Memorial Day was tons of fun, family visiting and eating a big lunch with us including some new recipes. Tom, Shannon, Kaelyn, Mason and Mom & Dad all were here and we had a great time. Kaelyn & Mason wanted to see the 'Pig Boiling Pot' from my Great Grandfather Weidler - I have it currently in the shed. Tom had to move the Corvette out of the garage to help with some, 'Get this put on the patio, get this shutter back on the house' time. So after he got the tasks done, he and Shannon took a ride in the Corvette, on the back country roads around our house.
The Oven Fried Chicken IV recipe that I used for the first time, was a hit with everyone. Changes I made, followed the hints in the allrecipes.com reviews. Some milk (1 cup) with 16 Oz sour cream, some French's Onion Rings crushed with the corn flakes, substituted Thyme for Rosemary (I do not stock Rosemary and am now out of Thyme), I also reduced the garlic powder to 1 1/2 tablespoons and I also added the seasonings to the sour cream mix, not the crushed flakes. Smelling the garlic in the recipe while the chicken was cooking was throwing me off, and I thought it would be too heavy with garlic, but it was fine. I did 3 baking pans of chicken and coated the racks with Pam before, but the racks and pans still needed a bit of soaking to loosen up the drippings and stuck on coating that came off some of the chicken. All in all, a fairly easy cleanup while Adele took a rest, reading and napping.
The Pretzel Bottomed Reese's Peanut Butter Pie recipe was also slightly changed. We had a store bought graham cracker crust, so I used that for the crust. Most of my pretzel crusts have always been too hard to chew (could it be my oven temp that is 50 degrees high causes that?). Of course I kept thinking we needed a 9" crust, so I was OK with the smaller store bought crust, but then after filling and baking the pie on Sunday, I reread the recipe, and lo and behold it says use a 10" pie or tart pan. Oh well, I did everything as shown until adding the flour / salt / baking soda mixture, that had to be hand mixed as my old Sunbeam does not work well with heavy mixes. I needed 45 - 50 minutes to get everything cooked to perfection (??) but it was a huge hit with everyone. Talk about a sugar high - this dessert is one of those type. We added a scoop of Vanilla Ice Cream as a topper for the pie. Clean up was nothing except throwing away the tin foil pie pan.
Adele added her Mother's Potato Salad recipe to the lunch and a fresh fruit salad that she made on Sunday. Sometimes we bump into each other so much in the kitchen, we need to allocate separate cooking times for our recipes. She is a easy going cook, and I am an up-tight, what is next, Oh Gosh - Not sure I have that!, "Adele - I need you!", better lay out all the ingredients before I start (sometimes) kind of cook. It is much better that we do things at our own times in the kitchen when preparing for a big meal.
Well - I mentioned a few times that the recipes I made were first time ever recipes for me, and added that 'Family is where we should be able to try out those new things', and everyone took that in stride, and the food was great!
We all had a good time talking and sipping coffee afterwards, while the kids played with each other. Mason took home a stash of Vette magazines, we sent the rest of the pie back with Tom & Shannon also. This week will be one of finishing all the left overs, which should be easy to do.
I hope and pray everyone had as good a Memorial Day weekend as I did. See you all later.
Rick
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Thursday, May 24, 2012
May Flowers and other such stuff
Here we are in May and everything is growing like wildfire outside. Adele needs to do everything outside, as I had back surgery on April 9th, and am under doctors orders to exhibit caution when doing any lifting, bending or even sitting. We did have the youth group - ICON - from church over on a Saturday for some help in getting the front yard plantings prepared. They did a great job ripping out old plants and getting the peat moss cultivated into the soil.
Adele has planted annuals in that area, and planted some shade plants under one of the large maple trees. We also tried to dig out all the old tulip bulbs, as they are becoming anemic after 6 years in the ground.
Now to prepare for Memorial day on the patio (or inside if it is really 90 degrees) with Mom & Dad, Tom & Shannon and the kids. I am planning an 'Oven Fried Chicken "IV"' recipe I found on allrecipes.com. For dessert I am making a 'Peanut Butter Cup Pie' again found on the Internet. I do love making new things for guests, I get a better feel for whether the recipe should stay in my list of good things to make or not.
My next doctor appt is on June 8th, and I might be able to start mowing again after that.
Thanks for watching our posts.
Adele has planted annuals in that area, and planted some shade plants under one of the large maple trees. We also tried to dig out all the old tulip bulbs, as they are becoming anemic after 6 years in the ground.
Now to prepare for Memorial day on the patio (or inside if it is really 90 degrees) with Mom & Dad, Tom & Shannon and the kids. I am planning an 'Oven Fried Chicken "IV"' recipe I found on allrecipes.com. For dessert I am making a 'Peanut Butter Cup Pie' again found on the Internet. I do love making new things for guests, I get a better feel for whether the recipe should stay in my list of good things to make or not.
My next doctor appt is on June 8th, and I might be able to start mowing again after that.
Thanks for watching our posts.
Monday, April 2, 2012
A Time of Joy
We are in Augusta GA this week, visiting Ruby, Julie and Eric for a week. My back surgery is in 7 days, so I wanted to get here before I would need to be more careful about how long I can sit in a car.
Adele will be my caretaker for the next few months, until I can get back to a more normal schedule. The first month will be no more than 10 pounds lifting. Then I think it is More like 20 or 30 the next month. Physical therapy only starts after the first month, and after an X-ray to verify the setting of the rods and screws and discs. I trust the Lord will help me do the correct things, so I do not hurt my healing. I thank Him now for the patience I will need for this time.
We are thinking of coming home in 2 days, as I have more pain than I would like every day. Maybe 6 hours the first day, and then 5 the next day.
See you all for Easter Sunday.
Adele will be my caretaker for the next few months, until I can get back to a more normal schedule. The first month will be no more than 10 pounds lifting. Then I think it is More like 20 or 30 the next month. Physical therapy only starts after the first month, and after an X-ray to verify the setting of the rods and screws and discs. I trust the Lord will help me do the correct things, so I do not hurt my healing. I thank Him now for the patience I will need for this time.
We are thinking of coming home in 2 days, as I have more pain than I would like every day. Maybe 6 hours the first day, and then 5 the next day.
See you all for Easter Sunday.
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
March 14 2012
Nothing new on Adele is good news. She did visit her local Oncologist and he set another appointment for her in August, and she will get checked at Johns Hopkins in February 2013. In other words she will have a good checkup every 6 months, and that pleases her greatly. Sometimes yearly seems too long of a period without a checkup.
I (Rick) am an unhappy patient right now. My back surgery scheduled for March 1st was cancelled by a heart doctor wanting to see more tests run on my ticker. OK, so he sees me on Feb 29th and says "I see muscle damage" upon looking at his computer screen for 10 seconds. Then he tries to make sure I know that surgery will not happen until he OKs me, and that he needs to do a 'stress / echo' exam right away. OK, but then we need the insurance company to OK that, and when I call the heart doctor on March 2nd they say they are waiting for the insurance company to give the go ahead. Now I am ticked off, so I call the insurance company, and find out that they (the insurance Co) has had no request for any 'stress / echo' exams from the Heart Group. So now I call back the Heart Group and get to the person that should have sent in (or called) the request for the tests, and she says they do not have any authorisation - and then I say, the Ins Co has no record of a request for the tests. After I get put on hold for almost 3 minutes, she is back and magically the tests are approved by the Ins. Co. Maybe she called them while I was on hold????
OK - now I was told by the Heart Group doctor, that the test will be run ASAP, so scheduling says we can do the tests on March 9th at 2:30 pm. Of course there is a 12 hour fast included, so I cannot eat when I get up and am not allowed caffeine - until after the tests.
Tests are being done, and the echo tech asks if anyone had ever said anything about a 'hole in your heart' before. My answer was no, but she said nothing else about that. I did the echo / stress on a treadmill / echo and asked if I was to make an appt upstairs with the doctor. No, he will call you or set up an appt is what I was told. I worry Sat and Sun about a 'hole in my heart' then do a google on it and find that up to 20% of adults have the condition and the treatment is to do nothing, unless a cardiac problem is suspected. I call the Heart Group on Mon noon, and find out the results are done, but no - the doctor will call you or make an appt to see you. Tuesday was lousy and I just worried every minute wondering if I should call them back again.
OK - News - I am writing this out and got a call from the nurse at the Heart Group, who informed me that I am cleared for surgery, and that they will inform Lancaster Neuro and Spine of that. Thank God, I no longer have to worry about that, and have all these scenarios going through my head about, what if the hole in my heart gets larger????
Relief - now to wait to hear from Lanc Neuro and Spine, they are on the ball and I am sure will call me today about the schedule.
I (Rick) am an unhappy patient right now. My back surgery scheduled for March 1st was cancelled by a heart doctor wanting to see more tests run on my ticker. OK, so he sees me on Feb 29th and says "I see muscle damage" upon looking at his computer screen for 10 seconds. Then he tries to make sure I know that surgery will not happen until he OKs me, and that he needs to do a 'stress / echo' exam right away. OK, but then we need the insurance company to OK that, and when I call the heart doctor on March 2nd they say they are waiting for the insurance company to give the go ahead. Now I am ticked off, so I call the insurance company, and find out that they (the insurance Co) has had no request for any 'stress / echo' exams from the Heart Group. So now I call back the Heart Group and get to the person that should have sent in (or called) the request for the tests, and she says they do not have any authorisation - and then I say, the Ins Co has no record of a request for the tests. After I get put on hold for almost 3 minutes, she is back and magically the tests are approved by the Ins. Co. Maybe she called them while I was on hold????
OK - now I was told by the Heart Group doctor, that the test will be run ASAP, so scheduling says we can do the tests on March 9th at 2:30 pm. Of course there is a 12 hour fast included, so I cannot eat when I get up and am not allowed caffeine - until after the tests.
Tests are being done, and the echo tech asks if anyone had ever said anything about a 'hole in your heart' before. My answer was no, but she said nothing else about that. I did the echo / stress on a treadmill / echo and asked if I was to make an appt upstairs with the doctor. No, he will call you or set up an appt is what I was told. I worry Sat and Sun about a 'hole in my heart' then do a google on it and find that up to 20% of adults have the condition and the treatment is to do nothing, unless a cardiac problem is suspected. I call the Heart Group on Mon noon, and find out the results are done, but no - the doctor will call you or make an appt to see you. Tuesday was lousy and I just worried every minute wondering if I should call them back again.
OK - News - I am writing this out and got a call from the nurse at the Heart Group, who informed me that I am cleared for surgery, and that they will inform Lancaster Neuro and Spine of that. Thank God, I no longer have to worry about that, and have all these scenarios going through my head about, what if the hole in my heart gets larger????
Relief - now to wait to hear from Lanc Neuro and Spine, they are on the ball and I am sure will call me today about the schedule.
Monday, February 20, 2012
What Great News!
Yes, I can keep Adele!
We did all the Johns Hopkins appointments on Feb 16th and we got to our final appointment with Doctor Meade around 1 PM. He was waiting at the door of his small exam room. He had already looked over the blood work and CAT scan reports, along with the PA's reports. The bone marrow report takes a week or so.
His first words were, "Your report is boring!" Or in other words, Adele is now 3 years after stem cell transplant and still free of all cancer! Among other things he said, Adele was most happy with the fact that she only needs to go to Johns Hopkins another 2 years, and that further testing after 5 years clear is optional. With more boring reports like they had this year, she will be able to stop worrying about it so much. She does have an appointment with the local oncologist next month, and probably will continue to have yearly checks with him for a while.
Cancer Free is such a freeing statement.
In other news, you might see Adele tooling around in her new Victory Red Sonic, learning to shift gears all over. We bought the Chevrolet Sonic to replace a van, that we had no use for anymore, and to get better gas mileage (29 City - 40 Highway). The color is her choice, the engine (Turbo charged / 6 Speed manual trans) is mine. We might just drive it to GA, even though the Malibu gets a good 30+ mpg on that trip.
I am scheduled to have major back surgery on March 1st, with 3 days in the hospital and probably 5 - 10 weeks of recovery. My lower back is so painful, I had trouble turning over in bed without grunting in pain - woke Adele up a lot! The discs are severely compressed and there is also spinal stenosis. Pain in both legs now, and it gets worse every day as the day progresses. I grew tired of living on LoriTab (Vicodin) and refuse to take it most days. I will keep you posted on this blog, as the surgery and my recovery continues.
We did all the Johns Hopkins appointments on Feb 16th and we got to our final appointment with Doctor Meade around 1 PM. He was waiting at the door of his small exam room. He had already looked over the blood work and CAT scan reports, along with the PA's reports. The bone marrow report takes a week or so.
His first words were, "Your report is boring!" Or in other words, Adele is now 3 years after stem cell transplant and still free of all cancer! Among other things he said, Adele was most happy with the fact that she only needs to go to Johns Hopkins another 2 years, and that further testing after 5 years clear is optional. With more boring reports like they had this year, she will be able to stop worrying about it so much. She does have an appointment with the local oncologist next month, and probably will continue to have yearly checks with him for a while.
Cancer Free is such a freeing statement.
In other news, you might see Adele tooling around in her new Victory Red Sonic, learning to shift gears all over. We bought the Chevrolet Sonic to replace a van, that we had no use for anymore, and to get better gas mileage (29 City - 40 Highway). The color is her choice, the engine (Turbo charged / 6 Speed manual trans) is mine. We might just drive it to GA, even though the Malibu gets a good 30+ mpg on that trip.
I am scheduled to have major back surgery on March 1st, with 3 days in the hospital and probably 5 - 10 weeks of recovery. My lower back is so painful, I had trouble turning over in bed without grunting in pain - woke Adele up a lot! The discs are severely compressed and there is also spinal stenosis. Pain in both legs now, and it gets worse every day as the day progresses. I grew tired of living on LoriTab (Vicodin) and refuse to take it most days. I will keep you posted on this blog, as the surgery and my recovery continues.
Friday, February 3, 2012
John Hopkins 2012
Last year (2011) Adele contacted John Hopkins about her annual checkup, and JH never followed through.
This year, we have a day of appointments at John Hopkins on Feb 16th. What a difference, they called and set it up for her like they were supposed to last year. Now we will be able to get everything checked in one day, and get results the same day! What a great way to limit the suspense we both feel every year!
Jan 21st, 2012 was her 3rd birthday for the stem cell transplant, and I think we both are doing much better this year - better than any year in the past 4 1/2. We will of course accept prayers for a good outcome and NO Signs of cancer, but I believe that is the case already, there is nothing to fear as it is gone for good! Thank the Lord for His Healing Power in her body.
On Feb 15th, I will meet with the back surgeon again, and I imagine schedule the back surgery shortly after that. I see a 3 - 7 week recovery time, with a know 3 weeks of no lifting anything even close to 30 pounds. That will mean - no computer lifting, or crawling on the floor to get a computer out of its hiding place to see if it is resurrectable. I could use prayers for a fast recovery and freedom from the pain I have every day. From what I heard so far, there will be a new tailbone and rods used to fuse in place the 3 discs above the tailbone add-on. I will be setting off all kinds of metal detectors if I get near them.
Adele is keeping fit at Curves, many weeks going 3 times and having a great time there. It has helped her with stamina and is keeping her healthy. She is starting to organize coupons for us also, and we are both enjoying her retirement.
On the accident front, I am still trying to get the police department here in Ephrata to respond to errors that I found on their Reportable Accident Report, and will soon resort to just sitting at the Police station and waiting for the chief of some other officer to come out and talk with me about the bad reporting they are doing. Wish me luck on that front, this is the 11th week since the accident, in which we were T-boned (hit in the side of the car, driver's side) and their report says we were hit in the front of the car. My pictures show no damage to the front end, and the police have those pictures for ? over 4 weeks now, with no response to us. Could go on - but it just brings up the anger again - and I had to go on medication to stop the worry about it, so - That is all.
Thanks - Rick
This year, we have a day of appointments at John Hopkins on Feb 16th. What a difference, they called and set it up for her like they were supposed to last year. Now we will be able to get everything checked in one day, and get results the same day! What a great way to limit the suspense we both feel every year!
Jan 21st, 2012 was her 3rd birthday for the stem cell transplant, and I think we both are doing much better this year - better than any year in the past 4 1/2. We will of course accept prayers for a good outcome and NO Signs of cancer, but I believe that is the case already, there is nothing to fear as it is gone for good! Thank the Lord for His Healing Power in her body.
On Feb 15th, I will meet with the back surgeon again, and I imagine schedule the back surgery shortly after that. I see a 3 - 7 week recovery time, with a know 3 weeks of no lifting anything even close to 30 pounds. That will mean - no computer lifting, or crawling on the floor to get a computer out of its hiding place to see if it is resurrectable. I could use prayers for a fast recovery and freedom from the pain I have every day. From what I heard so far, there will be a new tailbone and rods used to fuse in place the 3 discs above the tailbone add-on. I will be setting off all kinds of metal detectors if I get near them.
Adele is keeping fit at Curves, many weeks going 3 times and having a great time there. It has helped her with stamina and is keeping her healthy. She is starting to organize coupons for us also, and we are both enjoying her retirement.
On the accident front, I am still trying to get the police department here in Ephrata to respond to errors that I found on their Reportable Accident Report, and will soon resort to just sitting at the Police station and waiting for the chief of some other officer to come out and talk with me about the bad reporting they are doing. Wish me luck on that front, this is the 11th week since the accident, in which we were T-boned (hit in the side of the car, driver's side) and their report says we were hit in the front of the car. My pictures show no damage to the front end, and the police have those pictures for ? over 4 weeks now, with no response to us. Could go on - but it just brings up the anger again - and I had to go on medication to stop the worry about it, so - That is all.
Thanks - Rick
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