July 3
We went to Portland
to pick up Mark’s Tahoe to load up boxes from the storage unit and take to the
condo. The movers come Tuesday and we wanted to get some things put away before
the chaos ensues. The battery was dead even though Joe, Mark’s cousin, had
attempted to recharge it. Ron added some water to the battery and we went to
Sellwood to load up the car with the things we had stored there. Back to the
Tahoe. It was ready to roll so we went to the unit and loaded it up and filled
our car. I was able to load things like bags of coat hangers and pillows. Ron
had all the heavy stuff.
We went to the condo. I unloaded the car while Ron worked on unloading the Tahoe. At 2:00 we stopped for lunch then decided we needed to get home to
Baker who was inside the house and we worried about July 4th
traffic. For the first time I can recall I -84 on ramp from I-5 was a piece of
cake. Usually by this tine of the day (3:00 pm) it is a friggin zoo. I guess
most folks left town on Thursday.
On the way home I got a call from Wendy, a Parkdale
neighbor. She had gotten our phone message asking her to help with Baker today.
She had been out of town in The Dalles ,
working on a rental she and Dick own. They let Baker out while we were en
route. It made for a less anxious trip home. Once we got home we went to Wendy
and Dick’s to pick Baker up and to visit. I took my calendar to ask for help on
days we can’t be here, like Monday when we head to Olympia to see my eye surgeon and the 15th when I have my surgery.
We both were exhausted when we got home. It was hot today
and I think both of us are more stressed than we realize. I rested in bed for a
bit then we made a simple omelet supper and watched the news. I think today was
my second day out of bed since my surgery. I see how I can get into the trouble
I was warned about: you feel great so you do things you shouldn’t be doing.
DUH! Bingo, just what I did today.
July 4, 2015
We said today we would just rest. Here is how we rest: we
picked raspberries before breakfast, had breakfast then Ron went out to work on
the duck compound, trying to make it more secure from unwanted birds who get in
and peck the eggs. I showered, cleaned two bathrooms and swept the house. Damn
I am hard headed. I wore myself out and did rest the rest of the day. I even
took a nap and slept deeply.
July 5, 2015
We returned to the condo to unpack boxes. Ron went to the
storage unit to get another load and I worked quickly trying to empty as many
as possible. Some were easy with blankets, pillows and such and some were
tedious. I unpacked two large suitcases that we had packed for Mexico . I
decided the goal was to get the boxes emptied and out of the condo so we had
room to work. I literally dumped things into the kitchen drawers and shoved
things into the cabinets with no particular order. We can organize later. The
kitchen is so small, a fraction of what I had for the last 20 years so there
will be some major adjustments there. I feel the pressure of my July 15th
surgery date and want to get us as settled as possible before then because I
don’t know what restrictions I will have post surgery. I will find out more
tomorrow when we drive to Olympia
and see my doctor. Fortunately our son David is flying out to help us. He
arrives on Wednesday and leaves way early on Sunday. The extra help will be
terrific.
Our friends Rick and Ellen came over to a brief visit since
we don’t have any furniture to offer anyone a place to sit. They arrived a
little before Ron returned from the unit. When he got back, he suggested we all
grab a bite to eat. That was great because it forced us to take a break and
gave us more time for our visit. Afterwards, we came back and unpacked more
boxes and tidied up, taking flattened boxes and paper to the recycle bins in
the basement.
July 6, 2015
Off to see the wizard. We got up and Ron has been showing me how to take care of the geese/ducks in case he needs to stay in town during our
move into the condo. We also anticipate that he and David will spend Saturday
night in town since David has a VERY early flight out on Sunday.
We think our drive to Olympia
will take two or so hours from Portland and want to make a stop in Vancouver on the way. We anticipate getting
home late since my appointment is at 4:15 and I have a page of questions to ask
regarding the surgery. I am hopeful that I will calm down a bit afterwards. I
have some anxiety regarding how I will be able to function after the surgery as
it relates to our move into the condo. I am assuming I won’t be able to do much
so currently I am in a hyper mode. Imagine that? Anyone who knows me (us) knows
we call ourselves hyper active adults but in these circumstances we shift into
overdrive! As I look at the calendar I
am limited between now and the surgery in terms of getting into town and
getting things done.
We left at 11:00 to make a stop in Vancouver
then head on up to Olympia
for us to meet with the eye surgeon. He had suggested that we talk before the
surgery so I would fully understand what was involved. His practice is in Olympia three weeks a month and in Portland one week a month.
I asked Ron to come with me so he could take notes. I had
prepared a long list of questions and knew I would not be able to retain
everything. The drive was quicker than we had anticipated and we arrived over
an hour early for the appointment. So we treated ourselves to a Starbucks
coffee and sweet treat. I walked around the shaded parking lot because I really
do not like long spells of sitting. It was around 2:30 when we arrived. Then we
read in the car until time to go in.
Dr Samples is a great guy and very easy to talk to. He
explained the procedure: I will have cataract surgery and glaucoma surgery. My
cataract is unusual in how dense and small it is. With the glaucoma surgery he
will create a canal to help reduce the pressure build up which can destroy my
vision. For a few days afterwards I will just be lying around and doing much of
nothing…not my strong suit. I will be wearing a patch...arrrrgh. Each person is unique but as a guide for two
weeks I will not be able to bend my head below my heart, strain or lift
anything over five pounds. I will be checked after the surgery each day for
three days then weekly for one or two weeks, then monthly for six months then
quarterly for the rest of the year. After that it will be every six months. If
all goes well it appears we can move to Mexico but I will need to leave
every six months for a check up. I am not making reservations yet for Mexico !
There are risks associated with the surgery. There can be
bleeding, hemorrhaging and infection. He said he has ‘never lost an eye’. He is
quite conservative, cautious and he is adamant about adherence to the
restrictions. None of this is overwhelming but I do have a difficult time
lazing around. I will have no choice about this though as losing an eye is very
serious business. It is best that we stay out at Parkdale because being in the
condo I would want to be doing things. The drawback is the three hour round
trip. It has gotten somewhat onerous for us. When we were invited here to
recuperate from the hysterectomy I didn’t know I would be having eye surgery
too! Nor did we know we would be buying a condo after we moved in here. Such is
life.
We got home at 9:00 road weary. I walked down to the
neighbors and fetch our charming dog Baker. I think he was glad to be home
after spending the day with a teenager dog that runs circles around Baker. We
went to bed at 11:00 because Ron wants to leave early for Portland to meet the movers.
July 7
Ron and the movers got going around 11:00 and were loaded by
1:20. They wrapped up around 5:00. A lot of our things are still in the storage
unit but half of what is stored are Ron’s shop and tools. We left all the
artwork for now and other things that we can bring over ourselves as we have
room. I stayed home but got reports throughout the day.
July 8
David arrived at 11:30 from NYC. He started his day at 4:30.
We ran errands including grabbing a bite to eat. Then we worked at the condo
for about two hours. By 4:00 we needed to leave and get back here for Baker. He
can go about eight hours then he needs to be let out.
I must have overdone it (duh) because at 8:00 PM I asked Ron to
feed the geese and ducks so he could take me to the ER in Hood River
So I behaved today and stayed home and in bed all day until
time to make a simple supper. Ron and David worked all day and go a lot done.
Ron seemed pleased with the progress.
Today I got a call saying St Vincent ’s
Hospital requires patients to have had a physical prior to surgery and it has
to have been within the last 30 days. Guess what? I was past the time limit so
the eye clinic called my doc’s office and they said they could get in tomorrow
at 7:45. We will need to get up at 5:30 and drive for about 1.75 hrs to get
there on time with the morning traffic. Then I have a hair cut and manicure
scheduled for later in the morning in Vancouver .
I will need to come straight back from that to let Baker out. OY, I will be
thankful when all this is behind me and we are just hanging out at our cool
condo! There is light at the end of this tunnel. The temps have been in the mid
90’s to the low 100’s for weeks but today it dropped into the 80’s and there is
a breeze. What a difference. This is so much more typical of our usual weather
this time of year.
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