Willow Grove Park

I made the remainder of the drive through Dallas and to Lake Dallas to Willow Grove Park. I was able to get the Jeep unhooked and get backed into the site without too much trouble. The site has a great view of Lake Lewisville - Dwayne would have liked this view, though it is much colder than he would have appreciated, and tomorrow is supposed to be cold and rainy, and he certainly would not have liked that!

View out the front window of Miss Doozie... I can see from this view that I need to get the Jeep to a car wash! The tree in the campground in Houston did a number on the Jeep!

On the move

If you are also following our CaringBridge site, then you know that the hiatus in updates on this blog are due to the final illness and death of my sweet Dwayne. Dwayne passed away on Thursday, his 73rd birthday, now the date of his entry into the reality of heaven. I know that he is in heaven, and that one day I will join him... but it is honestly difficult to feel like continuing on. For now, I plan to continue living in the RV and traveling.

I am making my way from Houston towards Dallas. I was planning to make the whole trip on Monday, but decided it might be better to get out of Houston and a little ways up the road on Sunday.

Folks from Texas might recognize where I stopped to get fuel...

It is Buc-ees!

I thought this was a cute sign alongside the driveway in the dog walk area...

I asked in the store if I could park in their lot overnight - they don't allow it, but I had already checked with the Walmart in Madisonville, so I've driven there and am parked for the night.

Perspectives on aging

I'm not sure why I'm posting "aging" information... but I saw this recently and thought it was funny and the points are on target!

A funny story - NOT about me!

I saw this story on a friend's Facebook - I don't think it is their story... and probably not anyone's real story, but funny nonetheless!

"$5.37!"

That's what the kid behind the counter at Taco Bell said to me.

I dug into my pocket and pulled out some lint and two dimes and something that used to be a Jolly Rancher.

Having already handed the kid a five-spot, I started to head back out to the truck to grab some change when the kid, with the Elmo hairdo, said the hardest thing anyone has ever said to me. He said, "It's OK. I'll just give you the senior citizen discount."

I turned to see who he was talking to, and I then heard the sound of change hitting the counter in front of me.

"Only $4.68" he said cheerfully.

I stood there stupefied. I am 56, not even 60 yet? A mere child !   Senior citizen ? Noooooooooo way !

I took my burrito and walked out to the truck wondering what was wrong with Elmo.  Was he blind ? 

As I sat in the truck, my blood began to boil.  

Old?    Me ?

I'll show him, I thought.   I opened the door and headed back inside. 

I strode to the counter, and there he was waiting with a smile. Before I could say a word, he held up something and jingled it in front of me, like I could be that easily distracted by some trinket!

What am I now?    A toddler?

"Dude! Can't get too far without your car keys, eh?"

I stared with utter disdain at the keys.

I began to rationalize in my mind ! 

"Leaving keys behind hardly makes a man elderly!

It could happen to anyone!"

I turned and headed back to the truck.

I slipped the key into the ignition, but it wouldn't turn.

What now?!

I checked my keys and tried another.

Still nothing.

That's when I noticed the purple beads hanging from my rear view mirror. I had no purple beads hanging from my rear view mirror.

Then, a few other objects came into focus:

The car seat in the back seat.

Happy Meal toys spread all over the floorboard.

A partially eaten doughnut on the dashboard.

Faster than you can say ginkgo biloba, I flew out of the alien vehicle.

Moments later I was speeding out of the parking lot, relieved to finally be leaving this nightmarish stop in my life. 

That is when I felt it, deep in the bowels of my stomach:  hunger!

My stomach growled and churned, and I reached to grab my burrito, only it was nowhere to be found.

I swung the truck around, gathered my courage, and strode back into the restaurant one final time. 

There Elmo stood, draped in youth and black nail polish. All  I could think was, "What is the world coming to?"

All I could say was, "Did I leave my food and drink in here"? 

At this point I was ready to ask a Boy Scout to help me back to my vehicle, and then go straight home and apply for Social Security benefits.

Elmo had no clue. 

I walked back out to the truck, and suddenly a young lad came up and tugged on my jeans to get my attention. 

He was holding up a drink and a bag.

His mother explained, "I think you left this in my truck by mistake."

I took the food and drink from the little boy and sheepishly apologized.

She offered these kind words:

"It's OK. My grandfather does stuff like this all the time."

All of this is to explain how I got a ticket doing 85 in a 40 mph zone.

Yessss,... I was racing some punk kid in a Toyota Prius.

And no, I told the officer, I'm *not* too old to be driving this fast.

As I walked in the front door, my wife met me halfway down the hall.

I handed her a bag of cold food and a $300 speeding ticket.

I promptly sat in my rocking chair and covered up my legs with a blankey.

The good news was that I had successfully found my way home.

Did you chuckle? Do you know any other "seniors" who would enjoy this story?

An interesting rig

When I went back to the campground on Saturday to get some things done, there was an interesting rig in the campground. I was lazy and just took pictures from the Jeep...

It is a big "Super C" (on a truck chassis - it looked like it had a part of the RV that raised up in the back, but...

From the side view it appeared to be an open ramp that was under the back part of the RV.

And probably this small car rides in that "garage".

The influence of attitude

When we were in Virginia and Dwayne was in the hospital, during one of the blood transfusions, a nurse and a nurse-in-training stayed in the room with him during the first 30 minutes to make sure all went well. Dwayne was asking them about why they chose to go into nursing.

The nurse told us that she had been very ill as a child and had to spend time in the hospital. She saw the difference that the nurses made - that their attitude could turn the day around. She wanted to be able to make a positive difference in patient's lives and thus went into nursing.

We were thinking about this in the past few days - we've had nurses who bring our feelings up just by their walking into the room. We've also had nurses who are just a challenge to be around and drain our energy just by their presence. We cherish the nurses who are boosters and endure those who are drainers.

I was reading some materials that a friend sent us on being a patient advocate - one of the things that it says is that every 12 hours is like a "groundhog day" (referring to the movie from several years ago) - Shift change with new staff is at 7am and 7pm at the hospitals where Dwayne has been, and although there are lots of records about you in the system, the staff cannot internalize it all immediately (they probably could not internalize it all even within their 12 hour shift).
 

This set of pictures is on the bulletin board outside the waiting room for the ICU. "I am an ICU member. I save lives and provide comfort. I care. I give. Your well being is my reward. I am your advocate. When you are alone, I am there for you. When family is gone, I will be there when you are scared. When you are weak, I will carry you. I'll give you my best while you are in my care. Critical care is my skill, but caring is my profession."

If a person who is with us for 12 hours can either boost or drain us, how about our interactions with those that we are with every day? Do we boost them or drain their batteries?

Hmmm... I wonder if Miss Kitty and Tabitha could learn new tricks

When I went back to the bus on Thursday, I noticed a new rig in the campground...

Amazing Acro-Cats!

It seems that they are performing here in Houston on February 1&2: http://www.circuscats.com/

I wonder if they could teach Miss Kitty and Tabitha some new tricks?!?!? Or just "a" trick - the only "tricks" they seem to know have to do with nagging for food.

Things that make you wonder...

When taking the elevator earlier today, I noticed...

There is no button for the 5th floor...

The sign giving information about what is on each floor...

...includes nothing for the 5th floor.

Things that make you wonder!