What a difference 2 years (1 year?) makes

Two years ago, we started the worst two year period of our lives, but we survived it and hopefully are better for it. Two years ago tomorrow, we wre scheduled to go to Disney World, but settled for the Palatka Hospital. One year ago we were beginning the rehab from the final operation, resulting in a whole new knee replacement.

Today, we are working on the construction of our new 10 x 12 ft barn roofed shed, which will give us a tremendous amount of additional room, which will enable us to sort through our stuff and be better organized. Today, we completed installing the last of the custom made trusses. Now we have to align, brace and complete tieing them all together and then the roof and finally the door. I can go up and down the ladders, etc, but after a few hours, my legs and knees are sore, so we try and space it out and combine fun with work.

The weather is much more co-operative this year. Last year, during December, Jacksonville had 17 frosts. This year, NONE, so far. We went out on the boat today, with 77 degrees, and a beautiful sunny day. Only 6 alligators, but they were big ones.

Last week, we went to Sea World on Tuesday, Busch Gardens on Wenesday, and Clearwater Beach on Thursday(Winter, the tail-less Dolphin) lives there. Visited with Dick Diamond and toured Clearwater Beach a little. Dick was my college roomate for all four years at Grove City College during 1959-1962. Neither could remember when we last saw each other, but it was fun to get together again. Dick is presently suffering from back and other injuries suffered in a bad fall several years ago.

The story on Winter is that she got severly caught up in a lobster trap rope, and was damaged in the process. Her tail section atrophied and fell off, leaving her unable to swim normally. She was 3 months old at the time and rescued by the Clearwater Museum. The museum worked with some specialty prothesis company and they developed a special tail made of carbon fiber, which has worked, and they are now on #18, because Winter is now 4-5 years old, and continues to grow. A 3-D movie was made (Dolphin Tales) and the DVD was supposed to be released today.

Anyway, Winter has proved to be an inspirational model for numerous children and war vets who have lost limbs and are using different protheses to regain mobility and face life. Winter has proven to be a million dollar dolphin as her story spreads and more and more people come to see her. I was originally unimpressed, but now I believe everyone who comes to the Clearwater area should come and see her.

Tomorrow is my Birthday and we are going to the Deland Flea Market, possibly Alfies for fish and if time, work on the shed.

Like everyone else, we will be busy during the next week. Normas' grandaughter Jessie is supposed to arrive Thursday sometime and Norma wants her to have a boat ride on the famous St Johns, and this is scheduled for Friday(weather permitting). There is also a possibility of going to Sea World again (with Norma and Jessie?). It looks like we are going to be with Jane on Christmas Day?

On the 29, 30, and 31st of Dec. we will be in Jekyll Island, Georgia for an indoor Bluegrass Concert, and may go to Savannah for New years day.

Lester and Sue are due back about the 3rd of Jan, and there are nunerous events going on later in Jan and early Feb.

Heidi wants more pictures, but I have to work at this, so be patient

One year later

I just finished(nearly) composing the latest blog when it suddenly disappeared. I don't feel like doing it all over right now, so here are the basics. One year ago today, was the last surgery leading to the condition I am in now, which is "pretty good". I haven't taken a pain pill for many months. I have no problem eating or sleeping, and I am starting to do things to catch up for the two years of inability to do things. I can walk fairly well, but am still a little clumsy. I need some more time to improve my flexability and endurance, but that will happen. Next week we are going to Busch Gardens and SeaWorld to see their Christmas programs. We will also go to Clearwater Beach to visit Dick Diamond, my roommate at Grove City College many years ago. It has been quite a while since we have seen him. Laura also wants to visit "Winter" at Clearwater Beach Aquarium. "Winter" is a dolphin who does not have a tail. Apparently a prothesis has been fitted so he has an artificial tail which enables him to swim.

We have acquired material to finish the roof on our new shed. We have been boat riding. Big alligators are still out sunning themselves. More later.

Trying to catch up

I have been told to "update my blog", so here it is.

Everybody, look at Lizas "Mohr Life" and look at the pictures of Kat, Charlie, Gracie and Eli, all holding hands and jumping and skipping into the air, and then tell me whether you think Heidi and Dan made the right decision to bring Kat home to WNY. Those pictures say it all.

November, like all the previous months, has flown by really fast. We have been busy doing things, like going to see Chubby Checker at the Volusia county Fair. Chubby was amazing in that, once he came out on stage , he did all his songs with great enthusisam(?), and went immediately fom one song to another. He performed steadily for about 75 minutes, before ending the show. He had a small band that was very good, but very loud. All the hearing aids in that joint became unnessary, for a while. This guy is 70 years old this year.

I was able to determine that my boat problem was a messed up control unit, so we bought a new unit for $240, installed it and everyhing is fine now. We went out twice yesterday, Thanksgiving day. I put my Garmin 580 GPS on the boat to give me speed info and also to act as an odometer. After the second trip, the odometer says we have traveled almost 110 miles on the ol St Johns. Two years ago, it probably only went 15-20 miles for the whole season. I like the present situation better.

Sue and Lester arrived from the North with colds, which we have fought, but we lost the battle. At this point, Laura and I, both , have nice colds, which are beginning to go away.

Yesterday was Thanksgiving and we wound up at Sue and Lesters with a garbage can turkey. Other guests were Bill and Bev Weston from Vermont(Pomona Park), Virgil and Helen from W. Virginia(P0mona Park), Gary and Connie Scott from Chillicothe, Ohio, (next door), her sister Elaine,and grandaughters Taylor and Bry-Lin.

We were at Barberville for one weekend, to listen to all kinds of acoustic music, which we enjoy. We hear that Gracie is thinking of playing Trumpet, and we know that Shawn is going to try learning the Guitar, and we know that Cheyenne knows how to play the flute(?), Encourage them all to hang in there and learn to play.

Here in the South, the Christmas Season mandates Parades of all kinds. Tonight is the first one for this area, which is a Christmas Marching Parade. Tonights' parade is in Palatka, and is projected to be 1- 1/12 hrs long, which is pretty good for a small town. Tomorrow night is the first lighted boat parade, which is in Jacksonville. This is one of the biggest in this area, with about 80 boats of all sizes. In addition to the Parade, they have spectacular fireworks. How they can afford the fireworks is beyond me.

For those interested, my knee continues to improve. It will soon be one year (Dec 9, 2010), for the last surgery and 2 years since all of this stuff surfaced (Dec 18, 2009). it was a bad period, and hopefully we are done with this kind of stuff.

OK, the blog has been updated and we try and do better in the future, Suffice to say, we are doing well in sunny Florida.

Catching up again

After a hectic weekend, we left Ripley on Oct 5. The weather got progressively better as went along. No problems, spent the first night in Corbin, Kentucky.Arrived in Norris the next morning and enjoyed three days of beautiful weather.The music was good, and we enjoyed the music at the Volunteer Campground most nights. Sunday afternoon, we left Norris and stopped in Centerville, Georgia. Arrived in Satsuma about 5:00 PM. There had been heavy weather the weekend before, but was ok when we arrived. We had about an hour, in which we got everything unloaded from the trailer, and then the skies opened up and we had a terrific rainstorm.

It was warm and humid but we were here with no problems. The power was on, the water was on, the gas was on and the a/c worked. What more did we need.

The next day the water heater came on, it was 90 degrees and humid, with the a/c we were fine. Last year we messed around with a recalcitrant refrigerator, but today, we went to Sears and bought a new one, using a gift card with points earned from our credit card. On wed. we went to Deland Flea Market and to Wally and Joanies to deliver stuff we brought down for them and to get haircuts and visit the local hearing aid dealer and then to Alfies for fish with Norma and Buford and Janice. 88 degrees.

Friday , it was senior citizens and then Supper with Bob and Laverne. They are doing well. Cooling down to 85 degrees. Sat. we went to Daytona Beach for large yaed sales and visited Jane, who is doing well.

Sunday, we went another flea market in Ocala and to Silver Springs, where we re-upped our passes.

The next few days we worked, cleaning up, organizing, putting things away, etc., then more yard sales and flea markets. Monday the 23rd, we went to Seaworld, taking the new little cart, which worked very well. We shared riding it, which worked out very well. Lester and Sue arrived on Tuesday , so off we went again, to a flea market in Deland and to St Augustine, to tour some of St George St and the Fort. Today was music at the Sr Center and tomorrow, who knows? Next week, one day, we plan to go to Busch Gardens. Then later(in December, we will go back to both of them to see their Christmas programs.

We enjoyed two boat rides before trouble developed with the shift linkage. We have been too busy to determine what the exact problem is, but will tackle it soon.

For those who are interested, I am doing quite well. The knee is still sore at times, but it is getting stronger and more flexible all the time. I walked(slow pace) the entire St Augustine trip, half of Seaworld, and all of the different flea marlets I am eating well, sleeping well and beginning to catch up on some of the neglected areas, encountered over the last two years.

Heidi put a very nice article in the Palatka paper about our 50th, of which we have received numerous copies from local friends and neighbors. Thanks to all of you who helped with the anniversary celebration. Today is the first day of the 51st year. We shall see how far this goes.

Also for those who are interested, our new internet system is working quite well. The Verizon signal is not strong in this area, but is sufficent. We place the Tablet near a window, and get a strong wi-fi signal all around the house. We are quite happy with it. So long for now and will try to do a better job of keeping up.

Mom and dad arrived in Tennessee

Mom called to give us the update that they arrived in TN without issues.

Sent from my iPhone

Way, Way Behind again

August and September went by already. Today is Oct 2, and we are getting ready to leave for Florida Wed morning. We are actually going to Norris Tennesee to the "Homecoming" which is Thurs-Sun and will leave there Sunday afternoon with an expected arrival in Florida on Monday Afternoon.

Today , we are going to the Vikings for the Trailer association fund Raiser, and then focus on getting ready to leave for Florida.

Yesterday, we had our early Christmas with the kids and grandchildren. It worked out very well. Plenty of food and gifts all around. John Adams and Susie(Lizas Mom) were also there.

Friday morning we left here and went to Dr Bodkins office for our annual" leaving for Florida visit." Our blood work results were there and We are happy to report that we are in pretty good shape(for the shape we are in). This year we are planning on NO doctor or hospital visits. We are just finishing up paying some of the bills for our previous work.

Friday afternoon, Laura went to see Dr Twist, the eye surgeon. Everything is well with her de-cataracted eye and she has improved vision with it..The Dr said she should think about having the other eye done next year, so we will wait and see.

Then we went to Roger and Claudines' house for a pre gig birthday party for Larry Brennan who is now 76.

We have been busy with fiddle gigs, as we enjoy them and our Fiddle People. We played at Clarence Farmers Market, Niagara County Fair, Lewiston Art Festival, Alexander Gas and Steam Engine Show, Celtic Festival at Olcott, and Farm Days at Somerset, and assorted oter smaller events. We went back and forth to the Buffalo Area many times this summer.

We had a problem with the Criket, which was relatively easy to fix, but difficult to diagnose. We finally got it together again. Meanwhile , we bought a used Victory 10 (by Pride), is in brand new condition. This is to be used in Florida, when we go to Disney, or Seaworld or whatever.

We did go to Marineland again, and Darien Lake again this summer.

We got "Mohr-Fun" into the water and got only one ride out of it, but it was still a moral victory for us. We just sold Mohr-Fun, which is a 1964 boat that gave us a lot of service, and replaced it with a 20 ft pontoon boat similar to what we have in Florida. So next year, free boat rides for everyone. Line up, as we only can take 12 people at a time. We do expect a lot more boating activity next year. It will be stationed at Lakeside, but can be brought over and docked at the Vikings.

The replacement knee is doing quite well. Progress is slow but steady. I can now go up and down steps the proper way instead of favoring the one. Getting up and down to the floor is still awkward but steadily improving.` I did manage to replace the middle bathroom floor with new 3/4 plywood and ceramic tile, along with a new high rise toilet. It came out well and looks good. Come on over and try it out(next year). This was done in time for the annual Turkey Jam which was held Sept 20. We ran out of time , so it had to be on a weekday. We had 59 well fed people , who had a great time. The weatherman blessed us with a beautiful day sandwiched between several crummy days.

That about sums it up. Both the Vikings and Lakeside are winterized and we will do Ripley shortly. So we are off to the land of Sunshine and warmth and wish those of you who are doomed to spend the Winter up North, good luck. We will be in contact shortly. We have a different internet setup now , which is much more flexible, so we have no excuses for not keeping up. We can now update this blog while riding up and down on a rollercoaster, so we will have to try it. See you all later.

Way behind again

Since last time we went to Fantasy Island with Heidi, and Kat, and Derek and Charley and Gracie. I walked the whole thing, wound up with really tired knees.

We took Shawn and Cheyenne to Marineland in Niagara Falls. We had a good time, with Shawn and Cheyenne riding the screaming tower, 10 times in a row, since there were few people there.

I almost did, but!!!! We paid the extra money, so in effect we have season passes for Marineland so expect to get back there at least one more time before we head to Florida in early October.

The last several weeks have been extremely busy. Laura went to her regular eye Doctor who said it was time to remove the cataracts in her right eye. We had to go to the Dr who was going to do the work, then the regular Dr to get the Necessary clearance, then the cataract was removed on 21st of July with followup visit on the 22nd and another followup visit tomorrow. It cost us some money, but a special lens was put in that seems to have improved her vision quite a bit. only more time will tell.

on the 16th of July , we were at the vikings, and were told to go away and come back at 3:15. We figured there was going to be a small party at the lake where a number of our group was camping for the reunion on Sunday. When we got back and were led to the shelter at the Vikings, we were truly surprised to find lots of people there to help celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary, which will actually be Oct 27th(?). People ask us if we were truly surprised and the answer is YES!.. Everybody did their part in keeping the information from us. It was great to see all the people that were there, and it was astounding the effort expended by the kids(?) to put this on. We had Jop McComber from San Jose. Ca, Mel and Greg from Raleigh, Don and Janice from Holly Hill, Florida, Chris and Amy from Michigan,and Pat Drake from Cleveland.

The next day was the 71st Mohr family reunion at the Vikings, which went well.

Somehow, we have managed to get the boat into the water and it now sits on its lift. Next week, we should be able to go out in it.

The knee is doing well. it needs more time, but I am finding it easier to go up and down stairs and to get down to the floor and back up. I am starting to get some things done that have been neglected. There are several projects I wanted to get done this summer, but time is going so fast, I do not know.

We are presently trying to get the many "thank you" notes out, and we had a sad episode with our Tennesee cat. "Yellow Belly" appeared to be injured or very sick yesterday, so we took her to the vet today, which we do not like to do, but it was clear she was suffering. It turns out that she had ingested a large amount of automotive anti-freeze and there was no saving her, so she was euthanized and buried in the back yard. She was a friendly loving cat, acquired in Tennessee, and did not deserve to die like this, but things happen.

Till next time.

Busy, Busy, Busy

Since returning North, we have been to Buffalo area a half dozen times. This last Friday, we went for a fiddle gig in Buffalo and went to the GM Tonawanda engine plant open house. On Saturday we worked 0n the ice cream social at Lakeside, then went to Buffalo, got our haircuts at Wally and Joan Tanners. Spent the night with Heidi, then went to North Amherst Fathers Day breakfast, and after that went with Derek and Liza to Darien Lake, followed by a Birthday Party for Gracie at Dereks house.

Then home to Ripley, where we mowed the lawn, cleaned up the yard and started to get the boat out, find the batteries and charge them. Now we can et the motors running and take it to the lake. We put the catwalk in a week or so ago and are waiting for the lift to be put in.

We have spent our first night at the Vikings and of course have been mowing the lawn, putting in flowers and readying the camper for the season.

I was able to rototill Lauras' gardens, and she has them both pretty well planted. This was a little late because of all the rain we had been receiving.

My knee has been doing fairly well. I work it hard all day and it is tired at the end of the day. Basically, if I am using it I forget about it and go about my business. If I sit for a while, it takes a little time to get it moving

It is still difficult to get down on the floor and up again, but it is improving. I am beginning to start to catch up with the many little jobs, that were neglected last year. We have several projects in mind, but I am waiting to get a little more flexible before attempting them.. I will try to keep up a little better from now on.

Summer 2011?

Well, we left Florida on Friday morning the 6th of May. We ran into heavy rain in Jacksonville, Savannah, and Pittsburgh. Fortunately, Thursday before we left was a fairly cool nice day, so we were able to load the trailer and protect it fairly well, so very little damage was incurred due to the 3 rainstorms. We wound up in Wytheville, Virginia for the night, and arrived in Ripley about 6:30 PM Saturday night. We had no problems, paid as little as $3.67 in Virginia and as much as $3.99 in W. Virginia. When we arrived, Ray and Luella and Lester and Sue showed up to help unload everything. Ray brought his mowing tractor and gave the lawn a much needed "haircut". Thanks Ray.

Ki-Ki rode loose in the car while yellow belly? was confined to the cage.Both behaved very well during the trip.

Sunday, we went to the Vikings to meet with Heidi and Cat, and Derek
with Charley, Grace and Eli. The kids enjoyed the Vikings even though it was a little cool. It was good to see everybody and to demonstrate that I really can walk without assistance.

As I said, I can walk without assistance, but need more time to become fully healed and rehabbed. I do my exercises every day and am slowly getting close to "normal".

Monday, we went to Amherst to do some shopping and to have supper with Jerry, Alison, Shawn and Cheyenne. Everybody appears to be doing well and that is good.

Tuesday, we remowed the lawn and started to clean everything up and putting things away. Thursday, I played golf for the first time in 2 years and did ok. Some good shots and some bad ones, final score 66 for 9 holes. Knees were really tired, as we had mowed some at the Vikings prior, and the last 3 holes are up and down hill. Even with a golf cart there was a fair amount of walking.

During this week, the weather was quite nice, even Saturday was nice although heavy rain was not too far away to the South and East. Sunday was typical of the weather here, cold and wet. Monday and today are typical of earlier this year and I think I would rather have 85 and sun. We are tempted to drive back to Florida for a week or so until it warms up.

We have two furnaces and the one for the back addition works fine, but the one for the front part does not want to behave, so we have to resort to electric heaters live in the front part.

We have been having some difficulty with Lauras' computer, but Lester came over last night and straightened it out, so now we have all three computers working.

We have been free of Doctors for a while and medications have been reduced to a relative minimum, while I regain some of my former strength and appearance. We are looking forward to a busy summer, including having a boat in the waters of Chautauqua Lake.

We are going to our local GP on Friday, and will include some garage saling, some music at a fiddle club jam and a short stint at the Hamburg Fairgrounds Casino. Don't tell the IRS, but I left the Casino last time with $40.00 more than I started with. Laura, on the other hand, left a little lighter than she started.

Don't forget that Saturday the 21st of May is JUDGEMENT DAY. Some of us might not be around after that, and some of us will just have to wait until October 21, to learn our fate when the World Blows up.

Until then enjoy yourself and keep in touch.

closing out Florida Winter/spring 2011

We have been working so hard lately, that we are tired.

We are leaving Friday AM May 6, 2011 for cold and rainy New York. Should be there Saturday afternoon. We ask which is better, 85 degrees and sun or 50 degrees and rain. It is hard to decide .We have been busy building a 12x 10 shed. We got it done except for the roof, which will be completed in the fall. We learned that Kayla, Annettes oldest daughter has been doing very well for Flagler Palm Coast softball. So we were able to attend several of her playoff games. Whey wound up losing in the playoffs,but over all they were somethin like 24 and 6 for the season. Kayla was the leader in runs scored, stolen bases and had a high batting average. She graduates this year and is going to University of Tampa, where she hopes to earn an athletic scholarship.

The world has been a very tumultuous place lately, with the huge number of tornadoes. It appears there are hundreds of people still missing in Alabama, and other southern states. How about Japan where there are many thousands still missing. Then we have Osama leaving us for wherever he is going. We went to the Easter parade in St Augustine and read signs telling us about the upcoming Rapture. I remembered seeing something about this but looked it up again.

There are several different versions of this but in essence, the religious "experts" have decided that Christ is coming back to earth on the 21st of May. All believers will fly off to Heaven (or somewhere), leaving all the non believers behind. Then on October 21, the whole world is destroyed(possibly a huge earthquake). I for one am anxiously waiting to see how this all comes out. I do have some questions but do not know who to ask. enough of this for now, see you all in New York.

what is happening?

Here we are in sunny Florida with 90 degree weather and nearly constant sunshine. It is almost too much, but not quite, not yet. I was trying to send some pictures with the I-Pod, but sort of forgot how. The one of the whale is Tillimuk(whatever) the real killer whale. This was his(her?) first day back on the job since that fateful day a year or ago. I have a better one if I can get it to work . The dog is part of the disc chasing dog show at Clay County Fair. It was hard to get a picture with the dog actually in the picture, because they move so fast. We are winding down here in Florida. Lester and Sue leave about the 20th of April and we will be heading North about May 4th or 5th. I am doing quite well, walking is gettting better, sleeping is getting better, everything is getting better. We continue to be busy with the different music venues, yard sales, boat rides and enjoying life in general. It is a far different world today than it was one year ago. When I get the other pictures on, will write more

Mini Vacatiion in Florida

Tuesday morning, Laura and I and Criket left for Tampa. The weather forecast was somewhat threatening , but we went anyway. Got to Busch Gardens about noon. Had to find somebody to let Criket in as it is slightly wider than the normal gates. After we got in we went for a train ride and learned that the new roller coaster they are building (ready late April?) had forced a shutdown of the skyride, and eliminated the water raft part of the Rhino Rally. The weather was nice, the crowds were small, we enjoyed it anyway. We wondered into the Africa part for the first time and saw numerous animals, we did not know they had. We checked in at the local Howard Johnsons, which was close to Busch Gardens and The Seminole Hard Rock Casino. There were not too many choices, se went to a Dennys for supper. It was cold and our order took forever to arrive. We were about to walk out when it finally arrived. We wrote down the restaurant number, location, etc for a strong e-mail to be sent. When Laura complained to the manager, she comped the meal and gave us our coupon back. So our $16 meal cost $0. We found our way to the casino and learned there was not a no smoking section. The Indians can do what they want. Anyway, although there was smoking, it was not too bad. We could not find any penny machines, so settled for 2 cent machines. I got lucky early and won $24 . Then I switched to a different machine, which was more interesting , when we left there, I had $85 more than I had when we came in. The next morning, we went to Orlando to go to Sea World, and the weather was not too bad, although somewhat threatening. We saw all the shows except the end of Clyde and Seamore, when the rains came about 4:30 and that was that. We did see a new show that they have created for children, using characters from Sesame Street. This show has the kids dancing in the aisles. We also happened to see the "Believe" show where Tilliamuk, the " real "killer whale made his first appearance before an audience , since, the death of his trainer a year ago. It was noted that at no time was there a trainer in the water with any of the whales. They had removable fences that were at the waters edge, and the little girl, that they gave the whale necklace to, did not get anywhere near a whale, unlike in the past, where they would have the whale give the child a kiss. The Shamu show is undergoing changes and the new show is supposed to be ready by late April. we arrive home Wednesday nite with no problems , but there had been severe weather in Tampa and Lakeland and other areas. Thursday morning we were awakened by the weather radio warning us of a tornado watch until 1:00PM. We had to go to St Augustine to see the Gp. Everything is pretty much ok, but he wants another blood test to verify the iron level. The results of the lung capacity test showed that I have a minimal restriction on air flow in and out but this probably was a partial result of the pneumonia and should go away. The knee ccontinues to get stronger but is still stiff after not being used for a while ,such as a long ride in the car. It is still somewhat sore at night, but I am exercising it all of the time. Right now it looks like restful weekend, and then another ride to Tampa on Monday. This trip to include some time at the Webster flea market, Busch Gardens, and the Casino. Lester and Sue wiil be going on this trip with us.

Where did March go?

Time is flying by so fast, we cannot keep up. It has been 12 weeks since the knee replacement and, although it seems slow to me sometimes. overall we are doing pretty well. Today, we went to the Saytona Beach Flea market which is quite large, and I walked a lot of it, about 1-1/2 hours as well as later in Big lots, and harbor Freight and Alfies. We took a wheel chair in case I had to be rescued, but it was unneccessary. Overall the surgery is going well. I do my stretching and repetive exercises, and ride the stationary bike every day, sometimes twice. Some days it is hard to fit them in. I have not taken a pain pill for about 8 weeks, nor have I used crutches, cane or walker for about the same time. The knee swells up by the end of the day and is usually sore by bedtime. It sometimes aches during the night, but no pain pills. My sleeping has improved although I wake up 4-5 times each night. getting back to sleep is no problem. When I have been sitting for a while, it takes a little time to get moving, but it sure feels great to move around without crutches, and knowing that it wii continue to get better. We had a little bout with pneumonia which is pretty much over, and I can do things again. It really "winded" me and and greatly slowed down the walking part of my rehab. I did have to take a lung capacity test, which the young lady operator indicated that I did not seem to have any serious problems, but we will be informed officially on Thursday, when we see the Doctor. We talked to Heidi and Kat a while on Skype, and it nice to actually see them as well as to hear them. Anybody else wants to talk to us on Skype, let us know. Our weather has been beautiful, running in the low 80's, and mid 50's, with lots of sunshine and very little rain (although rain is needed) resulting in numerous forest fires all around us. Jerry and Shirley Burkley went home the 19th of March leaving us with Lester and Sue. We went to the putnam County Fair, which puts on a great Senior program with a free meal and numerous gifts from local grocery stores, etc. Thursday we went to the local electrical supplier picnic where they have a chicken dinner, their official annual meeting and then, about 105 give a way prizes, including 3 large screen tvs. They also give away one of their pick up trucks as a grand prize. Lester and Sue won this truck, which is a 2003 Chevy S-10, with 103,000 miles , but in excellent condition. Their winning number ticket was 5222 and our ticket number was 5224, so for a short while it was interesting. We have a number of excellent musicians, who play old time, bluegrass, etc and we have been invited to their homes for "jam" sessions, which combined with the Friday afternoon senior center is keeping us busy with music. At this time, we are not sure when we are headed North. It will probably be the first week of May. It will depend upon the weather in both locations, plus there are some projects we are hoping to gain some headway to make up for the lost time. We plan to go to Busch Gardens on Tuesday, The Seminole Hard Rock Cafe Casino, then to Seaworld on Wednesday. This will be a criket trip, because they are so big. While I have been writing this Laura has been talking to Heidi on Skype. I will try to keep up a little better. Regards to everyone.

Sent from my iPhone.
Sorry for any typos.

Where did February go?

Wow, where did February go. Right now it is gone, and the summary is: Really nice weather(finally) Mostly 70-80 degrees with lots of sun. We deserve it, as December was cold. Continued improvement with the knee. I wal all the time, except for the longer stretches such as flea markets. The knee is gettting stronger all the time. I have done my own PT and the knee is reasonably straight and flexible. It is still stiff, and we have to work the kinks out, but time and use will do that. It seems so strange to remember that I had to use crutches, etc for so long(from Dec 2008 through Feb 2010).

Last week, while exercise walking, we noticed that I was extremely short of breath after a very short time. A visit to the Dr, and a chest x-ray showed I had pneumonia. After 7 days of strong anti-biotics, use of a vaporizer, and more inactivity, things are better. I can breath much better, and can do limited work. We have another x-ray scheduled for this coming Friday, but I think we basically have this licked. So now I can resume the walking part of my therapy.

Within our group we had company from the North, so we have enjoyed some boat rides, with a lot of fairly large alligators being spotted. We went to Ormond beach to Alfies and to watch the shuttle go off. Unfortunately, we lost it in the clouds, but our visitors enjoyed it. Norma and Buford joined us there for this event.

I almost forgot, went to the 7th annual Palatka Bluegrass Festival and for the first time had decent weather. The motorhome had its first (and probably only) outing for a year. Gas is abundently available, all you want, no waiting in line, and is roughly averaging only $3.43/gal.

Monday is going to be our annual Florida garbage can turkey event for the local musicians, and soon we have to get to Seaworld and Busch Gardens. More later.

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Sorry for any typos.

3 Mohr Siblings

4 Mohr Siblings

Catching up again

It has been two weeks since we last checked in and important things are happening. Everybody else is checking in with their goings on, so it is now my turn.

I cannot express how happy I am that this last year of multiple problems appears to be about over. As of yesterday, I have given up the cane and am walking independently. I walk over to Cove Drive and back and each day extend the distance. Granted the gait is not yet a smooth normal walk, as there is more stretching and healing to come. But the big thing is I am WALKING again. Emotionally, this is such a big thing to me that I started to break down in tears as I wrote it, but it has passed. There are still some woods to go through, as the knee is stiff and needs constant exercise, which I am giving it. It also lets me know it is there during the night, which is affecting my sleep somewhat.

But overall, it is great, and knowing that it will be getting better with time is very encouraging.

The weather is not bad by comparision with the rest of the country, but has been cold for us. Nevertheless, we took a short boat ride last week, and the boat behaved itself nicely. The last boat ride we had was shortly before the surgery on Dec 9.

Martin Luther King day was big for us, because it was the last day for the phyical therapist, and the first day I started walking up and down the hall way without the cane.

Last Sunday we went to Alfies to meet with Mel and Greg, Norma and Buford, Mike and Leslie, Janice and Don, Lester and Sue, and Jane and Faith, ( Gregs' niece from Sarasota), who is attending Flagler College in St Augustine. From there we all (except Jane) went to Normas house for desserts and coffee. Some pictures were taken which should show up at the end of this diatribe.

A short while ago, this afternoon, Jerry and Shirley Berkley arrived from Orchard Park, having escaped from the cold of New York , but having to drive through heavy snow to get here. They bought a home across the street from us and are going to be here for 6 weeks.

As mentioned before, we are now on Skype, so if you want to see us or want us to see you, give us a jingle. We have already enjoyed seeing Heidi, Dan and Kat and Derek briefly.

We have a busy period coming up, with the Flagler Home Show, and the Senior music jams coming up this weekend.

Best of luck to those of you in the cold weather, and we will be in touch soon.

Things are getting better

Today is Jan 14, 2011, Friday. Five weeks ago yesterday, the new knee was installed. So far, everything is going well. Last Friday, we gave up the crutches, and started using the four pronged cane. I can walk well with the cane and can also walk without it , but want to wait a little longer to minimize any problems with falling. It sure does feel good to walk without assistance.

During the week after Christmas,we had to visit Dr Barros, our GP, who was happy with our progress and said to come back in three months. We had a visit with Dr Carocciola, our cardiologist, who discussed sleep apnea, and wants me to take the oxygenation test, to determine fluctuations in oxygen level during the night, which we did. As a result of that test, we now have to go through the more involved overnight sleep test which measures all kinds of things, and determines whether a sleep mask is needed or not. This will happen in a month or so.

Gary and Connie Scott, across the street came to spend a week. It was good to see them.

We just finished talking to Heidi, using the Skype system on the computer. Norma got a new computer with camera and mic built in, so she gave us her camera and mic from her old laptop. Lester installed it last week, and this was the first time we used it. Heidi came through with a good picture and good sound. Unfortunately, Kat had already gone to bed. In the future, this should be a good way to see Kat and all the kids. Back to Dr Carocciola above.

When we left the Dr, we got a phone call from Dr Dews', office telling us to report to the Flagler hospital for an ultrasound of the knee. If a blood clot was found, I was to go right back into the hospital. After freezing in the waiting room for hours, we finally got the test over with, and went home. Hooray. This came about because the visiting nurse, during her last visit with us, noticed a red spot on the side of the knee and raised the issue with the Dr. After what we have just gone through, I guess the Dr wanted to make sure everything was ok.

For New Years Eve afternoon, we went to Jacksonville to experience some of the Gator Bowl activities. We took the criket and enjoyed a nice parade featuring the huge bands of University of Michigan and Mississippi State.

We have been doing our physical therapy with the assistance of a physical therapist, and have only one more to go, then it is totally up to me. We are doing fairly well and should have no problem walking properly.

Monday of this week, we saw Dr Dew who is satisfied with our progress and next visit is in 3 weeks. By then, I expect to be walking fairly well. We shall see.

Since our weather has been quite cool, outdoor activities have been somewhat curtailed. Yard sales, flea markets, etc , not so much. The boat has not been used since early Dec.(not all weather related), but soon the weather and functioning knee should co-operate and Florida Life should be better.