Another Chapter

Don't know really where to begin.  On Friday March 1st I noted that I had sine discomfort in my chest.  Ignored at first, finally relented  and asked Judy to take me to the emergency room at Beaumont hospital.  From there all became blurry and unclear.  

One if the arteries leading to my heart  is completely blocked and needs stints to be opened up, in fact 8 in total.  This is accomplished and I am put in a medically induced coma for 5 days.  Have multiple  mini strokes during all this.  With all this,  I should not even be here to write this and should be a footnote in the local paper.  Really, did not even know I was sick.   had amazing folks taking are of me, a patient and caring wife, and family along with a team of medical professionals.  Have pictured some of them below.

thats it for now more to follow.

stay safe

all for now

Loud

Some nights I give a brilliant but raucous performance with a variety of vocalizing.  Last evening, waking at 1:30 am, I noticed she was gone moving to the second bedroom.  Looked out, I saw my clothes for tomorrow on the kitchen chair, shoes beneath.   This morning after she was ready to speak, she said I was snoring, gagging, moaning and calling out providing a stellar show.  I don't know,  woke up, refreshed, clear thinking after 7+ hours of sleep.  Kitchen guy coming over to do the final measurements on the cabinets and help us with detrmininbation of plumbing and electrical placement. 

The claim of immunity from prosecution  by the former will be put to the test by SCOTUS, largely appointed by him.  This action may further delay any decision till maybe after the November election.  His goal of course is to get elected while all is still in a state of flux and then claim immunity as President.  With all this In play, I fear for our republic.

thats it

all for now

stay safe

Birthday Summation

So we celebrated Katey's 38th birthday yesterday.  She has grown into a remarkable young woman.  I am very proud of her and her accomplishments.  This was never a person that waited.  After the our first child was born, all the rest were scheduled C-Sections.  So doctors traced the timetable for each pregnancy and announced the day the child would be born.  With her, we went to Hutzel Hospital for a regular checkup near the end of the gestation period.  The doctor came out and said that today, in fact right now she was going to greet the world.  But, but we said we had all the child care for the boys all planned out and grand parents would be there in a week.  All the planning was for naught, because today was the day.  We farmed out the boys to neighbors and it worked out with Nanny and Poppy arriving a week later.  No waiting for her.

The day went well with a lunch at Renshaw's, a bird feeding expedition for she and Judy at Kensington.  I baked a cake, with moderate success.  The appearance of the final product was not stellar.  Envision a brown mound with candles. But the flavor was good.  We had lots of laughs at Andrew and Stephanie's mostly at my expense for the cake.  So this crowd is loud with Katey, Andrew and Judy leading the charge.  My new daughter in law and me mostly listened and nodded.  I think she is getting used to us. 

Miss Sweetums has to be in the middle of everything

Thats it

all for now stay safe 

A Hero of mine

 Jack McCoy made his final exit from the courtroom in last night's episode of Law and Order.  This character emerged when I was 44 in 1994.  I have been watching the various iterations of this program since its beginning.  Sam Waterston's portrayal of McCoy has always showed the truth sometimes in less than ideal circumstances.  The endings to these stories are becoming more and more disquieting and the viewer sometimes wonders. Has justice really been served?

His presence on this show was as an old friend that came to visit once a week to tell us a story.  As he went from the dark haired firebrand to white haired one with a quiver to his voice and a thinning face, we are presented with a microcosm on aging played out on the TV screen.   A rapier sharp mind and a diminishing body.  I will miss this guy as much as Lennie Briscoe, the smart aleck detective.  

As an actor,Sam  has portrayed a variety of characters from the boss in The Newsroom, to Saul in Frankie and Grace.  I always loved his Studebaker and his sensitive mannerisms. The truth, the absolute truth always rang thru these parts.  For me, the finest example of series drama was The Newsroom, coming out in 2012, still magnificent. If you can find it,  gift yourself with its viewing.

Not much else to write about today.  It's cold but sunny and we have decided on a painter (and wall fixer).  Shannon will be coming tonight and Judy is fetching the mail.

all for now

stay safe

Mixed results

 

It's been a day with mixed results.  The tree guys finished up the job at the new house.  We got the door wall (a Michigan term) lock fixed.  Had a wonderful luncheon with Janine and Rose at the Oak Parker,  a little eatery tucked away next to an oil change shop.  We always discuss the latest Britbox shows.  Judy and I are fans of their approach to drama and characters.   Everyone is not lovely and it looks like they wore the clothes from home to perform.  But food  wise this joint is a  little pricey but food was terrific.  Spoke with my sister with updates to our lives and she too is doing home renovations at their home in Clyde Ohio.  Sadly learned that my Uncle Leonard had a stroke but is somewhat functional.  He is 92, the same age as Dorothy

was when she had her stroke in 2016.  Spoke to him a few days ago.  Will be spending some weeks in rehab.  Len is a sturdy soul and quite a disciplined athlete for the later part of his life.  This attitude should help him in his journey toward recovery.  

Monday's are Shannon's singing days at New Gateways.  This is her with the mic for today's performance in the hallway.  Looks pretty natural in this pose.

We have cabinets picked out thru Lowes and are bringing out one of their installers to make sure our measurements are accurate.  It would be bad to purchase things that  don't fit. There is still lots to do.  The most difficult Is to create a sequence of events as they need to happen.  The AT&T problem of earlier today really slowed our progress.  

Evening writing tonight.  Completely bored with post national news TV.

Sorry very ramb-bly today.

all for now

stay safe

 

Tree

Lots going on at the new address. Finding places for more stuff.  The City of Southfield is picking up whatever we put out.  We are working to make our space livable.  Still in the decision making process with respect to kitchen, flooring and other things.  Tore down the old ceiling tile in the laundry room and basically shut down the basement bathroom for renovations.  

The biggest even though was the removal of the offending tree in the back yard.  It dropped major branches in a previous storm.  They went thru the roof and it was replaced.  To eliminate the possibility of a reoccurrence, we had it removed over the past couple of days.  Luckily the crew from SavATree in Troy was blessed with cooperative weather an all went off without a hitch.

They meticulously dismantled it piece by piece and ground up all but the largest pieces.  It was a big day for contractors and quotes, on flooring, plumbing, and a repair to the ductwork.  

Thats it

all for now

stay safe

Health!

Health is a relative and fleeting thing.  One moment you are fine, walking around and enjoying life.  You go in for a test prescribed by your trusted doctor, concerned but not gravely.  You emerge  from the process with some medical protocols resting.  Then you have a stroke.  Life has changed, probably permanently.  Your damage is permanent.  Things will never be the same. Thats it. 

Me and Bill under the clock with the group. We look like the Smith Brothers on the box of cough drops.

My mother, at nearly 92 went in to hospital with what was most likely congestive heart failure having  difficulty breathing.  She improved somewhat, lucid, talking and joking with us.  Her doctor that was the head of the cardiology department,  decided he needed to remove some blockages in her heart.  He pushed matters too far, and a massive stroke ensued.  Mom decided she did not want to live with the restrictions the condition of her body put her in.  She opted for hospice care and in two weeks, she was gone.  His actions robbed her of at least some life.  

Medical procedures have inherent risks attached to them.  We all have horror stories of things gone wrong.  For most things, physicians cannot fix you.  Realize that truth. They can fix a broken arm or stitch you up if you get cut. Matters of wellness are your job.  Take responsibility for your own health.  Don't eat like a teenager.  Go for a walk.  Read a book or maybe  put your thoughts down on paper.  At some point some great-great grandchild might want to know who you were.  

Shannon is here, watching Lion King and asking numerous questions like always.

all for now

stay safe