April 29, 2015. Canyon Lake, Texas. We Made It.

Yesterday I started out driving. I drove on the Natchez Trace just so Suzanne could experience riding on that old trail. And I drove on Highway 20 heading west to Texas. After 90 minutes, Ken suggested that Suzanne should take over from me as he thought I needed a break. In other words, he was not happy with my driving which I admit can be erratic. Suzanne drove for an hour, when we stopped for lunch at a very nice Mexican restaurant. During lunch, Suzanne volunteered to drive again. It took the three of us a nanosecond to all agree so Suzanne drove another couple of hours. Ken still sees double out his left eye so we don't want him driving at all and I am not at my best so we were happy to have Suzanne drive the truck. Palistine, Texas was our home for the night. We stayed at a very nice Hampton Suites. I ordered in Pizza and we three enjoyed ourselves munching in our lovely suite. This morning we had 4 hours of driving ahead of us. Suzanne again volunteered and we did not demur. I was happy to turn over the helm. She declared that she liked to drive. Truthfully, she probably did not want to drive with either Ken or me so she kept the keys, which we appreciated. The drive was delightful but the best part was eating lunch at a good old fashioned Texas barbecue joint in Taylor, Texas. The food was delicious and was the first time Suzanne dined on Texas barbecue. We ate so much we ate only apples for dinner!! The lake house is nothing like Suzanne expected. After we arrived and I took a nap, we all sat on the deck and sipped a glass of wine and enjoyed the sights and sounds of the lake. This is a place we love so are pleased to share it with Suzanne, especially since she has driven us from Mississippi to Texas, almost all by herself. Hats off to Suzanne!!

April 28, 2015. Palistine, Texas. Jet Black.

All of a sudden, I was in the pitch black. The fan stopped too and I could neither hear or see a thing. It is difficult trying to figure out what to do next as I was sitting on the toilet of a service station. When I went into the ladies room, I noted that someone was in the handicapped section so I went into the only other one. And I was quiet and did not say a word. When the lady from the handicapped spot left the ladies room, she turned off the light, and I was in the dark. Actually I was totally in the black. I could find nothing. No toilet paper. No cane. Do handle to flush. No door handle. Eventually, I could see the door to get out so I opened it so from then on I could function, especially when I found the light switch. I laughed out loud. What started out to be a routine visit to the ladies room turned into a major task. You just never know what will happen next.

April 27, 2015. Madison, Ms. Old Friends.

The voice of an friend is unmistakable. The minute you hear her voice you might as well have never been apart. You were fast friends back then and you are fast friends today. It is a wonderful thing. Since Suzanne arrived, we have been talking non stop, catching up on my health. Also Ken's health and the state of the Mississippi children. Suzanne often joined us for lunch at McDonalds with Christina and Kate when Kate was round and very young.. Kate is definitely not round now so it was fun to have Suzanne see the growth and development of Kate and Mary Frances. Of course Molly was not yet in the picture. Suzanne has kindly come to help us drive to Texas. Suzanne asked me just now how I manage in the truck for long periods of time. My answer is that I have no clue as we have not driven much but I will certainly find out tomorrow. I think that driving will be a distraction for me. The seats are comfortable so I hope all is well. My bones hurt when I sit on wooden chairs but in the truck I should be fine. It is a true act of friendship that Suzanne has come to help with our journey. I bet we will have fun too.

April 26, 2015. Madison, Ms. Moving On.

Tuesday, we drive to Texas. It seems a shame to leave our lovely new home but it will be waiting for us on our return. Today Christina, Mary Frances and Molly helped a lot. They took all the pictures I am not using into the storage room. That sounds easy but for me it was impossible. I can navigate the stairs but not when carrying heavy objects. For the three of them, it took twenty minutes. And after our lunch, they hung paintings. I gave MF bunches of small paintings and she hung them on small spaces in the breakfast room. They look great. Christina hung many paintings on the first floor and also in Wendy's Room and the Office. We are beginning to look civilized. Tomorrow, Suzanne arrives from DC. We will dine with Christina and the girls and stay at our new home. Tuesday morning we will begin the trek to Texas. It is a pleasant drive. We certainly have good company. Once again, I am fortunate to have helpful friends. Suzanne will help with the driving as Ken is still not able to drive and I am not at my best. But we will get there, bit by bit. And will enjoy it too.

April 25, 2015. Madison, Ms. Surprise.

One thing leads to another but not always to a pleasant surprise. Our movers, John Vining, was referred to me by Christina. He moved them twice and had done well, so I called him and arranged for him to pack our belongings at the condo and move it to the new house. And I needed the boxes unpacked too. He told me that his wife would do the unpacking but she could not do it until the day after as she has her own cleaning business and was busy on moving day. My ears pricked up because I needed the condo cleaned after the move so I asked to speak to his wife. Her name is Elizabeth and she was pleasant on the phone. We agreed that she would unpack, then clean the condo, which she did. During her work at the house, I asked if she had any openings to clean our house and whether she had ever checked on houses left empty? Since then, she has cleaned our house twice, and done an excellent job. She is quick and thorough and quiet. And she will check each week to be sure all is well in the house. When she came today to clean, we agreed on the price we would pay her to check on the house but just before she left, when I was giving her the key, she gave me a big surprise. Elizabeth had been calculation her time and decided that we were paying her $20. too much each month and that she would be happy with the agreed on price less $20. In all my life, I have been told that our salary was too low but I had never been told the fee was too much!! So we will pay her every month the amount she says is fair but it came as a big surprise to me. One thing did lead to a very nice surprise.

April 24, 2015. Madison, Ms. Three Weeks.

Three weeks ago yesterday we moved from our condominium into our home on Roses Bluff Drive. We are pleased with our move and with the progress at the new abode. All the interior of the house has been painted which took 18 work days. In addition, the handyman has been constantly making things function better for us. Today he installed a railing along the front walk. This week a plumber and his assistant spent two full days with us, changing taps, fixing leaks and installing high toilets. Two days this week the electrician was here, getting rid of old switches and checking the outlets. I am always interested with what people put up with. For instance, the kitchen lights only worked if the switch by the back door is turned on. But not any more. It was fixed in ten minutes. Don't tell Gloria but we hung some paintings on Wednesday, so the house looks more like our home. Without Wonderful Wendy we would still be opening boxes but between the workers and Wendy and Christina and the girls, we have made great strides. We have accomplished a lot in three weeks. We are delighted.

April 23, 2015. Madison, Ms. Exercise.

My solution to most everything that was wrong with you used to be to drink more water and get more exercise. It was a joke in the family. My background in Physical Education and Exercise Physiology led me down that path. If you did not recover from the extra water and exercise, you certainly needed to visit the doctor. Now I am taking my own advice. The medicine has left my legs weak and spongy and don't seem to be getting better on their own so I have decided to stress the system. My walker allows me to walk outside safely so starting yesterday, I am walking outside for 20 minutes morning and night. And I am drinking more water. I will go slowly as all the forced rest has left me weak but bit by bit I should be able to build up my strength. I might even start lifting light weights, but not yet. One of the side effects of this new medication is fatigue so I must be careful. The Oncologist wants me to be as active as possible but never to get tired, which is quite a trick. But here I go, ready to get my legs back. Of course it started by the medicine causing me neuropothy in my legs as well as other parts of my body. My function should return but I am betting it will return faster if the system is stressed. We will find out in 6 months whether or not I am correct. But for now, here we go with my walker. I am quite a sight.