CuRVWander

Cyndee's surgery went as planned.  She went in on Wednesday morning this week and I brought her home by the afternoon on Thursday.  Doctor's instructions were clear - no lifting, nothing strenuous, no driving, no traveling for two weeks.  She has a follow-up visit scheduled in ten days and we hope the doctor will give us the go-ahead to get on over to Texas. But Cyndee has not wasted any time in trying to push the limits of doctor's instructions.  She is already stir-crazy and I have had to give her the stink-eye a couple times to keep her from trying to do things she should not. I have been trying to make good use of the time.  The night before Cyndee's surgery I went over to a friends house and used his stuff to polish the headlights on Putt-Putt (the PT Cruiser).  They had almost become opaque but now, thanks to Chuck, they look great.  I will be taking Putt-Putt to a detailing shop early next week to get it all cleaned and shined up for a trip...

With our departure on hold until after Cyndee recuperates from surgery (which is now scheduled in three days), we are finding we have time to indulge ourselves with a little entertainment.  This Memorial Day weekend we got in a movie (the new Star Trek, we both loved it), a drive to the lake (at it's highest level in the 23 years we have been here), some shopping at the Outlet Mall, and a bar-b-que at our daughter and son-in-law's.  And the holiday weekend still has one day left in it. Got the missing mudflap on Big Gulp replaced too.  Not entertaining to me but maybe the neighbors got a giggle out of Cyndee and I crawling under and into the wheel well while trying to get that rascal lined up, drilled and bolted in. The bracket along the top was a sheet metal support.  In a past life I worked sheet metal and knew to wear hand protection but I figured I would be okay for this little job. I figured wrong.  In just one move I lost hide on four fingers.  ...

Our change in schedule is starting to take shape.  Cyndee's surgery is now set for next week.  That will put us in Livingston about two and a half weeks later than planned.  I have been working the phones and websites trying to sort out the things I can do in advance of going to Texas.  There are a few and I have started the wheels turning on those.  But there is plenty that you just have to be there in person to do, like get a safety inspection done on the vehicles and taking driver license tests. Thursday was Cyndee's last day on her job.  When she opened the door and walked in, I shrank.  I could tell by the red, puffy, watery eyes that the water works had been flowing.  And it did not stop with getting home, in fact it probably came up a notch or two.  Nearly burned through a whole box of tissues.  I guess her take on retirement is a little different than the average. Now with a few extra days, I am making use of them.  We l...

As part of the lifestyle of fulltimers there has to be a way to manage medical needs.  We are lining up volunteer positions all over Texas and Arizona that carry us through the next 14 months so there is a bit of a logistics problem to get the routine doctor visits in so that prescriptions can be filled.  We will rarely be anywhere near the same doctor's office at any of the six month intervals required for blood work.  So, we are seeing all doctors, and dentists we need to so that we have the maximum amount of time we can get to find the next doctor's offices that will work with us. That was going great, until yesterday.  At Cyndee's OB/GYN visit it was discovered that the surgery to repair prolapsed organs this time last year did not "take".  She is now getting appointments arranged for a second surgery.  The doctor has been great, he understands what we are doing and has committed to getting Cyndee in as quickly as possible so that she can start h...

Taking a shower in our condo on wheels can, on some days, be spectacular and today was one of those days.  Centered directly over our shower is a large, rectangular skylight.  Today, for the first time in awhile, we had a bright blue sky and the 80' plus tall oaks flanking either side of where we are parked have just put on a brand new canopy of leaves.  Looking out the skylight this morning with puffy white clouds drifting by the panorama of blue and green was stunning.  What a great start to great day.  Happy Mother's day to all you moms. I may have retired last week but I sure have not stopped working.  If any of you folks reading this have been considering buying an RV and a salesman has been telling you that their rig is built in such a way that it is practically maintenance free, RUN!!  If you care about your equipment and want it to look good and last, then there is plenty of maintenance to do no matter how it is built. A good part of t...

It has been one heck of a couple of weeks. My last day in the office was Friday, five days ago. Technically, I am on vacation until June but the reality is, I'm done. No more going back to the office, airport security checks, getting on a plane, passing through customs with jet-lag so bad you don't even know what country you are in, and staying in countless hotels. It's over and I will not miss any of the things mentioned, but, and it is a big but, I am having separation anxiety about leaving some really great people behind. The folks I worked with were smart, funny, innovative, dedicated and just genuinely nice people. I am not particularly excited about parting their company, but it has to be. There is a great adventure ahead for Cyndee and I and it begins now. So, since my last post it has been a plethora of phone calls, cards, emails and personal visits from friends all around the world. The kind words and gestures that have been extended to me has been stunni...