Rain, rain and more rain! It rained for four straight days this week, stopped for a couple of days and started in the middle of the night. It has rained most of the day today, but is supposed to stop by late afternoon. It's also windy and chilly, so it's totally miserable out.

We are just about packed for our trip to Florida tomorrow. Our suitcases are in the car and the only things left are things we still need access to today. I'm hoping to leave pretty early. With the time change and getting dark earlier now I really want to be at our hotel before dark.

Bill got stung by a wasp Thursday when he was taking out the trash. There was one on the trashcan and he didn't see it. I didn't feel the stinger in it but put a baking soda poultice on it. I also gave him some tylenol and benadryl. He said it was sore for quite a while, but it is fine now.

I will update this after Bill sees the Dr. on Tuesday. Our written itinerary and the online itinerary show different drs., but they are both in the transplant program so they will both be familiar with his case. We haven't met one of them but the other one is good ole Dr. Hosenpud.

I may not get an update done next Saturday as that is a travel day for us. So, maybe Sunday after we get home. 

Don't forget to turn your clocks back tonight and hope the little ghosts and goblins have a good time tonight. Happy Halloween!

It's a dreary, rainy day, but we need the rain so I won't complain, even though I got caught out in it this morning with McKenna. She wanted to spend the night last night and hang out with us today. She's been sick again with strep. She's on her second round of antibiotics in less than a month. Hopefully this will knock it out of her.

Sunday we drove up into the Ozark foothills to see the leaves since our local weather people had posted a map that showed them at near peak. We were disappointed, even though it was a beautiful day for a drive. The leaves that had changed were dull and not very pretty. We think it is because it was so dry this summer. But, we had a nice drive and lunch.

We got the washing machine somewhat draining again without calling a plumber. I do have to watch when it drains after the wash cycle and if I do just small loads it drains OK. There's still something clogging it somewhere, but I didn't feel like dealing with people this week, so we managed.

We were going through some things stored in the laundry room and found Bill's original digital camera. This one has to have a floppy disk in it. The battery was dead of course and who knows where the charger for it is, so went to ebay and was able to order one with an extra battery. I wouldn't have done it, but Bill's brain is in an endless loop about it now. Of course you can't buy floppy disks anymore except for obscure websites. But, this one may be easier for him to operate than the newer ones.

The rest of the week was just normal stuff. I did manage to get a haircut finally. Nobody's fault but my own for not getting it sooner! We took McKenna out to eat for breakfast and then she and I went to Walmart to get the yarn for her afghan. I finished the Captain American one for William except for sewing the star on. I also need to do the finish work of weaving ends on both the afghan and Petra's monster pants. Kenna changed her mind about the color she wanted and I had several squares made, but was getting tired of making them anyway so this was an OK change. I can use the squares for a blanket for the girls dolls. 

We'll spend next week getting ready to head to Florida. We leave next Sunday morning and will be back the next Sunday some time.  All for this post. Enjoy your week-end, however you spend it!

Another week down. It seems like we didn't do very much this week, so I'm really going to have to dig around in my brain to remember anything pertinent!

My IBS kicked in Sunday morning. I had everything ready for our dinner at church and then ended up staying home. Bill took everything with him and said there was a good crowd. He brought one dish home completely empty.

We got flu shots this week. There have already been some confirmed cases of the flu in the area. Unlike previous shots, I have not gotten sick! I usually have some symptoms within a few hours of the shot but not this year. We also had another nurse this time and we neither one felt the shot! The site has not gotten sore and I have just a very small spot at the site. I haven't looked at Bill's arm. She said that his bled a little so he might have a little bruise.

We were going to take a drive this week to see if the leaves have changed, but put it off. They are really just starting to turn so maybe this week we'll do it.

I still haven't worked on the washing machine yet, so will need to do that today. I've already been to the grocery store and have a pot of potato soup in the crockpot. It's supposed to be very cool today, or cool for us, in the mid 60s. But, it's supposed to be into the mid 30s tonight so we'll probably have to put the heat on again in the morning.

That's about it, or at least it's all that my brain can dig up! Have a good week-end!

Fall is gone and we are back to summer. It was very cool last week-end, only made it into the mid 50s on Saturday. I finally broke down Sunday afternoon and turned the heat on, only long enough to get the chill out of the house. By Tuesday we were back to the air conditioning. It's a little cooler today. The air is back off and the door opened.

We didn't do much this week at all. We're having problems with our washing machine draining now. I did laundry Wednesday and thought it was sounding funny. I just happened to be standing in the kitchen. Looked behind the washing machine and saw water dripping from the drain. Had to move both appliances to get it all mopped up, which also told us that the room is not level anymore! Everything else was draining fine, kitchen sink, bathrooms, so I ran the garbage disposal to clear it and the washer did fine so we thought it was fixed. I decided Thursday to wash a couple of blankets and only got 1 done because it did the same thing. I was in the laundry room working so I stood there turning the washer on and off to get it to drain. Needless to say I only got 1 blanket washed! So, this next week we will call Roto-Rooter. I did see them at the neighbors Thursday afternoon, so maybe their problem was also our problem and it is fixed. I'll just have to fill the washer with some water and see what happens. My sister also told me to pour a little Liquid Plumber down the drain pipe and then fill and drain to see what happens. If anyone out there knows any other remedies, I'm open to suggestions!

Bill cleaned out the garage some yesterday. He went out to look for our old stadium seats for the Homecoming game last night for Emily and decided to sweep out all of the leaves and accumulated dust. He couldn't believe how dirty it was, but it hadn't been done for 3 years! He's the only one who parks in the garage so we're not in it a lot.

I've been doing a lot of crocheting and knitting and as a result I have "crafters elbow". The only real treatment for it is rest and it's driving me crazy that I can't work on William's "Captain A'mica" afghan. It's more than half done and I really want to finish it. But, there's a nice lump at my elbow and it really does hurt to use my arm so I'm trying really hard to be good!

We're having a carry-in dinner at church tomorrow and I still have to get my cake baked and casserole mixed together. I'm not cooking the casserole until the morning, but I'm mixing it tonight to save some time. And, I must get the cake baked before the ballgame comes on at 4:30 so I'd better get going!

All for this week, have a great week-end!

Fall has finally arrived...not just the official start, but the actual season! The leaves are starting to turn and fall and the temperatures have dropped and you can just feel the change. I love it!

Monday was the first day that I actually felt good, not better but good. There have been so many, all over the place, who have/had this cold/sinus/allergy mess. Mine lasted exactly a week and then was gone. Luckily, or maybe because of his daily antibiotic, Bill has not gotten it. He did have a draining nose the other day, but that has also stopped.

He finally got a haircut and Thursday we got the oil changed and tires rotated on my car. They looked at the seat that came apart and have to order the part. So, we'll make another trip when it comes in. It was a beautiful day for a drive that day.

Bill has walked most days and he said he had to turn his little heater on yesterday! We have finally turned the air off. It's still really cool this morning so haven't opened the door yet. It's been really windy the last 2 days and I had to take my door decoration off last night because it was banging against the door.

 We got a new credit card this week (one of our switched) and as I was putting it in my wallet I noticed I was missing one. I knew the last time I used it was for something on line and I looked everywhere, under the chairs, in drawers, took everything out of my purse, nothing. So, I broke down and called the company, verified all of the recent purchases and then talked to a very nice lady who is sending me a new card, and it's just a replacement card, not a new account number since we have Bill's card. I hadn't been off the phone 5 minutes when I sat back down and lo and behold, in between the cushion and arm of the recliner was the card! The only place I hadn't checked. I didn't try calling back to cancel the new card. It was too much of a hassle to get past all of the automated questions to actually talk to a person. So, when it comes in, I'll shred the old one. Lesson learned...put it back on the table instead of the arm of the chair and then back into the wallet as soon as I'm finished!

We met Ryan and Amanda at the halfway point and did a kid swap. It was the first time in several months that he called and talked to Kayden and Kiyann and actually wanted them to come for the week-end. Tori was going to spend the week-end in town her with her brothers, so we dropped 2 off and picked 1 up. We were surprised that Kiyann actually wanted to go and there weren't any tears when the time came. She gave her daddy the biggest hug, and he just closed his eyes and held her. I wish he would make more of an effort to see and talk to them. I know most of the conflict comes from Amanda and he doesn't want to make waves, but these 2 need their dad and he was always a pretty good dad. So, there's hope yet!

All for this week! Have a great week-end!

Not much went on this week. I woke up with the "end of summer" head cold that is making its rounds. On top of that defoliation of the cotton has started. For you who don't know what defoliation is, when the bolls start forming on the cotton plant, the plants are then killed (defoliated) to make picking easier. They do this the same way they fertilize in the spring, by crop duster. We're told that it's not harmful to pets or humans, but for those of us with allergies, we can feel our throats closing with each pass of the plane.

Anyway, I've been quite miserable all week. I'm feeling much better now except for a nagging headache. I'm stuffier today, but it's rainy so that also doesn't help.

Luckily, Bill doesn't seem like he is going to be affected. He's done a little sneezing, but that's all. He's done quite well with walking this week, twice a day most days. I sent him off to the grocery store with a list and he did just fine. I think it helped him that I was not feeling well.

We don't have anything coming up in the next week. We do both need haircuts and Bill's been saying all week that he was going to get one and hasn't yet. I still need to get the oil changed and the tires rotated and a seat looked at. So, I guess we could have some things going on it we worked at it.

 Wow, that was strange! I saved this and then got up to swap the clothes in the wash and put the clean sheets on the bed. When I sat back down, probably only 10 minutes or so later, the computer was completely frozen. I actually had to unplug it and take the battery out to get it to shut off. When it powered back up, it didn't go to my homepage, it came straight back to the blog! I do see though that it may have updated. I'm going to have to check those settings. I don't like it updating during the day, only in the middle of the night when I'm not using it!

When I ordered Bill's meds this week I told the technician at Mayo Pharmacy (Dustin) what I needed and then said that should just leave calcium and aspirin and we were good on both, he commented that I was right and then said that I must have done the ordering before. I told him every month for 3 1/2 years and he just said wow. It is kind of hard to believe that it will be 3 1/2 years on November 3. It still feels like yesterday on some days and others it's hard to remember details. But, if I really need to know something, I can refer to this blog. I still remember how that surprised the doctors and nurses that I could find things rather quickly when they couldn't remember or find something easily in his records. I would encourage anyone dealing with an ongoing medical condition to take notes and then keep the notebook handy.

All for this week that had nothing happening! Happy Fall!

This week seemed to go by really fast at times, and then really slow at others. The first part of the week was busy and the last part not so much.

I took Brianna to her orthodontist appointment after school Monday and a routine adjustment turned into an almost 2 hour appointment. They were packed and she had a wire come loose so it took longer. I actually sat in the car and waited so others could sit. The waiting room is rather small.

We took Amanda to the dr. and then to Walmart for a few things on Tuesday. Of course the pharmacy was backed up and it took more than an hour to get medicine. Since it is an hour each way we were tired when we got home. Good thing I put supper in the crockpot that morning. 

Wednesday we did absolutely nothing, other than what had to be done, like meals. We took care of some business Thursday that we had been putting off, and yesterday was laundry. 

We discovered Wednesday evening that the Marine Corps watch I had gotten Bill for Christmas was missing. We only thought of it when the battery in his "everyday" watch died and we looked for it. Something else taken during the robbery. It wasn't expensive and not worth adding it to the claim, just more aggravating than anything! I'm going to order him another one but I'm having trouble with the website. The problem is on their end and not mine so I'm just biding my time.

We got Bill's itinerary yesterday for his next visit to Mayo...November 3. He only has 3 appointments so it will be an easy day. The worst is the time of his labs, 11:30, and they are fasting labs. I'm going to call Stephanie to see if it can be changed. I know why it is so late, it's just a convenience since the other 2 appointments are at 1:30 and 2. We are also seeing a new doctor. After the visit, we'll head to Clearwater for a few days to see Bill's sister if they are going to be available. I've spent the morning working on hotel reservations. This time we are going to splurge and stay on the beach instead of in town. 

 Bill has been showing some subtle signs of depression again. He doesn't know that I have picked up on it yet. It's nothing major, just some behavioral changes, which is usually how it starts. May have to add some xanax to his meds again. At least he doesn't notice when there's an extra pill!

That's our week. Our cooler weather left us and it was quite hot and humid this week. We'll be somewhat cooler this week and very dry. The farmers like it since they are able to get the beans harvested. It's not time for cotton yet, although some defoliation has started, and that is horrible for my allergies. Hope everyone has a good week ahead!