here had put little flash lights in the apartment, and we could finish getting ready for bed. It wasn't just our building, but about half the town had lost power. The staff here, checked out the buildings, to make sure the people were OK. The lights were back on when I woke up about 2:30 a.m. Then this morning the power went off again. This time I was downstairs reading the newspaper in the coffee shop. I couldn't get back to the 3rd floor, because the elevator didn't work, and the stairs were dark, no lights. I called Chris on my cell phone, and he was out on the balcony watering the plants. I went outside to look up to see him, but he had gone. When I got back to the lobby the lights were back on. Exciting time. After lunch we drove to the Kaiser Clinic and pharmacy in Carlsbad to pick up prescriptions, and also, Dr. Donahoe wanted to see Chris, because of his being unable to move for a few minutes a few days ago. He checked him out and said it was not a stroke, but just a mild episode, and to just take care from now on. When we got back here, it was time for dinner (from 4:30 to 7), so we had that. We came back here to watch the evening news, and I went to sleep in my chair. About two hours passed before I woke up to write this. I knew I was tired, but not that tired. I'll watch news, and then go to bed.

This morning we had a quick breakfast and then went to Church. We stayed only for Sacrament Meeting, but it was a good one. Brother Eric Johnson was one of the speakers, and he was good, Also, there was a Samoan, an old friend of the bishop, who also spoke. He was also good. Back at the Villas, we sat for a while in the coffee shop and read the Sunday paper. It hadn't been delivered to our apartment. I guess the newspaper staff finally realized we were no longer on their delivery list. That saves us the trouble of getting rid of the papers after we have read them. When we got back to the third floor, it was time for lunch, so we went into the dining room and had ours. Karen arrived shortly before 2 p.m., and she and I drove to Nancy Barnhart's house to visit teach her. She is 92 years old, and her daughter Jean and Jean's son lives there, too. He helps keep up the house, which was lavishly decorated for Christmas. I guess Nancy has accumulated all kinds of Christmas decorations over the years she has lived in that location. I gave away too much of our things each time we moved, and we had only a wreath that Jean had made, that we brought from our house in Oceanside. I know I saved the handmade tree ornaments that our family and friends have made and given to us, but I couldn't find the right box in either of the two storage sheds at the house. After our visit,Karen bought me back here, and she showed us pictures of the house she and Terry have made an offer on in Oro Grande, near Pismo Beach. If they move there, we will look for a senior place near there.

Today we were slow to get up, but we did make it to breakfast. Afterward we started out for a long walk, but the wind was cold, and instead we went to see Verla Reece in the Health Care Ccnter. She had her eyes closed, so I knocked gently on the door, and she opened her eyes. We visited a little while and then left. Back at the apartment I had the clothes ready to wash, so I took them down to the first floor laundry room, where the room was clear, no one else washing. So, that's the way we spent the rest of the morning, instead of walking. Chris took some pictures of the lobby and the coffee shop, and he is now trying to put them on the small computer. I hope he succeeds. (He did!) We had lunch after we had finished with the clothes , and then we came back here and had a nap. We watched a little TV, and then went to dinner. Since then we have talked to Kaye, and she has bought their and our gifts for Caden, both little toy bicycles for him to ride, one is larger than the other. I hope he likes them. He enjoyed the smaller rider we gave him earlier, that didn't have peddles. When I was little, we called this kind a kiddie-car. We talked to Karen, and Terry is doing better after his pacemaker surgery. She and I will go visiting teaching together again, and I like that. We called Carla, and they have had a wet,cold miserable day. Rex is giving a talk tomorrow in their Church.

This morning at the urging of one of our daughters, Chris left a message for Dr. Donahoe, telling him about the short time (about 15 minutes) when he couldn't move out of his recliner. The doctor's staff called right back and said Chris should go right to Palomar Hospital Emergency room and take some tests to see if there was damage to his heart. It was almost 11:30 so went downstairs and tried to get the driver here to take us to Escondido. But the head people here decided he should have a non-emergency ambulance take us, in case something happened again on the way. They called it, and while we waited for it, I went to the dining room and got two sandwiches, since I wasn't familiar with the food situation at Palomar. I had only been there as a patient when I had pneumonia. We each ate a half sandwich on the way there, and saved the rest for later. When we got to the hospital they waited a while, then they put Chris in a bed in the emergency section and then they started to the tests. There was a long wait between tests,but they were finally done. A doctor came and told us they found nothing wrong, but advised Chris to see Dr. Donahoe and report all the results to him. I imagine he will already have gotten the results by email. Anyway, the hospital called a taxi and paid for it, to take us back to Carlsbad. I don't know why they did that, it was a first time any hospital has been so accommodating. Chris tipped the driver when we got home. We were in time to order dinner, that we took into our apartment.

Last night Chris had a short episode, where he couldn't move out of a chair he was sitting in. He got over it quickly, so we didn't think too much of it. However, I woke up three times in the night, to check out his breathing. It was OK. But because of his episode, he was tired, and I went to breakfast alone, and brought his back to the apartment. He ate it all and felt better. He went to work on the computer, and I read the paper and dozed a little, until time for lunch. We both went to lunch, and it was a good one. We came back to the apartment and he dozed a little, and I wrote three Christmas cards and then rested, too. We had a good dinner tonight, and then talked half an hour to Kaye. She told us about Caden's being better and playing with his toys; and then we talked about Kaye's new house. She was out there most of the day, but had lunch with Kyle and then went back to the house. She helped the workers by showing them the plans she had, so they would do the plumbing right for the fixtures that she and the builder had decided on. And she arranged for the skylights she wants. She is so happy about the house; I am, too, because the old house isn't good enough for her to live in. We are invited to a birthday party for Mabel on the 30th of Dec. and we want to go. I hope Karen will be here to drive us up there. We had been counting on seeing Charles and Mabel before Christmas, but this would be a good alternative.

I knew that I had to go back to Dr. Groesbeck this afternoon, so the day was planned with that in mind. Also, Caden was to have a biopsy taken of his implanted heart, and that was on my mind, too. I prayed for Caden, and then started the day. After breakfast we decided to go to the Gentle Yoga class. I sat in the back of the room, so I could leave if I got too tired. I did stay, but I took it easy on the exercises. In spite of that I did get very tired. So, instead of going to the health center to visit Verla Reece, we came back to the apartment. I sat down to read the paper, but I fell asleep. After a while I woke up, finished the paper, and we went to lunch. My eye was doing well, with the 3 drops I have to take 4 times a day, and I managed to stay awake. the rest of the time until Karen came to take us to Vista for my visit with Dr. Groesbeck. On the way there, I called Kaye, to see if she had heard how Caden was doing. She said she had just talked to Stellan, and Caden was awake, and asking for a drink. I'm so glad that he came out of it and is well. We got to the clinic, and Dr. Grosbeck examined my eye, and told me he told me it was doing well, and that he made an appointment for me with Dr. White in January for an exam to find out what new glasses I would need. In the meantime I can wear my old ones, or buy just plain glasses that have slight magnification. We came back here, and were in time for dinner, so we had some, and now are watching the news on the TV.

Another busy day. I was excited and nervous about having the cataract surgery, I guess. I knew I had to skip breakfast, so that wasn't a problem, and that I was to bring my eye drops with me. I forgot to swallow my blood pressure tablets, and that was a real mistake. But we went to Escondido, getting there an hour early. We stopped at a WalMart to look for some ornaments for our little tree, but all they had were big things. So we left, after having walked all the way to the back of the store and back. It must have been a block each way! We drove on to the clinic, arriving just on time. I think our trip was fast, because the rain and cold wind were gone, and the traffic was light. I waited about half an hour, and then was called in to the room with the three cots, where the people were given drops to dilate the eye to be operated on. Also, there were other drops to sanitize and lubricate the eye. For some reason, maybe my blood pressure, it took too long to dilate my eye, and I missed a turn at the surgery. But finally I got there, and Dr. Groesback started on it. In the meantime the two nurses and the anesthesiologist started telling jokes, and I was afraid the doctor would laugh and shake, so he would mess up my eye, but he didn't. I have to fill out a card telling how I was treated, and I'll tell them about This! Karen and Chris had a sandwich for lunch, and they brought me one which I ate on the way home. When we got here I felt weak, and Chris got a wheel chair and took me up to the apartment. I soon felt better, but I rested most of the afternoon. Tonight I watched Rick Steve's Christmas show, filmed in 7 different countries.

This day has been a little screwed up for me. Friday Dr. Groesbeck's office called, to say they had a cancellation of an appointment for Cataract surgery Tuesday, and I could come in then. We couldn't get Karen to ask her if she could drive us to Escondido then instead of our former date Dec. 16. We couldn't get her in time to call back and say yes, I would come, so we had to wait until this morning to call back. When we did, the girl said that was fine, but she didn't know when I should be there. We waited around the rest of the morning, but it was afternoon before she called back, to say it would be 10 o'clock tomorrow. We cleared that with Karen, so we are set for that. The girl did say I was to take the three eye medications every 2 hours today. I have done that, between trips to the dining room for three meals, and downstairs to meet Karen, who came to deliver the 3ft. Christmas tree I had talked about getting. (She had found one, and asked if she shoud get it for us, of course we said yes.) She also brought 3 Religious tapes we had wanted. It has rained all day, and more is forecast - I hope not for tomorrow. The wind is up, too. I will go now and watch the evening news, to see if there will be more wind and rain for our trip tomorrow.

We didn't go to breakfast this morning, because it's a fast day. We went to Church and sat with Karen, during the bearing of testimonies. I forgot to take my hearing aid, so I missed most of them. But there was one man who talked loud enough for me to hear, and he had a fine testimony of our religion. I was glad to hear him. We left after this meeting because Chris had problems breathing and didn't have any inhalers with him. He felt better when we got back to the apartment and he could use his inhalers. Later we went to the dining room for dinner, and afterward each of us had a banana split. They only serve them here on the first Sunday of each month. It was cool today, with a cooler wind, so we didn't go outside for our walk. Instead we just walked all of the corridors in this building. We kept running into a woman who was doing the same thing, and that made it more interesting. Also, there were a lot of Christmas decorations on doors to the apartments and in the dining room, and the lobby on the first floor. Our wreath was as good as any other. Jean, Nancy Barnhart's daughter, made it and gave it to us. Nancy is a couple of years older than I am, and Jean's husband passed away, so she is staying with her mother and taking care of her. Karen and I have been their visiting teachers for several years, at least until we moved here. I miss seeing the women we used to visit, but maybe when I get all well, I can go with Karen again.

We intended to go to the exercise class after breakfast, but we were late, and also it was the class that I couldn't keep up with, so we just stayed in the apartment and read the paper. Chris went down to the coffee shop, got a cup of coffee, and filled our empty water jugs with the purified water. It does taste a little better than the water that comes in the taps here. But I do appreciate the instant hot water each day, so I'm not complaining. Also, I appreciate the warmer floors in the apartment. The sun was supposed to come out in the afternoon at the coast, but it never did here. I spent the day catching up on the medical records I keep. Chris also keeps them in the computer, but I have been putting them in my little book since the children were little, and that gives me a quick record whenever I need it. I'm slow at the computer! We talked to all three daughters. Carla gave us advice on financial matters; Karen offered to take me shopping, but I stayed here to finish with the medical records. Kaye said she and Kyle will go to Seattle for Christmas. She hopes to get some good scopes for us with Caden and the rest of the family. And I do, too. Tomorrow is Brittany's birthday. We gave her a present last time she was down here, but we will call her tomorrow.

After breakfast we intended to go to the Gentle Yoga class, but we got to reading the newspaper, and we were too late to go. Instead, we drove over to the house in Oceanside to the storage sheds there. We were looking for some Christmas decorations I remember storing. But all we could find was a large wreath that Nancy Barnhart's daughter had given us. While we were out, we decided to visit the Dollar Store that Kaye had recommended for little things. We got a small wreath and two kinds of fancy bows that I put on it when we got back to the apartment. I hung the large wreath on the front door to the apartment and the small one on the door to the extra room. They look nice there. The management here has decorated the lobby and the dining room, and several people had decorated their doors. So, our wreaths fit right in. After lunch we went to the Care Center to see Verla Reese; but she was having trouble with her throat, with two attendants trying to help her. So we said hello to her, and then said we would come back another time, when she felt better. She looks worse than she did before she went to the hospital and then came back here, where she was supposed to feel better. After dinner we watched the news on TV, and later we will watch Bill Moyers' program and then go to bed.

This morning we went to breakfast as usual, and then came back to the apartment. Chris worked at the computer the rest of the morning, and I just did little things around the apartment. One thing was cleaning up some spots on the carpet, for which Chris gave me a talking to. After paying $5,500 a month for rent, we are certainly allowed to get service like that from the management here. He is right, of course. I guess I am just used to doing things myself, and it's hard to be taken so well care of as we should expect, being here. I did call Karen; she had offered to take me shopping at Costco, and I called to accept the offer. She had a tour to conduct at the Gemological Society, but she came for me as soon as she was through with that. It's here in Carlsbad, not far from here. We had lunch out first, and then we drove in her Jag (very nice car) and soon arrived at the store. I bought Christmas cards and looked at a lot of other things, but I didn't buy any. I haven't yet made a Christmas gift list, and I must do that soon and get busy on getting things. Back at the apartment I sat down to rest, having walked a long way around the store and then across a large parking lot back to the car. Karen drove me here, where I went to sleep, and finally woke up in time to go to dinner. After that, Chris and I just stayed here and watched the news on TV.

This morning we had breakfast, came back here to read the paper for a few minutes, then we went to the Gentle Yoga class. It's much easier than the other one, but has some of the same moves. I don't think it is really a yoga class, because it's so much like the Stretch and Flex class. Oh well, I can get tired exercising at either one. I called the TriCity Hospital to see if Verla Reece was there, and they said no. I asked if she had passed away, and the girl couldn't tell me, except that she wasn't there. Afterward we went back downstairs to get some filtered water, and I asked the receptionist at the front desk about her. And she said Verla is back here now, at the Care Center. That was good news. I'll go see her again tomorrow. We had lunch, and we both brought half of our sandwich back here and put it in the refrigerator to eat later for dinner. I finished reading the paper., and then two workmen came calling, to talk about the elevator, that was not working right when we had a fire alarm a few weeks ago. We had talked about it to another resident, and he went to report that the door opened but elevator wasn't there, and someone in an emergency might try to use it and fall down the shaft. I don't know what they did about it, but then the plumber who fixed the leaking toilet a week ago came back, to fix it again. It had started leaking again. We had fruit and pie for dinner, and came back here and had our sandwich. We talked to Kaye and Karen, will have to call Carla in the morning.

After breakfast we took our newspaper to read and went down to the bench in from of the apartment, and waited about 5 minutes for Karen to come and pick us up. Chris had to go the San Diego Kaiser Clinic to get another injection in his eye, to stop the development of the wet macular degeneration that was going on there. This is his third and last shot. I hope they all work to keep his eyesight. After it was over, about 12 p.m., we started back here. Karen had brought snacks for lunch, and we stopped for drinks to go with them. Then we drove back to Las Villas. Karen went home, because Terry is a little worse, and she wanted to be there. We settled down here, and after watching some news, we both had a nap. Chris slept longer than I did. We went to dinner early, because we wanted to get back in time for Pres. Obama's speech at West Point Military Academy. Pres. Obama said he is going to send 30,000 more troops to the war, and that was the most important thing I remember. Later we watched CNN Channel for the reaction of various news analysts to what he said. They all had different ideas on what had to be done. We watched a while, and then we turned the TV off, to wait for the News Hour with Jim Lehrer. We like that particular news show. After we see that, we will call Kaye, and then Carla, to see how they are.

This morning we went to breakfast, and then to the Gentle Yoga exercise class. I had one stiff knee, but by the time the class was over, it was feeling better. I guess it just needed the stretching we all did. We came back to the apartment, read the morning paper, and rested a while. At lunch time we went to the dining room and had lunch. Then we went downstairs to the lobby to wait for the driver to come take us to Vista Kaiser Clinic, where I was to have my left eye measured, before going in to have the lens removed. When we were in his car , I asked if there was a way to get there and not get on the freeway. He said yes. Well, we took a long roundabout route that took longer than the freeway route. Fortunately we were early for the appointment, and we got to the clinic about 25 minutes early. I had to wait until my appointment, and then it lasted longer than than they said it would. We had to pick up prescriptions after wards, and just as we got them, Chris was trying to call for the driver from Las Villas but he came right in. He thought he had lost us, but the receptionist told him where we were, and we got to gether and drove back to the Villas. We were a little early for dinner, so we just stayed here until it was time to go to the dining room. Afterward we talked to Karen, and she will drive us to San Diego tomorrow, where Chris has another injection in his eye, to stop the macular degeneration. We talked to Carla and Rex, and they told us about their Thanksgiving. We had talked to Kaye earlier, on our way back from Vista.

We skipped breakfast, except for a half a banana, had our morning medications, and went to church. Karen was there, but Danya didn't come. She had a fever and cough last night. But she did go home by train, and she is safely there now. We had planned to go out to lunch, but we skipped it , because of Danya's illness. We stayed here, and had a good lunch. We both had a nap, and then we went for a walk around the buildings. On the way, we checked on our storage locker in building C, and there's plenty of room for more storage, like a lot of the videos we have here in the apartment. After we got back, we had dinner in the dining room, and then came back to the apartment. We decided to watch one of our old movies, and we picked "My Fair Lady". I couldn't remember it until the first scene, then it came back to me. We watched it anyway, and it was delightful. We are going to put in the storage locker all the things we aren't using here, like the extra videos and the packing boxes we have never gotten out of the way in what we call the computer room. One of the reasons we are keeping the boxes is that when Karen and Terry get the house they are thinking about, and if they decide to move up to the Pismo area, we will move up there, too. Karen said there is a nice retirement house near there. However, we will probably stay here for now.

After breakfast we went back to the apartment and read the paper. Then we decided to go to the Stretch and Flex exercise class. It was much harder than the Gentle Yoga yesterday, and I had to stop before it was over. Chris left with me and we went back to the apartment. We went through some old video tapes, packing some for storage and others to keep with us. We went to lunch, and came back to do more. Then we watched one of the videos, "Advise and Consent", with lots of old movie stars. It was black and white, but interesting none-the- less. Before dinner I took the clothes down to the laundry and washed them. We went to dinner while they were drying. Now they are mostly folded and most put away. The socks didn't get dry, so I am hanging them up here rather than going back to the laundry room. Karen,Terry and Danya are back from their day trip to L.A., and Karen wasn't particularly impressed by the Reagen Library. She didn't tell us about what else they saw, but when we see them after church in the morning, they may tell us about the rest of the trip. We talked to Kaye, and she told us part of the visit with her sons and grandson. She also sent a couple of pictures of Caden, and she said she would send a video of him when she finds one short enough to put on the e-mail. We called Carla, and it was raining there, so I guess Monty, Rex's brother, didn't get to play golf on their course at Bandon. over Thanksgiving. Speaking of rain, we had three short, hard rains here today.

This morning we had breakfast as usual, and then we went to the Gentle Yoga exercise class. We got out of there a little late for my appointment with my visiting teacher, Peggy Plylor, at 10 o'clock. But we met her as we got out of the elevator on our floor. She had been to our apartment and was just leaving to try to find us by talking to the greeter downstairs. Anyway, we had a nice visit. talking about all our families. We have known them for the last ten years, and most of her family still live here, and she has met our daughters and most of the grandchildren. Later we had the lunch that the dining room here had prepared for us for last night, since the dining room was closed after their Thanksgiving dinner ended about 1 p.m. It was still nice, and we finished with a piece of the pie Karen had sent home with us yesterday. In the afternoon Karen and Danya came over for a visit. Danya had just had her hair cut in a different style and a reddish color applied to it. It was quite bright, but they both said it would calm down a little as she washes it. Danya told us more about her teaching job in Portersville. She has classes all day with disadvantaged children from the fifth and six grades. She is very patient, so I'm sure she does a good job with them. Karen had brought us two complete Thanksgiving dinners, left from yesterday, and they were just as good as yesterday's. And we had another piece of pie afterward. And now, we will watch the news with Bill Moyers.

We started this Thanksgiving day with breakfast here at Las Villas, and then we received a call from Brittany, and she was on her way down here. But before coming to our apartment, she was going to an exercise club she belongs to here in Carlsbad. She arrived here about 11, and and we had a good time catching up what has happened since we saw her last. The she studied a bit, and then she curled up on the sofa and had a short nap. We woke her in time to go to Karen and Terry's house for Thanksgiving dinner, which started about 3. When we arrived there, we visited with them and with Danya, and Al, who were already there. Then we all had a nice turkey dinner with all the trimmings. Then we had pie, four kinds to choose from. I had mince and apple, and then after dinner Karen sent us home with a full pie tin filled with pieces of each pie. And I had a piece tonight for supper, instead of the lunch the dining room here had provided for us. Chris didn't have any. I hope he gets some tomorrow, it is all so good. After we got back to the apartment, Brittany left to go back to Fullerton. She said she would call when she got there, but she forgot, so we called her. We thought of calling Kaye, but Race, Stellan, Sara and Caden were there, so we didn't want to interfere with the visit. Kaye loves that baby, as though it was hers, instead of being her grandson. We talked to Carla, and thanked her for the picture book, and the cake she said was coming.

There was no water exercise class this morning, so after breakfast we went to the Gentle Yoga class. That, I could do much better than I did in the regular exercise class yesterday. Besides that, it was only 30 minutes long. It was cut short, because a group of Christian people were coming to direct a sing-along with the residents. Curious, we went down to the lobby and joined the group. The song books they handed out had just the words of about 100 hymns, printed in big letters, so all people in the retirement homes they go to could read them. We stayed about half and hour, when Chris got a coughing spell and we left. We walked around the front of the building and it was a nice day, and when we got back inside the singing was over. I had rather enjoyed the singing; there were several songs that are in our hymn books, but some with different words. We had to go back to the Kaiser Clinic to get the medicine they had left out of our package yesterday. We drove along the ocean, and it was blue and gleaming in the sunshine, and that made it better to have to go back there. There was no trouble getting the prescription, and we came back here, after the nice ride. Chris asked me if I wanted to do my blog, but I said no, that something really interesting might come up later. Well, it didn't, we just had our dinner and then watched the news. The interesting part of the day was over. However, we did also watch and listen to some of the survivors of the Hotel bombing in Bombay. It was a well-done presentation, without showing the dead and dying, as some of the shows do.

Today was quieter than yesterday, but we did one new thing. After breakfast we went to an exercise class. called Stretch and Flex. And it was a real workout for me. I had to give up on some of the exercises! I'll go back to the water exercises next week, at least. It seemed a bother to get in a swim suit and then get out of it and have a shower afterward. But I can do better with that than the other exercises. Karen called, and invited us to go to the beach with her and have our sandwiches with her as we looked at the waves and the occasional surfer and the blue ocean and lighter blue sky. We came back here and then went to the Kaiser Clinic to pick up some prescriptions. When we got back here we discovered we hadn't got one of them. We will have to go back tomorrow and straighten it out. We watched a couple of TV shows, and then went to dinner. It wasn't very good, but the lemon pie afterward was good. We talked briefly to Kaye, and her washer has broken down, and she is shopping for something to use until the new house is built, with its new washer and dryer. We will call her later and see if she was successful in getting a temporary solution. I bought a cherry pie on a sale here, and we gave it to Karen to use as part of the Thanksgiving dinner Thursday.

After Breakfast we took our newspaper and went down to the lobby to read it, because the housekeeper was at the apartment cleaning it. We came back here to wait until time for the Villas bus to take us to Vista for my two doctors' appointments. The bus was late taking us, but fortunately the first doctor was a little behind schedule. We waited about 5 minutes, and then he examined my eyes. Then we went to the second doctor, who had done the surgery on my right eye. After his exam, and his looking at the report of the other doctor, he recommended I have the cataract removed from the left eye. We agreed, and we got appointments for his pre-op. visit, and for the surgery appointment, which is on Dec. 17. That will give me time to recover before Christmas, thank goodness. The bus from the Villas came to pick us up, and he had the people for the beach trip, so we went with them to the beach. He went near the Tamarack beach we like best and parked on the highway. We got out and walked along the sidewalk above the beach, and it was a lovely clear day, and the water was beautiful. We came back to the apartment and had a nap, and then we went to dinner. Now we will watch the nightly news on TV.

Today we went to Sacrament Meeting at the church in Oceanside. The former Bishop (our home teacher) and his wife were the speakers. They were very good, and afterward he asked if he could come visit this afternoon. Of course we said yes. So, He arrived about 3 p.m. when he said he would. He brought Brownies, I didn't ask if he had made them, or if his wife had. I just accepted them and said thank you very much. We will have them for our dessert after dinner tonight. Anyway, we had a good visit of almost an hour. We shared stories about our families and talked about accepting the gospel, he told us about his family, which aren't members, and we shared our stories about our families. After he left we looked at the newspaper and I read the ads to see if there was anything we would want to buy people for Christmas. There wasn't anything. I wanted Florsheim shoes for my husband, but the ad isn't in the Sunday paper, and I have gotten rid of the paper the ad was in. We went to dinner and sat with some interesting people. One of them was a woman who had told us her life story once before, but this time it was a little more flowery. She didn't remember telling us about it before. Karen called, to tell us they will be coming home tomorrow; we had thought it was today and were beginning to worry. Her call was very welcome.

We went to breakfast and then Chris drove me to my hair appointment with Amy at the Unique Beauty Salon. Amy and I were the only ones there, except for a man putting in more shelves for supplies in the back of the shop. Anyway, I put off telling her that I wouldn't be coming back, until it was time to pay her. By then there were two more operators and clients, it was more of a problem. But I did it anyway, and made a mess of it. I told her our ages, and that our daughters didn't want us driving on the freeway, which we had to do to get there. Anyway, I made everything a mess by dropping some tears. She got a cold wet paper to wipe my eyes, which I did, and I just gave her the bills in my purse, which included the price of the hairdo and about a $1o tip, and we hugged, and I left. She followed me out, and insisted I come back inside to wait for my husband to pick me up. He wanted to meet me at the drugstore, so I just slipped out of the shop when she was busy with someone else, and met him. By that time I was calm again. We came back to the apartment and spent our usual day. We got a package containing our aniversary and Christmas gift from Carla and Rex; an album of pictures of their family, and the others, that she had taken. We will really enjoy it. We called and thanked them for it. And we'll be happy to share it with any of you who read this and come down. We also talked to Kaye, and she has picked out the kitchen appliances for her new house. I'm so glad she is going to have the new house, close to town.

We went to breakfast as usual, and then we went to Gentle Yoga exercise class. It is directed by the same woman who leads the swim class. Some of the exercises are the same as in the pool, but without the support of the water to help you. If I can get over my cough, I'll go back to the water exercise. We came back to the apartment and read the paper. I did call once to cancel it's delivery, but it is still coming. Maybe we will get a bill one of these days! Chris doesn't think we need it, that we can get all the news on the TV. But I have read a newspaper since I was old enough to read, and it is a life-long habit that is hard to break. After lunch we sort of rested up; I had hurt my knee while doing the exercises earlier. After the knee felt better I took the laundry down to the 2nd floor, and while the clothes washed and dried, read in one of the French editions of Patricia Briggs books that Kaye has sent to me. It has been over 40 years since I taught a class in French, and it has sort of slipped away. It will take a while to get back to the language, but I intend to do it. Kaye just called, and she told us of the latest news on the house they are having built. I'm glad she has that coming to fruition. She does need a good place to live.

It was a quiet day for us. We had breakfast, and then Karen came over for a short visit before she started on her trip to the Pismo Beach area. She is thinking of buying a house there, and moving up in a year or two. Terry will come up later in the week and see what she likes of those an agent has found for them. After she left us here, it was too late to go to the exercise class, so instead we came back to the apartment and read the morning paper. We had lunch, and after about half and hour we went over to the health care unit and visited Verla Reece. She is looking better than she did when she left for the hospital, and she seems to be feeling better, too. She did say, though, she likes staying in bed. I hope she gets over that, and can come back to live here on our floor again. They are keeping her apartment for her, so I think it won't be long until she is back. We just had a call from Karen. She arrived, and she has already seen some houses. There is one that she thinks might do, but she waiting for Terry to come up to see it. In the meantime she is going to look at more houses that are available. They wouldn't be going up there for at least a year, so any house they buy, they would rent out until they are ready to move. We talked to Kaye, too. She had her shot, so today she has been in bed getting over it and the fever it causes. I didn't realize it before, but she is plagued, too, by migraine headaches along with the nausea.

With what happened yesterday, I determined to take it easier today with any exercise. So, after breakfast we decided not to go for a long walk, but instead we would go to the class called Gentle Yoga. It was easier to do than the ones we did yesterday. Afterward I decided to stay and see a movie of all 48 of the National Parks. I saw the two in Alaska, American Samoa, and one of the those in Hawaii, and then I slept through several more, and woke up later to see the ones in Utah, the Smoky Mountains, I had skipped all the rest. Maybe I can see film again sometime. We went to lunch and met some new people who have just moved in here. We came back to the apartment, I had my eye drops, and while I was siting there, I fell asleep, and slept the afternoon away. Chris didn't wake me up; he figured I needed the sleep. I guess I did. We went to dinner and sat with the nice little lady across the hall, at the end. Her daughter wasn't there, but Nan talked to us a bit. She doesn't hear well. We came back here and watched a news cast, and now we will see another one. Then we'll watch one of the movies waiting here to be seen.

After breakfast we intended to go to an exercise class down on the second floor, but we let the time run away with doing other little things. So, we decided to do the exercises on a CD we have, called Exercise for Seniors. Well, we did, and I got completely exhausted. I should have slowed down, but instead I insisted on doing it all with the people on the TV. We had arranged to go to lunch, and Karen with us, at Mimi's Cafe, where we had a $3o gift from the High Priest Group at the church, because we have the longest marriage of all those in the group. Karen came for us, so we wouldn't have to park two cars in the lot of such a popular restaurant. Karen let us out and then parked the car. By the time she had done that, Chris was in the cafe reserving a table, and I waited outside for Karen to come. By the time she got there, I had suddenly become nauseated, and I threw up into the bushes in the planter outside the door. Well, we drove back to the apartment, and by then, I had come to the conclusion that it was because of the exercise class, that was just to hard for me to do yet. I just assumed I was OK, when I wasn't. I rested a while, then had tea and crackers and soup, and part of a cheese sandwich, and I rested and watched a little TV, and didn't get sick again. I look forward to a better day tomorrow.

After breakfast and reading the newspaper that is delivered to our door, we went for a long walk. We walked all around the buildings of Las Villas, and then we went down the back street to the first through street, west on that, and then east back to the apartments. We didn't go to the pool, because I still have my cough, and I don't want to make it worse. After lunch Karen came over and picked us up to go down to the beach. It was a perfect day, the sun shining on the blue ocean, with the white breaking waves in contrast. It was beautiful. We sat there and talked, for about an hour., I guess. We talked about her going up to Pismo Beach area, where her real estate agent there had found three houses for her, and Terry, to look at as an investment, with the idea of moving up there sometime. She would like to be up there, near the children that Lynn and Jamie's family have. Also, it's near where she lived once with the family. When we got back, I left my purse in the car; but Karen said she would keep it and give it back when we see her again tomorrow.

Chris had a nose-bleed in the night. He got it stopped after a while in the recliner and came back to bed. We went to Church and stayed for only one meeting. I didn't cough during the service, for which I am grateful. We sat with Karen, and afterward she talked about her trip to the Pismo Beach area next week-end. I told her about Bianca's doing a month's internship at a hospital in Santa Maria. And Karen will get in touch with her there. We came back to Las Villas, and a man came up to clean up the blood spots on the carpet. I told him I had tried to wipe them up with a dry tissue, and he said a baby wipe was better. He left a few spots, and I think he was seeing with only one eye.; at least, he was looking at me with only one. Tomorrow I'll try to clean up the rest of the spots. We had lunch, read the Sunday paper, and then had a nap. Tonight we watched a Sherlock Holmes episode, and now we will see a movie that's coming on. It's time for it, so I will close for today.

We hurried through breakfast, and then we went to the shopping center where my hairdresser is. I had my hair set, and Chris did some shopping for a few things we can't get at the little store in the lobby here. He also got some cereal and some milk, that doesn't have to be refrigerated, to go with it. That way we can stay in the apartment in the mornings if we don't want to go to the dining room. When my hair was done we came right back to Las Villas. We read the paper and watched the news, worked a little on the computers. We went to lunch, where we met two new people. One was an ex-Marine, and the other man didn't say anything about his life. The ex-Marine has a wife in the care center, where she is getting over a broken hip. She has broken several bones, including the other hip. I'm glad I haven't had such bad luck. My breaks have been in less serious places. She is only 81; I hope she is better from now on. The other man is in a wheelchair, and he didn't say anything about his wife. I wasn't anxious to go to dinner tonight, but it turned out quite well, ham steak, mashed potatoes, and mixed vegetables. I also had a hot lemonade for my throat and cough, which really haven't gotten much better.

We went to Breakfast as usual, and then we went to the Gentle Yoga Class instead of the water exercise. It was taught by the same woman who does the water exercise class, and she used some of the same exercises. They were harder to do, I think because in the water you are supported partly by the water. Whatever it was, I was more tired afterward than when we do the water exercise. I will be able to do the water one next week, because it will have been two weeks since my eye surgery. Karen called and invited us to go out to lunch with her. We did, and had fish tacos, which were very good. I also had lemonade to ease my throat, and hopefully help stop my coughing. It seemed to work. I have been coughing less the rest of the day. At 3:30 we went to the Birthday celebration for all the residents who were born in November. They served very good cake and ice cream, and a singer entertained everyone. The new people were introduced, and then all the people with birthdays; Chris was the first. We weren't very hungry after all the cake, ice cream and drinks, so we didn't go to dinner. Instead we had a sandwich and hot tea in the apartment and watched the news on the TV, including Bill Moyers' Journal.

We didn't go anywhere today, but it was partly busy anyway. After breakfast I decided to do the washing, because I was running out of things to wear. I should have waited until late afternoon, the way I did last time; I had to wait while others used the machines, but not too long before I could use one washer. I had that batch in the drier, and put another in the washer, and I went back to apartment for hangers. Instead of going back to the laundry room, Chris and I went to lunch. When that was over, he went with me to pick up the clothes. When we got back to the apartment and had the clean things put away, I sat down, wrapped up in a blanket, and stayed there the rest of the afternoon. My sore throat and cough are still with me, and perhaps it's because I didn't rest all day instead of the washing and chasing around to do that. I'll do better tomorrow, I promise myself. We heard from Kaye and also Brittany. Brittany said she can get things at Disneyland this week at half price; I couldn't think of anything, except their good fudge, and she'll get that for me. Kaye sent pictures of Caden, getting his first haircut, and he's so cute! Also,she sent pictures of the new house, the cement had been poured, so it's finally getting started. I hope everything goes well with the building.

I just read all the mistakes on the last blog, so I'll be sure to re-read this one so I will pick them up. I missed writing yesterday, I guess just because we didn't do much. You could say that about today too. We did go to the Kaiser Clinic down the coast a little way. I was to have my blood pressure taken again by a professional. Well, it turned out that the nurse who took it was not a registered nurse, but a student, from Palomar. She had to review all my medications, and I had only an out-of-date list in my purse. She wanted to make sure I was taking everything I should. Well, I couldn't remember all of them, so I had her call Chris in. He remembered, because he took care of them when I was still confused after the pneumonia in the hospital. I guess I'm still a little confused. Anyway, the blood pressure was normal, so all is well. On the way back to Las Villas we stopped at Tamarack Beach. We went for a walk along the sidewalk next to the beach, and we enjoyed it. Although the sun was not entirely out, the ocean was clear and almost flat, except for the waves that came up on the shore. There were two surfers with longboards who had a paddle, and the stood on the boards and paddled along. They even rode a couple of waves that way. That's the first time I have seen them ride a wave successfully.

Since it is Monday the cleaning woman would come, so we left early and went to breakfast. She was still two or three apartments away, we knew we had plenty of time. In fact, we came back and picked up our newspaper and took it downstairs to read in the lobby. Then, since we weren't sure our rooms would be done yet, we went outside and sat in the car to finish the paper. Chris went to sleep in the car, and I got out and sat on a bench and talked to another resident here. She is only 86, but she said she has great, great grand-children! I couldn't believe it, but then I realized maybe she was a little confused, and only thought that. But she had married when she was 16, so maybe that was right. After Chris woke up after a 25-minute nap, we went for a walk down Laguna to the next street and back. By then it was time for lunch, so we went back inside for that. We thought about going down to the beach with the bus that was going, but I got busy reading and Chris was working at the computer, so we missed it. We'll try again next time the bus goes. It's time we got into more of the activities around here. Besides, we have to go back to the Kaiser Clinic this week for another blood pressure check. I guess they don't think my records of it are right. Maybe they are not. We'll see. Anyway, we can walk along the beach after when we go to the Clinic.

We didn't go to Church this morning, because my cough and sore throat are still with me, and I didn't want to pass it on to friends at church who often hug each other, and me. We went to breakfast, though, and then came back here to take nose drops and other meds. I sat in the leather chair for my drops, and just sat there and went to sleep for an hour and a half! Later we went to lunch, and both times people asked about you, Kaye. That happens whenever one of our family comes to meals with us. I guess they all like to see someone young, as we certainly do. Karen came over just after lunch and told us about an interesting play they had seen in L.A. It was in an old house, and the play was about the people who had lived in it at one time. This afternoon we went for a walk around the outside of the compound, and then we came back to the apartment, had dinner, and then watched TV. Chris went to sleep a couple of times, but I stayed awake, because I had a diet coke with dinner. It has kept me awake the rest of the evening. We watched Sherlock Holmes, and then we skyped Kaye. She was ready for bed, but we had a short visit before closing it. We talked briefly to Karen again; I wanted her to save clothing catalogs for me, and I forgot to ask her earlier.

The day has been a little hard for me, because I seem to be coming down with a cold. I cough a lot, and I have a sore throat, but that is all so far--no fever. After breakfast I came back to the apartment and didn't want to do anything very active. Instead I am reading again Patricia Briggs' books about Hurog, because Kaye brought me a shirt with the dragon on it and the title of the book. I have worn it couple of times, and each time people have asked me about it. That is some bit of publicity. Maybe I will loan out the books, that aren't autographed by Patty, for people here to read. I do hope that Kaye won't get sick from me, or the trip down here. We talked to her, and she's tired. Also, they won't be selling their house in Bandon after all, at least not until the new house is finished. I hope we will be able to go up there next year, and see everybody, including Caden, and see the new house. I have spent most of the day reclining with my legs wrapped up, re-reading Dragon Bones and now Dragon Blood. Maybe I can whip this cold before it gets bad. We went to the bank this morning to transfer some money from savings to checking. We had been getting poor interest on it anyway. It was a quick trip, no stopping anywhere else, and we spent the rest of the day here.

We are back to our usual routine. When we changed our clocks, somehow the alarm in the bedroom was set for 6:30 in the morning, instead of 7. So, I just stayed in bed until after 7. We made it to breakfast as usual, and then came back to the apartment to read the morning paper. It was shocking to read of all the people shot at Ft. Hood in Texas. People seem to be going mad. What is happening to our country? After worrying about that, I went to the beauty shop here at Las Villas. My regular operator on Plaza Drive is out of town this week, and I paid a little more here, but we saved gas on not making the trip to Plaza Dr. When I got back we went to lunch and sat with friends we have made here. Besides the meals, house cleaning and part of our laundry, it's sort of nice to be near other people, not as we were, alone, in the house most of time before we came here. This afternoon we napped a little, and then went for a walk around the compound, and enjoyed the sun and nice weather. November is almost always this way here. With my cataract gone, I can see much more clearly. Now I'll sometime have to get the other one removed. Chris is still going to Dr. Dick in San Diego for his shots for Macular Degeneration in his eyes. His next appointment is on Dec. 1.

This is the last day of Kaye's visit; at least we did have breakfast with her before she left for San Diego with Karen, at 9:45. She called us from the airport to say she was checked in and just waiting for her plane. She called us as soon as she was met by Kyle at the Pasco airport, not to far from their house, between 5 and 6pm. After Kaye left we didn't do much, except work on our fiances, go to lunch, nap a while, and then just loaf around, read the paper, looked at books, pay our rent, and walk around the three buildings of Las Villas. Then we went to dinner. There weren't many people there, the rest had gone on a trip to Temecula to a brewery and car museum. We had seen them when we lived in Fallbrook, which is between here and Temecula. After dinner we came back to the apartment and had another piece of birthday cake. It still tastes much better than the same kind of cake they serve here. And this is 4 days after the birthday party for Chris. We have spent the evening reading and working on the computers. I listened to some music on my new MP3, and we talked to Kaye again, and to Carla. Now it is bedtime.

This is Kaye's last full day here. We tried to do all the things we hadn't done while she was here, but we didn't quite make it. After we had lunch here at Las Villas, we drove down to the Kaiser Clinic to have my blood pressure taken by the professionals, I guess Dr. Donahoe was curious about it for some reason. And we picked up 4 prescriptions that we needed refilled. Then we drove back to the Mall near Karen's house, and got Kaye some new sandals for her birthday present. Then we drove to Karen's, where Kaye looked at the faucets at Karen's , so she can get some like them for the new house she Kyle are having built. Karen joined us, and she drove us to San Marcos to Fry's Electronics store. There we walked all around the store, and Kaye, Karen and Chris all bought some equipment. I looked for one of those small washing machines, that you set on the kitchen cabinet and wash clothes. Our sheets and towels are laundered for us here, but we have to wash and dry our personal things. The others found what they wanted, but the store didn't have the washing machine I want. We came back to Oceanside, let Karen off at her house, and we came back to Carlsbad and to Las Villas to have dinner and then a visit in the apartment.

We went to breakfast as usual, and Kaye found some people she had met the two times she has been here before. And they remembered her, too. That was nice. We came back to the apartment and Kyle called to say that his computer had crashed, so Kaye and Chris worked on our two computers, to keep them from crashing, too. I don't understand what it was all about, but that's OK. I don't need to know. The computers are both working fine now, and so is Kaye's. We had lunch, and then Karen came over. We all drove down to Tamarack Beach and walked along the top of the cliff above the ocean, and it was sunny and bright and the ocean was beautiful. We walked about half way along the top of the cliff, where the parkway is, and we shared it with several people out walking walking their dogs, and with some people walking with their babies in strollers. When we got back to the car, we sat there awhile, still enjoying the ocean, until the fog started to come in from the southwest. We drove back to the Villas, where we watched the rest of the fog come in. We had dinner here, and came back to the apartment and have eaten more birthday cake. We still have some for tomorrow. Karen had gone home when we got here, but we will see her again tomorrow.

This morning we went to breakfast, and just got seated when Carla came in with the birthday balloons from yesterday's party Secretary has logged on to leave events as she witnessed. After breakfast and Carla's bringing up the rest of the presents (lovely flowers, cards, etc.) we adjourned to the coffee room downstairs and chatted about Kaye's new house plans until our voices disturbed enough morning paper readers that we had to go to another room. Talk continued until Carla left for the airport. Back in the apartment, we rested until Caden skyped with the help of his dad and we got to watch him play for a while until lunch. He had granola bits, we hung up and went down the hall... Naps and Kaye talks with plumber on phone. Walk in the fog around the building Kaye talks with contractor on phone. Dinner, followed by BIRTHDAY CAKE :-) Secretary yawns and logs off.

It was a great day. We all went to Sacrament Meeting at the church in Oceanside, where we are still members, thanks to our former Bishop. We came back to the apartment, and went to lunch in the dining room and had banana splits! That completely satisfied us, even though we had fasted. We visited here in the apartment with Kaye, and then we went to Karen's for the birthday dinner for Chris. At first we sat outside on the patio and enjoyed the warmth and view of the yard. Then we went back into the house, and Al arrived. We had a call from Bianca, and she and Brittany soon arrived. Terry cooked steaks on the barbecue and Karen had cooked a nice dinner to go with them. Then Karen brought out a decorated birthday cake, and we all sang Happy Birthday to Chris and gave him his presents. After a while Jane and Gary Oddou came over and visited a short time; they had family responsibilities at home and couldn't stay long. After they left, Brittany and Bianca left, because they have to be in classes early on Monday. Then we and Kaye came back to the apartment and soon we will go to bed.

Now for today's record. We had our breakfast as usual, and then I went to get my hair done at Unique Salon, where I have gone for the past 5 years. I also had Amy cut my toenails, they are hard for me to do just now. We got back in time for lunch, and then we came back to the apartment, and now we are just resting, and watching a little T.V. and napping occasionally. Carla came over and brought our portable air conditioner she got from the storage shed at the house, and some decaf tea and some cocoa mix, so we can have it here in the apartment instead of going to the dining room, if we want to. Then she drove to the L. A. area to see Brittany and Bianca. Brittany has a sore throat she, may not come down here tomorrow. And Bianca is worn out with her interning at various doctor's offices in the area of the college where she's enrolled. Maybe we will see them tomorrow at the birthday party for Chris, and maybe not. But we will have all three of our daughters here. Kaye is flying down right now, and will stay with us a few days.

We had our usual breakfast, and then Carla came and took us in our car to Vista to see the doctor who did my eye surgery yesterday. He checked my eye, and it seems to be doing well, so I am just to take my 3 eye drops every 4 hours, and that is all I need to do, besides keep it dry and wear the patch when I go to bed. We spent the rest of the day with Carla. She had lunch with us and then we just visited a while, and then she went back to Karen's, where she is staying.

The big news of today is that I had my Cataract surgery! I was worried about it, but it didn't hurt, because they gave me lots of pain killers in the about 2 hours I spent on a bed, waiting for the pain killers to take affect. There were several people to get us ready (there were five of us waiting on the beds) I was the last one for the day for my doctor to operate on. Chris and Karen waited on the main waiting room, and they missed lunch, too, like most of us waiting on the beds. But we made up for lunch when we got back here. Karen bought hamburgers and drinks for us, and we ate them in the apartment. We rested a while, and then Carla came over. She had arrived in San Diego, rented a car, driven up here, and visited Al before coming to see us. We had a nice visit, and then she went to Karen's, where she will be staying. Kaye called, and we talked about her new house that will be starting to be built, about two months later than she and Kyle had been counting on. But it's go to be built, and that is the important thing. Later we saw on the computer an interview showing Patricia Briggs, the author friend of Kaye's, whose books I have enjoyed. This interview was in France, where Pattie's books are being published, in French. Kaye has sent me two of the French editions, but I haven't read them yet. I have read 18 pages of one of them.

Yesterday and today I have been getting ready for my Cataract surgery tomorrow by taking 3 medications 4 times a day. I re-read all the instructions the doctor had given me , and one thing I had not remembered was that I wasn't supposed to take vitamin E. Well, I have been taking it faithfully every day for a couple of years, because my hair is getting thin. I fussed about this error, and finally I called the clinic and talked to a nurse about it. She said she would tell the doctor, but she didn't think it would matter, and that the surgery would continue as scheduled. She would call me back. I worried about it all day, but when she hadn't called by afternoon, I went with Chris to the local Kaiser pharmacy to pick up some medications. We got them, and then hurried back to the apartment, partly because he had forgotten his wallet, and he might have been stopped because he was driving without his license. It was a nice day, except for an off- shore wind, and ordinarily we would have stopped and walked along the shore. Finally the nurse called back, and she said the vitamin E was no problem; the surgery would go on as scheduled. And she also said the doctor had told her the printed material needed to be up-dated, there were things that had changed, and that would be done. We were relieved, and went to dinner happily.

We have done the usual things today, plus doing each others' eye drops every 4 hours. Chris has one, and I have 3 to take. Besides that , we had a nice visit from Karen. She brought over a sweater I had left in her car yesterday, and a nose washer she had found in the garage when we moved out, and she had been using. I told her to to keep it, because I couldn't even remember ever having it, but she said no. So, I have that. It has an electric pump that pumps the water into one nostril and it runs out the other, just like the the one I've been using, that I have just sqeezed the tube instead of having the water (and salt) pumped in. I'll try the electric pump and see how it does. After lunch we went for a walk, from the Villas down to Jefferson St. and back. It took half an hour, and it was refreshing. After dinner tonight we were watching the news, and I fell asleep. It was a good thing, because I got warm, after being cold for most of the day. Did I say yesterday that Carla and Rex skyped us? We really had a good visit. Rex won't be coming down with Carla, but she will be here on Thursday.

After breakfast we got ready, and Karen get here at 9:30 to drive to San Diego for Chris to have his shot in his right eye. It will be his 2nd shot in a series of 4 to stop the Macular Degeneration. Karen drove down I-5 to 52, east to I-15, and then south to Friers Road, east to Vandever, to the Kaiser Clinic there. We were an hour early, so we stopped at a McDonald's for a drink and a rest until time for the appointment at 11. Later at the Clinic, we had just arrived and checked in, and Chris was called to the doctor's quarters. The nurse examined his eyes first, and then the doctor came in, and he took care of the injection. It was supposed to be deadened, but I saw Chris lift one leg, and then jerk, so I knew it was painful. But it was soon over, and we drove back here again, in time for lunch about 1 p.m. Karen didn't stay for lunch; she will call tomorrow to see how things are going. After lunch and a rest, things improved for Chris. I am to put one drop of medication in his eye four times a day for five days. It should be all well by then. In the meantime he seems to see quite well, in spite of a little pain, and he's using the other computer right now.

Today was our usual Sunday, we went to Sacrament Meeting and it was a program by the Primary. It was very well presented. When they sang several songs, and there was one tiny boy, whose voice could be heard above all the rest! It was really something to hear. He will be a great singer when he grows up, if he continues to sing the way he did today. We came back to the apartment and read the Sunday paper, and that took up the rest of the morning. After lunch we went for a walk along the cliff above the beach at the end of Tamarack Drive. We parked about 3\4ths along the parking lot down by the water, and we walked from there to the 2nd Lifeguard station and back, using just our canes. I'm glad I am strong enough to do that now. Later we talked to Kaye and then later to Tom and Beth Weiland, and that was good. All is well with them, the Weilands and their family. John and Kathy have two little boys now, living in Salt Lake City, so Tom and Beth can see them every once in a while . Kaye is still excited about the new house to be built for her and Kyle. Tomorrow she goes to decide on the cabinets and tile in the kitchen. Karen and Terry got back from Pismo Beach, and Karen will drive us to San Diego tomorrow.

Before I start telling about our day, I have something else to say, that I left out yesterday. The birthday celebration will be for me as well as Chris, because my birthday is only a few months away. Now, today, we did the usual. We went to breakfast, and then hurried up to the beauty shop where I've gone for years to have my hair done. While I was doing that my dear husband went shopping at WalMart. He bought me an MP3 for my birthday. I haven't got anything for him yet, but I have a week to do so. We came back here right afterward, since we didn't want to go any place particular. We read the paper, and had lunch and then watched a movie the Church sponsored about the formation of the Constitution. I mended some stockings while I watched, so it was productive in two ways. I recognized two people that are in the Temple program, so I know it was made by BYU. After dinner tonight we watched the usual Brit shows, and one was a re-run. I guess that means we are starting over on the same series. We will have to find something else to watch.

The big news of today is that Kaye will get her new house! They own the lot now, and the builder is already on the site and putting in the water supply. We are happy for her, after these years she has spent in an inadequate house, it will be so nice for her. And it will be back in the cities where she can more easily get to the facilities she needs, like stores and friends and medical resources. Our life has been going on as usual. Breakfast, reading the paper, exercising in the pool, lunch, a nap, and the dinner, and now we will watch the news on TV, and then go to bed. Today we met new people including one man, who is legally blind. He had been living with his sister and her husband, and a nephew shot them! That's a horrible life for him, and now at least he has a place to live and people to help him. He took his dinner back to his room to eat it, instead of staying with us at the table. We tried to be friends, but I guess he just can't be with other people right now. I hope he finds friends whom he can relate to. I guess we just weren't that. I mailed a birthday card to Charles, and I hope they have mail delivery on Saturday, (tomorrow), so it will be there for his actual birthday. Speaking of birthdays, Chris' comes soon, and we are happy that all three of our children will be here to celebrate it with us.

Today began as usual. We went to breakfast, and that took a full hour to order the food and get it consumed. Back at the apartment we read the paper, and then we went to the nearest Verizon place to try to get the cell phone fixed. They couldn't fix it, so we bought a new one, and with Kaye's help, the clerk there was able to transfer the list of numbers to the new phone. We brought it home, and got the battery charged, and were able to use it. It has a rather odd ring, but when Kaye comes down she can help us change that. After leaving that shop, we went To Burger King and had lunch, and then we drove back to WalMart in Oceanside. It's so big we didn't do any more shopping, except for toothpaste and mouth wash. We drove back into Carlsbad, and drove along the Coast Highway about half way to Tamarack, and parked along the highway. We walked along top of the cliff and really enjoyed looking at the ocean and the surfers trying to catch the big waves. We sat on a bench there, and then we came back to the apartment. We had a nap and then talked to Carla and to Kaye, and got the new phone charged and working. Then we had dinner, and now are watching a little TV before going to bed.

This morning we went to breakfast as usual, and then we came back to the apartment to read the paper. Then we went to the pool for the exercise class. We were a little late and then left a little early to stay in the 30-minute bounds Dr. Donahoe had set for me. We showered, and then had lunch a little early, so we could be sure to get to my appointment with Dr. Groesback, to prepare for my cataract removal. By then I was nervous, I guess, because my stomach didn't like what I was doing. I did calm down, when the first thing was an examination just like the others, so there seemed to be nothing to worry about. I was given a three-page list of instructions about not eating after midnight the night before the surgery, and to have only liquids by mouth, and I will be conscious during the prosidure but will have an injection to calm me, and anesthetics in my eye. That sounds better to me. The other news is that Chris wore his cell phone in the pool, and then later his watch stopped I guess because the battery is dead. But we will manage, since Kaye had already sent new cell phones. earlier, and batteries are readily available for watches.

This morning we went to breakfast as usual, and then we came back to our apartment. Karen had invited us to lunch at her house today, and we have been invited to bring our washing there to do, since the facilities here are not particularly good, we decided to ask Karen about it. She said that would be fine, so we got things gathered up, and took them over there. We got everything loaded in the washer under Karen's direction, and then we went back into the house and just visited with Karen. She is leaving tomorrow to go visit Lynne in the Pismo Beach area, and the others in that area. She will drive up, and Terry will come up later to go to the Jazz Festival there. They will come back late Sunday. Tomorrow I go back to Dr. Groesbeck for a final checkup before my cataract surgery next week. To keep from worrying about it tonight, Kaye has suggested we just watch a movie or an episode of Star Trek, and then go to bed. That sounds like a good idea. Tonight we went to dinner early, but it still took us an hour to get through it. It seems we spend more time eating than doing anything else! No wonder we both are gaining weight.

This morning the maid came to clean our apartment and change the bed linens and the towels and take them to wash. We went to breakfast while she was here, and then we went for a walk instead of going to the pool to exercise. It was overcast and there was a cool wind, so the walk sounded better than the pool stuff. We walked around the block, and that meant going around the Villas and down the side streets and back, and by the time we were back to the apartment I was ready for a rest and lunch. After that we got a ride from here to the Kaiser Clinic in San Marcos. We had our flu shots, and then I had an Ultra Sound examination of my kidneys and bladder. I will have to wait until Dr. Donahoe has seen the results to learn if there's anything wrong with me. If there is, I hope it is something that a pill or two will cure. We got back to the apartment about 3 p.m., and I called Kaye, and then I had a rest, and I guess a nap. At dinner we sat at the same table as Verla and Sally. Verla had a black eye and a bad bruise on her face from a fall, and Sally still is on a liquid diet because of her tooth extractions. It was a little depressing, but I guess it's what to be expected with this crew here.

This we got ready and went to church as usual. The fog was still thick along the coast and up to the Church. We met Karen outside the doors and went in together. I had my hearing aid and Chris got one from the library. The two speakers were good, and and we could hear them, with the aids we had. I think I will be glad though, when we change back to a later time, so the babies will be ready for afternoon naps! Back here again we read the Sunday paper and then went to lunch, or dinner, since it is always a soup, and a plate of a meat, potatoes and a vegetable of some sort. We usually eat it as a dinner, and then for dinner later we have a sandwich or something light. Anyway, at lunch we were sitting with a woman who had just had a lot of teeth pulled. We were sympathetic and later took her three small cans of liquid meals, that we keep on hand in case we don't want to eat the meals here. We saw her again at dinner and she thanked us again for doing that. The sun came out briefly, and we went for a short walk around the compound, and then came back to the apartment here and skyped with Carla and Rex. That was fun, the first time we have done it with them. We watched TV a while, and now to bed.

This morning we had our breakfast as usual, and then we hurried to the beauty shop where I have my hair done. It's a different place now; it used to be that there were 4 operators working, but there were only two today. And while I was there for an hour, there were only two other patrons to have their hair done. I guess people just aren't spending their time and money there any more. I guess I should just use the one operator here, but she charges more, and all the women look alike. We thought of driving down by the beach on the way back to the Villas, but along the ocean there was a thick fog. So we just came back to the apartment. The sun didn't stay out very long, so we didn't go for a walk. Instead we just stayed in the apartment and and read the paper until lunch time. A couple of the workmen here came to the apartment, but it was the wrong apartment, and they left. I guess someone had called in for help with some problem, as we did when we had what looked like termites in our place. Later we went for a walk and then went to dinner. The fog has closed in now, and there's no sun or anything to look at. We will just watch our Brit shows on TV, and then go to bed.

This morning we went to breakfast, and I didn't have any more trouble with eating. It was hard to get up, though, because we had stayed up until 11p.m. last night to watch a mystery. The clouds had gone, and it was a warmer day, with only a little mist left. We went to the water exercise for 30 minutes, and then the hot tub, and that was all OK. After lunch we drove to the Carlsbad Kaiser Pharmacy to pick up prescriptions, and I didn't even need a sweater with my orange dress. I do have it on tonight, though. We talked briefly to Brittany, and she has evidently got a regular two-day a week contract with Disneyland. Maybe more days later, I gathered, although it was hard to hear her on the cell phone. We also talked to Kaye, and the loan for the new house is approved, and they will go ahead with the building. I'm glad, because I didn't like to have her living in the house in Burbank. It wasn't in good repair, and it was so far from the tri-cities where she needs to go for shopping and other things, and to see her friends. Karen just called, and she and Terry are going on a trip to see some more art in the L.A. area; and she was up there today, too.

This morning we went to breakfast as usual but it didn't turn out well for me; I chocked on my cereal and couldn't get over it right away. I finally went to a ladies' room, afraid I might lose what I had eaten. But that didn't happen. I didn't eat any more food, just drank the liquids like water and orange juice. We came back to the apartment, and I soon got feeling better. After a while Karen came over, and we had a good visit. She will take us to our eye surgeries, Chris to have his injection at the San Diego Kaiser Clinic, and mine will be a cataract removal in a clinic in Escondido, but still by a Kaiser doctor. To the preparation appointments, the driver from this place will take us to and from in one of the three vehicles available here. After Karen left we went to lunch, and this time I didn't cough once. Chris is still working on our books, and I think he is about done with that. The clouds broke up in the afternoon and we went for a walk around the grounds here. Back in the apartment he worked on the books again, and I tried to organize all the papers about our health services. We didn't go to dinner in the dining room, but we just stayed in the apartment and ate a sandwich, and rice that Karen had made, and some salmon left over from another dinner. It was OK, but we are finishing it off with a nutrition bar called Soldier Fuel.