June 28, 2014

Little Manatee River SP

Wimauma, FL

My gums were a little tender this morning when I woke up. I guess all the chewing I did last night irritated them. It is a small price to pay for the delicious meal I was able to eat.

Monte had planned on taking the day off but around 9AM he received a call from Kate, one of the rangers, who wanted to know if the tractor was ready to use. 

 Monte had begun servicing the rotary attachment on Thursday but hadn’t finished it. 

 Not wanting to disappoint Kate he put on his work clothes and put in a few hours getting the tractor ready.

 

 

Ready for a test drive.

I sat outside doing crossword puzzles fighting a war with gnats. The gnats won and I retreated inside.

Monte found this portable vacuum cleaner in a dumpster at one of the parks we stayed at. All it needed was a cleaning and it works great. 
 

Perfect for vacuuming out the Jeep.

Late in the afternoon, Monte noticed a flock of birds circling the compound. He thought it meant we were going to get a storm so we took the sun shade down and retracted the awning. BUT nothing happened.

After dinner, Monte puttered around outside doing something on his truck. 

 

Are you looking at me?

Are you taking my picture? 

Hi honey.

Emotionally and physically I had the best day since having my surgery. Taking it one day at a time!

June 27, 2014

Little Manatee River SP

Wimauma, FL

Monte called the dentist office to tell them we want to come in so they can adjust the partial. The receptionist told him they were booked up and would not have an opening anytime
from now until my next scheduled appointment on July 7<sup>th. 

   Monte said that was unacceptable and that they better find time to squeeze me in. The receptionist told Monte she would see what she could do and would call back. When she hadn’t called back within a couple of hours, Monte called her and we were told to come in at 2:15PM.</sup>
A few minutes later the receptionist called back to say they had a cancellation and could give us an appointment for 1PM.

Monte tackled one of his to do list items.

The storage drawer in our couch had a crack in it.

 

  He put a few screws in to secure the area so it wouldn’t get any worse.

  I really dislike our couch because it is very uncomfortable. We had been considering replacing it but due to all the unexpected expenses we have incurred lately ($8,000 for the Jeep in February and $8,000 in dental expenses) we will have to put a new couch on the "someday" list.

We didn’t have to wait long once we arrived at the dentist office before we were taken into an exam room. The tech took both my upper denture and my partial, put a soft liner in both and had me insert and press down for 5 minutes.

I could already feel a difference in the fit for both. I was able to open my mouth wide and the partial stayed in place. I can’t explain how this small little thing lifted my spirits because it meant I might be able to actually chew.

When I voiced my concern that I still felt like the partial was not fitting properly, the tech surprised me by telling me that this temporary partial is only for the gum healing period of four months. WHAT! No one had explained that to me. I thought the partial was permanent. What a relief.

On the way home we stopped off at Ace Hardware to purchase a new water filtration system. 

 We have been using the standard RV water filter but the cartridges are expensive so Monte wanted to try a different system.

Next stop was Dollar Tree where I found a wallet on the floor in one of the aisles. At first I thought it was an item that they sell but when I opened it I discovered credit cards, license, etc. I asked Monte to bring it up to the register so they could make an announcement. A few minutes after the announcement, a woman, who had witnessed my finding the wallet came over to me and said that an older lady had claimed the lost wallet. The lady had been in tears at the prospect of the lost wallet and was so relieved. The witness asked me if I believed in Karma? She told me I had something good coming my way.

We also stopped at Walmart to pick up a few items including a rotisserie chicken whose aroma had my mouth watering all the way home. I hadn’t had any solid food since Sunday. To go along with the chicken I made mashed potatoes and corn on the cob, trimming the corn off the cob for me.

I cut my chicken up into tiny pieces and with great anticipation and a little trepidation I took the first bite. Yeah, I did it. I was so relieved it brought tears to my eyes. Maybe it was going to be okay. Maybe, in time, I would begin to feel "normal" again. What a difference a day makes. Yesterday at this time I was totally depressed and now I feel so much hope. I was even able to eat a slice of blueberry pie with whipped cream for dessert.

  It was one of the best things I have ever tasted!

Our plans of taking a sunset trail ride were ruined when it began to rain. 

 The storm came on so suddenly that we didn’t have time to bring in the awning.

Monte got this Mountain Dew shirt as a birthday gift a couple of years ago from my brother and sister-in-law. Not surprising, it is one of his favorite shirts.

I often wonder what Anne must be thinking. In this case I could imagine her thinking, "There she goes with that damn camera again. Can’t she see I’m trying to take a nap?"

 

 

June 26, 2014

Little Manatee River SP

Wimauma, FL

Today sucked even more than yesterday!

I still can’t chew solid foods and even after spending hours reading aloud I still sound like Daffy Duck whistling.

Feeling a little guilty about not putting in my shifts at the ranger station I decided to spend a couple of hours cleaning the meeting room and bathroom.

Monte put in another full day in the garage.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I made Monte shrimp scampi for dinner. I tried eating some of the spaghetti but couldn’t because when I tried to chew, the partial came loose forcing me to spit the food out. Totally frustrated I threw a pity party for myself.

June 25, 2014

Little Manatee River SP

Wimauma, FL

Today sucked!
I was tired of eating jello, applesauce and oatmeal so I made mac and cheese overcooking the noodles purposely so they would be mushy. But when I tried to chew my partial kept coming loose so every time I bit down it was painful. At this point I don’t know if this is happening because my gums are still swollen or because the partial needs to be adjusted. 

I was going to try to wean myself off of the pain medication but by early afternoon the pain won out and I took a pill and then another one just before going to sleep. Unfortunately I didn’t learn my lesson about not taking the medication without a snack and woke up in the middle of the night with stomach cramps.

Part of the instructions I received deals with getting speech back to normal by reading aloud. I sat and read for two hours repeating certain words until I could say them without lisping or whistling.

All in all it was a pretty depressing day. I’m hoping tomorrow is better.

The only bright spot in my day is Monte-he is so supportive and encouraging.

Monte put in a full eight hour day installing a radio in one of the park’s cars. 

This is the Old Radio Transmitter/Receiver unit. 

 Another View of Transmitter removed

 The Space where transmitter was

Control head for old transmitter/Receiver 

 Removed all of the old wiring

Control Head & Transmitter removed (Junk-Obsolete Tech)

Old Bracket was removed and cut down to accept  new Radio Mount

New Radio ready to install

Old bracket cut down and new style bracket installed. 

New Radio installed and powered up waiting for antenna.