You many notice at the top of this post, just below the picture, there is a link to Our Summer Journey.  I have finished a map of our summer ventures so anyone who is interested can follow along, day by day, or our whereabouts.  Not that it is all that interesting!  I will fill in more as they come along.  I am also hoping to figure out a way to insert pictures into the map.  I am sure there is a way.

Today we only had reading group.  Mary had to cancel because of a meeting at the Stroke Center, and actually, the reading group was cut short because of the same meeting.  We did our usual exercise and walk and some speech work.  David is still complaining that I don’t do enough work with him.  I am actually worried that I am losing my mind.  The pressure is getting to me, and I don’t know what to do.  We talked a bit about what I should do when we get back to California in September, and I will take some time on the cruise to begin planning.

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Anyway, not much else going on, except for getting ready for the departure on Sunday.  We are both excited and anxious about the cruise.  It is a long time and we don’t know what to expect.  The one good thing is, it will be like two different cruises – one from LA to Miami and another from Miami to Copenhagen.  At least the crowd will change significantly, I think.

It was pretty hot today.  Not sure if it was over 100°, but if not, it was pretty darn close!  When we got into the car after speech the car thermometer said 108°, but it was sitting out in the sun.  We has Life Changes with Cedric, which was good.  New member who shared a little.  She seemed reticent, but opened up a little.  I think the story of her husband’s stroke was frightening.  He was in denial for quite a while and was having, from what I gather, lots of mini strokes.  She said he wouldn’t let her call 911 one evening when he collapsed in the bathroom, but then woke her up at 4am a few days later, with his bags packed and told her to drive him to the hospital, but not to call 911.  I don’t want to judge, but he sounds like quite a control freak, and rather overbearing.  I will be curious if he ever shows up at the Stroke Center.  She seemed quite relieved to get some of it off her chest and to hear from other folks who had similar stories.

There was a moment when Mr. Hatfield began to come into the room, but when he saw Mr. McCoy was there, made a very vocal announcement that he didn’t want to stay, so his caretaker rolled him away.  It is amazing how two grown men can just hate each other so much.  I did hear that it almost came to blows in the gym.  Glad I wasn’t there.

Had speech with Holly afterwards, and David was giving her a hard time because she was late.  She had to move her car because they were trimming the trees around the parking lot.  They tease each other a lot, but I was surprised he was being so persistent.  I think he thought she was an hour late, but she was really only 20 minutes late.  She is in a wheelchair, and moving her car is not as easy as just hopping in and driving a few spaces.  David’s journal is getting more and more detailed, and he is writing more, but still needs lots of help.

We also had our last session with Arlene before we come back after the summer.  We will get to see her at group next week, but this was our last session alone.  She gave us a stack of worksheets to do while we are away, and they dovetail nicely with what both Holly and Mary are doing.  That, and I would like to work on reading while we are sailing. I have been thinking about looking at some poetry, because it is pretty concise, and he can try copying it as well.  Good practice all around.  David has been complaining that I don’t spend enough time working with him on the speech and writing, and that may be true.  I do what I can, and hopefully on the ship we will have some time to do more work.

I have been dealing with insurance to get all the prescriptions I need before we sail next week, and that has been quite trying.  There is one that is still in a sort of limbo.  Fortunately it is a drug that David and I both take, and he will have enough for both of us for at least the first part of the trip.  I may need to ask Donovan to send it on to us in Miami or Paris.  Who knows, maybe it will make it!

That should be an easy one, and not sure what the connection is, but the song is in my head. I blame my friend Anthony. The other night when David and I attended an event for NCLR here in Palm Springs, I sent some pictures and texts to him because I knew he would have loved to have been at the event. It was fun and inspiring, and I would recommend anyone who wants to to make a donation.  They are doing such great work making sure that the LGBTQ community are represented in courts across the country.  Anyway, I digress.  After the event, and later that night, he was watching the musical that this is from, and giving me a blow by blow.

We went to the event on the suggestion of Blade and Ralph, and were glad to have gone. A big, lovely home, and perfect for events.  Anyway, it was fun to get out and support a good cause.  There was a moment that the Executive Director was standing on the edge of the pool making her pitch, and she made some joke about jumping in the pool, but that she would only do it if someone would write a big check.  Blade asked if David used to have to do things like this as head of school, and I told him, yes, but the difference is, David would make someone write a check and then jump into the pool.

I was going to write that yesterday I took the day off, but then thought that made is sound a little too much like taking care of David was a job.  It really isn’t.  Don’t get me wrong, it is difficult at times, but it isn’t what you would call work.  I took a day away just to recharge and sit around and not have to worry about schedules or anything.  I checked into one of the local gay inns, which is nice, if not spectacular.  All couples, so I don’t really fit in well, and I get the feeling that they are looking at me funny.  I am probably just being paranoid.  Donovan spent the night with David and they were supposed to go to the movies and have dinner at home.  Hope it all went well, and I will find out in a little while when I get home.  But first, the gym and maybe some breakfast.

She has arrived! It was supposed to come last night, but I got a call at the eleventh hour that there was a problem with the mounting, and he would let me know when it would be fixed. I called again this morning, and then when we got home after a full day of activities – Life Changes, Tennis (for me – I lost), Speech Group (we had a tour of the Tolerance Center) and Blade – there was a message from the dealer. I didn’t listen to all his messages, but just called him back asking what was going on, and what he thought the ETA would be. Afterwards, I decided I would listen to the messages, and one of them said that he was in the back yard installing The Lady, and while it wasn’t right yet, he wanted us to see it and he would get it fixed. We were both so excited to see her hovering over the pool. I ran out to get an extension cord so we could see her in her full glory, and I didn’t anticipate that she would look as good as she does. It never dawned on me that her reflection in the pool would be so great! She is pretty spectacular, and we love the new addition.  I am actually growing fond of the angle she is diving in, but we originally wanted her legs to be perpendicular to the ground.  We’ll see had she does.  The picture, by the way, makes her look sort of small.

So, I am very proud to say that the title of this post has a number of connections to what I am about to write. Extra points to anyone who can name all of them and the show this one is from. The other morning, while I was sitting in the kitchen, we had another visit from the Great Egret. Not really sure if it is the same one, but it looked the same to me, but I suppose they would all look alike to me. It was wandering around the front yard, and when one of the neighbors came by with her dog, it flew off, only to return a few minutes later.  This time, it was only scared off when the folks who are staying in the house across the street came out to take pictures.  I am sure that there is some sort of meaning behind the bird’s fascination with the Kenison/Shapiro’s, don’t you think?

We went to see The Grand Budapest Hotel on Sunday with Donovan, and we enjoyed it very much.  Funny and quirky and beautiful, as you would expect.  Very satisfying, I thought.  In other cultural news, we went to see the SongShine performance of The Music Man.  SongShine is a group primarily for folks with Parkinson’s but also has members who have had strokes and other neurological problems whose speech has been effected.  Next year, I think it would be a good activity for David, and the caregivers participate as well.  The performance was very nice, and many of the voices were quite good.  I was really surprised by Mrs. Paroo who was quite old but sang with a lot of authority.

In the not so cultural news, we have been catching up with RuPaul’s Drag Race, which is loads of fun.  So glad to see Gia given her walking papers and made to sashay away.  She was working my last nerve.  I am a fan of Bianca DelRio, but not sure if she will make it to the end.

Today, David was my hero.  We had speech therapy while Maria was cleaning.  He did really well with Holly and she was impressed with his communication and so was I.  She said that she was fascinated by the way David thought, and particularly the way he would write things down.  The whole idea that he knows absolutely, and with very few errors. the number of letters in the word he is trying to write, and normally the first letter.  filling in the rest is still a crapshoot, but it is getting better, and he is devoted to his journal.  Have I told you that he started keeping a journal?  Basic stuff – day, date, what he has for breakfast, lunch, dinner, activities, etc.  We are now going to start making sentences up from what he writes.

Well, back to David being my hero, as if the progress wasn’t enough.  Many of you may know that I have a bizarre and extreme fear of birds.  It really borders on ridiculous.  When we got home, I saw that the window was open in the living room, and went to close it.  To my horror (and dismay) there was a bird on the floor next to the window.  I didn’t scream, but did tell David that he had to come and help.  It looked like it was dead and must have flown in when they were cleaning.  Now the only thing that freaks me out more than a living bird is a dead one.  David got up, walked over to near where the bird was, and asked me to pull a chair up for him to sit.  I worked up all my nerve to get that close, but did it and backed away immediately, after surveying the situation, David asked for a paper towel and a bag, which I brought to him.  Again, steeling myself to help our, I turned my head and held the bag open, and he dropped the poor little thing in.  It was moving a bit, and for a moment, I thought the humane thing would be to put it out of its misery, but I just opened the screen door and tossed the bag outside and closed the door quickly.  As soon as the bag hit the ground, the bird began flapping its wings and took off over the pool.  I told David that he was my hero, and passed out from the stress and exhaustion.

We also have a pair of birds who are building a nest in our lemon tree.  I have decided that we can peacefully coexist.  As long as they stay in the tree, or fly away when I come near.  That’s our deal.  Or my deal.

David had a massage this evening, and I picked up my new glasses, and then got some lamb for dinner.  David was very relaxed after the massage, which was good, and we had a nice dinner before heading to bed and some TV

The other morning, on my way to the gym, I was listening to KPCC the local public radio station, and they made an announcement regarding a study that is being done at USC.  It is the DOSE study and they are looking for participants who have had a stroke and have trouble with one of their arms.  I called and talked to the coordinator, and she thinks that David is a great candidate.  My one concern was with the timing, but she said it will be fine to start in September after we are back from our travels.  The study is testing what the optimum amount of physical therapy is, and they provide therapy for three weeks spread out over three months, so we would have to spend about 4-5 days each month in LA, which could be nice.  The lowest amount of time is 5 hours a week, which is a lot more than he has been getting with the top amount at 30 hours, which may be overwhelming.  Hopefully David will be placed in the group somewhere in the middle, but, as it is random, we can just hope.  I am very excited by the prospect, but David, who still has some problems with time concepts, is concerned and confused about what it all entails.

Last night, I didn’t write the blog, but instead, I made the batter for pistachio ice cream.  Not sure what has gotten into me, but, I feel a bit obsessed.  The batter cooled overnight, and I made the ice cream this morning.  It is very good.  Very pistachio-ey.  Not a word, I know. On Wednesday, I made a terrific Lemon Cheesecake Ice Cream, thanks to a bunch of recipes Kathleen sent.  I will be working my way through them and the lemons!   Also had my eye doctor appointment, and new prescription for glasses, and ordered new glasses on Friday.  I am in pretty desperate need.  The past few days have been pretty quiet because the stroke center was closed on Thursday for their monthly outing, and only tennis and the trainer yesterday.  Today, we relaxed by the pool in the morning, after a swim, and then Jennifer was here.  We also talked to Alex, Claire and Theo, which is always nice.  I was a bit out of it, because I wasn’t feeling so well.  It passed pretty quickly, which was good.

The winds picked up today, so we scrapped our plans to take the tram to the top of the mountain.  Just as well.  We were well rested for a delightful dinner at the Purple best viagra in uk Despite the fact that ED is affecting more and more men each year. Kamagra tablets are widely used discount viagra visit here and trusted for their ability to cure erectile dysfunction in minutes. Your love life will be so online levitra miamistonecrabs.com enjoyable that your partner will love you more for this. This drug has been noted as canada generic viagra miracle cure for hair loss, but it works for some and not for others. Palm.  Sad to say good-bye to Monica!

We have been having a terrific visit with Monica from DC.  We went to Temecula yesterday, and while the places were nice enough, I think I was spoiled by Napa.  The wines were not even close to the quality.  But, the company was good, the weather was nice and it was a beautiful drive.  On Sunday, we had some folks over to welcome Monica to Palm Springs.  There were eight of us total – Blade and Ralph, Tony and Bill (neighbors from down the street) and Donovan.  Plus the three of us made eight.  Lots of laughs by the pool and then after they left, we just nibbled and watched some TV, then bed.

Today, we went to the stroke center and when we drove into the parking lot I noticed that Holly’s car wasn’t there. I checked my phone and had a message from Holly, that she had to cancel, which she left while I was in the shower.  So, back home for a bit and then off to tennis.  Monica was very impressed with David’s hitting, as I am.  We had tennis from noon to one, and had speech with Arlene at 1:30.  As we drove onto Country Club Dr, David pointed at his watch and let me know he was confused why were were there so early.  I became confused and thought, wrongly, that our appointment was at 2pm and suggested that we go and grab a coffee.  Monica offered to run in and grab the coffee, because she knew that our appointment was at 1:30 and I said that we had time to sit and drink the coffee.  When we came out with the coffee, and sat down, she looked at her watch and said that she thought we should go because it was now after 1:30.  It was at this point that I realized that we were supposed to be there at 1:30, and jumped in the car and got there only about 10 minutes late for our appointment.  Needless to say, Arlene kept saying not to worry, we weren’t late, even though we were.

Then home for a quick nap for David and a swim for me and Monica.  Very nice.  Then, off again to Blade and PT.  David really is doing very well.  First at speech, we was saying compound words with regularity, which is a marked improvement, and then with Blade, his walking is getting better and better all the time.  He doesn’t see it, but I do.

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I have gotten a few emails asking about more details of David’s prognosis, and thought that this might be a time to fill you all in.  As I write in the blog (even tonight), David continues to make progress, and works very hard.  We had a discussion with Arlene today about how difficult it is to hear about folks who have strokes who then sit down and write about getting back to normal relatively quickly (I have also written about these here) and generally the say it is by simply force of will.  If that were all it took, I can assure you, David would be running and jumping and telling horrible stories about how badly I have been treating him.  Sadly, it is not as simple as that.  I won’t say that these folks who write about their struggles didn’t have to overcome some daunting obstacles, but nothing is ever that easy.  I hate to quote something that was said to me (and irritated me) many times early on in this process, but, every stroke is like a snowflake, and no two are alike.  There are similarities, but, just when you think you have met someone who is dealing with what you are, you discover there are dramatic differences.  David has been pressing all his therapists for timelines and when they think he will be “better”, and thye all dodge the question, but my take-a-way is that we will see in six months.  I feel pretty confident that he will be walking sometime in the next six months without his cane.  I feel less confident that he will be speaking with any regularity within the next year, but we will continue to work on his speaking, and his communication gets better and better all the time.  His right arm may never come back, but I think that part of that is because we have been concentrating so much on his walking and it will become more of a focus in the fall.  We will have to see.

For me, I feel like I am performing a balancing act between my hopes and the reality.  Thrilled with all little gifts that we get.  For David, I think he expects much more from himself, and is not impressed by his gains.  As you all know, I am not a doctor, and I am only speaking from my perspective and this all comes from what I have gleaned from what I have been told and folks I have met who are recovering from strokes.  It does bear repeating that David is absolutely himself – the good, the bad, the funny, the ugly, the loving, and, to quote Alex, the relentless man I fell in love with 18 years ago.  He will continue to work and improve and I will try to help him in any way that I can, but as we all know, nobody can predict the future.

Last night we went to a small local Presbyterian church for a free concert.  Piano, Clarinet and Horn.  I walk past the tiny church all the time, and have always been curious about it, and we had the opportunity to visit.  The concert was great, and the pastor mentioned that she is interested in doing more of these concerts and wanted some suggestions.  I am going to write to her and offer any assistance I can.  Here is a volunteer opportunity that might be perfect for me.

So, I mentioned that we have purchased this diving lady neon sign, and the gallery owner came by today to take picture of where it would be placed to arrange with the person who is making the base will know what we are dealing with.  Next, I need to get an electrician in to hook it up to our lighting system, which, hopefully will be pretty easy.  It looks like there is an electrical junction box right where we are putting it.

Today, we had PT with Blade, and David really is doing very good with his walking without the cane.  He can only do it now in controlled situations, but, as they say, practice!  Blade seems to think that the cane will be a thing of the past within six months.  He walks much faster and better without it, and just needs to find his balance.  We had speech therapy with Arlene, which turned pretty quickly into a couple’s therapy session.  I started writing about how hard it is on me, but you all have heard that song before, so I will spare you.  I really do have to run away for a day or two to . . . to . . . well, to just do nothing, really.  I took a nap this afternoon to try to catch up on some sleep.  I stay up too late and get up too early.  Maybe I need to go away just to sleep.

Yes, they do.  Every once in a while, I strike a chord in the blog, and get some very nice, very supportive reactions to the blog.  I don’t (consciously) write to get this response, but it is nice when it happens.  Today we had our usual speech with Holly and then a lively Let’s get Physical with a pretty large group.  After that, we went to see the Dr. Young, the neurologist, and all is well.  He is only concerned about David’s time in the sun and his color.  The threw me into that concern as well, and wants to make sure that we are using sunscreen.

We are going to a gallery this morning to look at a neon sculpture for the back yard.  When we went to LA a few years ago, there was an old neon sign that was on Santa Monica Boulevard, and we have been obsessed with finding one for the yard.  It is one of those old motel signs of a lady diving into a pool.  It would make a nice addition to our poolscaping!

Correction: Last night, when I read the blog to David, he wanted me to let you all know that he thinks I work just as hard on his recovery as he does.  That was very nice to hear.

Addition: We bought the diving lady sign!  It will be installed on Wednesday next week.

Happy St Patrick’s Day!  I sit here with my glass of Guinness, and try to figure out what to write.  We had a great dinner tonight, that I didn’t prepare.  Our neighbor, Donovan, made corned beef and cabbage, and I supplied dessert – Chocolate Stout cupcakes with cream cheese icing.  I thought they were good, and better than the last chocolate cupcakes I made.  David agreed!  We sat outside, and it was a lovely evening. The dinner was great and very nice to have our first meal outside on such a lovely evening.

Earlier in the day we had reading group, speech with Mary and tennis with Bill. After all that activity, we took a swim in the pool. It is really great to have it finished and just in time to enjoy it with the temperatures climbing towards the 90° mark.

For the past few days, I have been feeling a bit like I am waking from a long sleep.  I think that, while I am completely present, I have been in a kind of suspended state since the stroke over a year and a half ago.  It is a bit similar to a period of mourning, I think.  Giving us time to adjust to a life that is very different from the one that David and I were planning, but I am beginning to feel ready to look to the future and figure out where we go from here.  Not to worry, when I say “go from here” I don’t mean move, or anything crazy like that, just begin to figure out what the future looks like.

When I look back at the time since the stroke, I am amazed at how much we have done, and the progress David has made.  Impressive how much can be accomplished by sheer will and hard work (mostly David’s).  I am so grateful for all the help and encouragement we have gotten along the way.  It all reminds me that David’s recovery is a marathon not a sprint, and it takes all those folks along the side of the road to keep you going.

David and I went to Indian Wells again last night and were lucky enough to catch the Roger Federer match agains Kevin Anderson. Unfortunately, Kevin was not much of a battle for Roger. We did get into see the end of the doubles match that was on before with the Bryan brothers vs. Isner and Querrey.  This was a much more exciting game to watch.  The tennis garden was much less crowded this time, we were able to do some shopping before we went into the stadium.  We also had something to eat, which was nice, but it was really windy.  As we drove the Indian Wells, the sand was really kicking up and I was worried that it might be awful to be outside, but by the time we went into the stadium, it had died down a lot.

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We went out tonight for “eat all you care to” sushi, and I think I may have overdone it a bit.  The sushi was good, and the place was packed, which I thought was a good sign.  It was a nice night out.  We then watched Project Runway: Under the Gunn and Ripper Street.  We also had a nice chat not he phone with Lisa from UNIS, which was great.  Nice to hear about life in NY.

While the performance yesterday took up the entire blog post last night, we did have the rest of the day, and I didn’t talk about that.  We had speech with Holly and Let’s get Physical, both at the Stroke Center.  Then we went to lunch at Nature’s Cafe, which I keep thinking that they should open one of these on H Street NE or 14th Street in Washington. Great vegan/vegetarian restaurant.  I love the food, and I am no V/V.  Then, off to speech with Arlene.  David pushed Arlene for a more definitive prognosis and when she thought he would be better.  She dodged the question, like they all do, and said that he is making progress, but it is slow, and we should look to see what progress is in six months.

A friend forwarded on Facebook an article from the NYT that I thought was very interesting.  It is about language and stroke.  It tells the story from the point of view of the stroke survivor.  Whenever I read an article like this, I find it all very interesting, and at the same time get a little irritated, because these folks have gotten their faculties back, and rather quickly, I might add.  David is still progressing, and I am thankful for forward movement, but it is so slow, and I am reminded how massive his stroke was.  Still, I have to be grateful for his positive attitude and that we are still able to do all the things we can do.

Which brings be to two episodes that happened yesterday.  During speech, David told Holly that I was not good with him, and didn’t work hard enough.  When she questioned him about what he meant, he said that I was lazy, which really hurt.  He didn’t even say “bad, but not bad”, it was just “bad”.  On our way home, he asked how I was doing, and I said, “not good” and explained how I was feeling.  I told him that I thought I was not dealing with the frustration of our situation well, and at times, I may feel more than I normally would, or will react badly.  Then, later with Arlene, he claims I said something harsh to him, and neither Arlene nor I could think what it was.  She told us that we were a great team, and when I said that David was great – he doesn’t complain, he works really hard, is caring for me and is all around, absolutely himself.  I am just glad that his great qualities outweigh the hard ones.

Had reading today, and speech and then, Blade.  Blade was very impressed with the movement in his ankle and was walking with David without his cane.  He commented that David is working much harder when he walks without the cane, and we should do as much as possible.  David also gave me a look, when Blade did a sideways walk.  I knew from the look that David was saying “Why the hell haven’t you been doing these with me???”  He couldn’t say it, so I did, and he nodded enthusiastically.

In reading group, the members were very encouraging for David, and he is beginning to read.  I have to read with him, but he gets some of the words, and Margaret told him that she started the same way.  She couldn’t say anything, but kept at it, and is reading pretty well now.  All of the members of this group have severe difficulties reading, and She is one of the better readers.

The pool is filling up as I write this.  It will take overnight, and I suspect the better part of the morning to fill up completely.  It looks great, and I will send a picture tomorrow.

Went to see Kaye Ballard’s Going Out of Business tonight, and it is very sad (and slightly unbelievable) that she won’t be performing any more.  She was delightful.  She sang, told stories and just entertained.  Plain and simple.  At almost 90, her voice is not what it used to be, but she can still sell a song and story.  Early in the first act she did a song called Is There a Straight Man in the House? and killed the predominantly gay audience.  So much fun.

The first act was Kaye’s, but the second half was filled with guest stars starting with Carol Channing.  At first, I thought she was just going to introduce Carol, but Carol Channing did her Cecilia Sisson piece (see below).  Her timing was impeccable and I thought I was going to die and the audience went wild.  I actually think that Carol didn’t know that she would be doing anything, because she complained that if she had known, she would have worn her eyelashes, which she did not.

Next up was Mimi Hines, who was Streisand’s replacement in Funny Girl, and she sang Who Am I Now.  She was not as good as Kaye, but nice to see.  Followed by Alix Korey who sang a song from The Wild Party that was really good.  She was one of the highlights of the evening.

Then, for a slight change of pace, Shecky Greene came to the stage.  He made me realize how much times have changed.  The audience laughed, but so much of his material relied on ethnic stereotypes, that there were moments I sort of felt uncomfortable.  He looked really great though.  Then Kaye introduced Gavin MacLeod who didn’t come up and perform, but just waved.  While she was doing that she noticed that Peter Marshal was sitting next to him, and asked if he was willing to sing something.  Well, who knew that the host of Hollywood Squares had such a great voice.  And still has it at 88!!

Unfortunately, the evening ended on two very low notes.  The last two performers were friends of the music director, I think, and one was more bizarre and as unappealing as the previous performers were appealing.  I can’t even begin to remember their names, and believe me, I would give them, just so everyone could avoid ever having to suffer through an evening with either.  The second of the two was wearing a get-up that was so tragic, it was almost laughable.  He was wearing black leather pants that were so short and tight, that they are best described as pedal pushers gone terribly wrong and a pink linen jacket that I think he wore over in the truck of Carol Channing’s car because it was so wrinkled, but David told me when we got home, his favorite part of his outfit was the ankle bracelet that set off the leather pedal pushers so nicely.  Sad, just so sad.  It makes me ashamed of being gay, even if this all is a little catty!  They were just so many shades of wrong.

I think I have covered everything, and didn’t leave anyone out, but the best part of the evening was how much David enjoyed it.  I knew that I would, but though he was just coming along for the ride.  He kept saying thank you to me all the way home.  What a night!  Thanks Kaye!!

So, the votes are in.  No killing of the varmint.  It sounds like the common theme is something hot and spicy down the hole will convince him (or her) to move along.  I heard this from two different sources – capsaicin or tabasco sauce.  It is funny that a few folks mentioned a dog or cat, because I just told David that when we get back from our summer away, I would like to adopt a dog.  If Fred were still with us, he would have been all over that gopher/vole/groundhog/mole!  And not in a good way.

We had some very sad news at the Stroke Center.  David wanted to go to the dance class with Karen Doll, and we found out that she retired last month.  I mean really, retiring at 95.  What a wimp!!  We would like to send her something, because she made every other Monday a little brighter for us.  Gone are the days of dancing with Judy’s stand-in.  Had reading group, and we are reading a story, and I have to say, I am getting into it, but it is very slow going.  We only get through about a page a day.  I may have to find the story somewhere and read ahead.

Dear Kind Readers,

I am sure someone will know what the humane solution is.  We have a gopher (or some sort of tunneling rodent) in the yard here in Palm Springs.  Now, I believe in live and let live, but these piles of soil that appear on the lawn are getting irritating.  Do I just keep filling them in, playing a desert version of Whack-a-mole?  Call an exterminator?  Or do what my father would do – get a rifle and sit out back in a rocking chair and wait?  If I go with either of those, do I need a Papal dispensation to have the varmint dispatched?  Does that make me a bad person?

Help!

Sincerely,
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Distressed and dirt filled in the desert.

In other news, we had dinner last night with Cedric and Patrick.  Very nice.  It is so great to get out and see people.  Cedric is from the Stroke Center and he leads the Life Changes group.  Patrick is his husband.  Cedric has parkinson’s, and is a really great guy. David gets much more communicative when we are around other people.  I read an article in Stroke Smart (yes, I have a subscription) that said that people with aphasia communicate differently with people who aren’t their caregivers.  So true.  I forgot to mention that we took advantage of a Christmas gift from Alex and Claire and went to Copley’s here in Palm Springs for their cooking demonstration.  We were joined by Blade’s husband Ralph and a bunch of their friends were there as well. Blade was in Utah, so he missed the fun.  It was a very nice evening, and the restaurant, which was Cary Grant’s cottage, was very nice.  A large outdoor courtyard, surrounded by the house which was very open and typical old Palm Springs style.  A great evening, thanks Alex and Claire!

I got tickets to for the tennis at Indian Wells for Thursday night, which will be fun.  It is the quarter-finals for both the men and women, so I am pretty sure we will see some good tennis.  Also, because it is the evening, and there are no general admission tickets, the crowds will be thinner.  But the most exciting event for the week is tomorrow when we go to see Kaye Ballard’s Going Out of Business Show.  She was on TV last week promoting the show on the local news, and she seems really sharp.  Very funny, and I think it will be fun.  She also said that there will be “Special Guest Stars” as well, which could be a hoot!!

We went to tennis today.  It was a beautiful day, and sorry to say this because so many readers are in the east, it was just a little too warm.  Fortunately, there were a few clouds that kept the sun from getting to intense.  We bought seats in the large stadium, but spent very little time in those seats.  Had a lot more fun in stadium 3.  Better view too!  Had lunch at one of the new restaurants in the tennis garden, not Nobu, but the one next to it.

We had a little trouble finding the correct parking.  We drove in, paid our parking fee, and asked everyone who I interacted with if this was the way for handicapped parking, and they said yes, just follow along, and someone will direct you.  The first person also said that there was parking on pavement for wheelchairs.  We waited in a line (a bit like LA traffic) for what seemed like an eternity.  The line wound around the lot, and attendants were directing people to their spaces.  At a certain point, we were directed to leave the line to go to the handicapped spaces.  We followed and had to dodge all the folks who were walking from their parked cars to the entrance.  When we finally got to the parking area, it was on the lawn.  I told the attendant that it was going to be impossible to push the wheelchair in the grass.  “Oh, you have a wheelchair?”  says he.  “You need to leave the lot . . .” and then he gave me a bunch of directions to get to Gate 1 and I was supposed to ask for Chuck.  After following his directions and getting lost, we found Gate 1, and there was someone, who I think didn’t have a wheelchair, trying to get Chuck to give them a space, because it is closer to the entrance.  Fortunately for us, he didn’t give in, because there was just one space left.

Inside the tennis garden, it was crowded and, while there were signs for handicapped entrances, elevators, etc, it was very confusing.  I also found it odd that most tennis enthusiast fall into two categories, and some belonged in both.  Either the 1% or friends of the unibomber.  I haven’t seen so many dingy shorts and sandals with black socks!  There were also a lot of kids, and I couldn’t help but think, “don’t they have school??”  Maybe its Spring Break.  The other issue had to do with the crowds.  I had forgotten what it was like to push the wheelchair with so many people around.  These folks had the fatal flaw of only seeing what was in their sphere.  When we took the elevator up to the restaurant, there were actually two grown middle aged people who stepped over David’s feet to get off before us as I was pushing him off.

Radiculitis is from Latin radiculo https://regencygrandenursing.com/index.php?option=com_gmapfp&view=gmapfp&layout=article&id=1:regency-grande-post-acute-rehab-nursing-center&Itemid=167 super cialis professional for root plus itis for inflammation. Common side effects of erectile dysfunction medications find out now levitra overnight 1. Regular pharmacies that are authorised levitra 40mg mastercard https://regencygrandenursing.com/life-at-our-facility/virtual-tour to sell medication over the internet plus as a consequence of a boost with internet pharmacies plus chemists it is easy to get aroused and have the erection. This is because while one is learning how to drive, you should not only know how to manoeuvre the car but you should also be affordable. cheap sildenafil regencygrandenursing.com After re-reading my griping, I remember that I told David that I was feeling very irritable, and think that I need to take a break soon.  I may just go away for a night or two to decompress before we leave.  It seems like we are going to be setting sail the day after tomorrow!!  Speaking of the day after tomorrow, the pool will be done next week, I think.  Not sure how much time the plaster needs to cure, but hopefully it will just be a day or two and then, water!

Oh, and we say a player from Argentina play, so that is what the title is about.

Got up early today and went to the gym.  Working hard, but still not losing the last 10-15 pounds.  When we saw Blade this week, he mentioned that he though I had lost weight, but I haven’t.  Maybe it is just being redistributed on my bones.  After breakfast, we went to reading group.  David is doing well, and while not reading aloud, he does say some of the words under his breath.  We also had speech with Mary.

Then home and Jennifer was here.  She is good with David.  We went to tennis as well, and David, for some reason, has been kind of impish.  His aim at tennis is pretty good, and Bill, Jennifer and I were surprised when he hit the ball at Jennifer because she said something cheeky to David.  Then home and after she left, I made corned beef and cabbage, which was quite good.  I know, too early for St Patrick’s Day, but I had a hankering.

Holly has asked David to keep a journal now, and is supposed to write down things he ate for each meal, two activities, the time he woke up, day, date, etc.  While we were watching Law & Order: SVU David tried to say “Ripped from the headlines”, but all I got was headline, and he was quite irritated that I didn’t get what he was trying to say.  Near the end of the episode, when the football player confessed to being gay, I said “ripped from the headlines” and I thought he was going to hit a tennis ball at me.  He wants me to remind him to write this in his journal for today.

OK, it’s official.  I have become that person who posts things that nobody (or maybe two or three people) has the least interest in seeing.  I will understand if you don’t click below, it won’t hurt my feelings.  It isn’t David playing tennis, but today, when I went out to run some errands, we had a visit from a very odd looking bird.  I was fascinated by the rubber band neck.  If anyone knows what kind of bird this is, please let me know.

We had speech in the morning and then came home before heading to the movies.  We went to see Pompeii, which was basically Titanic with a volcano instead of an iceberg.  Then the treat of the evening was a FaceTime visit with Karen from RUSK in New York.  So nice to talk to her.  She was one of David’s speech therapists in NY.  One of the interesting stories that she told was about the apartment at the old Rusk where Joe Kennedy stayed and had therapy after his stroke.  We told her that one of David’s current speech therapists worked there when Joe was in rehab.

Afterwards, we went to Wang’s for happy hour and something light to eat.  Very nice night.

OK, The Oscars.   I think the best thing about living in California is that the Oscars start at 5:30.  How great to  be able to watch the Best Picture announcement and it not be nearing midnight!!  We both enjoyed the ceremony very much, and were mostly pleased with the outcome.  Most of the speeches were good, but I am really curious about the reason that Liza wasn’t allowed near the stage.  Were they afraid that she would go off script?  Fall? Knock someone out? Oh, she actually tried to do that to Lupita Nyong’o, didn’t she.  I hope that someone told her who the crazy lady was who grabbed her in the aisle.  Between her being so young, and Liza not looking at all like herself, I am not sure she knew who she was.

As is our custom, the day after the awards, we watched Fashion Police with Joan Rivers.  We also agreed with all the opinions.  I do have to say, I was a bit concerned that when Joan made a comment about Goldie Hawn’s plastic surgery.  When Joan Rivers says you have gone too far, you should listen!  I still love Goldie, can’t help myself.  It is like part of my DNA.

The effect of this erectile dysfunction drug lasts buy viagra india for more than 36 hours. Possible major risks associated with bariatric weight loss surgery brings about an effective resolution from the following conditions, Type 2 diabetes is linked to Morbid obesity and is a viagra on line serious and life-threatening disease. It would be one thing if you had signed up for a service that emails to you, every 5 minutes, titillating cheap brand levitra offers that, if they were true, could make you the expert after sometime. Teaching is the viagra online france most noble profession known. On Saturday, pre-Oscar, we went to see Non-Stop, which was fun, but not a great movie. It felt very much in the vein of those 70’s disaster movies – Towering Inferno, Poseidon Adventure, etc. We do have a lot of catching up to do.  David won’t go see Frozen, so I may have to run out on my own to see it before it goes away.  Also looking forward to Mr. Peabody & Sherman, which he won’t go to see either, so maybe I will make it a double feature.

Therapies were good today.  PT with Blade, and I think David is getting a little movement in his ankle, which would be great.  Something to work on.  Also, in speech, he did well.  Was getting a lot more out without prompting.  He did give Glorianne a hard time in the reading group, which, I think she enjoys.  Some of the other members of the group don’t get his sense of humor yet, but Glorianne does, and fortunately she can give it back to him.