WED AUG 10, 2011

I woke up this morning thinking of all the challenges that I have each day.  I am never bored!  I look forward to each new day when I can increase my knowledge and reach out to others who can use my help.  I feel that is what I am called by God to do at this stage in  my life.  I am the oldest  computer nerd among my many relatives.  As a result I am try to keep informed about the welfare of relatives and share family information with them. I feel richly blessed!
I spent a good part of the day trying to locate Sally Millison, second wife of my brother-in-law Henry Millison who raised my nephew Len after my sister Betty died when he was about three years old.  I had called her phone # in Leesburg FL for several days without a response. I finally found that she had moved into an assisted living facility called Savannah Manor in Leesburg, but was unsuccessful trying to call her.
I also tried to work a search puzzle online.  I completed much of it, but had to quit before I finished it.
Also, I tried to find out when Betty Stainton, the first husband of my cousin Lafayette (Rip) Stainton would arrive in our CVC Health Center and found that she would not arrive from the hospital until Thursday.
We ended the day with our weekly game of Spinner Dominoes with friends on the third floor.

TUES AUG 9, 2011

I tried to use the search word puzzles that Megan gave me, but found that I could not handle them due to my inability to mark them after I found them. Then I went on line and found that I could download search puzzles on line. I tried one of them and found it doable, but tired easily. I will work on these until I can increase my skill. These puzzles may be found on this link: http://www.puzzles.ca/word_search_online.html

After doing the first three free lessons in Lumosity I thought I would practice them over again until I increased my skill, but discovered that I could not repeat them without sign up and paying for them.  I am not ready to do that at this time.

MON AUG 8, 2011

This may explain why I did not get to write a post for a few days. Last Friday we got a call from the front desk that Betty Stainton (a cousin from Miami FL )was in the lobby to see us. This was a pleasant surprise, so we went down to see her. Not only was Betty  there but also Craige Stainton(former wife of Sam who lives in Erie a few miles north of here, and Julie Zelman, Betty's step- daughter who had come down from the Northeast to meet Betty and Craige at Craige's home in Westminster. Unfortunately, we were on our way to lunch with another resident and they could not join us so we had an about 15 minute visit with them, with the expectation that we would have Betty and Sam over for a visit later. On Saturday morning Craige called back to give us the news that Betty had driven up to Erie and had a good visit with Sam, but when she arrived back at Craige's she fell and broke her hip. She is in St Anthony's North Hospital here in Westminster and will have surgery this afternoon to have a couple of pins put in. She does not need a hip replacement fortunately. To make a long story short, we worked out an arrangement for Betty to have rehab care here at our Covenant Care Health Center which should work well for all.

THURS AUG 4, 2011

This has been a good day.  I went to the pool at 5 AM and did mostly stretches and walking in the water.  My nephew David and his wife Beverley had breakfast with us, and then took Margaret shopping while I stayed at home and did my usual activities on the computer including posting my Journey blog and adding Megan's email so that she could view my blog. After they returned from shopping We visited and shared pictures.  We left shortly after 11 AM to go out to lunch.  We tried to go to Mimi's in Flat Iron Crossing Mall but ran in impossible road an traffic problem and had to turn around and head for the Olive Garden where we enjoyed a great meal. Soon after the meal David and Bev left for their condo in Breckenridge.
In the afternoon I read audio an large print books, went to the Fitness Center for stretching exercises, riding the Nu Step, exercising my arms and using the back machine to relax.  Back on my computer I repeated the Lumosity exercises that I had attempted yesterday and listened to the news. Writing this post completes the day for me.

WED AUG 3, 2011

This morning I got up about 5 AM, did my usual morning ablutions; read email, read my devotions; had a breakfast of waffles with cooked strawberries and frozen blue berries; walked to PT at the HC and had therapy consisting mostly of balance exercises; talked with Dan & Michael about a plan to my treatment and suggested exercise on non-PTdays.  Michael will prepare for me a list of suggestions.   I remembered the name of Lois Rhodes which I forgot yesterday. We had lunch in the dining room with my nephew David and his wife Beverley who came down from Breckenridge to visit and take Margaret shopping.  I read some on KOBO and large print books.  I was tired after lunch an lay down on the bed using my oxygen and slept for about 20 minutes until the phone woke me up.  I was refreshed after that.Tonight David and Bev had supper with us at home and played Spinner Dominoes with some friends in the third floor lounge. Now I am finishing up with my journal and will try to read a bit more before going to bed.(8:3O PM)

TUES AUG 2, 2O11

After a good night's sleep I got  up about 5:20 AM, checked my Google Calendar and Google Mail and    wrote emails; and called Sam Stainton and Carolyn Whitten, two of my cousins.  I read my devotions on line; downloaded the program Lumosity to help me with speech therapy; called Presbyterian Life magazine about a mistake in my subscription renewal; ate breakfast of mixed juices and oat meal made by Margaret; did my mornings ablutions; looked up a name on my prayer list that I could not remember and made a point to remember his name: Dean Hammond and his wife Wilma; worked on a Search Puzzle, using a ruler as guide and magic marker.

About 11:10 AM went to the Columbine Dining Room and ate with Margaret and with friends , Lois-? and Viola Olson. After lunch I had appointment with speech therapist Megan, which included mostly did in preparation for this session and had a long conversation which Megan gave Megan more understanding of what I needed in speech and memory therapy.  She told me that my speech therapy had now been fully approved by my insurance and explained that we could probably complete what therapy I needed with her by the end of next week.

Shortly after my therapy session Loraine arrived to give our apartment its monthly cleaning. Then  I went to a neighbor's (Bob Burton) Apartment to see if I could help him with  a Photo Shop program We determined the version that he needed for his XP computer. I will help him to learn to use the program after it is installed.

This was followed with a visit to the Fitness Center to do a few exercises. After resting a bit I listened to the Evening News and Jeoparty on TV after supper.  Margaret and I played GOZO which I won for a change.  Then I proceeded to compose this post.
It was a full and rewarding day.

MON AUG 2011

This is my first attempt at writing a journal. I started the day by getting up before five and going to the pool for exercise, a short swim and a message in the hot tub. I followed this by morning devotions and breakfast of oatmeal.  I spent most of the next hour or so handling my email and reading the news on line.  At 8:45 AM at walked over for my PT which consisted mostly of riding the New Step and receiving ice treatment on my left hip and  heat on my right calf .  This I finished about  9:45, visited with a couple of patients in the Health Center and then met with Megan, the speech therapist who gave me some tests and made suggestions for follow-up exercises.  I then walked home arriving about 10:45 and going for dinner in the Columbine dining room at 11:00m returning home shortly after noon.  I worked on a crossword puzzle and about 2 PM.  I was so tired that I lay down on my bed, turned on my oxygen machine and slept for about an hour. I worked on the puzzle set up my journal  blog, ate supper, listened to the news on the TV and played Up Words with Margaret, after which I completed the crossword puzzle and my blog for the day and started to bed about 8:45 PM.