Breathing Disguised As Blessings

“He huffed and he puffed and”… and there wasn’t any wind. Kind of like the big bad wolf with asthma. So now I know how it feels. Scary. But first, a warning. If you don’t like to read about other people’s ailments and hospitalizations, this would be a good place to log out. No hard feelings.

Before I tell about the memorable Memorial Day I need to go back a week. I haven’t blogged for quite awhile so it’s okay. This would be the Monday before Memorial Day we’re talking about. I mowed the lawn and was really panting for air when I finished. I just thought I was out of shape and needed to do more walking. I’d already scouted out an “around the block” that is one mile and an “around the BIG block” that is 1.4 miles. Tuesday morning I pinched a nerve in my back taking a shower. All I did was bend over to wash my feet. This has happened a few times in the past but fortunately not very often. For the next few day, I wore a back brace, walked bent over, and gritted by teeth.

About the this time the bursitis in my left shoulder decided to flare up so that hurt more than usual. Then toward the end of the week I developed flu-like systems – achy, temperature, but not sick to my stomach. This all slowed me down even more and I did almost nothing for about three day. I didn’t even go to church Sunday!!! Now, I’m telling all this to say that it wasn’t a real good week. I don’t know if any of it had anything to do with subsequent events but it sure slowed me down. Joyce and I had talked about various things to do on Memorial Day weekend but hadn’t decided on anything. If we had, we wouldn’t have done them anyway. When I got up and walked around the house it caused me to breath really hard.

Memorial Day Monday I knew I needed some exercise so we went over to Wal-Mart in the afternoon. I walked around holding on to a shopping cart. It was good. I wasn’t too tired. We even considered going to Lowes but decided against it.

That evening I walked out to the garage with some recycle stuff – 70, 80 feet round trip. When I got back to my recliner I was really sucking for air. And it didn’t get better. I remember a pastor who held people he was baptizing under water until they begin to squirm. When he was asked why, he replied, “I want them to want Jesus as bad as they want air.” I was there. Joyce called Ginger to come over to spend the night. Just in case, you know. By the time she got here at 9:50 I was ready to go the ER. I guess I looked pretty bad because all the lady at window wanted was my ID and a man was standing right behind me with a wheelchair!

The first thing they did in the ER room was give me oxygen with one of those little things in my nose. Aaaah, that was sooooo good. Finally some air. The little oxygen meter they put on my finger indicated I was at 71 (normal is 95 to 100). Somewhere along the line they put in an IV and got a chest x-ray. The doctor finally came in and declared that I had pneumonia. We joked about that because I had gotten my pneumonia shot. I said I was going to ask for my money back (actually Medicare paid for it). However she wasn’t letting go of it. Certain things just didn’t add up for her so she ordered a CAT scan. The results showed I had a pulmonary embolism. A what??

What I understand about these things is that there is a clot in my right leg – an ultra sound proved this. Part of it broke off, went to my lung (the place these things go), divided into parts and lodged in various parts of my lung. So that’s the story.

I got to a room – I later found out it was in the sub-critical care part of the hospital – about 3:00 a.m. They had me on a heparin drip and Coumadin pills the rest of my hospital stay. I was transferred to a regular room after a couple days and finally went home Friday afternoon. One complication in all this was that they would not let me go home without a primary care physician. Joyce and I had talked about getting one but really didn’t know which one to pick and couldn’t get any good recommendations. Of course, this brought things to the “do it now” point. Between Joyce, Ginger, and my niece Kandy they found a doctor who would accept us (Joyce also). I’ll see him next week. Right now I’m being monitored every three days for the anticoagulation level in my blood – it’s called the INR. They adjust the Coumadin to keep it in the proper range.

Want to know about blood clots? Just ask me. I’m an “expert” now – at least a lot smarter. I’m told the body will eventually absorb the clots. What they want to do is keep any more from developing.

We really feel blessed with all the good care I received. I’m guessing that I encountered 40 different individuals in the hospital (Joyce counted 28 in the first 8 hours or so). They were all fantastic. We are especially grateful to the ER doctor who wouldn’t give up with a simple answer. I appreciate all the people who were praying for me – people I don’t even know. We have a great church; they were praying, some came to visit, others sent cards. Joyce and Ginger were great. Joyce spent every night with me in the hospital. This was a great help because I didn’t have to wait for a nurse. She even learned how to give me shots. For the first 3 days after my discharge I had to have shots of electrolux… no, equinox… no, that’s not right either. Joyce says they were Lovanox – more blood thinner. A little poke in the fat part of the belly. No problem finding a spot there!

So now it is recovery. I’m doing better each day. Still a little short of breath and weak in the legs but it’s coming. I think when this is all past us, I will feel better than I have in quite a while. If you were one who was praying, thank you.

Blessings.

Here’s An Update

I thought it was time to post an update. Okay, maybe it is past time but there really isn’t much new to tell. Our lives are good but rather routine. I put in 10 or more hours a week doing Senior Adult ministry. This involves visiting people -- usually with Joyce, doing a monthly newsletter, going to staff meetings, and other “senior adult” stuff. Each month we help  organize a luncheon and, until a couple weeks ago, I taught a Sunday school class. I’ve been “catching up” on the hours I got behind when we went to L.A., when we spent time in Grants Pass, when I went to Anchorage, and other such things. Last week I caught up! Now I am putting hours “in the bank” so we can be gone again when the kids are here – or when we go there. Last Sunday I preached and I counted the preparation hours. Check out the church website at www.salemfirst.com. At the bottom click on “Ministries” and then on “Senior Adults.”

Okay, that’s the church. Then there is the house search. This is getting long and tedious. Each day a real estate agent sends me a batch of emails with new listings and listings on which the price has been reduced. This could be 3 to 10 houses to check out. First, on line. Is it big enough? Is there room for the RV? Can we make it duel living? Is it in a good neighborhood? Is it on one level? Is it in our price range? etc. etc. etc. Some of these seem like ones we should drive by. So we gather a list, then go sight seeing (thank you, Lord, for our GPS). A few of those we decide we want to see inside so we call the agent and set up time for a tour. So far, some are close but not the one. All this takes time. I feel like a professional house hunter. We are still looking for duel living so Ginger can have her own place close to us. If this doesn’t happen, at some point the Lord will release us to look for a single family residence. But not yet.

Did I mention the time given to Oregon Conference Board stuff? Thursday morning I met with a guy for an hour or so and Friday I met with the Superintendent. And there was an hour or so on the computer working on a report and doing email. This is all “free” – not time I get paid for. This is the time of year that takes lots of extra hours so it … well, it takes lots of hours.

As I said, life if good. I’m not complaining, just explaining what is happening in our lives. I will be glad when we find a house, get moved in, and life settles down. Oh, be realistic, Gene! Life will never settle down. So Joyce and enjoy each minute – well, most of the minutes. My advise: enjoy yours.

Blessings.

Done Deal

It is done,  finished, over. Our GP house closed yesterday. We drove down to sign the papers, visit Donna, Violet, and Reggie, run a couple errands, meet the new owners and drive back.  It was a long day. That part of our lives is now in the past. Kind of sad. Or maybe bitter-sweet is a better word. We loved it in Grants Pass and we loved our house but the time had come to “pull up stakes” and move on.

Now we are looking for a house in Salem. (Sure is rainy up here in the valley!!!)

Today we met with about 45 senior adults for a soup luncheon, a hymn sing, followed by a  bunch of us stuffing plastic Easter eggs with candy for the kid’s Easter Egg Hunt next week. Long day. Good day.

Blessings, everyone.

Sold Again (We Hope)

Here’s a quickie update on our house situation. Saturday a week ago we got a call from the realtor saying an offer was coming in. We were happy. A hour later he called and said another offer was coming in. We were overjoyed. He thought it would be Monday before they got them but Saturday evening he emailed both offers to us. One was not so great, the other was so-so. Monday morning we countered both offers, putting one in second place. We gave them 2 days to respond but Monday afternoon the realtor called and said he had responses. Both countered our counters. AND we had a third offer!! We were overwhelmed.

All three offers were quit different so we agonized, prayed, got opinions, talked to friends, and of course talked to our realtor. The third offer was for the same amount as the one we accepted earlier and the people backed out, AND it was for cash -- no inspections, no appraisals, take it as is. We accepted that offer because it would go through the easiest. However the realtor said he had to give the buyer the inspection report “purchased and paid for by someone else.” That sounded strange to me but so be it. Their motto is disclose, disclose, disclose. Anyway, I called the realtor on Thursday (or maybe it was Friday) and he said the buyer had the report, wasn’t concerned and it was going into escrow. So it should close in 2 to 3 weeks. We will have to make a trip down to bring back the last of the stuff. Plus a trip to sign the papers. Or maybe we can combine this together in one trip.

We spend lots of time looking at houses here. A realtor we have connected with here in Salem sends us possibilities via email. I sort through them on the computer, Joyce and I consider them, delete most of them for various reasons, but when we find a potential we write it down. After generating a list we start our “drive bys.” The list then gets pared down to, maybe, a few look worth pursuing. When we get a few on that list we ask the realtor for a tour so we can see them up close and personal. So far nothing has come along making us feel we had to jump on it immediately. This week the realtor will take us to look at some homes that have a possibility of being duel living. Maybe. It’s out there somewhere.

My cousin Jim and wife Joyce from Tucson are here visiting. These are the relatives in whose front yard we camped a couple years ago. Tuesday we are going to have a short, simple committal service for his dad and mom at an old cemetery near Monroe. His dad was my uncle Ken whom we visited while in Tucson. Ken’s dad and mom (my grandparents) are buried in this cemetery so it is appropriate than Ken’s and Mary’s cremated remains also be deposited there.

It seems our lives our down to a few simple, time consuming things right now. Selling a house, buying a house, visiting church people. That’s about all we do. My motto: “I’m retired; I can do anything I want to do.”

Iditarod Addenda

John Baker won the 39th Iditarod Tuesday morning in a record time of 8 days 19 hours 46 minutes 39 seconds. He is a Native Alaskan and the first northwestern Alaska musher to win the race. If want more information and pictures go to adn.com and click on pictures, standings, etc.

The Iditarod

Wow! What a week! This was one of the items on my unwritten “bucket list.” Let me start at the beginning. The Iditarod Sled Dog Race is billed as the “Last Great Race.” It begins in Anchorage, Alaska and ends about 9-10 days later in Nome, Alaska. The distance has never been pinned down exactly (because of various twists and turns) but is considered to be 1,049 miles (it is close to 1,000 so 49 is added because Alaska is the 49th state in the union). This year 62 teams begin at 4th and D in Anchorage in a ceremonial start on Saturday. Lots of pomp and circumstance but it only goes for a few miles, then the sleds and dogs are loaded up and the real start is Sunday on Willow Lake about 50 miles from Anchorage.


These two pictures are of the ceremonial start. Notice that the mushers only have 12 dogs – they will have 16 for the real start. You might be able to tell that the first sled has a rider sitting in front of the musher. This person paid “big” bucks to be an “Iditarider.” There is also a trailing sled with a friend or relative riding. The dogs are so eager to run they slow them down with extra weight plus the musher rides the brake. The dogs don’t care, they just want to run.
Saturday we drove out to Willow to see the “real thing.” There is a lot of ceremony, lots going on, lots to see. All of this on frozen Willow Lake. The trucks with the dogs and sleds are lined up to the left. The starting line is down the center. People are riding snow machines, making smores on a camp stove, or huddled around a camp fire – yes! a camp fire on the lake snow and ice. People line up on both sides of a plastic fence ready the watch the race begin. A starter gives a count down: “1 minute… 30 seconds… 15 seconds… 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. And Deedee Jonrow is off on the last great race.” Across the lake she goes, up the bank, into the trees and out on a 10-day adventure of survival.

Here one of the riders is going down the chute. I don’t remember if it is DeeDee or not. She drew bib number 2 and was the first one out – Bib one is an honorary number given to someone they want to honor.
Want to see a funny looking cheechako (that is a non-Alaskan)?

I’m with a “bobby” who will fine you if you don’t have a Fur Rondy pin. I had one under the down coat. The cap is beaver. I need to add that all the cold weather gear I wore was courtesy of my nephew, Will – except for the thermal underwear I bought. The temperature was probably in the high 20s on this day. One day is rose to about 34 but most of the time it was below freezing. One morning is was a half degree above zero but most mornings around 8 or 9. But always sunny. Really nice weather.

There were some really marvelous ice sculptures in a park downtown. Will and I posed in holes left for photos.

Another place displayed snow sculptures. Some were really intricate. This one shows the soldiers putting the crown of thorns on Jesus’ head. There is an angel in the back looking through the window.


The mountains were awesome. The top picture was taken from the top of the tram ride at the Alyeska Resort in Girdwood, 40 miles south of Anchorage. If you look really, really hard you can see the Resort in the center of the picture. The bottom photo was taken from the plane as we were leaving. This is the Chugash Range.

Cook inlet doesn’t exactly freeze over but it does fill with ice which becomes chunky and makes the water look like a churned up ball field. Ship Creek empties into the Inlet at the right of the picture.
I flew up on March 2, a Thursday, and back on the 10th. It was an incredible journey. Alaska is so different in the winter – as one might expect. Some very good cold weather gear is essential. Thanks to Will I had that. He also let me use his car so I could go places while he was at work. Great trip; I’d love to go back.
For those who know what Will’s house looks like in the summer, here it is in the winter:

Thanks Will and Anna for a great time.

Oops! Unsold

Just to let you know that the house is still on the market so keep praying. The buyers backed out this morning. They used the inspector’s report as their “out.” Of course he found a few things – they always do. The things he found can be fixed for a thousand or less but they got cold feet. My agent is mad at them; even their agent is mad at them. In fact, he “fired” them, i.e. he won’t represent them anymore. According to my agent, he told them this was the best deal in town and the “problems” could be easily fixed.

Well, at least we know what the problems are so we’ll go ahead and fix them. That will make it a little easier on the next buyer.

We’ll just keep trusting.

Sold!

I haven’t posted very much lately, have I? We really have been very busy. That’s probably just an excuse. I guess I’m loosing my enthusiasm for blogging. There isn’t a lot of new stuff to post and it seems like a wasted effort. Oh I guess there is some new stuff. Like, we drove by 5 more houses today, or we toured 3 houses today. But that’s not very exciting.

Saturday was exciting. We got an offer on our house. They offered only $7,000 less than we were asking and in this economy (especially southern Oregon economy) we accepted it. They were not asking for much in concessions. The biggest thing they asked for was the barn board storage shed I made for Joyce. It sat on our back deck and was used to store garden tools and supplies.  So we gave it up. They want to close on March 21 and want everything out of the house 5 days before that. We looked at our schedule and realized the best thing to do was, do it now. So Monday I rented a U-Haul trailer off we went. We spent Monday evening packing the things that had not been packed (including all the stuff in the barn board shed). Tuesday, Mike came to help and it took ALL day to pack a trailer. I was shocked. And tired. Of course there was a trip to the dump and to Burger King thrown in there. We left Grants Pass with a very heavily loaded trailer and pickup at 5:00. Stopped for dinner and got to Salem at 9:45. This morning a couple friends came over and we took out in one hour what it took us 8 hours to put in. Doesn’t seem right does it? We had two real heavy items – the refrigerator and a storage cabinet.

And after all that we still have one more pickup load. We might go down Sunday afternoon. It kind of depends on the weather – it is supposed to snow tonight and then rain. We would like to get it all done before next Wednesday because that is the day I leave for Alaska. More about this when I get back but I’m going to Anchorage to watch the start of the Iditarod Sled Dog Race. Plus some other winter-time events with my nephew and niece, Will and Anna.

So we are busy: Looking for a new place to live. Cleaning up the old place. Visiting people in the church. Teaching a class. Trying to have fun. Life is good. Until next time. Blessings.