Home....Home On The Range

yeah, that's where we be...arrived back in the Ol' Pueblo at 3:45 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon via Southwest, which still allows FREE checked bags, folks...consider SW next time u need to fly. We live in a rural area that is designated "Open Range", hence the title of this posting. For those of you NOT in the know about such a designation, it means that the area you are driving through is not fenced and that very large mammals (cows, horses, etc.) are free to cross your path when they choose. Be wary!

It was warm (mid 60s) w/ some high clouds on the drive to Diamond Bell. Found that our super-duper mail service had not restored delivery, as requested, so we had no bills and junk mail to peruse afterward. Vern settled in just fine. He's doing remarkably well....no pain, NO GAIN (lost about 20 lb in 10 days!), and even walked 45 minutes with me Friday evening when i returned from office/town. We're planning on walking a bigger one today since it's quite sunny and will be around 70.

We'd been gone 10 days. Our 5 li'l darlin's were frantically missing us, despite the reputation of catzzz as being aloof. Panda desperately needed us to LET ME-OWWWWWWWWTTT...he is the only one among them who ventures out into Wile E. World. The 10 litter boxes we left were in various stages of dissarray. Some were almost pristine; others were loaded to overflow. I spent a half hour sweeping and vacuuming, depending on the degree of sullying. Due to the stench of cat pee in our 2nd bathroom, which is used by V, guests, and the catz, V spent an afternoon this week taking up the linoleum floor and baseboard. Afterward, he had to use Lysol on it at least three times to get rid of the pee smell. We're going to replace the floor with ceramic tile.

Outside, we found a good percentage of the roof of my greenhouse scattered into the next county. (I should explain that the California storm we experienced in SD moved to AZ shortly thereafter. It brought 75 mph wind gusts and lotsa rain to the Tucson area. Since we live at an elevation of about 3500 ft, we receive more wind than those down in the desert floor.) Our neighbor to the north's son, Gary Jr., fetched a bunch of the polycarbonate panels and stockpiled them for safekeeping. Most were broken and are now unusable. Vern emailed the vendor, who will get back with us with a quote. And the damn greenhouse, which was yet to be functional BEFORE we left cuz of V's procrastination and weather, is sooooo not functional now. If the replacement costs are more than our homeowner's deductible, we will seek relief from State Farm.

V has one more week of computer mahh jong and solitaire at home, then it's back to guarding the prison. He drove the truck back from the dump yesterday and did okay. We both believe that the restriction on driving that the doc recommends is related to pain med use rather than physical capability to maneuver a vehicle. Still, i drove only in short spurts locally after my surgery to be sure that the internal wounds would heal without stress, and he is doing the same. I had to lug our aptly-named luggage all over San Diego and back becuz of his "lifting" restriction. What a pain...i had a sprained hand for a few days from it.

While in SD, we stayed at a Travelodge in La Mesa, CA, which is 10 miles from downtown SD and 19 miles from Scripps Memorial Hospital, where surgery was performed. If it hadn't been for the torrential rain and high winds, I would have had an easy commute back and forth to the hospital. As it was, I prayed most of the time I was en route cuz visibility was ZERO. Fortunately, the rain ended on Friday. We went to Mission Beach on Saturday, where Vern spooked around a homegrown motorcycle show on the cul de sac, and i did a brisk 2-mile trek on the beach walk. i would have done more, but the walkway was PACKED, becuz the outdoorsy natives and tourists had been confined to their digs for 4 days during the stormy weather, and everyone needed a sunshine fix.

On Sunday, we lounged at the hotel pool for several afternoon hours. We were the only folks there, probably since checkout is at 11 a.m. and checkin is not until 4 p.m. Most of those who were in SD for the weekend were gone. The sun shone all day long, uninterrupted by any clouds. V got a sunburn on his rotund belly. I don't usually burn, just brown like a holiday turkey. Mid-week, I wrote a review of the hotel, which is now posted online. You can read it by cutting and pasting the following URL and clicking on the review by MamaToucan, Wilkes-Barre, PA (my pseudonym, to protect me from identification by hotel mgt):
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g32579-d83269-r54546480-Travelodge_La_Mesa-La_Mesa_California.html

We were up early on Monday to prepare for my visit to the endocrinologist (Dr. Dailey), who has managed my diabetes medication since 2003. He was elated at my successful loss of weight and the general decline in blood sugars. I had a bunch of bloodwork at Scripps Clinic afterward. I rec'd the results yesterday, which showed all things in order. My long-term blood sugars were slightly higher than a diabetes-free person, but were within the low bounds of a controlled diabetic. That is good news, since I am using no meds to control it! Rec'd a note from Dr. D w/ a printout of lab results that advised me to keep an eye on blood glucose (random tests) until i see him again in June.

I learned this week from the Forest Supervisor that she covets my parking space adjacent to the Fed'l bldg, which I was graciously provided about 5 years ago because of difficulties presented by my right foot post-surgery in 03. The handicapped slot is no longer available, and I am going to have to make alternative parking arrangements. It was not a surprise to me that this happened, given my weight loss and ability to walk long distances without pain. Plus, the Forest had to pay about $600/yr to GSA for the spot.

This posting appears to be winding down, as it has deteriorated into reporting the mundane....so i leave readers with a wish for peace and love in their lives.
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