Double-Digit Day

Lew and I went to grandson Adam's 10th-birthday party today.

Ten years old already.  Wow.

The kids in attendance at the party went on the homemade slip n' slide.  I did not.

I did, however, eat a hamburger, chips, fruit, and a piece of ice cream cake.

Happy Birthday, Adam!

Dad 679: No More Toes

(After a week off, Dad returns to writing his weekly post! ~ Tracy)

 

Derf Here! The weather has improved upon the arrival of our Illinois family. I guess we will get storms later this week.

 

We are enjoying our Illinois family's visit! Hard to believe they have been here for a week. Mary Lou got to meet her great-granddaughter Boston (yes, that is her name), and she will get to see Bode soon.

I am hoping to get back to visiting Lou within a week. To make it easier, I had asked about a lighter portable oxygen machine. I received a phone call this morning from my oxygen supplier stating they will see me tomorrow about a portable O2 maker. We will see!

Last Thursday I had my final three toes removed from my left foot. Yesterday I saw the surgeon's work when she changed the dressing. My foot looked great. I hope to get a picture of it next week. You all will be impressed by the surgery. A great job. I have a boot on to help my foot heal. Hope to be well on my way next week.

I'm done!

Until next time!

Toodle Pip!

Derf!

Hang Zero

Dad is doing his best to keep his foot up. He has his follow-up appointment on Tuesday.

And the beat goes on....

One Birthday, Two Anniversaries, Three Toes

Yesterday (Thursday, July 20, 2023) was my father's 85th birthday.

It was also the wedding anniversary for Debbie & Glen, and Lew & me.

And it was the day my father's remaining three toes (one big, two others) on his left foot were removed. Dad, Lew, and I left for the hospital around 12:15PM and got home around 6:30ish.

We sure know how to celebrate! 🎈🎂🎉🥳

(P.S. Kelsey, Zach, Bode, and Boston arrived Wednesday afternoon. We did have an early birthday dinner for Dad that evening.)

The Illinois Invasion! :)

Kim, Joe, Kaelen, and Cocoa arrived yesterday afternoon. The three humans are staying at our house; the dog is staying with Debbie and Glen. (Hopefully you will be able to differentiate between the human names and the dog name. 😁)

Kelsey, Zachariah, Bode, and Boston will arrive later today. They will be staying with Debbie and Glen.

Debbie is the only Maine resident that has met Boston. The rest of us are looking forward to seeing her for the very first time!

I think Dad may be writing his regular Wednesday post today, but if not please keep your eyes peel for a post from him later in the week.

Family time!  Blessed....  💕💗💕💗💕

Mom's Move

A couple mornings ago (Friday), Debbie and I helped move Mom to a different room at the nursing home. We were informed a couple weeks ago that this would be happening. The wing that Mom has been on for three years is becoming a short-term stay wing, hence the move.

In our opinion, the new room is nicer than her old one! The major concern is Mom's adjustment to the change. I spent Friday afternoon with her, and Dad visited late afternoon as well. I also went yesterday and today for a couple hours each day. Yesterday was kind of tough for her, but today was better. I think she will get used to the new space.

Mom's new roommate is hardly ever in the room during the day and goes to bed early. So the atmosphere is quiet and peaceful, which is good for Mom.

I told Mom that we all knew she was in a new room and that we would visit her just like always.

Someone else figured out Mom had moved, too. Today, outside Mom's window:

Puzzlin' Cats

Matt, Emily, Eli, and Adam gave me a jigsaw puzzle at Christmas. I started it not too long after that, but I didn't work very much on it until just last week.  I finished it yesterday!

It has one thousand pieces. Many of the "fill" pieces are similarly-shaped, and I'm pretty sure I may have fit some of the pieces together incorrectly.

Below is the finished picture to prove that I did it.

I've already broken it apart and boxed it up for someone else to enjoy.  🧩🧩🧩😻😻😻

Dad 678: Happy Birthday, Mary Lou!

(Dad wrote this post earlier today. He did visit Mom! ~ Tracy)

 

Derf Here! Another beautiful day. Temps in the high 80s. May hit 90° in a couple hours.

 

Today is Mary Lou's birthday. For the next week she will be a year older than I am. Next week on Thursday I will match her age of 85. It is hard to believe we are still here after all these years.

 

I will attempt to see her this afternoon. No visits have been made by me for many weeks. Would like to get a less-heavy portable oxygen machine. That is my next goal so I can visit Lou every day. Want to visit the same as before. Daily visits!

 

Just got a phone call from my new foot doctor in Portland. Will go to an 11:00 AM appointment tomorrow to continue my treatment for diabetic problems. Maybe will get rid of all my toes. I'll keep you posted.

 

Done for today!

 

Until next time!

 

Toodle Pip!

 

Derf!

The beautiful birthday girl!

I Will Buy a Candy Bar

Yesterday I received a letter from our credit union. If I don't use my debit card by the end of the month, they are going to deactivate it.

Reason: I haven't used it for several months, and they want to protect my account from debit card fraud. According to them, deactivating my card is a "security feature."

Lew uses his debit card. I do most of our online banking. We both have direct deposits going into our account. It is not as though we are inactive members. 

If I lost my debit card, I would definitely report it as lost. So what if I'm not using it? Nobody else is either!

Home Services Trifecta

We have a new saying in our household: "When it doesn't rain, it pours!"

The recent rain had kept two things from happening: 1) our second mosquito treatment for the season, and 2) the sealing of our driveway.

Both of these things happened today. All of the businesses who work outside are trying to catch up on their backlog before the next expected rain (which is soon).

Why did I call use the word "trifecta" in the title of this post? Dad's landline has been making a crackling sound, and a phone company technician (Lenny) came today and got it fixed.

So it was a busy time at our place today. Yes.... When it doesn't rain, it pours!

Dad 677: Finally Some Summer

(Dad writes today! ~ Tracy)

 

Derf Here! Finally, a summer day with warm weather and sun. Temps were in the 80s today. It is 82° now. I've done nothing all day and have decided to write something at 4:30 PM. Not the proper way to spend my day.

 

Well, I don't have too much to say tonight so this will be short.

 

Still a lot of shootings in the country. Would like to speed up time and get to the election in 2024. Hope for a change of leaders. Would like to see adults with sense take over for the incompetence we have in charge now.

 

I'll see my doctor next week. I must get over wanting to stay home. I must get my hopes up and start visiting Lou again. I still am "housebound." Must get over this. Must get back to regular living! Done!

 

Until next time!

 

Toodle Pip!

 

Derf!

The Fourth

Happy Birthday to our great country!

I am hearing fireworks as I write this, so that's two scary nights in a row for our kitties. (There were lots of booms last night, too.) It rained the first part of the day; if only it had rained all day and kept the fireworks at bay.

I had a nice visit with Mom this afternoon. We had a video chat with Kim and Kaelen while I was there. We also watched some tennis (Wimbledon, first round). By the time I left, we had switched the TV to Andy Griffith and Mom was getting her dinner.

Because of today's holiday, I get to go to work tomorrow.  So it's time to sleep!

💤💤💤💤💤