July 2

Just finished week 10 on the waiting list.

Enjoying a beautiful, warm day today and hoping for more to come. Went to a few stores earlier and it was a zoo out there so we will be hunkering down here for the next few days! Park is almost full this long week-end.

Enjoyed our week of visitors! It was fun and a good distraction for us.

Yesterday we went to a cemetery in Kirkland to see the traveling Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall. Found our high school friend Art Waldorf’s name on it. The display was very nicely done and the volunteers were helpful. Heartbreaking that so many died so young and politics….

Bought some fresh corn, green beans, strawberries and melon at the local produce market. Makes it easier to eat healthy when there is fresh fruits and vegetables available and cheap. Mike smoked some small salmon and now has a brisket on the smoker. Might be a late dinner tonight.

Cannon update. No Change. Still too dangerous to fire in the rv park. Doing some experiments in water cannon technology. Time will tell. Will work on a new prototype next week when some of the weekend campers move on.

June 26

Still here waiting, but we had a lot of visitors this week so time passed quickly.

Betsy’s sister Mary Jo and Jerry came on Monday and left Thursday. We ate out quite a bit and had a good visit. Visited Flower World and ate at the Maltby Café which was fabulous! Also shopped at the Country Village just down the road from us. Jim, Marci and Cassie arrived Friday night and stayed until today (Sunday afternoon). We did steaks and corn on the Traeger and I made Jim a birthday cake (Grandma’s famous chocolate recipe). Had a great time and Violet loved it. She and Cassie played most of the time so she was exhausted last night! We again ate at the Maltby Café this morning for breakfast. There was a line but it didn’t take long to get seated (about 15 minutes). The food is definitely worth waiting for.

The sun was out until about 4 this afternoon. It is still warm but cloudy now. Expecting Libby to arrive in about an hour. She was in Portland for a concert and is driving up for a couple of days. Will be nice to see her.

Air cannon update. First can, empty, went out about 30’. Second can, third full of water, made it about 75 yards at 30 lbs of pressure. Subsequent cans hit the 100 yard mark, still at 30 lbs pressure. Fired a few mini tennis (dog toy) balls, and easy 100+ yards. We can’t take the risk of increasing the pressure here. A couple of spendy motor coaches are just beyond the 150 yard mark. I cannot afford the potential damage. Wish I could find an unused airfield…. ;-) Will work on the design a little. I still think I can get a can to the ¼ mile mark. Maybe some competition down the road.

We also missed the Northwood Owners Association Rally at Hot Lakes RV Park. Next year.

Not much more to tell. Need to get back on our diets soon and quit eating out so much!

June 19, 2011

Father’s Day, 2011, at Lake Pleasant RV Park. Pretty uneventful! “Father” did laundry first thing this morning and we did a bit of grocery shopping. It started out to be rainy but this evening it is just cloudy and they are predicting nice weather for the next 10 days. Our front yard here is a swamp…

The park had a pot luck yesterday evening and ‘we’ did beer brats on the Traeger. They were a hit and the gathering was small but nice.

A few weeks ago I used my debit card at Michael’s Craft store and consequently we lost $1,000 from our checking account due to someone using an ATM in California. My debit card never left my possession but they must have created a card somehow using my card number and pin. Anyway, I had to complete an affidavit stating this and have it notarized to send to our bank so they can investigate. Hope they catch the bastards! Stealing from a little old lady with bad lungs! How dare them…. The reason we believe it was Michael’s is that it was on the news that some debit card information had been compromised from their stores.

Mary Jo & Jerry will be here tomorrow for a few days with their motor home. It will be nice to spend some time with them and we are hoping the weather is nice.

Bob and our neighbor Mike have moved back into their childhood and are working on a beer/pop can cannon using compressed air. First firing will be tomorrow. Mike thinks we can launch a can at least 100’….. Bob is hoping for a quarter mile. Hopefully we won’t blow ourselves up.

Next weekend is the UCSAR summer camp/training session. Bob wants to go, but knows it cannot be. Next year.

June 10

Another week gone already! 7 weeks on the list…

Violet had ‘the works’ done yesterday at PetSmart; haircut, bath with skin treatment, teeth cleaning, ear cleaning and nails clipped. She looks really good (and smells better too!) Will probably take her every two months while we are here. Bob thinks they cut the hair on her ears a little short, but looks good.

I had a pedicure at Blooming Nails on Main Street in Bothell this morning. It was a very nice, relaxing place and I plan to go there again sometime. Found them on the Internet.

Bob decided to buy a mini Traeger at Costco. We really miss ours at home and the price was good. Makes for easy meals with meat and a salad or other veggies. Healthy too if you leave out the potatoes/pasta and bread.

The pancake breakfast on Sunday was nice. A good turnout and they had sausages, eggs, fruit and juice too. Fortunately the sun was out!!! Had a bit of rain Tuesday and Wednesday but now it is supposed to be dry for 5 or 6 days. We will see…..

We are doing well although I am using a bit more oxygen than I was a few weeks ago. Besides that I feel good and trying to stay in shape. Just have to turn up the oxygen a notch or two and I’m OK.

Miss everyone! Hope you are all having a good start of summer.

June 4

Some entertainment (expensive for someone) here today. A 40’ coach backed off the end of its pad and is up to the axle / frame in mud. Two tow trucks have tried. Didn’t even budge it. Will watch the events unfold this evening. (two tried again, together. Lucky coach owner. No apparent damage. Good Sam Tow Service paid for this one.

Turned out to be a beautiful day, in the 80’s, and we actually have the air conditioner running in the RV! Planted a cherry tomato plant in a pot outside and Bob/Violet have been around the park 4 times with the bicycle (4 miles).

I walked with Mike and Kathy for a bit in the shade. Mike is doing well and he showed me his scar (it is healing nicely). He had a steel plate ‘installed’ on Wednesday because his sternum wasn’t healing as it should and he seems to have made a fairly quick recovery from that.

I’m finishing up a big x-stitch project and anxious to get it done so I can start something else. The pancake breakfast that was supposed to happen (according to Bob) on Monday didn’t and it was a great disappointment…. But, they are having one tomorrow and I double checked this time to make sure of the day. I am down another 2 lbs. (for a total of 22) so feel I can splurge and have some pancakes!

Violet is in need of a bath and haircut so we will probably make that happen this coming week. Need to keep her coat short during the warm weather. I’m hoping to have a pedicure sometime and Bob would like a massage…. Have to pamper ourselves a bit during this long wait…

Jim/Marci/Cassie are at Detroit Lake this week-end, their first outing with their new ‘outfit’ (truck/camper/boat). Hope they are enjoying the nice weather and just wish we could join them. Someday!

Memorial Day Weekend

Another week has come and gone (5 weeks on the transplant list). It was fairly nice today and we are expecting two more days of sun before the rain returns….Will just be glad for some WARM weather if that ever happens here. Guess we should be careful what we wish for. Violet wishes it would snow.

Yesterday’s pulmonary rehab was a bit challenging and I’m not sure why. Took a walk around the RV park this afternoon and it went OK although it does require all the strength I have to get motivated to do it sometimes.

The RV park is hosting a pancake breakfast on Monday morning which we will probably attend since it is held in the yurt right near our RV site. They had a potluck a few week-ends ago but Libby and I were busy crafting and didn’t feel like cooking a dish to take…. There will be many more of those during the summer I’m sure.

Mike (our RV neighbor) is doing well and healing nicely. It is great to see him out and about with no oxygen and his color is good. He is now 3 ½ weeks post double lung transplant.

May 20

Didn’t blog last week… Bob and Violet took a trip home, leaving Friday and returning on Monday (750 miles RT). My friend, Libby, spent those days with me and we had a great ‘girl’ week-end; shopping, crafting, watching movies and eating. It was a nice break from our routine for all of us. Violet loved being home and RUNNING all over the yard. She is pretty confined here and has to be on a leash at all times so she misses her freedom. Bob got some necessary chores done and had dinner at Mamacita’s with Richard.

We are finally experiencing some warm sunny weather!!! Hope it will last a few days at least. Have therapy tomorrow morning and maybe do a little shopping. Violet (Bob) has training on Saturday. Seems like there is always something to do which makes the days go by fairly fast. Have hope that our wait will not be too long. I have only been on the list 4 weeks and the average wait time is 3 months… We try not to think too much about it and just live our life in the moment. Sometimes I feel like I have stepped out of one life into another with the only constant being Bob and Violet. A strange feeling…. Everyone we see and talk to on a daily basis we have only just met and nothing is familiar except for the personal items in the RV. Even the RV is new!

Bob keeps busy with various little ‘projects’ and I keep busy with knitting, x-stitch and reading. We watch movies too.

May 6:

Had my first pulmonary rehab. session today and it was quite extensive. An hour of weight exercises and then an hour of machines. They want you in the best shape possible going into surgery so I will be going 3 times a week to the NW Therapy Center. Came home today and had a nap and sure I will be sore in the morning!
Jim, Marci and Cassie are coming to visit tomorrow and will stay through Sunday. It will be great to see them and Violet needs a good romp with one of her favorite people (Cassie). Supposed to continue to rain until onday….

Bob is going to build some wooden steps for the RV next door. Mike got ‘new’ lungs on Tuesday of this week and will be coming ‘home’ in about 10 days. He will need something more substantial than the metal steps that come with the RV… Bob is planning to build some for me also. The construction work will keep him busy. Mike is doing well and learning to breath all over again. He is 44 and has cystic fibrosis and was in much worse shape than I am. We were very excited when he got the call!

Our RV is comfortable, we keep busy and the days just go by… Bob is attending Rotary meetings in Monroe. Noon club with great lunches and nice people. Atmosphere reminds him of the La Grande Sunrise Club.

April 29

Another week of waiting. Attended two support groups for both lung transplant and then one specifically for IPF. Then Bob attended a third one that is just for caregivers. All were very educational. Biggest issue fot attending any kind of event at UW Med Center is 'parking'.  Seems like for anything it is $9-15.  We can easily spend $40+ a week just on parking. 

Spent some time getting to know our neighbors. He is also awaiting transplant and needs two lungs. They are from Idaho.

We had dinner with a couple who had lived in La Grande several years ago and he was a transplant recipient last fall. Great evening with them and we learned a lot. One issue is Violet. We need to make better short term arrangements for her.

Betsy is starting pulmonary rehab next week, probably 3 times a week, which includes a treadmill and other exercise equipment at the Northwest Therapy Center. Need to be in the best shape possible going into the transplant. It appears that women are on the waiting list longer than men. Not sure why that is unless it has to do with lung size….

Purchased a cheap BBQ at Wal-Mart so if the weather EVER gets decent we can cook outside for variety. Bob had fun putting it together, all 400 pieces!!! The days seem to be going by fast and we do keep busy. Sun is shining as we send this but no telling for how long.  Might grill some brats tonight.

April 22

As of this afternoon I’m LISTED. … The RN in the transplant office said I am fairly high on the list and that my compatibility level is at 15% which means I am only NOT compatible with 15% of the population. She said 15% is VERY low and almost to a point of not mattering. They will do another blood draw in a month and do additional testing.
The sun is out today and Grandpa has shorts on. He was washing the RV! Still a bit cold to my liking but I’m planning to walk soon. Grandpa and Violet have signed up for training at PetSmart starting tomorrow afternoon. It is once a week for 6 weeks for beginner training and it will be good for both of them. Bob really needs the training..