Friday - March 18, 2011

It has been a long time since I last updated this blog. However, in this case, no news is good news. I have been back and forth to Charleston a few times but mostly for tests. I have to go back again next week to get the results of the Cat Scan that I had this week to check on my kidneys. As you may recall from previous blogs, the doctor saw a small growth on one of my kidneys in a test they did months ago and he wants to check it out from time to time to see if there is any change. He didn't seem too worried but it would be nice to get a good report.

I am finally finished with going to Charleston every two weeks to get my throat stretched. I'm not through with the throat stretching but I can now do it myself at home. I wasn't sure I would be able to do this but it really isn't too bad. I have to swallow a long tube like device that is tapered from about 1/8 inch to about 1/2 inch. I have to get it down 30 cm which is almost one foot. I did it at home last week and will have to do it again next week. God knows how long this will go on but it is sure better than the alternative!

I have been exercising three days a week. I start out by walking a fast mile (about 16 minutes), then I work out on the machines for about 45 minutes. I then do water aerobics for an hour. It's a good workout. I'm starting to get some abs but don't quite have a 'six pack' yet!

Spring has finally come to Columbia and it is beautiful down here. Trees are flowering all over town and there is color everywhere. My dogwoods are just starting to open and I have red buds, blueberry's and camellias in bloom. I have poppies and daffodils blooming and my tulips should open up this weekend. The other flowers in my garden won't be far behind. It was around 85 here today and it is supposed to be warmer tomorrow. I just hope we don't have a late frost but we won't be really safe until mid-April.

The cats are doing well and just dying to get outside! Terry is afraid that they will run away so I guess they will just have to put up with being house cats. I will post some pictures of them.

I will also post some pictures of my garden and some of the trees that are blooming.

I will have to do a lot of work on my greenhouse before I can take my orchids back. We had a very bad winter here and the water pipes in the greenhouse froze and broke. I also had some electrical problems and I'm not yet sure how extensive all the damage is. We have a meeting of our orchid society on Sunday and I have to ask my friend, Stan, to bear with me for a while longer. He has been babysitting my plants for well over a year and I need to take this load off him asap! Thanks again, Stan, for this great favor. I owe you!

We also had our annual orchid show this month and our exhibit won first place. We also had several of our members' plants win first place ribbons. I will try to add a few pictures of the show and exhibits.

Terry got a new Honda Civic Hybrid last month and I traded in my truck and am driving Terry's Buick LeSabre. The Buick has about 100,000 miles on it and was a bit unreliable for the many trips to Charleston at 3 am. I think the Buick is a lot easier to drive and I don't miss my truck. It only had about 25,000 miles on it and it was a 2005 Toyota Tundra!

We are going to New York for Terry's stepmother's 80th birthday on May 20 - May 24. It has been years since I've seen Terry's family and they will all be together for this party. I am not really looking forward to traveling, but the last trip we took to Florida for a cruise in January was uneventful. We are also considering another cruise this fall with my brother, Bob, and his wife. However, the world "situations" seem very unstable and we wonder if it is a good idea to go to Spain and on to Turkey and the Greek Islands. Also, Terry has a few yoga trips planned; one, in particular, to Mexico in October. It might be a good idea to wait until next year for this cruise. I will have to talk to my brother.

That's about it. I'll try to be a little better about keeping this blog up to date, but I always say that--. However, I will at least send along more pictures because it it is really beautiful here and it will even get better when more of the flowers bloom and the azaleas put on their annual show!

As usual, any and all comments will be appreciated.