Fabgrandpa

Trying To Get Things Done

May 1, 2011 Karen 2 Comments

kanab utah hospital — Even the hospital in Kanab is scenic!

My action plan for yesterday was to cut and sew the binding for Judy’s quilt; unpack and straighten out the cabinets; and start cutting out Emily’s quilt. That was not what happened.

While we were in Flagstaff, I had to take FabGrandpa to the emergency room for a breathing treatment. It is not just the high altitude. When we were in Texas, in that wind and dust storm, we both were exposed to breathing in that dust. We both got respiratory infections, and have been coughing and sick since then.

At the ER in Flagstaff, they also gave FabGrandpa prescriptions for a steroid and an anitbiotic. He took them as prescribed, but he is still sick. I took him to the ER in Kanab, Utah yesterday, where they diagnosed him with bronchitis. He got shots in each hip, another steroid and an antibiotic, a prescription for another antibiotic, and an Advair inhaler. He already sounds better, but he won’t be going back to work for a few days.

I am hoping today to at least get Judy’s quilt finished. I know she would love that, too.

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31 Day Challenge: A Birthday Celebration

March 10, 2011 Karen 2 Comments

The birthday celebration I am writing about has not taken place yet. FabGrandpa’s birthday is Sunday–he will be 62. He is so excited about this particular birthday because he will be old enough to start drawing Social Security! I had planned on us going to Georgia and renting a conference room at the motel. I was going to send out invitations to all our friends and family for a “drop in” party for him, say from 2-5 or so, and just enjoy the day. But we have to do something else and that isn’t going to happen now.

We go out to eat twice a week to the little restaurant in the gas station a couple of miles away. I took a cake mix and some frosting to them, and they are going to make the cake, and surprise him with it on Sunday when we got for lunch. He has no idea this is going to happen, and I am so excited that he will get a party after all! I’ll post pics on Sunday night.

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What Does A Lawn Mower Have To Do With It?

September 4, 2010 Karen 14 Comments

19 years ago today, on Labor Day Weekend in 1991, I went to the hardware store to buy a bolt for my lawn mower. There was a bolt missing from one side of the handle, so that it kept falling down and making it difficult to push the mower. I had been dealing with the faulty handle all summer, and that day I came to the end of my frustration quotient. I went inside, got a pair of pliers, and took the bolt off the other side. I jumped in the car and drove to the hardware store to buy another bolt.

When I walked in, there was this cute guy standing there talking to the store manager, who just happened to be my brother-in-law. So, the cute guy helped me find a bolt to match the one I had in my hand. He was very charming, and kept up a conversation with me while we looked for the right bolt. After I made my purchase, I went home, repaired the mower, and finished cutting the grass.

But, I couldn’t get that guy out of my head. I went in the house and called the hardware store. I asked my brother-in-law “what is that guy’s name that waited on me today?” and he told me. I asked, “Is he married?” and my brother-in-law said no. So, I said, “Well, give him my phone number and tell him if he is interested in going out to dinner to give me a call.” And he did.

I cried when we sold that lawn mower.

1992 09 raleigh nc trip karen jim 01 — Me and FabGrandpa in 1992

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The Long Ride–The Rest Of The Story

August 6, 2010 Karen 6 Comments

So, if you are following this story, you know I took a long ride down the Kaibab Plateau in the back of an ambulance, and then I went to Flagstaff to visit Dr. Wani, the cardiologist. We went back to Flagstaff this week to get the results of all the tests that Dr. Wani and his crew did. And the results are: I have no blockages, no leaky valves, no enlarged heart, no high cholesterol. Nothing. I am very happy to say I am a normal, healthy 58 year old woman who obviously had stress induced chest pains for no reason.

Except that I think I may have been too worried about FabGrandpa. But you see, he had oral cancer in 2001. Specifically, Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the tongue. So, any time he has a sore or an ulcer in his mouth, I freak out. I can’t help it. It is my way to worry about the man I love. So, when he showed me a place on his lower gum about a month ago, a place that looked like an exposed jawbone to us, I of course immediately thought it was a recurrence of his cancer. That is why we went to Prescott to the VA Medical Center two weeks ago. And they sent us to see the ENT Cancer Specialist in Phoenix on Monday of this week.

When we got to Phoenix, we were taken in to the ENT Cancer Specialist’s office for him to examine FabGrandpa’s gum. And when he did, he smiled and said, “I think it is a tooth!” And in fact, it WAS a piece of a tooth that was embedded in FabGrandpa’s gum from 10 years ago when he had all his teeth extracted. So, he was given a referral to the dentist on the other side of the hospital to have it removed.

We hurried over there, where they took him right in and took that piece of tooth right out of his head. They didn’t even have to do a biopsy, because when they removed the tooth, they didn’t see anything else there. What a relief! FabGrandpa and I were so relieved, in fact, that we were so silly and giddy and happy that we practically danced on the sidewalk for the rest of the day. Except that we had to be in Flagstaff the next day for my appointment with Dr. Wani. So giddy, that we actually went to Denny’s just for dessert after we got checked in to our motel in Flagstaff. DENNY’S. A place where FabGrandpa usually refuses to eat. And I was so happy that I ate some pie, gluten and all. On purpose.

The next day is when I went for my appointment with Dr. Wani. They did an ultrasound of my heart too, also known as a Echocardiogram. It was uncomfortable but did not actually hurt. I was very glad we had not checked out of the motel yet, because I had to go back there to take a shower after it was all over with. It seemed like they used an excessive amount of that gel. Ick! It was interesting to see the images of my beating heart, showing all the chambers, but I kept thinking, “How much is this going to cost???”

So, we are both fine. While getting all those heart tests is not my idea of fun, at least we know my ticker is working just fine. And we know for sure FabGrandpa is in his second childhood, as he is teething, hahahhaa! The only thing is, I am “heartbroken” because somewhere along the way, I lost my camera. The new one, the one I bought in November. So I can’t show you the picture of silly, giddy FabGrandpa. You’ll just have to take my word for it.

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Cataract Surgery Was A Success!

March 14, 2010 Karen 6 Comments

The weather the day before surgery was beautiful–the flowers and trees are starting to bloom here in in southwest Alabama, so I was hoping it would be a good day for driving to Birmingham the next day. But, that was not to be. We got up at 4:00 a.m. to the sound of a ferocious thunder storm. Luckily, it was heading east ahead of us, so we didn’t actually have to drive in it, but the roads were wet and the sky overcast:

We arrived at the VA Medical Center in Birmingham at 7:00 a.m., a little early for our appointment. They took FabGrandpa in and got him into his hospital gown and prepped for the surgery. They didn’t take him up to the OR until about 9:00. It didn’t take long for the operation at all. He was out of surgery and back in the recovery area by noon. They called me and asked me to come down to where he was, and when I arrived he was sitting there eating a sandwich, smiling really big and joking with the nurses.

After he got dressed, we had to go over to the Eye Clinic for the to check his eye before we left to come home. When we were ready to leave, they gave him an OH! So sexy pair of shades to wear home:

We were back on the road home by 2:00 p.m. He has to go back in a week for his post op check-up. This morning, he was already telling me how much better he can see out of that eye. And he was really surprised at how much this whole process did NOT hurt, and how easy it has been.

By the time we got on the road home, the weather had cleared up and the day was gorgeous:

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Pre-Op For Cataract Surgery

March 3, 2010 Karen 9 Comments

DSCN2452 — Flags In Front Of The VA Medical Center In Birmingham

See those flags up there? they are blowing so hard in the wind they look like they are upside down! And it was cold!

We spent the whole day today at the VA Hospital in Birmingham getting pre-op stuff done for FabGrandpa’s cataract surgery. We have been working towards getting this surgery done since November 1 of last year. The appointment with the specialist was two Saturdays ago. They told us to call a week after the exam to find out when the surgery would be scheduled. When I called, they said they didn’t have any time to schedule until the end of April. I was not happy with that, because we have to leave here by April 12 to go back to work in Arizona.

The lady was nice enough but still told me she couldn’t do any better than April 30. I told her to put him on a waiting list in case someone cancelled. Luckily, she called me back in less than 10 minutes and said they had a slot to do the surgery on March 12. That means his post op 30 day check up will be on April 9, and we can get back to work on time!

Today, we had another consultation with the opthalomogist at the eye clinic, who took measurements for a new acrylic lens implant they are going to put in during the surgery. The doctor also answered all our questions about important things like how they handle pain management, how long the surgery will take, and how long FabGrandpa will have to abstain from playing “Left For Dead” after surgery.

Then, we went back over to the main VA Medical Center, where they drew blood and did an EKG. We also visited the anesthesiologist and the people in the Eligibility. The last stop was at the pharmacy to pick up three prescriptions eye drops. All this took about four hours, but it was well worth the time spent as we have no other health insurance. So, next Friday, March 12th, is the big day.

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A Love Story

February 13, 2008 Karen 3 Comments

Thank you, my seester, for sending me this valentine. Although I do like to get valentine cards in the mail from my girlfriends and my sister, Jim and I don’t “do” valentines, just as we don’t “do” Christmas gifts and anniversary gifts for each other. We both feel the same way about that: we both want to be loved and cared for by the other every day. I would rather have a little surprise gift on any ordinary day, than on a mandated occasion. I want him to say “I love you” in the middle of the night, when we both just happen to wake up for a second, you know, when one of us has snored too loudly or something like that.

I love it when he fixes me a cup of coffee with just the right amount of chocolate Coffee Mate. I love it when he picks me up a scratch off lottery ticket when he is at the store. I love it that he will eat all my gluten free stuff without complaint, and that he gets it that I can’t eat stuff like biscuits and donuts anymore. And he always thanks me for cooking dinner by saying “Thank you, my love.” And when I ask him to do something for me, he says “Certainly, my love.”

Yeah, it is a mushy thing, but how else can I tell you about the guy I love. And now, for those of you who don’t know, here is how we met:

I was a divorced mom with three teenagers, going slowly out of my mind. I had bought myself a new lawnmower for my 39th birthday, but it was missing a bolt on one side of the handle from the day I brought it home from the store. A couple of months later I got so fed up with the handle that would not stay up, that I jumped in the car and went to the hardware store that my brother in law managed to buy a bolt to fix it.

When I walked into the store, my sister’s husband was standing there talking to this guy. Alan looked at me and said, “Look what the cat dragged in.” and the guy said, “Why are you talking about this nice lady like that?” to which Alan replied, “She is my wife’s sister, so it’s okay.” and the guy said, “all the more reason to be kind to her.” (ooooh, I liked that) Anyway, the guy waited on me and got the bolt for me and I went home to finish mowing the lawn. I did not even know his name.

So, when I got through with the yard, I called my brother in law at the store and asked if that guy was married. He said no. Then I asked what his name was, and Alan said “Jim.” So, I told Alan to give Jim my phone number and tell him if he was interested in going out to dinner to give me a call. And he did. 16 years ago. On our first date we went to a state park to go for a walk. Hmmm, we did that yesterday, too.

And now, for your viewing pleasure:

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Time to Go

November 10, 2006 Karen 1 Comment

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I had to go down to the dock to get my crab trap out of the water for the last time on Tuesday afternoon. The view from the dock was wonderful, all reds and oranges from the leaves changing. I had to go back home to get my camera. This first photo, in case you have never seen one, is of my crab trap sitting on the dock. It is so sad to think there will be no more crabs until next year!

This next photo is taken over by the employee parking lot down by Robinson’s Creek. The dock you see there is on the other side of the creek. My friend Lynn and I drove around for about an hour in the golf cart taking pictures of the entire place.

I didn’t expect it to be so busy here this time of year. We had two Halloween weekends, with tons of campers coming for the “Haunted Hayrides” on Saturday nights. On the last weekend before Halloween, there was a costume contest. All the kids and a lot of the adults were in cotume all day. One cute little boy about 5 years old had on a power ranger costume with padding in it to make him look like he had big muscles. And one pregnant woman was dressed as an oven, and her hubby had on a chef hat! How cute is that?

Last weekend the town of Urbanna had their 49th annual Oyster Festival. We had 705 arrivals in two days. We were hopping busy but it was not really that bad. All of the us who work here were really amazed at how smoothly it went for us. The festival lasts two days. They had about 90,000 people there for the event.

Rebecca came up to visit us on Sunday, and we went out to eat with our co-workers that night. There were about 12 of us in all, and we laughed all evening. Then, we did it again on Monday night before Rebecca went home. Two of the couples we worked with left on Tuesday morning. Gary and Faye went to Unicoi State Park in Georgia, and Liz and Russ went to Ft. Worth, Texas to work at Cowtown RV Park for the winter. Fabgrandpa and I will be leaving this coming Tuesday to join Gary and Faye at Unicoi. We worked there last winter and loved it there. It is about 10 miles from Fabgrandpa’s parents house. I’ll be there in time to cook Thanksgiving dinner for them. We’ll be back here on the river next season, though. Working here has been really fun.

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