Kidney

 July 14, 2019
I don't know exactly when this all started, but I felt some pain in my back, thinking that I pulled a muscle or strained myself somehow. I would favor my right side when sleeping, but could sleep on my left side if I was in the right position.  I felt a dull pain, but nothing that I was overly concerned about. Towards the end of our Ireland/Scotland trip I felt a small growth on my left lower back. I made an appointment to see Dr. Gudamaraj on July 19.  She didn't seem overly concerned and asked if I bumped or injured myself in some way; I did not.  She ordered an ultrasound for Friday the 21st.  The results were negative.  Next, she ordered an MRI which was scheduled for July 2?. I needed to give a lot of medical information, which included a stent that was put in some years ago. A few days before the MRI I got a call from scheduling to get more information about the stent, like what was the model number. I said that was the most ridiculous question that I ever heard.  How would I have that information?  I pulled up my spreadsheet and gave her the exact date and doctor that did the procedure, 9/7/2008?  Still they would have to reschedule, but this time at St. Luke's on July 9th.  By this time the small growth had more than doubled in size, was red and very painful. I was in pain driving when I put pressure on my left side; I sat with a pillow on my right side to ease any pressure on my left.  I had no ambition, and just was idle most of the day.  Only Peter knew of my condition and he was alarmed when he saw the growth. 

Usually it takes a couple of days for the radiology results to get to the doctor, then the patient. At 9:00 am on Wednesday, the day after the MRI, Dr. Gundamaraj called and said that I should see a urologist as soon as possible, or check into West Allis Emergency to get started with tests immediately.  The latter seemed the most sensible, so I ate a quick breakfast, got myself ready, called Heather to see if Lanie could take care of Dolly, called Jerry to look after the house and called Claude and Janice, with instructions to not inform Laura and Jay who were on a dream vacation in the UK.  

I checked into West Allis at 11:5 on July 10th. I was directed to an emergency room and put through a lot of preliminary tests that included a CAT scan.  When someone first looked at my back he said, Whoa! we don't see that too often.  The cat scan revealed that I had a fluid buildup around the kidney, a huge kidney stone and infected kidney.  I would not be leaving.  

A nurse practitioner explained what was going on and I would have to have a surgical procedure to drain the fluid and antibiotics to combat the infection.  They did that under some anesthetic before I was assigned a room.  I might have some of the sequence mixed.  I called Terry as all this was going on and she is very concerned.  I was able to order some food, barbequed chicken breast, before 7:00 pm.  I was hooked up to two drainage tubes in my back and one IV in my arm.  My back is a little painful, especially trying to sleep.  I was monitored frequently all through the night.

July 11, 2019
I had problems getting in and out of the bed with these tubes iny back.  Meal service is very strange.  We can call 3663 from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm and order from various items in the menu.  It takes about 45 minutes for our tray to be delivered.  Toast is barely brown and limp.  I didn't have much if an appetite.  Lunch wasn't much better, with grilled ham and cheese barely grilled.  An infection specialist came and said that I had a very serious infection and should be much sicker than I am.  Everyone is amazed at how well I'm doing with that infection. I'm very closely monitored, but am able to move without as much discomfort.  Other than the needles in my back, I have no other pain.  I received Holy Communion.

Friday, July 12.
More of the same basic routine.  A nurse practitioner associated with the urologist came to see me to prepare me for what the urologist would tell me, that my kidney is so infected that it would have to be removed.  That was a shock. I called Claude, but not Janice because she was planning to come for a visit.  I was surprised when Claude came first.  Janice came with Brad before picking up some things from my house.  Janice brought some red grapes.  Janice was extremely concerned about the surgery and would like to grill the doctor about other options. My nurse took Janice's number and said she would have the doctor call her when he comes to see me.  

Saturday, July 14
Dr. Kadalac came to see me and he made a three-way call with Janice.  He told us that my left kidney is non-functional and I'd either have to live with a drainage tube which would limit my mobility or have the kidney removed and I could have a normal life.  He said that it's a very serious surgery with risks, with possible fatality.  He was very thorough, and I think Janice is satisfied that I am making the right decision.  My IV wasn't working, so they had to find another vein.  I was like a pincushion with all the probing and poking they did. They could see a vein, but it would roll away. It took a few people to finally find the right spot.
I spend most of the day reading, very little TV.  I'm in a very quiet corner room.

Sunday, July 14, 2019
My IV was causing some problems because it is in the crook of my elbow and I shouldn't ben my arm when it's connected.  But I get the antibiotics for only 30 minutes at a time.  A Eucharistic Minister from Blessed Sacrament gave me Holy Communion; naturally he knew the Zienteks.  
The plan is for me to go home tomorrow and will be getting nursing care until my surgery is scheduled.
Janice called either Saturday or Sunday suggesting that the surgery didn't seem urgent and I should wait until Laura, Claude and she were with me for this serious surgery.  I said that I would discuss it with the surgeon.  Had a hard time sleeping wondering how I'll manage with these tubes hanging down, and will I survive the surgery.

Monday, July 15, 2019
A very confusing morning. I am scheduled for discharge today. The urologist nurse practitioner told me what would be happening and it looked like surgery wouldn't happen for a few weeks, which would be good news for Janice who wanted it later.  Then shortly after the infection specialist came and said he would like it to be sooner instead of later.  He explained the different procedures to me, but now wanted to confer with the urologist to see what's the best way to proceed.  My daily visiting doctor was also in the room, Dr. Takele.  Then Dr. Tamale talked to me privately and said the CAT scan showed a mass around my liver and gall bladder and they don't know what that is. When I get to St. Luke's they will so another scan.  It might be a tumor.  The blood just drained all the way down with that news.
I had more scheduling and rescheduling.  It looks like we will be sticking to the original plan with Dr. Kadilac. I had another tube inserted to take the place of the other IV.  It was done in the room by Monica under sterile conditions.  It was rather painless.  The social worker came to go over my home care options. The co-pays would be $200. a week, plus medicine, and she couldn't begin to put a price on that. I opted for outpatient care, which means I would have to drive to West Allis Hospital every day.

July 24th, 2019

Janice and Brad were in Eagle River and always manage to get together with Jim and Carol, also Rodney and Mary.  Janice asked me if I could tell them of my medical problem and I said that she could.  Rod didn't waste any time by suggesting that I get a second opinion.  He would contact someone at Froedert, Dr. Peter Langenstroer if I would like to do that.  I gave him my name and birth date and the process was started.

August 8, 2019  Second Opinion

Claude met me at Froedert to meet with Dr. Langenstroer.  I had the preliminary test on vitals before an assistant talked to me, then Dr. L.  He said that the treatment I was getting was excellent and that I was making good progress.  He also gave me another option.  I could have a drain put into my kidney to see if it produces urine; that also involves a bag.  If it produces enough urine, the kidney may not be that far gone.  After that the kidney stone that is the cause of all my problem would have to be removed surgically.  If the percentage of urine would determine how salvageable the kidney is.  Otherwise, it would have to be removed.

August 15, 2019 Nyphsostomy

I was check on at Froedert by noon and prepped for my procedure. One of the original tubes was not positioned correctly and wasn't doing an effective job.  One tube was removed and another inserted.  It was not painless, a lot of pushing and probing.
I'm in a recovery room getting the best of care.  My blood pressure was getting on the high side, which was of some concern, but eventually stabalized.  Other vitals were all good.  I did not have any pain following the procedure,  was able to eat and sleep well.  I t seems that all I want to do is sleep, and even after sleeping so much during the day, I sleep soundly at night, even with the interruptions to checm vitals.

1. I was scheduled to go home on Friday, but when I got up to go to the bathroom my nurse had to steady me because I was losing my balance.  I felt slightly feverish for a short while and it was verified.  A couple of meds came and said that I needed to stay a couple more days.  Then I was moved to a regular patient room on the 9th floor with a nice view.  Aides helped me walk holding a belt, and I took a short walk in the hall.  Janice and Brad came to visit after Colin's baseball game.
2. During the night I went to the bathroom a couple of times with no problem.  By morning, I was told I could be discharge.  Because this is a teaching hospital there is a parade of people in and out of the room and checking vitals and my back.  Unfortunately,  the left kidney is not producing urine, absolutely none.  The discharge went very slowly, with all the directions to prepare.  Finally I was wheeled directly to my car.  I drove to West Allis to make my future appointments,  but Out Patient was close

 August 19, 2019  Cardiologist

On one of my recent visits to Dr. Gundamraj I said that I was short of breath.  Shr recommended an ultrasound of the heart and to see a cardiologist.  She also gave me a prescription.  Since I've been om antibiotics,  I'vs noticed that my breathing is easier and I can do more things.  So I figured my problems were all related to my kidney infection. 
I had my IV treatment, but the bags and dressing of the tubes is my responsibility.   Terry keeps offering to help, so here's her chance.
I had my appointment with Dr. Kostopoulis at St. Luke's and the report wasn't very good. He was able to pull up my ultrasound that was never forwarded to to Gundamraj and showed me the irregularities that he was seeing.  I have some heart problems and he would like to do a special procedure, some catherization to thread a line from my wrist to my heart, but I don't remember what that's supposed to do.  The doctor recommended having a family member accompany me on my next visit in four weeks.  This could also determine if my heart could survive the kidney removal operation.  He said that I should be taking Ensure to increase my protein, because lack of protein causes fluid to build up around the heart.

 

 

 

 

The Wheels of Justice Need Oiling

 April 8, 2019

I was summoned for jury duty today and tomorrow.  I left my house at 8 00 am, but could have allowed extra time for rush hour traffic, parking and security.  Another woman asked me directions and we ended up asking a man who led us on our way.  There was a long line through security, then to the jury assembly room where we checked in and found a seat.  There were a number of jury rooms where some of us watched the information on TV: how important we are, how grateful the county is for our service. etc.  

After some waiting a group of about 25 people were called along with a number.  In the hall, there are  numbers on the floor and each person stands on his/her respective number.  I got called along with 15 others about 11:00 am.  A sherriff took us to Judge Dugan's courtroom where we waited in line until we were admitted.  I'm  Juror 9 and sat in the second seat of row 1. This was going to be a two-day civil trial where only six jurors and one alternate were required, and the decision did not need to be unanimous. We were asked many questions and raised our hands if our answer was affirmative.  The judge said the next group of questions would take longer than 15 minutes, so we were given instructions for lunch and court would resume at 1:30 PM. I walked to the museum to get my parking ticket validated.  I could have gone through the museum and it would have been shorter.   It was a beautiful, sunny day.  I had a hot dog with my water and found my way back.

We assembled after 1:00 PM until someone opened the door to the jury room.  We didn't get summoned until after 2:00 PM and waited again almost 15 minutes to get into the courtroom. The questions continued followed by each of us standing, giving our name, marital status, children and their ages, occupation, where we live and our hobbies.  Next the prosecuting attorney asked a series of questions to one I answered that our drunken driving laws are too lenient, especially for repeat offenders.  Some other jurors concurred with my remarks.  Then the defense attorney asked his questions and singled me out about how I felt about first offenders.  I thought first offenders should be given some consideration.  When the questions were over, the attorneys and judge went into her chambers and stayed there for about 15 minutes, with instructions that we weren't to talk among ourselves.  When they came back, the attorneys passed the jury list back and forth, where each would strike out jurors.   Finally the list was given to the judge who told the juror numbers to stand when called.  I was not called.  We walked back to the jury assembly room where we started our day.  I did some knitting, but it was like watching a room of zombies.  Most were on their phones, some reading magazines from the rack, others just staring in space.  No one talked to each other, with the exception of a woman who asked about Master Gardening as my hobby, and I told her about the plant sale.  One large group was called to the desk, and I was the last one called with a small group.  My jury duty is over!

I had  no trouble finding my way out, but I walked farther than I  needed to find my car.  I need to write my location.

Florida 2019

 Florida 2019

Friday, December 28, 2018

My bags are packed, just to put my toiletries in my overnight tomorrow morning.  I was relaxing, watching TV, when I remembered that I had one piece of fairy food in my china cabinet.  I took one bite and broke my front tooth.  I called an emergency dental office, but at 8:30 p.m. there was no way that they could take care of me.  The receptionist suggested that I call tomorrow morning if there would be an opening, but with no guarantee; it is a walk-in operation.  I called Peter and we will just go with my broken tooth and hope to find a dentist in Bonita Springs.

Saturday, December 29, 2018  7:56 am.  Mileage, 16216.16

We are leaving on a bright clear day towards Jefferson to have breakfast before visiting Lilly.  We stopped for breakfast at 4 Sisters in Jefferson before visiting Lilly.  Peter had a plant to give to a very frail Lilly.  We had a nice short visit and were back on the road at 10:15 am.

Driving was smooth with no incident or misdirection.  Traffic was moderate and the roads were excellent.   We stopped for gas at the Hen House Restaurant expecting the menu to be loaded with chicken dishes.  The special of the day was pot roast, and there were maybe two other items that included chicken. We each had a hardy bowl of chili that should tide us over for a while.  I drove for the next few hours until it was getting dark when Peter drove the last hour to the Candlewood Suites in Paducah.  We had trouble finding our hotel expecting a Holiday Inn logo.  It was off the road that had very little lighting.  The room has everything for housekeeping, which we put to use.  We had beer, Polish sausage, summer sausage, salad, egg, cheese and apple, with Laura's cookies for dessert.

Sunday, December 30, 2018

We were up at 6:30 am, made coffee in our room, cleaned up and packed up the car.  After gassing up, it was already 8:00 am, and since we were in a hub with plenty of food choices, we had breakfast at a Cracker Barrel.  I started driving at 9:15 am, until a gas station 2 hours later when Peter took over the driving.   57 degrees at 11:30. Driving continues to be good, with some backups near larger cities.  We were rerouted near Nashville.  We had occasional stops, alternating driving with some occasional misty drizzle, but nothing of consequence.  We are getting hungry, having had only a light breakfast, and we're both looking forward to the Mandarin restaurant we were at last year.  As we were anticipating this great meal Peter noticed a Golden Corral, but "unfortunately " we were in the wrong lane.

We got to a very nice Holiday Inn Express in Macon, GA on the bypass.  We got to our room and located the Mandarin Chinese Restaurant 17 miles away.  It was worth the trip. While we were looking over the menu Janice called; she thought we were still at home.  I started out with a dry martini and ordered pea pod shrimp; Peter had green pepper beef.  I polished mine off with just some rice to spare, which Peter combined with his take-home.  We had a very enjoyable day. 

Monday, December 31, 2018

We were up at 5:30 and were down to breakfast by 6:15. There was a nice assortment to choose from.  We are on the road at 7:15, very foggy and dark.  There was a fog advisory from Atlanta to Macon.  With the fog was light mist, just enough to put the wipers on the lowest setting.  I drove when the skies cleared with stops along the way.  Even though the temperature was high enough for a picnic, we decided to pass on a wayside picnic.  We'd have to take things out of the car and set up our lunch.  Hamburgers at McDonald's would fit the bill nicely.  We got a call from Patti that we should not arrive before 5:30 PM.  We were making very good time so we'd have to figure out how to kill some time.  We got to Publix at about 3:30, got our supplies, then drove to Doc's to have a beer for Peter and a wine for me until sunset at 5:45.

When we got to the condo, the sunset group was still out, so we had a nice reunion.  It really is nice how we are welcomed.  What a transformation in our condo:  the entire bathroom is redone and we can't use the shower for 24 hours, that's probably why they wanted us in later.  New bed spread, and I think carpeting in the bedroom. As we are unpacking we had to go on the patio to watch the fireworks, what a great show.  I'm so glad we could come in a day early. I've got champagne cooling, but no way are we going to wait until midnight to welcome in the New Year after being up since 5:30.  So we popped the bubbly and enjoyed some snacks before hitting the sack.

Tuesday, January 1, 2019

I had a very restful night, the bed is very comfortable.  We had a light breakfast of cereal, because we'd be at the brunch at 10:00 am; I thought it was 11.  Peter said that couples were already taking down platters of food, so I got busy and made a platter of summer sausage, cheese spread and crackers.  We met Tom and Patti, and a number of other people that we knew.  We sat with Colleen, her son Terry and his wife Doreen, who was very talkative about her brother stationed in Germany, her German heritage, and suggested places to go while we're here,  especially Shark Valley and Tigertail.  We started putting chairs away and cleaning up  by 11:15 am.  I looked up some dentists that I'll call tomorrow.   I wrote to Annika.  We are having trouble getting the TV to work.  I managed to get one channel and we're afraid to turn off the TV for fear of not getting started again, so it was on all night.  

I went down to the pool and was in the water for an hour before Peter came down.  It was very sunny, the water great.  I read by the pool and moved in the shade until about 4:00 PM.

  Bob came to get our TV to work and it was simply pressing the very tiny TV button, not the power button.  We were using other remotes and never would have figured out such a simple solution.  We watched the Rose Bowl game and during half time warmed up Peter's take-home Mandarin Chinese dinner, which was sufficient for both of us with rye bread, grapes, cookies and hot tea.

Wednesday,  January 2, 2019

Another beautiful day awaits us.  While Peter was walking, I answered a knock on the door where two men offered us a doughnut, a very large piece of bakery; one of the men was John.  After an omelet with vegetable, yogurt with banana and a piece of the bakery, I called and was able to get an appointment at Pelican Landing Dental tomorrow at 8:50 am.  It is some distance away, and Peter suggested we ask Janet the manager if she could suggest a dentist when we pay our condo fee.  She made a suggestion, I called, left a message, called back and they could take me on Friday.  I'll keep my original appointment.  I spent time in and out of the pool on a gorgeous day.

Thursday,  January 3, 2019

We were at Pelican Landing Dental early to complete paper work.  The facility is very large with many dentists, receptionists and staff.  After the hygienist took X Rays, Dr. Eric assessed my damage and gave me some options of what should be done; I did not choose the implant for $7000, which would extend a couple of months of treatment.  I would need a root canal and fortunately the specialist was in today, if I cared to stay.  I definitely wanted to proceed.  We had breakfast at Early Start which confirms my aversion to having breakfast at a restaurant.   It was noisy and the Belgian waffles were soggy.  We had plenty of good coffee and water and good service.  We were back for the root canal at 11:20, with a lot of assurances that it should be no problem.  I had excellent attention and felt no pain.  We were leaving about 12:30.

We swam and stayed at the pool until it was time to drive to Lovers Key State Park for some music on the beach.  We parked and walked some distance to where a tram took us down to the beach where a large number were gathered.  We found a picnic table and Peter bought a couple of hot dogs while we listened to blue grass/folk music.  We watched the sunset, then walked back to the tram.  It was a nice little outing.

Friday, January 4, 2019

We have the most useless coffee maker.  The water doesn't flow through or else spills on the counter.  Peter thought he had figured it out, but we still had water/coffee messing up the counter.  We are planning to buy a different one.

Spent time in the pool on a sunny, warm, breezy day.  We drove to the dental office for my 3:30 PM appointment.  Good thing it was at 3:30 and not 3:20 as I thought, otherwise we would have been late because we were  following a garbage truck and we were barely moving on our road. I was taken immediately when I walked in by Terry, who got me ready for Dr. Eric.  The injections were more painful than the previous one for the root canal; he injected in the front and back.  Then came the drilling.....very, very long.  Both Terry and Dr. Eric said that I was a very good patient and Dr. Eric appreciated how I held so still.  I got out after 5:00 PM with a temporary crown and a numb mouth.  We went to Goodwill next to Winn Dixie and  bought a 12-cup Sunbeam coffee maker for $6.00; hopefully we'll have better luck. Then we went to Mel's Diner on Tamiami and waited about 30 minutes for a table.  That place was packed.  I ordered a $3.00 martini and Bay Shrimp; Peter had blackened salmon.  Mine was very tasty.  A woman across from us, who looked almost Iranian, asked if we got corn muffins.  She gave Peter one and said he reminded her of her father.  Then she gave us two more, which were very good.  When we got home I just rested on the couch.  My mouth is rather sore.   I took a few baby aspirins before going to bed.

Friday,  January 5, 2019

I had a restful night and my tooth feels as natural as my own, with no pain or discomfort.  We had oatmeal for breakfast.  The coffee maker worked fine, but I need to use a larger filter, also the plate does not keep the coffee warm.  Peter needed to pay his AAA credit card and thought it was the bill for our trip.  I checked my AAA account and my payment was rejected again.  I called customer service and I did not enter the entire account number.  The agent put in the correct numbers and I should be all set.

We went to the Farmers Market on a cool, windy day.  We bought a pretzel and squash; I was really looking for a larger zucchini for stuffing, and a woman said she'd have one next week.  Peter used the rest room at De Romo's and came out telling me what a great place it was.  It looked like a restaurant, but it had a deli, butcher, bakery and many special foods.  We bought a shrimp salad and a kale salad. 

We were on our way home when Peter had to turn back when he asked if there was anything else we needed.  Back to Publix for a few more items. 

The wind is pretty strong on the beach, Peter closed our balcony door.  I'm doing some laundry. That shrimp salad was really loaded with shrimp, no pasta, and the kale salad was good, too.  That, together with the pretzel, was a good meal.  I watched PBS, then we watched the Cowboys beat the Seahawks.

Sunday,  January 6, 2019

Up early with French toast for breakfast.  I programmed the coffee maker last night and we had good coffee when we woke up.  Church was packed, still decorated for Christmas.

We stayed later to take pictures.  One man took our picture and another noticed that the first man held the phone crooked and offered to take a better one. 

Cool morning,  breezy. The air was cool, but the pool is warm, where I swam for an hour and sat in the sun.  I got a little too red.  We watched playoffs and saw the Bears lose by a heartbreaking missed field goal.  We were watching the Golden Globes, but I could not relate to the people or what films were nominated or won.  Went to bed early.

Monday,  January 7, 2019

I slept like a log, got up well rested.   It is starting out as a beautiful day. We are considering a different location for next year, perhaps Alabama; shorter travel, later in February, and not an entire month.  We were in and out of the pool.  A very pleasant day, ending with sunset.

Tuesday,  January 8, 2019 

We did shopping at Ace for some hardware to take out the squeaks in the bed frame, Dollar Store for a couple of items and Publix for more groceries, including a broasted chicken.  We were in the pool until about 3:30 when I started to fix dinner.  Our meal schedule is difficult with irregular times and trying not to eat too much.  I found some nice properties in Alabama to rent by owner.  We joined the group for a lovely sunset.

Wednesday,  January 9, 2019

A clear, cool morning,  should not get up to 80 degrees.  I made reservations for two weeks in February, 2020, for a condo in Gulf Shores, AL.  Peter played bocce ball and his side lost by one point.  It was a perfect day to go to the Naples Botanical Gardens, slightly overcast and not too hot.  It was magnificent.  There were glass sculptures throughout the gardens balancing on balls in water. 

There were many horticultural areas: Caribbean, Asian, succulents, Florida and some outlying trails.  We walked until about 1:00 PM, then stopped for lunch at the café.  We each had a salad that we ate outdoors, and then we continued to finish our visit.  The sun got hotter, but it was an ideal day.  Peter really enjoyed it also.  Peter went down for sunset, but didn't stay long; not too many there and it was cold.  I made chicken sandwiches and we played dominoes.  Peter won by one game.

Thursday,  January 10, 2019

52 degrees at 8:00 am, sunny.

Good thing we did what we did yesterday.  It's good to capitalize on the day. Got up to only 60 degrees and very breezy. I stayed in all day; Peter ventured poolside late afternoon until it was time to go to Fig's Grill for the early bird special: two entrees with a bottle of wine. Peter had lentil soup, I had Caesar salad.   Peter had pasta with meat sauce, I had linguini scampi, I took a lot of linguini home.  It is a very long evening because we ate so early.  I'm having a hard time keeping my Kindle upright, Peter is watching TV in the bedroom.

Friday,  January 11, 2019

Today looks like it will be a lot warmer than yesterday.  Alice called to play pickleball at 1:00 pm;  it really warmed up by then.  There were only the three of us, so we just practiced hitting the ball back and forth with Alice and me against Peter.   It was a good workout for an hour.  The pool was pleasant enough to be in for almost an hour, then some sunning.  I fixed a light supper of left-over pork chops, a couple of fried red potatoes,  and watermelon before joining the sunset group, it was lovely.

Saturday,  January 12, 2019

We were out of the house by about 9:15, heading to the Farmers market.  We bought a lot of nice produce; I hope not too much.  Next, we went to the tennis and pickleball store and bought fanny packs to hold pickleballs.  Alice had one and they really came in handy instead of shagging balls so frequently.  We bought a newspaper at Ace, and finished our shopping at Pubix.  After lunch we sat at the pool but didn't go in.  I made a hardy chicken salad  that we had during Divisional playoff games. 

Sunday,  January 13, 2019

Another gorgeous day.  We went to 9:30 mass and stopped off for the paper. I returned Jay's call while he was running his car at my house.  He said that Dolly craves attention and won't stop circling his feet.  He also found a brush to groom her. I wrote to Annika and read the paper. We went to the Bonita Springs Art Festival, did a lot of walking through almost all of the stands. 

I bought a cute print of a toilet roll. 

We got home just in time to watch the Saints beat the Eagles 20 - 14.  Relaxed the rest of the evening.  It was a long day.

Monday,  January 14, 2019

Very cool and breezy.  Stayed indoors all day.  Had to escape to the bedroom when Peter Skyped with Lothar. They yell like they are trying to  communicate without Skype.  Played dominoes. 

Tuesday, January 15, 2019

Bright and breezy.  Played pickleball with Alice and Deanna. Did laundry, nothing much else.

Wednesday,  January 16. 2019

Peter played bocce ball, but obviously didn't do well because he came back in a grumpy mood.  Cheryl from AAA called while he was gone and apologized for not returning my call yesterday; she said she had problems.  Peter was on hold with Walgreen's for a very long time to have his prescription refilled; we decided to drive there.  We paid the balance of our Ireland trip.  It didn't take long to get to the pharmacist at Walgreen's, but there is a delay in getting it refilled.  We picked up a free paper at Ace, but that was the last "free" one.  Peter got a battery for his watch at Batteries Plus, then almost $100 of groceries at Publix. But that included beer, coffee and spices.  I think we should be tapering off in the future.  I made a big pot of TexMex chili that should provide a few meals.  We went to the Wednesday sunset group with a bowl of grapes.  There was a nice assortment of appetizers; you could fill up if you wanted to.

Thursday, January 17, 2019

A nice sunny day, we had to remove our jackets playing pickleball with Alice and her house guest John and Deanna. The game was testy at times with Peter's criticism of my play and my deriding his score keeping.  Alice wanted no talking during play.  We had a light lunch then headed to the Six Mile Cypress Slough in Fort Myers.  We paid $3.00 for 3 hours of parking.  We joined a docent-led tour, then realized it was only for people who signed up. I went back to the starting point and got a self-guided tour booklet that explained features along the way as we went from marker to marker.  It was an absolutely perfect day for this outing.  We walked along a boardwalk that went through wetlands, ponds, various vegetation, with sightings of wildlife along the way. 

A woman spotted a black snake that most eyes would have missed. 

The trail was about 1.5 miles, very level with outlooks at various points.  People with disabilities had no difficulty.  We were there about two hours before heading to the Three Fishermen Restaurant in Fort Myers.  It was early, but we each had a drink, taking advantage of Happy Hour; I had a Margarita, Peter a beer.  We sat outdoors, and it didn't take long for the place to fill up. We finally ordered scallops for me, blackened salmon for Peter with another round of drinks.  Mine was delicious except for the beans from the can; Peter took half of his salmon in a box.  We picked up Peter's prescription at Walgreen's and were home by about 7:00 pm.

Friday,  January 18. 2019

The day started out cool.  Peter took his daily walk before breakfast, then played bocce ball.  I drove to Pelican Landing Dental for my 11:40 am appointment.  After following a garbage truck at my last appointment, I took no chances and left very early  and got there at 11:20. I was taken earlier.  The hygienist had difficulty removing the temporary crown, and was pulling pretty hard, when Dr. Heisser took over by splitting the tooth.  The new tooth feels great and smooth.  There was some cleaning up and adjusting, also an X Ray.  But I am very satisfied. 

The shuffleboard tournament was in progress when I got back.  Peter played one round and he made it to the second, after which he was eliminated. We stayed until the finals past 3:00 PM.  By that time we were both pretty hungry, but didn't know if we wanted a light lunch or a hardy supper.  We settled for chili that I thinned with some V8.  We sat at the pool until a gorgeous sunset, but didn't join the group.

Saturday,  January 19, 2019

I was dressed too warm for pickleball; I got pretty heated up playing with Alice and her friend John,  along with Peter.  It was more laid back than last time, with no harsh words.  We played for little more than an hour.  We cooled off in our condo until we went to the pool.  I was in the water for an hour.  The air was cool coming out, with the sun hidden behind clouds.  The forecast for tomorrow is much colder, so we had to take advantage of the day.

Sunday,  Jan 20, 2019

It thundered during the night and Peter got up to close the outdoor blinds; we had a little water, but not much.  The rain stopped by the time we went to church but it was still cold and very windy. 

The waves were strong and the palm trees were bending. We did a little shopping.  I wrote to Annika, continued reading Financier that I downloaded yesterday.  It took longer than I expected since I had to enter the condo's wifi code.  We watched the Rams beat the Saints, but couldn't watch the Chiefs against the Patriots because CBS was still off our system. I used Peter's leftover salmon to make a hardy salad for supper.

Monday, January 21, 2019

A very cool day, made use of it by getting a manicure.  While I was making my appointment, Tom Breyer called about arranging payment and next year.  Before he had the chance to quote the price, I told him that we are making other plans for next year.  No further discussion.  We will pay our balance at the pot luck party on Thursday.  Peter took me to my 1:00 PM appointment to K & L Nails.  The operator convinced me to get a dipping powder manicure; I had no idea what he was talking about, but it was quite a different procedure.  Instead of putting polish on my nails, he first put a clear coat and dipped each nail in powder. He repeated this with a minute under a light for each hand.  It was a very nice job.

We sat by the pool for a while in the afternoon.

Tuesday,  January 22, 2019

Pickleball with Alice and John.  I sat by the pool before lunch; it was getting too hot.  After lunch  I went in the pool. it was too cold.  I was freezing in my wet suit and went indoors.  I made Oriental Beef which took a while, but should last a couple of meals.

Wednesday,  January 23, 2019

Peter played bocce ball and seemed pretty satisfied with himself. It got to 80 degrees by 2:00 PM, just as forecast.  I went in the pool before it got that warm, and the water was cold.  We sat at the pool after lunch until we took a ride to Fort Myers Beach and dinner at Heidi's. 

 We were warned of a 26 minute traffic delay.  It took us an hour to get there in extremely slow and completely stopped traffic. Heidi's is very neat and Heidi greeted us warmly.  I had a pilsner beer, Peter had a bottle.  The special of the day was Burgundy beef with spaetzli and red cabbage, Peter had meat loaf.  There was nothing left on my plate, it was so delicious. 

We also shared a strudel and took a cup of liver dumpling soup home.  We stopped for fruit on the way home.

Thursday, January 24, 2019

Stormy morning, a good day to do laundry.  The appliances are so slow it took me most of the day to do just four loads. It cleared up as the day progressed, but we stayed in all day.  There wasn't even enough time to go a movie.  Ended the day with dominoes.

Friday, January 25, 2019

Peter played bocce  ball. I sat at the pol with my jacket on and finished my 15th cap.  I made a celery salad for tonight's January party; I was pleased with the results, even though it wasn't Laura's recipe.  I paid Tom the $3500. balance for our rental.  We had a full table with Tom, Patti, Mary, Bob, Jean, Gaspare, and a couple from New York. We were there a total of two hours. I was comfortable with long pants, double jackets and shoes and stockings, not sandals.

Saturday January 26, 2019

Pickleball with Alice, John and Deanna.  Peter was really hot in one game, but fizzled when we played together.  The day was gray all day; we stayed in.  Heavy rains are forecast for the weekend with strong winds, but Wisconsin has dangerously cold weather.

Sunday, January 27, 2019

Rain going to church, after church, all day long, sometimes heavy.  We had to keep the blinds down which made our condo dark. We did some light grocery shopping after church, keeping our pantry on the slim side so we don't have to take too much back with us.  We watched the Pro bowl game and didn't do much else.

Monday, January 28, 2019

Cold morning; too cold for bocce ball. We took a walk and my calves hurt.  We played two games of shuffleboard and I won them both.  I was having trouble pushing far enough until I discovered that I had more power by taking a longer stride with my left foot. The sun struggled to come out, but we are escaping Wisconsin's record breaking freezing temperatures. 

Tuesday,  January 29, 2019

Very calm cool day for pickleball, but we were shedding our jackets as the games progressed, last game with our group. I told them that we wouldn't be back next year. I did some personal laundry then we spent time at the pool, but it was too cool to go in the water.  We had 7:00 PM reservations at Fresh Catch, and after the slow ride we had going to Heidi's the other night, we left at 5:45 to be sure we got there on time.  As luck would have it, there were were no traffic delays and we got there at 6:00 pm.  We were seated immediately at a table with a nice view.  If we came for 7 we never would have seen the beautiful sky.  I had a martini, Peter a beer and we had a basket of very crusty warm bread with olive and basil.  Peter ordered blackened salmon,

I had scallops done to perfection. 

We shared a key lime pie with coffee.  We stopped at Publix for a pizza for tomorrow's supper.  It was a lovely day.

Wednesday,  January 30, 2019

Worked on cleaning up the kitchen.  Peter was able to get in a game of bocce ball.  We each have our big suitcases packed and ready for the car.  The sun made a feeble effort, but nothing promising, but it did hit 70 degrees. Bitter cold grips the Midwest.  MPS is still closed. Peter put the big suitcases in the car.  We joined the Wednesday Sunset group with Kaukauna cheese and crackers. We got robbed of the sunset with heavy cloud cover, but it was still pleasant.  Just about everyone knows that we won't be coming back next year.  We got fond farewells and some gave us credit for being adventuresome.  We took showers before going to bed and put the towels and other linens in the washer.

Thursday, January 31, 2019

When I got up at 5:30 am I put the wash load in the dryer.  We stripped the bedding and did that wash also.  We cleaned out the frig and all last minute packing and are in the car ready to take off at 7:40 a.m., 56 degrees. We stopped at Perkins for breakfast and waited a long time for our coffee and longer for our eggs, which were cold by the time we got them.  They made them fresh with more coffee.  Somebody's  car broke down was their excuse. We got a 20% discount off our bill.  It was almost a one-hour breakfast. Peter compared this to the breakfast we eat at home. Peter drove until the Georgia welcome center, then I drove the rest of the way. The entire trip was very good with clear skies and moderate traffic.  We got to the Holiday Inn Express in Macon, GA at 6:00pm.  We were putting our bags on the cart when Pam and her husband pulled up at the same time.  This is their regular stopover to and from St, Louis to the Florida condo.  After three tries our card didn't unlock our door, so we were given a suite at no extra charge.  We found a Mexican restaurant and ordered a fajita quesadilla to share; I had a Margarita. The dish was cut in two and I think my half had a more generous helping of beef.  I got to bed early, and didn't have the energy to open my book.

Friday,  February 1, 2019

I had a restful night, comfortable bed.  We had a pretty good breakfast and were on the road about 8:10 am., with ice crystals on the windshield. The sky is clear and bright,  traffic light, so far. We switched driving at the Tennessee Welcome Center, and I drove with some light sprinkles.  We gassed up at a Pilot in Murfreesboro, and had fish sandwiches at Arby, my first time at an Arby's and I won't repeat the experience.  Why people support these places baffles me. We stopped at an unusual visitors center in Paducah before going to our hotel.  It was a restored mansion and not the easiest to get to.

We rested when we got to our room. We almost could have walked to O'Charley's where I had a delicious bourbon and bacon filet, Peter had a sirloin. We were back in our room at 7:45.

Saturday, February 2, 2019

Topped off the gas tank and were on our way at 8:22 a.m. driving in dense fog most of southern Illinois. I took over driving once it cleared up somewhere in Illinois and in that expansive flatland dining was scarce.  Peter wanted a family restaurant and we found Woody's Family Restaurant which was just what we wanted.  We each had burgers that came with soup, and we were very satisfied.  Once we got on I 39 we shut off the GPS because now all we had to look for was I 43.  I was driving and never saw it.  We were approaching Madison....Again!  Of course, I got an earful that I shouldn't have been driving so long.  We stopped at Lake Mills and switched drivers.  We should have been home two hours earlier.

Mileage 19679.

Bill Giearach

 December 26, 2018

Peter was at my house before 11:15 to go to Bill Gierach's funeral.  I said we could walk there.  Mission Hills had hardly any cars there.  Wrong Sass!  It was the Greenfield Chapel.  We made it with time to spare with a very full room.  We had a nice section for WAUC members with a lot in attendance.  Bill did not practice any religion, but his wife Monica was Catholic. 

A Mexican priest presided whom Peter knew from the First Friday Club.  He introduced himself to the priest who said the club was still going strong.  Peter knew Peter Zientek who also belonged.  So he knew my family before I knew Peter.  The service was rather brief.  We gathered afterwards at the Xavarian Mission on 51st & Xavior Dr. for a light lunch.  Peter took me home and I didn't waste any time getting to Southridge to get my 2019 Audubon  Calendar Diary.  While I was at Southridge I got Advent candles for next year and a candle snuffer.  I did some grocery shopping at Walmart on 76th, then had a pedicure and manicure.

I had some pierogi and Polish sausage for supper.

Christmas 2018

December 25, 2018 

Claude and I made 84 pierogi in about three hours.  We even had them for lunch with Polish sausage. In all the years we've been making them I never thought of sampling them for lunch.  We'd always have sandwiches.  We had the cripples, but they were still good.  We had more splits than previous years and we can't figure the cause.

Claude washed and I dried and put away all the preparing dishes; that was a big job.  I rested in the afternoon and went to midnight mass.  The church was less than half full.  What a shame that more people didn't come to hear the lovely choir.

On Christmas Day I had a light breakfast and started putting things in my suitcase.  It's so heavy without anything in it, and I'm sure I won't wear everything, and I'll wish I had brought something else.  Time went faster than I thought before it was time to leave to pick up Peter to go to Laura and Jay's.  He was ready to go with a bouquet of flowers for Laura.  He is so thoughtful.  We got there at exactly 2:00 pm and before we got out of the car he asked why are we the first ones to arrive.  He no more than said it when Claude pulled up before us.  Then we noticed the Dorns' car already in the driveway, which is unusual because they usually arrive last.  But Janice was making hot appetizers.  She had a wonderful assortment of stuffed mushrooms with a soy sauce, vegetables in wrappers, cheesy cauliflower biscuits and cream cheese rolled in dried cranberries.  We had these wonderful appetizers with a citrus cocktail of Laura's creation. It really beat the cheese and crackers that we normally have.  We visited until it was time for me to prepare the pierogi while the beef tenderloin was finishing.  The table was set so beautifully, as it always is, but this time our silverware was in cross stitched stockings.

I usually take a group picture when we are all at the table, but that takes time while food might be cooling off.  We were still in relaxing mood so I took our picture before we were ready to eat.

Besides the pierogi, we had a celery salad, roasted tomatoes and the most tender tenderloin imaginable.  Peter said it was like butter, hardly needed cutting.  It was magnificent.

Cookies were our dessert with coffee.  Janice felt so bad because she forgot to make one for Claude.  She took a lot of ribbing, especially when he looks forward to having his with coffee that he drinks only with a gingerbread cookie.  But Jay improvised.

Every cookie that I tried was delicious, and I had some to take home.

Austrian American "Brunch"

 December 16, 2018

Before going to the brunch I took pictures of Peter's house.

Peter and I were just about the first ones at the Silver Spring Country Club for our annual Christmas brunch.  We passed out song books at each table of eight; many were musty and moldy after being in Frank's barn.  We helped ourselves to mimosas while we visited and greeted each other. One couple said how much they enjoyed the Stoughton trip and hoped I'd plan another.  Later flutes of champagne were available. There were two other groups doing the same thing we were doing.  Frank announced that there were some changes from last year, and they were very significant.  He said that the club would be getting a refund.  But that wouldn't compensate for the disappointment for everyone with the meager offerings.  In my anticipation, I planned on starting with shrimp and smoked salmon.  I usually have a made-to-order omelet.  None of these was visible.  Scrambled eggs, cubed potatoes, fruit, pastries, french toast and sausage was all there was.  There were many complaints.  I had only one helping of what was there, and didn't finish the Danish, which was cold.  I checked out the rest of the facility and it was barren.  The main dining area that had many entrees, desserts, chocolate fountain and Santa was empty.  The other groups had the same thing we had.  I met Eileen in the restroom and she would not come if Frank booked this place again, neither would we.

Doug and John led the singing with some women adding their renditions of poetry, history and song. 

We introduced Santa with "You Better Watch Out"

We didn't plan anything else for the rest of the afternoon.  I was home by about 4:00 pm and got busy looking for the Macy's bill (in recycling, where I also found my Franklin tax bill.)  I paid bills and wrote Annika while watching football.  Packers lost earlier to Chicago 24 - 14.

Bakery Tour

 December 14, 2018

Today's event was a Hop on Hop Off tour of Christmas bakeries.  I got to Holey Moley Donuts in plenty of time, but finding a parking with sufficient time was another story.  I parked in a lot, but once I started walking I was totally disoriented.  The absence of street signs didn't help.  I turned on my GPS and it told me to go west, which I didn't think was right.  I stopped a young man and he pointed me in the right direction.  It was quite cold with a biting wind.  I was on Milwaukee Street all the while and very close to Holey Moley.  As I got to the bakery I noticed that my Humane Society bag was missing.  I must have dropped it when I was fiddling with my GPS.  We were supposed to bring a bag to carry any bakery we might purchase.  The store clerk graciously gave me a small paper bag.  We had a chocolate doughnut and coffee; I emptied the carafe.  I think there were about 23 of us on the trip.  We boarded a refashioned school bus painted green with various logos; the interior was in holiday decor.  Our first stop was La Flor De Trigo Bakery, where the owner passed around a tray of their homemade potato chips.  We also took with us a colorful bread and a chocolate pig cookie.

Our next stop was National Bakery where we stood in line for a Badger ham on a roll and some cookies.  The ham is further cured by National to bring out more cloves flavor. 

En route the leader gave us various ethnic Christmas traditions, some background on the bakery we would be visiting and the changing neighborhoods.  On our way back, each of us told of our Christmas traditions, mine was making pierogi.

Our next stop was Aggie's Bakery on Greenfield Avenue, where the Austrian American Society gets there pastries for Austrian American Day.  We each got a small bag of cookies.

Our final stop was on 68th and Wells where we could walk to the neighborhood shops: Simma's for a chocolate covered cheese cake, a candy store across the street for a chocolate covered pretzel where I bought some fairy food, a confetti carnation from Rose's Flower Shop and a small tart from La Tarte.  We also browsed other stores in the area: a plumbing store with a lovely window display and a toy store with games mostly for kids.  At each store some people bought something; maybe not at the first, since they didn't make tamales during the week, which many were interested in.  We were finished at about 11:30 am.  The event cost  $65, which I think was overpriced.  Each bakery gave just a small sample, except the Mexican bakery which I thought was the mostly generous.  The bakeries didn't make out too badly with many people making purchases.  I had no trouble getting back to my car where I found my bag in front of it.  The weather got a lot milder.

I headed out to Walter's on North for their Christmas party.  I arrived at about 4:15; Peter was there at 3:45.  He seemed to have some altercation with the owner's brother who said the Peter was hogging the table.  He also insulted a woman whom he called "Everywhere Bonnie"; just because everyone calls her that behind her back was not reason to say it to her face.  I held back on food with just a piece of chicken, some beans and raw beef on rye.  Peter spotted Ross Klish whom we visited with for a while.  We left at about 5:15 to get to dominoes.  I made a mistake an turned done Hwy 100 instead of keeping on North Ave.  There was an accident close to Burleigh which really slowed traffic.  I managed to make a U-turn and get back on North Ave. where I made better time.  Eunice, Nancy Janice, Peter and I played until Joy joined us.  Everyone won at least one game.