It's Wednesday, and I am not working tonight.
My appointment at the doctor on Friday was good. The larger incision had leaked recently, but when the PA put a new bandaid on it, it didn't leak again. He showed me pictures of the white, fibrous, ragged-looking scar tissue in the joint before they vaporized it It wasn't even very gross, and it was interesting to see how clear the area was in the "after" pictures.
On Monday, I had my therapy appointment to remove the stitches, It wasn't looking all that good, still bruised, irritated-looking. He decided to wait until today to take them out, to give it a couple more days to heal. Before I left, we set up four weeks (weeks!) of therapy appointments. I reallllly don't want to do therapy for four weeks. For one thing, it's a $25 copay every time. And I really don't think I need it, seriously. My hesitation in moving/stretching it was because of the stitches. I always have this baseless fear that I will rip them open. When I had my knee replacement I had a huge row of staples. When the therapist first stretched me and I flinched, he said, "Do you think that if I bend it too much all of the staples will come pinging out one by one?" When I said that was exactly what I had pictured, he said that he had been doing that job for 19 years and it had never happened. Didn't make me feel any better, though.
Today was my second therapy appointment. I started with six minutes on the seated stepper, and I went full-out. I tried to stay close to 120 steps per minute. :) Then he took out the stitches before stretching me. He said it was healed enough not to need a steri-strip. My bend had been 110 degrees on Monday - today it was 126! He mentioned a bump I had noticed near the larger incision but didn't really know what it was. He stretched me a few times, then turned to make some notes in his computer. When he turned back, he said, "Well, you know, I think I'll put a steri-strip on that after all". Turned out, it had started to bleed all over - but the good news was, I no longer had a bump by the incision. It started to puff up again, and he was concerned enough about it to call my doctor's nurse, but they never called me back, so they must not think I need antibiotics or something. So now I have a steri-strip (the glued on kind), and he suggested I call off work tonight.
I really don't know if I did the wrong thing going back to work on Monday. Maybe it was too soon for being on my feet for four hours. I have been icing it tonight and I will see how it is tomorrow. I really need the money, so I hate to call off again, but I would like this to heal. I don't go back to therapy until next Tuesday, so that gives it several days to heal before we try again.
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
Thursday, October 9, 2014
Bandaids
Yesterday when I woke up, I found that my big bandage felt hard, like a cast. I thought that was strange. Then when I went to remove it, I saw why. Fluid had seeped through the additional wrap, particularly on the back side of my knee, where I didn't notice it before. The actual surgical dressing had been completely soaked, and had dried and hardened. I had to cut it with scissors down the only spot that was dry, then peel it off. As I showered, it seeped a little, and I covered it with a gauze pad held down with a bandaid (and put a bandaid on the other, non-leaky, incision).
By the time I got home from the movie, the gauze was soaked, though I hadn't really walked much and kept my leg elevated at the movie. So I changed it and kept an eye on it for the rest of the night. It didn't bleed through again, so maybe it was just icky because I had removed the bandage, I don't know. We will see what happens when I change it in a bit. I go to the dr tomorrow for a followup.
It does seem looser. I'm just hesitant to bend it much, not because it hurts (it doesn't) but because of its tendency to leak. For the same reason, I haven't really tested it on stairs yet to see if the pain is gone, but my guess is that it is.
By the time I got home from the movie, the gauze was soaked, though I hadn't really walked much and kept my leg elevated at the movie. So I changed it and kept an eye on it for the rest of the night. It didn't bleed through again, so maybe it was just icky because I had removed the bandage, I don't know. We will see what happens when I change it in a bit. I go to the dr tomorrow for a followup.
It does seem looser. I'm just hesitant to bend it much, not because it hurts (it doesn't) but because of its tendency to leak. For the same reason, I haven't really tested it on stairs yet to see if the pain is gone, but my guess is that it is.
Tuesday, October 7, 2014
Knee News
So yesterday was my knee surgery to loosen up/remove scar tissue. I had to be there at 8:30 for a supposed 9:45 surgery, but it was actually after 10:00 by the time I went back. I was home by about 12:30. At this moment it is still heavily wrapped up, but I can remove the bandages tomorrow, and switch to bandaids. On Friday I have a followup appointment, then on Monday I have a therapy appointment where they will remove my stitches and evaluate whether I need any actual therapy.
I noticed late in the evening that it had bled through the ace bandage to an extent that was more than they told me was OK, so I called the answering service, who paged the doctor and he called me back. They had obviously woken him (it was 10:15), so I felt a little bad, particularly when he said that kind of surgery usually has a lot of fluid, and to just overwrap it. It didn't leak any further after that. It hasn't been painful, though I can feel the stitches pulling a little. While I am looking forward to getting rid of the big bandage, I'm not looking forward to having to see the mess. I am eternally grateful that there are people who want to be doctors and nurses, and who want to deal with that kind of stuff, because I just don't. I will do it, though.
I had a really terrible night. Part of the problem might have been the pizza with onion I had for dinner (maybe I wasn't ready for onions), and the G2 I drank during the evening. It is kind of salty, and part of my problem was that I was really thirsty and my eyes were dry. I probably used my expensive eye drops four times during the night. I was taking hydrocodone on schedule and it made me a little loopy. I felt like my heart was racing and I couldn't breathe if I was lying on my back, but didn't know how else I could position myself. I tried two pillows, but that didn't really help. I felt like I was just dozing, not sleeping, and I kept waking myself up snoring or talking or drifting in and out of weird dreams. I was probably up about every hour or so. I skipped the 7 a.m. dose of hydrocodone and finally fell deeply asleep until 9:30, then laid in bed intending to watch a movie but I couldn't get the DVD player to work (or maybe the TV - it said it was in DVD mode, but it wasn't showing the movie). I ended up dozing off again until almost 11:00. I used Dad's cane when I got up last night, but otherwise, I haven't used crutches or anything.
I spent today watching a movie, three episodes of an old Amazing Race season, and part of another movie. With all of the bleeding last night, I was trying not to put much stress on it today. The surgery center called this afternoon to check on me, but I really haven't had any problems or pain. And though I can't really bend it yet because of the bandage, it seems a bit looser already. The doctor told me that he uses a machine that vaporizes the scar tissue, and it should not redevelop. I am really anxious to see how it will be painwise, like on the stairs.
Tomorrow, once I take off the big bandage, it will be back to real life. I am going to a movie with Mom (it's Wednesday). Dad is still in the field helping with harvest so he will be busy. Then I have NCHS Alumni Foundation at 7:00. Friday night is the Homecoming game, where I will be helping man the alumni table. And next week I work M-F 5-9 again.
I noticed late in the evening that it had bled through the ace bandage to an extent that was more than they told me was OK, so I called the answering service, who paged the doctor and he called me back. They had obviously woken him (it was 10:15), so I felt a little bad, particularly when he said that kind of surgery usually has a lot of fluid, and to just overwrap it. It didn't leak any further after that. It hasn't been painful, though I can feel the stitches pulling a little. While I am looking forward to getting rid of the big bandage, I'm not looking forward to having to see the mess. I am eternally grateful that there are people who want to be doctors and nurses, and who want to deal with that kind of stuff, because I just don't. I will do it, though.
I had a really terrible night. Part of the problem might have been the pizza with onion I had for dinner (maybe I wasn't ready for onions), and the G2 I drank during the evening. It is kind of salty, and part of my problem was that I was really thirsty and my eyes were dry. I probably used my expensive eye drops four times during the night. I was taking hydrocodone on schedule and it made me a little loopy. I felt like my heart was racing and I couldn't breathe if I was lying on my back, but didn't know how else I could position myself. I tried two pillows, but that didn't really help. I felt like I was just dozing, not sleeping, and I kept waking myself up snoring or talking or drifting in and out of weird dreams. I was probably up about every hour or so. I skipped the 7 a.m. dose of hydrocodone and finally fell deeply asleep until 9:30, then laid in bed intending to watch a movie but I couldn't get the DVD player to work (or maybe the TV - it said it was in DVD mode, but it wasn't showing the movie). I ended up dozing off again until almost 11:00. I used Dad's cane when I got up last night, but otherwise, I haven't used crutches or anything.
I spent today watching a movie, three episodes of an old Amazing Race season, and part of another movie. With all of the bleeding last night, I was trying not to put much stress on it today. The surgery center called this afternoon to check on me, but I really haven't had any problems or pain. And though I can't really bend it yet because of the bandage, it seems a bit looser already. The doctor told me that he uses a machine that vaporizes the scar tissue, and it should not redevelop. I am really anxious to see how it will be painwise, like on the stairs.
Tomorrow, once I take off the big bandage, it will be back to real life. I am going to a movie with Mom (it's Wednesday). Dad is still in the field helping with harvest so he will be busy. Then I have NCHS Alumni Foundation at 7:00. Friday night is the Homecoming game, where I will be helping man the alumni table. And next week I work M-F 5-9 again.
Catching Up
The drive back from Florida was fine, except for a standstill traffic jam in Atlanta and about ten minutes of absolute pouring rain in the mountains of TN (my absolute least favorite place to have rain). I got back right at 12:15 a.m., which wasn't too bad considering the slowdowns. A couple of times during the late morning and midafternoon, I got really sleepy, so I had to stop a little longer and walk around at rest areas (which, coincidentally, had geocaches) to perk up. The weather was perfect (except for that tiny stretch in TN) and walking around for a few minutes really helped.
The next week I worked 35 hours, which was kind of a shock after a week off. It was inventory week, which didn't involve me at all. It was supposed to be my first week on weekday team for real, but the first day and a half I was still outside. I had to work with Skeeterette both of those days, and she said not one word to me. She did come out and talk to Kevin (the other waterer) and ask him about his weekend. She pointedly ignored me. It annoys me, but in reality I am glad I didn't have to talk to her.
The next week (last week) was my first full week of weekday team. I worked 5-9 M-F, which is OK for now, but just can't happen during tax season. I need to find out how to change my availability so that they have adequate notice that I can't do nights after November. The real problem is that now that I am permanent parttime, I can't just quit and be able to get unemployment, so I have to keep working until I start having tax place income. My plan is really to work minimal hours at the home improvement place during tax season, then start back fulltime when garden season starts again. Of course, it would be good if Skeeterette were gone by then.
The next week I worked 35 hours, which was kind of a shock after a week off. It was inventory week, which didn't involve me at all. It was supposed to be my first week on weekday team for real, but the first day and a half I was still outside. I had to work with Skeeterette both of those days, and she said not one word to me. She did come out and talk to Kevin (the other waterer) and ask him about his weekend. She pointedly ignored me. It annoys me, but in reality I am glad I didn't have to talk to her.
The next week (last week) was my first full week of weekday team. I worked 5-9 M-F, which is OK for now, but just can't happen during tax season. I need to find out how to change my availability so that they have adequate notice that I can't do nights after November. The real problem is that now that I am permanent parttime, I can't just quit and be able to get unemployment, so I have to keep working until I start having tax place income. My plan is really to work minimal hours at the home improvement place during tax season, then start back fulltime when garden season starts again. Of course, it would be good if Skeeterette were gone by then.
Saturday, September 20, 2014
Rain, Sweat, What's the Difference, Really?
To catch up a bit:
On Thursday, I did, indeed, take a little nap. By then it was past raining, exactly, but continued to sprinkle the rest of the daylight hours till nearly Sunset Celebration. I did go out to stock up on pop, but I was still so full from lunch that I didn't have dinner. Instead, I got some ice cream at the homemade place on Duval, where the chick there slipped me a foreign coin with my change (which I didn't notice, of course, until later). I also did a little geocaching, since there were several new ones placed since my last visit, and a couple of them were nearby.
Then I went to Sunset Celebration, which was a little less interesting than I had found it in the past, maybe because the rain/not rain kept some of the coo-coos away. The guy with the trained cats was there, though. And he announced that his old cat, almost 20, had "rejoined the universe six months ago....so many stars to visit!". I thought that was a very sweet way to put it. Later, after it was full dark, I went down to take a night swim. The pool area is not illuninated but the pool is, and I had the whole place to myself for an entire hour! It was so nice floating back and forth, with palm trees and the building surrounding me. Heaven!
On Friday, I awoke to a grey sky. Really? AGAIN? I putzed around the hotel a bit, then went down to check out, but leave my bag until it was closer to time to go back to the ferry. I was kind of stuck with my sun hat, since I couldn't check that with my bag, and I felt a little stupid with it, since it was clearly not sunny. It was, however, really good for the constant sprinkle that lasted most of the day. I first walked down to get a couple of geocaches by the Coast Guard ship that is permanently docked there. I didn't tour it because I didn't want to spend the necessary $10. The ship was the USCGC Ingham, which took part in WWII, Korea, and Vietnam, and was the most decorated vessel of its time (received 35 awards and has the only confirmed kill, for a Coast Guard ship, of a U-boat in WWII). It was also part of the Mariel Boatlift which helped hundreds of Cubans to reach the US in 1980.
I used my foreign coin as swag for one of the caches, so that worked out OK. I then walked down to one near the cemetery, called Flying Pigs (really cute). It is at the cache owner's home, so I was prepared to meet him, but I guess he wasn't around. Very interesting place, though, with lots of statuary and artwork around. Then I walked around to the gate of the cemetery for another cache, and to go inside to look around. They actually have maps available to the graves of prominent KW citizens, so I walked around there for probably an hour. The Jewish cemetery corner was interesting, since it had no flowers, only small stones on the gravesites. These are left in remembrance when someone visits, and it was cool to see, though I wondered if anyone left stones on the ones whom no one visited just so that they didn't look left out. As a whole, the cemetery was fascinating. So many styles of grave markers and coverings. One was covered in pots of cactus. Another had coreopsis growing in the enclosure. Some had shelters built over them, some were above ground, and others below. Really, I could have stayed there a lot longer, looking at everything. It was so, so hot, though, in spite of the sprinkling, and I wasn't sure if I was just wet from walking around all day, or from being completely sweat-soaked.
But it was getting toward midafternoon, it was semi-sunny and hot, and I had had nothing to eat, so I headed back toward the hotel. Sort of by accident, I ended up down at El Meson de Pepe's, the Cuban place I liked so much last time. I had a Ropa Vieja sandwich and fries, which was enough to keep me full through dinnertime again. I was debating between two sandwiches and asked the server which one was less food. She looked at me skeptically and said, "In Cuba, there is no such thing as less food". So, ropa vieja it was, served with two different sauces. The red one was especially good. Going to have to find out more about that.
Then I picked up a couple of drinks and snacks for the boat, picked up my bag, and went back to the ferry terminal. It seems that Friday was the beginning of bike week, an annual poker run from KW to Miami. The taxi driver told me that by Sunday, KW would be back to normal, but on Friday and Sat, Duval St was full of booths of all sorts of biker stuff, jewelry, clothes, souvenir stuff, and bikers - lots and lots of bikers, None of them seemed to be staying at the Westin, though. :)
The trip back was fine, though it rained a good bit of the time, and was still sprinkling when we reached Ft Myers. And it rained steadily all the way to Bradenton, though Cathy said it didn't rain here yesterday at all. (Of course not.)
Today, I spent most of the afternoon with Cathy, and Mark's granddaughter Hailey. We went to see Cathy and Mark's "vacation home" and went swimming there. Really great pool, and I had a good time. It has been awhile since I have swum laps in an outdoor pool and it was really nice. We also worked on getting Hailey to swim underwater. She's a smart little cookie, and she caught on fast.
Now I am recombobulating the condo, packing up, and getting ready to head north tomorrow. Not sure if I will be able to meet up with HJ or not, but I will try. I need to check the rest area map and see if there is anywhere near Atlanta that I can leave the travel bug I am carrying that wants to go back there. I would hate to get all the way back home with it. I didn't want to leave it in KW, since it wants to go to Atlanta.
It's been an imperfect trip with lots of aggravations, but I managed to salvage quite a few good times from it after all. I hope the drive back will be smooth. I need to stay on my timeline and get back before midnight because I have to be at work at 7:00 on Monday morning. But I think this might be my last week with Skeeterette, so there's that.
On Thursday, I did, indeed, take a little nap. By then it was past raining, exactly, but continued to sprinkle the rest of the daylight hours till nearly Sunset Celebration. I did go out to stock up on pop, but I was still so full from lunch that I didn't have dinner. Instead, I got some ice cream at the homemade place on Duval, where the chick there slipped me a foreign coin with my change (which I didn't notice, of course, until later). I also did a little geocaching, since there were several new ones placed since my last visit, and a couple of them were nearby.
Then I went to Sunset Celebration, which was a little less interesting than I had found it in the past, maybe because the rain/not rain kept some of the coo-coos away. The guy with the trained cats was there, though. And he announced that his old cat, almost 20, had "rejoined the universe six months ago....so many stars to visit!". I thought that was a very sweet way to put it. Later, after it was full dark, I went down to take a night swim. The pool area is not illuninated but the pool is, and I had the whole place to myself for an entire hour! It was so nice floating back and forth, with palm trees and the building surrounding me. Heaven!
On Friday, I awoke to a grey sky. Really? AGAIN? I putzed around the hotel a bit, then went down to check out, but leave my bag until it was closer to time to go back to the ferry. I was kind of stuck with my sun hat, since I couldn't check that with my bag, and I felt a little stupid with it, since it was clearly not sunny. It was, however, really good for the constant sprinkle that lasted most of the day. I first walked down to get a couple of geocaches by the Coast Guard ship that is permanently docked there. I didn't tour it because I didn't want to spend the necessary $10. The ship was the USCGC Ingham, which took part in WWII, Korea, and Vietnam, and was the most decorated vessel of its time (received 35 awards and has the only confirmed kill, for a Coast Guard ship, of a U-boat in WWII). It was also part of the Mariel Boatlift which helped hundreds of Cubans to reach the US in 1980.
I used my foreign coin as swag for one of the caches, so that worked out OK. I then walked down to one near the cemetery, called Flying Pigs (really cute). It is at the cache owner's home, so I was prepared to meet him, but I guess he wasn't around. Very interesting place, though, with lots of statuary and artwork around. Then I walked around to the gate of the cemetery for another cache, and to go inside to look around. They actually have maps available to the graves of prominent KW citizens, so I walked around there for probably an hour. The Jewish cemetery corner was interesting, since it had no flowers, only small stones on the gravesites. These are left in remembrance when someone visits, and it was cool to see, though I wondered if anyone left stones on the ones whom no one visited just so that they didn't look left out. As a whole, the cemetery was fascinating. So many styles of grave markers and coverings. One was covered in pots of cactus. Another had coreopsis growing in the enclosure. Some had shelters built over them, some were above ground, and others below. Really, I could have stayed there a lot longer, looking at everything. It was so, so hot, though, in spite of the sprinkling, and I wasn't sure if I was just wet from walking around all day, or from being completely sweat-soaked.
But it was getting toward midafternoon, it was semi-sunny and hot, and I had had nothing to eat, so I headed back toward the hotel. Sort of by accident, I ended up down at El Meson de Pepe's, the Cuban place I liked so much last time. I had a Ropa Vieja sandwich and fries, which was enough to keep me full through dinnertime again. I was debating between two sandwiches and asked the server which one was less food. She looked at me skeptically and said, "In Cuba, there is no such thing as less food". So, ropa vieja it was, served with two different sauces. The red one was especially good. Going to have to find out more about that.
Then I picked up a couple of drinks and snacks for the boat, picked up my bag, and went back to the ferry terminal. It seems that Friday was the beginning of bike week, an annual poker run from KW to Miami. The taxi driver told me that by Sunday, KW would be back to normal, but on Friday and Sat, Duval St was full of booths of all sorts of biker stuff, jewelry, clothes, souvenir stuff, and bikers - lots and lots of bikers, None of them seemed to be staying at the Westin, though. :)
The trip back was fine, though it rained a good bit of the time, and was still sprinkling when we reached Ft Myers. And it rained steadily all the way to Bradenton, though Cathy said it didn't rain here yesterday at all. (Of course not.)
Today, I spent most of the afternoon with Cathy, and Mark's granddaughter Hailey. We went to see Cathy and Mark's "vacation home" and went swimming there. Really great pool, and I had a good time. It has been awhile since I have swum laps in an outdoor pool and it was really nice. We also worked on getting Hailey to swim underwater. She's a smart little cookie, and she caught on fast.
Now I am recombobulating the condo, packing up, and getting ready to head north tomorrow. Not sure if I will be able to meet up with HJ or not, but I will try. I need to check the rest area map and see if there is anywhere near Atlanta that I can leave the travel bug I am carrying that wants to go back there. I would hate to get all the way back home with it. I didn't want to leave it in KW, since it wants to go to Atlanta.
It's been an imperfect trip with lots of aggravations, but I managed to salvage quite a few good times from it after all. I hope the drive back will be smooth. I need to stay on my timeline and get back before midnight because I have to be at work at 7:00 on Monday morning. But I think this might be my last week with Skeeterette, so there's that.
Thursday, September 18, 2014
Welcome to "Sunny" Florida!
Well, the a/c guy came at 7:30, but since it was past closing time he couldn't check to see if they had the part he needed in stock. IF they did, they might be able to get it fixed on Wednesday. If not, a neighbor was arranged to come down and let him in while I was in Key West. He offered to hook up a temporary fan motor for the night, at the low, low cost of $150 (!!!), but I said no. So I passed a restless, hot night with no a/c.
The next morning I discovered that there was no water in the master bath shower. Hmm. I found that the hot water had been shut off at the water heater, and once I turned that on, I had hot water in the kitchen and in the bathroom sink (and in the other bathroom)....but nothing in the master bath shower, not even cold water. <sigh> Just an inconvenience for me, since the other shower works, but it's a pain for Mom and Dad, since they are already facing the a/c repair, and they will be replacing the fridge when they come down.
Cathy arrived mid-morning, just as I was talking to the a/c people to see when they might wander back with the part. They had it in stock, and I was next on the list, thanks to rain that canceled some outdoor jobs. (Yes, it was pouring rain.) Since it was going to be a bit before they got back to me, we decided to run down to see their "vacation home" just 20 minutes or so down the road. We had barely gotten two miles away, though, when they called and said they would be there in 30 min. So we turned around and went back to wait.
The guy finally got there an hour or so later, and we sat and talked while he was working, then we went out to lunch. After a long lunch, she dropped me back off at the condo, and we will get back together on Saturday, when we will go to the vacation place for a swim.
I ran down to Books-a-Million and picked up some clearance audiobooks, then went back and loaded one onto my iPod for the ferry trip. I was so involved with that that I never actually ended up having dinner, just snacked on things I had in the kitchen (OK, it was Root Beer Float Oreos). I tried to get to bed early, knowing I had to be up at 4:00 to leave for the ferry at 5:00, but I just couldn't get to sleep. I managed maybe, maybe four hours.
This morning, I got Ft Myers with time to spare, even though it rained just a bit on the way. I stopped to get gas so I wouldn't have to deal with it later. I went in to use the restroom, and a big guy walked ahead and turned to open the door for me. The door was foggy with humidity, and when he pulled it open, he pulled with it a small man who was coming out at the same time. They both looked startled - neither one had seen the other coming.It was sunny and hot when I boarded the boat, but before we could leave it was....you guessed it!....raining. It didn't last long, but stayed overcast the whole way. We took longer than usual getting here because they drove around some storms on the way down.
Because it was too early to check in, I stopped at Sloppy Joe's for lunch before going over to the Westin. The room was ready, though, so I am now checked in. My room overlooks the courtyard where the pool is. I would think about going down there for a dip but...... it's raining. Doesn't look like it will last, so in a bit I will go out for some drinks for the room (there is a fridge). The Westin thoughtfully provides umbrellas, but right now I think I might try out this yummy bed for a little nap. Maybe by the time I get up it won't be raining anymore.
Oh, for anyone wondering if my absentminded tourism also happens on domestic trips, the answer is "yes". I left my cellphone in the car at the dock (but fortunately remembered it in time to fetch it before we left), and then I left my hat in the restroom of the arrival dock here in Key West (and remembered it just as I got downstairs from the boat - it was still there when I went back).
The next morning I discovered that there was no water in the master bath shower. Hmm. I found that the hot water had been shut off at the water heater, and once I turned that on, I had hot water in the kitchen and in the bathroom sink (and in the other bathroom)....but nothing in the master bath shower, not even cold water. <sigh> Just an inconvenience for me, since the other shower works, but it's a pain for Mom and Dad, since they are already facing the a/c repair, and they will be replacing the fridge when they come down.
Cathy arrived mid-morning, just as I was talking to the a/c people to see when they might wander back with the part. They had it in stock, and I was next on the list, thanks to rain that canceled some outdoor jobs. (Yes, it was pouring rain.) Since it was going to be a bit before they got back to me, we decided to run down to see their "vacation home" just 20 minutes or so down the road. We had barely gotten two miles away, though, when they called and said they would be there in 30 min. So we turned around and went back to wait.
The guy finally got there an hour or so later, and we sat and talked while he was working, then we went out to lunch. After a long lunch, she dropped me back off at the condo, and we will get back together on Saturday, when we will go to the vacation place for a swim.
I ran down to Books-a-Million and picked up some clearance audiobooks, then went back and loaded one onto my iPod for the ferry trip. I was so involved with that that I never actually ended up having dinner, just snacked on things I had in the kitchen (OK, it was Root Beer Float Oreos). I tried to get to bed early, knowing I had to be up at 4:00 to leave for the ferry at 5:00, but I just couldn't get to sleep. I managed maybe, maybe four hours.
This morning, I got Ft Myers with time to spare, even though it rained just a bit on the way. I stopped to get gas so I wouldn't have to deal with it later. I went in to use the restroom, and a big guy walked ahead and turned to open the door for me. The door was foggy with humidity, and when he pulled it open, he pulled with it a small man who was coming out at the same time. They both looked startled - neither one had seen the other coming.It was sunny and hot when I boarded the boat, but before we could leave it was....you guessed it!....raining. It didn't last long, but stayed overcast the whole way. We took longer than usual getting here because they drove around some storms on the way down.
Because it was too early to check in, I stopped at Sloppy Joe's for lunch before going over to the Westin. The room was ready, though, so I am now checked in. My room overlooks the courtyard where the pool is. I would think about going down there for a dip but...... it's raining. Doesn't look like it will last, so in a bit I will go out for some drinks for the room (there is a fridge). The Westin thoughtfully provides umbrellas, but right now I think I might try out this yummy bed for a little nap. Maybe by the time I get up it won't be raining anymore.
Oh, for anyone wondering if my absentminded tourism also happens on domestic trips, the answer is "yes". I left my cellphone in the car at the dock (but fortunately remembered it in time to fetch it before we left), and then I left my hat in the restroom of the arrival dock here in Key West (and remembered it just as I got downstairs from the boat - it was still there when I went back).
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
Headed South....Slowly
I am now in Bradenton, as of 12:30 this afternoon, but it's been a slow road getting here.
Actually, part of it was planned. The early part of the trip was flawless. I was on the road by about 5:15 AM. The car performed perfectly, I had lots of entertainment, and I made good time. It clouded up at Whitehaven, the KY welcome center, where I had stopped to eat my sandwich (and also found a geocache). It stayed cloudy, but never did rain, with the exception of a very few little sprinkles. I stopped for gas three times (Paducah, KY, Morrow, GA, and Alachua, FL (I was at a half tank that last stop, but it gave me enough to get the rest of the way here).
I had planned to stop in Atlanta to see two friends, Mike G and HJ, both of whom I met at Vaughantown in 2012. At the last minute, HJ had car problems that prevented him coming up, so that was a little disappointing. I found Mike's restaurant, Doc Greens, without a whole lot of trouble, though I think Mr TomTom was playing with me toward the end. On the map, it looked like a simple exit and a right turn. TomTom took me in a big circle for some reason, and I came up on the little strip from the other side, so I almost missed it (I had looked it up on Google Earth so it would look familiar). Mike and I had a nice dinner at his restaurant and a fun conversation - I think we sat there close to two hours.
I got through Atlanta before the rain started, but before Macon it started to really pour. I hate hard rain more than I hate hard snow, and since it was after dark by then, it was even worse. I decided to stop at Tifton, GA to sleep in the Walmart parking lot, since my drive time was messed up by both the stop and the slower speeds required in the rain. By the time I got to Tifton the rain had stopped, but it was killer humid. I got the car really cold, then got in the back to try to sleep, but it was no use. Opening the windows made it worse, (plus it was not as safe), and my new backseat has somewhat of a contour, so I couldn't get comfortable. I decided to just bite the bullet and get a motel.
I drove on to Adel, just down the road, and found a really great Days Inn. She asked if I had AAA, AARP, or was a senior (yes, yes, and uh, not even close), and I got a discount! She never asked to see either of my cards, though. The room was actually quite nice. It was on the main floor and my car was right outside the window. There was a fridge, a microwave, and coffee-making facilities, too! By then it was almost midnight, and I didn't take anything into the room except my purse. I just went in, took off my clothes, cranked the a/c up to high, and fell deeply asleep. I intended to get up and continue at 5:00 AM, but when I woke up it was full-on thunderstorming, so I went back to sleep until 6:00 AM. Same story, so back to sleep I went, until 7:00 AM, when it was no longer raining.
I justified the long stopover by figuring that if I had pushed through and come on down here, it was going to be close to 3:00 AM before I got here, then I would need to sleep, so I wouldn't be available to do anything until about noon, anyway. Plus, it was safer not to be driving in the hard rain and lightning, right? It rained a little during the morning, but it was never really bad. And when I got here, I discovered that there was one more reason that it was good that I had stopped - the a/c isn't working here (the fan won't run). It's currently 87 degrees in here, and I have now been waiting for the guy for three hours. I did run quickly to the grocery store, but can't really go anywhere else for fear that they will show up while I'm gone.
One little benefit of being stuck here is that I figured out how to use the mobile hotspot on my phone, but I'm sure it's eating data, so I won't spend the evening on the computer. Still, it's nice to have wifi here at the moment.
So - day #2 has been pretty much wasted. I would like to get to Capalbo's (Fire & Stone) for dinner, but I'm not sure that will be possible. When I talked to them an hour ago, they thought it might be another two hours before he got here. Cathy is having a cold tomorrow, so we are going to run around - not sure what we will be doing. I'm sure the Illinois tomatoes I have for her will make her feel much, much better. :)
Actually, part of it was planned. The early part of the trip was flawless. I was on the road by about 5:15 AM. The car performed perfectly, I had lots of entertainment, and I made good time. It clouded up at Whitehaven, the KY welcome center, where I had stopped to eat my sandwich (and also found a geocache). It stayed cloudy, but never did rain, with the exception of a very few little sprinkles. I stopped for gas three times (Paducah, KY, Morrow, GA, and Alachua, FL (I was at a half tank that last stop, but it gave me enough to get the rest of the way here).
I had planned to stop in Atlanta to see two friends, Mike G and HJ, both of whom I met at Vaughantown in 2012. At the last minute, HJ had car problems that prevented him coming up, so that was a little disappointing. I found Mike's restaurant, Doc Greens, without a whole lot of trouble, though I think Mr TomTom was playing with me toward the end. On the map, it looked like a simple exit and a right turn. TomTom took me in a big circle for some reason, and I came up on the little strip from the other side, so I almost missed it (I had looked it up on Google Earth so it would look familiar). Mike and I had a nice dinner at his restaurant and a fun conversation - I think we sat there close to two hours.
I got through Atlanta before the rain started, but before Macon it started to really pour. I hate hard rain more than I hate hard snow, and since it was after dark by then, it was even worse. I decided to stop at Tifton, GA to sleep in the Walmart parking lot, since my drive time was messed up by both the stop and the slower speeds required in the rain. By the time I got to Tifton the rain had stopped, but it was killer humid. I got the car really cold, then got in the back to try to sleep, but it was no use. Opening the windows made it worse, (plus it was not as safe), and my new backseat has somewhat of a contour, so I couldn't get comfortable. I decided to just bite the bullet and get a motel.
I drove on to Adel, just down the road, and found a really great Days Inn. She asked if I had AAA, AARP, or was a senior (yes, yes, and uh, not even close), and I got a discount! She never asked to see either of my cards, though. The room was actually quite nice. It was on the main floor and my car was right outside the window. There was a fridge, a microwave, and coffee-making facilities, too! By then it was almost midnight, and I didn't take anything into the room except my purse. I just went in, took off my clothes, cranked the a/c up to high, and fell deeply asleep. I intended to get up and continue at 5:00 AM, but when I woke up it was full-on thunderstorming, so I went back to sleep until 6:00 AM. Same story, so back to sleep I went, until 7:00 AM, when it was no longer raining.
I justified the long stopover by figuring that if I had pushed through and come on down here, it was going to be close to 3:00 AM before I got here, then I would need to sleep, so I wouldn't be available to do anything until about noon, anyway. Plus, it was safer not to be driving in the hard rain and lightning, right? It rained a little during the morning, but it was never really bad. And when I got here, I discovered that there was one more reason that it was good that I had stopped - the a/c isn't working here (the fan won't run). It's currently 87 degrees in here, and I have now been waiting for the guy for three hours. I did run quickly to the grocery store, but can't really go anywhere else for fear that they will show up while I'm gone.
One little benefit of being stuck here is that I figured out how to use the mobile hotspot on my phone, but I'm sure it's eating data, so I won't spend the evening on the computer. Still, it's nice to have wifi here at the moment.
So - day #2 has been pretty much wasted. I would like to get to Capalbo's (Fire & Stone) for dinner, but I'm not sure that will be possible. When I talked to them an hour ago, they thought it might be another two hours before he got here. Cathy is having a cold tomorrow, so we are going to run around - not sure what we will be doing. I'm sure the Illinois tomatoes I have for her will make her feel much, much better. :)
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