What an eye opener my spouse and I experienced this week.
WE are 72 and 75 respectfully.  WE have been enjoying RVing for many years and are now in our 7th RV.  A 30' Keystone Laredo fifth wheel.  I really love this rig.  It has two slides, which is all one couple really needs.  We use the rig for short trips and for living in for the winter season in either Florida or Arizona.

WE took our first RV trip of the season this week, at East Harbor State Park in Port Clinton OH. WE have been to this park before and enjoy spending a few days each year near  Lake Erie.

So this was our test.. The test of ourselves and how well we could manage driving the RV,  hooking and unhooking the RV,  parking the RV,  and generally living in it for three days.

The driving, and hooking and unhooking and living in,  went fairly well.  But I have always enjoyed taking walks along the lake, and this trip I was just not able to walk very far.  My heart is failing me.  And since that is one of the big attractions for me in RVing,  I was ready to sell it and just accept the fact that we are too old for this lifestyle.

Actually getting there,  parking,  unhooking and setting up,  went fairly well.  But because my spouse does all of the work. it is a stressor for him.  So we made a decision the night before we were to leave for home.   We would sell the rig.   I have been the holdout on this,  because I have really enjoyed the whole RVing experience. But now that I am not able to enjoy the things I did before, like hiking, or eve short walks in the woods.  I am ready to quit.

So we went to bed and slept on that one. The next morning.  we took ourtime,  followed our checklist for prepariong the RV for travel and hooking up.  That went pretty well.  Paul has more trouble hooking the truck to the 5th wheel than he used to,  and I am not good at directing him.  I can tell him which way he has to go but I cannot walk him through it each step at a time. Fortunately our neighbor at the campsite was able to help us and his directions put the truck right where it needed to be,  we hooked up and we pulled out.   But the biggest challenge was ahead of us.   Parking it at my son's home.  That always takes us at least and hour and many times we have had to let him finish the job.

There is a large gravel area at his home. But we have to navigate between the propane tank and some large equipment he has parked in front of the large building on his property.

So on the drive home we discussed our winter plans.  A new day and we were thinking well just maybe we do not have to give this up yet...WE did not go anywhere last winter, and I did not mind spending that time at home. But this year we had planned to make one last trip to Arizona. Stopping in New Mexico for several weeks not far from White Sands National Monument. I was looking forward to this more than Arizona.

It is a four to five day drive from our Ohio home to Arizona. And that is the part I enjoy the most. The driving to our destination. But I do not have to do the driving. I get to relax and enjoy the scenery.  The drive is what stresses my spouse.  He hates pulling into a campground for one night and then leaving early the next morning.   Even though we do not unhook the truck from the rig,  we still hook up the water and the electric and the TV cable if there is any at the campsite.  So we made the decision on the way home from the Lake. WE would not go to Arizona this winter,  or ever again for that matter.

But our next big trip will be to the Upper Penninsula of MI. A trip that I look forward to every year.  This year because of my deteriorating condition is uncertain.  I used to love to hike a trail into the woods to see Lake Superior and waterfalls and rock formations along the lake.  But now I do not know if I will be able to do this. If I cannot I will not enjoy this trip either.

So exactly what does one do to keep enjoying life at this age.  The good stuff is gone.  All I have left it seems is my quilting. And my eyes may not allow me to do that much longer.   So in the end when I lose my vision,  I will be ready for the grave.

Poison Pills

This past week I was sitting in the office of an endocrinologist  in Findlay.  I was seeing him for the first time to manage my diabetes which has been out of control.   I did not realize just how bad I was until I was taking my blood sugar 7 times a day and recording it for the doctor to see.  

While I was waiting to be called back.  I watched a cadre of people,  many females.  Sluggish ,  overweight, and barely able to walk with their walkers to get to a seat.  I had an epiphany at that moment.  

I am on a ton of meds for my heart, plus the diabetes meds.  ( insulin only)  and a thyroid med,  an acid reducer, and a handful of vitamins.  As I was pondering this I thought,  I bet that most of the people in this waiting room are also on a ton of meds, and have been like me for some time.
WE are all taking this pile of meds everyday and no one is getting any better. We just get worse.  Or so it seems to me.  So I thought... Why am I taking all of these poison pills that the pharmaceutical industry has put out there and my doctor pushes on me?  I know I have health issues,  heart disease,  and diabetes to name a couple. And I know that one of these is going to kill me,  so in that epiphany moment.  I accepted that I am going to die from one of these conditions, so why should I pay the drug companies to kill me quicker with their poison.  

I decided at that moment I was not going to take anymore medications. Well almost none.  I still take the thyroid pill as I believe that does help me,  and  if I don't  take the Omeperazole,  I will be so miserable with heartburn I will want to die quickly.   The next day I did not take any of my meds or the vitamin supplements. And that day I felt better than I have for months.  My brain fog was gone,  the aches and pains and tiredness were also gone.   I exercised at the gym, and walked the dog at the reservoir. I did a few household chores, and all of this without having to sit down and rest my aching back every 5 minutes.  ( the back pain BTW has been gone since last MOnday..)

I began to use the new insulin that the endocrinologist ordered, and my blood sugars are returning to normal  levels.  I am still feeling well and this is day 5 without any heart meds, blood pressure meds,  water pills,  blood thinners,  etc. etc.   I do need to take my blood pressure just to make sure it is not going off the charts. But I am amazed at how good I have felt all week.

I have not decided whether to tell my cardiologist about this new direction I am taking.  He is a middle eastern male, and I don't think he respects women's opinions too much.  He has been hounding me to take anti cholesterol meds for years.  I tried Statins,  nearly everyone out there,  and they give me such horrible muscle cramps I cannot sleep at night as I am too busy jumping out of bed and dancing around trying to stamp out the Charlie horse in my legs.   I also developed rib cramps.  If I would turn the wrong way or sometimes just sitting I would get a cramp in my ribs. Which required me to get into all kinds of stretching positions to relieve.  I never had rib cramps before those damn statins.   IN fact even after stopping them I had the rib cramps for several months. I think they are finally gone, haven't had one in some time... But they were very annoying....

Anyway the cardiologist wanted me to take a new anti cholesterol med ,  Repatha, an injectable.  WEll after careful assessment by whoever and my insurance company I was approved for it. But the co pay was going to be several hundred dollars a month. So I am definitely not taking that.   I have not broken the news to my cardio doc.  But here again,  this is a new drug, probably not fully tested, and who know what the side effects are I am not paying $200 per month for the pharmaceutical company to kill me.

The one point I scored for the new doc.  was when he asked me why I wasn't on an anti cholesterol med and I explained all this and told him about the Repatha.  He kind of chuckled and said  " I bet you can't affor that one.  I don't prescribe it to my patients because it is so expensive. "  He moved up a notch or two after that comment. However the new med  a rapid acting insulin he prescribed will cost me about $130 per month. But I figured in order to save my limbs, my eyes and my kidneys it was probably worth it...

So that's my story today.  I f I haven't died of heart failure next week I will post an update.

THE DANGERS OF CAPITALISM.

After spending several minutes looking for a link to delete my facebook account,  it magically appeared.  I think when I finally got through to whatever person is in charge of this at FB ,  I got the link. So now in 14 days my account will be deleted.

But what will they do with my information in that 14 days. Are they sitting around their desks at the FB offices thinking... How can we make a bit more money on this person who has deleted her account?  Who can I sell her data to? WE better do it quickly because in 14 days it will be gone.

This is what I envision happening at Facebook.  Do I have a problem with trust?? You bet I do.  I recently read "Shock Doctrine"  and :'No"  by Naomi Klein, and if you want to see how we are losing our democracy and our comfortable middle class lives,  read either of these books.

tt is pure unadulterated capitalism, at the cost of everyone,  and even the planet that will bring about the end of our world. And even for the very rich, who have the money to relocate to an AREA  of the country that is safe from rising sea levels. Eventually their lives will end to

But the point is,  if we all work together,  if the wealthy invest their massive resources in working toward a solution, then we will all be better off.  But in the end I suspect money,  greed and private enterprise will win out. And we have been brainwashed into thinking that privatization is better. Well it is not better. There is no accountability in the private sector,  other than to keep growing the bottom line. So whatever has to be done to do that... cut corners,  refuse health care,  put toxic substances into the air, water and food supply, to increase production,,, then that is ok in their world. But it is not ok in yours and mine.  WE have to get away from this idea that the private sector can do everything better.

How to make money on the backs of gullible women.

I just don't get it.  Everyone seems to be getting into the skin care business.   Paula Deen,  JoAnna Gaines,of Fixer Upper,  Duck Dynasty's momma, and I thought I read Faith Hill was jumping in as well.

Are we so superficial,  that the promise of younger looking skin is worth breaking our budget to achieve.  I fell for it on a sample trial,  and today discovered somewhere in the fine print I had agreed to joining auto delivery.  and was billed $83.00 for one product, and there were two notifications  in my Inbox this morning.

News Flash.  I buy a large jar of Retinol for around $15.00 at Sam';s and it does as well as any other over priced cream I have tried.

If you want an interesting look into just how foolish women can be.  Read  "Crimes Against the Book Club"  which deals with this issue......

Finished piecing the top today. Quite proud of myself.  the sides all measure the same.  Amazing when I think of how many seams are in this quilt top.

I began working on a Bonnie HUnter scrap quilt,"Carolina Chain"  several months ago. I kept it in a box, and worked on the blocks when I wanted to sew something small and quick.  Somedays I feel like I want to be with my sewing machine, but I do not want to begin a large project, I have so many "large projects"  already in boxes waiting to be finished or quilted or bound.  So in my quest to finish some of those UFO's I pulled out the Carolina Chain. Making the blocks is fun and easy, and NO Triangle blocks.

Although I love the look of triangle blocks in a quilt. Those are the blocks I have the most trouble making uniform. After trying several different methods I have found that my accucuquilt dies are the most helpful in getting my blocks uniform in size. But of course I only have a limited block size with the accuquilt die.

Since last week I have been laying out the blocks on this project. The pattern calls for them to be set "on  point"  and I have only made one other quilt with blocks on point.  This week I discovered why.  Since I have no space in my sewing room for a permanent design wall  ( too many windows)  I must use a temporary one, of a flannel backed vinyl table cloth I purchased at the Dollar Tree.  It works great for small projects,  but this quilt is too large to layout on the table cloth.  So I start a row or two on the table cloth then sew those blocks together, and move it all to the floor of my sunroom. I have spent a lot of time "unsewing"  and re stitching because keeping the blocks in the correct order and orientation and the correct number in each row is a challenge.  But today I finished sewing all the blocks in to rows, tomorrow I will stitch the rows together,., And Voila,, I will have a quilt top.

Oh BTW the ladder. That is in waiting for me to take the snowmen off the shelf above my windows.  But now that I think about it...Heck it is April, so I just may do what I did last year... Leave them up and they will be ready for next Christmas.

Winter of 2017

I hardly no where to begin this one.
After deciding not to return to AZ this winter, Paul decided Florida would be the place.
Given the fact that I do not like Florida ,  I begged off.  So he left mid NOvember, and I planned to fly down for the month of January.

The New Years weekend found me in the hospital being treated for acute CHF.  I was released New Years day,  and was flying out to FL on Jan 7.

That went well and I spent the month in Florida. Able to visit with my sister and see some old friends we made many years ago in Florida.

I returned home around FEB 9.   Things went well for about a month.  Until Paul called telling me he was having chest pain.  Finally convinced him he needed to go to the hospital,  which he did,  but did not call the squad or ask a neighbor to drive him.  He got into his truck and drove himself the several miles to Waterman HOspital in Eustis FL. Unable to find the cause, they decided to admit him. So that meant another trip to FL for me.  I few to FL the end of FEB and planned to drive back home with him in the RV   as soon as he felt able to travel.

That happened the first weekend in March.  WE left Florida heading north on a Sunday.  Arrived at our usual first night stop in Perry GA around 330 pm.  While setting up the RV  I went in to use the bathroom. and had a bad fall coming down the two steps from the bathroom.  As I was hurtling through the air, I remember thinking... WTF just happened.  I had not experienced any dizziness, and did not feel like my legs gave out....After landing with a thud. and injuring both ankles I saw the culprit. A large can of soup had escaped from the box under the table while we were en route. It ended up at the bottom of the steps, and I did not see it.  Stepped on the can and took flight.

A trip to ER.   which was not an easy task ,  getting me into the truck. Since my left ankle was already swollen to twice its normal size, and I was pretty certain I had broken the right ankle.
LOng story short.  I did, break that ankle and sprained the left.  so the ER in Perry GA put on a temporary cast on the right and a boot on the left.  Sent me home in the dark with a spouse who was not going to be able to do much to get me out of the truck and back into the RV.  And with a prescription for pain meds that we could not fill at that time of night on a Sunday. After trying three Walgreens stores , which were not open 24 hours,  we just said forget it and went back to the RV.  

WEll as I said,  I was unable to help get myself from the truck to the RV.  It was dark, and no one was moving around in the RV park.... The office was closed... And here we were. I had resigned myself to sleeping in the truck all night,,, but remembered what the discharge nurse had told us. To call 911  and ask for"Lift Assist"  .. So we did that and two EMS people showed up and carried me into the RV.  I sat in the recliner all night, without pain meds, other than the Ibuprofen I had in the RV.   The next morning,  nothing changed I was still unable to move myself. and my husband not able to help get me to the truck for our trip north.  About the time I was getting hysterical my daughter who lives in Knoxville called. I was so upset I couldn't talk to her.. But she and her husband got into the car immediately and headed south to help us.  Five hours later Melanie and Dirk arrived. Loaded me into her car, and he and Paul drove the RV back to KNoxville.  Melanie had already called an orthopedic doctor and made an appointment for me for the next day.

I was taken to surgery Tuesday night,  now I have a plate on one side of the ankle and screws in the other.  I did a real number on this.  Broken in two places....So I spent the next two weeks until the post surgery follow up  at my daughter's home in Knoxville.  And I am so thankful that she and her daughters and husband took good care of me.  Meanwhile our other son drove our car to Knoxville and picked up the RV and returned it to OH.  Paul left for home a few days later and I was cleared on my two week follow up to travel home. My oldest daughter drove from LIma to KNoxville to drive me back home.

So here I sit.  Unable to bear any weight on my right ankle.  And looking at another couple of months of the same.  But at least I am home. And Thankful for all the help our kids have given us during this time.  

Two things I have to pass on.   When you are living in an RV you do not buy in bulk because there is no way to store those items safely.  All those canned goods were in a box under the dining room table, and during the travel time one got loose and caused all this.  I have been trying to convince my husband that we do not need 24 cans of fruit... to have to store while in the RV.  The second thing is that if my spouse had not taken ill, ( which is still undiagnosed)  I would not have been in Florida at all.

So now we are seriously questioning how much longer we will be able to do this RV thing.  I had hoped to take a long several month trip this summer to visit places we have not yet seen. That is pretty much off the table  now. And whether we go anywhere at all next winter is unlikely.