Stu and Surgery....

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Long day today...we had to be at the hospital by 11:30, left the house at 10:30. Got Stu registered and they took him back to get prepped. A little more than an hour later they came and got me to come sit with him for the next hour.

Well the next hour turned into two, he didn't get taken to surgery till 3:15. They were done and he was in recovery until 7:05 when they moved him into the recovery room. His doctor said things went very well, no problems or issues encountered and he anticipated a good recovery.

I managed to snag some dinner in the cafeteria after I talked to doctor. When I came back, they had his room assignment so I moved there for the next 90 minutes until they finally wheeled Mr. Loopy into his room at 9:05.


He's on good drugs, self administered right now. He is in a fair amount of pain and was getting ready to enjoy some ginger ale when I left at 9:30. Got home around 10 and found the heat had kicked off....and it's 40 outside. Brrrr.....

All snuggled in now, heat running, enjoying getting my feet up for a bit and then getting a good night's sleep. Tomorrow I will head back to the hospital in time to see his physical therapy session. Not sure when we will find out if he will go to rehab for a few days or come straight home. We're hoping for rehab but it all depends on the insurance approvals.

More later...as time allows. Just wanted everyone to know that he made it through with flying colors!

Till next time - keep on rollin',
Donna and Stu

Gone to doggy camp....

Monday, March 26, 2012

Daddy is getting new legs tomorrow (something about nees mommy said) so they sent me off to doggy camp. Like that would bother me...I LOVE DOGGY CAMP. This time I am at Wye River Kennel.

They remembered me and took me right outside to play. I'm next door to a HUGE dog they called a stiffmast (or was it mastiff?). He barked REALLY loud and deep. I think I'm in love....

Here's a cute photo from when I was a baby, just so you won't forget how CUTE I am. [snicker] Notice I did grow into my ears....heck, I was not even three months old!



Sniffing and lickingly yours,
Sadie


Just for ME???

Saturday, March 24, 2012

Mommy has been playing around on the computer today and she showed me this picture. I don't get it...why would I want to look at another dog looking at a bottle of water? Sometimes I wonder about my mommy, she's strange.


What's even stranger is she told me she's buying this for me. Another dog? A dripping bottle of water? Both? Guess I'll have to wait....

[Note from mommy: Great sale on bottle caps that let your pet lick to drink out of regular water bottles. Only $3.49, regularly $6.99 Pet Top® Combo Pack™]

Sniffing and lickingly yours,
Sadie


Still PLAYING......

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Yup, I'm still here having fun, playing with my sissy, Fiona, and her bratty brother, Clubber. Today we played keep away with my daddy. We ran and ran and ran, no one could catch us. Oh wait, keep away is when we keep the toys away from each other...and we run and run and run. [snicker]

Now I'm resting, getting ready for another day of PLAYING with my sissy...and her bratty brother, Clubber.


Sniffing and lickingly yours,
Sadie


Whirlwind of a Week

Just a short note so everyone knows we're still alive. The last week has been a whirlwind of medical appointments and meeting (eating out...LOL!) up with family and friends. That continues this week with more lunches and dinners with friends as well as final medical and dental check-ups. So far everything is on target for Stu's surgery on 3/27. Our only outstanding question is whether or not he will get to rehab for 5-7 days before coming home. We hope so...

In between we have been trying to rest, read and keep up with the regular household chores. In addition, for some unknown reason, I decided to try out the free trial at Ancestry.com. Oh my, I've spent three days on it and have had a blast. I've traced my maiden name's family [Blanchard] back to the 1400's in France. I always knew the family was English by way of France but never knew that we came over in the days of the early Plymouth, MA settlements. It turns out that I qualify for the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR).

Of course there is the other side where I discovered my mother's father was in prison when she thought he was dead. Still haven't found his death or anything else but she and her brother grew up in the foster system, always considering themselves as orphans.

One last note, if you have any family or friends in the Chattanooga/Atlanta/Birmingham area that has some spare time this May-Jul, my daughter's casting company, CL Casting, will be casting the extras for the filming of "42" [The Jackie Robinson Story], staring Harrison Ford. Follow their blog or friend them on Facebook (links on blog) for more announcements and calls for extras. It's fun (although long days) and you get to pick up a little pay, too. They will be really needing extras in Chattanooga so spread the word, PLEASE!

Till next time - keep on rollin',
Donna and Stu

I wore my sissy OUT!

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Remember how much fun I had with my sissy yesterday? Well I guess she's a wimp and getting old. Her daddy told my daddy that he had to pick her up and carry her to bed last night. [snicker] I think that's really funny!!! Don't you?



Sniffing and lickingly yours,
Sadie


Arrived in Maryland....finally!

Well, we took our time, leaving Florida on Thursday and arriving in Maryland today. The first day was a short one, traveling from Wildwood to Lake City. Stu's knees were really hurting him and we decided to spend two nights in a park we had visited before. That let me catch up on 10 days worth of laundry while Stu rested in preparation for the rest of the trip.

The next three nights were spent in various Wal-Mart parking lots, using our solar setup. I was driving Scooby (our new-to-us pickup truck) behind Stu, using our CB's for communication. It worked out well but we both tired more quickly than we anticipated. It's been years since I've driven much, plus this was the first time we have done the entire stretch between the two states. Every other trip has been broken up by a stay in Tennessee.

The next two weeks will be hectic, getting ready for Stu's surgery. He has several doctor appointments to get done, some repairs to the rig and other miscellaneous preparations. Then factor in taxes...oh yeah, they won't wait. Sigh...

So don't know how much I will be blogging but I will keep everyone updated as things progress...or if anything particularly interesting occurs. LOL!

One last thing...I know the Verizon MiFi is popular with RVers. I suggest you all read this blog post as well as pass it along to your family/friends to read.

Okay, one more last thing...my good friend Karen [fabgrandma] is in the running for best grandmother blog. Please stop by and vote for her DAILY through March 21st. Thank you!

Till next time - keep on rollin',
Donna and Stu

PS> Sadie posted, too!

The walls moved again...

Monday, March 12, 2012

We stayed in one place for a LOOOOONNNNG time, then suddenly mommy made the walls move. I love riding in the big white truck but this time was different. Mommy didn't ride with us. I missed her.

Sometimes I'd hear her talking and I'd look around but I never could find her. Daddy said something about ceebees but I don't know what that is, do you?

Today I got a BIG surprise. We're back with my sissy, Fiona (and her brat step-brother Clubber). They were in the little pen but I got to run around the yard...and boy, can I run!


Later their daddy came home and let them out....we ran and played and ran and tumbled and ran and drank lots of water and ran....I'm SOOOO happy!

Now I'm sleepy. Tomorrow I get to play with sissy again!


Sniffing and lickingly yours,
Sadie


Still in Florida...Part 2

Monday, March 5, 2012

We're doing the happy dance...the three springs have arrived and we are scheduled to get them installed tomorrow. My bike was finished last Friday so we headed down to Clermont and picked it up. We should be on the road either Wednesday or Thursday, barring anything unforeseen.

The weekend was quiet, a managed to get sick and slept most of it away. Stu picked up some antibiotics for me this morning and hopefully I'll be 100% by the time we get on the road.

Stu has stayed busy with small chores around the rig plus getting Scooby ready for me to drive to Maryland. Today is the last big chore, installing a new radio and speakers. New tires, new shocks, new tie-rods, new tunes....should be good to go!

That's about all there is going on right now. We did go to the movies last week and saw "Safe House". The plot was very predictable but the action was edge of the seat. Mix Denzel Washington with Ryan Reynolds...yum! Next on our list is "Act of Valor", a must see from all we have heard.

Till next time - keep on rollin',
Donna and Stu

Stu's Scuba Gear

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Back in the "Olden Days" when I was still gainfully employed. I trained to be a part of the Anne Arundel County (MD) Fire Deptartment Dive Team. All our training was done under Dive Rescue International specifically for the public safety diver. The majority of our equipment was manufactured by ScubaPro. The team trained in the use of dry suits, helmet diving, search and rescue techniques and light salvage operations.

During all this I was fortunate to rise in rank and eventually supervised the team. Actually I was able to watch a highly trained and dedicated group of guys and gals work hard to keep their skills and equipment at a very high level. The team was called upon to provide diving services to the citizen of AA County as well as many State and Federal agencies. They built a tremendous reputation for getting the job done.

All that being said, I moved on to other areas of responsibility within the Department and let my certifications lapse. Let's face it, life has a way of taking a path to other places beyond our control. When I decided to go diving again, I opted for the recreational side of training and certification but did not want to give up the confidence I had in the equipment I first used in the Fire Department (ScubaPro). So off to the Internet I went.

I located a BCD on Ebay. A brand new, in the box Scubapro Night Hawk. The next item was a shorty wet suit. While not Scubapro, it was a good deal. Again on Ebay a fellow in Colorado was selling a regulator/console set (Scubapro MK25/A600/R380). I started the bidding while on our Vegas vacation and won the bid while on a bus to Freemont St....gotta love the Internet and smart phones.





After adding a few other items and a equipment update/check out at a certified dive shop, I was ready to blow some bubbles. I even added a GoPro HD Hero camera for video and still pics (more on that in a later blog).



Here are some pictures of the gear laid out on the back of our rig.



I like the brand of gear I have now. I have a great deal of confidence in the manufacturer, but that's me. There are many brands and they make good stuff. I do not intend on making any critical reviews, recommendations or endorsements. I'll leave that to the technical geeks and scuba pros. You have to make your own decisions on what you like. My only suggestions are to do your homework, do not shop price only and rely only on advice from professional with credentials. Lets face it, at a hundred feet below the surface is not the time to use your last breath to say: "Gee, I guess I should have bought better equipment"

Keep diving,
Stu

Stu does Scuba

I used to scuba dive with the Fire Department. We had a well equipped team and did a fair share of training in all sorts of conditions. I really enjoyed it. Alas, I was promoted to driving a desk for too many years and never kept up my skills. After retirement came, I often thought it would be fun to get back into it.

Every year in February the Anne Arundel County Fire Department Retirees Association has a reunion in Orlando. 50+ of us old farts get together, drink beer, tell lies and have fun. Others go whack a little ball around and claim to have fun, I'll have to take their word for it.

This year a small group decided to go on a cruise immediately after the reunion. Donna and I thought that was a great idea and signed up. Of course there are the usual excursions associated with each port, scuba being among them. That did it for me, I was going to get my "C" card and go blow bubbles in the Caribbean.

Donna (the Google Queen) found a number of training courses close to where we planned to stay in Florida. I picked one (Sunsation Divers) and enrolled. The training consisted of PC based (via DVD) classroom materials and quizzes as well as 2 days of diving. All equipment was included with the exception of mask, snorkel and fins. I purchased those items from the same company at a reasonable price.

The recommended time for the online training part is about a week. I was able to complete it in 3 days but remember, a lot of the material was just review for me. I scheduled my open water session for a Monday and Tuesday at DeLeon Springs State Park. We met with our instructor, got signed in and took care of all the paperwork, quizzes, reviewed all our equipment, suited up and away we went into the water.

We started with basic skills and moved on the more advanced items as we mastered each skill. We learned to control our buoyancy, clear a flooded mask, find a dislodged regulator, buddy breath and emergency ascent procedures. Each new skill was explained and demonstrated by our instructor. Each of us completed the skill until entirely comfortable with it.


The second day was much like the first in that we went over all the previous days skills and repeated them. We added navigation using a compass and reviewed the use of a dive computer. All in all, a very enjoyable two days.

Since then I have located, purchased and am now getting serviced all my own gear. I found some high quality equipment on line at very reasonable cost.


I'm really looking forward to doing some diving on the cruise in 3 weeks! Update, we took the cruise a few weeks ago, 2 two tanks dives. WOW! Blog to come.

Still rolling,
Stu and Donna

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