Friday Morning in Miami

Well there was some good news yesterday on GG. They have taken the "through the nose" tubes out as well as the catheter and now the case worker is thinking there is a possibility she may be released from the hospital to a rehab facility in the next couple of days. We are working on finding a bed back in Pinellas County for her and seeking out an ambulance service to transport her as well, Just maybe we are seeing some light at the end of the tunnel.

I continued with my Uber activities yesterday morning and then again last evening in the mean time I cleaned out the last of the goods in the storage facility for Arianne and closed out that account. That took me another 4-5 hours of pure sweat in this hot humid sun of South Florida. I have no idea why anyone want to live here with the high price of real estate, congested roads and the cost of everything here is much higher at the grocery, oh well.

Today Friday we are at a stand still on wether we will head home for the weekend or not. It all depends on if GG is being released as the girls want to be there to see her off and sign the necessary forms. Yesterday that was put on hold as the drain tube around her lungs was still rather full but by late afternoon that had cleared up to almost non existent. That was a good sign and they had her sitting up for nearly 6 hours. That does really tire her out so she slept the rest of the day.

Well that's about it for now, LATER

Thursday Morning in Miami

Well Wednesday was another Uber day for me plus some moving articles from Arianne's studio to her home in Hollywood plus emptying her storage facility into her new closet I helped to construct. It was a work day for me and once again we were eating supper around 11'ish. I'm starting to get use to that by now but would prefer an earlier time for chow but since the distance is so great from the hospital, Arianne's studio where she gives lessons from 8 in the morning until nearly three in the afternoon and where we are all staying it makes for late hours and early mornings for her. I take Nancy and Betsy to the hospital where they spend the next 10-12 hours visiting with GG(mom) and I try to help with the taking care of the house, yards and cooking, oh well.  Hopefully we can get out of here tomorrow for a long week end in Seminole and just maybe get GG back to Seminole.

Nancy said GG had one of her best days ever as they did the stomach feeding tube and hope to take out the one through her nose. The case worker is working to get GG back to our area and we hope its over the next couple of days so we can leave this place for good. With her improving we may be able to realize that in the near future. It would be so much easier on everyone especially Arianne and Errol as they can reclaim their house although he has been gone for the last 2 weeks. Well that is about it for the day as we get ready to head to the hospital this morning, LATER

Wednesday Morning in Miami

Well nothing much has changed with GG as the doctors have once more postponed inserting the feeding tube into her stomach and removing the tubs going down through her nose. We aren't sure why there has been no decision on the procedure. GG is still bed fast and the past couple of days they haven't even had her sitting up in a chair. I can only surmise this is not good for her, oh well.

I drove Nancy and Betsy to the hospital in the traffic snarl before lunch which only seems to ease up a bit after 8 in the evening as I made a less than 30 minute trip to pick them up again last evening around 9. I had prepared myself to work at Arianne's new addition but the planner and in charge never showed up so I did some cleaning up of the yards from the debris of the night cuttings of wood and drywall and then vacuumed the whole house. After that is was settle into a new book and one with was about a serial rapist in the Cleveland area over a period of about three years before he was finally caught and sentenced to over three thousand years for his crimes.

Well it did rain here yesterday morning and the local streets were flooded holding water a couple of feet deep for some time; eventually it drained off and within an hour you would never know it rained once the sun appeared, LATER

Tuesday Morning in Miami

Well Monday turned out to be another work day for me and a hospital sitting day for Nancy and Betsy at GG's bed side. I started the day with an early roll out somewhere around 7'ish after a late  night or early morning getting to bed. I thrive on the work but the late night meals and finally getting to bed with a full stomach is less than I really want to get in the habit of doing but we did it again Monday night as we sat down to a supper of grilled pork chops, baked taters, carrots and salad around 11'ish, oh well.

I dropped the girls off at Jackson Memorial then headed back to Arianne's to start once again on the closet we are adding to their master bedroom. Dianne is the master planner and Tom and I do the work. We were able to built the other wall and install the drywall as well as did some mudding all before midnight last night. It was a full day of non stop being on your feet and building. The closet room is just about finished except for the finishing touches and the crown moulding to blend it in to the master suite.

Well that was about it as we start another week here in hot Miami, LATER

Monday in Miami

Well this was not your typical Sunday morning as we did our respective quiet times then I worked the rest of the day and evening up to midnight helping Tom to put in an indoor closet so Arianne can get rid of her storage unit that is costing her a ton of money each month. Arianne took Nancy and Betsy down to the hospital and visited for a couple of hours. While she was away I mowed the yards again and cleaned up the truck as the road dirt and crime was evident. All of that kept me busy until the early afternoon when Arianne got back to the house. We took off towards the beach area before heading over to Home Deport where we purchased the material to built the storage closet in their large master bedroom. We bought 36 2-4's in varing lengths as well as a pre hung door, screws, vents and then brought it back and unloaded it.

Tom(Arianne's brother in law) came around 7:30 and we worked on the the room until midnight getting up one side of the wall before stopping to eat some supper. Dianne was here as well giving us her advice on the construction. After eating at midnight I jumped in the shower and then hit the sack for some horizontal lab until nearly 8 this morning. I finally got in some exercise and felt like I earned my keep for a change.

Well the update on GG isn't much different than the past week or so. There are times when she is lucid and making jokes and then there are times when she seems as if she is in another place and time. She still has the feeding tubes and her sodium levels are about half of what they were a few days ago. She still is bedfast and is in dire need of some physical therapy except for getting up and sitting in a chair but she has no muscle tone or control. Nancy says its pitiful the condition she exhibits while even sleeping, LATER

Sunday Morning still in Miami

Well here we are yet in this traffic invested hot and humid spot in the state, yikes I do not see the attraction for so many folks who reside in this city and the suburbs; even on a Saturday morning around lunch time it took nearly an hour to go 20 miles coming and going. Traffic crashes everywhere on the interstates and major roads with unbelievable backups, oh well enough for one of the many reasons I would never want to live here. We met a young lady who just purchased her first home of 600 Sq. Ft. with a  2/1 for nearly a quarter million bucks and she thought that was a steal, oh well.

The update on GG is about the same. Seems she is more combative and constantly ripping out her tubes and trying to remove her clothing and covers and her language is less than normal. It seems her sodium level is very high which could cause these types of actions as well as what is becoming known a "hospital psychosis" as she has been in this bed going on 6 weeks. I'm amazed she has done this well with nothing down her throat for over two weeks. Nancy and Betsy go and stay anywhere from 10 to 14 hours a day by her bed side. I'm out of that routine as I'm just the "Uber driver" and the house boy at Arianne and Errols in Hollywood. At least I'm helping out by doing the laundry and cooking the meals as well as helping Arianne now that Errol is gone for another week.

We would like to get GG into a rehab facility as soon as possible but she is such a liability the hospital won't release her which would probably find us back there like last time she was released for about 8 hours. I know we can't continue this routine as its starting to take its toll on our health and well being. It's sometimes after midnight when they set down to eat which doesn't help with Nancy's hiatal hernia. I usually eat by 10'ish alone and then get ready for some sleep which isn't all that restful.

Well this has been an experience and I'm just thankful I'm not the one in the hospital bed, LATER

Saturday Morning in Miami

Well Friday was another set back for GG as she pulled out a tube and instead of getting her weened off the feeding tube another one was installed. The doctor's announced she needed to be getting some PT but not the type the hospital is noted for; but she isn't able to be moved to a skilled nursing place until she can swallow and that has been two weeks now, oh well. Something must be done in this next coming week to where she will go and under what circumstances. Nancy and Betsy were there from lunch time on until late in the day once again.

I spent the day doing what the gals usually do. After dropping them off I headed to Home Depot for a couple extra house keys and then Wal-Mart for some grocery shopping. Everyone needed a good home cooked meal as they have been eating at all the fast food venues near the hospital or around midnight on their way home from the hospital at IHOP's and the like; so I stocked up on chicken( and marinated them) breasts, fresh corn on the cob, baked taters and salad fixin's and had it ready for them around 10'ish when they got in for the night. Needless to say we all licked the plates clean, I even had some wine in glasses for them as well.

After the cleanup I headed in to the shower and then onto some horizontal lab.They are so used to coming to bed in the early morning hours that I don't know what time they finally turned in for the night. Everyone is still in the sack as I make this post after 8'ish on Saturday morning. Arianne has been burning the candle at both ends and it's nice she can finally sleep in for one morning especially since Errol is in El Salvador on a orchestra gig. Well that is about it as we still wait and see what is going to happen with GG and her recovery status. It seems she is lucid one day and then very agitated and hyper active at other times. Hopefully she can get strong enough to get her in the rehab we first placed her in so she can get strong enough to get back to our area in the near future. Nancy and I need to check out our N.C. place and hopefully be there for a couple weeks in July as Bobby and his family have vacation plans to visit for a week or so, plus I need to travel to Virginia and see Paw Paw who is finally back to his home after several months of rehab following hip replacement. Both he and GG are with months of each other in age, LATER

Friday Morning in Miami

Well Thursday was a work day for me after being used as an Uber driver for Nancy and Betsy. It was late morning before we got away from the house in Hollywood after another late night the day before. GG is still in ICU with tubes but there is hope some of them will be removed in the near future so she can get some rehab; she still hasn't been on her feet to speak since the surgery and the doctor's are concerned about her getting some physical therapy. I concur she needs to be moving about except for getting out of bed with help and sitting in a chair for hours. She is still unable to swallow as she has failed ever test given her.

I headed down to Arianne's studio and helped her with getting ready for a new occupant/business associate who will be using half of the building. This new person just happens to be from Lakeland and she was friends with some dear friends of our from Seminole. Such a small world. Well that seemed to make a great difference right off from the start and both for Jillian and Arianne. She gets half of the 6 room studio to decorate and get ready for her clientele which is mostly autistic kids reached through music. She has a steady group and has made this her life's work whereas Arianne also works with kids through music as well. They will make great things happen for both groups.

I cleaned out two rooms, removed shelving, patched drywall holes and then painted two coats in two separate rooms while helping with other chores. We finally quit around 9'ish then shared a pizza, salad and beer before heading towards Hollywood for me while she met up with Nancy and Betsy at the hospital. I got back sometime around 10:30 to put a load of laundry in while I showered and then caught up on some social networking. I hung the clothes to dry and then got ready for bed around midnight. I never heard the girls come in which was close to 1'ish. The work helped with getting rid of the head and chest congestion so I'm close to back to normal plus I was bushed and never heard her snoring, LATER

Thursday Morning in Miami

Well Wednesday was basically get to Miami and then try to get rid of this cold by not doing anything physical. I had an uneventful 4 1/2 plus hour trip down with a couple stops along the way one of which I ate one of the sandwiches at the rest stop on Alligator Alley. I knew I was back in Miami traffic as soon as I hooked up with I-595 which took me across to I-95 and then I headed south. The traffic was stop and go on the 6 lanes interstate for miles before exiting to Hollywood. Nancy and Betsy were still getting ready for their day at Jackson Memorial. I spent another hour plus getting them there and and then I came back to Hollywood in another traffic back up. All of this was after rush hour, oh well.

I read for the rest of the day loading up on vitamins and supplements and the OTC allergy meds which make you drowsy. I heard from Nancy a couple of times during the day and they didn't get back to the house until after midnight. I had long gone to the horizontal lab position around 11'ish. I did get to see President Trump's speech in Iowa live via the internet as there is no TV reception here at the house except for a couple of local channels and most of them are Spanish speaking ones. I brought three books with me so I have plenty to read as I recuperate. I had brought some salad making fixin's from the house so I made a chef salad for my supper around 6'ish.

Well that was about it for me as it was mainly a boring day. I did drink plenty of fluids as I try to flush this cold out of me and rested. The coughing has just about stopped and the head feels a clearer, thankfully. The update on GG hasn't changed much as she isn't able to swallow and is still on the feeding tube as well. They do get her up sitting a chair from time to time but she has a long way to go to rehab before she ever walks again. Her vitals after the surgery are really strong so the operation was a success in that regard, LATER

Wednesday afternoon in Miami

Well Tuesday was pretty much a wash for me as I've come down with a cold both in the head and chest. I laid around for most of the day doing nothing but reading and napping. I did manage to wash the dishes and vacuum the floor but that was about the extent of my physical activities. My head felt like it was going to explode at time with being so clogged. I did double my regiment of Vit C, Clearguard supplement and some allergy OTC capsules and by late evening the head had opened up enough to where I could breathe through my nose, finally. I was afraid I would wind up at the VA to see a doctor but the rest and extra supplements seemed to have helped to get over the hump.

Amy had me over for a delicious jambalaya supper with salad and rice and was that ever delicious. I headed home to get ready for this mornings early roll out for the trip back south to Miami. I did manage to watch the Ray's beat the team from Cincinnati after losing the night before. It wasn't long afterwards I was ready for some horizontal lab as I had set the alarm for before 6'ish. The trip south was uneventful but did see some backups in the Sarasota area . That part of Florida is just exploding with new folks moving in.

Well I arrived here around 11'ish then took Nancy and Betsy down to the hospital to spend the day with GG. Seems she has been somewhat overcome with gibberish and that may be from a UTI which she has contracted again. She has been on the catheter since May 21, oh well. That's about it for this day except for the Reps. won out two major congressional seats to boost them in the House of Congress. The left leaning lib's spend millions of dollars to defeat a Trump backed candidate in Georgia and they lost. America is sick of the left's agenda of trying to destroy this president and we the people have spoken with our votes, LATER

Tuesday Morning

Well Monday found me fighting a head cold with some coughing throughout the day. I'm still fighting it again the morning but I did double up on some allergy OTC medicine which has helped somewhat. I took Nancy to GG's to meet up with Betsy and Braden who were leaving for Miami around 10'ish. I will head down on Wednesday morning to pick them up in Hollywood then drive them down to the hospital. We are hoping that GG gets released in the next couple of weeks so we can eventually get her back here in our area for some skilled nursing care and rehab. We want to then head north to the mountains for at least a couple of weeks as several of the family and friends are planning on visiting for their vacations.

The a/c man came around noon and installed a new fan motor which retails for over a thousand bucks but he gave me wholesale price on it with a new capacitor for 750. I never would have thought a/c parts can be so expensive but such as it is as we definitely need the a/c. At least we have been getting some rain with overcast skies which has helped to keep the temps down somewhat. I din't do much the rest of the day except read and resting as I battle this summer head and chest cold. Amy had me over for one of my favorite dishes of beef a roni, salad and garlic bread. They finally got their sewer unclogged after a plumber came and brought a snake. Seems they use these wipes which says they can be flushed down the commode but the plumber told them to never do that as this is what caused the blockage.

I came back just before dark and hit the showers and watched a little of the Ray's game before it was time too turn out the lights. I was up several time during the night taking some supplements and drinking lots of water. I finally was able to keep the head open until I rolled out around 7'ish, LATER

I will leave out of here early on Wednesday morning for Miami so I will be away from this keyboard tomorrow until late in the day.

Monday Morning

Well Fathers Day will be a day to remember as our a/c went out during a celebration lunch with son Bobby and his family and daughter Amy and her family. Luckily we were about through eating and just visiting and it wasn't long until their planned time to leave occurred. Bobby called one of his contractors and they arrived around 5'ish to replace a capacitor which got us quickly back to some cool air. It seems I should replace the fan motor on the outside unit as well as they work hand in hand so they will order one today and replace that hopefully before I head out to Miami on Wednesday morning. This has been a good unit for the past 15 years with no issues.

On top of that problem Amy and Tyler's sewer line is clogged so they all came here later in the evening for showers. Tyler put some liquid drain opener as well as snaked the line for about 25 ft but still didn't do the job as of last night. He may have to get a plumber with a longer snake to open the lines. We had grilled brats with sauteed peppers and onions, along with oven taters and a fresh salad. Amy made an apple crisp with vanilla ice cream for dessert. The grand kiddos all made me Fathers Day cards as well as a new Tampa Bay Rays. license plate for my truck and a new shirt. It was a mad house here with the kiddos playing with one another until it was time to go.

We worshipped with our Seminole campus family and heard a great message from the old testament on Abraham titled Old School. Tim is an excellent communicator and while the attendance is down due to the summer vacations we still had a great crowd of worshippers. It was good to hug so many necks. We were made to feel so welcome and the prayers of so many from this group for Nancy's mom were awesome. We didn't work the doors with our team as we didn't know for sure we would be there but did see lots of new faces on the launch team.

That was about it for the day as I'm still fighting this summer cold and chest congestion. It's not terrible but just leaves you not a 100%. Nancy has decided still Braden, Betsy's son wants to see GG on his days off and is driving to Miami that she will go with them and then I will come down on Wednesday morning. That will give me two more days to catch up on things around here and rest from all the stress of the traffic, hospital visits and living out of a bag at Arianne's. I couldn't get a whole of Paw Paw but did send him a card which will be late, LATER

Sunday Morning in Seminole

Well I finally got back on the pickle ball court this morning for nearly two hours. I sure felt it later in the day with stiff muscles but oh did it ever feel good to run and play the game. We had a huge turnout for the summertime at the Rec. with three courts in action. I sure miss the the exercise and I looked at places to play in the south Florida area for this coming week. I can not laze around and sit in a hospital room for 40 hours a week as its killing me.

I started the day with waking in the spare room until I can get some head phones that drown out Nancy's snoring. It doesn't help that she has a head cold as well which makes it even worst, oh well. I did my usual morning routines which was kind of nice as nothing has been usual or routine the past month. After my quiet time with my Creator I posted this ramble then got ready to ride out to the Rec. on my bike with an apple for breakfast. I'm so over eating out for breakfast at McDonald's or eating out period. We did visit the Botbyl's and Tracy's for a fresh veggie supper which was awesome and afterwards watched the movie The Shack. They asked what was the best part for each person and my response was "when it was over". I didn't hear half of the spoken lines and what I did hear was mumbled plus I didn't think it was all that great a story line. Everyone else loved the symbolism which I could understand but still I now know why I don't go to movies or watch them. I gave it a failing grade which everyone else disagreed with, oh well don't ask for my opinion or maybe I should have kept it to myself.

Well today we meet up with our church family at the Rec. for the 9:30 service of BridgePoint. We missed a get together with the launch team yesterday at one of their houses since we already had plans for the afternoon and evening. It will be good to see some familiar faces of this awesome group of folks who every Sunday morning meet at 6 AM to unload and then set up for the two services and then break it all down and reload the trucks and trailers. The attendance is down somewhat because of summer vacations but overall it's holding and we are meeting the unchurched in Seminole. We sure miss our mountain church family and would have been there by now if not for this set back with GG. I spoke with Josie(oldest of the sisters) yesterday and Paw Paw is living at home and starting to break the rules already by not listening. He apparently fell in the yard yesterday while attempting to get the lawn mower out of the garage hurting his elbow and there is talk that he has been driving already when he isn't supposed to do until September per doctors orders. He has some one who comes in daily and prepares a good meal for him and cleans the house and stays with him but he is already complaining about that arrangement. I would think after being in the hospital for nearly 8 months he would take some advice and listen to the rules that got him back home, LATER

Saturday Morning in Seminole

Well I spent Friday catching up on yard work, bill paying for GG and then I did manage a 30 minute workout at the Rec. on the elliptical machine which I desperately needed as I've put on nearly 7 pounds since the Miami trip. It's from eating late at night anywhere from 8 to midnight, oh well. The sleep here has found me moving into the spare room sometime after midnight as Nancy's snoring has gone out of bounds. The ear plugs just don't dampen the sound anymore and I'm checking on some ear phones with a built in sound that is constant. We spoke with our "mountain mom" Helen and her brother Joe is in bad shape in Tennessee with his daughter. His legs have given out on him as well as some of his systems. It doesn't look as if he will be able to live alone again in his beautiful Carolina home.

There has been plenty of rain both in the mountains and finally here in Florida. The grass is the best its ever looked in the back yard and the front yard is greening up as well. The huge oak tree keeps the front yard from ever greening up like the back yard but it has shaped up to look decent. Amy and the kiddos all came for lunch. Ava has grown so and so has Sam. Eliza Faye is speaking with such a vocabulary at three and now she wants to take ballet. All three of the Ross kiddos are so beautiful and we do miss seeing the Triplett kiddos. They are on vacation with their mom and step dad and his three boys. We were hoping to be at the cabin some in July so they could visit but that isn't looking too promising at this time.

Nancy spoke with her mom on the phone yesterday and she is getting somewhat stronger each day but still has a ways to go before any leave from the hospital. We will head back on Monday for who knows how long so as to give Diane and Arianne a break from their daily visits. We have made up our minds we are not spending the whole night anymore as its taking it toll on our well being and psychic. I've been in lots of stress situations over the years but this stress of living and driving in the Miami area is heavy especially with being around Nancy's sister Betsy who is so negative and critical about everything. She is a downer and makes no bones about holding grudges and her opinions are ruthless about other family members. This had made this ordeal which is stressful enough but her attitude destroys any civility, oh well.

Well I'm going to get in some pickle ball at the Rec. this morning for the first time in nearly a month and I'm so looking forward to a good sweat and workout. I did get in a good sweat after supper by mowing and edging the yards as well as whacking the gardens down. I harvested the last of the sweet onions both red and white and got several. I'm still getting some herbs and hot peppers and the carrots need harvesting as well but thats about it for the gardens. It's not looking good for a summer garden at the cabin this year if and when we ever get there. What a change in our lives and plans, oh well, LATER

Friday Morning

Well Thursday was another stressful day as we were still in Hollywood, Fl. to start the day at Arianne and Errol's. They have been so gracious to allow us to camp there the past several weeks after leaving the hotel which was eating us up in costs. It's quite a distance from the hospital but since the staff hasn't allowed anyone to spend the night with GG its been a blessing in disguise. Everyone gets some rest and sleep albeit there are constant complaints about everything from a few, anyhow we headed to the hospital after packing up everything as we wanted to go back to our homes for the weekend and give them some time together before he leaves on Monday for 2 weeks.

The trip down to the hospital was another traffic jammed roadway. I have learned there are certain areas no matter what time of the day the traffic comes to standstill in the 6 lanes. The gals didn't want me to park in a certain garage they felt was less than safe so we tried a new one and it put us further away from the West Wing of the hospital after getting the wrong coordinates for the GPS, anyhow it was a much nicer garage and the gals while complaining of the extra walk were some what comforted.

GG was sitting up in a chair and considering had some color. The tubes were out of her mouth and we learned by the time we left some where around 2'ish many of the other tubes were out as well. I think she is going to recover from this ordeal and hopefully get to some skilled nursing facility and rehab. She is much cared and loved by the staff at the hospital as we have got to know many by first name who look out for GG. She was a little disconcerted by us leaving for a few days and some of the conflicts within the family as one of us constantly makes their feelings known about the distrust of another family member which has caused a lot of stress for all of us. I must say some of the distrust is founded but that could be handled in a different way as we all are under a lot of duress especially being away from our homes and the fact that traffic is a nightmare of which I have to drive in while everyone else sleeps in the truck.

Well it was just before dark when we finally got home and I dropped Betsy off at her mom's place to await Gus. That was a relief and that's all I can say and still be family. Nancy has finally learned the new cell phone operation and that has helped as well as she constantly is informing the family and friends on GG's condition as well as unlimited texts, LATER

Thursday Morning in Hollywood

Well Wednesday was a replay of the past several days that have us here in southern Florida once again waiting on what is happening with GG. Yesterday they took out the tubes from her airways but they left the feeding tube in. She was sitting up in a chair for a couple hours as her muscles have so atrophied that she can barely hold her head erect; but they want her up a couple times a day. They did move her into a private room from the ICU so now she has some privacy which is a good indicator that she is on the mend. She was able to communicate although her voice was very weak and shallow from the respirator tubes which have been in for nearly a week.

I made the long traffic snarled trip to the hospital and then back again without any real traffic jams and severe back ups on I 95. There is always bottlenecks at the same place everyday no matter what the time. I think we are heading home(Seminole) this afternoon for a couple of days to give Arianne and Errol some space before he flies out Monday to El Salvador for a couple of weeks with the Tiffany of the Americas Orchestra where he leads the percussion section. We will come back on Monday and start the routine again. Well thats about it except we had started to learn to eat late again at nights. Last night it was nearly 11 as we sat down to eat and the night before it was after midnight when the gals got back from the hospital. I skipped supper and went to bed after a shower and some leftover's in hopes to get a start on some sleep before Nancy came to bed, LATER

Wednesday Morning

Well Tuesday was a work day for me as I finished up mowing Errol's back yard which is close to a 1/2 acre of weeds and sand spurs which was in full sunlight. I at least got in a good sweat for a couple hours after dropping Nancy and Betsy off at the hospital in down town Miami. GG has responded a little more with being awake at times throughout the day. They wanted to add a feeding tube to the respirator tube which had been in since last Friday and did promise to remove it today Wednesday. I stayed away from the hospital as I'm still somewhat congested with an occasional cough.

I ran into a major crash on the way home on I-95 with all the 6 lanes blocked which held up traffic for nearly an hour. I would not have liked being a trooper here in the day. I did gas up at 2.37 up from the last fill up at 2.14 in Pinellas County. I did watch the Sessions hearing live on the internet and once again it was a witch hunt against Trump as the Dem. senators tried to insinuate that collusion occurred between the campaign and the Ruskie's and that Trump fired Comey because of the investigation which it was quite the opposite and Sessions brought that to light. Comey was incompetent in his investigation of Hillary and that was the reason for his firing when he decided to not bring charges to the DOJ for prosecution. This whole Russian thing is a diversion for the Dem's who can not accept the fact Hillary lost the election and that Obama is a crook by using the intelligence department to dig up dirt on Trump. It's a crying shame our nation is suffering under this past administrations less than honorable decisions.

Well its one more day here in southern Florida and we are anxious to go home and get GG back to the Seminole area. Hopefully this will happen some time in the near future, LATER

Tuesday Morning in Miami actually Hollywood

Well just an update on GG which is she is still in ICU with tubes and wires protruding from everywhere. She wasn't conscious most of the day as she was sedated and today they want to remove the respirator to see if she can breathe on her own. She did show signs of pain yesterday so they gave her more pain meds. Nancy and Betsy spent the day there but came home or back Arianne's for the nigh as no one is allowed to spend the night(which is a blessing in and of itself). I 'm the taxi that runs them the close to 20 miles down the interstate each morning in high volume traffic. Yesterday I came back and shopped for the gang and then mailed out some bills for GG and then came back to the house and mowed, edged and trimmed the shrubs for Errol in the front yard only. He has a huge yard and I want to do the same for the back yard today. At least I'm getting some exercise with a good sweat here in hot humid south Florida, LATER

Monday Morning in Hollywood

Well it was great to be home for a couple of days and recharge my batteries with sleep in my own bed but basically just getting the comfort of not being in someone's else space. Arianne and Errol have been very accommodating with having the three of us around when not at the hospital with GG and even this past weekend Braden was here for three nights while I was gone. Fortunately for us they are gone with their jobs until late in the evenings and sometimes gone before we ever awake in the mornings.

I had an uneventful trip back to the hospital in Miami which takes about a 5 hour drive to downtown. I met up with the girls who have been camped there all day long. I went up to ICU and saw that GG was intubated with tubes from her mouth and that she was out cold. Nancy mentioned she was alert at times and acknowledged them for brief moments. At first she didn't complain of any pain but it seems that has changed in the last few hours before I arrived and now she is on some morphine.

I left the hospital and headed over to Errol's where we eventually decided to try a pizza place in downtown Hollywood. Well this was amazing thin crust pies with authentic Italian flare and of course it came with an Italian server who sounded like she was right off the boat. It was going on 11 when we got home so it was get ready for some horizontal lab for me as I had been up since before 6, LATER

Sunday Morning in Seminole

Well I can't say enough how great it is to be home for at least this one whole day and then to sleep in your bed for two nights. I needed to get away from Miami as I was beginning to wear down and on top of that I had contracted some chest congestion from staying in that cold hospital and then being outside in the 90+ temps, anyhow after stocking up on my many missed vitamins and supplements I think I have a handle on this congestion as the coughing has subsided tremendously to just an occasionally hack. I think working outside in the yards and gardens helped as well as the hot sunshine and the good sweat seemed to have pulled the congestion out as well, of course all of this happened with me being alone as Nancy stayed in Miami.

The update on GG is she is stable and has opened her eyes and since she is on a respirator she can't talk. She is still critical at this time and the next few days will determine how she rehab's with these heart adjustments for her well being. When and if she gets out of this venue she will have a long road ahead and I'm afraid it will take place in the Miami area until she gets strong enough to get back to Seminole and then into a nursing facility. Our plans for this summer have been completely altered as we will be the primary care givers once she gets back to our area as Betsy is still working and Eric is in Michigan. We are still hoping to make a trip to the cabin sometime this summer for a visit, to check on things and relax for a few days but that all depends on how GG does. Our terrific mountain neighbor Gerald checked the cabin this past week and mowed the yards for us. He was on his way to see his son Gabriel graduate from school. We so remember him when he was but a small lad as his mother carried him on her back as we hiked the mountain; now he is a strong over 6 ft+ tall 200 pounder who will be attending my old alma mater( I went to school there before going into the Air Force) in Boiling Springs N.C. at Gardner Webb College on a wrestling scholarship. So much for the little red boots he use to wear.

Well I had a load of laundry on the clothesline by 7'ish and then had my ears lowered at 8'ish. I did get in some exercise by riding my bike to the barber shop, post office and then the library. I wanted to play pickle ball but with this chest congestion I thought better instead to conserve my strength and it seems to have paid off and the cough is just about gone. I did get lots of sunshine working the yards and the gardens. It seems the heat has finally taken its toll on the collards, kale and egg plants as they have all withered and pretty much died despite some couple inches of rain while we were gone. I did see where the volunteer tomato plants survived and one even has fruit set on it. I noticed the volunteer jalapeno peppers plants have fruit also. The Asian pepper plants are huge and loaded with fruit as well.

I headed up to the Botbyl's house for a supper of Caesar salad and lasagna at 6'ish which was delicious to say the least. We watched the running of the Belmont and saw the favorite horse come in second. Nancy is into this sport and I'm sure she was sad she missed this special occasion. There will be no triple crown winner this year. I stayed until nearly 8 before heading home to get ready for some horizontal lab. After a hot shower I had the Ray's second game of the day on in the back ground after they won the first game and then started one of the four books I picked up at the library to take with me back to Miami this evening, LATER

Saturday Morning in Seminole

Friday found everyone at the hospital early and then I went in around 11'ish as I was planning on a couple day trip to Seminole since GG would be in surgery for what turned out to be 11 hours. She did survive the operations which turned out to be three separate ones. Nancy said she looked good in the recovery room  considering what she had gone through. The next 24 hours will give the doctors some indication if she is some what on the road to recovery and will survive. It seems first they had to rebuild the aorta as it was dissolving. They used vessels out of her legs and chest; then two by-passes in the heart its self and then several areas where veins were taken from her body to make these changes, yikes and to think at 88 she lived through these surgeries. We had enough folks who were praying for her survival and it seems to have been a success so far. There is the chance she may have suffered some lasting effects from the operations but only time will tell.

I had an uneventful 4 plus hour trip back to the homestead. I met up with neighbor Dan and friend Patrick who saw me come into the drive. We chatted for a while then I got busy checking on the house since its been empty for nearly three weeks. We have had some rain finally and the grass is over grown and the high heat has just about done in any garden thats left. I did pick a couple jalapeno's pepper to take to Amy and Tyler's for supper as they had me over for grilled chicken on a bed of salad and baked taters, yeow it was so good to have home cooking again. The grand kiddos where happy to see me and gave me lots of love and hugs.

I'm still having some chest congestion but found a bottle of Robitusion and took a good shot of that and went to bed around 9:30. I slept a little better in my bed but woke up around 1:30 coughing so I took another shot and that seems to have quieted down the urge to cough. I'm back on my vitamins and supplements since I had run out a week a go and I truly think that made a difference. It's 6'ish in the morning(sat) so I already have a load of laundry in the machine and I want to get a haircut before noon, go to the library and then mow the yards before having supper with the Cool Peoples Club up the street at the Botbyl's around 6'ish this evening.

I want to attend Bridgepoint Church in the morning then head out after lunch for Miami to relieve Braden who is driving his mom Betsy and Nancy back and forth to the hospital while GG recovers. I'm not sure how long we can keep up this routine but sometime we will just have to leave GG in a skilled nursing facility in Miami  until we can get her back to this area. Prayers are coveted, LATER

Friday Morning

Well Thursday was much the same throughout the day and by late afternoon things began to change and quickly. Around 5'ish the nurse came in and said the transport service for the hospitals was ready to take GG to the main campus in down town Miami. What a mega complex in this area with all types of medical facilities. Parking is a premium with several high rise parking garages as well. The university of Miami Medical School is also in the area, anyhow they moved GG and we met up with the staff in her private room. They were very nice and accommodating as well. Nancy and Diane spent the night there with GG. I was starting to feel the effects of no sleep, cold conditions in the hospitals and eating out for the past several days and out of my daily regiment of vitamins and supplements as well as taking Betsy to the walk-in clinic for her cough on two separate occasions. Seems I may have contracted that cough as well with some tightness in the chest and sporadic coughing.

GG is scheduled to be one of the first for surgery this morning and she has already gone down for pre-op as I write this post. She seemed in good spirits last night with everyone gathered around her bedside and the staff was very helpful and cheerful. I'm going to try to come home sometime today if I don't make a VA stop for this cough. The VA facility is on the same exit off I-95 and if I don't feel better by lunch time I may go for an ER visit for some meds. The cough has subsided for now this morning and a sleep alone helped with no distraction by the snoring of Nancy, oh well. I think it may be time to invest in a Syppha for her. Well that's about it until we hear from the hospital on how GG did during the surgery. Betsy's boy Braden drove down from Clearwater and spent the night as well and will do so until Sunday evening. I'm hoping to go home today to resupply and then come back on Sunday evening so I can taxi Nancy and Betsy to and from the hospital, LATER

Thursday Morning

Well Wednesday was much like the last few days with late night trip back to Arianne and Errol's house in Hollywood which is in reality about 30 miles or so but takes at least an 1 1/2 hours or more especially when it rains and its been doing that almost non stop this entire week. While its such an inconvenience it has saved us another grand for the week in a hotel bill. That is a good trade off. I will never understand why anyone would want to travel these roads daily to work, it really is a night mare.

GG is about the same as we wait once again for the doctors to move her to the main campus at Jackson Memorial Hospitals main campus in downtown Miami. They have at least three separate campus's throughout the area and this one will be a few miles closer north to Hollywood. We are anxiously awaiting her move to this campus and then for the surgery that is scheduled for sometime Friday. She is in good spirits and seems to really be enjoying all of the attention with 24/7 constant companionship with Betsy and Nancy trading off nights. It is grinding on all of us with little sleep and no exercise while eating out daily for all our meals.

We did go out to the Olive Garden last evening with Arianne and Errol while Diane stayed with GG. We had a good meal and then it was 11:30 before we finally got back to Hollywood for a shower and then some horizontal lab. I get good nights rest every other night and its starting to wear me down and there is no end insight at this time as we will be stuck here in this area until GG is strong enough to head back to Pinellas County for some rehab and then skilled nursing care forever. It would have been so much easier to have had this occur in your home area instead of here; but such is life. Well that's about it for Wednesday as we get ready this morning(thur) to head south once again and relieve Betsy. The over nighters have a couch bed they can sleep on at the hospital but are interrupted through out the night as the nurses are checking on GG. She still has only been out of bed twice for very short periods of time since May 21st and then she was very unsteady and shaky those two times, LATER

Wednesday Morning in Miami

Well Tuesday was a repeat of Monday that was a repeat of the past several days with the only exceptions the staff at the hospital finally moved GG out of the claustrophobic CCU room and into the towers which is palatial in comparison. The doctor stated she needed to be in a sterile environment and to have plenty of rest before the surgery on Friday. It seems she all of a sudden got a yelling room mate that was constantly urinating on the floor and making noises throughout the night according to Betsy, oh well. There wasn't much sleep acquired that night.

I took Betsy back to the urgent care facility for another round of scripts as she has this deep chest cough and though she acts OK but the cough is frightening to hear. We ate at several different locations that started with Mickey D's for breakfast and at Publix's for one of their subs and a chicken tender supper for me.

The trip down to Miami proper from Hollywood is unbelievable in the morning and again last night it was backed up around 11 PM. I thought we had traffic issues in Pinellas County but nothing compared to Miami, LATER

Tuesday in Miami

Well Monday saw us once again by GG's bed side for the day and then again into the evening. Nancy and Betsy have been trading off nights since we have been here. GG is doing as well as can be expected and we heard from the doctor that surgery is scheduled for this Friday; but we will see as it seems they constantly are changing their minds. Hopefully we will get some action as we are growing weary of being away from home, traveling a couple hours either way depending on the weather which just about shuts down these interstates and turnpikes when it rains, unbelievable.Thankfully Arianne and Errol have opened up their home for us to use for showering and sleeping and those expensive hotel bills. I do miss swimming  at the hotel. We have been eating out for most of our meals or in the cafeteria in the hospital. That is about it for Monday and this morning except I took Betsy back to the walk in clinic for another round of antibiotics and cough syrup. I took Nancy out to a Miller Ale house for supper last evening and brought back Betsy a meal as well, LATER

Monday Morning in Miami

Well we are still here now going on three weeks, yikes do we ever need to take a trip back to Seminole just to gather up new clothes(although we have been washings them here), more vitamins and clean out the fridge as I'm sure the leftovers and veggies in the crisper have rotted and check on what's left in the garden. Things here in Miami have become a daily routine with the nearly hour trip back and forth to the hospital that includes McDonald's for breakfast on the way. I've decided to take the more scenic route that goes along the majestic skyline of Miami proper on I-95.

Here is the update on GG which changes almost daily and some time hour to hour. She really had a good week end after the ER visit on Friday Morning in which we thought she was on her last leg. She recovered nicely and has now left the CCU to the next level which has taken her off the face pact that forces O2 into her lungs and after the withdrawal of the fluid from her lungs. The doctored are getting her ready for open heart triple by pass surgery we hope some time in the next couple days. She is eating good but is still on her back without any effort to get her up and moving which takes so much exertion. I really think that is hurting her more than anything despite the shortness of breath it causes. She is still on O2 throughout the stay but not the forced air. She is in a good mood despite the circumstances and is lucid and aware and is ready to get this over with whatever the results. The doctors think she will do alright and have told her so but there is always the chance she will not survive the operation but definitely will not survive much longer without it.

Well that is about it for this date as its been raining here off and on for the past couple of days which has kept the heat down to the low 90's. Betsy and Nancy have been taking turns spending the night at GG's bedside and I give them a break during the day. Yesterday I fed GG both her lunch and supper and I must say the food looks and smells very good and she seems to enjoy it for the most part, LATER

Sunday Morning in Miami

Well things are starting to change here after two weeks. GG has moments where she looks and acts like she could walk out of the hospital despite the fact she has only been on her feet twice since May 21st and other times when she looks like death warmed over. Sometimes its hour by hour and then day by day. The newest word from the cardiac doctors is she will die soon without open heart by pass surgery. They drained a half gallon or more of fluids from her lungs through the rib cage yesterday with a needle, yikes did that ever surprise us all but it worked as she was feeling great when we left for the night. Betsy stayed with her on Saturday night as both she and Nancy take turns with the over night sitting. We are all there through out the day was we take turns eating out in shifts.

They moved her from CCU to a room on the same floor which was not to our liking. The area where she went the first time was luxurious the first time compared to this older section, oh well. I slip over to the huge waiting room which is awesome from time to time to catch up on my computer work and to read. There is no waiting room in the older section so it's a good haul over to the two separate areas. At least we are getting some exercise. We have become quite familiar with the security and many of the hospital staff and all have been quite accommodating and friendly as well as with several of the family and friends of other patients.

I was planning on a trip back to the Seminole house for a day or so to get different clothes stock up on some necessities and get a hair cut but that will be on hold for now until we know the surgery date and time. The doctors are giving her a better chance of living some quality of life with this surgery as the congestive heart failure is imminent with the fluid in the lungs with out the by pass. At least they can control that whereas without it chances are non existent. She is happy with the chance to have a few more years and so are all the siblings as the outcome is what we are seeing now. She will need lots of divine intervention as well as family support. We have been doing that with some one with her 24/7, LATER

Saturday Morning in Miami

Well we had a wake up call early Saturday morning that GG has a non breathing spell and was taken back to the hospital in an ambulance and is currently in the CCU at Jackson Hospital. Her status is still critical with a face mask that forces air into her lungs. She is also being administered Laskic to help with the reduction of the fluids that are collecting in her lungs. Once again we are making sure someone is with her during the night time hours. Nancy spent Friday with her at the hospital in the cold CCU room which freezes everyone out so I try to stay away from there especially during the evening hours. We were there until nearly 11 last night and then had a hour drive to Hollywood where we spent the night again. I got my first good sleep in two weeks.

I'm getting ready to head back to the hospital with Betsy in tow as we make plans for the upcoming days and nights. We are completely worn to a frazzle with this situation and if only we didn't have to spend the night in her room would help. But she awakened on Thursday night at the new facility and some think that is the reason she got anxious because none of us where there which caused the hypertension thus resulting in the trip back to the ER, oh well. Thats about it for Friday as we start the same day over for Saturday. I think Betsy will spend the night tonight and then I will take off for home as we have some pressing issues that need some attention as well as check GG's house, get her mail and pay some bills for her, LATER

Friday Morning in Miami

Well Thursday was anything but mundane as we are still in the Miami area, actually we are south of the city proper in an area called Cutler Ridge. We did however last night on the way back to Hollywood followed our GPS which took us right downtown Miami and the University of Miami. It was going on 11'ish and the traffic was unbelievable downtown at that time of the night.

GG made some great progress on Thursday as once again the physical therapist got her out of bed and onto her feet where she took 6 small steps before succumbing to the shakes and weakness. She did manage to keep her oxygen level above 90 which met the hospitals level for discharge. So around 5 'ish she was discharged to the East Ridge Retirement Center which has nursing care as well as rehab and this place was definitely the most beautiful ever with a 5 star rating. Of course the stay was out of pocket over 8 K to just get her in the door. She was thrilled with the facility and even enjoyed the van ride to the place in their vehicle that was wheelchair accessible.

I managed to get her affairs in order before the discharge and then Nancy and Betsy headed out to obtain the necessary scripts the hospital doctors had prescribed for her. Well I must say she was perked up and enjoying the ride as well as being throughly pleased with the facility. They brought her a supper of chicken parmesan which smelled delicious. We waited on Bobby and Katie to arrive then Nancy, Betsy and Diane and I headed over to Erica and Tom's house which is just across the road from this place for some supper. We headed back to the place only to learn GG wanted to go to bed in her semi-private room. The room are considered semi but the way it is arranged the beds are staggered with each having their own space at an angle so really it's a private room with a sitting area, TV and a large bathroom between the two rooms with a wheel chair accessible shower. It is just such a beautiful brand new facility and the nursing staff was very cordial and helpful.

Well it seems around 1'ish  in the morning GG began to have trouble breathing once again and eventually the staff called for an ambulance which brought her back to the Jackson South Hospital in the early morning hours. We are now back at the hospital after a two hour ride this morning in unbelievable heavy traffic and to make matters worst it was raining hard and the roads were cluttered with car crashes. Yikes how I remember those days when the oil comes to the top of the roadway and becomes a virtual skid pan. I'm back at the same hospital she was discharged from about 12 hours ago, Oh well. It doesn't look as if we will get to go home for several more days as we had planned on a trip back to Seminole this morning since she was in a skilled nursing facility, LATER

Thursday Morning June 1st...still in Miami

Well Wednesday found us spending the night with Arianne and Errol in Hollywood, Florida which is about 30-40 miles north of Miami proper but Miami is so big it hard to tell where one city starts and the other ends. Anyhow we fought the traffic for an hour and half and this was on the toll road as well and after rush hour. Nancy had spent the night in the hospital with her mom as either Betsy, Nancy or Diane have been with her since she was brought in on Sunday a week ago.

We also saw for the first time or I did the total lack of any muscles in both GG's arms and legs. Since she has been flat on her back for 10 days she has lost it all. Betsy and Nancy went down for lunch in the cafeteria when finally a PT person came to assist with getting GG up and out of bed. Well that lack of any success told me she will not need rehab but will need skilled nursing care. She was unable to stand and was so shakey and was soon out of breath as well. I was afraid that little bit of exertion was going to bring on another attack to her already weakened heart. She was on oxygen during this attempt to only stand up as well.

Our whole idea of what to do or where she should go has changed dramatically. The hospital before this attempt to leave the bed was to discharge her and send her to a rehab facility. There was major issues with Humana about them not allowing her to rehab in Miami or having her sent to Seminole. It would all be out of pocket once she was discharged. We did get some encouragement from the social worker on GG's case that maybe Humana would pay for a few selected rehab's in the area, so Nancy and Betsy went to see what they were like. They were discouraged because no one speaks English, so we found a 5 star facility close to Erica and Tom's that are willing to take care if she progresses enough to get there. That would be an out of pocket expense of 12K just to get her in the door for a month. All extras are pay for on a as you need basis. This is all extra to just getting in the door.

There is no way we can handle her even if she got back to Seminole as she is on oxygen, IV's and a catheter. From what I saw yesterday and the doctor report on her heart I doubt very seriously she will ever leave Miami or even this hospital. There is no way they should discharge her today after yesterday's episode with just getting her out of bed. Well its looking dire for GG and her advanced age isn't making any good prognosis available. We will see what happens today, LATER