Another Hot Day

I could just say "ditto" and that would just describe today, just not that much different from yesterday! It was supposedly going to be a bit cooler, but that high that is sitting over the Northwest, just isn't moving. It got windy this afternoon and we thought for a while the clouds were moving in and we might get some rain, but no such luck.

This is the season of birthdays at Daughter Mary Mae's house. Her birthday was yesterday and Granddaughter Claire's is on Friday. Then next week is Grandson Varick's turn. Claire will be 13 and Varick turns 16. So MM will join her Sister Dawn's family in having a houseful of teenagers! (Dawn's are 13, 16 and 19.)

It's interesting that some RV parks have rules that don't allow you to leave you,r RV empty, even overnight. We checked with the manager here at Peaceful Pines, who said they would be glad to keep an eye on our rig  while we make a quick trip over the to Mount Vernon to help celebrate some birthdays.

Another HOT Busy Day

It was VERY warm again today. After I had my shower, I felt like I just could not get dry again today as I was sweating so much. This hundred degree plus weather is a little much even for a heat lover like myself.

We went into Spokane this afternoon for another doctor appointment and it was even hot inside of the air-conditioned building. We made a grocery stop on the way home as Forry has already gone through a gallon of distilled water in the humidifier of his CPAP machine. We picked up a few more groceries and I got a ready-to-bake pizza for supper. It is still hot this evening, so it was almost eight o'clock before we turned the oven on to bake it.

We Move Again

Last night was our last night at Ponderosa Falls with our K/M Resorts membership two week stay. I had called over to Peaceful Pines last evening and made a reservation for a week's stay there. It was hard getting going this morning. It never did cool off last night  and neither one of us had slept very well. Check-out time at Ponderosa Falls is noon, but Forry called in and got us a late checkout. I think we finally pulled out about one o'clock.

It's only  eighteen miles or so between the two parks, so we did not hook up Toad II. I just drove over following Forry and Auntie Violet. It always surprises me how much traffic there is between the freeway and the town of Cheney -- and most of it is two-lane no-passing road.

It was SO hot today! I was wearing a bandana as a head band and I sweated enough to completely soak it. It didn't take us long to get parked and for me to hook up the electricity and water. After I went over to the office and paid for our week's stay, we put out the slides and turned on the air conditioner!

It was too hot to think about a big meal, so I cut up some bacon into chunks and cooked it crispy. Then steamed a big pan of the green beans from Brother Pat's garden. Tossed with the bacon and lots of pepper, the plates of green beans were delicious/

An Absolutely Lovely Day

What a lovely day we had today! We were up early and drove the 90 or so miles to Menno for church. It is always so good to be there to worship with our church family in person, not just via U-Tube.

Our friends Dennis and Katherine have been wanting to get together for a long visit. So we made arrangements to meet them after church in Moses Lake. We went to Michael's on the Lake, where Kay had gotten us a table on the deck overlooking the lake. We had some delightful salads for lunch along with innumerable glasses of ice tea. We had such a good time visiting, catching up and exchanging ideas and thoughts. I can hardly believe we talked for FOUR hours. And I think we probably could have chatted for another three or four...

From the restaurant we went over to visit for a bit with Brother Pat and Cindy. Nephew Nick had the day off and Great-nephews Carter and Case were staying with PopPop and Grandma while their parents were playing in a volleyball tournament. I should have had my camera so I could show you the gorgeous patio they have put in using various sizes of paver bricks. It is much bigger then I thought it would be and it is so pretty! We ended up staying for dinner and initiating the new patio after I helped Pat pick green beans from his garden (brought some home too!). Niece Becky and David showed up in time to enjoy dinner as well -- in spite of their very sore muscles.

A truly excellent day!

Cleaning People and Clothes

Seems like that's all we got done today, taking showers and doing laundry. If nothing else, we spend a lot of time and energy keeping clean. Of course, that meant that part of Forry's day was spent draining the black and grey tanks. We really do have large holding tanks in this Alpine, but they still do eventually get full.

The Mariners finally got some offensive bats going today and beat the Orioles. They had lost the last two games, not by much, but still they lost. It was a fun game to watch today. I hope we eventually get done with all of this doctoring we've been doing in the Spokane area and eventually get over to the other side of the mountains so that we can go to a game or two in person.

I spent a few hours last night uploading several camera cards of pictures onto my computer. We had found several cards in the drawer under the refrigerator where Forry's camera stuff was stored. We found pictures from the last Christmas in the house in Spokane and some darling ones of ten-year old Havela with her violin. It was fun to see the Christmas pictures and remember the grandkids when thy were so young. We also had pictures of our work with MDS (Mennonite Disaster Service) in both Dulzura, California and in Louisiana. Another camera card was filled with the pictures of wild flowers I had taken during our sojourn in Death Valley.

Toad II Gets a Present

We went back to REI today (we'd made a scouting visit last week). It took a bunch more measuring, looking at the stats, opening and shutting every one of the carriers, but Forry finally decided to buy a Yakima 16 Skybox. The sale people helped put the carrier on top of Toad II for us.

We are planning to put the canopy in the carrier and hopefully the chaise lounges that we move between the car and leaning on Auntie Violet. These are things we do not use when we are traveling, but definitely want when we are in Arizona.

We tend to use Toad II an an auxiliary storage space with the trike and the lawn chairs all stored in there as well. We have had the canopy in one of Auntie Violet's bays. It only fits catty-corner and basically takes up the whole bay. The cartop carrier should work out much better.

A Quiet Day After

I guess we were awfully lucky. The power came back on here about ten o'clock last night. I understand from the Spokane paper (which I read on-line) that more then 50,000 people are without power in northeastern Washington and northern Idaho. They are not expecting to have power back on for many of those people until late tonight or even tomorrow morning.

The weather was sort of funny all day. It was chilly this morning, down to 68 degrees when we got up. Then it clouded over and we thought we might have more rain, then the clouds blew away and it was actually quite warm in the late afternoon.

We did not do a whole lot today. I even gave up on cleaning and sorting for the day. The next cupboard to be done is the one above my Splendide washer/dryer that holds most of Forry's shirts. He knows there are a whole bunch that he hasn't worn for a few years that I either want to give to Son Sean or take to Goodwill, so he was just as happy I didn't get started on it.

I had picked up a piece of sirloin steak when we were at the grocer's and late this afternoon I cut it into strips and made Stroganof for supper. It's an old, old recipe from Sister Sherry that Forry really likes. I don't make it very often because of the amount of sour cream and mushroom soup in it, but every once in a while...

Fast Thunderstorm -- NO Power!

The weather person was right on target. From blue skies and warm weather,. we went to wind, black clouds, thunder and lightening, rain and a few bits of hail. The storm passed through very quickly, perhaps no more than half an hour, but in the process, it knocked the power out.

We ran on the batteries for a while, then followed our neighbors' lead and started the generator. We haven't run it for a long while, so it's probably good for it. I was able to use the grill and the microwave to cook dinner and am now running the dishwasher. I am impressed how quiet our built-in diesel generator is compared to the small portable generators we can hear at some of the rigs.

We -- and the neighbors -- attempted to contact the office to make sure that the electricity outage had been reported to the proper company. But, there was no one at the office (they closed at 4 PM) and nowhere is there an emergency number posted! We have noticed quite a bit of belt-tightening at the park this year compared to years past. Before there were work campers who escorted you to your site and there were workers who manned a security patrol all night. None of that this year! It's a bit scarey that there is no emergency contact! I suppose an ambulance, fire truck, or patrol car could drive through the password protected gate (which probably doesn't work anyway with no electricity...)

Seeing the news reports on Facebook of the downed trees and severely damaged mobile home park near Riverside (north of Spokane), I guess I shouldn't be complaining about having no power.

The Watermelon Hill Fire

I woke up about 5 AM to hear rain drops on the roof of Auntie Violet. We had a gentle rain that lasted about four hours. From the comments on Facebook, there was rain over most of eastern Washington. The moisture was badly needed, especially by those fighting the firestorms in central Washington. Closer to us, the Watermelon Hill Fire, close to Fish Trap Lake was declared out.

We took a drive out of Cheney for about a twenty-five, thirty mile loop this afternoon to take a look at some of the fire damage. This part of the country is mostly grassland and pine trees with lots of scrub bushes. The grass is extremely dry and the fire danger is listed as a "3", which is the highest. The big firestorm in central Washington was caused by several lightening strikes which have merged into one big fire. This fire was started by a couple of yahoos who were target shooting using explosive targets!

This is one end of Amber Lake. The fire burned up to the shore on the far side --

The fire skipped and jumped, burning some trees and leaving the next...

It burned over the top of this hill and into the wheat field --

It looks like it burned pretty fast through some of the draws. These trees may actually survive.

In the loop we made, we saw at least a half dozen fire and water trucks stationed at intervals, watching the burned over ground. They were keeping an eye on hot spots like this one, making sure they did not flare up again.

By late this afternoon, the sun was back out and it warmed up again. We made a stop in Cheney on our way back to Ponderosa Falls. We went to ACE Hardware and found a two-step stool that we can use to lift a carrier on Toad II, one that I can sit on as well. We also made a grocery stop, which meant I could do my usual whining about bringing everything inside and putting it away.

Musical Cars

As I was reading The Sisterhood by Helen Bryan this afternoon (a good read, by the way!) the neighbor lady came knocking at our screen door. She said that they were taking their new fifth-wheel back to the dealer early tomorrow morning for some repairs. She said they were concerned about possibly hitting Toad II on their way out. Toad II was parked right in front of Auntie Violet and was probably just fine. But these are tight spaces in the R row and with a new rig, he was evidently concerned. So to be nice and ease their concerns,  I put on my sandals and went out and moved Toad II around to the back of the RV,

A little while later as I was sitting on the couch reading, another lady knocked on the screen door. She said that they were bringing their 39 foot fifth-wheel into the site on the other side of us and she was concerned that her husband would not be able to make the turn without hitting our vehicle. I had to laugh and told her that I had just moved it in back of Auntie Violet. But, to be nice, I once again put on my sandals and went and moved the Toad. Actually, I just pulled him forward to a little space over behind the electrical boxes for the camp. He is most definitely out of anyone's way!

Forry thinks that actually both drivers had plenty of room. But, if they were nervous, I'd rather make them a little less so. Not everyone is lucky enough to be married to an ex-farmer who is used to moving big equipment!

I had to enlist Forry's help to finish up cleaning out the kitchen cupboards. The top cupboards in the corner by the sink are a bit high. It's just a little over my reach to get to the back corner. We emptied out all the dishes and vacuumed out the cupboard before putting stuff back. I added several mugs and a few glasses to the box I plan to take to the Mennonite Country Auction Et Cetera Shop. We have not used the coffee grinder and French press coffee maker for the past couple of years -- ever since we got the Keurig coffee maker. So they went into the box as well, along with the small crock pot I never use.

Take Me Out To the Ballgame...

My former colleague Bettie gave us their tickets to this afternoon's Spokane Indians game. The Indians were playing the Everett AquaSox at Avista Stadium. They have a "mini-package" of games, but had to be somewhere else today. The Spokane team is a short-season farm team for the Texas Rangers, while the AquaSox belong to the Seattle Mariners.

Avista Stadium is one of the nicest ball parks around. It rivals any of the parks in Arizona as well as some of the big league parks.

We were sitting in "G" section, about six rows up on the second level, almost directly behind home plate. The temperature was 81 degrees at game time. We couldn't have asked for a nicer day. Thank you Bettie and Jim!

More Smoke

It is smokier tonight then it has been here at Ponderosa Falls RV Park. Some idiots started another  fire near here by Fish Lake while they were target shooting this afternoon. It's one thing to have all the lightening started fires -- we don't need dumbkofs starting them too.

It was fairly cool last night. It's the first time in a long time that I actually pulled up and used the blanket. It may have been because we got to bed so late. The Mariners lost to the Angels 3-2 in the 16th inning last night after midnight! Now it's the 8th inning of tonight's game and they are again tied 1-1.

I continued my methodical slow cleaning again today. Today I cleaned the pot and pan cupboards under the stove and the horrible one under the sink. Forry brought in one of our outdoor tables from Toad II and I used it to stack all the stuff from under the sink. I got down on my hands and knees to get into the back of that rather deep cupboard. (I had to use a flashlight to see clear to the back). With the little table next to me, I couldn't quite get up. I had to crawl out backwards in order to have enough space to stand  up. I tell you, this getting old is NOT for sissies!

I stuck a can of tuna fish (that I found in the back of one of the cupboards I was cleaning) in the freezer late this afternoon, then used it when it was good and cold to make a tossed fresh vegetable tuna salad for supper. It's just too hot to cook and heat up the house more.

Smokey Skies

It seems like a good share of eastern and central Washington is on fire. There are HUGE fires burning near Brewster and Pateros -- I understand that more than 100 houses have burned. The Washington Mennonite Churches have a camp located between Plain and Leavenworth. The last we heard they were on "prepare to evacuate" notice, but haven't heard anything further. The last time there was a big fire in that area, the Department of Natural Resources used the camp as a place for firemen to shower and eat...

The skies here between Spokane and Cheney have been overcast all day. When the wind is right, we get some whiffs of smoke, but it's not nearly as bad as it is in other parts of the state. It sure has made for some red skies and colorful sunsets.

Today I emptied and cleaned the first bank of drawers in the kitchen. These are the ones that have silverware and cooking utensils in the first two top ones and canned goods storage in the two bottom ones. They all have rubber mesh on the bottoms. I took the mesh out and washed it, then complained that it took too long to dry and was slowing me down. Forry suggested I hang each piece over the fan. Amazing how fast it dried then!

Above the drawers I was working on is the counter where our Kuerig coffee maker and the Foreman grill sit. Since I was cleaning in that area, Forry decided it was a good day to de-scale the coffee maker. Since you have to let the hot vinegar sit in the coffee maker for four hours, it's an all day process. I'm not sure it really needed it as our water is all filtered -- and the "de-scale" light has never come on...

This idea of just doing a chunk of thorough cleaning each day seems to be working. I don't have the energy to do it all at once, so it wasn't getting done. Giving myself permission to do it slowly may be the way for my perfectionist and procrastination personalities to get along...

It's a Bit Cooler

It cooled off a little bit today. Not a whole lot, but enough to make it a great deal more comfortable. I continued my laundry jag, getting the sheets and towels all washed. Then I started on the high cupboards in the living room above the couch. I emptied out the containers in the right hand cupboard. They had dried fruit and some rice and barley that had been there since we moved into the RV! We eat a lot differently now then we did years ago and I don't cook like I did. I emptied quite a few dried out and old spices and things into the garbage.

 

Many years ago, my friend Alice showed me how they fixed storage in their large sailboat. They bought racks to divide the space in half, then used plastic tubs on the bottom portion with other storage on top of the racks. We've used the same idea in many of our cupboards, basically doubling the storage area.

I was able to store Forry's camera (which he seldom uses) in one of the boxes, so that it is no longer on the floor and in the way. I also made room for the cases for our binoculars. The other two overhead compartments are arranged the same way, only the plastic tubs have spices and wine glasses in them. Along the way, I wiped out the cupboards and applied more Liquid Gold to the outsides of the cupboards. I now have the living area and office are done. Next comes the kitchen, which I know won't be near as easy!

I had bought some Walla Walla sweet onions and Gruyere cheese at Rosauers on Tuesday. It was a bit cooler today, so I made an onion pie for supper. I only had a small pie plate handy, so I cut the recipe in half. It worked out well as it was just enough for a meal for the two of us.

Loads and Loads

Lots of loads of laundry. Since we were without a sewer connection the past week and a half at Peaceful Pines, we were basically in a water-conserving mode. That meant no laundry. (I guess I could have used the camp laundry, but I don't like to do that.) So, as a consequence, and as I had spent yesterday basically playing, today was laundry day. One thing about it, clothes dry rapidly in this heat!

I have been enjoying Debbie Macomber's book, Susannah's Garden, the last couple of days. While she always tells a good story, this book is a lot of fun because it takes place in Seattle and Colville, Washington. The main plot is about a woman who lives in Seattle with her family and comes home to Colville to move her mother from her home into an assisted living facility. It's fun to read a book about places I am familiar with!

I've gotten enough energy the last couple of days to start some major cleaning of Auntie Violet. I haven't done it for a while and she definitely needs it. After cleaning off the dust and marks on the cherry wood, I give it a good coat of Liquid Gold. Liquid Gold is basically the only finish Scott and Bobby of Amazing Creations/Kustom Coach Works used on the built-in desk and other furniture they built for us a few years ago. I've been emptying out and cleaning cupboards and drawers as I go, so it takes awhile. I just hope my energy level holds up and I can continue on and maybe finish the rest of it.

What A Day!

I had my second post-op visit today for my second eye, this time with the optometrist from Group Health. It was already hot and humid this morning before I left. I was wet again before I had been out of the shower a half hour. I was planning to have lunch with friends, so left Forry at home as I headed for Spokane.

Dr. Scheffelbein seemed quite happy with both eyes and commented that he thought Dr. Ranson was an artist. The distance vision is clearer in the left eye as he had "tweaked" the right eye lens so that I would have some near vision in that eye. I am finally finished with the four weeks of drops in the right eye, so I'm making progress.

My former colleague Helen had called me a few days ago and invited me to join her and another former WSU colleague for lunch. Since we were both going to be in the downtown area, we decided to meet at the Davenport Hotel lobby for lunch. Ginger, Helen and I had a good visit -- and a good lunch.

After lunch I called another former colleague, Bettie, to see if she was home this afternoon. She had messaged me a few days ago offering us their tickets to the Spokane Indians baseball game next Sunday. They have one of those mini-packages, but have a conflict for Sunday's game. She and Jim were home, so I dodged the road construction on the South Hill and went to pick up the tickets. We sat in their shady back yard; enjoyed a glass of raspberry ice tea; watched the birds and a squirrel; and had a nice visit.

Since I was already up on the South Hill, I made a stop at the 14th Avenue Rosauers, near where we used to live. They had remodeled the store since we had lived there and it is very nice. I even recognized a couple of the staff I used to know. I picked up a few groceries plus another case of water and some Black Butte Porter for Forry and headed for home in time to watch the All Star Game on TV. (And YEAH, the American League won! Even though only let Felix pitch one inning...)

Dog Show Clarifications!

It was another hot day today until late this afternoon when the forecasted thunderstorms materialized. We got several passes from the storm and enough rain to create a puddle in the road in front of us. We had moved back to Ponderosa Falls RV Park this afternoon for another two week stay without charge with our K/M membership. It was definitely a hot take-down and set-up, but we did not hook up Toad II for the short trip. So I drove in air-conditioned luxury!

Sister Sherry sent me an email note today trying to clarify my confusion about the points and championships:

Keiko San is an AKC (American Kennel Club) Grand Champion -- he is now getting points for a couple of different things (ranking in US) and his AKC Bronze award which takes 100 new points since his points for Grand Champion were met in Albany. He was BOB (Best of Breed) Friday and Sunday and BOS (Best of Opposite Sex) the other two days. Whichever sex the BOB is, the BOS must be the opposite. The beautiful lady he lost to is a great friend/mentor of mine with Malibu. Malibu is the number one (mastiff) bitch in the US. Tim, her owner, is always teasing because he had been unable to beat Keiko -- now it is 10-2 Keiko.

Does that make things any clearer?! Like everything else, I think the dog show world has its own vocabulary, rules and customs. We are trying to keep track of Sis's passion, but it's a world of it's own.

It cooled off a bit this afternoon after the rain, but quickly warmed back up into the eighties. It's definitely cooler, but a lot more humid. Thankfully, the last pass of the storm missed us as it brought large quarter-size hail with it.

Dog Shows

I think our whole family is living somewhat vicariously with Sister Sherry and her mastiff, Keiko San as they go to various dog shows around the area. Keiko is a very mellow fellow with incredible musculature. He has gotten so muscled from his habit of playing soccer with heavy bowling balls all over the farmyard. He loves to chase his balls and he goes like the wind with them, steering with his nose and front feet.

This week Sister Sherry, her friend Cathy and Keiko San (along Sister Roxy) have been at the dog show in Centralia. It seems like there are different judges every day of a show -- and of course, each one has different ideas about the "perfect dog conformation" for each breed. For example, Keiko won Best of Breed the first two days of the show. Then he placed fourth and then third on successive days. Today I understand he won Best of Breed again.

Keiko won his Champion points earlier this year and is now working on his Grand Champion points. I really don't understand how all of the American Kennel Club rules work, but it is fun to hear the stories of the various shows.

I do know that Keiko's exposure at all of these dog shows has raised interest in the possibility of him becoming a father someday. I know that all of us will be following his adventures!

Another Hot Day

It was extremely warm again today. And tomorrow is supposed to be even hotter. We had thought about going to the Cheney Rodeo today, but it was just too hot to even think about sitting outside.

This weekend is the first of three "Super Moons" this summer. It has to do with the apparent large size of the full moon when its orbit approaches closest to earth. We watched it rise through the trees tonight:

 

 

It is prettier and prettier, the further it rises in the sky --

It's neat to see and to think, we have two more of these spectacular full moons to go!

It's HOT!

I don't know what the official temperature was today, but our indoor/outdoor thermometer read 101.7 this afternoon. I think this is most likely five or six degrees high as the afternoon sun hits the window its wire sticks out of, even though the awning is on that side. Even deducting a few degrees, there is no doubt that it is July, it is summer, and it is HOT!

We were scheduled to move back to our original site yesterday, but we decided to stay put. We are in our boon-docking mode, so our tanks are not yet full AND Forry can get TV satellite reception here. We've been watching an incredible Mariners vs Oakland Athletics game, watching Felix Hernandez pitch eight incredible innings. Fernando Rodney pitched a nail-biter of a ninth inning for the win 3-2.

Forry had a very good night with his CPAP machine last night -- he slept almost ten hours straight! He's spent a good share of today reading all of the manuals he didn't have time for yesterday. There is so much material, I'm going to have to create more file space!

FINALLY!

It's almost hard to believe, but Apria actually came through this morning! We were over at their office on N Foothills Drive a little before 9 AM. We had a short wait, then Respiratory Therapist Larry began the set-up routine. Forry had tried both a full face and a nose mask when he had his sleep study test a month ago!) and thought he preferred the full face mask, so that's what Larry set him up with.

The CPAP machine itself is much smaller then I had anticipated. It's the unit on the left. The piece on the right is the humidifier that adds moisture to the air in the tubing.

We had to make a quick run into Cheney this afternoon to pick up some distilled water for the humidifier. While we were at Safeway, I picked up a few groceries and validated my new debit card. This is the third new card I have had in as many months. I personally have not had any problems, but it seems that different stores have had problems. So, as a precaution, Spokane Teachers Credit Union sends me out a new debit card -- and tells me to destroy the previous one. The only problem with that is that it also means a new PIN number. And I have all kinds of trouble remembering them without transposing numbers!

A Good Day

This was a very good day! I had a post-op appointment with Dr. Ranson at the Spokane Eye Clinic this afternoon. He checked both eyes and seemed extremely pleased with both of them -- he certainly does good work! He suggested I might want to stop by a Drivers License office and ask to get the "Corrective Lenses Required" taken off my license.  I'll not be seeing him again unless I have problems. The rest of the follow-ups will be done at Group Health by their optometrist.

We actually got a couple of calls from Apria this morning! They wanted to let us know that they had gotten the approval from the insurance company for Forry's CPAP machine. Then they actually called to set up an appointment with them for tomorrow! We have to be over at their office on N Foothills Drive at nine o'clock tomorrow morning.

This evening, just at dusk, as we were watching the Mariners game, Forry spotted this lady over at the edge of the RV Park:

 

We watched her for quite a while and didn't see a fawn or anyone else with her. She seems awfully thin for as lush as the grass has been this summer which is why we thought she might have little ones.

Another Day, Another Eye

Evidently my cold had settled down enough that the doctor didn't think it was an issue and they went ahead and did my second cataract this morning. The second lens implant, the Toric lens, seems to have worked real well. It was so hot this afternoon, I could hardly wait until five o'clock when I could get the patch off. The sweat was running down my forehead underneath the patch and wasn't at all comfortable.

Forry stopped by the Spokane Sleep Institute on our way home this morning and picked up a copy of his sleep study report that the doctor FINALLY had dictated and signed. He got a call from a lady at Apria this afternoon who apologized for the long delay -- it's only been a month and a half! She promised she would expedite getting the insurance company okay and get this going. We shall see,,,

It's starting to get dark and it's still 89 degrees outside. I think this will be another night with the fans running.

A Summer Cold

There was one day last week when I was feeling lousy and went to bed by nine o'clock. I thought my allergies had really gotten bad and I felt like I was coming down with a cold, so immediately upped my amount of Vitamin C. But, my usual preventive measure didn't work this time and I came down with the dreaded summer cold.

It's no fun running a temperature at any time, but it's a whole lot worse when the temperature outside is in the high nineties! I've had a miserable few days, coughing hard and using up all the Kleenex in the house. Today, it seems to have decided to give up and let me be. I have had a much nicer day and think I may just survive!

This Getting Old Stuff

It seems as though not a day goes by these days that we don't hear about someone of our acquaintance having a major medical issue. We have heard today of friends getting pacemakers and of others being treated for atrial fibrillation. We have good friends getting knee and hip replacements and lots of us being medicated for diabetes and arthritis and high blood pressure. I can not believe the number of people who have told me their cataract surgery stories when I started talking about mine.

On the one hand, we are very grateful to be living in an era when there are treatments for the various complaints that come along with aging. On the other hand, I am very impressed with the friends who are dealing with various issues with grace and cheer. I know that dealing with chronic pain can cause a great deal of crankiness and fatigue.

One thing I do know, getting old is definitely not for sissies!

The Fifth of July

There has been almost total turnover in the sites near us at Peaceful Pines RV park. It seems that many folks did not have the day off yesterday, but are now here for the rest of the weekend. There seems to be a good crop of children running around the park area. We heard a couple of big bangs last night from fireworks, but it has been quiet tonight. Spokane County has quite a few billboards up all over proclaiming that "fireworks are illegal in Spokane County" and they have been pretty zealous in enforcing the ban the last few years.

There are once again a couple of tents over in the grassy area. If I were going camping in a tent, I think I'd look for a spot near a lake or stream. There is not even a pool at this campground and very little playground equipment. It may just be the attraction of sleeping outside?

We slept in this morning. It was already getting hot when we finally got up. It got hot enough later this afternoon to turn on the air conditioner for a while. The only problem is when the sun hits the power pedestal and heats it up, it kicks the power off. Forry has put up cardboard for shade and that seems to help.

A Very Happy Fourth of July!

We are now at home watching fireworks in New York on TV after a lovely late afternoon barbequed feast at the home of friends. I baked a cherry pie this morning to take over to Helen and Jerry's. As we walked up the driveway, we could smell the spare ribs that Jerry was just taking off the grill. They were as good as they smelled!

Some Problem Solving Skills?

We went to the pharmacy at Group Health to pick up the eye drops for my cataract surgery next week. The woman at the window told me they didn't have one of the three in stock (keep in mind that the Eye Clinic called in the order two days ago.). She said I would have to come back on Saturday tho pick it up.  I told her okay, but didn't like the idea of another trip to town. As I was leaving, she said she had better check with the woman who does their ordering to see if their supplier has it.

She came back and said their regular supplier didn't have it, so it would have to be special ordered. And since tomorrow was a holiday, it would be sometime late Monday before it would arrive. I told her that would not work as I was supposed to start using the drops early Monday morning...

She just looked at me blankly. I asked if she could give me the prescription so that I could take it to another pharmacy? She said she didn't think she could really do that... About that time it occurred to me that Group Health has several other pharmacies in Spokane. I asked her if one of their other pharmacies might have the eye drops? She got very excited, said she would check and quickly came back to tell me that the Lidgerwood Pharmacy had some and that she would send the order over there.

I paid for the two kinds of drops they had at Riverfront and left just shaking my head. It was obvious the poor girl had no idea of how to problem-solve or to how to look for alternative solutions.

We went out north to the very busy Lidgerwood facility and picked up the third set of eye drops. We also stopped at Spokane Sleep Institute to see if perhaps they might have Forry's sleep study report done and signed. But, no one there knew anything about it. They said they'd leave a message for someone to call us on Monday to update us...

A Very Quiet Day

It was a very quiet day today.  Our next door neighbors in their fifth wheel pulled out very early this morning, before we were even awake. I am sure there will be others coming in for the long weekend, but so far there has been little activity. I know that the new manager said that they were going to be full up except for maybe a couple of tent sites. And she thought those would probably be filled as well.

I finished the last of the piled up laundry. I still can't believe two people can create so many dirty clothes! It was hot enough today that we turned on the air conditioners for the first time since we left Arizona. I do just fine until it gets into the mid or high nineties with the windows open and fans on, but any hotter than that, I wimp out and want the air conditioning on.

I just finished The White Princess by Phillipa Gregory that I picked up at the Salt Lake City airport. It was a good read. I'd like to pick up the rest of her books about English royalty in the 1400s and the War of the Cousins. I'm also reading The Red Dahlia, a mystery that Sister Sherry gave me. Both of them are good reading on a hot summer day.

Here We Go Again...

I had an appointment early this afternoon at the Spokane Eye Clinic with Dr. Ranson to start the process for the cataract surgery on my left eye. He and his staff took a pretty good look at the right eye and seem happy with the way it has healed and my vision. So I am on the schedule to have the second surgery on the 8th.

We made a Costco run after we finished up at the Eye Clinic. I love this time of year with all of the fresh fruit! I came home with figs, apricots, two kinds of cherries, white peaches, blackberries and blue berries. Such a bounty.

The decisions of the Executive Board went up on the Mennonite Church USA website this afternoon as well as articles in Mennonite World Review and The Mennonite. I know that not everyone will be happy with the decision to leave any changes in the hands of the Delegate Body at the Biannual Assembly next summer. I appreciate all of the notes of support and prayer. Thank you!