Finally, An Offer on the House

It finally happened after 49 days on the market. We received an offer on our house. It came in yesterday afternoon following a showing on Monday and we only had until 7 PM to respond. Josie was able to leave work an hour early so that we could discuss a response and to draft a counteroffer with our agent. The offer was a bit low but not ridiculously low. The other terms were reasonable and the COE (Close of Escrow) was March 29. That is a bit ambitious as the loan is FHA and they normally take at least 45 days to close. We hope they are able to pull it off. The important step is the next one - they must accept our counteroffer today before 5 PM. We have already decided that if we don't get a contract by the end of the first week in March, we will again place the home on the rental market. The fun begins.

We heard from our former manager in Jackson yesterday. She is being moved to the Airport store in Grand Teton National Park so we will not be working with her this year. She told us about some changes that are being made for this year. Some of them have us a bit concerned about our decision to return again this year. We will give lots of thought to our current commitment and decide on an action plan before the time comes. Our first, and most important goal, is to get the house issue resolved...

More Laughlin Offers

Occasionally, we receive new offers from the hotels where we usually stay when we visit Laughlin, NV. We just received another offer from the Riverside Hotel and Casino which is for a free-three night stay at the hotel between Sunday-Thursday, anytime in March and April. They are having some good entertainment during those months - Luke Bryan and Chris Stapleton - to name a couple. They also provide some nice "carrots" such as free buffet meals and some free slot play coupons. It's too bad that we just can't get the time to go. We also don't have the slot fever so bad yet that we have to go. Maybe we will be able to squeeze-in one more visit before we leave in May. Of course, if our ship comes in unexpectedly, schedules will change.

It's too bad that February only has 28 days. That means that all bills are again due before the normal months of 30-31 days. The two or three extra days in the other months seem to make a difference. Of course, interest on most loans is only being charged on 28 days in February instead of the normal 30 or 31, so it evens out. The problem is that our monthly fee for the Resort here is due sooner as they don't distinguish between 28 or 31 days. It is what it is.

We are getting closer to the time when the snowbirds head out to other destinations. There is a sign that some are leaving already as there are more empty spaces around the park. March is normally the final month for snowbirds, so along with more empty spaces, we will see the thermometer rise...

Winter Olympics End

As always, the Olympics became a story with good news and bad news, some surprises and some disappointments. We finished at number 4 in the total medal count, behind the usual Winter Olympic heavyweights - Norway, Germany and Canada. For the life of me, I can't understand how they can group the "banned" Olympians from Russia in a category called Olympic Athletes from Russia. What does the term "banned" mean if they still participate as Russians? Also, our weaknesses in certain sports - namely, bobsled and ski jumping - were noticeable. We need to somehow figure out a way to improve in those areas. They are still fun to watch.

I also watched the final round of the Honda Classic Golf Tournament in Florida. Tiger Woods played much better in this tournament after missing the cut last week. Maybe there is a chance that he will regain the form he had before all the surgeries and injuries over the last several years. Once these pros pass 40 years of age, they all seem to lose some of the key ingredients for success. Perhaps it's their bodies losing the flexibility and agility of youth. I know I am in that group. The tournament was won in a playoff by Justin Thomas who appears to be the new dominant player on the tour. Next year, it will probably be somebody else. We miss the players like Palmer, Nicklaus and Woods that were there, year in and year out for a long time.

We are sneaking up on the first of March as time seems to be sailing by. Soon, we will be counting the days for our departure to Jackson...

Funny Mistake

I arrived at the dealership in Peoria on time for the appointment at 9:30 yesterday AM. I asked for the Adviser - Marie - when I got there and all I got were stares and the comment "we don't have anybody named Marie". I knew immediately what had happened. I made the appointment at the other Ford dealership in Surprise where we purchased the red Escape. Our white Escape was purchased where I wanted to be in Peoria at the Peoria Ford dealership. Fortunately, they took me and performed the service which was the first 5K mileage complimentary service. Sheesh. I guess the folks at the Surprise dealership are wondering what happened to me.

We have started our annual organization effort to remove most of the extra stuff in the RV that we will not need in Jackson. Josie packed up a couple boxes from the kitchen while I was at the car dealership. We tend to fill every space in the RV when we are settled in one location for any period of time which adds lots of extra weight. That all needs to be trimmed back before heading out for another destination. There still remains lots more organizing to do...

First Service

This morning is the scheduled first service for our new Ford Escape. We just passed the 5K mile mark and get our first service free from the dealer. Basically, it is only an oil change and a tire rotation, but it is necessary and the price is right. We haven't driven the car that much since we purchased it in October which says a lot about the shorter commute that Josie has to work. I have driven the other Escape even less and have probably only put on about 1K miles in the same time frame. One thing is for sure, and that is that our fuel costs are way down with these vehicles.

Unfortunately, neither of these vehicles are able to tow our trailer. I plan to trade/sell the older Escape to get another truck, hopefully before we leave for Jackson. We already have a transport company lined up in case we don't. By disposing of the truck in October, we have saved thousands of dollars in finance charges, insurance, registration and fuel. The truck was only sitting here, much like the older Escape. Any new truck will be an older model with low mileage to keep the costs down. I'm thinking along the lines of a 2014 F350 which would be about half the cost of a new one. According to reviews, that is supposedly the best model year for the 6.7L diesel for Ford.

We'll see how that search goes over the next several weeks, as I now will prepare to leave for today's service appointment...

One More Appointment

My final check up was yesterday for the elevated pressure in my left eye that had the surgery performed last week. I am cleared now for my final appointment in mid March when I get a new prescription for glasses. The recovery from the two surgeries has been excellent, and I am no longer on special eye drops for any problems. As mentioned before, I can now see perfectly without the glasses and only need help with up-close viewing.

The cold blast continues as it is 32 outside this morning. It is terrific for the northern towns like Flagstaff that are getting snow that is creating some great skiing conditions. We are still behind Jackson though who is seeing 9 degrees this morning. They can get all those days over with before we arrive in town in May.

We heard that there were a couple of earthquakes (around 3.5) in Danville, CA yesterday afternoon. We lived there for a couple of years before going to Seattle and remember those earthquakes in that area. We actually lived there during one of the big ones that was in Livermore. We miss that area, but not the earthquakes.

It is almost the weekend and we are lining up activities for the two days that Josie has off from work. We do have one appointment already, to get her car serviced tomorrow morning. The rest of the weekend is open at this point...

Vision Update

The positive results of my eye surgery are beginning to surface. It is impossible to comfortably wear my glasses anymore. I can see much better without them for normal use. I still need to keep them handy for the readers part of the lenses. I have another appointment today to get a final check on the elevated pressure in the left eye that was surgically corrected last week. Everything seems to be normal and I can't wait for the appointment next month when I get a new prescription for glasses. I doubt if I will need any corrective prescription for distance viewing. I have special, 4.5 power glasses that I use for stitching and I will continue to use those.

Winter has arrived. It is 29 outside this morning and this is our annual freeze that we get about this time every year. It will warm up into the 60's by this afternoon, but we have had our furnace running each of the last several mornings. That's OK though, it is in negative (-6) territory in Jackson and they are getting their real winter at the same time...

Another Open House

The activity on our house has shown an increase since we lowered the price. The open house over the weekend brought in twice the number of folks to view the house over the previous week effort. It may - or may not - be a result of the lower price as there was a huge RV show at the stadium which also could have attracted more people that may have seen the open house sign. Anyway, we still have not received any offers and we made a few other changes yesterday to the listing to help stimulate more activity. The description is changed and also the price was lowered more. There will be another open house this weekend, so we are hopeful of getting some serious lookers.

It sure will be nice to get some kind of resolution on the house. We may end up doing another year of rental if we can't locate a buyer pretty soon. As we approach March, the timeframe shortens. It really doesn't matter if the house closes after we leave for Jackson as the paperwork will reach us no matter where we are. The problem is more about paying the mortgage on an empty house.

Stay tuned...

Presidents Day

I didn't realize that everything would be closed yesterday until I made my first phone call to try to resolve a problem.  Just about everything was closed for the holiday that kind of sneaked up on me. It isn't one of the major holidays, so I didn't plan very well. Of course, there was no mail either, so a lot of folks enjoyed another 3-day weekend. It seems like we have sprinkled these holidays throughout the year so that about every four or five weeks, we have one that shuts everything down for three days. I should have paid better attention to that fact before selecting the career that I chose. A mailman or banker would have been a better choice.

It was very windy yesterday. I had a hard time keeping our outside carpet on the ground as the wind kept getting under it and making a parachute out of the entire carpet. The heavy rocks and spikes would not even work to keep it down. I ended up using our folding chairs (folded, of course) to place around the carpet on the side where the wind was blowing the hardest. Occasionally, we get these winds just like the California Santa Ana's. They come with the territory.

Josie has another appointment this morning before she goes to work. We are running out of appointments now which is a good thing. Before we know it, it will be time to pack up and head back to Jackson. By the way, it is 1 degree in Jackson this morning, so there is no rush to head back...

Olympic Update

We watched some of the live Olympic coverage on TV yesterday - between chores - and came away with a couple obvious conclusions. The first is that the winter Olympics is not our strong suit. Norway and Germany are running away with the medals with our own neighbor, Canada, in close pursuit. I understand that most of the athletes from those countries live in prime winter areas, but many of those athletes train right here in the U.S. and many of those athletes also live here. It is difficult to understand why we cannot have a better showing with over 240 of our own athletes participating. No matter what the medal count, they are still fun to watch.

Another week gets underway today. There are some major areas for us to concentrate on this week - the house situation is the major one, and our future commitment(s) to this resort as our time is running out on whether to make it an annual space or not. We want the flexibility to be able to stay in another location, but the resort has "length of stay" restrictions without committing to an annual arrangement. All of these will, hopefully, work themselves out...

Housekeeping and Relaxation

Not much was done yesterday outside of a little housekeeping and rest for Josie, and lots of stitching on my side. I also watched the golf tournament on TV in the afternoon. These are the kind of days that you look forward to when there are no appointments, no obligations and no requirements to do anything that you don't feel like doing. This must be what total retirement feels like. Our day is coming.

We are making some tentative plans regarding the house situation and will follow up with those actions early in the week. There is no way that we anticipated such a long period without getting any offers. It is (supposedly) a good market with a home that is in a nice area with lots to offer and the house (supposedly) is priced right. There are no excuses We blame our agent for most of the inactivity, and will address that issue as part of the next step...

Post Op Checkup

Just as was the case following the surgery in my right eye, the eye pressure in my left eye is elevated. I don't what causes that result, but I saw where that was a possibility if all the fluids that were used during the surgery were not immediately absorbed. I guess that is the problem. Anyway, they gave me more eye drops yesterday at my follow up appointment from the surgery. I can tell you this much - I see better already without the use of my glasses. Of course, my eyes were repaired to improve long distance vision which it has done. I will still need "readers" for close up use. They set up another appointment for next Thursday to do a final check on the eye pressure.

Josie will enjoy two days off this weekend - the first days off since the Valentine's Day rush began over a week ago. I know that she is looking forward to the down time. Nothing is scheduled at this point as she will decide on a schedule that best satisfies her free time.

There is suppose to be another open house at our home in Glendale this weekend. I hope it does occur and that we get more activity with the lower price. We are still disappointed in the results to date and are still looking at other options...

Left Eye Done

Everything went according to plan yesterday and I now have completed the surgeries on both eyes. The left eye was done yesterday and it was a very similar experience to the right eye, except that the recovery and clear vision is a lot sooner with the second eye. I know that the left eye wasn't as bad as the right eye to start, but I can almost see better this morning without my glasses. I had the same slanted vision, double vision and floaters as with the first, but by bedtime last night my left eye was almost as clear as the right eye. I suspect that I will only need reading glasses when it is all over.

My follow up appointment is today at 12:40 and Josie will again drive me to the office in Surprise. I'm sure I could probably drive myself today, but we will follow the directions given to me. The last appointment will be on March 15 when I get a final check and a new prescription for glasses, if needed at all. It's good to have that process completed.

One of the benefits of having a florist in the family is that I get to enjoy some beautiful flowers made into arrangements at home. Josie brought these flowers home last night and created this beautiful arrangement:

She really does a fine job with flowers.

It's hard to believe that we are more than halfway through February. Before we know it, it will be time to get ready again for the trip north to Jackson...

Successful Valentine's Day

It was a very good day at Josie's flower shop yesterday - 320 deliveries and a fairly short day. She was home by 5:30 last night which must be some kind of record for Valentine's Day. Of course, she isn't the owner of the shop or even the manager which makes it nice. Next up for the busy time is Mother's Day with a couple of lesser holidays - Secretary's Day and Easter - sandwiched in the middle. We are both happy that the "big one" is over and that it went well.

I received delivery of the parts that Suncast sent (at no charge) to do the necessary repairs on the shed at the house. I went to the house and got that little chore completed. These are the parts that I received:

It is unbelievable that a company would step up and send all these parts, at no charge, for repairs to a shed that was purchased several years ago. Here is a shot of the shed following the repairs - looks like new again:

Today is the final surgery to remove cataracts from my eyes. The left eye is on tap for today and the appointment is for 8 AM. Josie will take me and then head to work after bringing me home. Here's hoping that all goes well...

At the Door

The marathon work days are about to end for Josie. Today is the day, and after a 12 hour work day yesterday, she is ready to move on. The shop is ready to go and she will be at work at 7 AM again this morning. With today's orders not included, there are 260 deliveries so far on the board for today. I don't expect to see Josie much before 6 or 7 PM, if even that early. This is what florists love. The business depends on these holidays and goes a long way to supporting the low and slow periods during the year. Along with Mother's Day, it is a real bell ringer.

My second eye surgery is scheduled for 8 AM tomorrow morning. I'm sorry that Josie has to take me as she would love to sleep-in a little bit. With the early surgery, she will get up early again. It should be an easy morning though because I know what to expect this time. I don't look forward to the first few days of the recovery however, as the double vision, slanted view and the floaters are a nuisance. I will be thankful that both eyes will be cleared of the cataracts.

Tax time was a success this year as we received our refund today. The direct deposit was made overnight. It is amazing how much this whole tax process has changed over the years - for the better. It is one area where tremendous progress has been made...

House Update

The open house that was held at our place over the weekend was not a huge success. There were five groups that came through: 3 were neighbors, 1 liked the house but thought it was priced too high, the fifth didn't like the floorplan. It was not a surprise that the neighbors went through - they always are the most curious when a home is shown in the neighborhood. In talking with our agent yesterday, there were a couple of conclusions. The first one that I mentioned to him was that perhaps because the home is empty it might be a disadvantage. With no furniture, the home is too wide open. The second is that the price needs to be reduced to help with activity.

We are looking at a new method for staging a home - virtual staging - where a home is made to look furnished while viewing online. It is a brand new method for providing views of a home that looks lived-in while not physically having any furniture. The price for actually providing furniture on a physical staging contract is too high, so that is out. We are investigating the cost for the virtual staging as it is a brand new method. We reduced the price $5K which is not something we were happy to do. If it generates more activity, it will be worth it. The thing that bothers us the most is that if someone likes the house well enough - make an offer. The price is always negotiable.

There is a another, second open house scheduled for this weekend. We are hoping that the new price will make a difference and more people will show. We still have some time, so we are not panicking.

Josie goes into work early this morning - 7 AM - for what is the start of the final push for Valentine's Day. She will probably work until 4 or 5, so her days are not getting shorter at this point. That won't happen until Thursday when it is all over...

Early Olympic Results

It has become obvious one more time that the winter sports are not our forte. I was really disappointed that it took so long for us to get our first medals in the Winter Olympics in Korea. Especially since we have 242 athletes participating in the games. That is far more than any other country. I saw this morning that we are now in 5th place of the medal standings. I understand that the Scandinavian countries place more emphasis on the winter sports, but we do have some of the best training facilities and we do have areas where there is lots of snow - year-round. There is a ways to go yet, but it looks like another disappointing Winter Olympics for us. I also get bummed when I hear about many of the medals being won by individuals that train in our country but represent another.

Only three long and hard days left for Josie at the flower shop before getting some free time. This year, the Valentine's Day holiday for the shop has been busier than usual. Maybe it is a sign of the improving economy. At any rate, it is good to see the increase in business.

I am not holding my breath but I expect to hear something today regarding our open house over the weekend. Decisions will be made based on the analysis of our property manager and will be made swiftly to get some activity generated...

Rockin n' Rollin

Our long stretch of nice, calm and very warm days appears to be coming to and end. It was very windy during the night and will remain that way at least through today. The temperatures will be in the low to mid 70's over the next several days which is still pretty nice weather to have anywhere. We'll take the occasional windy days, especially after seeing what is happening in the eastern part of the country.

We are marching along to get through the Valentine's Day floral frenzy. Josie is spending each day in a fast  paced environment and is, as you can imagine, exhausted at the end of each day. We are counting the days until it ends and there only 4 days left, including the big day.

I am trying to spend as much time as possible on my cross stitch project in order to get it done before the summer. I feel very pessimistic that there will be enough time to complete it before departing for Jackson. It is so complicated and large that I misjudged the amount of time required to complete the project. You would think that with all the experience I have doing these things that I couldn't make that kind of mistake. I will certainly learn from this one...

Thankful

As we enjoy the warm Arizona winter, the poor folks in the Midwest are going through another, stormy winter blast. Patty sent these photos of the nice day she was having in Naperville:

We certainly remember those days and are thankful that they are only memories for us now. Poor Patty and her family have probably another year or two of those dreadful storms before joining us in Arizona. We wish it were sooner.

While grilling some chicken on our grill last night, I took this shot of a couple hang gliders that were "buzzing" the area overhead:

We don't see those too often in our neighborhood so it was a surprise. Those gliders were powered so they were having a good time flying around without having to worry where to land.

Josie works today - and tomorrow - and in fact, every day from now until next Thursday. The days move slowly while she is working so many hours but it comes with the territory. She keeps talking about leaving the profession, but when she is away from it for awhile - like working in Jackson - she kind of misses it. Maybe someday she can just get a part time job with a florist during holidays to stay active in the profession...

Surgery Option

My appointment yesterday with the optometrist was a good one. My eye that had the surgery performed last week is doing fine and the second eye isn't as bad as the first eye. The doctor gave me an option to cancel the surgery on the second eye if I cared to do so. Except for saving some money, it would only postpone the inevitable for who knows how long. I will still need to have the cataracts removed at some point down the road as they do not go away or improve on their own. Rather than delay the inevitable, I opted to keep the scheduled appointment for surgery on the second eye which will occur next week. That way, I will have two good eyes and will not have to worry about worsening conditions in one eye. So, it is all set for next week.

I received my renewal documents for our vehicle insurance for 2018. I was shocked to see a 35% increase in the premiums. I immediately called my agent and we reviewed the coverages to try and see where the increases were. They were, basically, across the board and he said that the increase was because of the area in which we live. I find that hard to believe and I told him I would be searching for options with other companies. I started getting quotes from other companies and now I have to live with the many, many phone calls and emails from the competition for awhile. No two companies quote coverage the same and it is a monumental task to equate them to each other. I think I will go back to my company and see what effect there would be by lowering the liability coverages and the coverages in other categories. I probably don't need coverage for more than the state minimums anyway. We just don't drive that much anymore.

What next?...

Open House

We received a call from our agent yesterday informing us that they have scheduled an Open House at our property. It will be this Saturday, between 11 AM and 5 PM. As a former realtor, I know that it is rare to sell anything at an open house but occasionally you find a buyer that way. They generally end up as an information tool for the neighbors and other "Looky-Lou's" who try to get ideas for their own homes. The signal that is sent though, is that we are anxious to sell. Our fingers are crossed. We'll see what happens with that before making any decisions on changes early next week.

I have another appointment with my Optometrist today which is the final appointment before my second eye surgery scheduled for the 15th. If it goes like the first surgery, it will be a piece of cake. It is an inconvenience, but worth the effort based on the results from my first one.

The workload is increasing at a rapid rate at Josie's shop. They are now beginning to go full steam with Valentine's Day arrangements, so the fun begins. It will go on, without a break, until Thursday of next week...

Combine List Unveiled

The list was published yesterday of the 326 college football players invited to the 2018 NFL Draft Combine to be held beginning at the end of this month. Troy Fumagalli is on the list, as expected, and we are all anxious to watch the process as it unfolds and to watch the NFL draft which is scheduled to begin on April 26. We are rooting for Troy and we are sure that Austin will be very close to the events. With Austin's roommate, Corey Davis, being drafted by the Tennessee Titans last year, it is an exciting time for Austin - and all of us - to be watching the development of a couple of his friends. Austin also has a lot to be proud of as he has had a very successful and rewarding football experience of his own. We are certainly proud of him and the kind of man he is turning out to be.

We are getting close to making some decisions regarding the house. Early next week we will decide on a course of action to try to stimulate more activity. After speaking with our agent yesterday, he recommended waiting another week as the Super Bowl week is traditionally a poor real estate week. There are a couple of things we are looking at but will not make any decision until then. Needless to say, we are disappointed that there have been no offers as yet. The home is priced right according to comps and the market analysis. It is also in a nice area, in a nice neighborhood and should be generating more interest. Oh, well. We'll remain patient and hope for the best. It has only been one month since we started the process..

Taxes Are Done

I love the Turbo Tax software for doing taxes. I have used it for many, many years and it simplifies the process so much that I don't mind doing taxes every year. I had all of the information available to fill in the blanks and the entire process only took about 6 hours total. We get a refund which is the main reason I wanted to get them done quickly. It will be very interesting to see the impact of the new tax laws on next year's taxes. We have a year to figure out that one.

As a Philadelphia native, I am still excited for the Eagles over their Super Bowl win. To beat a team that has dominated the sport for the last decade is a sweet reward for them. Brady can retire now - I'm sure he won't - and look at his five Super Bowl rings that he has won. It's the same kind of feeling I have about the New York Yankees - it is wonderful to see them lose.

This is a busy week for Josie who only has Wednesday off  before the Valentine's Day crush. It is the "big one" for florists, and we remember the days when we owned our own flower shop and had all the effects of the occasion - some good, some not so good.

I have one more appointment (Wednesday) with my eye doctor before the final surgery on the day following Valentine's Day. I'll be glad to get this one done and end the process. After having the first one, I know what to expect and look forward to having clear vision again...

What a Day

Yesterday was about as good a sports day as you could possibly want. The best news is that the Eagles won the Super Bowl, 41-33, over the Patriots. It was such a joy watching the Patriots go down after so many comeback wins over the years. It was a typical 4th quarter for the Patriots as they came back to take the lead late in the quarter, only to see the Eagles storm back to score again and then stifle the Patriots. Maybe this signals the end of the Patriots dynasty - I hope so.

We had a terrific time at the Phoenix Open golf tournament in the morning and early afternoon. We arrived at the course shortly after 11 AM and walked around a bit before sitting down behind the first tee to watch some pros tee off. At that time, we caught some of the pros that had teed off earlier on the 10th tee. This is a shot of Colt Knost teeing off:

Most of the leaders had already teed off and were out on the course.

The tournament has changed so much since we were last there many years ago. This year, there were over 700,000 fans during the week. Years ago, there were probably 200,000 for the entire week. The course is now almost hidden by all the grandstands, corporate suites and concessions. These are some shots of the 18th hole where we spent most of our time:

We settled down in a spot close to the 18th tee and waited to see Austin and his friends who connected with us at around 1 PM at our location. This shot was taken of us with Austin:

He was there with five of his friends from Naperville. We missed seeing Troy, who was resting after the busy day on Saturday. He has training considerations that require him to watch his activities (partying) before he has to go to the NFL Combine at the end of the month. We sure appreciate the tickets that Troy was able to provide for us.

Of course, none of our favorites made it to the top of the leaderboard when it all ended. We left the course at about 2:30 to go home for the Super Bowl. The winner was Gary Woodland who won in a one hole playoff over Chez Reavie.

What a fantastic day...

Ready for the Big Day

My eye is progressing very well in time to enjoy the big day. We will start with the golf tournament in Scottsdale and plan to arrive there sometime around 9 - 9:30 this morning. We want to get there early enough to get good parking options and to beat a lot of the crowd that is expected. We also would like to meet up with Austin, Troy and their friends sometime this morning. Patty mentioned in a text that Troy took everybody out to Flemings for dinner last night - nice gesture. I mentioned to Patty that it was OK if we somehow don't meet as the crowds may make it impossible to find anybody. We just hope that everybody has a good time which should be easy to do. We also want to leave before the finish to the tournament so that we can watch the Super Bowl later today. Both events are being taped, so we will not miss anything at either event. There is a record attendance this year at the Phoenix Open with the spectacular weather we have had all week. With one of my favorites - Rickie Fowler - in the lead, and Phil Mickelson only a couple shots behind, it will a terrific day on the golf course.

The Super Bowl will be great matchup. I expect the Patriots to win, but the Eagles could surprise everybody if their great defense can get to Brady. It is definitely a matchup of the two best teams this year. It sure would be nice if the Eagles could win their first Super Bowl. Besides, isn't everybody outside of Boston rooting against Brady and the Patriots to win their sixth Super Bowl? It's time for a change.

I guess the experience with my first eye surgery has resulted in a desire to get the second one done also. The first day and a half were tough, but it looks like the recovery and result is going to be worth the time and effort. We'll see...

Post Op Appointment

My appointment for the follow up to surgery was at 1 PM yesterday. Everything looks good except that my eye pressure was a bit higher than normal. That means that the fluid that was injected in the eye during the surgery has not been fully absorbed into my system. They gave me a different kind of eye drop - to go along with the several I am already using - to help with that situation. I can say that it feels better than yesterday which was better than Thursday. Only a small amount of irritation remains. That's a good sign.

I just hope that our day at the golf tournament on Sunday will be comfortable. With the eye drops and special sunglasses I was given, it should be fine. I watched more of the tournament on TV yesterday afternoon and was disappointed to see that one of my favorites - Jordan Spieth - did not make the cut. On the other hand, Phil Mickelson is in the thick of the race and is only a few shots behind the leader - who is Rickie Fowler at this point. We are looking forward to going on Sunday morning. Hopefully, we can meet up with Austin and Troy and their friends at some point to say hello.

Josie has a work day today which helps make up for her time off to help me with my surgery and follow up appointments and her own appointment on Wednesday. She is about to hit the busy time for Valentine's Day and will be super busy from Monday through the big day the following week (the 14th). The results of her shot are still mixed, as she feels good one minute, and then feels pain the next. Maybe it will take a while for the effectiveness of the shot to kick-in...

Surgery Day

The surgery went according to plan - their plan. I arrived on time (10 AM), went through the prep procedure, waited in the staging area and went in for my 15 minute procedure to remove cataracts from my right eye. I was awake through the entire process with anesthesia that didn't knock me out but just relaxed me to the point where I didn't feel anything and saw only bright light. The entire appointment lasted two hours.

Following the surgery, I was given instructions for the afternoon and for the next day (today) which includes a return to the office for a post-op check. I removed the bandage from the eye in the afternoon, as instructed, and fear set in. My eyesight in the right eye was now blurred, slanted and I had double vision. I was warned that this might happen but actually having the symptoms was very scary. It was tough doing much of anything the rest of the day (except putting drops in my eye) and I tried to watch the first round of the Golf Tournament - through one eye - on TV with mixed results.

I placed the protective patch over my eye before going to bed, hoping that today would be better. So far, it is. The slant has disappeared and the double vision has disappeared and I only have a slight blur plus a few floaters. It appears that I am on the right track to recovery. Thank goodness.

Josie will again take some time off from work today to take me to the follow up appointment at 1 PM. Hopefully, I will see well enough to enjoy the golf tournament on Sunday and watch the Super Bowl Sunday night...

Side Trip to Storage

The expected surgery for Josie was delayed for another appointment. The insurance considerations required that she get at least one more shot, maybe two, before they would approve the ablation surgery. She received another shot (actually, two) in her back yesterday and it will be a while before we see how effective they are. Following her appointment and a nice breakfast at the Village Inn in Glendale, we took a side trip to storage to try and locate her extra work shirts that were packed away. She remembered putting them in a box that she thought was close to the front of storage. We checked a lot of boxes and containers and could not locate them. This is what it looked like during the search:

Every time we go there, we are reminded that we have to get rid of this expense, somehow.

My first eye surgery is today and I will fast until it is over. I should be out of there by around noon sometime and will go directly to a place where we can have breakfast. This appointment is at the Sun City location where both surgeries will take place. Josie took yesterday off from work (of course) and will take off this morning to drive me home from the surgery. She will be working Saturday to make up for the lost time.

We're moving along through the schedule, and all is well so far...