Places We Have Called Home In 2020/2021

February 21, 2021

Temperature 73 Degrees

Worship With Our Home Congregation, Colts Neck Reformed Church

Stocking Up

Sammie’s

We awoke to a beautiful but chilly day.  The sky was a deep blue, the sun was shinning brightly but oh what a wind.  A quick cup of coffee and a muffin and we were ready to start the day.

We began our Sunday as we usually try to do, with worship

at our home congregation.

Scott began the service with The Call to Worship

Our first song.

This morning Scott began a message series on Psalm 23

He began by reading the Psalm from the Jerusalem Bible

 

Next we sang a modern verison of Pslam 23.

Finally, a member of the congregation who is a modern day shepherd read Psalm 23 from the King James Version.

Today’s message focused on the first verse of the Psalm.  Scott also referred to the above book, A Short Guide To A Happy Life.  I recommend this book to one and all.  It is just a few pages and can be read in thirty minutes.  Yet, it has a powerful message, one which I will be focusing on in a future blog.

Service over we decided to get out and take a ride through the park.

Yup, she is back out again.  All decked out in her summer attire.

Now, in contrast to our girl who is ready for summer, how about this.  Nah, not here in the park but up in the frozen wilderness of Wellsboro, PA.  My sister sent me this picture and said it is one of many ice sculptures  created to honor Valentine’s Day that are around the town.  Now, I’ve been on the hot seat a number of times but I can’t say I’ve ever had the pleasure of having my tush frozen to a bench.

Leaving the park we

were off to do some grocery shopping.

And finally

we stopped at Sammie’s for hot dogs and ice cream.  This is a well known location in the area that locals flock to.

We found a table outside and we each had a foot long hot dog and then finished our lunch off

with some of the best ice cream we have tasted in a long, long time.

That was our day on The Road of Retirement.  It was an easy day with nothing that had to be done.  The best part of the day, we were together, side by side, making the most of yet another beautiful day that God had given us.  What more could one ask for.

Thanks for taking the time to read our blog.  We always appreciate your company, your comments, and your suggestions. Keep safe, keep healthy, live to the fullest the days that God gives you.

These are the voyages of  Elvira and her two intrepid travelers.  Our continuing mission: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have never been before.

See you on down the road!

 

 

 

Places We Have Called Home In 2020/2021

A Different Kind of Summer Again This Year

February 20, 2021

Temperature 65 Degrees

House Hunting Again 

There is nothing like coming face to face with your own mortality to make one take a hard look at their priorities.

We have no immediate plans to come off the road anytime in the near future.  We have miles to go and states to yet see.

Yet, that being said we both believe it is time to begin looking for a home base.  A place to come back to year after year.  A place we can go to to crash if future treatments take their toll on me.  A place that Ms. Barbara can call her own.

We honestly believed that our home base would be in Arizona.  But, then again I’m reminded of the saying If you want to make God laugh, tell Him Your plans.

Well, God has definitely taken us in a different direction and our plan now is to settle somewhere in central Florida.  Our doctors are here in Florida.  Now and on into the future I’ll remain a patient of UF.  Florida is the state we are going to call home.

That being said we started house hunting today.  Our goal is to find:

a 2 bedroom manufactured home

with an attached RV Port

Our first trip today was to Pine Run in Ocala.  We found several nice homes but none with RV ports.  We’ve searched for hours on the internet and we’ve discovered that what we’re looking for, unfortunately, doesn’t appear to exist in the Ocala area.  At least, not in our price range.

Our next trip will be to Mount Olive Shores where there are a number of manufactured  homes with RV ports such as the one above for sale.  The community appears to be well kept and there is adequate space between each home.  Pictures, though, don’t tell the real story hence the need for a road trip this coming Tuesday.

That was our day on The Road of Retirement.  Other than our brief road trip we spent the majority of the day just sitting in our chairs and recovering from our trip yesterday.  It was a long day and one that left both of us totally drained emotionally, mentally and physically.  We’re both still trying to absorb what we were told yesterday, and how it is going to change our lives now and on into the future.  Still and all we can and will continue to say we are two of the most blessed and fortunate people in the world.

Thanks for taking the time to read our blog.  We always appreciate your company, your comments, and your suggestions. Keep safe, keep healthy, live to the fullest the days that God gives you.

These are the voyages of  Elvira and her two intrepid travelers.  Our continuing mission: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have never been before.

See you on down the road!

 

A Different Kind of Summer Again This Year

February 19, 2021

Temperature 59 Degrees

Our First Trip to The UF Proton Health Therapy Institute

It went off right at 5 am.  That very intrusive, extremely annoying alarm clock of ours.  However, we couldn’t ignore it because we needed to be up and out since we had miles to go and hours to drive.  We were on our way to The UF Proton Health Therapy Institute.  Today I would meet my care team and my doctor.  In addition I would also be given their assessment of my prostate cancer.

Sitting here thinking about the day I must say there were definite high points, really low points and some humorous moments.

The high points.  I am definitely in the right place at the right time.  I have a fabulous care team.  Each and every one is caring, compassionate, friendly, and extremely professional.  I am extremely fortunate to be under their care.

My nurse and case manager is Petrolyn Johnson.  As she stated I am your point of contact and am now in charge of everything that will happen to you at the Institute.  I will be in constant contact with you and if you have any questions never hesitate to call.  I could not think of a better person to entrust myself to. 

Bottom line, I am absolutely confident that we have made the right call entrusting myself to their care. 

The low points.  I met with  with my doctor Dr. Randal Henderson who informed me of what he and his staff had found.  The long and short of it is I have a very aggressive form of prostate cancer that has begun to spread outside of the prostate.  How far has it gone and where?  Further tests are needed.  One of which I’ll be taking this coming Thursday.  However, he firmly believes that with a combination of hormone treatments and proton radiation it can be eradicated.  As for the hormone treatments, they will consist of a shot every three months for the next two years. 

As for the treatment plan.  We begin with the first hormone shot within the next couple of weeks.  We give it three to four months to begin to do its thing.  Which is slowing the growth and spread of the cancer.  Then we begin the proton radiation treatments.  That’s the plan as of now but that could change in an instant based on what is discovered by the tests I’ll be undergoing this Thursday.

Another definite low, there is a 50/50 chance of the cancer coming back in ten years.  I can live with that.  Ten years is a lifetime.

The humorous moments.  One of the side effects of the hormone treatments will probably be a life of hot flashes.  Barbara could hardly contain herself when she heard this.  Then there was the waiver I had to sign to agree not to try and father any children after my proton radiation treatment.  Really?   

That was our day on The Road of Retirement.  To say that our world was rocked today would be an understatement.  We’re both trying to digest what we’ve been told.  I can guarantee you that it was definitely not what we were expecting to hear.   But it is what it is and there is no sense getting all teary eyed about it.  Time now to fight like hell to over come what’s trying to destroy me and I guarantee you that is just what I am gong to do.

Thanks for taking the time to read our blog.  We always appreciate your company, your comments, and your suggestions. Keep safe, keep healthy, live to the fullest the days that God gives you.

These are the voyages of  Elvira and her two intrepid travelers.  Our continuing mission: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have never been before.

See you on down the road!

Places We Have Called Home In 2020/2021

A Different Kind of Summer Again This Year

February 17, 2021

Temperature 61 Degrees

CONSULTATION WITH DOCTOR

The second piece of the puzzle has fallen into place.

On Monday when The University of Florida Health Proton Therapy Institute called to tell me I had been accepted for treatment they stated that within a couple of days I would recieve another call from intake.

True to their word the call came today.

They asked if we could meet with my doctor Dr. Randal Henderson this Friday morning at 9 am.  You bet we could!  Which means of course yet one more very early morning.  We’ll have to leave here no later than 6 am.  They informed me that the meeting could take anywhere between 2 to 3 hours.   But, by the time we return home we should have a much better idea as to when treatment will start and when we need to move to Jacksonville.

While we’re up there we’re also going to check out two possible homes for the duration of our time there.

The first one will be Pecan Park RV Resort.

The second one is Big Tree RV Park.

Each has their good points and their bad.  Each offers their own unique vibe.  Each is no more than 20 minutes from the Institue.  That last is a big plus, again, inasmuch as each daily treatment can be anywhere from 6 am to 8 pm at night.  And treatments are Monday through Friday.

But, before we go to Jacksonville I have yet another test I have to get through tomorrow morning.  Yup, another early morning test.  Believe me, by Saturday the two of us are just going to veg out and do absolutely nothing.

That is where we are at on The Road of Retirement.  At this point in time we’re just taking it one day at a time.  Looking any further forward just drives me crazy.  So hand in hand we’ll travel along singing our song.

Thanks for taking the time to read our blog.  We always appreciate your company, your comments, and your suggestions. Keep safe, keep healthy, live to the fullest the days that God gives you.

These are the voyages of  Elvira and her two intrepid travelers.  Our continuing mission: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have never been before.

See you on down the road!