There was a skim of ice on the birdbath this morning.

Someone said that a lot of flowers put out in the cemetaries got hit.

Ours seem to be OK.

There may be a couple coleus and impatiens leaves that were hit, but not much.

Whew!!

Thank you Honey for putting all the potted plants under plastic for the night.  I honestly didn't think it would actually get that cold here by the lake, but I was wrong!! (See kids??  Even Mimi can be wrong once in a VERY long while!  lol)

--------------------------

Ken was to urologist this morning, and everything looks good.  Dr. wasn't the least bit concerned about the leaking incision.  He will see him again in a couple months.  But NO bike riding yet!!  We shall see how long that lasts!  lol

Yesterday-----77 degrees

Today-------48 degrees

Tonight---------freeze warning.

ARRRRRGGGHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

All our hanging and potted plants are in one protected spot and covered.

Hope they survive!

The temperature is 77.

It is an absolutely gorgeous Memorial Day here---------

and I am stuck in the house.

ALLERGIES

Big time!

It is our first truly warm day here. I did go outside this morning for a short while.

I hosed off the patio and the table and chairs.  They were yellow with pollen from the birch tree.

Now I am paying for it with itchy eyes and sinus drainage.  On Friday I couldn't stop sneezing.  I take three different meds for this, and they can't cover the symptoms at the height of the season.  I wear wrap-around sunglasses that fit fairly tight to my face, in order to keep the pollen out of my eyes as much as possible.

On Thursday and Saturday we went and bought all of our annuals and got them planted.  Love the splashes of color around the house and yard.  I Always feel like summer is here when they get planted!

---------------------------

Ken is doing just fine now.  His swelling is going down, and feels almost 100%.  He just complains about not being able to ride his bike.  He walks more, but that bothers his bad hip.  The biking was perfect exercise for him.

-------------------------------

Son, Jeff, (the traveler) called yesterday.  He was on his way to work at the golf course in West Des Moines.  He said he is really enjoying the job.  He said it is relatively easy, and the other guys are good to work with.  He does most of the layout and computer work, and not too much of the installing of the signs, except when they need extra help.  For some reason, the main company ships a lot of the larger signs from Ft. Lauderdale.  Jeff has had to drive down to Kansas City, 3 hrs. away, to pick them up.  Some are flown right to Des Moines, though.  Don't know why they can't all be flown to Des Moines.  Didn't get into that.  He will probably be done on June 3, and then they will come back up here to WI---LaCrosse, where they lived before----for the summer.  Since he is enjoying this job so much, I am sure he will continue doing other tournaments for the company in the future.  He is hired as an independent contractor, so I think he can pick and choose when he works for them a little bit.  Didn't get to talk about Judy or the kids because he had just arrived at work and had to hang up.  (Yeah, he is one of THOSE who drive while talking on his cell phone!!!!   lol)

------------------------

Well, I guess it is about time I let you all know we are still among the living!!  lol

For the last three weeks, I have been having to get up and go out every morning.  After a whole winter of hibernation, it is getting to be a bit much!!  Besides my cardio rehab 3 times a week (which had to be cancelled three times because of Dr. appointments), there have been Dr. appts., tests done, dentist appt., Ken's surgery along with his doctoring afterwards---- (One visit to emergency room, which was a false alarm,  and another unexpected visit to Drs. office).  Sure will be glad when things get back to normal.  Last nite he woke me up at 1:30 a.m., saying "Get up and get dressed".  His incision had started bleeding.  He called the hospital, thinking he might have to go in,  and finally talked to a Dr. on call, who said that since it had stopped bleeding by then, to just wait until this morning and call his regular Dr. office.  Dr. was not in today, but the nurse looked at it and wanted to tape it, but the other Dr. in the office said "No, just leave it alone".  He has to ice it more often, and be a little less active than he has been.  When he stands for long periods of time (working out in the yard) gravity makes the swelling worse.   Anyway, after finding out we didn't have to go to the emergency room last night, I couldn't get back to sleep for a long time.  I even slept in my clothes for the rest of the night-----just in case!

 Yesterday I had my cardiologist appt..  He saw the rehab report, and don't have to see him for 6 mos..  Ken came along, and afterwards went to Menard's for a few things, and then to Lowe's and two other places looking for flowers for around the house and Ken's folks' graves.  He just did too much yesterday!  He has a hard time with this.  This is the time of year when he wants to do so much outside, and loves to get on his bike again.  Well, he knows now that he cannot try to rush things.

Today marked my half-way point with the rehab.  J says that my pulse rate is coming down a bit now, so the exercise is starting to work.  I mentioned to my Dr. that  when I stand my blood pressure drops quite a bit, and my pulse rate goes up to compensate for it.  He told me to take my bp med in the evening instead of the morning, and that might help it.  Will see what happens.  I am really enjoying the rehab, except for having to get up early.  Two men have finished already, and have been replaced by two others. 

Other than that nothing much is going on.  Our lives are busy with recuperating. 

I have lost over 10 lbs., which is very good!!  Of course, for me that is just a drop in the bucket.  But it is a start.  One morning this week I went grocery shopping and spent about 1 1/2 hrs. in the store reading labels and looking to see what all they had that was either heart healthy, low salt or salt free, low or no sugar, and low or no fat.  I was surprised as how much there was available.  I bought quite a bit.  Also discovered that it is all more expensive than the regular foods!!  lol

We will have a quiet weekend, which suits me just fine.  There has been just too much going on lately!!  No rehab on Monday because of the holiday, so I don't have to get up early until Wednesday----yippee!!   My allergies are really acting up, so I cannot spend much time outside, either.  Today I have been sneezing a lot.  I am not sure if it is the allergies (after being out a lot yesterday) or the beginning of a cold, which I could have picked up at the Dr. office yesterday.  If I feel worse tomorrow, I know it is a cold.  Ugh.

Oh my, what an uplifting blog I have written-----NOT!!!  lol

But that is our life right now.

Haven't talked to the travelers in the last week, but know Jeff is busy with the signage for the PGA tournament the end of the month in Des Moines. 

Our two local college grands are now home for the summer.  The family came over last Sunday for a visit.  Was the first time since Christmas that they have all been here.  Was good to see them all together again.

I took these pictures out the bathroom window yesterday.  These ducks come around for a few days every year.  Some years there is just one male, and other years two or three.  There are two males this year, but only one was by the fountain.

 

These last two pictures are of our local grands, Louise, 13, and Sylvia 11.  Their band teacher took pictures of all the band members with their instruments.  The pictures were taken by our church.  I think they really turned out well.  Since they are home-schooled they don't get school pictures anymore, and I think these are even better!

Louise

Sylvia

I hope everyone has a great, safe weekend.  Ken usually goes to the parade on Monday, but hope he doesn't this year---too much standing.  And, it may rain.  Typical Memorial Day for here!

God Bless all the men and women who have served our country---past and present.

 

 

"I've got to get out of here!!!!!"

Phone call received from Ken at 6 a.m. yesterday morning.

Guess he had a really bad night.  The pain meds were doing weird things with his head.  The elderly lady in the next room yelled all night long.  Ken couldn't get up out of bed on his own because he was hooked up to machines, and he was getting claustrophobic!!  Needless to say, no more pain meds.  And he had no pain without them.

I got there around 7:30, and that helped him a lot.  He slept for a few minutes off and on.  I had to go downstairs from his room for my rehab for an hour, and then went right back up by him.  He would lay there a little while, and all of a sudden get up and  put on his robe.  I would grab the "tree" that had the liquids going into him, he would grab the bag that collects his urine, and off we would go down the hallway.  Down at the end is a room that is like a solarium----all windows.  Would stay there for a few minutes and then back to his room. 

He kept telling the nurses that he HAD to go home yesterday.  He couldn't take another night there. 

His doctor didn't come until almost 1 p.m..  Thankfully, he gave the OK for Ken to go home.  It took over an hour for the nurses to get all the paperwork together before coming in and getting him set up to come home. 

Even after getting home it took him a while to settle down.  The Dr. told him to just relax and take it easy when he got home.  Well, he couldn't sit for more than 5 minutes for quite a while.  After a couple hours he was OK.

Anyway, he is fine this morning.  He goes into the Drs. early tomorrow morning to have the catheter removed.

Dr. said that Ken did have a hydrocele along with the spermatocele.  The spermatocele was pillow-shaped, about 4 inches by 3 inches.  He said that between the hydrocele and spermatocele, there was about 3 lbs. of extra weight!!

I am glad this is over.  Too much stress.  I was irritable at Ken, which I shouldn't have been.  He couldn't help it that the meds made him weird!!

I will miss my rehab again Friday because of Ken's Dr. appt..  Have missed one session each week so far.  I hope that from now on I can get to them all.  This is delaying the end date!!!   I am up to 35 minutes between two machines. 

One of the men in my class graduated and received his certificate yesterday.  I tried to talk him into trading with me, but he wouldn't agree!  Wonder why???

Thanks for being here for me.  It helps more than you know---knowing that you are all out there praying and thinking about us.  It is like a big, world-wide warm hug. 

 

Just a quick update.

Ken had his surgery.  Thank you all so very much for your prayers.

The surgery turned out a little different than expected.

The TURP part of the surgery was as expected. 

But the hydrocele turned out to be a little more than that.

The surgeon found a spermatocele.  Normally they are relatively small.  Ken's was the size of a large orange or small grapefruit.  Actually, I am not sure if there really was a hydrocele at all.  The following is from either Web MD or Mayo---can't remember which:

A spermatocele is a cyst that develops in the epididymis — the small, coiled tube situated in the upper testicle that collects and transports sperm. Generally painless and noncancerous, a spermatocele usually is filled with milky or clear fluid that may contain sperm.

Spermatoceles are small, usually less than a half-inch (less than 1 centimeter) in diameter, although some may be larger. Most of the volume of the cyst is fluid.

Spermatoceles are common, affecting as many as three in 10 American men. They typically don't impair fertility or require treatment. If a spermatocele grows large enough to cause discomfort, your doctor may suggest surgery.

As you can see, Ken's was a "little" bigger than the 1/2" they normally are.

Tomorrow I have my cardiac rehab in the same hospital, so will go from exercises up to his room.  He PROBABLY will be coming home tomorrow--Wednesday.

I am going to bed early tonight.  

I'm tired.! 

I hope all you Moms out there had a wonderful Mothers Day!!

Ours was fairly quiet.  Jeff had called on Friday.

Greg and family came over for a visit in the afternoon, and brought my favorite pie----lemon meringue!  Yum-yum.  Thank you!  We all enjoyed a piece of it.

Two of the grands called---the oldest in each family.  Lydia was studying for finals this week.  Then she will be home here for the summer.  Jacob called from San Jose.  Talked to him twice in two weeks!!  Wow!  He will be coming back to LaCrosse in August, I believe, and we will try to get over there then.  Will get to see Jeff and family then, too, since they will be in LaCrosse for the summer.

I had rehab again this morning.  They have me up to 35 minutes on two machines.  Not much tension or resistance on the machines yet.  That is OK with me.  Today my knees felt a little wobbly when I was done.  That is good, though!!  Shows it is working.

A couple of you asked about the sugar-free Twizzlers.  I got them from Walgreens, the strawberry flavor was the only kind there.  And they show "sugar alcohols" as the sugar substitute.  I think if I hadn't eaten more than a serving  I would have been OK.  But, once I start eating Twizzlers I have a hard time stopping!!  Certainly learned my lesson.

The two singing granddaughters, "Katrina Rose" now have a My Space page, with two songs on it.  The first, which starts playing right away is the one I had up here before---"On Her Own".  You can click on the second one to hear the other original song.  Jeff says he wrote the second one.  The first verse certainly sounds like he wrote it!  If any of you are interested in listening to them, they are here: (Click on their name)

Katrina Rose

 

---------------------------------------

Ken goes in for his TURP and hydrocele surgeries tomorrow.  He is getting a little nervous, as we all do just before surgery.  Please keep him in your prayers tomorrow.  They are very much appreciated!!

Will let you know how it went whenever I get home.  The surgery isn't scheduled until 1 p.m. our time.

Boy, did this last week go by quickly.

Went to my rehab classes on Monday and Wednesday.

Last evening I discovered sugar free Twizzlers.

This morning I discovered a nasty side effect from sugar free candy.

Diarrhea!!

I had seen on the label that the sugar substitute COULD cause a laxative effect.

Boy, did it!!

It started at 5:30 this morning, and even though I got ready to go to the exercise class, I finally called and said I could not make it. 

J.  said she understood----her dad had the same thing happen to him.

-------------------------

Our tulips and daffys alongside the house are finally in full bloom.  But only a few daffys out around the fountain, and no tulips blooming there yet.

This is next to the house:

Some of the trees are barely budding out now.  Temps are still cool.  It is all of 56 degrees here right now.

------------------------------

Started this about 1 1/2 hrs. ago, but received a phone call from son, Jeff, (the travelers) right in the middle of this.

Last Friday was the last day of his job in Corpus Christi, and even though he had only been there for a month, they had a big going-away BBQ party at lunch for him.  Lunch lasted about 3 hrs!   The head boss said that they really hoped that Jeff would decide to come back there in the future, because the whole place ran so much smoother, and jobs were done quicker, and everyone was happier with Jeff around!  Great praise!!

After leaving Corpus Christi, they drove to Texas City, outside of Houston, to take the bus to the Baptist church it originally came from.  Not many people at the service they went to, and only a couple people recognized the bus.  Guess the church is in the process of selling the property.

From Texas City, they went to Houston, and saw the San Jacinto monument, which is the tallest monument in the world  ( I think Jeff said it is 8' taller than the Washington Monument in Washington, DC.)

 and the  battleship, the U.S.S. Texas, which was in both world wars.  It was the last ship of the dreadnought class built.

 The 2 grandkids are learning their history first-hand!!

They came back up through Arkansas and Missouri, instead of up through Texas.

The travelers are now in Des Moines.  He will be starting on the PGA tournament sign job on Tuesday, and that job will last until the beginning of June.  After that job is done, they will come up to LaCrosse for most (or all) of the summer.  As of now,  granddaughters Hannah and Mindy definitely plan on moving to Nashville, but probably not until after Jeff and Judy's baby is born.

That is about it.

Oh, I did hear from grandson, Jacob, who is in San Jose---studying to be a chiropractor.  He called from Sacramento.  He and classmates were there as lobbyists to see a state senator or representative.  Don't know the details, but it had to do with chiropractic.  Jacob is keeping so very busy that he has only had two free weekends since he arrived in San Jose at Christmas.  He attends lots of seminars, has become active in church, and has been doing job-shadowing on his own.  Busy, busy, busy!!

Now, that IS it!!

Have a great weekend!

 

Just a quick entry.

So many of you asked about the outdoor fireplace. 

I went through Ken's old pictures, and found this:

He built the fireplace for his folks when he was still living at home----4 yrs. before he came to Arizona and met me.

He said he thought this was around 1956, when he first started doing masonry work.

He did very well!  It has stood through our Wisconsin winters for 52 yrs!!

The hearth is cracked and deteriorated.  Ken may break the old one off and put a new one on either this year or next.

Ken gets a fire going and sits out there quite often during the spring and summer when there isn't much wind, but I can't.

Plugs up my sinuses terrifically, and the smoke is not good for my asthma!!

-------------------------

Day two of rehab done.  Went easily and quickly.

On Monday I have to be there a half-hour early---by 8:30---for a class on high blood pressure.

I just am not used to so much "busyness"!

Tues. I had to go to get blood drawn.  The gal was new, and couldn't get a vein on the first try, so she asked another gal who got it right away.  Yippee.

Then ran errands.

Yesterday was back to the hospital for a spirometry (breathing) test, and right after that an appointment with the pulmonologist.

I had a different technician for the spirometry this time than the previous two times.  She was VERY good, and showed me the graphs and explained everything to me.

One interesting thing she said is that she is amazed at the amount of asthma in this area.  When she worked in Minneapolis she hardly saw any.

They do the test twice, the second time after using Albuterol--a broncho dilator.  Even after the Albuterol many of my numbers were not anywhere near where they should be.  Thank you asthma.

The pulmonologist gave me suggestions for when it gets so hot and humid here.  He was pleased that my weight is going down, and that I am starting to exercise.  Don't have to see him for a year.

Got home, and daughter-in-law  called asking us to babysit for a few hours.

We hadn't babysat Linden for a long time, and he and Papa had a lot of fun.  I went outside with them a little bit, but I got too cold.

Here are some pictures I took when I did go out for a while.

I'll ride my bike for a while

Somebody play ball with me!

Picking up pinecones and fallen twigs and putting them in the fireplace.

Now, let's rest and enjoy the fire.

Notice how Linden now wears a red knit hat just like Papa.

I couldn't sit out there---smoke doesn't agree with me.  They spent a lot of time out there.  Linden loved stirring up the fire.

 

Today I had dentist appointment, and tomorrow is rehab again.  So, there has been something every day this week.  For someone who hasn't been doing anything for so long, this is a lot!!!

Well, at least nobody can complain that I am not doing enough!  lol