3-D

To pass the time today I put together this puzzle of St. Basil's Cathedral.  The church was commissioned by Ivan The Terrible and built on the edge of Red Square between 1555 and 1561.  It commerates Ivan The Terrible's successful military campaign against the Tartar Mongols in 1552 in the besieged city of Kazan.  The design comprises nine individual chapels, each topped with a unique onion dome and each commemorating a victorious assault on the city of Kazan.  The interior is a maze of galleries winding from chapel to chapel and level to level.

Taking my time it took a couple of hours to go from this 

to this.

Front 

to the right

I had fun with this while Duane went to a chiropractor.

New glasses tomorrow.

Louise and Duane

Slugs

After our busy day of sewing and painting yesterday, we more or less lay around doing a lot of nothing.  I walked 4 times around the rv park, and Duane drove to a couple of auto upholstery places to see if he could get the bike seat fixed and played pickleball this evening, but otherwise we were sedentary.  We have good excuses.  I am recovering from surgery, and Duane doesn't have a whole lot to do.  Usually when we sit for more than a month we are busy touring the area, using the bike to access points of interest.  Here we are just biding our time until I am released to travel.

Three weeks to go.

Louise and Duane 

Little Cowgirl

Some time ago we started working on collecting American Girl cowgirl outfits for our twin granddaughters' upcoming birthday.   We bought boots, hats, and outfits comprised of a long sleeved blouse, a blue jean skirt, and a belt.  We made jeans and chaps.  We also bought straw hats which proved to be too small.  I took them apart and remade them to fit.

Here are the completed outfits.

\

We bought unfinished wood boxes to store the clothes, and are in the process of painting them.

We think the girls are going to be pleased.

Many thanks to our granddaughter Allie for the use of her American Girl doll for our model.

Louise and Duane

Shoppin"

While Duane played pickleball this morning, I walked the rv park.  When he returned we took the truck to Kilgore to collect the mail and the cowboy hats that we'd ordered for our twin granddaughters' American Girl dolls.  The hats are very cute!  After lunch we bought unfinished wood boxes at Michael's to hold all of their doll clothes.  We will be painting the boxes in their favorite colors and putting their names on them as part of their birthday gift.  We rounded out the day with a trip to the grocery before we tucked in for the evening.

A pretty good day.

Louise and Duane

Good Day

After our busy day yesterday,  I decided to take it easier today.  I took a walk around the rv park (still at The Trails @ Lavendar Road outside Tyler TX).  The rest of the day I put together this little 300 piece jigsaw puzzle and worked on my scrubber project (see Next! blog)  .

I am not cleared by my doctor to ride the bike yet, but Duane has been enjoying the nice weather by taking solo rides.  Today he rode to Costco to see if he could  find our favorite candy, which we have not been able to enjoy since Christmas.  He was in luck!

Just marking time.

Louise and Duane

Next!

This morning I endured my annual mammogram and sonogram with great results--I am free to go for another year.  All we have left to do is to pick up our new glasses and I have to be declared completely healed from my surgery.

Meantime I'm on to my next post-op project:  cutting various colors of course netting (veiling) into strips, connecting the ends, rolling the strips into balls, then crocheting the strips into pot scrubbers.

It's a simple project that takes a bit of time, but I don't mind.  I make them for Christmas presents for family members who appreciate and use handmade gifts.  Duane aids me by holding one end while I cut 1" strips.

Keeping busy while we wait,

Louise and Duane

What Else?

Rain didn't deter Duane from playing pickleball indoors today, but kept me from my daily walks.  I had the whole day to complete the denim jeans to complete our twin granddaughters' American Girl doll cowgirl outfits, including felt cowgirl hats we ordered online.

As soon as the hats arrive, all we'll need  is a couple of boxes to hold all of the clothes.

Tomorrow I have my annual mammogram.  😠

Louise and Duane

Finished!

For their birthday present this year our twin granddaughters requested western outfits for their American Girl dolls.  Duane found a chaps pattern, tweaked it for better fit and offered suggestions as to how they should fit.  Granddaughter Allie kindly let me use her doll as a model.  I had gotten that far before my surgery, then decided that it would make a good project to pass the time during my recovery.  Last Saturday I picked up the process again and finished them on Sunday.  Today I made the second pair, start to finish.  

Duane and I agree that they turned out pretty well. 

Next I'll make each one a pair of blue jeans to add to the 

 boots and felt hats that I bought.

We think the girls will be pleased.

Louise and Duane

Two Easters

As it turns out we spent Easter of 2018 and 2019 with our son Jeremy and his family.  Last year Easter fell on April.  The air was a tad cooler, the plants just beginning to leaf out and the river a tad lower.  For fun we all went out on the river to check the trot line.

This year Jeremy had already cleaned and reset the trot line.  He had the large catfish (see Loads Of Fun blog) tied to the boat so that we could see it before he released it.

Last year Allie and Luke hunted plastic candy filled eggs 

and we played Uno.

This year Luke and Allie colored hard-cooked eggs and ate them.

Last year Duane and I were the only visitors.  This year Jeremy's dad, step-mom, step-sister, her husband and their son were weekend guests.  

  

Luke and Ryan were up to no good.  Ryan's dad hauled them to their mothers for a scolding.  The boys were quaking in their shoes.  Ryan is 12, Luke is 10.     

Both Easters Duane and I enjoyed being with family for the holiday.

Duane's last doctor appointment tomorrow.

Louise and Duane

Loads Of Fun!

In the Piney Woods of East Texas we celebrated Easter by goofing with the family--son Jeremy,daughter in law Jennifer, grandkids Allie and Luke.  

We shared the traditional ham for dinner 

checked out the 35 lb catfish,

watched Jeremy clean the little ones

and visited.  I worked on the latest jigsaw puzzle while the kids colored Easter eggs.  The boy on the right is Jeremy's step-sister's son.

Mostly we enjoyed the sunny warm dry weather.

Louise and Duane

Candy!

I don't really need an excuse to buy candy, but if I needed one, Easter is a good one to buy lots!

Duane has a real sweet tooth and opted for the Reester Bunnies and marshmallow eggs.  I treated myself to dark chocolate--plain squares and dark chocolate covered cherries. I have to admit that the cherries were opened and shared before we exited the grocery parking lot! Yum!!!

Tomorrow on Easter Sunday we get extra candy!  Yay!

Happy Sugar Bomb Day!

Louise and Duane

Good News

 Even though chilly winds kept the temperature in the low 60's, the day was beautiful with lots of blue sky and sunshine.  Of course we spent the day inside--doing laundry in the am and goofing off in the afternoon.  I did get out and walk a few rounds of the rv park, but mostly I sat on the couch working pencil puzzles and listening to tv.  Duane did his share.  He had to carry all the clothes baskets.

No news is always good news!

Louise and Duane

Storms

Thunderstorms made us decide to postpone laundry until tomorrow.  I took advantage of the extra time to cook up a storm by making corned beef in the slow cooker.  After 4 hours it seemed to be tough.  I plopped it into the pressure cooker for 1/2 an hour and the texture was easy to cut with a table knife.  Though it was a tab bit salty, it went well with steamed cabbage, broccoli, and oven roasted potatoes.  Yum, yum!  I'm getting back into my cooking routine again.

I hope I don't gain weight!

Louise and Duane

Flip Flops

In the 6 weeks that we've been here in the Trails @ Lavender Road RV Park in Tyler, TX.  we have had rain every Saturday and Sunday.  This week the weather decided to switch things around.   Today has been cloudy and damp all day with mist and light showers during the day and severe storms predicted overnight, but sunshine is predicted for the entire weenend.

I have turned around also.  The increase in my post op energy level seems to have taken a hike.  I find myself needing my afternoon naps again.  O well.  I can't complain.  I don't have anything pressing to do except focus on my recovery,  and can nap with impunity.

Awake for now!

Louise and Duane

Meanwhile…

Duane has had a bit more trouble entertaining himself while I recover from my surgery here in Tyler, TX.  He does a little carving, takes a short ride or two on the bike when weather permits, and plays pickleball whenever possible, and takes us to the few doctor appointments that we still have.  Yesterday he drove himself to his last eye appointment.  He was in and out of the office in less than 1/2 hour.  He napped in the afternoon while his eye cleared of the goop the dr. puts in to assist with the laser, but he played pickleball all evening.  Today he rode the bike an hour away to explore the Lake Fork shoreline looking for available rv parks in the area.  Tomorrow he’s taking me to get my eyes examined.

Biding our time until our release,

Louise and Duane

Routine

For me the hardest thing about recovering from any physical trauma, whether its illness, injury, or surgery, is feeling much better.  At the onset, when I’m feeling lousy, it’s easy for me to relax, sleep, rest, and do nothing.  Once the initial healing has taken place and my mind wakes up and says my body feels fine, it becomes increasingly difficult to make myself walk at a slower pace, spend as much time off my feet as I do on them, and give in to the urge to nap.  As I get to the point where the pain/discomfort isn’t around to remind my that I’m not yet 100% healthy, I have the worst time trying not to worry about laying around gaining weight. 

Today, my 11th after my surgery, I am at that intermediate point where I feel fine moving around.  That itchy feeling of healing stitches no longer bothers me, my mind is clear and I have more energy.  Fortunately, I still get fatigued and don’t feel at all guilty about settling in for a nice nap.  That said, I’m thinking about adding a third lap to my daily walks around the rv park!  Fortunately, I know myself well, and have planned for this time.  I have several project lined up that will keep my active mind busy while I sit. 

Creeping closer to my release.

Louise and Duane

Home Again

When we left Tyler Tx on Friday, we drove south to Lake Jackson passing east of downtown Houston.  We arrived around noon and spent the rest of Friday, all of Saturday, and half of today (Sunday) visiting our son Jesse, daughter-in-law Katelyn, and granddaughter Bella.  We enjoyed playing cards, chatting, and sampling the cuisine at local restaurants.  

This morning Jesse made venison sausage and eggs for breakfast at the house, then played a few games of Uno Attack! which we think is hilarious (see Happy Birthday blog).  For lunch we drove separately to this local seafood restaurant.  

As I was taking photos all weekend, it became clear that Bella has arbitrarily decided that she won't smile for any pictures.  Sometimes it was difficult, but she made a good show of it.

After lunch Duane and I collected our hugs and kisses and started our 4 1/2 journey back to Tyler.  For the trip home we decided to take I45, which took us through Houston on the west side of the city center.  We also enjoyed views of the giant statues of Texas's founding fathers Stephen Austin,

and Sam Houston,

and beautiful Lake Palestine.

We had fun visiting, but were glad to sleep in our own bed again.

Many thanks to the family for making our visit fun.

Back on the pickleball court tomorrow--at least for Duane!

Louise and Duane

Happy Birthday!

My birth certificate claims I am 68 today, but I know I'm only 11.  (Yes, I was born on Friday.)  Duane, son Jesse, daughter-in-law Katelyn and I  celebrated my day by starting with breakfast at a place called The Picket Fence.  I'd style it as trendy Tex Mex with offerings ranging from omelets and waffles to Eggs Benedict. 

We'd left Bella at a local school where she participated in an intraschool reading competition.  Her team celebrated my day by coming in fourth out of 11 schools.  

Back home the family whipped up some shortcake for strawberries and whipped cream.

.  

Bella did her best to be entertaining by hiding in the kitchen  (see PS below)

and "napping" with her "brother".

  After lunch and shortcake we learned yet another version of Uno called Uno  Attack!  In this game, instead of taking 2 or 4 cards you tap that red machine 2 or 4 times.  It throws out a random number of cards from 0 to 8.  It is actually fun.  

Dinner at our favorite steakhouse--Texas Roadhouse, 

then back home to round out the evening with a game of Mexican Train Dominoes.

Thanks for the fun birthday to everyone here and everyone who called.

Visit's almost over.

Louise and Duane

PS  Bella is curled up on the counter in the left-hand corner.  The strip of blue is her shirt and her face is that light spot to the right.

Made It!

    This morning we left our house in the Trails @ Lavender Road RV Park in Tyler, TX and drove 4 1/2 hours south to Lake Jackson near the Texas Gulf Coast.  The ride was very scenic along rolling hills bordered in bright spring green.

We managed to roll right through Houston in spite of its miles of heavy traffic and major construction of several new overpasses,

and  arrived at the family's new house in time for lunch.  Kaitlyn  worked until 7pm, but Jesse visited with us while Bella was at school and gymnastics, and while the four of us enjoyed supper at Chili's. 

Later we enjoyed a game or two of Uno Dare!  This is the regular Uno game except that instead of picking up two extra cards you can opt to complete a dare such as walk around the other card players while holding your cards between your knees, blow one card from the top of the deck, or balance on one leg until your next turn.

A bit more chat and our first evening was complete.

More family fun tomorrow.

Louise and Duane

Free And Clear

Duane's annual appointment with his urologist included a CT scan this year.  The scan showed that both kidneys are still healthy with no sign of tumors.  Yay!  I took credit for that.  I have been stuffing him full of tomatoes which are full of antioxidants (lol). 

Crossing this visit from the list leaves 5 more to go:  my eye exam, mammogram, and post-op followup.  Duane has to have his other eye lasered and a followup after that procedure.

Meantime we keep busy with chores and family visits.  Tomorrow we will drive to the gulf coast to visit son Jesse, daughter-in-law Kaitlyn, and granddaughter Bella for the weekend.  We are looking forward to seeing their new house.

Not sure if I'm ready for a long ride yet, but we'll find out.

Louise and Duane 

Glass Again

Back in March, I started a new project--polishing junk glass (see Experiment blog).  I took a hammer to a green wine bottle, an extra virgin olive oil bottle--also green, and an old brown jar I found in the trash.  I took a hammer to them, then tumbled the pieces in medium grit for a couple of weeks to smooth the sharp edges.  I cleaned the pieces, then put them back in the tumbler for a week in first step polish, and another week in second step polish for another week.  The resulting pieces are now thinner, and nice and smooth.  They are still a bit opaque.  Now I have to decide whether to try step 2 polish for another week or two or to move on to the final polish.  

Busy day tomorrow--for Duane

Louise and Duane

Still Plodding

Somehow we have gone over our available data usage, our internet transmissions have sloooooowwwwwed down to a crawl.  My plan was to highlight The Trails @ Lavender Road  rv park where we are staying, but  now will be publishing only one picture.  No problem.  This is the entire park, except for Office/Laundry and the owner/manager's cottage.  There are 28 rv slots, 1/2 back-ins around the perimeter, while the other 14 are pull-thrus along the middle connector road.  Along the treeline on the left are five little cabins hiding behind the rvs.  To my left is the interstate and to the right runs the rolling hills that I walked pre-op.

Now, twice a day I walk the three roads through the park.  

I'm a lot faster than the computer.

Louise and Duane

Miracles!

Today the rain stopped (until Saturday), the clouds cleared (mostly), sun and blue skies showed up, and I awoke after 6 solid hours of sleep feeling pretty perky.  Gone are the nausea, muscle cramps, low-grade fever, and fatigue that plagued me since my surgery.  My appetite and digestive systems are on the mend, and I didn't feel the need for Tylenol or naps.  Duane was able to finish his carvings/wood burnings of Masonic symbols in the morning,

and to take the bike to the grocery in the afternoon.  

All in all, a wonderful day!

Louise and Duane

Plodding Along

Another day of rain, but I was able to take a couple of walks around the park between storms.  I have a bit of a schedule now:  get up, eat, walk (if weather permits) nap, eat, walk (again, according to the weather) nap, eat, rest for the evening.  Duane keeps himself busy with whatever interests him.  Since there was no pickleball today and the rain kept the bike under cover, he worked on a carving which he is highlighting with his wood burner. 

In the meantime, eat, nap, walk, rest, works for me.  😊

Louise and Duane

Long Day

I can sum up my first full day home after my surgery with one word--gas.  Anyone who has had abdominal surgery can relate.  It helped a lot to walk around the rv park several times.  I managed two such walks before severe thunderstorms and pouring rain set in for 5 hours.  On a positive note our son Jeremy, daughter-in-law Jennifer, and grandkids Allie and Luke stopped by for a visit and brought really good pizza so that I didn't have to cook.  I really appreciated the concern that prompted the visit.  The rest of the day I paced around the house in between rests (see I Survived!!! blog).  I finished my book--End Of Watch--which ended the Stephen King trilogy (see Countdown blog).  Now I've moved on to Louis L'Amour's Frontier Stories for a change of pace.  I have taken to reading because my brain isn't interested in working puzzles just yet.  It seems that all my energy is directed to healing my injured parts.  Anyone who has had any surgery at all will understand that too, and that each day is a little bit better than the one before.

Working it one day at a time.

Louise and Duane

I Survived!!!

When I decided that I needed my surgical repair, I was prepared for abdominal pain.  What I ended up with is a pain in the butt--literally!  The pain feels just like a big muscle cramp.  My surgeon's instructions were to get up and move around a lot.  I follow these instructions, mainly because I can't sit very long at one time!

I expect things to be much better after a night's sleep in my own bed without an rn disturbing me every hour or two!

Tomorrow is another day on the way to full recovery.

Louise and Duane

More Doctors

Louise went to hospital for a short surgery to repair a female problem. It took 2 hours in preop, 45 minutes for the surgery, one hour in recovery and then sent to a room for the night. Louise should be home tomorrow. She will have to take it easy for about 6 weeks. We hope to be back on the road then.

All Set--Almost

Last week when I went to my pre surgery assessment, I was told that I would have my surgery Thursday afternoon and go home in the evening.  When I visited my surgeon today, I was informed that I will be spending the night at the hospital tomorrow after my procedure.  This is fine with me.  Surgery, even if it takes less than an hour, is still surgery, and I will rest easier  under professional observation for a while after my procedure.   My doctor also told me that my surgery was moved from 1 pm to 12:30 pm.  This suits me also. It may be only a half hour, but it's that much sooner.

Today I did my preop prep.  Besides speaking with my surgeon, I stocked up on groceries, made chocolate chip cookies, finished my straw hat project (see Countdown blog), and took my two showers--one with regular body wash, the other with germicidal soap.  Tomorrow morning I have to do the two shower routine again, and go to the hospital.  The only drawback to the showers is that I can't use any lotion on my dry skin.  O well. 

Glad it's almost over.

Louise and Duane

Countdown

At last the clouds have cleared and the beautiful sun once again controls the sky.  The temperatures are gradually getting warmer again, although the breeze remains cool. 

We had no activities planned for today, but still managed to find something to do.  Duane washed two weeks of Texas red clay and pine pollen from the truck and spruced up the bike.  Then he went for a spin (on the bike) to try out his new helmet. 

I have a straw hat that is too small.  I took it apart and made it bigger.  I also defrosted the freezers.  For exercise I took a walk along the road rolling over the hills.  I haven't found anything interesting to photograph lately, and decided to read instead. (Yes I can read and walk safely at the same time.)  My current book is End Of Watch, the last in a series of three by Stephen King.  With the other two, Mr. Mercedes and Finders Keepers relate a series of related incidences and events surrounding characters introduced in the first book.  Don't be thinking "horror".  These books are very like a prime-time tv drama--Hitchcock with a twist of Twilight Zone if you will.

Tomorrow is my pre-op visit with my surgeon.

Louise and Duane

Back On Track

Today was Duane's turn to visit a doctor, this time for his eyes.  His right eye was dilated then a yttrium aluminum garnet or YAG laser performed a posterior capsulotomy.    During cataract surgery, an intraocular implant replaces the cloudy lens.  The fine skin or posterior capsule of the lens is left in place to support the implant.  In Duane's case (as in about 50 percent of cases), a normal process of cell regeneration may turn the capsule cloudy.  The cloudy capsule interferes with good vision in a way similar to a cloudy cataract.  The YAG laser uses short burst of light  to create an opening in the capsule and clear a path for light to enter the eye.  This process took about 5 minutes.  I drove home because Duane's eye was dilated, but 3 hours later he was playing pickleball. 

Amazing!

Louise and Duane