North to Kerrville

We were driving the back roads the other day and came close to where the border fence is going up. If you have been following the border fence construction, you know that the fence is only being built in certain areas. . . in other areas there will be cameras and other technology creating a "virtual fence" and increased border guards. It is hard to get a close picture from where we were, but you get the general idea.

As we worked our way to Kerrville today, we stopped at a roadside rest area and took a couple pictures of the Rio Grande. The far bank seen in the picture is actually Mexico. I didn't realize it was that close there, but a border guard stopped and chatted with us and confirmed that we were looking right at Mexico. It was remote with a large farm in the background and much neater and cleaner than what we see closer to the Rio Grande Valley. We hit one checkpoint today and got the once around with the drug dog. Good boy.

We are now resting and planning on getting a good night's rest before hitting the road tomorrow.

Till next time. . .

Dale

Not hangin' out any more.

We left Mission this morning about 10 AM on our way to Kerrville, TX. Tonight we're parked in a rather rustic campground at Carrizo Springs, TX about 200 miles from our starting point. The campground so far doesn't deserve a note, since it's not worth a return visit, but it's the only thing on the route for 40 miles.

This is a little vacation during our winter's stay stay in the Rio Grande Valley. We plan to be in Kerrville, TX, Wednesday for a Rv.net Rally with 42 other Rvs that runs through the weekend. Then we'll slowly wander back to the breezy RGV.

We have traveled west on US83 to the point it really becomes what it is designated as, a North- South highway. Once north of Laredo, the landscape is barren, we've traveled through here before, but never stopped before Del Rio or Uvalde. Since we're not trying to pile up the miles on a westward AZ run, we took it easy today. Tomorrow will be a much shorter drive day than today, as we get in closer to the rally and our Wednesday arrival window.


Terry

BTW the Blog Police is threatening to change her password!
This could be my last post!

Still playing nurse!

Well, the dogs are hanging in there. Bailey is still having some "Cushings" type issues that are going to have to be addressed quickly, so I will be talking with the doctor today when she takes Neal's staples out.

Sunday we went out to eat with Mom and Dad and that afternoon Terry started feeling poorly. He went to take a nap and basically didn't get out of bed until yesterday morning at 6 a.m. He wasn't eating anything. . . not really sick to his stomach, but no appetite. I encouraged him to drink, but after 2 days, I realized water wasn't doing him any good either. He started getting dizzy and still wasn't eating. So I bought him some juice and pedialyte and made him drink up. I also made him a hamburger last night and he ate that and some yogurt later. He feels better today and the dizziness is gone, so things hopefully are getting back to normal.

Today is the Elm Street chicken dinner, so Mom and Dad are over at the hall peeling potatoes as we speak. It is a real job putting on those dinners, but the money earned from them goes toward upkeep of the park and reduces our assessments which, I think, are very low. We have tickets to go this afternoon, so I hope to get Terry over there.

Till next time. . .

Dale

Playing Nurse. . .

Well, my boyz are getting healed up. Bailey, my black Scottish Terrier, has finished his meds for his bronchitis. I don't think he is feeling up to par and there still is the mystery of losing his hair on his back. The vet ran numerous tests and so far everything has come back normal except for his liver enzymes. She believes the liver involvement may signal the start of Cushing's Disease, but we cannot yet do tests for it because he has been on steroids for his lungs. Since he nearly died a year ago from pneumonia, she treated the lung problem aggressively because he likely has scarring from the pneumonia. He has to be off the steroids two weeks before we can test for Cushing's. I am afraid he may be suffering from this because his symptoms point that way, but we will wait for confirmation.

Neal is still recovering from his surgery. He has about two dozen staples in his tummy. He gets those out on Wednesday. He has never bothered them and is doing well recuperating. He is eating well and everything seems to be working like it should. The lesions from his liver were biopsied and while they were not malignant, there are lots of them and those will contribute to problems with liver function. Also the ducts in his liver appear to be inflammed. His liver levels show the same elevations as Bailey's, but since both are 13, that is probably not unusual. We may be looking at the same disorder in him as Bailey, with the added problem of the lesions. The vet thinks perhaps a change in diet will help him and aid in preserving liver function.

We are leaving here on Monday, February 9, for Kerrville and the RV.net Sweetheart Rally. It will be nice to be on the road again. . . this is the longest stretch we have sat anywhere, but it has certainly been pleasant. We have enjoyed being here behind Mom and Dad and having them close by. We will just be gone to Kerrville for two weeks, then we will be back here. The rally is only 5 days, but we are going to take a few days to get there and a few days to get back, taking some back roads, so that should be fun.

When we return to Mission, we will be checking in with the vet and following up on Bailey and Neal and their problem livers.

I finished up my physical therapy last week and the doctor released me. I have a lot of good stretches to do that have helped me strengthen my torn muscle and improve my back flexibility. Hopefully I can stick with the program and continue healing.

I have several solar lights, etc., in the rock yard in front of the motorhome. I have tried to take nighttime pictures of them and they don't come out very good, but you can get the general idea. The blue ball is a solar Chinese lantern Jocelyn gave me. It glows a light blue and is really beautiful at night. The tulips on the ground are solar lights and they blink on and off.

Till next time. . .

Dale

Just hanging out 2

It's me again

We finished up a few projects today.

Dale has been working most of the day on getting our records ready for our tax prepared, this has to be the earliest that it's ever been done. All she's waiting on is her W-2s, everything else is in.

Today I worked on putting the railings on our "porch". Just a hand rail on the steps and a rail across the front, one side is open for the dogs' ramp. We also now have a "deck light" under the edge of the "porch" to light up the ramp area at night.

I also hooked up the phone connection to Dale's parents new park model. I found the connection under the rear corner Thursday. After buying some phone line splices, I ran the line under the park model today. Now they have three phones instead of just the one that was connected on setup in the bedroom.

Time for dinner, see ya.

Terry

Just hangin' out

That's what the boyz and I are doin' tonight!

Neal's asleep and appears to be much better, while Bailey's licking a toy.

So it was time to hijack this thing again.

Dale's off to her French Class at the recreation hall, so she'll be back later, hopefully in time for tonight's edition of "24".

Today Dale and I went to a RV.Net gathering at the "Horseman Grill" north of Weslaco. We stopped by Victoria Palms and met up with Dave, Sandy and Max 'The Wonderdog" on the way. After some making over Max, Dave and Sandy followed us over to the Horseman and spent most of the afternoon with us. 140+ RV.Net forum members showed up for lunch, talk, a presentation on RVing in Mexico and music. It was nice to see so many of the "Winter Texans" again, that hang out on-line.

Tomorrow night is Bingo Night, so Dale will be gone again. Just me and the Boyz, wonder what we'll do then?

Terry

Neal is home!

We got to bring Neal home around 7 p.m. last evening. He looked really good and was sitting up in his cage. Unfortunately, he is having problems with diarrhea; fortunately that had necessitated a bath at the vets, so he smells pretty fresh! The vet thought he would do better at home. He wasn't eating a lot there, but he wasn't able to go out to potty or pee either.

The first thing he did when we got him home was to pee a gallon in his new Potty Patio. I had to feed him something because he needed to take his meds, so I gave him some of his Science I/D the vet sent home. He wasn't too enthused about that, but ate the tiny piece of braunschweiger I put his pills in. I'm thinking several things could upset his GI trac. First, it was cut open, and they have had him on IV's up until yesterday morning. Also, they have him on antibiotics and that can do it as well. I slept with the dogs out in the living room last night and about 2 a.m. Neal barked at me. So I got up and let them out. Neal was still having his problems, but he still got the job done and we all came back inside. At least he is letting me know when he needs to go out.

They both slept until 7 a.m. this morning until I got up and started stirring around. We took them both out and then brought them in to feed them. Neal ate well . . . I only gave him a small amount. He is to have several small meals. He is back in his pen as we want to keep him confined for a few days. Neal will also get fitted for a cage/basket muzzle today. Other parents of rock-eating dogs have told me this is what they do to keep their dogs safe. One family has a bassett hound who has had two surgeries for rocks and two other times he has passed them. I wish someone had suggested it to me before. Since we full time, we cannot control his outdoor environment, so it necessitates alternative action.

Bailey really seemed glad to see Neal. He is perkier than he has been and seems to be doing better and getting over his bronchitis. His thyroid tests came back negative, so we are probably going to have to test for Cushings once he is off his steroids for awhile.

Last Friday I finished up with my month of physical therapy. I elected not to do more, not because it wasn't helping, but because my therapist established a "home program" and she is confident I will be able to continue it with similar results. It has been a good journey because this therapist is a jewel. She is so much better than the one I had in Indiana who didn't have a clue as to the type of back problems I had and just put me on machines for 45 minutes. This therapist, Patti, did stretches to specifically target the muscle that is torn in order to get the maximum use of it. And at the same time, taught me the exercises to support my back, since the two problems require attention at the same time. I have to return to the doctor on Wednesday, but I should be done at that point. So, things are slowly returning to normal.

Looks like we will be staying close to home for the next week or so until the dogs get back on track.

Till next time. . .

Dale

Update on Neal

Neal's surgery was this morning and he seemed to tolerate the procedure well, woke up and was resting comfortably at the time Dr. Fuentes called. In addition to the rock, he had a piece of plastic in his upper small intestine. It was sharp and jagged and hard enough you could break it. Hard telling where he got this. Since the incident 2 years ago, we have been extremely diligent (apparently not enough) and as we worked on our lot here in Texas, took out smaller stone and put in larger rock just so he wouldn't do that. It was one of the "smaller" larger rocks. The vet is concerned about the intestine surgery as it is a source of bacteria, etc. She took some connective tissue from around the stomach and wrapped it around the sutured intestine and they will do the IV thing for a couple more days instead of giving him solid food. They will closely monitor his temp and probably do some injective seizure meds since he won't be getting his normal ones.
BUT, while she was in there, she saw multiple lesions on his liver. . .like little buttons on the surface of the liver and a different color. She said the liver felt good, but the lesions were definitely abnormal. She removed some for biopsy and we know they can be benign, as well as not. He did have some abnormal liver results in his bloodwork.

So now we wait and see how he recovers. He did well the last time, but that was 2 years ago. . . he is 13, and this time had the liver biopsy (ouch).

We will go see him tomorrow.

Till next time. . .

Dale

Neal, canine garbage disposal

Yes, we are going to enroll Neal in a 12-step program. I can just hear him now. . .

"Hi. My name is Neal and I like to eat rocks. My Mom says I have to quit but I need help."

Not to be outdone by Bailey being sick, Neal swallowed a rock and started exhibiting problems Sunday night. He was only mildly symptomatic, but Tuesday morning he refused his breakfast and any water. So off to Bailey's new vet we went. Fortunately even without an appointment, we only had to wait about an hour and we got to see the same vet who saw Bailey a few days before. She wanted to keep him and do xrays and blood work, so we left him there. She called later to tell me my suspicions were true and he had indeed swallowed a rock, so we scheduled surgery for this morning. She wanted to rehydrate him overnight with IV fluids.

I just received a call from the vet's office and the doctor was closing him up right then, but wanted me to know that she did get the rock out and he also had a piece of hard plastic in his small intestine which she removed. In addition he had multiple nodules on his liver so she removed one and I approved them sending it off for biopsy. That way if he has problems again, I shouldn't have to subject him to another biopsy, we will just go with available information, since he is 13.

We are hoping for a full recovery for Neal. He will remain hospitalized today and we may get to bring him home tomorrow. That works great for us since we are having our street dinner today and we are working hard. Taking a break right now, but lots of work ahead.

Till next time. . .

Dale

Bailey, the Scottish Terror

Thanks to daughter Jocelyn, I have a better picture of Bailey to post.

It's hard to get a good picture of Bailey because he is afraid of cameras. This we believe to be a throwback to his early life when he was abused. He is terrified of flashlights and he equates the flash of a camera to a flashlight, so you cannot take a picture of his face. He runs whenever you point a camera at him. So this is the best I can do of the pictures I have of him.

Bailey, our 13 year old Scottish Terror, has a patch of hair loss on his back above his tail. I called their vet back in Indiana (we are in Texas) and since the spot is getting bigger, they told me he needed to see a vet. So I asked around and found a place to take him that several people had recommended. Dr. Fuentes seems very competent and took care to examine Bailey quite thoroughly. She did blood tests for thyroid for which we will have the results next week. She also did skin scrapings. His skin is very dry, lots of dandruff type flaking. I said he had been coughing a bit, so she listened intently to his lungs; and, unfortunately, there is something going on in there, probably bronchitis at this point. He had pneumonia 2 years ago and it was pretty well advanced before I realized he was so sick. At least we caught this very early and began treatment immediately. Then the blood work came back and his liver tests are elevated, a symptom of Cushings, along with hair loss, excessive urination. I had forgotten he had an accident last week in the house, but didn't think it was urine because it didn't smell. Alas, diluted urine is common in Cushings. So Dr. Fuentes talked with me about Cushings symptoms, etc. She said the treatment she is giving Bailey for his lungs will be aggressive and can cause increased thirst and urination, so it will be hard to separate the symptoms of Cushings for the side effects of the treatment. But once his treatment is over, I need to watch carefully to see if he continues to exhibit symptoms. If so, we will have to investigate further. Cushings is treatable and even though he would have it for life, the meds are easily tolerated. He doesn't look sick at all. He is 13, but still a fiesty little Scot. Dr. Fuentes was amused by his "totally terrier" demeaner. He did well with the doctor. I did take and use his cloth muzzle, which he tolerates but doesn't like. He got a treat for being so good.

Till next time. . .

Dale

News and Updates!

As you know from the "blogger hijacker," Mom and I were in San Antonio to see my nieces and their families who had gone there for a week's vacation. The first picture is my niece's husband Rod with my Mom and his two daughters, Kirsten and Kira. It was a great couple days and we were glad we got to see them. We went out for dinner at the Saltgrass Steak House and went to see the Alamo and drove past the Alamodome. We enjoyed lounging around the condos as well.

Mom and I drove back from San Antonio on Tuesday afternoon. It was a long drive home, but it was an easy drive. The only snare we had was when I was driving along on 281 headed south and started noticing debris on the roadway. It looked like insulation. As we drove on, I noticed a flat bed trailer being pulled behind a pickup making its way to the side of the roadway. Just then I noticed a tire rolling down the highway. The guy was out of his truck and attempting to make his way to the tire which was rolling along the inside lane. Not knowing where that tire was going to go. . . I know it was in a straight line, but all it had to do was hit a rock and it would bounce over in front of me. I slowed down and was almost to a stop when I came up even to the tire, so I went on past. It actually was just the outside tread. It had apparently been laying on top of the debris on the trailer. Talk about an upsafe load! Mom and I were tired from our drive home, so we made the guys take us up to Granny's for supper where we got burgers and onion rings. Good stuff.

The next day we went to see our friends Tab and Deanna who were staying with friends at Retama Village. They had planned to be here through the weekend, but their dog Major developed problems with an abscessed tooth. They had been treating it, but the abscess appeared to be getting the upper hand. . . er paw. Poor Major's face was swollen and he didn't want to eat anything, so they made arrangements to get him into the vet on Monday and were heading home on Thursday. Good luck with that tooth, Major!

While we are on the subject of Man's Best Friend, here's an update on Max, the wonder dog I had written about earlier. His owners rushed him 1400 miles back to the states in 40 hours from Central America after a vicious dog attack left him fighting for his life. He was admitted to the Border Animal Hospital in McAllen. After several days and getting stabilized, the vets performed hopefully his last surgery (I think this was #3), putting in drains, 200 stitches, and closing up his hide where he had gaping holes. The drains have since been removed and he is healing at home. It has been a hard road for little Max, but that indomitable Border Collie spirit is holding true and he wags his tail to greet new visitors and even other dogs. Hopefully once he heals from these wounds, he will be back to playing frisbee and chasing balls.

We enjoyed a spaghetti dinner last week. The various "streets" here in the park host dinners in order to raise money thereby keeping our yearly park dues down. Our park fees have to be among the lowest I have seen and this is one way to keep it that way. Terry and I will be helping. Jobs are not assigned, other than EVERYONE must come at 8 a.m. to peel potatoes. We will be peeling 150 pounds of potatoes. Our dinner consists of roast pork loin, green beans or corn, mashed potatoes, applesauce, cake for dessert, and coffee or iced tea. Not bad for $5. Mom says the pork dinner is about the best, but that spaghetti was very good. Last month we had a lasagne dinner which was very good as well.

The weather has been nice. We have been swimming in the pool a couple nights a week, riding our bikes, and visiting with Mom and Dad. I have been going to physical therapy three times a week. It has helped me immensely. The therapist has determined that I have about one-third of the gluteus medius muscle on my left side, the other part is torn and no longer functional. Our goal is to make that one-third do as much as it can with help from some other minor muscles.

Terry bought some wood yesterday and he is planning on building our "deck" outside the motorhome door. It won't be large, but will be a platform we can step out onto and from which we can assist Neal better.

We had a cold front come through yesterday and it is just in the 60's today. It gets warm in the sun, though, and I had shorts on for awhile; but I'm back to my jeans now.

Till next time. . .

Dale

Just Chillin'

Dale and her mom are on their way to San Antonio to see Dale's nieces. I'm here with the Boyz, Bailey, Neal and Dale's dad Dale, supervising their activities for the next few days. Needed something to do, so I hi-jacked the blog!

Hope they have an uneventful trip up US281.

Terry

Update on Max the dog

Max and his human parents made it back to the Rio Grande Valley today. Max is in the hospital and the vet said his wounds will take some time to heal, but he believes he will be okay.

His parents went home to sleep for 2 days.

Dale

Phaeton Place has moved!

New Year's Day was move day for Miss Phaeton Place. We first went to the hall for New Year's Day lunch, which was ham and bean soup or turkey noodle soup made from the leftover ham and turkey from Christmas Day Dinner. In addition, you got a ham or turkey or egg salad sandwich, crackers and peach cobbler for dessert. All this for $3, oh and coffee or iced tea. What a deal!

We came home and napped a bit, then changed clothes and went out to wash Phaeton Place. What a job, because any time we move after sitting awhile, I have to clean. Just hate to close those slides in on dirty floors. Also, we had a hydraulic pump for the passenger side slides that had been leaking fluid and Terry had to attend to that. The reservoir was almost empty and I had bought some fluid at Camping World a couple days before. When Terry had inspected it earlier, he thought the cap had jiggled loose on the tank instead of actually having a leak. He did get it filled up and so far it hasn't leaked again.

It took awhile to get the motorhome washed and all the bugs removed from the front, but boy does she shine up nicely. We then fired up the engine, took up the jacks and moved her over to the new pad. We have a nice large patio now, but hope to get it all under the cover of a canopy before the hot spring weather hits. In the pictures, you will see our truck and Mom and Dad's car parked on the patio. We have those there right now because the sun shines from the south and they are able to shade the dog's pen. That will change once we get shade. Also another year we will add a Texas room on the far side opposite the motorhome so that we can relax there and we will also have some storage area. Terry plans on making this an L-shaped building.

We have some solar lights we need to relocate because they are under the slides now and not getting any sun. We still have work to do, but the biggest part is done for now. The awning will be done by someone else, so we won't have any work involved there.

UPDATE ON GRANDDOG JAX!

Jax is learning some basic commands and how to "shake paws." Brandon is successfully teaching him to play frisbee. He is having some trouble with the leash training, but at 3 years old, Jax is going to have to learn something new. He will get it. . . just takes time. I'm glad that Jax has a second chance to live a great life with Brandon.

PRAYERS NEEDED FOR DOG MAX!

Some of you in our "Graduating Class of 2005" remember a friend/class member Dave with frisbee playing dog Max. Dave and Sandy were traveling in Belize when Max was savagely attacked by 5 guard dogs (on Christmas Day) who were not supposed to be out during the day. Max did not appear to have internal injuries and was taken to a vet immediately, but it appears he got substandard care. They found another vet who treated him and placed him on stronger antibiotics, but infection has developed and Max is in grave danger. They started north to the states Thursday, driving 15 hours, stopping for 5, then driving 400 miles yesterday before stopping to nap. Max's condition continues to deteriorate and they are hoping to cross the border into the Rio Grande Valley today and get him to the Border hospital for what they hope to be lifesaving care. He is very critical and I hope that he survives for treatment and that Dave and Sandy stay alert and safe from harm. For a picture of Max, you may go to my blog of February 17, 2007. I couldn't link the picture of Max, but you can see him there.

Till next time. . .

Dale

Meet my new Granddog, Jax!

Our son Brandon has been waiting until he was no longer traveling with his job to get a dog. He wanted to make certain he would be able to spend time with one and not have to leave it for long periods of time.

He began scouring the petfinder ads as we have always done rescue. There are so many animals out there that need homes and he was certain he would be able to find a suitable pet. He had already picked out a name, Jax. He found a dog, a lab mix, who was being fostered by a family in Melbourne, where he lives. It just so happens the dog's name was Jackson. He called the family who had him and arranged to go meet him. He went two different times and really fell in love with Jackson, now called Jax.

He applied to the Humane Society and he brought Jax home two days before Christmas. Jax and Brandon have a huge house to themselves and when it gets warmer, they will be swimming in the pool. Jax was on his good behavior when Brandon had friends over the other day. He did fall into the pool, but Brian coaxed him to the shallow end where he could easily climb the steps out. He and Brian get along well which is good, because Brian sometimes comes in to let Jax out when Brandon has to be gone for an extended time.

Brandon has taken Jax to a friend's house where he can run and romp with their two dogs and he enjoys the time there. But he seems ready to jump in the car and head back home. He sleeps in Brandon's room on his own bed.

We are glad Brandon has found such a perfect match for him and Jax. Hopefully Jax will provide many years of companionship and comic relief!

Yesterday Terry wanted to go to the flea market at Donna, so we invited Mom and Dad to go along as well. We treated them to lunch at Gonzales Burgers in Donna. They are huge, probably half pound burgers, which are super good. The restaurant is a famous one to the Winter Texans and I read where the locals don't go much during the winter but pick up when the Winter Texans go home in the spring. It is a family restaurant and just exceptional food. We went to the flea market from there and picked up a couple items, but not what Terry was looking for. On the way home, we stopped at Home Depot so Terry could get the rake he wanted.

Last evening we were standing out on our new pad working on our solar lights when a car drove up and someone yelled something about looking for some hicks from Indiana. I couldn't have been more surprised! It was Tab and Deanna from Ohio along with mutual friends Ken and Kathy Adams. We knew they were in San Antonio and in fact, Terry had called and talked with Tab earlier in the day. They were on their way down here to the RGV when Terry called. Course, they didn't tell us that, they surprised us by showing up at our place! Hah. We grabbed chairs and sat out on the new pad when we started seeing some lightning. Then it got worse and there was a lot of thunder. We decided to move over under Mom and Dad's awning and the sky really opened up and the rain started pounding down on us. It was so noisy and the wind started blowing and we all started getting wet, so we had to move into the house. Mom and Dad went back to the motorhome to sit with Bailey and Neal, which was a good thing because they get a little worried during storms. We all sat and talked for awhile and enjoyed the get-together while the storm continued outside. Eventually the storm died out and our friends went on their way. We plan to get together again before they leave the Valley, so that will be fun. We are looking forward to it.

Till next time. . .

Dale

Not the answers I wanted. . .

Yesterday was my first session with a physical therapist in order to determine what is wrong with my hip/leg, etc., and to plot the best course of action to recover from the injury. I believe the problem started with a fall a year ago on the concrete here in Texas. I ended up with bursitis in my hip which is very painful. I was very impressed with Patty. She is the therapist the physiatrist recommended. A physiatrist is a doctor who specializes in physical medicine and rehabilitation.

The therapist was very frank with me today and said she didn’t know if she could help, but we would try some things. She was amazed at my flexibility and ability to walk. Course, I had that month of chiropractic care and Terry and I were swimming every night until we got sick. She was in disbelief that the doctors have not honed in on the problem, but I told her, they never examined me like she did. She poked and prodded the muscles and had me push in order to determine what muscles I was using for what. The gluteus medius is torn according to the MRI and she said at this late date there is no way to recover it. It is shot. But we are going to try and “wake up” some other muscles to make them help me. She said unfortunately, there is no other muscle that does the same thing, but by using a combination, I might be able to keep everything status quo. She also said that what is likely “catching” is the ilio-tibial band. The glute muscle holds it in place and in certain squatting positions (like when I am helping Neal) the glute muscle does not keep the band in place and it slides over the trochanter and gets caught on the far side. At those times, I have extreme pain and cannot step down, but if I stand on my right foot and pull my left leg up and over, it releases. She agreed with me that injecting another epidural is not going to help this problem and I was correct in seeking a correct diagnosis and treatment. Since my session this morning, I have had more pain than usual, I suppose because of the resistance I had to do with the testing, etc.

Today was just evaluation, so next week we will be starting actual physical therapy.

In other news, Terry had gotten a really bad cold last week and is just now recovering. I took some steps to avoid getting it but apparently didn't do enough. It hit me full force yesterday afternoon. Man, I felt like I'd been hit by a truck. I am trying to drink lots of fluids and vitamin C and today I am considerably better. Yesterday I did not go to bingo and thought I might not be able to go to the Christmas dinner at the hall on Thursday, but if I continue to get better, I may be able to go.

Merry Christmas to all!

Till next time. . .

Dale

Santa Claus is coming to town. . . .

And he went right by my house! I have the proof!

Yesterday was Sleepy Valley's Christmas Parade and they came through our park. It is always fun to see how everyone decorates their golf cart for Christmas. Some are quite elaborate, others are just simple, but they are all fun! Everyone has a good time!

Terry is feeling better. He got a nasty cold some time last week and is starting to come out of it, I think. Thank goodness we traded a couch for the recliners last year. It is easier to sleep in them when you are all congested.

The last few nights I have taken either Mom or Dad on the golf cart and gone to look at Christmas decorations. So far I think Pleasant Valley has the most. There are some very pretty decorations, but many fewer than I have seen here in years' past. The park is probably 80% populated, but Pleasant is closer to 95% I would say.

We are going to the hall for Christmas dinner. I have to fix a corn dish and I might take a chocolate pie. . . if it turns out. I made a pecan pie for Thanksgiving dinner that flopped miserably. Have no idea why. It still tasted good, but it was certainly a gooey mess. Course, Terry loved it.

Here's hoping everyone has a Blessed Christmas and a Joyous New Year.

Till next time. . .

Dale

Watching concrete dry is boring!

That's what we're doing. . . watching the concrete dry and keeping it wet down. Ugh. We plan on moving Phaeton Place over on the new pad some time after Christmas. We do need to make a move over a couple feet now. We had moved over to allow the workers more space and the space between the shed and the motorhome is too narrow for the guys to use. Mom and I don't have any trouble. Hah.

News Flash: One thing longer than watching concrete dry is watching the Indianapolis Hoosier Dome implode! Set for 9 a.m. EST today, we watched for 35 minutes before it went. A train passing through town had to clear before they could do the deed. But it is now history. I'm sure you can watch the video again on the Indy Star website.

The last two days Terry and I finished our Christmas shopping. I went out alone on Thursday for about 4 hours. I only had Terry left to buy for, and I knew what I wanted. I went out early and traffic was tolerable. Then yesterday I drove him around for about 2 hours to finish up for me. He is not feeling well, having contracted a nasty cold. He thinks he may have gotten it in the doctor's office when he got his tooth pulled. At any rate, he is doctoring for it and will get through it. Today we aren't going to do much except maybe wash the motorhome. It is supposed to be 86, so it may be a good time to do it.

Wednesday for supper we went to the hall for a "street dinner." Each street puts on dinners for which they sell tickets. This is done to raise money for the park in lieu of having larger fees. I think that is a great idea! We had a lasagne dinner which was very good. On the menu was lasagne, tossed salad, fruit cup, breadstick, iced tea or coffee and homemade desserts. Really tasty.

Wednesday night we played Pegs and Jokers. . . a game a lot like Aggravation, but with some different rules. The game boards are designed so you can add extra panels and play as many as you want. That is really convenient because then everyone who shows up gets to play. We had "Robert" teaching us the rules and it went well. We will probably go back again. Then next Monday evening I start my French lessons. We have a large contingent of French-Canadians in the park and they have one member of their group teaching them English. He is starting French lessons for those of us who want to learn. Why not? Need to do something to keep my mind active. I think it will be fun. I have an acquaintance down the street who is French and she has told me we can "talk." Since she wants to refine her English, we will probably have to talk English part of the time, then French. Hah! I would really like to learn Spanish as well, but so far no one is teaching that here.

We are going up to the hall for Christmas dinner. It should be good. Thanksgiving was excellent. The ham and turkey really good, so I'm looking forward to this.

Well, must get going. Need to get something started today.

Till next time. . .

Dale

This really ROCKS!!!!!!

Moses arrived at 8 a.m. this morning to start getting the lot around the concrete ready for rock. He worked until about 10:30 getting the lot leveled out and ready for the rock. . . all 12 tons of it. When it arrived, he had the truck back up to the back of the lot and start dumping it. He had it spread out along the length of the lot. Cesar, the driver actually had to make a second trip because his truck would not haul all the rock we needed.

Once he left, Moses started moving the rock around. This man moved all that rock around with the tools of his trade. . . a wheelbarrow and a shovel. That's it. It is incredible that he was able to do it. I don't know how old he is, he could actually be younger than he looks, but he worked until 4:30, when he finished. He didn't work fast, but he didn't take many breaks. I kept him supplied with ice water and the rock truck driver brought him lunch.

Now the lot is basically finished as far as the base. We still plan to put up a canopy and another year we will add a Texas room on the one side. But things are coming along. It will be after Christmas before we can move Phaeton Place over on the new pad. We will be moving her over a few feet to give us walking room at the back. We had moved over so the concrete and stone workers would have more space.

Tomorrow Terry goes to have a tooth extracted. Normally this is a simple process, but with Terry, nothing medical is ever routine. So hopefully it will all go smoothly and we will be back quickly.

Till next time. . .

Dale

Still Working!

Well, we have been giving the new concrete a couple days to cure, spraying it down religiously, etc. The plan is to now get the trenches dug so Terry can finish re-routing the plumbing and electric.

I have noted Moses driving by slowly for 2 days. I know he wants to get the trenches dug. This morning at 6:40 he knocked on the door. Terry had already told me he wanted to see if he could find Moses today to get started, so he was glad he didn't have to wait.Terry ran off to the lumber yard across the expressway to get a few more pieces of conduit and electrical supplies, so Moses dug while he was gone. When Terry came back he told me that no one in the lumber yard spoke English, but he managed to get what he needed. He said he ended up pointing on the computer screen to what he wanted. So he is learning how to communicate without the benefit of a common language. I really want to learn Spanish. I feel strongly that anyone down here in business should speak English, but that is not the reality; and I would like to be able to communicate. Also, we have quite a large French speaking Canadian population in the neighboring park and several in our park. They are having English lessons to learn the language and are also offering French for those of us who want to learn. Why not? I am started those lessons Monday night. Anything to keep the mind sharp!

By early next week our lot should be finished except for the canopy. We will be getting more estimates as the first was way too high. We know what the contractor charged last year and even though material has gone up in price, he wants much, much more.

We won't be moving onto the new concrete until after Christmas, so I may get to start putting up the few decorations I have. I have not put any up as yet, because we have been moving and closing up slides as work progresses and they would just be in the way. Next year should be a breeze compared to the work we are doing this year. We had originally just planned to erect a canopy on our existing lot once we got down here. That quickly changed when we decided to try and buy the lot next door. That happened much more quickly than we had anticipated and things have actually gone quite smoothly since then. I just hate being in a state of construction. . . I could NEVER build a house. If I ever had another, it will be an existing structure. Hah!

Till next time. . .

Dale

Concrete is Done!!!!!

Well, this is the fastest we have seen anything done down here in the Rio Grande Valley. Usually everything gets done . . . man-yana (forgive my spelling). The guys worked all day, having started at 7 a.m. and left about 3:40 p.m. In the pictures, anything you see with just dirt will be rock. Yep, we are planting rock because it doesn't have to be mowed as much!

We made a curve in the concrete, just to be different. The motorhome will sit right behind that curve. In the rock in front of the motorhome, I will put my cactus and my name rock, etc. In the middle where you see rock is where our current connections are. Terry intends to put those in a pit and the rock area will be the dogs' "yard." Terry left the area to the back in rock in the event we every have trouble with the sewer/water lines, we will have easy access to them without busting out any concrete.

So one big job is done and boy are we happy about that!

Till next time . . .

Dale

Work is Progressing!

We spoke with Oscar Flores on Sunday and Monday morning at 7:30 he arrived with his Bobcat to start preparing the lot next door for concrete. He scraped the grass and sandburs and then brought in a semi to haul it away. Today he came back at 7 a.m. with the Bobcat again and several workers who started prepping the ground for the concrete. They dug a trench so Terry could put down the sewer pipe under the new pad. When we relocate Phaeton Place, we needed a sewer connection on the other pad. We also met Moses who will be doing the gravel work.

I will continue to update with pictures today as the work progresses.

The concrete truck has arrived and the guys are working hard to get the concrete smooth. It is a non-stop process using several different tools, all of which I have seen before, but none of which I could name.

Till next time. . .

Dale

No real news. . .

We have spent a couple days out "window shopping" for wood Terry wants to built our deck. . . which will be small, but will have a landing with room for a chair and a step down to the pavement. Out the other side will be the boyz' ramp so they can go up and down and we don't have to straddle the ramp on the motorhome steps. That will be nice and a good bit safer. By asking around, we finally found the lumber yard all the locals use and Terry was very impressed with "David" who was behind the desk at the contractor counter. Today, however, he has one other lumber yard to check out that is a wee bit closer to us here on the west end of Mission.

Lupe will come today to talk with us about our awning. It won't be cheap, that's for sure, but Terry wants a clear span and you can't skimp on materials when you are doing that. It does make for a much "cleaner" looking lot and will be less restrictive on what we do under it--not to mention easier backing the motorhome in under it. The ones we have seen that he does are very substantial and won't come down in the winds we have down here in the valley. Lupe is a contractor who works on commercial buildings and does the RV awnings on the side, usually on the weekends. However, when Terry called yesterday he said they were doing an RV awning at the time; so it may be that his other work is slow right now. That could work to our advantage in getting it done quickly. After talking with Lupe, we will be calling Oscar who will do the concrete work.

In other news, Terry saw an oral surgeon this week who will be extracting a tooth for him next week. He has to be off a couple meds for several days beforehand and the surgeon called Terry's doctor to get the okay. It actually is a wisdom tooth that has broken numerous times. It is not causing any pain, but needs to be removed.

And I continue to have trouble with my hip. It certainly is not as bad as before I spent a month going to the chiropractor before we left Goshen, but there is still something in there that is wrong. Interestingly, I finally got the MRI reports in my hand. Two doctors kept telling me there was nothing wrong with my hip and the MRI disputes that. Perhaps they think that there isn't enough there to cause me any problem, but they are wrong. Several things are mentioned in the MRI report that the doctors dismissed as insignificant. The MRI on my back shows all the same stuff I have had for years and they are all over that. I guess they think if they shoot up my back, I won't feel my hip. Hmmmm. Well, I researched physiatrists down here in the valley. That is a PM&R doctor, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, which my doctor had recommended I see. From what I read, they are kind of like a chiropractor with an MD degree. They work with muscles and bones, determining where exactly the pain is originating and attacking the problem with more therapy than surgery. I found two that interested me. . . one a man who has been in practice for several years. Went to his office and found the waiting room dirty and the building not very neat. They told me there is "always" a wait even when you have an appointment, so I told them I would think about it. Then we went to the other doctor, who is a fairly new doctor with a degree from Baylor and is a woman. The office was very neat and clean with an almost empty waiting room and the receptionist told me you won't wait for your appointment unless there was an emergency. They were willing to call my insurance and make sure their services were covered and made an appointment for next week. I am anxious to see what happens. At least I have my MRI reports to take to her and I have an x-ray on a DVD from the chiropractor if they can use that.

We have been swimming every night (except Bingo night). We go over at 7 p.m. at which time it is dark and I swim laps and relax in the hot tub. I am sure that is helping me walk better. It's a tough life. We are having cool nights and warm days. Hard to beat that. Yesterday was windy and there is some wind this morning. I always have to start out in long pants, but by noon I am in shorts. Mom puts on shorts in the morning so she doesn't have to change clothes. Smart gal.

Till next time. . .

Dale