Wetlands is showing some recovery

 On last Saturday we took our first walk in over 20 days and we did a marathon. Well maybe not quite a marathon, but this old body felt like it was. We did 3.55 miles in an hour and a half. And that is with stopping and watching all the birds. It's funny while we are walking - until just about the end of the walk - it doesn't seem we've gone that far. Not even many birds here this time of year. Guess they have all gone home. 

This guy and the turtle were swimming together. 

Most of the small trees and bushes are getting really green. This is the non burn area. 

The really green area just above the dirt path was completely burned out. These weeds/reeds are growing like crazy. We talked to a park worker and she says, that really isn't a good things as they dry out early in the fall and really fuel any fire. 

Same plants coming up along the river. The trees don't look like they will make it. 

Only these two guys in the river. 

A very pretty spring green color against the blue sky. Nice time of year, except for the WINDS!

Lots of water in the river. 

We stopped and watched this heron for a while. He was looking for something to eat. Stretching his neck in all directions. 

Every once in a while he'd poke his head int he water and come up with something he'd swallow. 

More regrowth. 

One determined plant trying to live. 

The art exhibit is still up. This was my favorite - Very different and colorful and used the land scape to  good advantage. 

Like a waterfall and a river around the rocks. 

Just a different picture of the sphere.  

Well ALL three of our vehicles are smogged and registered for another year. Glad that's over. 

Bill is finally rid of all of the after effects from that last pill. Feeling pretty good. Saw our primary doctor the other day and all is well with both of us. Now Bill had been started on Prednisone - it should work with the eyelid and not have such severe side effects. We will see after a couple of days. Yesterday we went shopping at Lowe's and WalMart and by the time we got home we'd done over 6000 steps. 

Most bumps in the road are over with. I hope.

 Another interesting week, but we did accomplish a few important things. 

Our lovely Las Vegas landscaping. Rocks, rocks, and more rocks. Easy to maintain tho. The yard without the pine trees, sometime during last week they came and took the stumps out. So that is all taken care of. The Palo Verde looks a little sad. It just has a few flowers on it. The heavy winds last week blew most of the buds off. Plus it lost three or four big branches when they cut down the pine trees. 

This has nothing to do with us, just saw it as we were coming home the other day.

Our RV. It finally got all cleaned up everything put away and our son had sent his cleaning ladies to do our home and called them and asked them to do the inside of the RV too. Works for me.  So the RV. I never did drive it anywhere. Either it was too windy or Bill wasn't feeling good. Our wonderful son took it on Saturday and drove it about 100 miles (he was going golfing in Pahrump.) But then on the last day to smog and register it didn't get smogged/ registered. So got a temporary moving permit good for 10 days. And got it smogged yesterday.  IT PASSED!!! So guess all the sensors got reset on the 100 mile trip. Then the smog place also sent in the registration. No late fine, goody. So that is done and RV is back in storage area. Hopefully no more breaking into or stealing it. 

Up early one morning, nice sunrise over The Wetlands. I haven't walked in over two or three weeks. Been one thing or another going on. Hopefully will be able to do a short walk on Saturday. 

This is the same day but sunset. Sometimes the sunset is prettier in the East than looking West. 

My payment for having our son drive the RV to reset the sensors. While he went golfing I babysat his dog. For anyone who knows me I am not a pet person. But once he settled down and stopped growling at me it was fine. Spent most of the day on the couch with him on my lap. He growled everytime Bill came into view. 

Bill had a dentist appointment yesterday morning, First time we've been to this dentist. He has the nicest waiting room of any dentist or doctor we've been too.  And very nice people working there. Problem is they won't do what Bill wants done, without doing a bunch of things he doesn't want. So waiting to hear from the insurance to see what can/needs to be done. Believe it or not that picture of the tooth on the wall was very pretty. 

A couple of days ago I discovered a puddle under the kitchen sink. The faucet insides had broken. Called home warranty service and the next day a plumber came out. Plumber replacing faucet - he just fit under the sink. 

So our fancy new faucet with pull down sprayer, fancy turn on turn off thingy and soft soap dispenser where old sprayer used to bed. So far I've managed to spray myself, the counter and the floor  a couple of times. And I see in this picture the sprayer part isn't up where it is supposed to be. 

Bill is doing a little better with the eyelid. He only takes 1/4 of a pill one time every other day. Still has side effects but not knock him down and stomp him ones like last week. So the eyelid kind of opens and closes when it wants. He can see well enough to do this. The picture doesn't do them justice. 

This is what he starts with. He plans on making wooden boxes and these will be on the lids. 

Spring has sprung all around the house. 

The jasmine is in full bloom. Such a great smell from the flowers. Wish they lasted longer. 

Hum thought my washing machine quit working, but it might be because the water has been turned off to the whole park. It was in its rinse spin cycle. Best wait until water is back on before calling for repair. Update washer is fine, just doesn't want to work without water. 

Another update. Bill had horrid reaction when he took the second 1/4 pill. So guess that won't work. No more Pyridostigmine for him. 

A week of highs and lows.

The past week has been a week of highs and lows and other things. A few things I didn't mention in last blog. On Wednesday we - Bill had his second appointment with the neuro-ophthalmologist.  It was at 7:45 on the other side of town. Peak traffic time so we took an Uber.  While we were waiting to go in my phone rang. I saw who it was and answered it. One of my walking friends had been reading the Facebook page for our community and came across this message. "Does anyone know who owns the RV in front storage lot space 2? It has been broken into." She said, "Isn't that you?" Bill is listening, but can't hear her voice. I smile and replay Oh, yes. Well your RV has been broken into along with 4 or 5 others. I smile and say "Okay, I'll check into that. Thanks. Bye." Decide not to say anything to Bill at that time. Bill is called into the office. More eye tests by assistant.  He was upset about testing, I am having a quiet melt down about the RV. So anyway, they finish testing and The doctor came in. More checking eye and eyelid. She confirms it is Myasthenia Gravis. Prescribes a pill that will work. Another Uber home. I'm still not saying anything. 

Got home and discovered the guys were there cutting down the big tall dead pine trees. Thank goodness. Only picture I could find of them, taken a year or so ago before they died. They were tall. Notice the one on the left is right behind our Palo Verde

The first one was almost completely cut down. 

But guess part of it hit the Palo Verde and broke off a couple of branches. 

The second one partly down, taking lunch now. 

Bill out talking to them. They were sorry about the Palo Verde but there wasn't much room for the cut pieces to fall down. They said they would finish pretty soon and then clean up the mess. At least the trees are gone. 

Then I finally told him about RV, so went over to check it out. Actually it wasn't as bad as I'd imagined. They pried up one of the windows and broke the mechanism that opens it. No other damage - amazing. They just opened every cupboard and drawer in the place.

Broken thingy on window. 

Took out all the drawers from here - good thing I have a diagram of what is in every drawer and where each drawer goes. 

So basically just a mess.

The fifth wheel next to us has a broken window - whole window needs to be replace. The owner of it is the one who wrote on the Facebook page about the break ins. Another RV had a couple of broken windows also. So we were lucky. Called our son and he came over Friday and helped us get it started (a whole other issue) and brought it home. We have it all cleaned up now and Bill put some screws in the bottom of the window so it can't be opened  again. While it was in storage - the storage place is part of the community we live in. They just installed locked gates to the areas about a couple of months ago. Also it is a gated community. I'm guessing they came over the wall from the Wetlands. While it was in storage Bill had disconnected the battery. Well all the sensors need to be reset before it will pass smog - which has to be done before the 20th. To reset them the vehicle needs to be driven in traffic and on highway at highway speed etc. etc. Lovely.

We picked up the pill on Friday morning he will take 1/2 a pill three times a day and his eyelid will stay up.  About 10 minutes after he took it his eyelid popped open and HE CAN SEE. But the pill is upsetting his stomach. Also Wednesday afternoon we had appointment to see the heart doctor. All is well with both of us. Come back in month for echocardiograms, see you then. By then Bill was exhausted and his long covid hit again. Spent most of Thursday in bed. And Thursday night there was another human started fire in the Wetlands. 

He did get to use his new eyesight to watch on TV a great soccer game on Friday. However by Friday evening his stomach was hurting. By noon Saturday he was hit with the side effects - all of them. Up to and including the severe ones. Trouble breathing, extreme weakness. He did not take any more pills after Saturday afternoon. By Sunday he was bedridden, I was thinking of calling ambulance. He did improve a little by evening but is still not entirely well today. So no more pills. He says he'd rather be blind.  Have talked to doctors assistant. She says he should slowly get better. Doctor is on vacation for whole week. Will hear from her next week.

This one is weird - not something I'd not want to see looking out a hotel window. 

And so we are up to today. The RV is all cleaned up and ready to go for a drive or put back into storage. Still a couple of small things that need repair but they can be done at any time. I had planned on taking it for a drive on Sunday, but with Bill so sick of course didn't.  Because the battery got disconnected all the sensors lost their information. It will not pass a smog test until they are up and running. Which means the RV has to be driven in all kinds of traffic and up to 65 miles per hour on freeways. Have to have it done by Saturday to do smog. Sorry if this is a little mixed up. Got a few of the days mixed up, think I got it fixed