MRI COMPLETED AND FORTY FEET OF ANSWERED PRAYER

We arrived at Indiana University Hospital and the Simon Cancer Center for John's MRI.  After a short wait, John was escorted to the "inner sanctum" of the hospital.  Then, I waited for an hour and a half.  I had no idea that it would be that long.  

While waiting, I watched many patients come for their tests.  Some had huge "cocktails" to consume prior to their test.  Others had their hair in pretty wraps to cover their bald heads on a very cool, windy day.

One gentleman sat in the warm sunlight and enjoyed the garden on the other side of the huge, glass window.  He radiated peace.  It was good to glance up from my reading and see him sitting there.  

Another gentleman came into our area and sat down, placing a huge backpack and what looked like a case for a medium size musical instrument.  He quickly struck up a conversation with the gentleman in the sunlight.  Then they included me in some of the conversation.  

I what kind of instrument was in the case.  As if he was just waiting for someone to ask, he opened the case and revealed a ukulele.  It was larger than the ones I have seen previously.  

He played the ukulele for a while then segued into his version of AMAZING GRACE.  After his song, he returned the instrument to it's case and the conversation turned to "why me?".  The man in the sunlight shared that he went from "why me?" to "why not me? The ukulele player said he has not reached the why not stage, but he does see life in a new perspective.  

Both men were then called for their respective tests and I resumed reading my book until John came out.  We then went to have lunch.  

While eating, my phone rang, but before I could get to it, voicemail took over.  I looked at the number and it revealed one of the dealers in Kentucky that we visited Tuesday and Wednesday.  We decided to finish our lunch, do our shopping and then call the dealer when we returned to our home on wheels. 

Tuesday, we had made our offer on a 40' Tiffin Allegro Bus and the salesman countered.  His counter was unacceptable to us and we walked.  

Wednesday, we returned and shot him our final offer, we left for him to think about it.  We came back to Indy for John's appointment.  We were totally at peace with what we offered and we knew that eventually, we would have a motorhome that met our needs.  

To make a long story even longer, I can now say that he accepted our low ball offer!  This is based on the buyer of the condo completing his purchase next week.

Soooo, here is our new to us Tiffin Allegro Bus!  It has only 26,000 miles, new carpeting, four door refrigerator, washer/dryer, tons of storage.  Thank you all for your prayers, advice, and your encouragement.     

One by one, we tick things off our list.  The only thing holding us back from heading to South Dakota is the results of John's MRI and biopsy.  

Did you catch the ONLY???

Thanks again for your good wishes and prayers.  Keep them coming!  I am praying for zero cancer!  I know the doctor said eighty percent, but I am asking for John to be in the twenty percent!  

God Bless!

WINDY! DETECTIVE WORK!

Whew!  We are having a super windy day.  There are gusts of forty two miles per hour.  The motorhome rocks a bit while we are parked.  I would not want to be on the road today.

Tomorrow, we may travel to Kentucky, Tennessee and possibly West Virginia to scout for a 
motorhome.      

We have been researching dealers and inventories on line.  Maybe, just maybe we will find the motorhome that suits our needs.  

This is not sold to us.  

If we do not find a motorhome, it will still be nice.  At least we will be out of the Camping Word asphalt jungle!  We still have a minor repair that we are awaiting and are grateful for our parking spot.  

Thanks to all who are sending suggestions, hints and leads to motorhomes that are for sale.  We check each suggestion with a grateful heart.

We will return Wednesday in time to catch our zzzzz's before John's MRI and biopsy.  We received a phone call from the doctor's office and his visit with Dr. Koch has been rescheduled for November 6th.  

We were planning to be on the road September 12th.  Now if all goes well and John does not have prostate cancer, we will be on the road November 7th or 8th.  It is a wait and see situation right now.  

Thanks so much for for visiting with us.  Please be safe out there as you travel.

God bless.  

  

TIC TOCK, TIC TOCK, TIC.......

Time continues to march on and we continue to sit still. As time brings us closer to John’s MRI and biopsy, we continue to search for the “perfect” new-to-us motorhome. 

We waffle between gas and diesel, thirty five feet and forty +- feet, two slides, full wall slides and three slides. Then, there is Itasca, Winnebago, Tiffin, Monaco, Holiday Rambler, Newmar.


We travel from Indianapolis to Cincinnati, Indianapolis to Dayton, Indianapolis to Richmond, Indianapolis to Louisville…..all in search for our “perfect” home on wheels. 

Some days this is an enjoyable exercise. Other days we feel totally overwhelmed as we search online.



Oh yes, then our daughter in California found a Fleetwood for us….and it looks sooo good.  But we know nothing about Fleetwood.  



Today, we decided that we may travel to Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana, or Texas to look at motorhomes. BUT then there is DiMartini R.V. in California. They seem to have some very good prices. Of course, we have learned that what looks good on the internet can be not so good in person.  


When Merikay was searching for the motorhome for Craig and Mk, I wondered what the fuss was! We sure have learned a few lessons from this experience.   You all can stop laughing…..right now!…………..Please.


So, here we sit in the “asphalt jungle (parking lot) of Camping World-Indianapolis. We watch the new motorhomes leave and look at the motorhomes the buyer leaves behind. We have yet to see what we want…you know, our “perfect” home on wheels.


I know, it would be much easier to choose a new motorhome. BUT, we also see the new ones come back in for “adjustments” to the things that have not worked correctly. Therefore, we have decided to let someone else take care of the problems of a new motorhome.


We really like the inventory and the prices of DiMartini. But! Let it be said…..we are open to any and all suggestions from you all.


I am sure that every one of you have learned from reading my blog that I do not like making a mistake. I want to research, research, research. I do not want to make a wrong decision. I desire perfection…..can you say OCD? 

AND from thinking this through today I remember the wonderful verse that many of you reminded me   when John was fighting for his life in March and April. As a matter of fact, we have a reminder here on our table…..to keep our minds/hearts in “line.”
Jeremiah 29:11 = “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD …. Plans to give you hope and a future”






Thank you for stopping by…

God bless you as you come and go….

WHAT IS UP WITH MY BLOG/BLOGGER????

 

And I thought that Live Writer was going to be better than Blogger.  So far, I have had one problem after another. 

 

Tonight’s blog was published.  Comments were made.  I read and “published” the comments.  Now, all but two are missing.  Somewhere out there in blog land cyber space are comments that readers took time to make.

 

In addition to the missing comments, since switching to Live Writer, I cannot access my dashboard, etc.  I just get an error 405 message.  And to top it off, I have lost many of the blogs that I follow.  And when I try to go to my blog, I get the one with a screw driver and  wrench at each of the topics. 

 

If I could, I would return to Blogger, but have no idea how to do it.  Sooooo, if Rick is out there….or anyone else that has a better understanding of my Live Writer / Blogger mess, please speak up! 

 

Other than that, I am having a great time blogging! hehehehe

STAYING BUSY AT THE ASPHALT JUNGLE

 

Our original plans were to be able to leave Indianapolis tomorrow, but here we are at Camping World Of Indianapolis’ transition / overnight parking lot.  Our asphalt jungle. 

We watch people come in for repairs.  The steady streams of RV’s coming in and out is astounding.  Some come for repairs or to shop.  Some come to leave their old RV and take delivery of their new home on wheels.  Today, the new home owners are having to compete with rain showers.

 

I am inside cooking.  John and I love apple butter.  Our former neighbor gave us a huge sack of pears, so I am attempting to make pear butter.  The pears, peelings, cores, stems, cinnamon sticks and all cooked in the crock pot.  They cooked all day yesterday and last night.  This morning they had cooked down to that looked “right” to me.  After they cooled, I put then through my grandmother’s ricer that she used for mashed potatoes.  Voila!  It looks like apple butter, but tastes like pear butter that is a bit sour.  Now I need to go to the store to purchase some Truvia to sweeten my pear butter. 

 

                                                                                          

 

Today is another experiment with food.  I am making a squash, yam bisque.  I am not sure it will be finished cooking in the crock pot for dinner this evening.  Maybe, lunch tomorrow.  We shall see.  As you can see, it is just starting cook. 

 

We took Oliver and Olivia to the groomer to get their full timing trims.  The cuts are a bit short right now, but in a month or so, they will acceptable.  Now, Oliver shivers when he is going out to do his duty first thing in the morning.  He also sleeps under a blankie now. 

               

 

Another activity we are participating in is new to us motorhome shopping.  Shopping on line, shopping here at C. W.  There are questions we ask ourselves.  Diesel pusher, gas or gas pusher?  Winnebago, Monaco, Newmar or Tiffin?  At least we have the make narrowed down to four.  This could take a long time. 

 

We also have had an offer on our last Indiana property, the condo in Greenwood.  We have countered and are waiting for a reply.  At least this offer was more reasonable than the offer on our house.  I do not think this will be nearly as stressful as the sale of our house. 

 

Twenty three days until John’s MRI and biopsy.  God willing, we will pull out of here and head to South Dakota in twenty four days.  In the meantime, we continue to pray for God’s healing to continue in John, and every other blogger that we follow.  There are many suffering RVers out there and they all need our unceasing prayers.

 

Thanks for stopping by.  Please feel free to leave a comment.

 

God bless you and keep you healthy and safe. 

WHAT A MIXED BAG WHEN YOU WAIT TOO LONG TO POST

Wisconsin Sheep and Wool was, again, a delightful experience.  We visited with our friends from the north that we saw annually.  Other friends were there that we vended with at most of our shows, so we could continue conversations that were left two weeks prior at the Michigan Fiber Festival. 

 

Some of you enjoyed the names of the vendor’s businesses, so I took more photos to share with you.  Some are quite clever and others very business like.  Either way, they brighten anyone’s day.

                                                       

I especially like the “Wool From Over the Hill.”  The couple that had that business were senior citizens and it just seemed to ring true.  Do you think they have a sense of humor?  I sure do. 

 

When attending a fiber festival you expect to see wool, yarn, spinning wheels, weaving looms and some finished products.  I especially liked Jan Cox’s weaving. (The Village Weaver)  I also liked the felted items.  Of course I would love the felting items since that is my love.  Farmer Lamb, Giraffe, flower etc. are examples of rug hooking.  The next photo is of hand dyed roving.  Roving is fibers run through a carding machine to align the fiber in a row.  Then this fiber can be spun into yarn on a spinning wheel or used in felting. 

 

Baskets and basket making supplies were available.  Baskets come in all shapes and sizes.  The color comes from the artist hand dyeing the wood. 

 

Weaving supplies and looms are available…. oh my, such temptation. 

                         

 

Button making is another art form from early days. 

 

           

 

Antique spinning wheels as well as new wheels are available to try and possibly purchase.   Weaving looms are a bit bulky for vendors to bring, but some are brave and just do it.  The hand made shuttles are much easier to transport to the shows.  To top it off, we found a potter and his pottery. 

 

All in all, there are over one hundred vendors filling two huge buildings.  As we walked through these buildings, John and I commented on how God went before us.  In January, I felt as if I  should cancel all our fiber and art events for 2012.  In March, John had respiratory failure.  He is unable to help with set up and breaking down the booth or loading the motorhome.  But I feel blessed to have him still in my life.

 

Our time at the Wisconsin Sheep and Wool Festival with highlighted buy a gentle rain and a beautiful rainbow.

         

 

From Wisconsin, we headed back to Indianapolis / Greenwood to begin our round of visits with some of John’s physicians and his birthday celebration with some of our family.  I also had plans to meet friends for luncheons since I knew I would not see them for a year.  I believe that for me, this not having physical contact with family and friends will be the hardest aspect of full timing. 

 

John’s visits with his physicians were very encouraging.  The first appointment was with his Urologist, Dr. Koch.  Dr. Koch blessed John with the wonderful prostate exam, but said things “seemed” to be good.  He wanted John to have another blood test this coming week before he pronounced him ok to travel.

 

BUT yesterday, John received a telephone call from Dr. Koch.  John’s urinalysis results came back yesterday and his ? count is supposed to be, if I remember right, is supposed to be at 35…..John’s was 389 and this is supposed to be an indicator of prostate cancer.  Need I tell you all how we feel tonight.  I have not felt this way since John was on life support just five months ago.  Do ya think our faith is being tested a bit?  So here is another request for prayers on John’s behalf.

 

John will have a MRI and a biopsy on October 18th.  Needless to say, our Thursday’s September 27  departure is postponed until, hopefully October 19th. 

 

We have confidence in John’s Dr. Koch.  He is head of the urology department at Indiana University Hospital which is part of the Indiana University Medical School.   IU is where Lance Armstrong was cured of his testicular cancer.   Actually, when had his appointment with Dr. Lykens, his pulmonologist told us that he has enough confidence in Dr. Koch to have had Dr. Lykens’ father in law see Dr. Koch. 

 

What concerns us soooo much is the changes Obama has made in healthcare for seniors.  I suggest that if you have Medicare Advantage, as John does, that you go to this link   http://my.brainshark.com/The-President-s-8-Billion-Coincidence-356086344 

 

John and I are Independents when it comes to voting, but I am leaning to Romney.  Especially since he released his tax return today! 

 

Right now, John is a million dollar man with all his problems five months ago.  Medicare Advantage has paid and left us with very little out-of-pocket expenses. 

 

Now, with my Med Sup, I would have $0.00 out of pocket expenses.  And you ask, why was John not on my plan.  He is on the Advantage plan because at that time, the Advantage plan did not look at pre-existing conditions.  Other than hypo thyroid (under active thyroid), I have NO problems…………other than being concerned about John. 

 

IF, and only IF John’s tests prove that this is just a fluke, I am wondering if we will be able to make the trip to South Dakota to establish residency before it is time for snow in the mountains.  We need to be in Anza Borrego, CA  for Thanksgiving and San Diego for Christmas.  Why????  this will be the first time we can have Thanksgiving and Christmas with our daughter in California for almost twenty years.

 

We have been looking at newer motorhomes and have yet to find one that meets our expectations.  So…..what do we do?  Geee, why are we surprised?????  NOT….. I would say that it gives us time to look for the “perfect” motorhome. 

 

I could go on for another hour or two, but I just do not have the energy! 

 

I just want to  bring you all up-to-date on the Talley’s Travels.  Or not travels….lol

 

We are in the midst of a severe thunderstorm watch with hail over 3/4”.  So far, we have been spared, but the motorhome is rocking a bit right now.  And we were in the middle of the worse drought in history for this region.  HA…no more!  It is soooo good to see green grass flourishing right now. 

 

So, ………………. here we sit.  In Camping World.  Waiting for tests, waiting for the storms to subside, waiting on God’s healing.  Waiting for the hail to stop….. Waiting…………Waiting…………Waiting

 

But we know that God has a Master Plan for our lives……………. we are just waiting to learn what it is. 

 

So, God bless each and every one of you.  May he protect you in your travels and your stops and your thoughts. 

 

Go with all of God’s blessings and our love for each and every one of you……

 

N&J

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I an experiencing a huge bag of emotions right now.

A BUSY WEEK IN MICHIGAN

 

We left Traverse City State Park and headed north to Petoskey State Park.  We did not have reservations and by the grace of God, we got the last site.  We wanted a site for just one night and that was the only time our site was available! 

 

 

Petoskey State Park, located on the north end of Little Traverse Bay, is situated on 303 scenic acres and offers a beautiful sandy beach on the bay. The park has two separate modern campgrounds. Tannery Creek offers 98 campsites, and Dunes offers 70.

 

We have now stayed in three Michigan State Parks.  Grand Haven State Park was, by far, the most crowded, but had a nice beach and a wonderful place to walk.  Traverse City State Park was more roomy, but the beach was on the opposite side of the road and we had to climb steps to walk over the busy highway.  Highway noise was not appealing.  Salmon fishing is wonderful in that area.  We were treated to half of a fileted Salmon by our neighbor.  That was  good thing.  It now resides in our freezer.

 

Petoskey State Park was excellent.  Campsites were roomy, there was hardly any noise.  We had walking and bike trails, beautiful sand dunes to climb and rocks.  Did I tell you that they have rocks?  And more rocks, and more…..

 

I found my first Petoskey Stone there at Petoskey State Park!  It was in the water and as I was walking, it just looked up at me and said “here I am!”  Now, I need  rock polishing kit. 

 

Due to our delay (heat and air quality advisory), we had one day. But it was a fun filled, day walking, beach combing, and finishing  a  

beautiful sunset.

 

Sunday, we left Petoskey and drove a few short miles to Mackinaw Mill Creek Camping in Mackinaw City.     Here we found more Petoskey stones! 

 

I was also able to sit outside and spin more yarn.  That made the stay even more enjoyable.  There are not many things that can trump spinning, motorhoming, and a beach with the view of the Mackinac  Bridge. 

 

Tuesday morning, we crossed the Mackinac Bridge with Lake Michigan on our left and Lake Huron on our right.  We entered the Upper Peninsula.   We want to return in order to experience more of the UP, but we had to keep moving in order to get to the Wisconsin Sheep and Wool festival in Jefferson, Wisconsin. 

 

We did take time to shop at Cabela’s. We finally found John some jeans that do not make him look like he has had a bad sick spell! 

 

We are now at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds in Wisconsin.  Next post, you will hear about the Wisconsin Sheep and Wool. 

 

 

 

                      

 

 

DAY AT THE BEACH

 

Note:  This is the second posting of last night’s blog.  Blogger has done it again and I finally bit the bullet and switched it to Live Writer.  Please be patient as I learn how to create a better blog. 

This time, I did a cut and paste of the first posting.  Aligning the photos with the script is my first challenge!  Ohhh, I pray for patience!  So here goes! 

 

To tell you the truth, yesterday was kind of boring.  John wanted to be a beachcomber - again.  I waded in the water a bit and watched the sun and reflections in the water.  The patterns were hypnotic.  I kept thinking how I could recreate them with my felt art.  Still not sure. 

 

 

 I had a visitor as I sat at the edge of the water.  We played a few games of, I will pose if you will be sure to get my "good" side.  Kind of reminiscent of Barbra Streisand and her nose.  As a matter of fact.............there does seem to be a resemblance!  But this old bird does not have the great voice of Barbra. 

Then came Donald and Daffy.  Judy will be able to identify this couple, I am sure. 

I first thought maybe a spoon bill, but decided that the lower beak was just not the right size. 
These two were so content just to cruise along and feed off the bottom (as far as I could tell). 
After we came home, I cut John's hair.  Now, wasn't that an exciting day! 
Today started on at the same level.  Breakfast out, a trip to Sam's and then drove over fifty miles so John could visit a rock / gem shop, The Korner Gem.  Now that is a neat shop.  www.kornergem.com

      

I did manage to get a pair of earrings out of the deal.  And I found that I do like some rocks when they are polished!    There is a beautiful rock out there.  It is called a Petoskey Stone.  You see a small example of this in the photo labeled “featuring Beachcombers”. 

 

Petoskey stone

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

“Unpolished Petoskey stone withcm scale.

A Petoskey stone is a rock and a fossil, often pebble-shaped, that is composed of a fossilized coral, Hexagon aria percarinata.^[1] The stones were formed as a result of glaciation, in which sheets of ice plucked stones from the bedrock, grinding off their rough edges and depositing them in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, and the northwestern (and some in the northeastern) portion of Michigan's lower peninsula. In some areas of Michigan, complete fossilized coral colony heads can be found.

Petoskey stones are found in the Gravel Point Formation of the Traverse Group. They are fragments of a coral reef that was originally deposited during the Devonian period. ^[1] When dry, the stone resembles ordinary limestone but when wet or polished using lapidary techniques, the distinctive mottled pattern of the six-sided coral fossils emerges. It is sometimes made into decorative objects. Other forms of fossilized coral are also found in the same location.

In 1965, it was named the state stone of Michigan.”

 

On another note a fellow blogger who is a camp host at Monroe Reservoir (near Brown County State Park) had an escape from death.  You can read about her harrowing experience here.

 

On a last note,  I could use a bit of prayer and good thoughts.  This is the season that I have migraine headaches.  They are bad this year.  When you think of it, send a prayer my way, please. 

 

Please be safe out there on the roads and in your activities.  And God Bless each and every one of you. 

MOOCHDOCKING AND MOVING ON

A week ago when we pulled up to Bob and Deb Cline's farm, we had planned to leave Wednesday or Thursday.  

Ole man Murphy had a different idea.  The weather climbed well into the nineties.  There were air quality alerts which made it impossible for John to be out and about.  

Bob and Deb graciously asked us to stay there until we could travel and John could enjoy being outdoors without putting his health in jeopardy. 

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, John and Bob worked on the motorhome.  The generator had been giving us a hard time.  Now, the Genny runs smooth as a kitten!

Monday, Deb and I sat on the deck and were spinning away while watching and listening to the different voices of the sheep.  Oliver, Olivia and Fergus the Australian Sheep Dog got to know each other.  

Tuesday, Deb continued to spin and I brought out my antique circular sock machine.  Being away from my fiber equipment for over a year has created quite a review and relearning experience.  Finally, I feel at home again with my wheel and my CSM.  

Wednesday, John mounted the brackets on the trailer bed for holding the bicycles.  Yeah!  Now, we don't have to have the bikes inside the motorhome while driving!  That was a pain!  

 The gathering was an all day affair, so I got quite a bit of spinning completed.  I was even able to  ply the yarns in to two ply yarn.  Now, I need to decide what I am going to knit with it. 

Yesterday, we arrived at Grand Harbor State Park.  The drive was a short one, thank goodness as we had a late start.  

After our late start, we stopped at Bed Bath & Beyond for coffee pods for the Keurig and a few little, miscellaneous items.  Then, John went in Menards (a Home Depot or Loews for all out west).  

We needed a couple two by fourteen boards for the car to sit on.  Right now since the Miata is a little two seater and sits close to the trailer floor and the door hits the metal rail. Right now, it is hard to exit the Miata after driving the it on the trailer.

Getting to Grand Haven was a breeze.  And what a breeze we have here....simply maaavalous. 

The culture shock really got to us though.  Being accustomed to large, roomy campsites, welllll, let's have a look.  Drum roll please!  And on our left....Does the name Intruder describe our situation?  

This unity is cozily tucked to our right.  We can't say that we have a site with a great view.  But, we are here for just two nights and tonight is the second.  But wait!  I am not finished....
THIS IS THE VIEW FROM OUR FRONT WINDOW!

If we were staying here for a full two weeks or even one week, I think I'd be a little bit nuts before the end.  BUT, we are leaving tomorrow.  Ahhh, all is well.

We went to the beach to try to capture a beautiful sunset.  What we got was a so, so sunset.  Here are a few of the photos I took.  Maybe someone will enjoy the sunset at Lake Michigan.  

I enjoy the sailboat with the United States Flag.  It was not in the sunset, but love it anyway.  United we stand!  





T H E . . . . .

  

E N D  !  



You KNOW John is going to get me when he sees this!  

Good Night and God Bless!