For those who enjoy the weekly check in threads, my apology for forgetting to do this each week since the first one the week, May 25th. I will strive to remember to start this from now on...can't promise, but I promise!


Not much going on in my life. My son in law has back surgery last Wednesday...oh the pain! My daughter has called me daily to come over and watch the kids (sixteen miles round trip) so she can once again go to the store for items my son in law "needs." She would be gone from the house only about 15 minutes. She has been very tolerant with her patient. Today she said, "He doesn't do pain well."

I can appreciate my son in law's "pain"

I went through huge back surgery 14 years ago as part of an auto accident recovery, which took the better part of a year. I had this unbelievably arrogant neurosurgeon, but he was good and I can't complain about anything except his arrogance. I have not had any problems with his work in all these years. He told me that day after the surgery that he almost came to blows (fist fight) with the six...count them six...anesthesiologist he sent to interview me in the surgical holding area. He wanted to do the surgery RIGHT NOW!! They all refused due to toxicity in my body. So he had to wait four days for me to detox my liver...poor guy...humble was not a word typically found in his dictionary. I did get revenge of sorts. He also showed me his bruised and swollen thumb that got that way while is worked to take bone from my hip...I had very hard bone density...poor guy...I can still here him cursing in the surgical suite...LOL

Both my daughters have within the next week...one will be 38 and the other will be 39. How does this happen?? Makes me feel really OLD to see a child that will be 40 next year. I look at her from across a room and think how did this happen?

My elderly cat, 17 years, is beginning to slow down. His jumping is not too good this week. Not jumping to the really high places, like the kitchen cabinet tops. But, boy-howdie (a term I grew up with) does he enjoy imagining chasing the rabbits outside my living room windows.

Maybe it won't here this week.

Well, that is all from me for now. How about everyone else?

How are things with you?

I am doing well. My hobby of genealogy research has led to my husband and I planning a trip to Washington State from Minnesota by train. We leave in about two weeks and I am very excited. My father's cousin has also taken an interest in genealogy so we will have much to discuss.

The weather in Minnesota has gone from sizzling to cool and dry. No bad storms between the transitions either. We had a week of tempatures in the 90's and very humid weather, and the next day we had tempatures in the high 60's and very strong winds.

Thanks for the cup of tea this AM but must get busy with my morning chores.

Vicky, I don't get up in the morning as early as you do! (except to make my usual one or two trips to the bathroom overnight)
Carolyn, thanks for picking up the check-in again.

Our 15-year old grandson is with us again this summer. He will spend most of it keeping my lawns mowed, playing tennis, reading and hanging out with the church youth group here. He was with them and several hundred other teens at camp in Arkansas last week.
Yesterday was the first day in the last week that the high temperature here did not reach or exceed 100 F! It reached 105 last Friday. Our vegetable garden, flowers, shrubs and lawn are showing the stress. We work on keeping the vegetables and flowers alive, and grandson Will keeps the grass alive and growing (we pay him for mowing it; he is saving up to buy a new trumpet).

Hope everyone has a good week.

Robert

New guy here, working from home. Will drag myself into the office tomorrow and try not to fall in front of a moving train.

Hi.

It has been awhile since I've checked in here. Since my last visit I've had a knee replacement and am now in recovery mode. I've gone through the usual phases of recovery; BED-RIDDEN, WALKER, CANE, CANE=LESS. I am now cane-less and walk at my usual pre-operation pace. Other things now occupy my life. Last week my wife and I went to Green Bay, Wisconsin where I attended my high school graduation anniversary. There were 122 in the original graduation class, of which some 30 were in attendance. My brother took me to the site of our old house, now a vacant lot. I have no idea what will be put up in its place. Perhaps a 7-11 since it's across the street from the High School.

I've been trying to keep my self busy recognizing that each person has a personal definition of the word "busy." In the pastt few months I co-authored several papers; in SCIENCE, NATURE and MARINE GEOLOGY. I'm still not satisfied with my output, though. The book that I claim to be working on is still gathering dust as are several other projects.

Our plans for the summer are set. Next month (July) my wife will go to a music camp in Vermont for one week (she is a pianist). The week following we will go to the White Mountains in New Hampshire. We go there every summer as a family and have been doing so for almost 30 years. I love it. Later on in the year (October) we plan to travel to Switzerland for a one week river boat cruise (just my wife and I).

I still have my PD. I've come to terms with it, some what. In the morning I wake up and it's there waiting for me. I try to hold it at bay using a number of devices. In addition to exercise, I've concluded that humour is a good antedote to PD. So, after getting up at 5:30 and making my breakfast, I turn on the TV and laugh through an hour of comedy programs. I've treated my self to all the episodes of WINGS, GOLDEN GIRLS and many others. My PD symptoms show up later. Apparently PD and laughter are not compatible.

Have a good day,


Lloyd

Burckle! Great to hear from you! Welcome back!

I have never seen so many consecutive days of rain and showers!!..Unbelieveable!!

Ive been busy making improvements inside the house..Im working on the bedroom right now, taking the old wallpaper down, putting a ceiling in, and preparing the room for paint, with the help of my girlfriend, and a friend who is a carpenter..We are gonna strip all the wallpaper off, and paint all the rooms..Keeping busy is the best thing for my pd

I havent been out shellfishing much, but I did manage to get in strong physical shape to do it

As far as pd goes..Good days, and not so good days..I think Im
beginning to have off times..I pay the price when I dont take my meds
on time these days..Ive developed a tremor in my right leg, that
drives me bonkers occasionally..Pd has become unpredictable
now..Sometimes it really puts me down for the count..and strangely
enough, sometimes three hours after meds, I feel like a new
man..Weird!!..I am alot stronger than I was a year ago, but dont seem
to enjoy the repreive of the reduced symptoms I experienced a year ago..But, I knew it would get worse sooner or later..Some symptoms have improved, some got worse, and some new symptoms have evolved..Ive got the Parkinsons Shuffle down pretty good

So thats my story

Yes, here in the NE has been quite wet since the beginning of May.

Today began with sunshine then the rain started at noon.

I love the rain, but is it too much to ask for a whole week of no rain!!

I found my true PD-limits last week in Philadelphia. We had a whole afternoon between my 11:30am MRI and my doc appt the next morning. I tried to walk six blocks to Independent Square so my granddaughter could see the Liberty Bell. Then we walked...well, I attempted to walk...to Christ Church and the Betsy Ross House...my daughter wanted to see the Betsy Ross House. I wouldn't give up or give in, which is not always a good thing...stubborn and bull-headed is in my genes...LOL. Some days I wish I was one of those PWPs who can walk fast, usually leaving me in the dust.

I was both pitiful and comical when I finally gave up and we went to the hotel. I asked my daughter what time it was. She said 3pm. Oh my gosh, I thought from how exhausted I was that it had to be 6pm.

Needless to say, they were both very kind to me!

By the time I reported to the doc's office the next morning I was more Off than most visits form the physical stress of the day before (had to report without meds for 12 hours)...dragging my right leg, stooping badly, the whole deal.



Yes, WINGS and GOLDEN GIRLS are both very funny.

And yes, PD is so unpredictable! For the first time, my therapist commented on how bad my tremor was today. It was pretty bad!!

Good night all.

Girija, you asked for this! So here it comes!!
We stayed in London at a Hotel the night before departure, since it was an early morning start. On the morning of departure, the taxi taking us to the rail station would not enter the station, and dumped us in traffic with 2 large suitcases. My wife had to leave me holding on to railings and she took the cases one by one to the station Orient Express office. After that, sheer luxury. THe Orient Express was all you imagine, waited on hand and foot. When they saw I had PD, they cut up my food every day. It took 2 days to get to Venice, and my wife had the top bunk in our cabin. When we got to Folkstone, the last UK station before going through the Channel Tunnel to France, a brass band was playing to welcome us.
Next drama was when we reached Venice. They don't have any cars, only boats!! We left the train, and were taken to a small boat with a single thin uphill plank to get on board!!! With no handrails, the boatman pulled and others pushed, but the boat was going up & down, and the jetty was swaying in the swell. I had just as much trouble getting off at the hotel.
The Hotel, The Londra Palace was great. We had the bedroom next to the one where Tchaikovsky wrote his symphony. The only drama there was the second night when at midnight we had to phone reception to say "Help, water is pouring through the ceiling!!" The room above had overflowed the bath. Our room had a balcony, overlooking the lagoon, (cost extra!!).
Venice was great, unlike any other place on earth, but the crowds were so thick you could hardly get through. We did not risk a gondola trip!!
The architecture is stunning, all the more so with water all around. An incredible sight was huge cruise liners making their way across the narrow lagoon, they almost touched both sides.
After 5 days we set off on the hazardous boat trip to the station in a tiny water taxi, packed with 8 of us and a mountain of luggage. The Orient Express trip back was excellent, and the scenery going through the mountains of Austria and Switzerland was fantastic. In the evening, I had to change into my dinner suit and black tie. Not easy on a swaying train.
Well, that is about it, a once in a lifetime trip. I won't be trying it again, that boat......
Ron

Thanks Ron! I loved hearing about your trip!!