Enjoying retirement.....yes!
Due to the $400 increase in AAA car insurance since I started with them last year (because of continuing 6 mos. increases in Geico insurance) I started feeling out other companies, most of whom were same or higher. Why??? (and homeowners bundled with it is more too, of course).
Very frustrating!
Currently sitting in the surgical waiting room in the Marlton Virtua hospital, I created my 2025 shutterfly calendar. It's dedicated to a healthier year to come.
Last January and the removal of Tom's right kidney was the start. Hopefully, clearing up this latest complication of his recent gallbladder removal will be the last of the new stuff and the (delayed) PET scan will show improvement on the cancer status. <insert crossed fingers here>
While it's been a lot of caring for and driving Tom to ER, hospital, rehab, dialysis, and doctor's appointments we did manage to get in some eating out (well a lot of that, actually), dancing, some movies, Cody's wedding in May, and our last CMA Music Fest in June, followed by more doctors, hospital, dialysis (that started in August), immunotherapy, and surgery.
I love Tom so much and hate to see him suffering so. He has been very brave.
We got to the NJREA Convention between dialysis treatment days and I was happy to see everyone.
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| Long time friend, Stacy |
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| Meeting of the NJREA delegates |
My other recent activities included book club, hospital with Tom, attending the SHIP Fall Update (for Medicare open enrollment preparation), lunching with Kathryn, Ron, Simon, and Jackie, partying at Kathryn's surprise party for Lisa, enjoying the John Denver tribute at the library auditorium, and seeing a few movies out (the best of which, so far, was The Best Christmas Pageant Ever).
We were so happy to have Jennifer with us for a visit!
She came bearing gifts and helped us clear out a lot of garage build up.
Her goal was/is to help us sell the pool table. That is ongoing. Wish us luck!
She got to visit with Lynnie and the Joneses. 
Is it sad that our main shared activity was watching The O.C.? (Oh, Adam!)
I took her to the airport and waved a sad good-bye. 'Til we meet again...
The big story in the news for these last days is Hurricane Milton, the second to hit Florida in the last two weeks (first was Helene). Just devastating! :-(
I'll go search googlephotos and post some to remember what's been going on in the last month since last I posted....
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| BCREA Fall General Membership Meeting |
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| BCEA Election postcards |
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| Visited Anne Louise Taylor newly at assisted living |
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| DEAR lunch |
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| Prospectors lunch with Janet |
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| Tom eating at Prospectors while I danced |
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| Posing at Prospectors |
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| NJREA Fall Meeting/lunch |
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| Eastampton Book Club |
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| Eastampton Community Day (formerly Fun) |
I miss going out dancing like we used to...a couple of times a week. Tom is more amenable to it now. He is used to the dialysis and doctors routine..seeming stronger (I hope) but still tired and sleeping frequently. He has an appointment to get a different kind of opening (arm) for dialysis on Monday.
Jennifer is coming out to visit tomorrow! Can't wait!
Other general news: Kim's daughter, Kayla, got married. Patrick had Covid when he got back from a recent jaunt that involved flying and included Arkansas. I miss Gee Gee and Marian and need to get back in touch and out to see them. Lynne Tarkett moved south to be with family and has health issues :-( The barrage of election ads and articles and pleas for money is overwhelming.
Commiserating with Janet re her brother and now her health and also Marcy, whose husband is in straits similar to Tom's has been my support group...along with Sue, Theresa and other Contact friends. Oh and back in touch with Doreen...George has bone cancer and will be starting chemo.
We are in the dialysis/immunotherapy routine now!
Tom is thin and handsome as ever. He feels better sometimes more than others.
Jennifer called and is planning to come out like Oct. 1 ....just in time for her birthday! She has a plan to help sell our pool table. Cool, right?
Not much else is new except I've been doing a lot to get the new school year started as Membership Chairperson for BCREA and I worked a couple of shifts at the library book sale.
It's been a long month. :-(
The second hospital stay was followed by a ten day third stay, and currently a fourth. (UTI's are no joke, that's for sure)
What we do know is Tom's future includes both dialysis and immunotherapy. Helping his one remaining kidney get cleared of cancer and functioning on its own are the main goals, along with eliminating any metastisized cancer.
4:30 a.m. on Saturdays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays here we come!
In other news, after I left my Boscovs post today(selling the $5 passes for Oct. 22) my replacement told me a customer came back vociferously claiming I took her missing wallet. (For clarification purposes, I didn't.) I must say we were all rather taken aback. [I am so sorry she lost her wallet after she was generous enough to donate to us].
I am heading back to visit Tom in the hospital. This is the second stay. First they called on the Friday following his doctor's appointment and said to go to ER based on blood test results. They gave him anti biotics for a UTI and sent him home last Sunday.
Wednesday he was falling a lot and delerious and an ambulance brought him to ER. He was admitted and hopefully will be out in time for a scheduled PET scan on Wednesday (assuming the authorization wasn't messed up again :-(
The outcome of the PET scan determines what happens next for poor Tom.
26 years ago today Terri Warm and I took Tom to Seaside with us for my annual Day After the Last Day of School Trip to Seaside. We had all been friends dancing for about three years, but that day Tom and I had a sudden "love at first sight" experience and we've been together ever since! <3
It would be great to go to Seaside again to celebrate, but sadly, Tom's health is not good. I am really worried. We will know more after the doctor appointment on the 27th.
I have photos from this year's CMA Fest. (I didn't renew...I don't know what next year will be like). I had fun but Tom was really tired and not feeling well a lot so he missed a bunch of daytime and most nights we went home early. They don't have any games or giveaways anymore and Fan X is empty. Disappointing and crowded(but still great!). The weather was best ever and our new hotel was very centrally located for getting to both town and Nissan.
Since being home Tom has had surgery, we've danced some, finally went to a June movie quick before June is over, and I got my car inspected and eyes checked.
Oh, I told Toni (who is going to be BCREA Prez now that Alnetta resigned) that I would take over Membership (Ang resigned too).
It's June and that means it's time for the annual trek to Nashville for the CMA Music Fest!
Recent past events have included Cody's wedding weekend with Jenn and Jassy and Aypril as well as the library book sale, BCREA Spring luncheon/meeting and more.
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| Senior Dance Party |
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| BCREA Spring 2024 |
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| Cemetery visit |
Quick before April is over....
I need to call Gee Gee and Marian and my DEAR friends and Ann Taylor and set up some meeting dates.
We saw a test result indicating that Tom has cancer and I am devastated. No word from Dr. Berkman and Tom has been putting off calling him.
Jennifer and company will be here in like three weeks for Cody's wedding weekend.
The month has been busier than I expected, HRBlock-wise.
I'm still mostly out of touch with everyone, but Tom and I have managed to get to a dance or movie or dinner out upon occasion.
Today is a Friends of the Burlington County Library Board meeting and I have created a possible solution to consolidating the votes and comments on funding requests between meetings. Here is the link Board members would get, assuming this idea is workable/accepted.
https://countrytime.homestead.com/BCLfriends.html
I hope I get to meet with Gee Gee, Marian, DEAR friends, Janet and more in the near future.
In other news, Sue and Patrick leave for a month in London tomorrow, Jenn survived a near heart attack, Cody's wedding is coming up in May, and Caitlin is having baby number 2 in the near future.
I finally had a day off from HRB and spent it on a double shift at the library book sale. That was Friday, Feb. 23).
Tom and I have been to some movies and a little dancing but mostly I leave him at home alone for the long days. I hope he is doing better.
We discovered Dickie's Barbecue and like it.
I took advantage of the mobile DMV and got a REAL ID NJ license.
No new photos to speak of....hoping to see Gee Gee and Dina and Marian when the tax season doldrums hit....
Tom's surgery on Jan.3 was long and they ended up taking his kidney. Hopefully all the cancer that was headed up to it was eliminated with that action.
He was in the hospital for six days and opted to come home rather than to to rehab. I have been watching over him during this slow (and painful) recovery period.
(Not so) funny story....when it was time to drive away with him from the front of the hospital my battery had died. Happily, a hospital security guy got it charged up for us. (Follow up...the battery was fine the next three times I took my car for errands, but I ended up buying a new one at Triple A anyway (it failed when they checked it).)
So it snowed and got cold on Tuesday through now and it is supposed to snow again (lightly!) on Friday. I think driving Tom to his eye shot appointment on Thursday will be fine. I ended up cancelling lunch with Marian today (I forgot!) but driving is probably good today too. (I need a hair cut!) (I hear the wind blowing outside my computer room window. I'll bet it is really cold).
We haven't danced or gone to a movie since 2024 started. :-(
I haven't had much time scheduled to work at Block. The three people I was working with all ended up pretty complicated. I love reading all the issues people have in the community chat (there are a lot!)
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| Getting ready for surgery |
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| Walking is good therapy |
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| DEAR lunch at Dooney's |
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| Joshua and Claudia had a baby girl! |
See, this is why I am on Goodreads. I started reading Brewed Awakening by Cleo Coyle and when it started sounding really familiar, I looked on Goodreads, and , sure enough, I read it in January 2020! Well, onto the next! (after reviewing the ending quickly!)
We had an uneventful New Year's Eve at home (and no dancing the night before either - careful not to get Tom in a germy crowd before surgery). Ball drop and talking to sibs were the highlights. Bad news for Tom - chipped his dentures :-( I hope the place I found in Burlington can help him with repair....
Crying times today over the sexual atrocities on women in Oct. 7 attack of Israel article in the NY Times and then watching the new The Color Purple movie with Marcia.
Interested to see what 2024 is like....so far car and homeowner's insurance is up $400 over last year with AAA. Had to cancel Las Vegas trip. Need to exercise a lot more and/or eat less! (too much staying at home time!)
