Here’s another Thursday that I’m going to miss going to coffee with the guys at the Kozy Korner. I think the last one I was able to attend was last August. It’s OK, because they know we’re out of the country for a while and one of them might even read this stuff I share.

This morning at 1100, I had an appointment at the VA Hospital. It’s a follow up for my visit to their emergency room a month or so ago. You may remember that after that visit, they sent me to have an Echo Cardiogram, and this was where I got the follow-up info.

Diane got me to the proper building (38) just in the nick of time. I checked in and was almost immediately escorted to the back rooms where a young lady pointed to a chair and said, “take your shirt off and sit down.” I figured she was serious, and she was bigger than me, so that’s what a did. She was back in a flash with an armload of wires and a bunch of sticky terminals which she planted all over my chest. Then she connected all wires and ran one of the fastest EKG’s I’ve ever had. She also tossed in a BP check (120/70 BPM 55) and a blood oxygen check (92%). I was a little disappointed because my oxy level is normally in the high 90’s, not the low ones. But she thought it was OK. She also told me that my heart echoed back OK during the cardiogram, but they were putting me on a 30-day heart monitor anyway. Just for fun.

When the test was done, she ripped all the little sticky things off my chest, told me to put my shirt back on, and escorted me to another young lady, my very own nurse practitioner. She checked me again and we had a nice long talk about my health. In the end she issued me a Philips Mobile Cardiac Telemetry unit that I must wear for the next month. Apparently, they had this unit just laying around in the back room and needed to find out if it worked. So, they gave it to me. When it tells me the test is done, I’ll mail it back to them. I should be hearing from them about the results sometime next spring. So, you can either hold your breath for those results or just let it go and listen to whatever lies I tell you about it along the way. I’m actually not worried because no matter what they tell me it will be something they can or cannot fix.

After the appointment Diane drove us to Culver’s for lunch. She had 3 pieces of cod, and I had 10 fantail shrimp. Max got a “Pup Cup” filled with whipped cream. We all loved our lunch.

On the way home we stopped by the Injoy Thrift Store (you’ve seen it before). I took Max inside, and we went to the toy section where I put 3 little animals on the floor and told him to pick one. He dove on the rabbit, so I put the other 2 back. As we did last time, I got him to pick up his choice and convinced him to find Diane who was way on the other side of the store. He only dropped the rabbit a few times, but he always picked it back up with a little coaxing. We found her and after that delivery, Max and I went outside to wander around and let Diane go on her own. Eventually she appeared and we headed home.

She said the cashier saw Max carrying the rabbit back to her and didn’t charge for it. A gift for Max. That was nice. Save us a few bucks, it did.

After dropping Max and me at the dumpster, with the bag of garbage we carried all over town, Diane continued on to the commissary for required items. Max and I took care of the garbage then wandered back to the bus. We made ourselves at home on the patio where I exercised my fingers and started this post. Max just laid around on the patio, keeping an eye on everyone who passed by.

The weather is changing, looking a lot like Oregon with a threat of rain. Flawless blue skies all the time gets boring sometimes. This is pretty and dramatic.

It actually did rain a little, but it wasn’t much. Just a little drop once in a while, the kind that makes you wonder if what touched you was a drop of rain, or just your imagination.

After sunset, our neighbors unveiled their new firepit and I got to help put it together and hook it up. Then we all gathered around it and chatted late into the night. I think we broke camp a little after 1900. That’s late for us to be outside. We had a great time visiting.

We retired to our living room and watched random TV shows until” Elsbeth” came on at 2100. She’s one of our favorite shows for now.

Exciting stuff, right?

Oh, I almost forgot. Just for fun, while Diane was out running around town one day, I decided to see if the bus would start. I had actually considered waiting until January 7th, the day before we get kicked out of the Bone Yard, but prudence suggested that knowing if it will start now might be a good idea. I’m pleased to announce that it started just fine. It’s been sitting idle since October 11th, a little less than 2 months. In case you’re wondering, Les, I checked the batteries first. They’re fine, too. It was a “Yippee!” moment and no one was here to hear it.

All is good.