Who said “growing old isn’t for sissies”? I would would like to smack that person upside the head for understatement! Both of us arranged to meet with a new doctor, just to “have someone in place.” Starting a couple of hours after those meetings I started with something that felt like a kidney stone. I have spent uncounted hours in ER and doctor’s waiting rooms since and so far little resolution, except the pain is gone and I am taking antibiotics for a “maybe” bacterial infection. Carol has been pursuing her own course just trying to get a needed injection for bone loss prevention. Different medical systems and different doctors, each wanting their own set of tests. Where, oh, where is a unified health care system in this vast country of competing needs/wants? But I will stay away from the politics – seems almost impossible in this season, but. . .

In the midst of this the Jeep wanted its own “doctor.” We started hearing noises from the wheels and pulled in to our new service center for a “look see”. We now have wonderful new rear rotors and pads. I kept saying to myself “only 36,000 miles, how can this be?” Then self said “plus another 30,000 miles being towed with the supplemental braking system hitting the Jeep brakes every time we braked the coach.” and so it goes.

Joyful news; we are in the midst of preparations for our NZ-AUS trip and have told the various docs that this is a major objective. So far no one has said we are nuts.

Here we are on our new site in Jojoba Hills SKP Resort. This site is 801 and unlike our previous site we are already working to make this ours.

Just a week ago we were sitting in our nephew, Moshe’s home in W Orange NJ. The next day we flew back to sunny and warm Jojoba Hills. It felt like home as we drove through the gate and we were welcomed back into a warm and friendly community that understands our loss all to well.

Shortly after our return there was a major banquet, I think the Annual Dinner. I showed up alone with both my ticket and Carol’s, veggie ticket. I explained she wouldn’t be coming to dinner and before I could ask, they packed up her dinner for me to take up to her – I had offers from a couple of people to run it up to her so I could enjoy the dinner. You need to know there is a STRICT No Takeouts rule at all these events. The enforcers never even twitched an eyebrow.

Life has continued at the usual hectic pace Bridge and Pool for me singing and other stuff for Carol, never a dull moment. Just to keep me up with the politics and the gossip I try to get to at least one meeting a week, for Architecture, Finance, Marketing even Escort/Parking 🙂 On Sunday I noticed on the public notice board that a site near us was being offered for adoption. We had already decided there was no reason to move, but you never know. We drove by while on our way elsewhere and looked it over. We drove away and did a sudden U turn to take another look. We were immediately greeted by neighbors to the site who we know from our many activities. We immediately went to the office to put our name on the seniority list. those with the greatest length of membership get first choice. Although we didn’t get here until mid December we joined the end of April. I guess that was early enough to best the one other applicant we saw on the list. Tomorrow we move, it will be slightly more effort than our usual departure as we will have to move all the stuff I have accumulated in the shed. Most of it came out of the coach so it shouldn’t take more and an hour all told.

Here is a link to the trip we will be taking: The LONG drive.  Google measured it at 436 feet 🙂

And so it goes. the other night we invited Norm and Patrice over for happy hour after the ritual Monday Meeting, they do have quite a story. Here is a link to youtube of the group he played in. Check out the bass player. He is somewhat older and whole lot larger today. He also developed and marketed the line of Sunn Amps you can see in the background. They have both had quite varied careers and make us look like stay at home-stick-in-the-muds. We look forward to getting to know them better.

In the mean time the Londons who are classmates of mine from Brown mentioned they were driving from Coachella Valley to San Diego, passing within 14 miles of us. We arranged for them to join us for conversation and whatever on their return on Monday. It was really great having time with them, without Reunion and 40 other friends around. We really enjoyed the bottle of white wine from Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County.

I always welcome comments.

For Carol’s message on the death of her brother Arthur Rudin go to her most recent blog post. Yes we have experienced an expected but totally unwelcome loss. Just five weeks after venturing to New Jersey to be able to have the support of more family then was available in Florida, Arthur is gone. Natalie, his wife, remains to continue her transition to New Jersey with her son and daughter-in-law and grandchildren. Their daughter Erica, who lives in Florida had been their main support until the move on December 29.

We are preparing to fly East to NJ. We are doing in a day what usually takes us a month. Book flights, hotel, rental car and pack. Pack! This is the third kind of packing, something we don’t do anymore. To pack for a months long trip we have complete setups for what to take and how to pack it. Besides we start preparing to pack a month in advance. To travel in the motorhome, another form of “packing”, takes much less as it is home and has almost everything we need already stowed where it belonged when we got off for a month’s long trip. For a three or four day trip into snow in the northeast we haven’t got a clue, nor do we have the proper clothes any longer. I dug out my Vermont Barn coat which will keep me sort of warm but is not what anyone but a Vermont farmer would call dressy. I found a pair of shoes (black with laces!) that I will wear, but snow, slush and winter will destroy them and freeze my feet. I did find gloves and earmuffs and a warmish hat.

I am dithering. I am looking forward to seeing the family, I am so grateful we spent Thanksgiving with Art and Natalie in Florida. It was our last time to spend with a brother-in-law who has been family almost as long as anyone I know. I remember the first time I met Arthur in their home in Stanford Conn. I was maybe 19 and dating Carol who met me there. He gave me a pretty severe looking over, after all he was 32 and had two children and I was coming to claim his baby sister, we were not even engaged yet. It turned out well and we came to like each other and eventually to love each other. I already miss the engaging interested electrical engineer with whom I went to look at “personal computers” in Minneapolis, when personal computers were a box of parts you put together yourself. Apple had yet to bring its first Apple II to the market. The engineer who was so fascinated with the work of Salvador Dali that the last outing we had together was to return to the Dali Museum for the umpteenth time. As I write, more and more memories are flooding back, all the way to his being a groomsman for me when Carol and I got married over 52 years ago.

I had a shot of Scotch Whiskey tonight in memory of the many times we shared a drink of fine Scotch Whiskey. I’ll let it go at that before I have another and get maudlin.