On not viewing the Space Shuttle & ISS

Here's Greg sitting outside with his laptop shortly before he told us about an e-mail he got from a friend informing him that at exactly 8:30pm last Wednesday night for only three minutes if we looked towards the northwest sky, we'd be able to see the space shuttle and the International Space Station together in the sky.


Here's Greg with his Budweiser waiting for the shuttle.

Leo and Lauren (with her digital camera) in anticipation.





Jodi with her binoculars -- she thought she saw it when Steve told her it was a star that had been there since before she was born!

Needless to say, there was nothing there, and we checked the Web and there was nothing even on NASA that reported this viewing. Oh well...

Culinary Delights

I was reading the newspaper two mornings ago and saw an article about Sam Seltzer's Restaurants closing all over the state of Florida. Seltzer's has been a very popular steak and seafood place for years here. One of our new neighbors, Lauren, was a Corporate Trainer for Sam's and was among 300 folks laid off.

I passed Lauren on the steps outside when I was returning from running errands and expressed by sadness at her job loss -- she was amazingly not upset! She'd already gotten a new job with more pay setting up the computer system for another restaurant. About 20 minutes later she showed up at our door with two huge shopping bags of frozen food from the restaurant! She said she'd filled the trunk of her car more than five times and was giving this food away to our entire building. She gave us lobster tails, shrimp kabobs, breaded shrimp, a whole rack of ribs, a gigantic Porterhouse steak, on and on and on.

We were recently contemplating using the gift card we got from Mike and Renee for seafood at Catches, but now we'll save it for the future. I should mention that the electrical power went out in our building yesterday for about ten minutes and I freaked out thinking about all the food in the freezer!

Handicaps and Stuff

I have come to the conclusion that I should get some kind of handicap when I'm playing games with a time limit. If you lived with Steve you would understand this. I have yet to make it through any game without an interruption!

The Florida heat and humidity has definitely arrived. Getting in the car to run to the store is a nightmare! There are no carports or garages here so the car sits in the sun just waiting for some fool to dare climb inside!

I finally found a local dentist who accepts my insurance which covers only x-rays and cleaning. Went to see him this week - was seen first for digital x-rays (they do each tooth separately), then saw the hygienist who put all kinds of numbers into a computer, then the dentist who briefed me on all the horrible things going on in my mouth. Then I waited a bit and the dental assistant came back with two treatment plans, one with two bridges, one with a bridge and a removable bunch of teeth. The first one came to $10,045, and the second option was a mere $7,000! Then she gave me a brochure from Chase Bank so I could set up a payment plan through them. Needless to say, I'm going back to my original guy in Tarpon Springs who lets me pay as I can. I hate dentists and anything having to do with them!

Steve's going to be working on the apartment grounds this weekend -- raking, leaf blowing, landscaping, etc., so right now he's on the dock fishing. I'm glad our neighbor, Greg, has gone out to sit with him.

Greg had another bone marrow biopsy yesterday in Tampa to make sure he's still in remission, and if all goes well, he's scheduled for his BMT on June 9. He said he's more afraid of this than he was when they removed his colon cancer, because at least then they were taking out the disease. Steve made spaghetti and meatballs last night and brought them each a plate with garlic toast so they wouldn't have to cook.

I'm doing absolutely nothing today except reading the paper, maybe making some cookies, reading my book, and taking drugs for back spasms. Saw the chiropractor again this week -- it always feels great after that for a day or so and then goes back to normal. Getting old sucks!

The Escape Blog

I was in the process of trying to obtain some reliable information from my Medicare provider regarding dental services, but they were giving me a headache, just like if you had to call ANY government office so my blog is my copout.

I have a huge zit on my chin and I'm 60 years old! I know that as we age we begin to get aches and pains from out of nowhere. Why is it that the only thing we start to lose besides our minds includes hormones, skin tone, etc., but somehow I'm still getting zits! Doesn't seem right...

We went to DMV yesterday to pay for the annual vehicle registration and change my name on my driver's license. This is usually a breeze in our town because it's small and things generally move quickly. I pulled out my Visa debit card to pay the car registration and the woman told me they can't accept Visa; she asked whether I had Amex or another card, which I don't. We had to go to the drive-through ATM at our bank to get cash and come back to pay her. I inquired about changing my name, and got a litany of items I'll need to accomplish that -- birth certificate, wedding certificate, passport (don't have one), a bill with my name and address on it, blah, blah, blah. I was waiting for her to ask for my first-born offspring, but we just left with a plan in hand to dig through my files to find what I need. It's the first time we've dealt with goofy bureaucracy in our town.

Yesterday we got a box in the mail with stone coasters with our photo on them; they came from Steve's nephew, Louie, and his wife. Neat gift.

Sundays and Pension Plans

This is Sammy who lives just outside our building -- we're pretty sure he's the same guy who lived in Slug and Dick's backyard in Palm Harbor, and he just relocated to stay close to familiar people.


Greg got home from the hospital last Wednesday, a bit weaker and thinner, but with a great attitude. Last night he cooked for us -- we had pork chops with tomatoes and onions from the crock pot, and I made a casserole of sweet potatoes to go with it. His white blood count is gradually coming up, but the transplant scheduled for the
28th has been temporarily delayed. He goes toa local hospital daily for IV antibiotics to boost his white cells for now too. We really enjoy their company -- Jodi's a bit of a clean freak like Steve, so the two of them compare notes like fussy old ladies; Greg's the PC guy and a reader -- he fixed my printer and gave me some games he had downloaded too.

Today was really warm and humid, and we've had an electrical storm for the past four hours, so naturally the TV reception has been messed with all day. It's the first major storm of the season and my poor felines have been doing a lot of skulking around and hiding like the thunder's out to get them.

Steve and I got a new grandnephew via his niece, Sabrina, last week. He's Landon James Scheer and both mother and son are doing well.

Talked to Mom Friday night -- it's amazing what something like a room change is doing for her spirits. Her first shower in the new room must've been like heaven. I'm not sure why she wouldn't let the nursing aides help her shower -- maybe it was being naked in front of them, maybe it was not wanting to explain her mastectomy scar, maybe it's just 'cause she's Mom.

The neatest thing I saw on the news today was a miniature horse which is the smallest one on record. He's called Little Einstein and was born at 6 lbs. on Friday in New Hampshire. He was the size of a dog! Just one of those baby animals that's so cute it makes your heart ache.

We're in the process of setting up a payment plan with the IRS to pay back 25% of the pension funds Steve withdrew early to help us set up in Florida. I'll start getting my own pension checks at 63 which isn't so far away anymore.