Just an Update of Sorts

DH went for his post-surgery check-up last Wednesday and they weighed him. He’d lost another 6 pounds and was at 152 pounds. To say I was shocked is putting it mildly. I recovered and we went into the exam room to wait on the surgeon. He came in a bit later and removed the bandage, checked the incision and pronounced DH good to go but admonished him to not lift anything for six weeks. DH asked if he could drive and the dr. said, "Of course!" We thanked the dr. and took our leave. It had been a while since breakfast so I drove us to the nearest Subway and we had a bit of lunch before heading to CostCo to do a bit of shopping. I only had to stop DH once when he tried to lift something into the cart.

Off to home we went and when we got home I put in a call to DH’s primary care physician. I described DH’s continued weight loss and stated that was going to insist that DH receive a referral to an Endocrinologist. I told the receptionist (a bit curtly) that I had requested a referral for an Endocrinologist when DH was first diagnosed with Diabetes last February but that the dr. pooh-poohed the idea and DH had continued to lose weight through the year. The receptionist had begun to tell me that he needed to be re-evaluated for this situation and I told her he’d been in to see the dr. for a surgery clearance not two weeks previous and he was fine, so I didn’t truly see the need. She said she’d speak with the dr. and asked for my phone number. They never called back so I called this morning to see if the request had been put through. It had. So now we wait for a notice in the mail with the name and contact information for an Endocrinologist. I know it’s going to necessitate a trip to Bakersfield, because we have next to no specialists here in Tehachapi, but so be it.

Speaking of medical specialists, I attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Tehachapi Valley Healthcare District Hospital yesterday. Everyone agreed it was long awaited… and there’s going to be medical office buildings built adjacent to the hospital so that means we’re going to get a new influx of doctors and specialists. About time!!! Whoo hoo!

Since DH is on the ‘bench’ so to speak and can’t be digging in the yard, it was up to me to dig the holes in the front yard for our 10 baby shade trees that we received from the Arbor Day Foundation. The neighbors had received this solicitation some time last year that offered 10 flowering shade trees for a donation of $10. They’re not in good health and wouldn’t be able to plant the trees if they did order them, so the wife passed the information along to us. I sent off my check but included a letter stating that I wanted delivery in Spring of 2013. Our ‘trees’ arrived the other day. I have to laugh because these are reallly teeny, tiny trees! You can put 3 of them together and they’d be smaller than my pinkie finger! Ah, but when they’re mature, they’ll be in the neighborhood of 25′ high by 25′ wide! Lots of flowers and lots of shade! I got two holes dug and the trees planted with 6" perforated PVC pipe surrounding them. I took lots of breaks and will plant two trees per day until they’re all in. I’m hoping the deer don’t find them right away! LOL

The only other bit of news is the diverting of Amtrak #11 from its normal coast route to the inland route, through the mountain pass of Tehachapi, and the Tehachapi Loop. Tonight, it came through about 6:30 p.m. A close friend of ours is friends with the owner of the private rail car, "Tioga Pass". He’d let us know a couple of days ago that he would be riding in the Tioga Pass and they would be the last car on today’s Amtrak as it moved through Tehachapi on its way to Union Station in Los Angeles. I hung our Steam Locomotive flag out on the balcony and we were out there waving as the Amtrak moved through the valley below our home.

I received an e-mail today from a woman in Illinois who had posted a request for handmade greeting cards to a 3d image list I belong to. I made up a dozen or so cards and sent them to her. She wrote to thank me and said the cards were lovely and she knew the women who received them would be very pleased with them.

I have more but that’s all I’ll share with this entry. Be safe, be well, and please be happy. Know that you are loved and always will be. Be sure to tell those you love that you love them.