April 15, 2020

April 6, 2020

 Joyce and I have been staying close to the house as much as possible, washing our hands often and just trying to stay safe.  We have had to go out a couple of times for a doctor appointments and to do some necessary shopping.  Yesterday we made the decision to start ordering more things we need online and only go to a store if it is absolutely necessary.

 After closing on our new home we started moving things in from our RV and the storage locker we rented.  We also had several delivery’s including our bedroom furniture, the new refrigerator and our living room furniture.

 The first thing that was delivered was our new Lazy-Boy chairs.  These guys are very comfortable and look great.

 Next Orange Park Furniture delivered the new couch and dining room set.  The couch is also comfortable and the table/chairs are beyond beautiful.

 Then the new LG refrigerator was delivered.  We ordered that from the Sears Outlet store in Jacksonville so there are a few dents but the price was right and it’s working great.

 The next delivery was our bedroom furniture from Costco.  The delivery guys put the boxes in the bedroom and living room, we signed for them and that was it.  So we spent about five hours unpacking and assembling the bed, dresser and the two night stands.  All were fairly easy to put together but the stuff was heavy and bulky.  But we got it done and we’re really happy.

  We bought the mattress at Costco a couple of weeks ago so we got that unpacked, rolled out so it would poof up and on the bed’s platform.  Since it was in a box we couldn’t try it out but it did come highly recommended by a couple we met in the store.  It is very comfortable so Joyce and I are very happy with the purchase.

 Then came the new washer and dryer from Best Buy which is a whole other story.  Best Buy has changed their deliveries due to this Covid-19 to your door.  We were able to talk them into the garage.  Dan, our Building Superintendent and his assistant Aaron came by to do the installation.  They thought that that would only take thirty minutes or so but it wound up taking them a couple of hours.  I can tell you that we rewarded them handsomely.

 Last week I had the followup with my cardiologist to go over the results of my stress test.  He said that although there is some blockage, he is satisfied that it is all good for now.

On Thursday Gov. DeSantis sent out a “stay-at-home” order in an effort to help stop the spread of the virus.  Everyone has to stay at home except for essential tasks.

 On Friday I had an ultrasound done on my legs at First Coast Heart and Vascular in Fleming Island.  I will be going back to see Dr. Kaveti on the 10th to get those results.

 In addition to all of that we had the AT&T cable and internet installed.  The internet does slow down some at times but for the most part it works good and the U-Verse cable is great.

April 12, 2020

 Joyce and I have been very busy the past days since I last wrote.  We’ve also been staying close to the house, only going out for essential shopping at the Winn Dixie and a couple of doctors appointments.  Wd did go down to Palatka for Joyce to get blood work done. While there we went and got some stuff out of our RV.  Hopefully we will be finished with that chore soon.

 We got some end tables delivered from Wayfair and got those assembled along with a new barbecue grill that we ordered from Home Depot.  On Thursday our TV/fireplace and a corner table for the dining room was delivered so we’ll get those put together in the next day or so.

 When we first moved in the house I called to setup our accounts with the utility and garbage companies.  The lady I talked to at the garbage company told me that they were running behind with delivering our containers but said that we could just put the bags on the ground for now.  After a few days Joyce called to ask about the status of our cans and was told that they don’t give us garbage cans, just recycling containers.  So Joyce had to go over to Home Depot and get a couple of them.

 Joyce had decided that she wanted to paint the kitchen and living rooms a different color so on that some trip she brought home a couple of color samples.  One was a light blue with the other being a beautiful light green.  After studying on both colors she decided to go with the green.

  When If we were at the design center we elected to not have the garage finished since the price was $2500.  We thought that we could beat that price having it done later.  So I asked Dan if he could have his painter contractor give us a quote for that job.

 So Eric stopped by and said he would do the garage paint for what we thought was a great price.  While he was here we also asked about doing the kitchen/living room and he again came back with a really great quote.  Eric said he would have his buddy who did texturing to give me a call.

 So, on Thursday afternoon Jose showed up and textured the garage walls and ceiling.  Then yesterday Eric and Freddie came and painted the garage and the living and kitchen.  We are very pleased with the way everything turned out.

 When we decided to buy this house we wanted to get a device that would help us turn it into a “smart home”.  We purchased an Echo Show 5 at the NEX Jacksonville and got that running after we moved but, we found out that model was limited on how many and the type devices it will connect with.  So we then ordered the larger and more powerful Echo Show 8.  The 5 model will work well in Joyce’s hobby room when we get that setup.

 After doing the initial setup of the Echo Show I installed the Alexa app on my iPhone.  Now we can control the thing from anywhere in the world as long as I have an internet connection.  In the coming months we plan to get devices where we can control our house lights, TVs, thermostat and more.  Shortly I am going to install a Ring doorbell so we can see who is at the front door without actually opening the door.

 Speaking of really cool technology, I ordered a module for our Rainbird sprinkler controller so that I can now talk to it with my phone.  The Rainbird app allows me to start watering, change the times we water and even adjust the programed watering times and duration of watering.

 I’m really not sure how much longer Joyce and I will continue to write this newsletter.  Since we aren’t traveling as much and not RVing any longer we really are not having “adventures” like we did before.  We’ll see.  I am considering putting all the newsletter’s in a book format.

Barry & Joyce

April 5, 2020

March 21, 2020

 Wow!  Life has changed dramatically in the last few weeks as I am sure all of yours has as well.  I’m not going to dwell on it here but to say that Joyce and I are doing a lot more praying for all of our friends, our men and women in uniform, first responders and all the medical care folks on the front lines.

 We are very surprised at all of the folks here in the Palatka area that seem to not be taking this pandemic seriously.  Joyce and I have both experienced folks sliding right up next to us and of course we’ve seen the spring-breaker’s on the news.

 We’re trying to limit our travels as much as we can.  However, we both have had medical appointments that we couldn’t cancel and of course grocery shopping.  Since we living in a motorhome for now we have to shop more that other people.

 So far the closing of our house is still on track for March 30th and we’re keeping our fingers crossed.  We are also optimistic that all the furniture and appliances that we have on order will be delivered on time.

 We got up very early this morning so that I could be at the pharmacy at NAS Jacksonville to pick up some medications.  They open the drive-thru windows at 0800 and I knew that it was going to busy.  I dropped Joyce off at Costco first so she could pick up a few things and then back-tracked to the NAS.  I’m very glad I got there when I did because there were long lines at all three windows.  I did get through in forty minutes which made me happy.  BTW, when I drove past the Commissary there are limits for the amount of folks allowed in at one time.

 When Joyce went through the door at Costco the folks at the front were handing everyone  a case of Clorox Wipes (one per cart).  She was also able to get a package of chicken thighs and some TP bur no hamburger was available.

 We don’t have to go out again until the 24th for my angiogram. Gov. DeSantis has not issued a “stay at home” order but both Joyce and I think that will come very soon.  That order will be very problematic for us closing on the house and getting our new furniture and appliances delivered.  We’re praying for the best but planning for the worst, following the news here in Florida closely.  The good news is we have a place to live until all of this go’s away and life gets back to normal.

March 22, 2020

 During this time Joyce and I have been calling friends that we haven’t talked to in a long time.  I’ve reached out to CMSgt’s Troy Fore, Jack Pledger and Carl Parker.  I also talked to SMsgt Percy Raleigh and come to find out he and Nancy live just thirty minutes from us.  Joyce has talked to several folks as well.  We are also keeping in touch with family more that we have in the past.

March 25, 2020

 Yesterday we to Green Cove Springs for the initial walk-thru of our new home.  We spent about two hours going through the house looking for things that need correcting, using all of the appliances, running the sprinkler system and learning some of the features.  We did find a few minor things that will be fixed before the final walk-thru and closing of the house on Tuesday.  We’ve got our fingers crossed that the governor doesn’t shut the state down before then.

The warranty representative from Richmond also stopped by to go over the procedures for getting warranty work done and how to get work scheduled.  It’s all very simple, especially the appliances.  We will have a General Electric app on our phones and all we have to do is scan the barcode, enter the problem and when we want the repair done.

March 28, 2020

 Joyce and I have been staying close to the house the past couple of days.  Joyce did get out yesterday to make a run to the grocery store for some necessary supplies.

 I have been contemplating for a couple of years about compiling all of our Barry & Joyce’s Adventures newsletters and putting them in a book.  Since I am confined to the house now I thought I would get started on that project.

 I’m finding that it’s really interesting going back and reading the newsletters and reliving all of our travels. Joyce and I are truly blessed in more ways than one.

March 30, 2020

 We got up early this morning and after stopping at Micky D’s for a biscuit, we drove up to our new house to do our final walk-thru.  Dan, our Superintendent went over our all of the things that they have fixed from our initial walk-thru.  Then he told us some of the items they didn’t get to that would have to be done later.  As we expected he is having trouble getting tradesmen in to do the work right now because of the Chinese Virus.  

 Next we drove up to Jacksonville for our appointment with Fidelity National Title for our closing appointment of the house.  Murna, our Title Officer told us that they had not yet received the closing cost funds from our credit union.  We were a little surprised to hear that since Joyce did the wire transfer request last Thursday morning.  She told us that we’ll go ahead with the document signing and check on the transfer after we finished.

 So, we pressed on with the very boring document signing.  When that was completed Murna again checked on the wire transfer and told us it had not be recieved.  Then we tried to call First Tech Credit Union and had to wait on hold for forty-five minutes.  The gal that answered said that she would forward the information to someone and that they would get back to us within twenty-four hours.

 Next, I called Travis Credit Union to see if they could help.  They said sure but told me that a wire transfer would take seventy-two hours.  That was not what I wanted to hear.

 We finally left and headed back to Palatka with hopes that the wire transfer would get there sometime in the evening.  On the way Joyce decided to call WyHy Credit Union in Wyoming.  The lady that she talked to said that they could get the transfer done in about two hours.  So with that news we turned around and drove back to Fidelity’s office.  Keep in mind we now had two wire transfers for the closing in the works.

 We waited for about three hours and at the last minute before the office closed they told us that the had received the wire transfer from First Tech.  We now are the owner’s of our fifth home.

 I’ll write more about the moving process later.

Barry & Joyce

February 22, 2020

 The healing process after the pacemaker surgery is going well.  I still have some soreness but that is diminishing more each day.  I have a followup with the surgeon today and we’re hoping that he will give us the permission to do our cruise on Sunday.

 Yesterday our friends Dave and Jan Sasse came up for a visit.  We made a drive up to Orange Park and had a great lunch at Sam’s Seafood St. John.  The food there is all fresh and delicious.

 After lunch we drove by our new house.  The drywall is up and our superintendent says that we may be closing by the end of March.  That’s good news.

 So, on Thursday I had a followup with Dr. El Sabbah who did my pacemaker surgery.  The good news he is happy with the way the wound is healing.  The bad news is that my blood pressure was high.  It seams that when Dr. Kaveti prescribed Micardis/HCT she never told me to stop taking Losartan.  When I was in the hospital they stopped the Micardis but never told me not to start taking it again when I was released.  Wait, there’s more.  Since I was taking the two blood pressure meds the doctor is concerned about an elevated potassium level.  So I had get another blood test that will not get to the doctor until Monday or Tuesday.

 With all of this going on we decided to cancel our cruise that is leaving tomorrow.  Normally we would loose all our money since we didn’t buy the cruise insurance.  Joyce called Royal Caribbean and Celebrity and they offered to move our cruise to one on May 2nd.  The new cruise is eleven days instead twelve but Celebrity upgraded us to a better cabin, gave us drink packages and internet for both of us.  And they are sending us a $250 refund to boot.  We think the only reason for Celebrity doing all of this is because of our Diamond Plus status with Royal Caribbean.

2 March 2020

 We got word from our mortgage company the other day that we are going to close on the new house on March 30th.  We’re pretty excited!

 We went by the house on Thursday and they had the forms up for the sidewalk and driveway cement pour.  We think they will have the cabinets installed and a lot of the other stuff done this week.

Meanwhile we have been looking at refrigerators, televisions and other stuff.  On Saturday we ordered bedroom furniture from Costco.  We ordered enough the we got their $500 off the price.  We also bought a 32” TV that will go in one of the spare bedrooms.

 We also have made an appointment to have our cable TV and internet installed by AT&T which is why we bought the small TV.  AT&T needs it to check the cable installation.

 On the 26th we went down to Palm Coast to visit Dave and Jan Sasse.  They are in their last month here in Florida so we’re trying to get together as much as possible before they return home to Minnesota in April.

March 3, 2020

 Yesterday we made a trip to the Sears Outlet store in Jacksonville to look at refrigerators.  I wasn’t too optimistic finding anything that would fit our needs but what the heck, ya never know.

 Joyce doesn’t like stainless steel and did not want ice and water in the door.  She also want’s a counter depth model so that the unit doesn’t stick out in the room too much.  After looking around we did not see anything that would fit the bill but then Nancy, the saleslady came over and told to to come look at her “purdy one”.

 We followed her over to one that had just come in on Monday, an LG Model LRFVC2406S that was of course stainless steel with water and ice in the door, exactly what Joyce didn’t want.  But, it is counter depth and the price was right.  So, after hashing over all the pro’s and con’s we bought it.  Regular price was $3600 and we paid $1800, a 60% savings.  There are a couple of dents on the sides that won’t be noticeable after it is installed.

March 6, 2020

 Good Morning from Southern Pines, North Carolina.

 We got up early yesterday morning, leaving Lynch’s Landing RV Park at 0730 and headed over to I-95.  Traffic was fairy light going up through Jacksonville so we made good to Savannah, Georgia. There we ran into rain that lasted all the way to Southern Pines.  The rain was very heavy in places causing a lot of slow-down’s.  We also ran into a couple of accidents, one of which was very bad.  The drive should have taken us around seven hours but given the driving conditions it took us nine hours.

Travis and Victoria are growing up like weeds.  Travis very active and is carrying on complete conversations.  Victoria loves to chase a ball and laughs a lot.  We hope to get back up that way in June.

Show me your tounge and belly.  LOL!

March 10, 2020

 After saying goodby to Justin, Adrian and the kids we left Southern Pines around 10 AM.  

 Since we both had doctor appointments in Jacksonville on Monday, we decided to spend Sunday night in Brunswick, GA..  It was nice to only have a 5-hour drive so we arrived at the Best Western Plus around 4 PM.

 On Tuesday morning I met Dr. Angel, my new pulmonologist.  We went over my medications and checked my CPAP settings.  He seems to think all is good for now.

 Joyce met with her doctor at the VA and all is good.  She was really happy with Joyce’s blood sugar numbers.

This beautiful young lady is now 14!

That’s all for now.

Barry & Joyce

P.S.  Things are changing rapidly right now.  I will write about all of this in the next newsletter.

February 18, 2020

January 30, 2020

 Progress on our new home is coming along and we still hope to close in mid-April.  Joyce and I have been looking at televisions, washer and dryers and refrigerators along with other things we will need.

 On Tuesday we had our appointments with our Veterans Administration doctors in Jacksonville.  We were both impressed with the efficiency of the process and the doctors.  Joyce is planning to have all of her healthcare needs taken care of with the VA and I plan to use civilian doctors.

February 4, 2020

 Yesterday we had our first walk through of our new house with Dan, our building superintendent.  Dan and his assistant showed us all of the electrical outlets, where the HAVAC systems we located, water connections, etc.  We were able to take a lot of pictures and some measurements that will help us later when we start adding other things to the house.  Joyce did notice an extra electrical outlet that we paid for during the design meeting was missing.  Dan will be taking care of that this week before the drywall goes up.  We are still estimating to be able to move in sometime after April 1st.

February 18, 2020

 It’s been awhile since I last wrote.  A lot has happened in the past couple of weeks so let me get right to telling your about it.

 Our new house is coming along nicely and Dan is still predicting the house wi be finished in the first week in April.  The hardest thing for Dan is getting all of the inspections that are necessary done in a timely manner.  The Clay County inspector’s seem to be swamped with the amount of building going on in this area.

 Now for the big thing that hit us.  On Thursday we got up early so that we could be to the Jacksonville VA Center for Joyce’s first appointment of the day.  I wasn’t feeling all that great but after her appoint we went to lunch.  We then drove back to the center for her nutrition class.

 I decided to just stay in the car and while sitting there I was still feeling a little “puny”.  I had some shortness of breath, a tad lite headiness and just overall didn’t feel too good.  But, I just marked it off as having to get up so early and not sleeping well the night before.  My first mistake of the day.

 When Joyce came back to the car after her appointment I drove (my second mistake) us to Green Cove Springs so we could check on the house.  We stopped at a gas station to get a drink and use the bathroom .  When I was in the restroom I noticed that my face a a little flushed.  When I asked Joyce about it she confirmed that I had a flush that was not normal.  I asked her to drive to a hospital so that I could get checked out.

 We decided to go up to Fleming Island and to the Baptist & Wolfson Clay Emergency Room which is actually next door to my primary doctors office.  When I checked-in I was taken in and the nurses and ER doctor started working on me immediately.  They found I was in 2rd degree heart blockage and worked to get me stabilized then, called an ambulance to transport me up to Orange Park Medical Center.

With Nurse Eve Crosby.  Eve is a Colonel in the Florida Air National Guard.

 After the ride up to Orange Park with lights and sirens going, they took me right into the ER.  Dr. Bosley did his initial assessment and told me I was actually in Stage 1 blockage and admitted me to the hospital.

 I had to spend the night in the ER since there were no rooms upstairs in their Step-down Unit which was not very comfortable.  Jason, my night nurse was able to get me a real hospital bed that was much more comfortable than the stretcher I was on.

 During the night my heart rate remained in the 30-40 beats per minute range which isn’t good to say the least.  In the morning I was seen by a Physician’s Assistant from the Cardiology Unit who said that I would need a pacemaker and that they would try to get me in for that procedure sometime in the late afternoon.

 Shortly after that my heart rate went down to the 28 to 30 BPM.  Around 1:30 a nurse came in to take me upstairs where I was then informed I was in 3rd Stage blockage.  The next thing I knew I woke up in the recovery room with a new pacemaker.

 I spent the night in the hospital and was released Saturday afternoon, feeling much better.  I’m at home right now and doing great.  I’m very thankful to all the ER folks and of course to the doctors.  If I had waited too much longer I might not be here to write this blog post.

Getting ready to go home.

 I said earlier that I made a couple of mistakes during all of this.  First, I should have listed to my body that was telling me something was very wrong.  Second, we should have gone directly to the hospital’s emergency room instead of going to the ER at Baptist Clay.  Of course, that is all twenty-twenty hind sight and all turned out okay.

Some great pictures of Smith Rock.  Thanks to Smith Rock.com and Steve Lay.

More later.

Barry & Joyce

January 22, 2020

December 31, 2019

 Yesterday we drove back up to NAS Jacksonville to the Tricare Office for the third time.  Our Tricare was still screwed up so we needed to get that fixed.

 When we sat down in the representatives office Joyce started wheezing again but this time it was really bad, caused by the office’s room fresheners.  She headed out to the waiting room to get some clean air but a couple of ladies followed her out and took her down to the emergency room.  The doctor ordered a breathing treatment and gave her some medication to calm her down.  After a while she was feeling much better so the doctor released her with a hand full of medications.

 This afternoon we came over to Michelle’s to spend New Years Eve with her and the kids.  The plan is to stay home for the evening and I’m pretty sure I’ll be in bed well before midnight.

Joyce and I along with Michelle and the kids want to wish all of you who read this newsletter a very happy and prosperous New Year.  Let’s all go out and make 2020 a truly memorable year.

January 2, 2020

 Yesterday Joyce and I made a trip to the St. Johns Town Center in Jacksonville so that Joyce could do a little shopping.  After I dropped her off at Dillards I parked the car and waited for her.  There was no way in heck I was going into any store on New Years Day.

 We did stop by the La-Z-Boy store to look at sofas for the new house.  Joyce is undecided about the style but we did a lot of looking.

January 5, 2020

 On Friday I had my first appointment with my new cardiologist in Fleming Island.  Dr. Kaveti did a very thorough exam and decided to hook me up to a monitor for 24 hours.  I’ll take that beck to her tomorrow then I have a followup appointment with her on the 23rd.

 On the way home we stopped at Orange Park Furniture to look at sofas.  We found one we liked and then spent about two hours looking at different styles and then picking fabrics for both the sofa and pillows.  So now we have two recliners and a sofa for the new house.  Here is a link to the one we got but in fabric rather than leather:  https://orangeparkfurniture.com/living-room/sofas-loveseats/

January 6, 2020

 This morning we drove up to Fleming Island for my appointment with my new Ophthalmologist, Dr. Harris at Clay Eye.  Dr. Harris is the founder of Clay Eye and retired from the U.S. Navy Reserves.  That’s two doctors that I now have that retired from the Navy.

January 10, 2020

 Joyce and I have been very busy the past few days attending Abigail and Skyler’s football games, getting a couple of medical appointments out of the way and various other tasks.

 Yesterday we did some packing for our upcoming cruises.  Joyce and Michelle leave today for a 3-day cruise on Mariner of the Seas out to Cape Canaveral to Nassau, Bahamas and Perfect Day At Coco Cay.  I will be watching Abby and Skyler for those three days then on Monday I will drive down to the Cape and get on the Mariner for a double back-to-back to the same destinations.

January 11, 2020

 After seeing Joyce and Michelle off for their cruise the kids and I went to Publix to pick up something for supper.  Abigail and Skyler wanted sushi so we got some of that.  Granddaddy doesn’t do bait food so I got a roasted chicken for me.

January 16, 2020

 I had a good time with Abigail and Skyler.  On Saturday they both had football games and then later in the evening we ordered pizza.  On Sunday after the kids did some chores around the house we went up to Dave & Busters in Jacksonville.  They both had gift certificates but they went through those very fast.  Granddaddy came to the rescue and put some more money on their cards.

 We had a very nice time on the cruises, meeting some really nice folks and just relaxing.  I never got off the ship but Joyce went to the Baha Mar Resort for a few hours.  We did get the specialty dining package during the 4-day cruise where we could eat in any restaurant on the ship for one set price.  We had dinner in Chops Steakhouse, Jamie’s Italian and Izumi Japanese and lunch in Players Sports Bar and at Johnny Rockets.

How 'bout these two beauties.  Joyce and Michelle on the ship.

The Atlantis Resort in Nassau

Celebrity parking.

 After getting off the ship on Monday in record time we drove up to check on the progress on the building of our house.  While we were gone the builders poured the foundation and got the walls and roof framed.  Next up is all the plumbing and electrical work.  Joyce and I both still think our closing won’t be until mid-April.

 On Tuesday we drove up to the VA Outpatient Clinic in Jacksonville to have our blood work done in preparation for our appointments with our doctors later this month.  Joyce plans to have all of her healthcare done with the VA and for me I just will use them as a backup.

 After that task was done and getting some lunch we again stopped at Orange Park Furniture.  Joyce picked out a "live edge" dining room table and bench.  We also ordered four custom made chairs.

In this picture the table looks a little bowed.  It really isn't.

  

That’s enough for now.

Barry & Joyce