Return of the Cruising Bunny's....

[A’Burg Guy]

Good morning everyone.
Most of our laundry got done yesterday. This afternoon we will pack, load what we can into the van and do our tidy. Yes, I tidy hotel rooms and ship cabins too.
While this sounds nice Karen, I like the rest of the gang, are glad you’re NOT going here…

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puM1k-S86nE

How about shortbread tinted green with food colouring and cut into shamrock shapes Dave? How did the shopping go?
The tubs and showers in this house are all fairly new inserts. I can feel the bases flex when I’m having a shower. Scares the heck out of me!
I think morning coffee by the pool is a darned good idea.
It looks like it will be around 70F when we leave Kissimmee, FL tomorrow morning and 34F when we get to Smyrna, GA In the afternoon. How the heck do you dress for that!
You all enjoy your day and we’ll check back later.

 

[K2-Mich]

This is so appropriate since it’s SNOWING HERE!

Never forget these BRAVE people in Your thoughts & Prayers.

Okay folks it’s snowing here and everywhere that there was bare grass yesterday it is now WHITE. It’s a very FINE snowfall, but it’s still snow and sticking.
Does Mother Nature not know that I have to go to the grocery store! I put it off for over a week and our refrigerator is looking a tad bare.

LEE: I know just how DEPRESSING today is for you and Lu-Ann.
Let me BORE you with our routine. For all the decades that we vacationed in Florida I HATED the DAY BEFORE WE LEFT Longboat Key. Art knew to stay out of my way as I packed and got rid of all the stuff in the refrig and freezer and then made sure all the laundry we could wash was done and dried and packed. We too cleaned up the condo, so we would be sure to get our DAMAGE DEPOSIT RETURNED! Once all that got done I spent the rest of the day walking the beach, writing my traditional “THANK YOU LBK“ in the sand and taking a pictures of it. Then I would float around in the pool. I soaked up as much sunshine as I possibly could. We would order Pizza from “OMA’s” and I’d go out and watch my last SUNSET and come into the condo and POUT. HATED THE LAST DAY BIG TIME. HA HA. Art’s job was to make sure he carefully packed the car. MORNING ALWAYS CAME TOO SOON. In our younger days when Jill was with us we would get on the road at 6 a.m.
Our later years, when we weren’t working anymore, we would leave around 7:30 a.m.
So Lee and Lu-Ann know that you had a great time and PLEASE DRIVE SAFELY COMING HOME. IF YOU HAVE TO TAKE LONGER BECAUSE OF THE SNOW AND WEIRD WEATHER JUST FIND A HOTEL AND CHECK-IN. Life is too precious to take any chances on the highway.
Look forward to your CHECK-In’s from the Hwy!

Lee: I am amazed at how quickly you can find a SONG & Video to match some of our conversations. UP ON THE ROOF WAS PERFECT formour Karen! Kudo’s buddy.

Dave: Tell Kathi IRISH SOTA BREAD is traditional thing for St Patricks Day! I never liked it. It was too dry for me. Art’s brother was born on St Patrick’s Day and named, of course, PATRICK!! Good thing the family was Irish/ Scottish! Ha Ha.

Karen: Make sure to pass LEE’s words onto the contractor regarding the MUD BASE for that Shower at Barbs. A thick base avoids CRACKS in the future. I know when Jill & Mark just had their 2 bathrooms remodeled the contractor filled the TUB with water for two days with weights to make sure it was set.
Lee posted: The tubs and showers in this house are all fairly new inserts. I can feel the bases flex when I’m having a shower. Scares the heck out of me!

Okay, I know I’m being a pest as usual over this. Sorry!

I need to get on the road and go to the grocery store before it this SNOW really starts to come down harder. Oh wait the guy on the NEWS just said it’s suppose to turn to rain! Joy, joy. PURE MICHIGAN at it’s worst.

Worry about our Mama Bunny. She’s been in that hospital too long…AGAIN.

BE SAFE AND COME BACK LATER AND CHAT.

 

[flgirl51]

Kathie, this is a porcelain over steel shower base with an attached leveling pan...Barb also lives in a mobile home so the mud base would be a waste of time because of the trailer flexing due to settling..it would end up cracking...and with Barb being a person of size an acrylic base would never hold up...we did a lot of research before even starting the remodel...so fingers crossed it pays off & we made good choices...

 

[Negc]

Safe travels home, Lee and LuAnn. Sorry we didn't have a chance to meet in the all too brief time you were here. I still need to send you those M&Ms so I need your snail mail address.
I'm sure that you made good choices, KC. You always have done so in the past and your history with DYI projects is remarkable for someone like me who is anything but proficient with such chores.
I may not have 15 kids, Dave but the two I do have are definitely "extraordinary" so for that alone I think I qualify.
Had a relatively brief thunderstorm late yesterday afternoon but today dawned bright and sunny. Most of the bad weather was south and west of us.
Phil and Jeanette, who are staying in this same condo complex have invited us to a pre-St. Patrick's Day dinner on Sunday. Jeanette is our friend Dianne's sister so we will all be together for the event. Depending on how I am doing after my surgery, we may celebrate the actual St. Patrick's Day by driving down to a restaurant in Ft. Pierce which has a great Corned Beef and Cabbage Dinner that day. Other than that, nothing special on the agenda.

 

[nlb1050]

Good afternoon. Just got to Jennifer's house. Still hard to believe that we are going to Memorial service for Jason that he is gone.

Dave, found this Cast Iron Irish Apple Cake recipe is an easy traditional dessert in Ireland. But nothing specific to St Patty's Day.

Which "restaurant in Ft. Pierce which has a great Corned Beef and Cabbage Dinner that day"?

Today we are in shorts, tomorrow temps will be mid 70's so long pants and then
Sunday mid 60's so again long pants.

Traffic today was pretty heavy but moved along pretty good. Sunday should be much better.

All have a great day.

 

[K2-Mich]

Snow STOPPED for now. Yippee. Grocery store is on my list now.

Karen: I didn't doubt for a minute that you and Barb had this project all researched. Good going girls. I'm sure she will be happy once this is done and over with. I KNOW YOU WILL BE.

Lee: How was your Springs visit this morning. I think they should award you with the MOST LOYAL VISITORS AWARD. Have they started to hand out those nice little candies again?

Shopping. I'm stalling because I hate grocery shopping.

Wish I could do it like this gal! ha ha.

 

[A’Burg Guy]

Good evening friends.
The van, somehow, is packed. My rule for next year will be to bring 1 empty suitcase. Once it’s full there ain’t nuttin’ else coming home. We did really well with using up food here which required a stop at Panera for a salad for dinner. Why? ’Cause there was nothing else in the fridge.
You’re spot on Kathie. With everything done, packed and fuelled we’re pretty much ready to just go. We took three nights in hotels two years ago and it was too many. We’ll do our best to stop in Smyrna, Lexington and be home Monday evening.
Hopefully the base and such lives up to all of the research you did Karen.
That temperature swing is pretty crazy Nancy. The “weather guesser networks” say it will be warmer at home next week than here on Sunday!
We had the off and on storms too Bill. We kind of expected them with the heat, sun and cloud brewing the weather. We learned that from a retired CDN Air Force pilot one of the years we volunteered at the Waterloo Air Show.
You all have as good a Saturday as you can. I’ll try to check in from Smyrna tomorrow night!

 

[A’Burg Guy]

Oops. Sorry Kathie. No free Ghirardelli chocolates. Maybe next year…

 

[flgirl51]

Lee, safe travels back to the 'Burg for you, Lu-Ann & the pups!

 

[K2-Mich]

THIS IS LEE & Lu-Ann checking into the motel after a long days DRIVE! Love you guys!

 

[fatherdav55]

During this horrible Ukraine war, thank God that the Buffoon isn't President.

No sticker shock for you Lee, only temperature shock, as you head home. Play it safe on your trip since it's now a weekend. We'll be worrying about you until you're safe & sound at home.

I'd like to thank you guys for the suggestions you made about a Saint Patrick's Day pastry. She still hasn't decided as to what she's going to make.

I think you made a good choice on that shower base, KC. I never knew it could get so complicated to get the right one.

"I may not have 15 kids, Dave but the two I do have are definitely "extraordinary".... Sounds like a proud Papa to me, Bill.

Nancy; You often mention that Bruce is out on a job. So what kind of jobs does he do?

You want to grocery shop like that lady in your video, K2? Simple. Put a small kid in the basket of your cart.

You mentioned that you often wrote "THANK YOU LBK" in the sand. Refresh my memory, what does "LBK" stand for? Winter weather hasn't forgotten us either. It snowed late last night and up till this morning. Surprisingly not much accumulated. Only about 3 inches. It's not going to get out of the 20's all day.

This kid isn't going anywhere today. Use the treadmill, do a couple of chores, and watch a movie.

 

[K2-Mich]

Good Morning. SUNNY and BRIGHT and 17F this morning. And next week we might hit 68F. Go figure that one out folks.

DAVE: LBK = LongBoat Key! Paradise on the Gulf.

I understand that PAT was SPRUNG yesterday afternoon. Not sure if she's going home or to Rehab to get her up and about again?? We'll just have to wait and see. Take care PAT if you're reading along.
WE MISSED YOU and you have a lot to tell us about the cruise and trip to Celebration afterwards!

Lee & Lu-Ann are most likely on the ROAD HOME. Safe travels. We'll all worry about you until you get back to the "Burg! take care on the roads. Stay Warm!

We're off to my BIRTHDAY BREAKFAST! Then Costco to pick up some coffee and then pick up the Birthday Cake for our dinner out with family tonight. We'll eat at this nice restaurant close to Jill's house and then open presents and have Cake & Ice Cream at her house. Should be a nice busy day. At least it's SUNNY and dry outside.

Later gang.

 

[nlb1050]

Good afternoon. Am ready to go. But I had to go and get me a pair of Skecher's pull on sneakers since I did not bring any and the temp will not get that warm..

Bruce does odd jobs. Anything from changing water filters to easy electrical work (that does not require a permit), even works in gardens. Since his problem last year he no longer will do any work that requires him to get on a roof.

All have a great day.

 

[Bellalago Belle]

A funny thing happened to change the last 2 weeks. Stay tuned as I tell you everything in stages ... I'll be back!

 

[Bellalago Belle]

Our Cruise

All I can say about our cruise is that it was wonderful. Thank goodness we were upgraded to the Junior Suite. I don’t know how we would have been able to do it in a regular cabin.

Getting on the ship was very easy, but I was stressing and had to stop and rest for a while. It was a pain. Once able to get into our room, everything went smoothly. There’s so much they have temporarily cut back on, but still worth going. No more bottles of water waiting for you in your cabin. No parades. Four cookies in your cabin on first day and nothing more after that.

Treated the gang to dinner at Chops first formal night and man, did they every consume food! Our server went way beyond what we expected so he earned himself a BIG extra tip. He was getting off when we were to go home for vacation, so Bert gave him a bit extra for him to buy his little one something special.

Had MTDining with the gang evry night until our anniversary. G&E treated all of us to Wonderland and it was fantastic. I had some trouble with the Inogen and to bring the continuous feed oxygen feeder to Wonderland and they were totally on board to let us plug it in. We get to sample everything on the menu, plus they came and sang to us at the end of the meal. I still have to get a copy of the video from Elaine.

Back to MTDining for final meal. Didn’t want to miss the lobster tails, right? They it was back to the cabin to finish packing and to get the bags outside. Went to the Schooner Bar one last time for a glass of wine. Actually brought it back to our cabin, but did not drink it.

Next morning we were up early and ready to get off the ship when our number was called. Then the stress moved in. I’ll continue the adventure in the next installment.

 

[Bellalago Belle]

Getting off the ship

By the time we were ready to get off the ship I was totally stressing. We ended up waiting for almost an hour before I was ready to get off the ship. Once we did and were at the terminal building, outside still, I was having trouble catching my breath. They called the EMTs for me to give me some oxygen. They wanted to transport me to the local hospital, but I said no, as that would mean Bert would have to keep making trips to the coast. Managed to make the car cool enough for me to get home.

Sat and rested at the kitchen table, but knew things were not right. Finally I told Bert that he needed to call 911 and get me some help, which he did. Got to say, we have got the most handsome paramedics around!!!

I told them I wanted to go to Celebration Hospital, but they insisted that I go to Florida Hospital here in Kissimmee and part of the same group. I was so sick at that point, I didn’t argue and just agreed to go there. Won’t make that mistake again! Final chapter coming up!

 

[Bellalago Belle]

Florida Hospital

I was taken into the ER immediately, so that was good. They managed to get me into a regular room that evening. I realized shortly thereafter that they hadn’t brought my clothes to the room and poor Bert spent 2 days trying to find what they had done with it. Finally located it.

Over the next2 days they did all sorts of tests on me, mostly being led by my cardiologist. By Wednesday when they still didn’t have a diagnosis ready, the cardiologist decided to get more aggressive and do a cardiac catherization. Scared the hell out of me, but finally agreed to it.



Unfortunately, the results did not go as I would have wanted. Seems like I have a blockage in my left artery. This would normally be treated with open heart surgery, but I am not a candidate for that due to my breathing issues. Instead they are going to treat the condition with medication and hope for the best.

I do know I will be dealing with a major lifestyle change, but I will do what I have to do to stick around. No stress and just taking things slowly.



We had already made up our minds that this would be our last cruise before this all came up, so now I can offer suggestions and help, while sitting on my butt taking it easy.

So now you have the whole story.

 

[K2-Mich]

Pat so glad you are home and getting better. Thank you for the great updates. You sure did have a go of it. Can’t wait to read the REST OF THE EVENTS you went through.


So today is my Birthday and we got very SAD news from our Nephew on the Anderson side of the family. Our dear Sister-in-Law passed away earlier this morning. She was the SIL (Art’s late brothers wife) that owned the Anderson Cottage that I talked about going to in the Summers.
Her 3 sons and her sister (who lives with her) went to Tenn last Sat to bury their dear Cousin. He was a Reverend. He died of Covid. Not vaccinated.
They came back home and the girls noticed they were not feeling well and couldn’t speak. Well, they waited until my SIL passed out in the bathroom to call EMS and both were taken to the hospital. They are both Fully Vaccinated & boostered. They did all they could for my SIL, but she died this morning. She had Copd which didn’t help matters. Her sister is still critical because her Kidney’s are not functioning at the right levels.
I feel so sorry for the 3 grown boys and family and Art and I too. Judy was the BEST person you could ever know.
We all now just want to know what she died from. It wasn’t “carbon Monoxide” because they tested for that. None of the boys are sick. One just got tested again for covid today and it came back negative. He’s going to get his doctr to give him the longer test on Monday.
I hate to dump all this on you and go on like this, but it’s helping me deal with this and I know you all will understand. Thanks.

ALWAYS SOMETHING.

 

[K2-Mich]

Oh Pat…sorry to read that you went through that much at the hospital. At least they found out about the blockage and can treat it with drugs. You’ll be like some of us other Wrabbits taking blood thinners. So sorry about that. The pills aren’t a issue to take, but just don’t CUT yourself. It will all work out.
A better diet of veggies and less fats and rich foods will be hard at first, but if it makes a difference regarding your health then you just have to do it. Thank you for sharing all this with your “extended family”. We’re just so glad you‘re back in the Hutch with us. Take care.

 

[K2-Mich]

Here are some pictures of the balloons that Jill & Mark put in the front of our house while we were at breakfast. How cute and thoughtful of them. I sure needed to see them when we pulled up after the sad news we got while we were driving home.
Never made it to Costco or Starbucks after my Nephews call. Actually, we were in the drive thru line at Starbucks to get my FREE B-Day coffee when he called. Got out of line and came right home.

Later gang.