1 May, Wishing everyone May baskets of bountiful blessings. We are at Pritikin for eleven more days.
Friday, May 1, 2026
Wednesday, April 1, 2026
April in Miami
30 Apr: This has been a great month! We lovee Pritikin and what it does for us. Our days are so crazy busy that we forget to blog. Tonight, we met with Frank for several hours and with that good understanding of Cynthia’s spine and tendon issues we have a plan for pain management and healing. ZZzzzz Good night.
29 Apr: Ron is delighted that he lost two pounds despite eating huge quantities of food! He is working out on the arc trainer and walking, too. Cynthia had an excellent fitness session and iced her shoulder. We received tickets for the PGA event on May 2. Today is day 20 post PRP.
28 Apr: We walked a lot, almost five miles. The PGA opens tomorrow. We'd see mighty impressed with the village of temporary A/C rooms set up on the edge of the golf course.
27 Apr: Cynthia and Ron are approaching their 15th wedding anniversary, and she received this message from Ron, a copy of a post from 25 Dec 2016 filled with love. Aaahhhhhh! “ From Ron's Christmas card: To me beloved wee-fee, "I couldn't be happier - than with you. I love how lovely you are-- appearance, heart, and soul. I love how happy we are together-- and wouldn't change a thing about you-- even if I could. Here's wishing you a Merry Christmas and many, many more. Love, Smooch. ”
26 Apr: Sunday. We did indeed have a marvelous day.
25 Apr: Today, we are saying goodbye to Karl, Rosemary, and Didme. Wah! The cooking class was delicious, chocolate cheesecake!
24 Apr: Some of the loveliest people are here this week! We walked to the golf instructor's school this morning, then walked again tonight. In between walking, we had three classes and greatly enjoyed our fellow Ptitikin participants. Everyone got a big hoot of Ron's explanation about doing exercises before we get out of bed. He showed them the exercises and got a huge round of applause!
23 Apr: Cynthia's LDL increased a bit, and HDL decreased this week.
22 Apr: Corrie's birthday.
21 Apr: Cynthia had early morning labs: she lost a pound, but her BP is slightly elevated. We met a delightful man named Daniel, an MD from north of Miami. He and Ron are out walking. Three weeks are left before we begin our journey north. We had a lovely day; a special time sitting in the patio with a gentle breeze, grateful to be here. Ron did Tai Chi.
20 Apr: Ron successfully completed the pacemaker test. Cynthia started personal fitness training again. The hip pain is considerably lessened.
19 Apr, Sunday: Ron’s Pacemaker test is due today. We had a very lovely conversation with Karl-Erik, a psych professor, at lunch. He is such a nice guy, and the lunch was marvelous. We also met a lovely Turkish woman. Such fun. We especially enjoyed the salmon-stuffed mushroom and the warm berry pie. We are fed a tremendous variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, and I OVERATE.
18 Apr: Our days are busy! Ron had two tough workouts on the Arc Trainer and is enjoying humongous salads for lunch. Cynthia is in the inflammation stage of PRP, which means it is normal to be sore. This process is slow; it will take 3-six month to strengthen the gluteal tendons. But she is an adult and can do tough things.
17 Apr: Cynthia had platelet-rich plasma therapy one week ago today; she is doing swimmingly great, but she must continue to rest and do easy movements. Ron completed two puzzles and is amazing folks by lifting one off the table and returning it to the table intact.
16 April… I accidentally deleted the entire month of April posts. Yikes. We are so crazy busy, all is well.
10 Apr: We hired a driver to take us to Fort Lauderdale for Platelet Rich Plasma therapy for Cynthia's torn gluteus medius and minimus tendons. The prescription is rest for two weeks.
1 Apr: Our Pritikin days are very busy, so the blogging is quite limited. Ron checked today and discovered that we first visited Pritikin in April of 2017 and again in September. Ditto for 2019. We skipped 2021 because of East Coast Covid over-reaction and visited again once in 2022 and once in 2024. So this is now our 7th time to enjoy the health education, food and company at the Pritikin Longevity Center. My cardioversion was in Philadelphia 2015 and caused my heart to stop for 15 seconds.
Sunday, March 1, 2026
Two Rolling Stones En Route to Pritikin
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| Ron & Cynthia at the Oscars, a great SUNDAY OFFERING 31 March is end with a new beginning tomorrow! We had a fabulous day today beginning with Cynthia’s labs at seven AM, Cardio, Strength, and fitness classes. Our luncheon was Mindful Eating, Blood Sugar Control, and a lecture with Frank that lasted all afternoon. 4.55 Miles 30 Mar: It rained most of the the day. Cynthia shipped her right hearing aid back to Texas to get a new receiver wire on it. Ron continues to make great progress on his puzzle, and we are forging ahead increasing more muscle mass. With the rain today, we had only one outdoor walk. 29 Mar: "Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit…? Therefore honor God with your bodies.” — 1 Corinthians 6:19–20 Do you not know that diseases are preventable? Listen to the verse, it is especially inspiring because it frames your body not just as something physical, but as something sacred—worthy of respect, care, and PROTECTION. Listen to this scripture and keep it in your hearts. Most people don't really hear the advice to take care of their bodies until the doctor gives a warning. Honor God by taking care of your precious body so your doctor gives you gold stars on your labs like Ron. 5.53 Miles. Pastor Cynthia Forde |
28 Mar: With three exercise sessions, a lecture, two walks, and three meals, Cynthia is busy pondering the impossibility of people realizing they can prevent disease. zzzzzz Good night! 4.37 Miles.
27 Mar: Ron is making progress on the puzzle; Cynthia is making great progress on exhaustion after four fitness exercise classes today. We had a great lecture on osteoporosis. The food is fabulous. The sunset was glorious. 3.67 miles.
26 Mar: Cynthia had three fitness classes today, plus lab results which were excellent except for a recent spike in blood sugar NO MORE I CE CREAM! We are fed so much delicious food! 2.45 miles
25 Mar: Morning comes too soon! After Core strength classes and cardio5, Ron had an appt with his cardiologist and received gold stars on his labs. We had our Dexa scan labs and analysis; learning we have work to do this coming year! Cynthia lost a pound of muscle because of inactivity this past year. Cindy and Greg, friends from the Florida Keys, were scheduled to visit us here this afternoon, but we didn't hear from them. And Ron is making progress on a challenging puzzle 3.0 miles
24 Mar: And all too soon it was morning! Immediately after breakfast, we had strength training followed by forty-five minutes of cardio with Ron rocking out to old rock songs, getting his heart rate up to 138, and delighting the rest of the class. 3.6 Miles
23 Mar: Immediately this morning was lab check time. Our results are returned on Thursday. Included in the lab check is the fitness check. Cynthia logged twelve plus minutes on the treadmill. Athlete Ron did eight minutes because of his knee injury. We both passed all the other fitness tests, and we are logged into the same level fitness classes. We spent an hour with the nutrition counselor learning about Pritikin's reversal to the early stringent, medical program, reducing cholesterol dramatically, and getting folks off blood pressure meds. They take your BP meds away the first day. This is not a spa. No cheese at all, no desserts, but they do have NICE CREAM. The plant based buffets are fabulous. Ron is very interested we had a good walk despite the intense sun. 3.81 miles
22 Mar: The ride through the Everglades was most enjoyable, especially stopping to see the alligators. We arrived in time for a late lunch and spotted friends we have met here before.
21 Mar: We had a great restful sleep! The hotel has Original oatmeal. Yay. We might go for a hike. And we might not go for a hike. We opted to work on our electronics. Ahi Tuna Dinner tonight at Cynthia's classmate Annie's was fabulous. We overate big time.
20 Mar: The morning was spent with Drew and BD; we left about 2:30 and arrived at our Naples, FL hotel at 4:30, immediately ready for a lovely snooze. Waking up hungry, we discovered there are no restaurants that can feed us. We played the game Frogger walking in the dark for 25 minutes to a Super Walmart with no sidewalks and a street under construction. Cynthia watched for alligators after seeing the alligator pit near Drew's house. Ron had a heavy bag with apples, yogurt, bananas, raspberries, and blueberries, and still managed to hold Cynthia's hand returning through the construction site the way we came. We won! The traffic didn't kill us after all. Saturday we will have dinner with Cynthia's Northwood classmate Annie
19 Mar: Ron and Drew flew to a fly-in brunch; Drew is Ron's MIT alum and a pilot. BD and I walked and talked. BD showed us the alligator nesting area near her home. When the guys returned, we walked to the famous Venice Beach and Pier, just in time to watch a fisherman catch a bull shark with a rope and hoist the floundering shark up and over the railing. Drew made fabulous Turkey chili for dinner with Chardonnay.
18 Mar: Arrived in Venice, FL for two nights
17 Mar: The temperature at check-out time is forty-five degrees that translates to thirty-five degrees on the motorcycle. We have a three- hour ride to Crystal River where we visited Ron's old friends from years ago. Cynthia was bundled up in all of her heated gear and three pairs of gloves She lost two right-hand gloves while trying to adjust her the heat The ride was pleasant because of little traffic and smooth roads We are half a whole wheat Subway sandwich gutted, toasted and filled with veggies for lunch: Cynthia ate a hot Spinach salad with mahi mahi while Ron ate a redfish sandwich and baked potato for dinner. He greatly surprised Cynthia with a Hampton Inn stay for the night at Brooksville, FL. Yay! They have real, hot oatmeal for breakfast.
16 Mar: It is raining in Panama City Beach. We have 127 miles to ride to Perry, Fl, but it is raining there, too Hmmm! We waited until the rain stopped ar eleven AM and rode to Mexico Beach to see the remarkable reconstruction from this community devastated by a hurrucane. We stopped on Port St Joe's peninsula, Hunt's Oyster and Seafood Bar, for hot Seafood Gumboj (to warm Cynthia's frozen fingers), and red snapper. It was very cold riding! We stopped for the night close to Perry, Florida.
15 Mar: At noon, we had lunch at Ruby Tuesday's to get our veggies and took off for Panama City Beach by one PM Ron stopped several times so Cynthia could walk for five minutes. The Comfort Suutes hotel is surorusingly nice after the last one. Ron thought it would be fun to get lost walking the 1.25 mile to Uncle Ernie's Seafood Restaurant. We made it just fine, but Cynthia accidentally ordered Grouper Imperial AND lobster tail. The food was delicious and we made it back to the hotel without getting lost, too 4.04 miles
14 Mar: Oh, joy! Oh, what fun! We slept late and walked to Ruby Tuesday's for lunch. The crows were making lots of noise in a nearby tree, Cynthia learned how to pronounce cacophony correctly. Ron knows everything. We are at work on our electronics; Ron will shop for necessary fruit for our morning cereal and we will go for a long walk in the Mississippi sunshine
13 Mar: We spent a lovely morning with Pat, walking for thirty minutes, and packing to begin the second leg of the ride to Miami. The ride along the Mississippi Gulf Coast is always a delight, but today, more so, because the traffic was not too heavy. Many of the once palatial coastal homes were destroyed in the hurricanes a few years ago; some have been rebuilt, but the developer's touch is evident with many rental units having taken their place. Biloxi is now more commercialized. Ron found a wonderful seafood restaurant that has been in business for a hundred years, and we ate Cajun seafood gumbo, red rice and beans, and parsley potatoes with grilled redfish. Cynthia ate three hush puppies. Arf! We walked on the white sand beach and marveled at the vastness of the Gulf Coast waters sparkling like a trillion diamonds in the sunlight. We are lodged in Pascagoula near a Ruby Tuesday restaurant! We walked a total of 4.48 miles... 11,729 steps.
12 Mar: Our travel this year is "play it by ear." In January, the electrophysiologist told Ron his pacemaker has six months of battery left, which is an approximation. Once the battery number is up we get a different notification which will be more precise. Therefore, we are traveling as long as we can until we get a phone call. Also, our plans for hiking in Vermont are questionable; the inn is up for sale, and they no longer have long-term guests. They will only be open four nights a week. Today, Pat drove us to an audiologist who repaired Cynthia's hearing aid, then to the post office and we treated her to lunch at Jason's Deli. Ron loves Jason's Deli and the free ice cream cones. We walked for thirty minutes.
11 Mar: Baton Rouge, LA Cynthia is relearning how to pronounce Louisiana, New Orleans, Atchafalya and Avoiyelles from a life-long Louisianan. It is vastly different from the Texas drawl Cynthia is accustomed to. Ron is helping Pat with her Stille ancestral line, while Cynthia walked for forty minutes. We will do another overnight. 2.32 miles.
10 Mar: At 6:52 AM, Cynthia woke Ron from a deep sleep! He was not happy; we must be out of the condo by eleven. Now, the day begins as usual, but two very tired Smooches are up to exercise, eat, and load the bike for the first leg of the ride to Miami. We left Montgomery at eleven-thirty AM. We arrived in Baton Rouge to lodge with a cousin eight hours later. 2.54 miles.
9 Mar: We worked, we packed, we shipped the box to Pritikin, and we unloaded more stuff at the storage locker. I deleted my earlier post so I don't recall what I wrote.
8 Mar: After worship, we had a lovely salmon brunch at The Oscar's, followed by a brief walk until it rained, and then we must begin the big push to be able to leave on Tuesday. Except, a nap was important, and the MIT review arrived with articles about AI and the NGS journal carried interesting articles, too. We did indeed manage a walk and a quarter (rain). So here we are at dinner time, and we begin our work. Cynthia spotted Ron's handiwork on her bathroom mirror yesterday, and today it was posted on the coffee table! Note the ice cream spoon addition from Cynthia! 3.66 Miles (almost 10,000 steps, getting back there!)
7 Mar: Unfortunately, we didn't sleep much last night. Ron was obsessing about the TSA agents working without pay; Cynthia was experiencing continual back pain. Thunderstorms are forecast for late today. We started out for our walk experiencing tiny sprinkles, but thinking it was ok to continue, we did just that, until big raindrops fell causing us to turn into the parking garage. The rain stopped, allowing us to continue walking the Breakwater. It is a lovely walk, with four or five Great Blue Heron, a good-sized flotilla of ducklings, and several large ducks of another type. Today, several yellow pollen patches lined the inner banks. And just as we returned, so did the rain. Ron decided to nap, and Cynthia thought that was an excellent idea, too. It was very pleasant listening to the thunder and rainstorm, but we did not fall asleep. 2.15 Miles.
6 Mar: Ron awakened at 6 am, quietly did his exercises on the bed in the spare bedroom (still clean from Marvin & Carolyn's visit two weeks ago) and ate breakfast before 7:40 when he awakened Cynthia. At 8 AM he was out the door and on the bike towards Woodlands BMW for the warranty replacement of the driveshaft. And this will need to be done every 36,000 miles. (Yes, we have that many miles on this bike already !!) BMW was all done by 10:30, so Ron stopped at Jason's Deli for salad bar (and free ice cream cones) on his way home. Now he has returned to preparations prior to leaving in four days, early next Tuesday, starting with entering receipts and routes into his spreadsheet. Cynthia had the car washed and filled with fuel, went to the bank to reorder check blanks, picked up the comforter from the dry cleaners, and prescriptions from the pharmacy. Despite the morning activity, we managed two thirty minute walks today! We thinks there is an afternoon nap in our futures. Naps are good medicine. 3.64 Miles
5 Mar: We drove the car to the storage locker and unloaded much of Cynthia's stuff and then to Oscar's to have dinner with Larry & Dawn. Another mandatory stop at Walmart for walnuts and Vitamin A (for the eyes, as recommended by cousin Dorothy). Oscar treated us well as usual, feeding us salmon, salads and rice. Larry and Dawn evidently also really enjoyed their meals. 2.43 Miles.
4 Mar: MEDICAL, ENT at 10:30 AM. This was Ron's opportunity to go through all his piles of paper looking to separate 1) things to go with 2) things to go to storage, 3) recycling, and 4) etc. He had good success with a pile of papers to photograph, receipts to enter into his spreadsheet, and recycling. Since the next four days are supposed to be cloudy and rainy, when will he find bright enough light to photograph documents? 3.37 Miles.
3 Mar: MEDICAL. Cynthia has a doctor's appointment at nine-fifteen with an ENT and the wellness doctor at noon. We will meet Samantha and her family at three-thirty. Well, the doors were locked for my ENT appointment. I called, and they said the appointment was in College Station. I was very annoyed they failed to tell me that when I made the appointment. Thankfully, a different ENT near Jon’s house worked me in tomorrow. We had great fun with Samantha and Adam, and their two precious boys. More fun, Cynthia’s nephew called tonight, and we enjoyed a great visit about their son interviewing colleges for next fall. We hope to connect as we travel the next few months. 1.21 Miles.
2 Mar: MEDICAL We rode the motorcycle to the medical center in the Woodlands for Cynthia to get trigger point epidural injections. Next we dropped off recycling at Target and ate lunch at Jason’s Deli. The TP injections felt great for six hours until the lidocaine wore off. 1.51 Miles.
1 Mar, Sunday: After worship, Jon joined us at Oscar’s Restaurant; we ate poached salmon and plates of vegetables. We came home to nap, but we didn't fall asleep. 1,83 Miles.
Tuesday, February 3, 2026
February, nose to grindstone!
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| Dale, Ron (as Adonis), and Aldona |
28 Feb: Bill and Merry are joining us for lunch tomorrow at the Magnolia Diner. Ron received his second Shingles vaccination.
27 Feb: The temperature is increasingly warmer. Ron studied Bruce Lee’s life history and shared it with Cynthia the entire length of the Point Trail. It was an incredible day! Cynthia had a haircut, mailed three Lea volumes to the Caswell County Library in Yancyville, picked up a proxy paper for Ron. Ron is about one hundred pages from the end of editing the index for Volume Four. 2.57 miles
26 Feb: It is hard to catch up on the blog when we are so crazy busy we forget. 3.41 Miles
25 Feb: Cynthia wrote letters to grandchildren and packed. 1.06 Miles
24 Feb: (looking ahead) 10:00 appt with Dr. C., in the Woodlands followed by an appointment with ENT for new domes on Cynthia's hearing aids. After the drive to the recycling center, we will have lunch at Jason's Deli. 2.28 Miles
23 Feb: We slept a lot. Cynthia's bronchitis is healing. Ron has the recycling ready to go to the recycling center. 2.54 Miles
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22 Feb: lunch with Zoe and Jack, Fyn, Paul, and Cheryl. They served a Spinach salad with spaghetti squash made like lasagne without oil and served a delicious bean sauce on the spaghetti squash. Paul brought his home made sour dough bread. Yummy.
It was delightful to see Zoe and Jack's new home.
21 Feb: Ron's cousins enjoyed the visit. We don't cook, but they enjoyed going with us to the Yacht Club for a delicious meal by candlelight. We don't use or keep sugar or cream, but they enjoyed coffee plain. 1, 74 Miles.
20 Feb: Ron’s cousins arrive from Iowa. 1.81 Miles
19 Feb. We had a good night’s sleep, and the sore throat has improved. Congestion and cough, not! I am so thankful I went to urgent care. Ron is busy at his Mac, with his exercises to do. It is noon, and Cynthia completed her therapy exercises. What can I eat? A protein and veggie smoothie might be good. Walking will wait a couple days.
18 Feb: Ron was off early to get the motorcycle serviced. Cynthia will finish cleaning, get the emissions checked on the car, pay the tax assessor, go to the bank, vote, stop at the storage unit, and pick up an RX. Except! Her phone got a pop-up hoax, which is a little bit like a virus. Thanks to Chat GPT she deleted it. Of course, then everything had to be reset. Almost home, she realized she should have gone to Urgent Care when she was nearby and returned. She has bronchitis with two new prescriptions to take. We are tired.ZZzzzzzz
17 Feb: The grass is greening, pear trees are blossoming, and children are riding bikes on the sidewalks. Spring is in our steps. We have completed walk #1. Ron spent the day organizing his things Cynthia is helping by staying out of the way. She finished answering Lauren’s twenty questions and gave her two of her children’s favorite recipes for a cookbook Lauren is compiling as a family gift. It is difficult to type so much! Ron said reading and writing help prevent dementia. Whew. 2.70 Miles
16 Feb: How beautiful is the morning! 70 degrees. We exercised, ate, and took walk #1. Ron is typing receipts into his spreadsheet with much house cleaning awaiting. Cynthia is experimenting with making her lunch in a blender. Today, she added two kiwi fruits with skins, Isopure protein powder, broccoli, spinach, and a cup of yogurt. Not many people would like this, but it was a great way to ingest a lot of iron and Vitamin C. After walk #2, we reached a total of 3.56 Miles.
15 Feb: The sermon on the Transfiguration was marvelous. We had salmon at lunch at The Oscars followed by a great walk. 3.67 miles and almost 10,000 steps. Yay for us.
14 Feb: Happy Valentine’s Day! Lovely roses, a Valentine's card, and we had a great walk together to the trail! Cynthia is ecstatic that she walked for an entire 30 minutes without suffering during the walk or afterward. 2.58 miles
13 Feb: Walk # 1 is over, so is lunch. Ron is cleaning, organizing, and recycling, and we completed walk #2. 2.77 miles.
12 Feb Oh, boy! We are going to have guests. Ron started the recycling project by burying compost last night after his usual 4-mile walk. This particular compost burial was to fill in a hole on the breakwater path where Cynthia has hurt her back after the grass grows high enough to obscure the hole. We won't know if the hole is filed until the dirt settles next year. Ron has been so busy reading through Volume 4 to create the index that he hasn't updated the blog much at all. His first necessity is to list the favorite flavors at Blue Bell on the 10th.
11 Feb: Cynthia and granddaughter Lauren started a conversation that could become a book. Lauren opened the conversation by sending Cynthia 20 questions. The first one took her days to answer because it opened the door to a difficult time in her life. Lauren will respond and also answer the question.
10 Feb: Ever since Dr. Beim told Cynthia that he wanted to see her again in three weeks, we have been looking forward to our last trip this year to Brenham because the Blue Bell Cremery tasting room is located conventiently near Dr. Beim's office. After our medical appointment in Brenham with Dr. Beim we hustled posthaste over to the Blue Bell Ice Cream Factory. Mmmmmm! We were more relaxed and less frenic than during our earlier visits, so we only ate 11 scoops of ice cream. Ron's favorites were the pistacho, peachy peach, butter pecan, mocha almond fudge, and happy tracks; Cynthia's were the butter pecan and cherry vanilla (although she complained that cherry vanilla is supposed to be white instead of pink). Neither of us was impressed by the black cherry or the oatmeal creame pie. Afterwards, Cynthia opined that the ice cream and tasting room were too cold and that she actually liked eating Kroger's Premium Selection Amaretto Cherry Cordial at home better.
9 Feb: We are two tired puppies after riding the bike to a financial appointment, followed by Jason’s Deli and two walks. Addictive behaviors die hard; Ron has been an ice-cream-aholic all his life and has had the habit locked down for 16 years, but ever since he splurged following his cataract surgery, his passion has been reignited. He even enjoys the FREE soft serve cones at Jasons Deli and consumes four fairly large cones with his salads; he has even stopped ordering a baked potato to insure that he has room for all four cones. 3.59 miles.
8 Feb: We were delighted when a woman told us after worship how much she enjoyed watching our relationship. 2.85 miles
7 Feb: The weather is marvelous. We worked on computer tasks all day, took a nap, and we took two walks. Cynthia received many responses to the grandchildren's Valentine's Cards. Charlotte's dancing was a delight.
6 Feb: Last night we both slept well for an uninterrupted 9 hours. What a relief. Cynthia's epidural has kicked in and she is now full of p___ and vinegar. (Who me!? We walked twice today for a total of 2.96 miles. Woo! Hoo!)
5 Feb: Cynthia had a Women’s Wellness Dr. Appt; afterward, we had oil and filters changed (the Lexus Wellness session), followed by a delicious salmon dinner at the Pizza Shack before picking up meds at the pharmacy. Ron is helping Cynthia transfer data onto a spreadsheet in preparation for Monday’s meeting with a fiduciary.
4 Feb: We drove into The Woodlands today in chilly, windy weather to Texas ENT Specialists for Cynthia to get new earpieces (ear molds) for her hearing aids. It was a fun visit with an eccentric Mom. On the way to the Woodlands, we noticed a new Jason's Deli that we had never noticed before, just next to the Target and Research Forest Drive on 2854 (Honea Egypt Road). It was a good restaurant.
3 Feb: Hi Barb, Yes, we are neglecting the blog because Ron has nose to the grindstone trying to get Volume 4 ready to go to the publisher. He is now working on the index, which means he has to read all 400 pages looking for oversights, omissions, errors, typos, and other less-than-perfect details. Thanks for worrying about us. See Vol. II above
2 Feb: MEDICAL: Cynthia had an epidural in her SI joint. Ron had an echocardiogram that apparently indicates to the technicians that he is still alive. Let's hope the doctor agrees. The assessment on his MyMedical chart at UT Health agrees. So far, so good.
1 Feb, Sunday: We enjoyed worship at Grace Lutheran and lunch at The Oscars. Oscar is so good; he ordered salmon especially for us.
Thursday, January 1, 2026
2026 We Turn 18 Again Beginning in January!
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| Ron in treehouse preparing to zip-line down |
30 Jan: Great-granddaughter Charlotte successfully competed and won the yellow belt in Taekwondo. We successfully slept, oatmealed, exercised, and walked. Ron walked twice.
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| Volume I, Lea genealogy |
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| Volume III, the DNA study |
29 Jan: Here we are just bouncing to the end of January achieving goals. We exercised and walked twice. Cynthia had a pedi/mani and returned items at UPS. Ron has moved on to Hico, the last Watershed before editing and creating the index for Volume Four. Yay. It certainly will be a treat for this to be off to the publisher when we leave for Pritikin so we can focus on eating and exercise. 3.15 Miles! HOORAY
28 Jan: Buy four AA batteries Cynthia; she did! She also bought a small adult blood pressure cuff, but it must have been child size, so it was returned. We walked twice and did upper-body workouts at the fitness center. And on this day we continued our great progress with being eighteen again. We exercise a lot, we eat a lot, and we laugh a lot! 2.56 Miles
27 Jan: We had a fabulous day, or was that yesterday? Cynthia is elated to feel so great. We did our morning stretches, she did the physical therapist's workout, and we did an upper-body workout at the fitness center, followed by a 15-minute walk on the trail. How exciting is this? The best part of workouts and walking is the exhilaration. Ron is making great progress with Volume Four. Cynthia worked with DNA correspondence. Lauren sent Grandmother a list of questions with answers that might make another book. It is a joy to have so many grandchildren. Ron is walking the trail earlier tonight. 2.31 Miles
26 Jan: The day was quiet doing the usual with the grandchildren correspondence, exercises, and seeing the gastroenterologist. Does Broccoli give indigestion?
25 Jan: Thankful. That's the word for our awakening to electrical power and to no snow. We ate, exercised, and walked twice. Cynthia is deeply thankful for walking without pain. Ron is almost finished with North Hico. 2.0 Miles. TWO MILES T.W.O. 2 MILES.
24 Jan: Ok, historic storm is forecast: we are ready as we can be. The car is filled with fuel, Cynthia has containers filled with water in the bathtub, but it is futile to fill the tub or sinks because they won’t stay filled. Extra food is in the refrigerator and cabinets. We did laundry. Cynthia is very proud that Ron has started recycling; this takes weeks to do before we leave for Miami on 10 March. Thank God for heat and power, but, Cynthia would have preferred to go to a lovely hotel with a backup generator.
23 Jan: Cynthia was bound and determined to be prepared for the worst possible hurricane, tornado, blizzard, and the Great Flood by shopping and shopping again. We mailed the Lea books to the NGSQ for a critique/review. Ron finished South Hico Watershed in Volume Four; the remaining are North Hico, Hico, and the Index. The book size was trimmed back to 500 pages.
22 Jan: We must have been busy. Maybe we will remember what we did on this day
21 Jan: Dr C’s consultation in the Woodlands for the epidural in the SI joint, is now scheduled for 2 Feb along with Ron’s echocardiogram at two PM.
20 Jan: Oh!Oh! We saw the ophthalmologist in Brenham. There is a Blue Bell Creamery right there. Then we drove to Hempstead to talk to the CPA about taxes.
19 Jan: Cynthia awoke at 7 to discover Ron sitting at his computer at five AM still working on Volume Four. The sun is shining and bright, high temp of 63. Cynthia is always chilly so she ate oatmeal for lunch, too.
1/18 Sunday Worship followed by salmon lunch at Oscar’s, pick up packages at Jon’s, and stop at the storage unit to pick up sweatshirts and knitted caps.
1/17 Cynthia housecleaned, did laundry, finished recording receipts to go to the CPA, and she did her therapy exercises. Ron is working on James Lea, Volume Four, with three more watersheds for inclusion. Next, he wants to create a website for the Leas. We walked for eleven minutes. Cynthia called the Inn at Long Trail for summer reservations. It is so cold in Texas that we went to bed to get warm.
1/16 Cynthia is celebrating her graduation from Physical Therapy. Everyone is pleased that she is finally starting to strive to be an achiever. She needs more degrees! She is happy not have pain.
1/15 A day of Rest nite nite
14 Jan: Cynthia is doing taxes; Ron is writing correspondence.
13 Jan: Allergy Medical Appt @ 10:00 AM, followed by appointment with podiatrist at 1:45.
12 Jan: Physical Therapy and home again, home again.
11 Jan: Turn the Page. An important part of the Forde Family has passed from this place to life beyond. Now we turn the page. Cynthia has PT at eleven.
10 Jan: Happy Birthday Paul! We arose at six AM to ride with Jon to the Klein Funeral Home in Houston for the Memorial Service for Stan F.. Scott’s service was held there in 1998. Following Stan’s service, too, we traveled to the graveside service at Scott’s Grove, our family cemetery. We had a lovely lunch catered by Waller County Catering. Friends were in attendance from forty years ago. Most of our great-grandkids were there.
9 Jan: The plan for January and February is two-fold: Cynthia wants to finally spend time with the grandchildren, and we will get the taxes done in addition to physical therapy twice a week. YES, we are thankful for our marvelous life together.
8 Jan: We enjoyed a lovely, late sleep followed by Cynthia's housecleaning, doing laundry, washing dishes, and floors. Ron decided it would be good to do the first of three ten- minute walks so we escaped the kitchen for ten minutes. Cynthia is worn out, Ron went for a walk after working on Volume Four. The already published James Lea volumes 1-3 were ordered for Barb, libraries, and archives today.
7 Jan: Today was another early “Rise and Shine” day for Ron’s electrophysiologist appointment six blocks away. This guarantees a mile of walking. He has everyone laughing hard at his stories. Cynthia had a physical therapist appointment, we picked up a RX and returned a pair of shoes to Amazon, returning to the condo by 4:30 PM. Cynthia walked 2.82 Miles
6 Jan: Cynthia’s hair appointment with Sasha was at eleven AM. Sasha has been her hairstylist for 45 years, and he really enjoys Ron! We ate lunch at Jason’s Deli; Ron slept all afternoon. We walked to Salata before he returned to work on Volume Four. Now he is getting in the four-mile walk around Rice University. Cynthia’s lab results are good. Cynthia walked 2.65 miles
5 Jan: Our cardiologist appointments were at 7:45 AM. Cynthia was delighted to be able to walk the six-block distance from our hotel to the doctor’s office. We wished him a Happy New Year after our great appointment and he said, “Let’s plan on another twenty years.” We napped, looked at the news, and walked to Salata for dinner. Cynthia walked 2.51 Miles.
4 Jan: Charlotte turned four years old, awakening to find 100 balloons in her room. After worship, we ate at Oscar’s and rode to the TX Medical Center for three days. Our cardiologist might put us in the bad patient jail because we have eaten contraband. Cynthia walked 1.53 Miles
3 Jan: Today: We listened to the President's report about capturing Maduro. At three PM we will do an upper body workout at the Fitness Center. We exercised and we ate!
2 Jan 222… 6.! TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-SIX! Now what??? Aha! We rode the motorcycle to UPS to return a package. Cynthia also mailed a package to Cousins Quint and Sharon. We ate a late lunch at Oscar’s, and we increased our walking to twelve minutes. Ron is working on Volume Four. Cynthia is organizing tax info. DNA will be set aside for taxes this month.
1 Jan 2026: We celebrated New Year’s (Christmas) with the Forde family at granddaughter Corrie’s; her backyard is filled with tree houses, playhouses, zip liners, rope swings, live chickens and goats, and thrilled all ten great grandchildren. The BBQ lunch was delicious. Except we ate contraband fat and sugar.
Monday, December 1, 2025
December Joy in Texas
31 Dec: Cynthia had a PT appointment, we picked up the potato salad for tomorrow; we walked in Walmart and we walked for ten minutes towards the point. It is encouraging to move into 2026 walking outside again! 1.23 Miles HAPPY NEW YEAR!
30 Dec: We are having lunch with Steven at the Pizza Shack. The sun is bright, but it is very chilly.
29 Dec: Ron is making progress responding to DNA questions and Volume Four. After lunch, we will go to the fitness center for a thirty minute upper body work out, then back to work on our Mac’s. That was the plan. Instead, we took a nap. Cynthia is making great progress falling asleep. ZZzzzzzzzzzzz
28 Dec: Worship at Grace Lutheran
27 Dec: We took a good break in our busy lives to go to the Fitness Center doing upper body workout. Except… it has been so long, Cynthia forgot her weight lifting reps.
26 Trump declared Dec. 26 a National Holiday. Cynthia is. taking advantage of the extra holiday by sleeping late, doing her exercises, eating a great bowl of oatmeal with berries, and then going to Walmart and walk holding onto a cart for thirty minutes before responding to a trillion zillion messages.
25 Dec: Merry Christmas! We ask God’s blessings on all as we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ!
24 Dec: Our day was unbelievably quiet in every way. Cynthia is responding with one finger typing to a trillion messages while Ron is clicking his Mac keys.
23 Dec: A dear friend of Ron’s had a stroke and is in a nursing home. Thanks to Diane H for taking this photo of Ann holding up a Christmas message to us, 22 Dec: Physical Therapy at 9:30. Several Lea books were mailed to libraries. Ron is doing a phenomenal job on Volume Four.
21 Dec: Jon joined us at church. This is our first time back at church this fall because Cynthia could not walk. . We had lunch at The Oscars Bistro.
20 Dec: Ron is working non stop on Volume Four.
19 Dec. Medical: Dr Lotze at 8:30 and Dr Conley at 10:30. Ron named our new game, “Guess the word that Cynthia can’t think of.” We had lunch at Jason’s Deli and napped this afternoon before Ron started working again on Volume Four.
17 Dec: Physical therapy. Our family is grieving and Cynthia is pastor, mother and grandmother.
16 Dec: Cynthia had a periodontal appointment this morning, and a retina specialist appointment this afternoon with good news that her AMD is early/intermediate. He said her eyes are healthy. We ate at Jason’s Deli and did not get home until late. We have only two more Dr appointments this year!
15 Dec: Cynthia’s former spouse passed away today. This is a very difficult time for the whole family.
14 Dec: Soon, it will be Christmas and this link to our Christmas card is to wish you the merriest Christmas ever!https://jlcards.com/FE7Hk0
13 Dec: Today, we have lunch with Bill and Merry at eleven. We just don’t know where we agreed to meet. Ron may send Christmas cards, Cynthia may send E-cards. Writing and Typing is too tough.
12 Dec: We had the quietest day with a lovely nap, and Ron is making great progress on Volume Four. Granddaughter Samantha sent a cute video of Noah singing at his Christmas Concert.
11 Dec: We drove to the Opthalmologist in Brenham, Texas which meant a stop at Blue Bell Ice Cream Creamery followed by a nap for our too-much-over-full-tummies. The hip world turned once again. This is a copy of the message I sent my children: Monday I had a spine epidural to test how much pain is coming from my spinal L4 and L5 root. It is three days later so about 50% of the pain is spinal. Tuesday, I met with the hip ortho who surprised us by saying the hip has some wear, but I do not need a hip replacement. Instead, The main source of my pain is a dysfunctional sacroiliac joint. He encouraged us by saying with eight weeks of physical and steroids in my SI joint plus a new anti-inflammatory medication for the SI joint. So good news all around! Ron had an eye appointment to check follow up after his May cataract surgery so we pigged out at the Blue Bell Ice Cream factory.
You are dearly loved!.
You are dearly loved!
10 Dec: We get to sleep in tomorrow! Yaay And we did! Pharmacy
9 Dec: And here we are ready for the medical center run to see a hip orthopedist this time. The visit was good with surprising news. The clinical exam shows Cynthia’s hip to be ok, mild arthritis, the doctor was not alarmed by the tears in the labrum or the over extension of the femur. He reported the pain seems to be coming from the spine, and a dysfunctional SI Joint. He recommends physical therapy and an anti-inflammatory. We stopped at Jason’s Deli for dinner as part of our date night. Good night!
8 Dec: Physical Therapy begins at 9:30, we will eat someplace at noon, drive to Memorial Hermann Hospital for a spinal epidural. Worn out, we arrived home and napped for two hours.
7 Dec: The day flew by since ours didn’t start until noon-thirty. Ron is focused on Volume Four of James Lea. Cynthia is showered and ever so hopeful Ron will give her his dirty laundry to wash before midnight.
6 Dec: The sun is shining, boats are moving onto the lake, and it doesn’t look anything like Christmas in Texas, but, that is a happening in the heart.
5 Dec: This is a good day, Cynthia stopped all meds except ongoing ones. Nothing helps mechanical pain, surprisingly, she has less pain. So much joy is boring to our readers! Ron returned from his walk and that is a joyful sound! He said we don’t act like adults. 👩
3 Dec: And off we go to physical therapy, always comforting and healing. We stopped at UPS to print out medical forms and dropped off two pairs of pants to be hemmed. Cynthia slept all afternoon. Zzzzzz
2 Dec: Sleeping until noon translates into joy We are happily eating lunch at one-thirty. Ron worked on Sudokus, and he walked at five PM. Cynthia is frustrated by inactivity. But movement causes pain. Reading, normally a great joy, is curtailed by vision. Having a good attitude is transforming the tough times into joy filled times.
1 Dec: JOY! Oh, what joy! We are ready to do physical therapy! Cynthia learned her left hip has so many problems that it is better to replace it. She has an appointment next Tuesday with an orthopedist.
Saturday, November 1, 2025
Ron joined Cynthia in Texas, and we both give thanks to GOD this November
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| Ron, Cynthia and Rachel (Blaire and Becs hid) |
29 Nov, MRI Saturday! The online MRI info said, "Nothing to eat or drink for four hours prior to the 60 minute procedure." We awoke at 7:30/ yikes. Ron suggested a protein shake. Good choice. The 60 minute MRI is for those done with IV contrast. When we arrived we learned hers is only fifteen minutes because it is without contrast. Whew, Yaay. We are happily well-cooked and well fed after eating at Jason’s Deli. Cynthia enjoyed a 2.5 hour nap! Ron continued with James Lea until leaving for a walk just after dark as the rain was just beginning. No walk after all, and he weighed a pound more in the morning.
28 Nov: Black Friday. We intend to join Jon, Rachel, and her girls for dinner at Oscar's after paying bills and visiting the bank and Walmart. Ron continues spending all available time working on James Lea or sudokus; he is now done reorganizing the documentation for the first 50 plotted plats.
27 Nov: Happy Thanksgiving! Ron woke Cynthia up at three AM to say, “I thank God for you! Happy Thanksgiving!” And we went back to sleep soundly. We have had a very good day. Our friend Jane asked about Protein Rich Plasma Therapy. The most important thing to know is that it is not covered by insurance. Apparently, it can be very helpful. Seek a PRP specialist that does a double spin. The first spin is called a soft spin separating the platelets. The important second spin compresses the platelets into a rich plasma. You want a company that knows how to separate Leukocyte Rich Plasma to be used in tendons, and piriformis joint… then using the Leukocyte Poor plasma to inject into joints and cartilage. So I now know enough to ask a company if they do those things. If they do, I can trust them IF I am willing to pay out of pocket.
26 Nov: Dustin guided Cynthia's physical therapy today. In the afternoon, Cynthia learned about Platelet Rich Therapy from Dr. ChatGPT. We thank Frank Musumeci for telling us about it years ago at the Pritikin, another of our huge benefits from our chosen habit to return there every other year. The blood needs to be double spun, so that the platelets are compressed into rich pellets. Guided ultrasound is used to do injections. Monday, Cynthia will ask questions to see if Sports Medicine is a good location. It might prove to be better than ShockWave Therapy. Walking before dark this evening, Ron espied 15 does, 2 bucks (one with 8 points), 12 ducks swimming in the lake, 2 eagles screeching as they returned to their nest high atop a huge pine, innumerable people and dogs, and one cat. It is unusual to sight the eagles. James Lea is proceeding satisfactorily, 4 out of 64 plats reorganized as desired.
25 Nov: Another day with no schedule except to take it easy on Cynthia's hip tendons. Ron did indeed walk as usual in early evening after the temperature dropped below the 77 degree high.
24 Nov: We arose at three AM because? Ron! Why did we get up at three AM? (Because Cyntha was twitching for half an hour.) Cynthia showered, ate breakfast and went back to sleep for two hours. Then we had her physical therapy session. It was great! Jean cautioned Cynthia that calming down her torn tendons and muscles will take months and that her biggest risk is doing too much too soon. We stopped at the storage locker to get the wedding vase and at Walmart for flowers to please Cynthia. Cynthia went back to bed after noon, and Ron joined her later to help her avoid doing too much. Ron finished labeling the maps for Volume 4 after moving nearly every plat at least a little in the last three days to make the map "tighter." It rained a lot today, so Ron didn't walk although he did use the rain to begin the process of washing the motorcycle.
23 Nov, Sunday: Amazing. Nothing to do on Sunday! Ron did walk across the peninsula twice today.
22 Nov: Amazing. Nothing to do on Saturday! Ron continues to walk daily although his knee is complaining a little.
21 Nov: Gack !! We hafta get on the road at 9 AM this morning, but we did it. Ron zoomed us in and out of traffic like the pro motorcyclist he is! Cynthia had her annual physical at MD Anderson. All clear for another year. Today is Julie’s birthday. Cynthia is thinking about all of the people she is thankful for this year. Ron and Jon are at the top of the list. We enjoyed a lovely nap this afternoon, and Ron walked the pathway to across the peninsula before dark - no pitfalls, someone did a fine job of maintenance on the path.
20 Nov: Ron stayed lazy in bed forever and finally got up to give Cynthia a ride to UPS to fax a report to Dr. C. Then we ate at Oscar's (click here) and enjoyed seeing Oscar and Elaine. Cynthia’s MRI report came in showing the root of the hip and leg pain. Torn tendons.
19 Nov: At 9:30 AM, Cynthia had physical therapy which went well, and at 3 PM, a consultation with Dr. C, who will give her a spinal epidural on Dec 8th. We stopped at Lakeside Pharmacy for gabapentin on the way home. Ron did a fabulous job maneuvering I-45 rush hour traffic. Ron refrained from walking until he can get it done in daylight to see where any pitfalls might be.
18 Nov: Tomorrow, tomorrow, it’s almost tomorrow. Tomorrow is only a day away! Tomorrow is Now TODAY! Ron phoned from Cooper Farms (click here) at mile 198 where he ordered soft-serve peach and cinnamon ice creams. The pecan pie is probably preferable. He will be here in 2.5 hours from the time he stops eating ice cream. This was after eating 4 packets of oatmeal at the hotel and a couple of cookies and a fruitcake sample at Collin Street Bakery (click here). (Next time eat several of the free samples and leave a generous tip.) And he arrived home by noon! Yaay.
17 Nov: Ron is riding south from an overnight in Pittsburg, Kansas. US 69 south from Pittsburg was not heavily traveled, but that changed once US 75 joined at Atoka, Oklahoma, and the traffic on I-45 through Dallas at 4:30 pm was horrendous, coming to complete stops several times. Ron stopped only in Atoka for gasoline and a pint of ice cream at the Marble Slab Creamery. Cynthia had a physical therapy session at 9:30 AM. The PT said her SI structure needs to be stabilized, the SI joint is slipping, causing the piriformis muscle to tighten around the sciatic nerve, and that is why she has this pain. Ron arrived in Corsicana, Texas about 5:30 PM, a three hour ride from Montgomery, Texas. Fortunately, there was a Subway on the same block as the Comfort Inn. Route: US 69 S to Kansas 126 W to KS 7 S to US 166 W to Chetopa and US 59 S to Welch switch to OK 2 S which rejoins US 69 S at Big Cabin continuing to Atoka and US 75 S into Texas and I-45 S through Dallas to Corsicana. This was a great choice to avoid the Oklahoma toll road.
16 Nov, Sunday: 3:00 AM, Cynthia woke up with a very itchy nose, some kind of allergic reaction? Benadryl helped her go back to sleep. But, at 3:00 AM, both feet hit the floor, she is exercised and oatmealed, but fighting drowsiness. Jon arrived at 6:15 AM to take her to Memorial Hermann Imaging for a pelvis MRI. Except! The extremely painful MRI was a hip MRI and not pelvis; she has to reorder a pelvis MRI. Someone made a mistake! We hoped for easy answers that can be rectified with physical therapy. Now, we wait for another MRI appointment and go through that painful ordeal once again. We had a delicious breakfast at Katz’ near the hospital. NEWS from the road: Ron slept very well, uninterrupted from midnight until six AM. He was preparing his second bowl of oatmeal, and repacking his saddlebag because he discovered that Missouri changed its motorcycle helmet law in 2020 to allow anyone over the age of 26 years old with insurance to not wear a helmet. He saw 22 riders without helmets yesterday. Who knows how far Ron made it today! He left Kearney after ten AM, and he arrived in Pittsburg, KS about five PM. Google Map Finder says it is about a nine hour ride by interstate to Montgomery. Ron takes the byways and back roads. I don’t know who, what or where he might decide to visit tomorrow. But it appears likely he will arrive home Tuesday.
15 Nov: Ron’s Big Ride began this AM from Sister Carol’s tree farm in Southern Illinois. He arrived in Edwardsville before 10 AM to pay his storage unit fees for another year. From there, he rode west to Jerry W’s home, then onto Joan’s home near Kansas City, Missouri. Cynthia reserved a room for him tonight in Kearney, MO. And he wrote: “Smooch. I arrived safely in Kearney, Missouri after a delightful visit with cousin Jerry and Emery. Jerry's property is quite nice although I saw only a small area around the house. The house is also quite nice, and Jerry had frozen mango for me. Emery is enjoying being a painter and has enough paints to last a lifetime." Route: I-55 S to Edwardsville, I-70 W to I-270 W to MO 270 bypass to I-70 w to exit 128A US 63 N 1.5 mi to R on highway B 2.1 mi to R on Brown Station Road 1.5 mi to R on HH 2 mi, 7100 on R. Then retrace steps ignoring (Brown Station Road) to I-70 W to R on MO 13 N 25 mi, L on MO 10 W 17 mi through Excelsior Springs to US 69 N 2 mi to R on Italian Way to R on Salem Road short distance to 14921. Brown Station Road did not have a road sign for HH, Rte B does. Today, Cynthia went to great granddaughter Hayden Grace’s first birthday party and ate some sugar free cake. Hayden remained interested, observant, and overwhelmed. As she began looking at the gift wrap, I thought, here we go… now she begins a whole lifetime of parties and opening presents.
14 Nov: The stock market is going down, down, down. The sun is coming UP, UP and UP. All will be well. Cynthia has two medical appointments today.
From Illinois, Ron writes, “Too bad that it is too late to update the blog, but I've had a busy day and evening. Tomorrow I need to pack before and after pulling bush honeysuckle. I love you, I LOVE YOU, I LOVE YOU, and hope you can stand up straight before noon two days in a row. Remember, NO pain, no sudden moves and don't overdo your exercises. Smooch!” Ron is preparing to leave bush honeysuckle tomorrow and return to his beloved bride.
13 Nov: Cynthia awoke to the sweetest emails and vox messages! What a wonderful way to wake up. Yay! Cynthia has scheduled a pelvis MRI for Sunday @ 8:00 AM. Yay again. It will be miserable laying flat for 45 minutes. But, Monday, we will have answers.
12 Nov: 3:20 AM? Oh, well, We live in a wonderful world, so I will enjoy more of it. Thankfully, Cynthia did go back to sleep. Carol is preparing an early Thanksgiving Turkey for Ron’s departure towards Texas on Sat. Gobble! Gobble! We are tired and going to sleep early. I love ❤️ you!
11 Nov: Cynthia has two Dr appointments today. Thanks to son Jon for being the driver! The first appointment is early, so she is oatmealed, exercised, and dressed. Whaat? The scale keeps going down! Magic! The galley proof for Vol II arrived, awaiting Ron’s approval next week. YAY! This was an overwhelming and exhausting day.
10 Nov: Already? Yup, Arise now and greet the morning! Cynthia is up, oatmealed, exercised, and preparing a fax ordering medical records sent to the neurologist. I love you Smooch! 💋 Ron was on a surprise ride with his sister, so we will find out the mystery tonight. It is much cooler in Texas today. Cynthia wants to walk but decided to ask the Dr tomorrow if she should walk through pain. Cynthia has been continuing to have extremely high blood pressure occasionally, like 220/90, so Ron decided to return to her earlier than the 1st of December. After all, it is better to arrive at her side before the stroke rather than after it.
9 Nov, Sunday: Will Ron get a Sunday break from pulling bush honeysuckle in Illinois? No! Will his hands, muscles and knees survive the arduous task? Yes! Cynthia was surprised to see another pound loss. Ron phoned, but C missed the early AM call; she reached him en route with Eric to the coin show in Springfield, Illinois, so poor Eric had to listen to the mushy stuff. It is bitterly cold in Illinois, but a lovely high of 68 in Texas. Eric and Ron ate dinner at Ruby Tuesday. Ron has another jigsaw puzzle to do. Cynthia is delighted she managed a walk to the Point.
8 Nov: Cynthia’s Texas scale shows a six pound loss, likely muscle, since Cynthia has been inactive for six months. Perhaps the neurologist can suggest ways to rebuild strength and muscle. Today, she will find a place to rest outside in the shade. She had a productive day inside ordering medical records and she cooked Sockeye Salmon. Mmmm. Ron pulled 70 bush honeysuckle yesterday and 168 in his three hour mission today. And they got to eat at Ruby Tuesday’s. Oh, they are having fun! Ron’s cataract surgery has enabled him to spot all hidden bush honeysuckle. The boredom in Texas is extreme!
7 Nov: MEDICAL Cynthia has an optometrist appointment near Jason’s Deli for updated reading glasses RX at 1:45. Jon offered again to drive Cynthia. She is up, oatmealed, and happily startled by the scale showing a five pound drop. Oh my, the car battery was dead. She must have left a door ajar, and Jon had to use jumper cables to start the car.
6 Nov: Cynthia had medical tests in the Woodlands at 1:45; Jon drove and moved the garment bags upstairs for her. Ron hopes that Cynthia can remember that her most important schedule for the next month is to AVOID PAIN. This morning, Ron was up and finished his exercises by 8 AM. Cynthia is unbelievably bored.
5 Nov: MEDICAL One of us awoke at 3:45 and couldn’t go back to sleep. At 5:02, she ate breakfast. Cynthia had a physical therapist appointment at nine AM that was very helpful. After lunch a friend helped pull stuff from the storage unit and put it into her car. Jon will bring it upstairs. Cynthia is scheduled for a flu shot today at 3:30. Ron was finished with exercises at 9 AM and breakfasted soon after, but was still indoors at 11 am when the cabbage soup was ready to eat, walking thereafter slowly through the woods, pausing to look around for the next bush honeysuckle after pulling the last one - for THREE hours. After all that, he spent 30 minutes lying flat on his back on the living room rug hoping that his back would recover. It did, and all is well.
4 Nov: MEDICAL Smooch! There is a sweet-voiced lady who answers Ron’s phone telling me his voicemail isn’t set up yet. She is at it again this morning! AH! Ron discovered his phone hadn’t been turned on. A unguarded phone is how that voice lady sneaked inside. Cynthia has an appointment with the neurologist at 1:45 PM. The appointment was positive with two options ahead. She will have more testing on Thursday, meet with the neurosurgeon next Tuesday. Ron has been actively pursuing bush honeysuckle on Carol's property although his knee is beginning to object to a twisting motion when pulling them. Today provided quite the surprise when a large bush honeysuckle suddenly lost its grip and sent Ron sprawling onto his back like a turtle directly into a bed of multiflora rose with thorns. There he sat while E-Vile older sister laughed at his predicament. Fortunately she was able to regain control and clip a multitude of multiflora rose from his backside - which still left him upside down with multiflora rose stickers under everything except the bush honeysuckle that he used to cushion his hand from the thorns as he regained his footing. He has walked the mile to the mailbox every day to help his legs tolerate the exercise. After a delicious dinner of salmon w/ berries and sweet potato, Ron resumed his work on Volume 4 of James Lea, James Lea, James Lea.
3 Nov: Medical Twice Jon is picking Cynthia up at the first crack of light to bring a passenger to the airport before taking her to her Dr appt at eleven. The late afternoon was eventful. Pain necessitated a trip to urgent care with very high blood pressure. She was given BP meds for thirty days.
2 Nov, Sunday: 7:24 AM Texas time, one of us is oatmealed and ready to do very gentle stretches. Two eggs microwaved with Feta cheese in two pieces of Dave’s thin sliced bread was mighty tasty. Meanwhile in Keosauqua, Carol, Bill and Ron were up early, ate breakfast at the Great Day Cafe and drove with only a few stops back to arrive in Litchfield in time for a Ruby Tuesday dinner before dark.
1 Nov: We Thank God for each other. Cynthia is indeed the most blessed human alive. I love you Ron Beatty! Ron, Sistah Carol, and her Bill, attended the funeral services of Cousin Rex Rambo in Keosauqua, Iowa the past two days. The most important quote from the two-day event was from his son, Rex: “Everything Rex did was about family.”
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