Jana's First Eye Surgery

First order of business is to let you know that Jana had her eye surgery yesterday (Wednesday).  She is doing fine.  She had the cataract in her right eye removed.  She cannot drive at all now because of the problem with her left eye.  She cannot wear her glasses any longer and won’t be able to until she has her left eye repaired.  That one not only has a cataract, but also a hole in her retina. 

Meanwhile, I am her nurse, cook, driver, etc. It’s a good thing I am here because she cannot see too well.   Now we are spending our days putting eye drops in her eyes (she is able to do this) and keeping a chart of when we do that (that’s my job).  We were both surprised that she didn’t have any eye protector put on the eye that had surgery.  She just has to wear one when she goes to bed.  The most frustrating thing that Jana is going through is that she can’t read.

Next surgery is May 9^th. 

The week before surgery we met Arlene, Jim and Sharon at Ron’s Roost for supper.  We then went to Jim and Sharon’s for dessert.  Jim left for a Parish Council Meeting which meant we basically had a girl’s night of talk and laughter.  Had a great time.

Wednesday Jana went to her primary care doctor for her pre-surgery checkup.  Everything was fine.  Thursday we went to St. Al’s and met with Father Mike for her to receive the Blessing for the Sick.  We had a nice visit with him also.

Other than that it was a typical week.  I made a few phone calls.  I still have a few more to make.  We read, watched the NASCAR races, and other favorite television shows. 

Today I am doing my laundry.  Tomorrow Jana goes to her eye surgeon for a checkup.  Then we are going to Walgreen’s to pick up my prescription, Kroger for groceries and Wassler for lunchmeat.  

Time Flies When You Are Having Fun

Another week has gone by quickly.  We have been out and about every day.

Monday I met with my financial advisor at Fifth Third.  I had plenty of business to take care of since I probably won’t be back for another trip this year.  All is well.

Later that afternoon we went to Brian and Tracy’s for a visit and supper.  Samantha was also there.  Bradley and Brianna also came for supper.  It was really nice seeing everyone.  Brianna called Steven so we were able to say hi to him.  He is still in Hawaii.  Brian and Tracy still have two dogs (Precious and Bella), Samantha has Tyson and Brianna and Bradley have Ziggy.  They were all busy running around.  We spent a good part of the evening visiting with all of the family (including the dogs).  We had a great time.  We had pizza from Domino’s for supper.  I drove home.

Tuesday I did my laundry, and not much else.  Jana’s washer and dryer is in the basement and after all the trips up and down I was tired.

Wednesday we took Aunt Betty to lunch at Friday’s.  We had a very nice visit with her.  She is in her early nineties now and is getting a little forgetful, but other than that she is doing fine.  After lunch we visited with her at her apartment for a short time.  She has a very nice place at Llanfair Assisted Living Home.

Wednesday we went to Fleming Jewelry.  Jana picked up her ring that she had repaired.  She also took a gold bracelet that she didn’t wear and used that to pay for her ring.  She will also get some money back.  I took the diamond charm that Jim bought me.  It has the diamond from my engagement ring. I purchased a gold necklace so I can wear it.  It is to be worn as a necklace but I didn’t have a chain for it.  We will pick it up next week.  When we left there we went to American Traders in Cheviot.  I had a ring I wanted to sell because I can’t wear rings any more since I have such bad arthritis in my hands.  Anyway, they gave me a good deal so I sold it to them.

We went to Skyline for supper.  We met Kevin and Renea, and Mark and Sandy, there.  Kevin and Renea came to Cincinnati for a memorial service for her dad which was to be held on Friday. He was a cook for the nuns at Notre Dame in Kentucky, and they had a Mass for him.  They also had a small get-together after Mass.  We actually had a lot of fun.  Kevin and Renea also brought my mail with them.

Then there is Friday.  First stop was 9:00 a.m. at Fifth Third Bank.  I had to pick up several certified checks.  One was for Rosenacker Funeral Home to pay for my funeral.  One less thing for the boys to worry about.

Then we met Ginger at Cheddar’s at noon for lunch.  We always have fun when we get together.  We are planning to get together one more time before I go back to Alabama.

Next it was a meeting with Kurt Rosenacker to give him the check to pay for my funeral.  He is such a nice young man.  Anyway, that’s all taken care of now.

Heard from Kevin when we got home.  He wanted to stop over and pick up a few things he needed to take back with him.  Since we were going to be home for the rest of the day/evening we told him to come on over.  We had a nice visit with him.

That was it for the day.  We had a light supper.  Watched some television and went to bed.

Saturday was Mass and then we went to LaRosa’s for supper. 

Now we are resting up for next week.

Getting Organized

It’s another busy week.  Monday I spent some time on the phone and made several appointments.  I still have several things to do when I come to Cincinnati.  Then in the afternoon we went to Barnes and Nobel (I bought seven books of which only one was on my list).  From there we went to Frisch’s and met for supper with Jana’s camping group.  There were seven couples there, and only two of them still camp.  I drove home since Jana has trouble seeing when it gets dark.

It rained most of the night with plenty of thunder and lightning.  This morning it was still raining, but it has stopped in our area now.  The bad thing is the sun is out and we are expecting storms tonight.  In fact we are under a tornado watch now.  Good thing that happened was my new bed was delivered while it was not raining.  The bed really looks good. 

We were very lucky.  Did not have any severe weather although there was a lot of it around us.

Wednesday Brian stopped and secured the television so we don’t have to worry about Penny knocking it over.  He also picked up the wine I brought him.  I found out that with the new medicine I am taking for my fibromyalgia and arthritis I cannot drink ANY alcohol.  Other than that Jana and I didn’t do much. 

We are trying a new way to keep Penny upstairs at night and when we are gone.  I hope this works because I hate shutting her in one room.  We are using a taller baby gate, and hoping that she won’t climb or jump over it.  So far it has worked the past two nights.  Now we just have to try it when we leave during the day.  I think she thinks the upstairs is hers and is her safe place.  She only seems to come downstairs to get me when she is hungry or at night when it is time to go to bed 😊

Thursday we went to the Ford place and Jana had her oil changed. 

Other than that we have been reading, dot-to-dotting, and catching up on some programs that we recorded. 

Of course, Saturday and Sunday we watched NASCAR.  Saturday we usually don’t get to see all of the race because of going to Mass.  But, that’s okay because Sunday is the important race.

It’s been a good week.

I Have Arrived

Hi y’all.  I am in Cincinnati now.  Kevin brought me here this past Wednesday.  We had a very tiring trip.  Traffic, especially trucks, was very heavy.  We also had several times where we came to almost a complete stop.  Never did find out why.  Kevin unloaded the car for us, and Jana and I took everything upstairs.  Kevin then left to stay with Mark.  Jana and I had supper.  Almost immediately Penny went behind the television and tried to jump on top of it.  The way Jana’s is set up I could not move anything to get behind the television to get her out so I asked Jana for a broom.  Penny does not like brooms apparently because she took off.  She tried once again to go behind there, I used the broom, and she hasn’t done it since.

Jana had put up baby gates everywhere to keep Penny out of places she doesn’t belong.  She put one at the bottom of the steps going upstairs to keep Mattie from going up and eating Penny’s food.  Penny knocked the gate down.  Jana put one across the door to the basement because last year she figured out how to open the door.  Now this worked last year.  However, this year she figured out if she got on top of Jana’s one storage chest she could get behind the gate.  We caught her because “Mattie told on her.”  It was a good thing because she was working on getting the door open.  If she got into the basement we would never find her. 😊  Of course, Mattie and Penny picked up right where they left off – chasing each other all over the place.

Jana and I spent Thursday spending money.  I bought a mattress, springs and bed frame for the bedroom upstairs.  It’s a double bed.  I also bought sheets, etc.  I normally slept in a twin size bed, and it was not very comfortable. The new bed will be delivered on Tuesday.  We had lunch at Skyline.  We went to Kroger to pick up a few items.  Then we came home and collapsed. 

Friday morning Jana and I picked up my income tax.  I had them done by the same place that took care of my taxes last year.  Then Friday afternoon we went to Good Friday services.  Then we went to Frisch’s and had fish sandwiches for lunch.  They tasted good.  I have always liked Frisch’s fish.  When we came home I ordered several prescription refills.  I use Walgreens so I can get them filled while I am here.  I do this through the internet.  I also looked up some telephone numbers and other information that I will need the next couple of days.

Saturday morning we went to Walgreens and picked up my prescriptions.  We also stopped at the mailbox to mail what I owed in taxes and Jana paid her bills.  We are being very efficient. 

This morning when I was getting dressed (Jana emptied one closet and several drawers in the chest for me to put my clothes) I went to get my jeans out of the cupboard.  Now, the closets have those folding doors on them also so they have baby gates across them.  When I opened the folding door leaving the gate in place, Penny jumped over the gate and went inside the closet.  Now, that wouldn't be a big deal, but the way the bedroom is built there is an area where the bed goes and a closet is on either side.  There is an open space between the closets that if Penny got into it we may not get her out because no one but her could fit there.  Well, there wasn’t anything I could do at this point so I left  the door open and went into the other room to get dressed.  When I came back into the room Penny was sitting inside the closet looking out through the gate.  I moved the gate and she came out.  Thank goodness she didn’t go behind the wall.

Today I am washing the bedclothes for my new bed.  Jana has been cleaning the leaves off the deck.

Hope y’all had a nice Easter.  We did.  We went to church in the morning.  Was lazy in the afternoon.  Then went to Sharon and Jim’s house for supper.  Sharon has been a friend of Jana’s since elementary school.  They actually attended all eight grades and high school together.  They have remained friends. I think that is wonderful.  Anyway, we met their daughter and her three children.  Had a wonderful meal.  We took Sharon and Jim an azalea plant and she fixed us an Easter basket.  We heard from our family.  All in all it was a really nice day.