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Published: October 13th 2023
Hold onto your broomsticks! As you already know, we arrived safe and sound at Tropical Palms on September 28th. It was a good trip down with only one issue…..would you expect less? As we glided happily along in our rolling house, the loudest buzzer we have ever heard went off inside our cozy abode. This usually means TROUBLE! Cory’s wide eyes were searching the dash as his nervous foot was applying the brake. My sweet voice echoed in an equally high-pitched screech. Of course, we were on a busy expressway……Of course! Quickly, I realized where this horrendous noise was emanating from. By now, Cory’s hearing aides has caused him to become a crazed person. He was struggling badly. He was frothing at the mouth….his eyes were spinning. He was howling as loud as the shrill, ear-breaking alarm. In a very powerful voice, to be heard over this continuous and deafening clammer….by both Cory and the buzzer, I told him it was okay. Relax!! It was our smoke alarm….located right above Bucky’s head. There were no flames….no smoke. I tried fanning it to make it stop…..nothing. Cory said to turn it off. Right! How do I do that, Buckaroo? I had to
take it down first. Right! I can’t reach it!! And this blaring strident continued without a pause!! Whaaaaat! I can't hear you!! As Cory managed to keep the wheels of the bus going ‘round and ‘round (while trying to plug his ears and still drive), I dug out a footstool. I managed to get the stool behind his seat and the slideout. Then, sucking everything I owned in, I wiggled and squeezed to get on the stool in this very tight space. Whew! Made it….but I can't breathe. Why did I gain all this weight over the summer.….WHY?? Finally, I could reach this ear piercing, plastic device. I twisted it off! Whew, again! And it still wouldn’t stop its unending racket! Please, God….help! Finally, I dug the battery out and took it apart. Wow….Success! 🎶🎶The Sound of Silence!🎶🎶 We were both exhausted…..and deaf……hearing aides mattered not. We continued our journey in pleasant quietude. Later on, Cory replaced the battery in the smoke alarm. That did the trick….no more noise. Usually, when the battery starts to go low, the smoke alarm will give off a pleasant, soft beep. Not ours!!! We had the alarm heard ‘round the world! But, we were
thankful…..it could have been something much worse! This was nothing….well….that’s looking back on it now. At the time, we wanted to rip the coach apart and put cement in our ears! Fortunately, Lulu was in the back in her carry bag. She didn't experience this ghastly situation. We are so grateful for that. She would not have been able to cover her ears.…we all know why.
But enough of this traumatic experience…..worthy of your sympathy may I suggest. It's time to start up your time machine again and back up a few weeks. On September 23rd, our son, Cory, and new daughter-in-law, Penny, hosted a lovely reception to celebrate their recent marriage. Both families and friends gathered together to share in their happiness. It was such a wonderful time. Having so many of our family members together was what dreams are made of. We shall treasure this reunion forever. We are so happy for Cory and Penny. They both deserve a lifetime of joy and love. Nothing could be more beautiful than celebrating both of them.
Since our arrival at Tropical Palms, we have slowly…..very slowly…been setting up our site. We still have quite a bit to do.
Wondering why? No….not because of laziness! Read on and please, offer sympathy at the end. It is needed. Before we left Wellsville, Cory had been quite sick. He had a gastroenteritis problem. I tried to get him into our doctor….well, maybe they could get him in around mid-October! I don't think so!!! What good is a doctor if he can't treat you when you are sick?? After much direct, back-and-forth discussion with the receptionist…..even his nurse was unavailable…..our doctor finally spoke with Cory on the phone. Cory told him his symptoms and he ordered two antibiotics for him. Good! Someone unfamiliar to us was working at our pharmacy. The medications came in a little brown paper bag with no literature as required!! I knew what both meds were so Cory started taking them. His GI symptoms seemed to settle down but now he complained of stiffness in his calves. I figured his potassium and magnesium were low so gave him some magnesium and he ate bananas. Nothing. Now his ankles hurt and his left shoulder. He walked like a zombie! He used a rolling pin on his legs to lessen the tightness and pain. Still, no improvement with this new
problem. I finally googled his medications. I normally review the literature when it comes from the pharmacy but we never got them. BONG! The very first medication (the strongest) had a big WARNING with it!! It could cause tendonitis! Oh, great! Of course, he stopped taking the medication but he had already taken most of them. I started giving him 800mg of Motrin (anti-inflammatory). Each day, we hoped for some improvement….there was very little but there was some. He continued to walk like a zombie.….all stiff, slow and like a cripple. Fortunately, we both had an appointment scheduled down here with our orthopedic doctor who did our knees. He understood Cory’s issue. He ordered a super, heavy-duty anti-inflammatory. I suggested a steroid so he also put Cory on a steroid pack. By the way, our knees were fine. Cory’s legs and shoulder are about 95% better now. Thank, God….. and Dr.Johnston. Cory twisted his ankle twice so that has delayed his one leg from feeling perfect. Today, he didn't wear his ankle brace. Yippee! I think he’s going to make it. I don't have to call him The Gimp anymore. Hope you are feeling sorry for all that Cory has
been through. It helps with his healing.
We got our golf cart back from the storage place where they keep it for us through the summer. The cart has helped Cory get around with his leg issues. We have driven throughout our park to look for friends and changes. They tore down the dilapidated deck around the alligator pond. New wood has been delivered to build a new deck. Hooray! Everyone will be happy. A lot of tree trimming has taken place. A new sidewalk has been added at the entrance to this park. Not too many of our snowbird friends have returned yet. There are a few but many more are yet to come. We are keeping a light on for them!
Remember in our last blog, we showed you the tortuous ordeal we (Cory) had getting our disgusting, ripped, torn, terrible recliners out of the RV? ‘member? Well, anyway…..they are gone. I struggled to make do with a lawn chair and stool in “my spot”. It wasn't good nor easy. It was very uncomfortable to be honest. But a bright star shown in the sky! Before we left Florida last May, we had bought a beautiful,
100% leather loveseat from Lazy Boy Furniture. It had to be ordered, built and saved for us. They delivered the loveseat to us and set it up inside our RV. It's wonderful! So soft and comfy. We had leather recliners at our old house….Cory always fell asleep in one. We called it his magic chair. Well, this new seating is just the same. Now, we recline, side by side, like two lovebirds on our loveseat……waiting to fall asleep. Zzzzzz. ❤️❤️❤️❤️
We are quickly falling nicely into our old routine. You know what that means……..going to my TWO favorite stores: Walmart & Dollar Tree. Steve, the Walmart greeter, is still there. So nice to see his very thin face again. We have enjoyed hitting some of our pleasable eateries. One of these days, I have to stop eating for a while. We have succumbed to a new weakness: Key Lime Pie! We can buy it at Publix and Sam’s Club…..we alternate! We were watching TV last night and WOW! …..there on the local news was the Publix (grocery store) we always go to. It was a crime scene because some guy decided to shoot another guy. The victim was transported
to the hospital and will live. I guess it was a pretty scary situation at the time of the shooting. We aren't liking that all this crime is getting this close to us. This country has many problems….one being the increase in crime….no matter where you live. It's frightening. I think defunding the police is a major factor in this rise.
We got up early last Saturday to go to the yard sales at the town of Celebration. We usually go when they have them again in March. There were a fair amount of setups but we bought nothing…..Well, Cory bought a little pouch of drill bits. Lots of Mickey Mouse stuff…..lots of it! We liked seeing some of the Halloween decorations that some of the residents had on display. They really go out big time with their decorations.
Trying to keep ourselves healthy (Cory has a bigger hill to climb with his sore legs), we went to Sam’s Club and got our two vaccines: Covid and Flu. Each time, I have to show the person giving the shot where to give it. She wants to give it way high up on my shoulder…..not so high….four fingerbreadths down
from the top of my shoulder (how I was taught). She accommodates me and does what I say to Cory, too. Usually, I have not had an side effects following these shots but the next day, I felt a little dumpy. Cory was fine. I think having both shots at the same time probably made the difference. I was fine the following day.
Halloween is coming up pretty soon. Lulu couldn't decide on a costume. She finally selected a gorgeous mask to maintain her lovely appearance which you all know. She has decided she wants to be a greeter….just like Steve at Walmart. She has positioned herself right at the entrance inside our RV. She is so good at what she does! What a talent! We love Lulu! Remember to scroll way down to see all 14 photos.
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Betsey Stout
non-member comment
I love reading your blog and being able to catch up on your activities. You are a gifted narrator! Our daughter Lisa and her husband have been sick with covid. They had not had the vaccine yet this year. We still have not had a frost this fall but the trees are colorful in the Adirondacks and WNY. The trees here have not reached their peak yet. Hope you will have a good winter and think of us up here in the cold and snow. Betsey