The remodeling is finished

The house is finished. I had a project supervisor show up last Thursday asking if anyone was at the house or if the house was finished. I answered no to both questions. He asked to come in to find out what needed to be done. We went over the things which wasn't a lot but would take a day. We then shared our frustrations about the company with one another. Apparently he was hired in March and wasn't being used to his capacity. He was given jobs after they had been started to finish up or if he started them, the work outline would be changed by the boss. So it was frustration from both ends.

This guy did follow through for us though. He sent guys out on Friday last week and by the end of the day, I could write a check to complete the job finally. HURRAY!!!

We are getting ready to fly back east. We are having a major winter storm happening with a lot of rain and wind. (Hey, its California) So far, the flight is on time. I also need to get a prescription refilled but I need a doctor's renewal on it so I have to hope that comes through and he is not on vacation. I will then have to go the pharmacy to get it before we leave for the airport. Just a little more stress! If not, then I will have to call the doctor after arriving back east to get the prescription at the local pharmacy. No worries, it will all get done.

I guess it is that time to get the last minute things done. See everyone soon.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. The day started out rainy and foggy. The skies are still threatening but have stopped raining. We are able to make dinner today. I wasn't sure we were going to make it but they connected up the important items. The only thing we don't have working is the microwave. The guy told us he would be back on Friday to complete the installation on this item.

We still have a long list of items still needing to be done to be completely finished. It will look great and we are pleased so far with what we are seeing but we are so tired of having these people here and the continual dust! We open a drawer and it is covered with something - dust, dirt, trash, etc., that we have to move away before putting anything away. It will get there but not fast enough for us.

Jennifer, Noah, and Madilynn made it from Denver safe and sound. The kids had a fun time on the plane. Apparently Noah was very excited about coming to see Grandpa and Grandma and spending the night. They also liked Chester, though Chester is not to sure about the noise and commotion. He wants to hide and stay hidden.

We had rented toddler beds from a company I found on the Internet called Travelbabies. They came and set up the beds, made them up and they are so cute. Noah had trucks on his blanket and sheets and Madilynn had a lady bug. We have toys for them and all kinds of food. They are happy and having a good time playing with us.

Have a wonderful and peaceful Thanksgiving.

We had work on Saturday

We had quite a crew here on Saturday who actually worked. One of the guys usually slacked off whenever he was here with just one other guy, by being on the phone, looking at the view, talking, etc. Saturday was a different matter. He had a supervisor that made him work for once. The guys were here also until 5-5:30. Usually they have left by 4:00 after arriving by 10-10:30 and taking an hour lunch.

Our washer and dryer were hooked up. The double oven was put into place. Our drawers for the pantry were installed and shelves were put into other cabinets. We just don't have doors yet on the pantry. The master bathroom now has a new toilet. The tile around the bathtub was finished and they put up our curtain rod. It is one of those curved ones so it gives you a little extra room while taking a shower. We think they stepped on the edge of the tile around the tub because one of the tiles has been broken. They will have to replace it. How long this will take... is anyone's guess. I hope it will be quick as the tile has to be sealed before we can use it. We need the tub so Noah and Madilynn can take their baths, as well as, so we can shower.

The second bathroom's floor was torn up and the new floor was started to be put down. It is close to being finished but they will have to grout it and put back the toilet.

Ah, the countertops. Well, after being told they had to find the granite and then now it is being fabricated, we are supposed to have them on Tuesday or Wednesday. We aren't holding our breath. We really hope that will be the case, that we get the countertops. Ed, the owner, was here on Saturday to check on the job but I knew why he was really here. He wanted money. He did prove me right. Our next payment to the company is not until the countertops are in place. He wanted half of this next payment. It was a good thing that Dad was here to handle this situation. I heard it and I could not believe this guy was even asking for money. He missed the completion date, never returned our calls, and basically put us in a real bind.

I will be here on Monday when hopefully we will continue to have workmen here to finish. He may deliver the bathroom countertop and ask me for half the money. We have already agreed with each other that it's not going to happen until all the countertops are finished. I am just going to tell him I don't have the checkbook to pay him. He has to wait. This is our only leverage with this guy. We both think he has some money flow problems. We think this was why he asked us to buy supplies that he should have supplied. He just didn't realize that if he had treated us better than maybe we would cut him some slack but not now.

So we will continue to prepare for Thanksgiving but it will definitely be a differently one for us. We will probably go with a carry out of a Thanksgiving dinner. Right now I don't have a stove top. I could cook a turkey but no sides. It won't be so bad. Just need to make due with what I can.

It's Friday and the Remodeling is not even close to being finished

It's Friday. So what has happened today. The countertops for the kitchen have not been done. They went to get the granite after asking us where the granite was as they forgot they had sent us to their stone place. Guess what - our granite is no longer available there. They had to go and find it somewhere else. The word is they found some but do we take their word? It won't be ready until about Tuesday or maybe Wednesday. When does Jennifer and family arrive? Wednesday! Hmmm, do we have a small problem.

How about finishing the cabinets - putting in the drawers, drawers, shelves? How about putting my double oven in and getting it working? How about completing the pantry so I can at least put my stuff away? Oh, we will do that when we bring the countertops. Why can't someone do it now! I told Ed that he will have a problem with the stove top as a drawer will be in its way when you try to put it back. He was surprised. Oh, did I tell you that it took several days of phone calls and emails before we even talked with this man. Even so, he doesn't like to stay on the phone. He just thinks what ever he says will be acceptable.

We have the tile on now and the window in the bathroom. The wall has had some concrete put on it but the stucco is not complete. We can deal with that. We just don't have faucets, or a shower head, or sinks, or light fixtures in the master bathroom. We have the physical items but they just haven't been put on. The floor in the 2nd bathroom is supposed to be taken up once we get the new toilet put in the master. You know what's funny, I told the guys here tonight before they left that I guess they will be back so they can put on the new toilet and take up the old floor so the new floor can be put down, etc. They basically said "not my job". So, who will come tomorrow?

I have already cried and I am sure there will be many more times. My excitement for this new project has died. It is taking all I can do just to get through each day knowing that it is not finished and wondering how we are going to have Jennifer and the kids here without them getting hurt.

I know we still have a couple of days but at the rate that they work, its not going to happen. We are stuck. I guess I can write "What not to do with a remodeling project". I have no clue when the end will be. I'm sorry Jenn.

Someone is here today!

We actually have someone here today. They put in the window in the master bathroom and have been working on the stucco. I think they may actually work on the tile too. No one else showed up to do any other work.

Yesterday we had been called because they had forgotten where our granite was for our kitchen countertops. Umm, it is at the stone place you had sent us to in order to pick it out.... This means our countertops for the kitchen are not done and I don't know how long it will take them before they are ready to install.

This also means that I can put anything away yet in the cabinets because there is liable to be a mess when they install the tops. We were told to hold off putting anything in from the cabinet people. It is like a domino effect. One issue is compounded upon the other issue.

I am still hoping for this job to be finished before Jennifer and the kids arrive. What a very busy time for us to get things cleaned and put away. I just hope we will have that time.

Another Day and No Workmen

Another day and still no work is going on. The reason behind this - they are waiting on the remainder of the tile needed for the master bathroom bathtub area. Once I have that, then they will come back and do everything that needs to be done. This includes finishing the cabinets with the doors and drawers, putting on the countertops, putting in the window, finishing the floor, and all the other little things. Oh, and putting back the appliances too. Gee, what a flurry of activity that will be when it happens.

I didn't find this business out that they are waiting on this tile until today after I wrote another email to Ed, the owner of the company last night. I still never received a phone call or an email from him or anyone else. I made my usual phone call when no one showed up by 10:00 this morning.

So now I sit and wait for a phone call from the tile company letting me know my tile has arrived and I can go and pick it up. I can then call the contractor and let them know I have the tile and then they can can schedule workmen. I did find out that our countertops are being fabricated at this moment.

I just hope that things will go back together without any problems. I just don't understand waiting until the last minute in doing everything at the same time. I guess I will need to trust that things will.

Come on phone RING! Let's get this show on the road! (Just a little stressed and frustrated right now -- NO, a lot stressed and frustrated!!!)

It is down to the wire

This is supposed to be the last week for the remodeling. We aren't even close to being finished. We don't have workmen here yet today, we didn't have anyone on Saturday either. No one knows when anyone will show up or who will show up. Ed, the boss, showed up on Saturday at 4:00 in the afternoon, wanting to look the job over. We weren't home. He said he will be by on Monday. All he has to do is read the emails I send.

I am so frustrated that work is not being done and the crunch is on big time! Thanksgiving is next week! My house is a wreck. Jennifer and the kids will be here. I have to plan for trips and for holidays. You take the word of people and believe. Will this come together? I hope so.

We have done all we can to make it happen. We have all the supplies they need. We are trying to be patient which I am loosing very quickly. A half day has gone.

Come on people!! Hold up your end of the bargain!

The new floor is almost down

We have had workmen here for the last couple of days working on putting the tile floor down. It really has made a big difference in what it was before. It is a shame though that nothing else is being worked on. OH, I take that back, the door bell was fixed and moved to the other side of the wall.

They put the floor down in the laundry room except they were supposed to take up the washer and dryer, fill in the well they were sitting in with concrete and tile over the whole area. They really did a nice job putting tile around the W/D but that isn't what it is supposed to be. I just wish someone would oversee this project besides me. Now I need to send another email over to the contractor and inform him that a mistake has once again been made and needs to be corrected.

We haven't heard anything more about the window for the bathroom. We are expecting Santa Ana winds again by the end of the week which means heat. It will be difficult to air condition a house if one of your rooms is open. I don't like throwing money away. Hopefully it will come in this week. I guess I can add that onto my email - Where is the window?

It looks like things are getting close to finishing but it would go faster if someone would just work! We would not have started this project if they could not finish before Thanksgiving. They seem to be cutting it close by what we see. I just want to tell them to get their act in gear and finish. I am tired of being stuck in the house waiting. We are also tired of eating out everyday. I am trying to stay patient. I have things to do for Thanksgiving and I hate waiting to the last minute.

I know it will get done. I just have to keep saying that -- it will get done.

We hit a slow down

We haven't had anyone working on the remodeling for the last two days. It has been very frustrating to find out why. I finally had the owner out to the house yesterday to see what color we wanted the cabinets. We had told them when they were brought to the house they were too light. Instead of doing anything to darken them, they went ahead and installed them saying they would darken them in place. When I showed the owner what we wanted, which was a lot darker than what we had, he almost choked. He was expecting a little darkening not a lot. He said he would have to strip the color all the way down and start again. At this point, I just wanted to get this project going again so I asked what he was thinking. We did agree on a darker color but not as dark as I had wanted. I wonder if they had delayed the project for this reason, so I would not make a big change.

The next big surprise to us was the tile for the bath and the back splash for the kitchen. We had picked it out when we picked the flooring. They had told us that we just needed to tell them what we chose and they would order. THEY NEVER DID! We were asked yesterday to go buy the tile and they would reimburse us using the allowance they were going to charge us. If we had known this, we would have bought everything when we found it. As it is, the tile we want is no longer in stock and it will take over a week to get now. We don't have that time. We have to go out and find something else and it has to be in stock that we can get right away. Anger doesn't even begin to be one of our emotions right now. We are worrying about this project being finished at all. Is this company now having money problems? Will everything get done? Will we have to hire someone else to finish? I really hope not. I am trying to keep things together and my other half calm. You just can't vent and I need that right now. Just keep good thoughts that this remodeling project finishes on time.

update on Cabinets

We never received a call back today. The guys delivering even tried and never received a call. They went ahead and set most of the kitchen cabinets in place but not attached. Now the problems: One cabinet was made too long but this was due to a change in the size of a doorway. We had our kitchen doorway enlarged so that threw off the other measurements which never trickled down. They took it back to have it cut down. Second: The color is wrong. They talked about coming here to change the color which will cause some strong order by the lacquer. They want to do it in the kitchen, which Dad said No because it would really bother me. They asked about outside on the lawn, I am not sure how the HOA will handle that one. We shall see what will happen there. Third: The plumbing for the kitchen sink is not close to where the cabinet sits so that will have to be moved over. Fourth: the exhaust for the stove is off so that will have to be moved too. Fifth: They put the electrical connection for the double oven on the wrong side. They put it behind the new pantry. Hmm, I think that will need to be moved.

Remember, my comment about Murphy's Law... it is happening big time. They had cabinets for the master bathroom and it isn't even ready yet for cabinets. They just started finishing the walls today. That will be at least two days away from being finished and ready for cabinets. After all, the bathtub just went in yesterday.

Just some Oops!

Cabinets have been delivered

The cabinets were delivered today and they are the wrong color! We based the whole color scheme on a dark brown color for the cabinets. Everything was coordinating. It was going to look good. The cabinets show up a light color - uh, no!

Now Dad thought it was the color we had chosen. I started to believe it until I went to lunch. I left to have some time away from the house and the more I sat and thought about things, the more I started shaking my head. (People were looking at me a little concerned). I knew it was wrong. I remembered that we were handed a cabinet door painted in the color of Honey. I liked the look of it and we found a granite that would go well with the color. We then found a floor tile that would stand out against the dark colors. We moved onto a back splash and found an expensive one but one that would look real sharp. Now we have a big mess. Nothing works.

I had Dad call the contractor as I was at lunch and did not have the number. Besides, he said he could handle things, so he needed to make a call. Seems fair. He called and left a message for the owner. We haven't heard anything yet. I know it will mean that the cabinets will have to be repainted. They will have to be picked up from the house as they haven't been installed yet. What time delay will this cause, I don't know. I hope not a big delay. We are paying for this remodel and we need to have it the way we want it. If we don't, I can see myself not liking anything about it.

It may be holding things up for awhile but that is the way it goes. I am very stubborn when I want things my way. I guess they will see that side very soon when I fight for what I want. Hey, this job couldn't have gone perfect anyway. It's not Murphy's Law!

Kitchen has been painted

The kitchen has been painted and the room is starting to look finished. The next step is the cabinets. I am not sure when that will happen.

We finally received the drain for the bathtub yesterday too. Now the workmen can proceed on installing the tub. You remember how the kitchen looked so messed up when they were working on it, well, with the bathroom being so small, it really looks bad right now. They have to dig up the old drain and move it over for the bathtub so there is digging and dirt. Wiring is going on for the lights, recessed and sconces. Outlets have to be moved. It has to be hard to work in such a small space.

They removed that door that wasn't moved and hidden from before. We now have an easy access to the main room. (We actually can't walk to the other room but we can hear quite well). It will be closed up but I was surprised how close we are to the other room. I am just glad we have a working bathroom. They wanted to demo the second bathroom this past Saturday until Dad told them to hold off. It would have meant no operating bathrooms. Whew, that was a close one.

We still have the laundry room floor to be done. The washer and dryer are sitting down lower than the main floor. I guess it was done in case the washer overflowed it would be contained? The garage is lower than the main part of the house so this was not necessary. We are having the washer and dryer moved and having that space filled in with concrete so the floor will be one level. The floor will be sloped to the garage so any water will go that way.

So once that is done, then the w/d will be put back, the cabinet we have for storage will be put back, and then the new flooring.

The flooring will be the last thing. We are replacing all the flooring in the kitchen, hallway, laundry room, and both bathrooms. We will have a simple design put into the floor in the entry way just to break up the color a little.

We are just can't wait to see everything finished.

Work has started

We have been living in dust and more dust all week since the project began. The contractor has been very steady and have had people here everyday doing things. I did send out pictures to everyone but I am not sure they were received. I have been trying to take pictures everyday. It is hard sometimes to notice the changes unless you are here. I will be so happy to be able to clean and have things back to normal. I know Chester will like that as he is always shut into the second bedroom during the day when the workmen are here. He really starts meowing near the end of the day as if saying "I am tired of being in here and I want to know what is going on".

Here is the room before:





Now the demo begins and the mess:




How quickly they were able to remove everything in the kitchen. Then they started to form the new wall and to open the wall up to the view.




The tile floor was removed from the kitchen and entry way.




We always have to do a search when we need anything as some things are in the main room and others are in the 2nd bedroom.




Wait until you see the end of the week progress! You won't believe it.

Tomorrow is the day

We have been working all weekend trying to get all our things removed from all the cabinets in the kitchen and bathroom. It is hard to find places to put things and still be able to have access to everything. It is so comical to prepare a meal as you have to stop and think where certain pots and pans and your spatulas are located and then where your cutting boards, knives, and anything else you might need for the meal. Once that is finished, you need the silverware and dishes. We have food items in one room and other things can be located in two other rooms. It just requires a good memory where you might have placed things.

I guess it could be a game. The matching game. You need the salt and pepper, now find it. Where did you put a cake pan? Was it in this box? No, try again. You just have to have humor with all the craziness of everything. We are still waiting on the delivery of our bathtub, kitchen sink and faucet. We think it will be next week. We are going out today and buying a new dishwasher, sconces for the bathroom, and some recessed lighting for over the island area that we will have in the kitchen.

Dad is stressed about it. He is feeling anxious about things and how it will look. I am too because I hope that the way I think it should look will actually turn out the way I want it. It will be a major change. It is the unknown and you do start feeling unsure of yourself.

If anything, we have 500 square feet of floor tile in our garage, 2 bathroom sinks, 2 bathroom sink faucets, 1 tub faucet and shower, 1 curved shower rod, granite ordered for our kitchen counter tops, granite for our bathroom counter top, tile we hope that has been ordered for the bath tub skirt and shower surround, and tile for the kitchen back splash. We also asked for the back splash in the bath room to be of the same granite as the counter top. I say hope because I did not talk to anyone at the contractor's office but sent an email with the information. I will find out Monday if things have been done.

Just keep good thoughts for us. I have to hold it together for both of us. Dad does not do well with upheaval in his life. This is going to be one upheaval, for sure. I will post pictures as time goes on and as I am able. Let the "fun" begin!

Update on my foot and remodeling

I did not realize that I had not updated from my last doctor's appointment. I am no longer in the boot and on the crutches. I was put into a running shoe with a lift insert. I use my cane to walk for any distance outside the house. Walking is going better but I still feel the pull on the tendon. I am sure that will get better over time. The doctor did not want me to drive unless I can brake the car without putting strain on the tendon. So far, I have not tried. I need to tomorrow as I want to try and get my nails done. I know that this does not sound like a big emergency but trust me, my nails are so long that I am afraid they are going to get caught and break off. Not a pleasant thought. It really hurts if that happens. I am hoping that I don't injure that tendon.

I see the doctor again next week. If I am doing better then, he will probably tell me to start physical therapy. The therapy will start slowly as he doesn't want the aggressive therapy just yet. What a long process this has been!

We went out this weekend to buy up the supplies for the remodeling. We bought 2 sinks for the bathroom, a new garbage disposal, 2 new faucets for the bathroom sinks, a new faucet and shower for the new tub, a curved shower rod for the bath, and we looked and looked at tile for the floor, back splash for the kitchen and bath, and tile for around the bath tub and shower. The only thing we finally settled on was the tile for the main flooring. I ordered 500 square feet of it today. It is in stock and will be delivered Thursday of this week. It amounts to about 2 pallets of tile. The kitchen sink and faucet is being priced and Dad has not received the quote yet. He asked for the price from one of his subs that he works with all the time. The bathtub was ordered through a sub and we are waiting for that to arrive.

We have done fairly well on getting our supplies. We are still short on some things because we need to get a piece of the granite that is being used in the bathroom to pick out the back splash and tile for the wall around the bath. We still need to get some lights, mirrors, cabinet handles, dimmers, and paint. Not too much! We also have to remove everything out of the cabinets in the kitchen and bathroom as we will be getting new ones.

On Monday, the demo will start and both the kitchen and bathroom will be attacked. I don't know when they will demo the floor but I am sure that will be a very noisy and dirty job. I am not looking forward to it. Hopefully I will be able to drive and Dad can stay here while I go to my appointment. It will give me a break from the noise and dust anyway.

Dad is also the Inspector for the Election at the polling place that we usually work at and he told me he does not want me to work for a couple of reasons. One, he said it would be a long day and he was concerned about me and my foot. I am used to the long day as I have worked there before but I understand about the concern about my foot. There were times this weekend that I did not think I could make it because of all the walking. My foot ached!

The second reason is that he wants me here for the remodeling. I know that is important but I also know this election is important too. I am mad that I can't be there to help out. I know there isn't anything I can do to change that decision but I am still not happy about it.

Remodeling will begin

We just had a status walk through and it was decided that the construction company can do the remodeling in 30 days. They will start on October 20 and finish November 20-21. I am in for some loud noise and a lot of mess. The plan is to do both the bathroom and kitchen at the same time. I think Dad just realized that we won't be able to eat-in for a month. I just told him he will have to learn how to cook more on the grill. He wasn't worried about that so much as what are we going to do for breakfast!

We will have to see how things play out and whether they can keep the refrigerator going any. We will also have to wait until the last minute to get things for Thanksgiving. I guess we can get things that aren't needing to be cold but we will be in the lines at the store getting the other things like everyone else as turkey day draws near. We also have to figure out what extra things to get for Jennifer, Noah, and Madilynn, as they will be here too. (This will be a fun time) It will busy for sure.

This weekend and all next week, we will have to get all the faucets, sinks, drop down lights, paint, mirrors, grab bars, sconces, shower head, cabinet handles, etc., to have on hand when the contractor needs those items. We also have to pick out the granite for the countertops and the marble for the floor and tile. So much to do...

We also have to clear out the cabinets and put everything into boxes in preparation for the demo and remodel. What comes out, has to go back, so we will have to put back into cabinets once everything is finished. It will be different because cabinets are going to be located different so decisions will need to be made as to where things will be going. It will be like moving into a house and you remember how much fun that was trying to decide on things.

I just have to have good news tomorrow from the doctor so I can get moving again. There is so much to do and so little time...

Make lists, I need to make lists. Stay cool. Breath... I need to keep doing deep breathing. It will all come together. Patience, I need patience and calmness. Exciting days are ahead....

DECISION HAS BEEN MADE

We have made our decision about the remodeling and we went with Contractor number 3. He was one that we almost did not even talk to as this was the one that Dad wanted canceled and then made the appointment again.

We went to their business and actually saw their show room and construction area. Dad was very impressed with everything. He did not hesitate but went ahead and signed up for the remodeling. I was surprised a little that he did not think anymore about it.

The start date is up in the air. We will either start on October 20 with a finish date of November 20 or the project won't even start until the new year. We have to have a walk through and they will decide whether the project is one that can be started now. That should happen this week.

We now have to wait and see what that decision will be as we need to buy some things for the project but we don't want to now if they are not going to get started until the new year. We also need to clear out cabinets but for the same reason we don't want to do that if things are not happening yet.

Crown Construction told us they will be doing both jobs at the same time which means it will be very noisy around here. The two jobs are the master bathroom and the kitchen. Demo will be the worse. I don't think there will be any jack hammering but I can't say for sure. We are having the whole floor replaced too. This is the laundry room, kitchen, hallway, entry, and both bathrooms. We may even put a design in the entry way to change things up. We buy all the floor tile and they will install. They did give us a name of a stone place to go to so we can pick out our granite for our countertops and hopefully we can get the rest of the tile there too.

It should be wonderful once it is finished but what a mess until then. The only other thing we would need to do is replace carpet in the bedrooms, ours in particular. It looks pretty worn. This will come later or until we (or maybe that will be me :-)) start thinking that everything looks so new, we have to replace the carpet because it looks so bad .... one thing at a time.

Remodeling Part 4

We received three unexpected surprises yesterday. We received a call from the third contractor lowering his bid, sort of, and the bid from the second contractor. We also received a call from the first contractor that we had cancelled saying there was a mistake in the address and please come to their office and see that they in fact do have a company.

The lowering of the bid can be seen in two ways. At first you think you are getting a good deal because they lowered the bid by about $5,000 but the second part is that you are needing to buy a number of the supplies for the job. We already needed to purchase the new bathtub (which Dad got from one of his sub's), sinks for the bathroom, faucets for the bath sinks, bathtub, shower, and kitchen. In order to get the lower cost, we have to now buy the tile for the floor. It is about 400 square feet and depending on what you pick out, it could cost you about the same as the money that was deducted. The quandary is that this company just seems to be giving us so much extra in work. We really feel they will give us a really nice finished product. The price tag right now though is around $42,000 (with us buying tile and the rest). Should we? We will still be here for at least another 5 years.

The third contractor's bid is out of the park! He was so high it was ridiculous. He had priced the projects as two separate bids and only took 5% off if we did them both together. Together it would run about $60,000. I don't think so....

The first contractor called us because they had received my email canceling them. I had told them in the email that we never found their office based on the address written on their contract. It was a store with mail boxes. Of course we were told this was a mistake. The story was that they had moved to a new office and had used this business as their address and mail facility until they got settled. They still continued to use the facility for their mail but failed to change their address on their business cards. We never received a business card! This was an address they wrote on a contract.

They always seemed to keep their address secret. Dad did get their address and we do have a meeting this Monday to see their office and meet the owner. We still are unsure about them. They were the lowest. They are also not doing all that the third contractor is doing. The third one has a different idea and layout for the kitchen than the first. The third one will be saying us some money on appliances in that we are not getting rid of our double oven but just moving it to a different location. The first design was getting rid of it and the range and having us buy a regular range. We did not want that after looking at them.

This whole process has felt like one of the TV shows we have watched where the owner received three different remodeling ideas and then they choose. Only we don't have the boards they provide with the ideas and all the fabric, etc. It is drawn out or talk about so you have to use your imagination to see it.

I will be glad when this process is over.

Oh, I almost forgot. We do have another person in this mix. He is an owner of a remodeling store that will be giving us a bid on the bathroom only. I am not sure about this one at all. This was a guy that came out and disagreed with me about putting in a pocket door because it would so hard to fix if it broke. He told me he was going to have to have confidence that everything would be OK and it would not happen. Gives you a lot of confidence to hire this guy, huh!

Remodeling Part 3

We had the third contractor out last night and we were given another totally different idea on how to change the bathroom and the kitchen. Dad was more relaxed with these two gentlemen than the first two people. Their price did come in a little higher but they are also doing more work than the other people are. The work too seems to be of better quality.

The biggest problem we had with the lowest bidder was we could not find their office. They had an address but it was a UPS store with mail boxes inside that you can rent. I was told they had a suite but that was not true. If they are hiding their office what else do you think they might be hiding. Dad asked me to cancel them this morning and I did.

We mentioned that we had a lower bid number to the company last night and they really questioned that number. They said it sounded like they might have forgotten something in the price. This made us uneasy. Can you imagine getting things torn up and having to come up with more money in order to finish the job because they 'oops' forgot something. Dad had a bad feeling about them from the start. He has been in the business too long without going with his gut on his decisions.

So we were very impressed with the third company's presentation. They told us they have their own company to make the cabinets, do the tile, finish the granite for the countertops, and do the windows. They have a large warehouse and a showroom. We will be getting a tour on Saturday.

We have to wait to get our bid from the second contractor which should be tomorrow. I wish it was today so a decision can be made now. We are getting close. The two guys from the third company were funny. They disagreed with one another but it wasn't in a way that they were angry with each other; it was a difference in opinion. One of them looked like Ron Howard. Both of them really liked Chester and Chester liked them. That must be a sign don't you think? :-) Stay tuned for the decision. It will be coming soon....

A clogged shower drain

How can this be of interest to anyone? A clogged shower drain. This drain was in our new shower in the second bathroom. It is one that we don't use so had no reason to think it didn't drain. I started a maid service when I had my surgery and they had commented that the shower drained very slow. I just chalked it up to our old plumbing in this condo.

Today I ran the water in the shower to see how the water was going down the drain because I knew the maids were arriving tomorrow. The water did not drain. OK, I got out the Drano and put it down the drain. Nothing happened, water stayed. Next step, I got out the plunger and tried to plunge the drain. I brought up some rock and dirt but that was it.

Now this should have been my first clue that something wasn't right. Nothing happened. My third step was to call a plumber. The Roto-Rooter guy came out and it didn't take him long before he figured it out. When we had the bathroom shower tiled, the workman placed a cap over the drain so that grout would not go down it. He didn't take the cap off. All this time that cap had been in place with grout around it. The plumber had to work a little to get things loose and freed but he succeeded. The water went down real easy. He did say not to use Drano as it is good to eat through hair but it also eats away the pipe. Not a good thing to happen.

I kept the cap and a piece of the grout to show what was holding up the water. If we had been using it from the start this would not have been an issue as we would have discovered it so much sooner. It cost us $157 to find this problem. At least it wasn't a major problem. Another problem solved!

Remodeling Part 2

We had the second person out last night but he forgot the bid for the bathroom. He was there also to give us a bid for the kitchen so he said he would have them both to us by Thursday. Dad has been so stressed about this remodeling project and yet he was the one that started the process. He is upset because I am not able to do the running around to look at things like I did before with the other projects. Right now he has to be my driver which means he has to fit in the doctor appointments, visits to appliance stores, etc. and go to work and handle the meetings he has there. Now of course he does have those golf outings put on by the subcontractors that he needs to attend for business. It is PR....

So he complains about everything. He was OK with the low bid from the one contractor we had but then the more he thought about it, he was very uneasy about the lack of years in business. He had already checked them out and they were OK but they were not good enough. He didn't want this other contractor to come out either so he asked me to cancel him. I called and cancelled.

No more than 3-4 hours later, he changes his mind and wants him to come out to give us a bid. I am on the phone this morning trying to see if I can get him to come back tonight for his original appointment. If not, I will have to handle the appointment myself during the day because Dad won't be able to attend because of work. He has a meet and greet on Thursday night and his golf outing on Friday.

I am trying my best to do what I can to help. I am going to be the one that will be here during all the construction. He doesn't like the noise and does not want to be around it. I have missed going to my support group for the last month because I haven't been able to drive. It is going into the next month and I don't want to continue missing so I am going to have to call a taxi to go to the meeting. I don't have anyone around that can give me a ride. Dad has a golf outing on the day of my meeting so he is unavailable.

This remodeling project is going to be stressful. I am looking forward to having it done but at the rate of the stress it is taking on Dad already, it may not happen. Stay tuned!

We are remodeling again

We have a great bid for redoing the master bathroom and the kitchen. It is a lot less than when we asked for the bid for the kitchen alone a while back. Dad is already stressed about it and we haven't even bought anything or has anything been demoed. He just doesn't like the fact that we will be in dust and mess again. Dad was the one that said to contact people to get bids for doing these jobs.

At first it was just the master bathroom. We wanted to put in a bathtub as we don't have one in the house. We are also thinking resale value as this was one of those things that people had been wanting and did not see. I had been wanting to redo the kitchen for some time but the cost we had received was just too much - $50,000. I don't think so!

So we tried it again. We asked for a bid. We got one at $20,000 and this included moving appliances and opening up a wall so we can see the view. I guess the contractors are a little hungrier now as the economy has changed. The bathroom remodel was having a bathtub put in and the toilet moved and put into its own little room. Just to change things up a little bit. They would make a pocket door for that room too. Put new lights in that room and over the bathtub. It will require some work but at the cost of about $10,000. Not bad!

We are having someone else out today to give us a price. He has been high in the past so we shall see what he has come up with. The remodeling will just mean that I will have to stay home more while all of this is going on. I will just keep my records and pictures of this project like I did before. History in the making!

Just a Band-aide

Well I have just a band-aide now. The area looks pretty good. It still looks like something happened but it is not one of those long scares you have seen people with after achilles tendon surgery. The doctor checked it and the tendon is moving much smoother now. I am also not having much discomfort except if I move around too much. Then it will get tired and start to ache. I just take a couple of Advil and it takes care of it.

I can take a shower without the plastic bag and worrying about getting things wet. I can't take a bath to soak, which is OK because we don't have a tub. I just have to make sure I dry the area off real well, and put the band-aide back on. I need to wear the boot for at least two more weeks. When I wear it, I need to make sure the area around the incision is padded so nothing rubs against it. Oh, and I still can't drive!!!

I was so hoping that I would be able to at this point but he said with the tendon we have to be careful. I go back to the doctors in two weeks and he will decide whether to put me in a lift for a shoe and then start physical therapy. The lift will be gradually decreased to a normal level. I am moving my foot around now to keep it from getting too stiff. What fun I will have ahead of me. I am just so tired of being at home by myself all day. There is just so much you can talk about with your cat..... besides he sleeps most of the day. See, I am by myself.

No more Stitches

At my doctor's appointment on Friday, the doctor removed the stitches from my foot. I think there was about 5 and a couple of them he had to dig a little bit to get under the stitch to cut it away. That was a little painful but it didn't last. It was a feeling like having a splinter and pushing to remove it. It hurts at the time but then stops once it is removed.

He then cleaned up the site and put medicine on, gauze pads and then wrapped it with white gauze. The doctor then put a covering over the foot to protect the site. The covering is like a sock. I was told I could not drive, could not put full weight on the foot, and to continue using the crutches. I had mentioned to the doctor that I had the the felling of wanting to put an ice pack on the back of the foot and he said I could do it now. He said to "listen to my foot." Now I know my foot doesn't talk (LOL) so I guess if I feel like I want to do something to it, I have permission to do things now.

On Wednesday, September 24, I will see him again. I think he will change the bandage again and give me a large band-aid to cover the area. I think I am on my way to recovery. Now the hard part starts with getting the foot back to normal. I have pain when I flex the foot up and down. This is the walking movement. This area will take some time to get better. He told me to start moving it but I already have been. I have the exercises from the physical therapist that were given to me from back in May.

So I continue to be waited on with certain things but I try to do things on my own. I am just a little slow but I manage. I may also be a little stubborn.... Gee, does that sound familiar to anyone? Nawwww....I didn't think so. LOL

The Follow Up

I saw the doctor on Friday. He took off the old bandage to have a look at how things were going. He asked me to see if I was OK about looking at it and I told him I was. I guess there are those that don't want to see or are afraid to see. I was expecting to see a big incision but it was small. It was like a small square. The doctor cleaned it up and took a look. He saw some redness and thought I might be having an infection. I am now on an antibiotic three times a day for about a week.

He bandaged it back up and told me I may have the stitches out next Friday. If not then, it might be another 3 or 4 days after that. I am still not able to drive, I am still to take it easy and not to use my foot very much. Sit and keep my foot up. I didn't have any swelling so I guess I was doing it right. The physical therapy does not start for at least 4-6 weeks. He doesn't want them doing anything to the achilles tendon for awhile. I was told originally 3 weeks to be in the boot. The length has been changed. The doctor has the experience.

There was a nodule that he did not take out of the tendon as it would have made it very unstable. If he had, I would have been 6 weeks non-weight bearing before moving on to other things. I guess I will deal with the 4 weeks of crutches and wearing of the boot.

Dad goes back to work on Monday. I will be myself which is OK. I can do things but just at a slower pass. Dad will have to take me to appointments so I have to work with his schedule. I sure am going to get tired of these 4 walls.

The healing goes on

Well it is the second day from surgery and things have been going OK. I can not move around very fast but I am using the crutches. I will be taking a shower tomorrow which will be a big deal. Doing everything you need to do but to make sure the dressing on the foot stays dry. What fun, what fun.

I see the doctor on Friday and I will see what the foot looks like then. I will find out what the outlook will be for me as to when I start physical therapy, when I can drive, when I can walk on my foot. I don't have a lot of pain but enough to know its there. I am hoping that there is a lot of padding around the tendon and it is not swelling that I am seeing. If it is swelling then I have a very big foot or really the ankle.

I am not supposed to do anything except to rest and keep my foot up. Do you know who boring that is? I am sure someone does... It won't be forever but right now I am going nuts. I want to do something. Patience, patience... I'm trying.

The Surgery is Over

I had the surgery today. We arrived early but the waiting room was full. The surgery center starts early. My surgery was scheduled for 9:45. We arrived by 8:15. I signed some papers, paid the co-payment, and they copied my insurance cards. After about 10 minutes or so I was called to go upstairs to get ready.

I was given a gown, a hair net, and socks to put on. My clothes were put into a bag for safe keeping. After I was settled, the IV started, Dad was called to come up to stay with me. They couldn't find him. I thought maybe he might have gone outside to talk on the phone or to the bathroom. Nope! Couldn't find him anywhere. They finally called him on his cell phone. I had mentioned that I had forgotten my boot at home and he needed to go back and get it where ever he was. They called and he was on his way to get the boot we had forgotten. We were on the same wave length. So I didn't get to see him before I went to surgery.

I was told I would be knocked out and boy was I. I was given a shot before I was wheeled into the operating room and that is all I remember. I started to feel drozzzzzzzy and that is all. The next thing I was waking up in the recovery room. No pain, no nausea. I was told I would be given something for nausea before I was waken to curb that and it worked. No problems at all. YEAH!!!

I have to wear a boot for 4 weeks. No weight on my heel but on my toes. I use my walker to get around the house. I have crutches but so far I haven't been able to use those. We just don't want to get a long. No pain yet but I am sure that will come. I am glad it is over with and I can finally calm down. I have never been so stressed.

OK, Last post on the circuit breaker

We had the electrician out yesterday to find out why we had some power in some areas and not in others. We had changed the one circuit breaker that we knew was bad but yet we lost some areas that we had no problem with before. Hmmm

He pulled out his tester and started to test all the breakers. They all were testing OK until he got to the new one. The new circuit breaker has a double switch as most of the others do too. One switch was fine and the other was dead. There was the problem. The circuit breaker that was new was defective. The electrician took the new out and returned it for us to where we bought it. He did get a replacement after some difficulty. He basically told them he was going to tell all his clients not to buy from this store because the service was so poor.

Well, the breaker was put in and I checked for the power to the areas we had problems with and we had liftoff... but then there was a light that would not go on. Nuts, what now. The electrician came in, took the lamp apart to check it, it checked fine. We looked to see where the lamp was plugged into and found it was plugged into a circuit breaker. A circuit breaker that was turned off. Once it was clicked on, the light worked. Amazing!

Everything works now. Boy what a tough time it was to get things worked out. We know now what to look out for so hopefully we can figure it out if it should happen again. So we don't have ghosts but just a house that has been built in the early 1970's that is wired weird.

Questions are getting answered

I had a phone call from the admitting nurse last night to go over my information for Monday. I was just given the time to arrive and the approximate time I would be leaving. I am to be there at 8:30 and should leave by noon. The fasting (no eating after midnight) was emphasised. I could take my morning medication with only a sip of water. I will still have a phone call on Sunday evening from the anesthesiologist. I had my pre-op appointment with my general doctor yesterday and found out he also had the same surgery and he is doing fine. He has had no problems since. It has been good signs so far as this has been the second person that has told me that they were glad they did the surgery.

The trip to Las Vegas was uneventful. It was productive and all the paperwork taken, which was A LOT, was left behind. So the wait is on to see whether the VA Hospital in Las Vegas is theirs. Clark is also in the running for the VA Hospital in Long Beach, California. It is just a waiting game.

I did find some information about the surgery on the internet. It helped but it is still scary. Boy, a lot will be done. My leg will look ugly after all is said and done but i hope working better. I just wish I could have it done now. I just don't like the waiting. It just makes one think of things that may or may not happen. Will the cut be a small one as the doctor said it would be or will he find something and have to do a larger one? I know, I am taking things one day at a time. I just want it over with.

It's Las Vegas Again

Another quick trip to Las Vegas today. It is just a one day trip so I will see Dad this evening. The office is hoping that the bid they have been working on for so long will actually be theirs. The VA has asked for them to clarify some things and the last time they did this, they were awarded the job. It will be a nice job if that happens, about $350 million.

I have my pre-op doctor's appointment today. It should go just fine. I am still so nervous about this surgery as I haven't been able to find anything that spells out to me what will actually take place. I want to know so I have the information. I will be laying on my stomach during the surgery which is new and I think that is throwing me a little. How are they going to administer the anesthetic? Do I start off laying on my stomach or do they do that when I am out? See, just questions I would like to have answered. I know I will get them answered but I want them known now.

We will have a maid service starting tomorrow as I won't be able to do things for quite awhile once I have my foot done. It should take a lot of stress from Dad too. We will take his dress shirts to the cleaners as I won't be able to stand and iron. Just getting things in order. We are hoping that I won't be out of commission too long.

We have to have ghosts ...

Alright we have to have ghosts. We replaced the old circuit breaker with a new one and we no longer have any issues with that section. Now we don't have lights to the foyer, front porch, or the hall way. They didn't come back on as the other lights had done but we checked all the circuit breakers and none have been thrown. The lights had been working just a few hours before the new breaker was installed and now it doesn't. We can't figure out which breaker is controlling those lights as everything else seems to be working. What do we do now?

We are checking everything again today but I am getting a little tired of this whole process. I can't wait to get that electrician back to have him check all the wiring to see if he can detect a problem. We haven't had any problem with the electric up to this point since we moved in to this house. We can only joke about it because we are just clueless. Any ideas?

Circuit Breaker Replaced!

The breaker was replaced this morning by Dad. I was away getting my hair done and he had the whole house to himself. It took him awhile to find the right breaker for our box as they are old and you can't just find the same one. That would be too easy! He found one that he thought would work but it was too wide for the box. He had to go back and look around again. He found another one at the hardware store he found the original one at but he wanted to check Home Depot. He found the same one there but again he needed to check Lowe's. Lowe's did not even have breakers or very few so that was crossed off the list.

He just went back to the hardware store and bought the one he found originally. It looked different but it fit. It is working but he is still not sure if it is going to continue to do so. You see we think the house may be haunted as when we had the old breaker in, all things did not work - the TV, the bathroom lights, the paddle fan, my bedroom lamp. Then a few hours later when you were not expecting it, the bathroom lights came on, the fan started working, and my lamp came on. No one touched anything after it was decided that everything was dead from the dead breaker. This did not happen just one time but each night we had to mess with it. Maybe it was a short in the wiring but why would some things work and not all? Now that we have replaced the breaker, why is the TV working, as well as, everything else if it was a short? Hmmm ... We may never know----

A circuit breaker died :-(

Now you may think that this isn't a big deal, just get a new one and replace it. Well, it isn't that easy. We just had someone out to take a look at our circuit breaker box and all he said was that everything needed to be tightened up. So he made sure everything was screwed down tight and said that should take care of it. He didn't want anything for his time but Dad insisted on giving him something as he cleaned up the box, and checked all the circuits. Now you have to understand, everything was working OK at this point before anything was messed with.

He left, we were eating dinner and listening to speeches from the Democratic Conference. I happened to go into the room and saw that our TV was not on, the circuit breaker for the TV was off. The circuit breaker also works the outside porch light, the master bathroom light, and one of the bedroom lights. We could not get it back on.

Now we are without power to those areas until next Tuesday as it is Labor Day Weekend. Dad is more upset than I am about this. I tried to tell him that the circuit breaker handled more than the TV and the outside light. He did not listen to me until much later. I guess I did know a little more than he did this time.

I am not upset. Things happen. We have another TV to use. We have flashlights to use in the bathroom at night. Everything is good.

SURGERY

Well, surgery has been decided and the date has been set. I had my doctor's appointment today and it was decided to go ahead with the surgery as I have tried everything he has asked me to do. This problem has gone on for about 4 months now. He said it should have cleared up in 4-6 weeks. This will be the next step.

He will make a small cut along the tendon near the heel of my right foot. He will be cleaning out any scar tissue and checking out the tendon. If there are any tears, he will sew them up. He doesn't think I will have a big problem. He even feels I will be able to walk on the foot right away with using a special boot. This boot I will have for about 3 weeks. After this then I will be going back to physical therapy and slowly work myself back into things.

Now, if the doctor finds more than what he expects than I could have a longer recovery time. I then might have to go about 4-6 weeks, non-weight bearing, and then start physical therapy. He really doesn't see that happening though. The non-weight bearing will be a problem for me as I will either need to use crutches or a wheelchair to get around. I have tried using crutches and I am not very good. I guess I need Jon or Tony to show me how to use them :-)

My surgery is scheduled for September 8 at 9:25 am. The whole thing should take about 3-3 1/2 hours. This includes the surgery and recovery time. Dad has already told me that a "best and final bid" might be happening around this date and he hopes that it doesn't interrupt my surgery. I am sure he is just joking...

Dad is home and then gone again

Dad made it home yesterday. His plane even arrived earlier than expected. I had just arrived at the airport, parked the car and was walking to the terminal when I received a call. Dad told me he had arrived and was looking for me. I just thought he was still on the plane, as you can call once the plane lands. No, he was actually in the terminal. It was only 4:15. His plane wasn't supposed to be arriving until 4:30. So now we had to figure out where we were and walk towards each other.

It felt like a game of Mark-o Polo. It didn't take us long to find each other and I think he was just glad to be back. Another good reason about the early arrival was we didn't have to pay for any parking expense. I wasn't in the parking lot but a few minutes.

The temperature was 73 degrees compared to 103 degrees when he left Las Vegas. BIG difference. Dad said he could actually breath and his eyes weren't drying out from the heat. We stopped for dinner and then went home. It was so nice to have him home again.

He had to leave this morning to go down to Carlsbad, which is about an hour's drive from us for a Business Planning meeting with the company. I thought about trying to go for the dinner tonight. I tried to wear regular shoes yesterday when we went to dinner. It really didn't work. My toes were still sore and my achilles heel also started to hurt. I had to pass. Dad will be back tomorrow afternoon so it won't be too long. I am just tired of being by myself.

Dad is almost home

Dad should be coming home from his long trip tomorrow afternoon. It has been a long time since we have seen one another. He has been in Las Vegas since Monday of last week working on a large bid. The bid will take place this Monday, the 18th. He will fly home and then leave again on Tuesday for a Business Planning Meeting down in Carlsbad. This trip will be a short one as he will be back Wednesday afternoon.

I was supposed to go on this trip but with bruised toes, it is hard to put dress shoes on just yet. It is getting better and I just about can but to stay in the shoe for a few hours may prove to be a little daring right now. So I will pass on this trip. I will be glad to have him home for awhile after Wednesday.

We want to plan a trip to North Carolina in the fall to take a look at a new development around Chimney Rock. It will be up in the mountains. It isn't next door to anyone but it is within driving distance. Our thought right now is to buy land and build later. Now if we can just pick the spot and the state....

NO FRACTURE

The doctor finally called me back. I had only placed two calls yesterday asking for him to call. He calls me this morning and I am not here because I had an early morning appointment. Figures! The doctor just told me that the x-rays did not show any fracture. I could take Advil or something if needed for pain if I wanted, ice, and if I had any questions, I could call his office.

Well, it is a relief that I don't have to have any surgery or be laid up for any length of time for this. I just have a bruised little toe and foot. I didn't think it was broken. You just have a feeling for those things.

Now I wait for my next appointment with my doctor in a couple of weeks, to discuss the achilles tendon and whether to proceed with surgery on this or not. Stay tuned!

Oops I did it again!

I haven't even finished my physical therapy for achilles tendon problem, yet I have managed to get another problem. Saturday night we were getting ready to go out to dinner. This was our last night before we would be heading home on Sunday, August 10. Showers were taken and I had just finished in the bathroom. When I opened the door, I rammed it into my right foot, more precisely the two small toes. BOY DID IT HURT!!

After the initial shock wore off, I finished getting ready. It was then that I discovered I could not wear any shoes except my tennis shoes. My little toe was on its way to swelling up big time. My cane was really needed now.

I had physical therapy on Monday and the therapist took a look. She suggested I go to a doctor to have the foot looked at as it the toe looked broken. Great... something else I needed!

I had the appointment today and he has said the same thing, it looks like the little toe is broken BUT he also said he was concerned about the 4th metatarsal bone being broken too. If this was true, he would have to surgically go in and fix it. I had x-rays but I am waiting to hear what the decision will be. What a time for Dad to be out of town!

Our Cabo Trip

I caught my marlin! I started to have my doubts when we lost two sail fish that almost were hooked. Each time I was the one that had the rod and yet success slipped through our fingers. I started feeling like a jinks, even though it was just fishing and it happens.

We started the day at 6:30 am. The sun was barely up, yet all the boats were getting ready to head out for the day. Our captain and deck hand would be taking care of everything for us. The rods would be baited and set out. Once a fish struck, the deck hand would hand over the rod to one of us to finish. The problem arose when multiple fish were striking at the same time, as there were several lines out. The two we lost, during this time, were beautiful. They jumped out of the water and it was a sight to see. One fish bit the bait off the hook without getting caught and the second fish was able to knock off the bait from the line. The final problem happened because two lines tangled together. Then all was quiet. No bites. We just road the boat around and around. Hour after hour.

We were not the only ones not having success. The radio had chatter of other boat captains calling out to the fish - "Here fishy, fishy"... as the fish were not biting. We looked for marlin, tuna, and mahi-mahi. Nothing was being found.

Finally, I said that we would catch something at high noon. I caught my marlin about 12:30. It took about 30-45 minutes to land it. The time may not be accurate as we did not look at a watch. Dad took the rod first when the marlin was hooked, just to make sure the fish would stay on the line. I did not want to loose it. After a few minutes, the rod was given to me. Between Dad and the deck hand, I had a lot of help. It was tough. The crew did not know what type of marlin it was as it was not jumping to show itself. It was either a blue or striped marling. The fish was tired so much of the time, it was dead weight. It was very hard to reel in something without help from the other end. I finally succeeded and I was so proud and happy.

Mexico has a catch and release policy or you can decide to keep what you catch. I wanted to release the marlin. Pictures were taken first and even though the pictures don't show it clearly, the marline was a beautiful blue.

Humming Birds

We have a neighbor that has placed a hummingbird feeder off their deck and it has attracted so many hummingbirds. I finally took some pictures as it has been a sight to see so many.

Marlin Fishing Part 2

It is actually going to happen!!! We will be leaving next week. Not only that but we will going by private jet. The gentleman who is setting this up was excited that I wanted to go Marlin fishing as it is usually just the guys that want to do it. He travels a lot so to be able to have his wife take part was a win for him. So he is doing this up big time. It is a shame that we are not able to do everything that he is offering.

Dad has a business meeting on Wednesday and that was the first day of the special things to have happened. The gentleman was having a limo come by our home to pick us up, as well as two other couples, and take us to Balboa Bay Club & Resort on Newport Beach. We would have had dinner at Mastro's Restaurant, also on Newport, and then return to the Resort to spend the night. We then would have been picked up in the morning on Thursday, by limo, to take us to John Wayne Airport to board our private jet to fly us to Cabo San Lucas. We will drive ourselves to the airport to meet everyone.

We will leave between 9-9:30 am and arrive in Cabo about 11:30 am. We have deluxe ocean front rooms at the Sheraton Hacienda del Mar Resort & Spa. We have two fishing boats scheduled for our use on Friday and Saturday. We need to be at the docks by 6:30 am.

We then leave Cabo on Sunday by 2:30 pm by the private jet and arrive back at John Wayne airport by about 4:30. Then the limo will take everyone home or to their destinations. We will drive ourselves home on Sunday. What a fabulous weekend that is planned though! I can't wait!!!!

EARTHQUAKE!

We had a 5.4 earthquake right before lunch today. It was such a weird feeling. I was sitting at the computer near the front of the house and the movement seemed to come from the back forward, like a wave. It was like having a large wave crest over you. I then looked and saw the paddle fan swaying for a short time. Then everything stopped!

It was over very quickly. It still caused a whoa moment! I did feel a small after shock but it was very mild. This was the first one I had actually felt while here in California. I had, a couple of other times, thought I felt something but I wasn't sure. I was sure this time.

Marlin Fishing

We have been trying to go marlin fishing for quite some time now. A person Dad knows, has offered to take us on his boat, along with his wife, to Cabo St. Lucas, Mexico. This will be a long weekend trip starting on Friday.

The boat is to be very nice, and have accommodations for all of us. We are all set except for one detail. We can never find the date that will work for everyone. Right now, the trip is set for the beginning of August or maybe it will be the second week of August or maybe it will be the end of August. Could it be in September or October?

I just wait to see what will happen. It is exciting to think about doing this. I have always wanted to catch a marlin. It will take strength and I may not have it all but I can say I did it.

Six weeks and counting....

I had a doctor's appointment last week. I was still having some discomfort and swelling so the doctor prescribed that I get an MRI of the ankle. I did get in fairly quickly and the results were within a day of the exam.

The doctor called with no definite news. This means that there is some inflammation there but the MRI did not pick up the tear. He told me that there still might be one but just hidden from view. He did say that an old tear showed up but it was nothing to be concerned about as most people have this type of tear every time the person would roll their ankle. The bottom line is that I continue with my physical therapy for the next 4 weeks, start using a regular shoe but no sandals or going bare foot, and then see him at the end of the 4 weeks and decide what to do next if things have not healed. I may elect to have surgery to clean out the tendon area if this will make things better.

I wore my tennis shoes yesterday all day and my foot ached by the evening. I have the boot on today to give it a break. Of course, it has to be hot too today. That boot can keep things warm.

I will just continue with my home exercises and using an ice pack. Six weeks have gone by since this all started. Here is to another 4!

Golfing at Pebble Beach California

Dad returned from his golf outing to Pebble Beach. He did golf the actual Pebble Beach and also Spanish Bay. The second course was very, very challenging. The course at Pebble Beach wasn't too bad. The views were beautiful.




Spanish Bay was difficult. He lost so many golf balls. The wind was bad and the course was unforgiving. This course offered the use of a caddy or taking a golf cart. Because Dad had walked Pebble Beach the day before, he and his partner chose the golf cart. He could listen to the caddy when he made suggestions to the other team. He had a scottish accent which was neat to listen too.

Wii Game System

We just received the Wii Game System and the Wii Fit. I had gone on Ebay to look for them as it had been difficult to find them locally. I tried several times with bidding for a game system but would always lose at the last minute. I kept trying and even went so far as to bid on several systems at the same time. I was a little nervous about getting stuck with more than one but that didn't happen. I was successful!

The owner of the system was based in Nebraska and once he was paid, he sent the system to me by Fed Ex. It was placed on a rush delivery so I was able to get it today (Saturday). The Wii Fit was bought straight out from a person here in California. This system arrived within a couple of days by UPS.

We haven't set the game up yet as Dad thought he would like to get someone to hook it up for us. We have the Play Station 2 and would like to be able to have them both on the same TV.

I know I am excited about working with it. The Wii Fit is a system that the Physical Rehabilitation place that I go to would like to use with the patients. I am looking forward to being able to use this system. It offers so much.

The Cost of Living in California

You really don't want to live here in California right now. Things are getting out of control. Gas prices have jumped for regular gas to $4.39. If you have diesel, you are paying $5.00 a gallon.

You can't sell your house. People are having their homes foreclosed on every day. We are lucky because we were able to refinance. We now have a 30 year mortgage. We did have an 7-year arm mortgage but it wasn't coming due for another year and then our payment would have doubled. This is the biggest problem for people around here. They bought high, expected to be able to handle their payments, and then their 1-year arm mortgage came due. They were left with very little option. They could not sell, could not handle the payments, and had to leave their houses behind. Very sad!

The food prices are high. Most people can relate to this problem.

People are being laid off because the companies can't afford their bills.

I could go on and on about all the problems. These are problems everyone deals with from time to time, every day. When is this madness going to end!!

You keep hearing that things will turn around very soon. When is that time happening?

Hold onto your family. Try to have a good outlook. Smile and laugh. What else can you do? You might as well enjoy yourself.

Trip to Monterey

The trip went well for us but we were glad to be back home. We had taken both cameras but no pictures were taken. We had great intention to do that but it never worked out. We would see something that looked to be nice and didn't have the camera ready or with us. Poor planning.

Monterey is usually cool and foggy but not while we were there! It was warm as is all of California. With wearing this knee high boot, it did make one very warm all the time. I never made it to the Aquarium as it did require quite a bit of walking and stairs. I did pretty well with navigating the stairs when I had too but I had to pass on this outing. It was a bummer but there will be other times I hope. We did see seals and/or heard them, sea otters, and sea gulls. There was a small black swimming bird that did diving for fish. You saw many people taking advantage of kayak's, sail boats, or power boats. The water was always calm with little waves coming up to the shore from the boats that passed. On the last day, we saw a diving school out in the water with so many divers. The one new thing we have been seeing around here is a person standing on a surf board and use a long paddle for paddling. That is a definite work out!

Dad played Poppy Hills golf course which is one of the courses of Pebble Beach Golf Club. He did not have a great game of golf on Friday but he did win a new putter. He already had won a new driver, just recently a new golf bag, new golf balls, and now a new putter. At this rate, he may wind up with all new clubs. He will be going back to Monterey to play Spanish Bay which is another course at Pebble Beach. Dad will be playing June 4 & 5.

We are having some very hot temperatures this weekend. Yesterday it got to be 95 degrees. Today it might be a couple of degrees cooler but not much. The air conditioning is on and I am wearing a cooling vest. That boot that I wear, as I said, makes me very warm. I have to wear a tennis shoe on the other foot to help with the walking. Not a fun time when all you want to do is to get cool!

Dad and I have a conflict when it comes to the air conditioning as he likes things warm and I would be very happy to keep everything as cool as possible. The compromise is the electric bill. If it is too high, than I need to wear that vest more often and use portable fans.

Gasoline is over $4.00 a gallon here now. Once in a while you might find a station at $3.90 but the majority is over that $4 dollar mark. I have also heard of a couple of places in the state that are over $5.00 a gallon. Not a happy time here...

New type of Boot

I have had a lump on the back of my Achilles tendon for a couple of months. It has started to be painful first thing in the morning and when I have walked for some time. I decided to have it checked out with a podiatrist and my appointment was this morning.

He did an ultra scan on the area and I do have a small tear in the tendon. It is not something at this point that I have to have any surgery but I do have a boot that rocks to keep the pressure off the tendon. It goes all the way up to my knee. I am to take an anti-inflammatory (prescription), keep it iced, rest it and start physical therapy. Hopefully in three to four weeks it will be all better.

IF it isn't at that time, than he will do an MRI to see what is going on but he thinks that doing the above will take care of it. The spot that has torn is the watershed area. It is the area where a lot of athletes will tear or you would hear that they had torn their Achilles tendon - this is the spot.

How did I do this, you ask? I have no clue. It could have been something I did a while ago and it has just gotten progressively worse. I do remember a small bump but did not think anything of it. I did pay attention when it got bigger!

I was to go with Dad this week to Monterey, CA. He is leaving it up to me as to whether I want to go but he has been hinting for me to stay home. I really can't do anything up there. For the spouses they were going to have an outing to the Aquarium. It did sound like it would have been very interesting as you were going to see things the public would not. It would require walking and even though I could with the boot, how tired will I get? It isn't the same thing with Dad and the wheelchair. I would have to do everything with my own power.

What a decision!

Chester is getting old

Chester is now 12 years old. You might say that this might be young for a cat. It might be if he didn't have any other problems.

I took him to the vet a couple of days ago and they checked him over, gave him his rabies shot, and did blood work. They also tried to take his blood pressure but Chester was not having anymore of it. They could not get him calm enough to take a reading without it going off the charts.

The vet called me yesterday with the results of the blood work. She said he has the beginnings of hyperthyroidism. If left untreated he will eventually die from heart failure or kidney failure or both. Now the two options I was given were to give him a small pill every day for the rest of his life which could be 3-5 years. This will cost us about $20-$30 dollars a month. Now this option may or may not work.

The second option is to have his results tested again and once it is really, really confirmed that he has the problem, then we can take him to another animal hospital where they can give him an iodine procedure to knock out the problem. Now I read online that this procedure is not always 100% at the first try and you may have to do it again.

The results, if it did work, would be that he would have all his problems taken away. He would not have high blood pressure, or kidney problems, or a problem with his thyroid. Sounds great doesn't it. Now the problem we have.. the cost.

The vet said this could cost around $800.00.

Dad doesn't want to do either option and just let him die when it is his time. I think I am favoring it that too. If he was younger than I would be inclined to do what I need to do.

It is upsetting to realize that your pet is dying but that is the nature of things. I am not trying to sound "cold" about him. What would you do?

Wild Flowers

I had taken some pictures of the wildflowers that grew on the hill below us. They were so pretty.








This last one I thought turned out really neat. This tree is next door to us. I thought the picture was one you might see out in the country.