November 19- 20, 2024 - Steps for Celina - Internet Repair - Blocks Uncovered - Items to Perryville - Surgery Scheduled - Chairs Repaired

My Blog Reflection

Truth is like the sun. You can shut it out for a time, but it ain't goin' away.

Elvis Presley

November 19, 2024

Celina cooked us supper on Sunday night. On the way out of her place we noticed she had a small landscape rock on each step. She said that when going down the steps, stepping on these "half steps" was much easier on her knees. They didn't look all that safe to me.

Monday on the park's Facebook page a resident posted that he had some leftover plywood scraps from a project, free to anybody who wanted them. I thought this wood could be used to build Celina a half step on each of her three steps. I retrieved the wood to make step blocks. Here are the scraps.

There was plenty of wood to build a three inch tall box for each step. The problem was that I don't have a table saw here to make cuts for the sides and tops of the boxes. I got a little creative with clamping the work to the work bench and used my circular saw to make the cuts. The cuts weren't as good as if done on a table saw but it is plenty good for what she needs. Here are the finished blocks. Celina will paint them.

Tuesday morning our internet was out. I called Spectrum and the tech could see that the internet was going in and out since 7:00 a.m. He couldn't fix it so he scheduled someone to come out around 2:00 p.m. The repairman arrived right on time and soon determined that the problem was the line between the junction box and the house. He had to dig a trench to put in a new wire. As he was digging he kept hitting 12 x 12 paving stones laying just under the surface grass. When he got to the side we could see a double row of paving stones about two feet by six feet next to the sidewalk. This was PERFECT. I was going to buy some stones and dig out the area for a place for the grill to sit off the grass and level.  Here is a picture of what I uncovered while he dug.

This was GREAT! I swept it all off and moved the grill there. What a stroke of luck! The pile of weeds went into the trash.

Late in the afternoon I got an email that the parts I ordered for the golf cart, as well as two other items from Amazon, had been delivered. I looked all around and could find nothing. I then read the message closely and saw that the items had been delivered to Perryville! I thought for sure I had changed the address but apparently not. I called John to see if he could retrieve them and forward them down here. It is great to have good friends to help when you screw up.

November 20, 2024

This morning the internet was out again. It would go on and immediately go off. I called Spectrum and the tech said he would send someone out in the afternoon.

After that call I was off to my allergist appointment, which I made before we left home. The tech took an x-ray of my head and when the PA came in the room she said we had to do something about my Sinus Turbinates before addressing my allergies. I had never heard of "Turbinates". She showed on the screen normal sinuses and my sinuses. The Turbinates are growths, like adenoids, that close off the sinus passages. The doctor will also do a "Balloon Sinuplasty" at the same time. This is a procedure using a balloon to open up your sinus passages. I had this done about ten years ago with no improvement. She said this was because they didn't treat the cause at that time - the "Turbinates". All this blockage is causing many of the problems I have been dealing with. The doctor can remove the Turbinates in the office. It is about a forty-five minute procedure. She said once the Turbinates are removed I may not even need my CPAP anymore. I am scheduled for surgery on December 10th. The follow-up will be in January and then they will test me for allergies. I hope to get some relief.

In the afternoon the second Spectrum tech arrived. After double checking the work done the day before, he decided our modem was bad. He installed a new modem and everything seems to be in order now. Time will tell.

I think I mentioned in an earlier blog that the fiberglass springs broke on one of our two padded rocking patio chairs. I ordered new springs from a patio company and got the right address this time. The mail is delivered here about 3:00 p.m. In it were the springs. I got to work replacing them. Here is a picture of the broken springs on one chair. You can see the bolts slipping out because the pieces behind the hole broke out.

I installed new springs on both chairs because they are fifteen years old. When I examined the old springs I found that all four were cracked on at least one end.

Here are the chairs in our Florida Room awaiting me to sit in them in the morning and enjoy my coffee.

Tomorrow Kelly is driving Celina to her eye doctor appointment and then they are traveling to Tampa to check out a place for lunch for the "Red Hat Ladies" after they tour a mansion in the city next week. They will make a day of it. I will just hang out here at the house. I may go up to the library and find a good book. My sister-in-law, Joan, gave me five good books to read but I left them in Kelly's car.