Oregon Living 2026 – Blog #24 – A Great Father’s Day & Prepping for our Weekend

 

 

Sunday, June 21^st., 2026…… HAPPY FATHER’S DAY!!! The plan today is for Penny and Cherrelyn to come over for a bbq.  I only was told yesterday that they were bringing ribs which Cathye cooked yesterday in the oven in the house. I will take them outside today to finish cooking and add bbq sauce while I do.  We tidied up the house and we were ready when they got here. The meal was really great and we had plenty of food. I had heard from Maryanne earlier and Randy called later in the afternoon. He and Perrin are up in Bridgeport CA working on some property for a friend. They are getting it ready for sale, so the boys are doing what they can before a viewing tomorrow. There are a few items they will be bringing back home with them – one is a Nissan pickup, which they say ruins and drives after putting in a new battery. The other is a storage trailer, converted from a travel trailer. They may decide to bring it up here to store. Randy said he and Maryanne are still planning on coming up next month. Yaay! 

Monday, June 22^nd., 2026…… Today begins week 2 of treatment. I have it down to a science and it’s fairly easy. Once I get called in and get back to the room, I empty my pockets and loosen my belt before getting on the table, face up. They line everything up (I have three small tattoo dots one my hips and belly so they can properly line me up for the radiation. Then the machine starts up and lasts for about 8 minutes. I get redressed and am out of there. I think the whole time inside the building lasts maybe 15 minutes!  On Tuesdays I have to wait because that’s when I meet with my Dr. for a progress check. This will last for 5 ½ weeks, or 28 treatments. So far, no side effects, other than being a little tired. The whole trip takes about 95 minutes door to door. Nothing else on the agenda today. We had thought about meeting up at Kevin’s but Cat was too tired for that this morning. So, I stopped and got myself some breakfast before coming back home. Nothing else on the agenda for today. We will have to think about prep work for the Square Dance Club party this weekend. We have checked the weather and it looks like rain from Thursday through Sunday, so we aren’t sure what to do right now.     

Tuesday, June 23^rd., 2026……  We decided to send out a notice to our Club members that the campout portion of the weekend is cancelled. Two of our regulars are out of town anyway and we haven’t heard any confirmation on the other two that they were coming. We will put out the lawn games (weather permitting) and hold the meeting under the patio deck. And we still want to try out the new (to us) Blackstone pizza oven on Friday so we’ll ask for a couple to come Friday to eat with us and maybe play some cards. Today the bartop was delivered!  The guy needed help unloading it and he then helped me get it positioned and the supports re-installed. It looks great! 

The finish is semi-gloss which will hold up longer. He gave Cat some info on treatment and an Amazon place to find it. He said if we don’t do anything, it should last 10 years. But if we treat it regularly it will last a lot longer. I’m just glad it’s done!     

Wednesday, June 24^th., 2026…… Nothing much going on today. I am finding myself hanging around the house more than not, just resting and taking it easy. I don’t normally nap during the day but today I did! We did go to Walmart and picked up the chicken, some soft drinks and beer, as well as some other items for the bbq on Sunday. I think we are almost ready!

Thursday, June 25^th., 2026…… I was out and back from the treatment this morning and called Cat to tell her where I was so she could meet me at Kristi’s for breakfast. It was nice to at least get back in the breakfast routine again!  Later today we head up to Salem to babysit the littles while Vikki takes Corey up to Portland for outpatient skin grafts. Vikki’s mom is there but she is pretty much bedridden. Both Baylee and Brandyn are also there and will help with Creedence and Caroline. Vikki’s aunt was there for the morning shift and we had the afternoon shift. Vikki called later to tell us that he had gone in and the procedure was expected to take 2 hours or so. She said they had a bed for him if the pain is too intense after he gets out of recovery. So, we will have to wait to see. We spent the time binge-watching The Princess Switch trilogy movies. We had never seen them before and we enjoyed them! Vikki called later to say Corey’s procedure went well and he was out of recovery and was doing well - and will be coming home. But it wouldn’t be for a while. So, I decided to take Brandyn with me to head out to Taco Bell to pick up dinner for everyone. We ate and were relaxing when they got back. Corey was doing ok – no pain – but he's on drugs! We made a quick exit to let them rest and headed back home.  It was a long day. Thanks to Penny for coming over to let the girls out and then again to feed them!

Friday, June 26^th., 2026…… Frank and Maryanne are coming over to play cards and eat our experimental first pizza!  I had everything out and the oven on when they got here. Cat had bought two pre-made soft dough balls. She prepped them and got them round, added the sauce and toppings and put the first one in the oven. It stuck to the tray and fell out on the ground! But we had one left and I tried this time. I managed to get it in ok but it wasn’t exactly a circle! And it stuck to the stone in the oven before I could get it out in time. It was kind of scorched and didn’t exactly look appetizing!

But we ate it anyway and got through it with no issues. It had a good flavor and we managed to learn from this time what to do when we take the pizza oven over to Frank and Maryanne’s campout in September to add to the two that they already have so we can all cook for the 30 or so folks there. We finished the night playing 2500. Cat won this time! Yaay!    

Saturday, June 27^th., 2026…… Today was supposed to be the rv’ers hanging out and enjoying the day. Normally, we would have all headed over to Brownsville for a special dance at the park there, but that was held last Saturday and we were in Portland. So, with no one camping here, it was a quiet day. We got some things out and ready for the bbq and meeting tomorrow but that was about it for the day.  

 

Oregon Living 2026 – Blog #23 – Radiation Starts & A Visit to the Titanic

 

 

Sunday, June 14^th., 2026…… No classes anymore so we have the whole day open. I worked on the mule and then we cleaned up around the yard. It’s nice to have the vehicle around when we do the clean up!  The burnpile is getting pretty high again! Next up is the tree in the back which will be cut down and used as a post for a new birdhouse.    

Monday, June 15^th., 2026…… Today I headed off to my first radiation treatment. This will be the first of 28 treatments. It was pretty much like the test run they did last week. I am on the table for maybe 8 minutes. The whole time in there is less than ½ hr.!  The entire trip is around 1 ½ hours, which I will be doing again and again. The schedule is for a meeting with the oncologist on Tuesdays so Cat will go with me for those.  

Tuesday, June 16^th., 2026……  Today’s treatment is later in the day so we went planned on eating on the way home. The dr. said everything looks good and we are still on track for 5 ½ weeks. We stopped at Chick Fil A, which is new to this area. I always liked their food and we got ours to go. The waffle fries are the best! We snacked on those on the way. The sandwiches were very tasty. We will be going back!    

Wednesday, June 17^th., 2026…… Today Cat is busy around the house. The housekeeper is coming today and also the landscaper is supposed to be here. I was back and Stephanie was here and working when I got back. No sign of the landscaper. He turned out to be a no-show today!    

Thursday, June 18^th., 2026…… This morning, we tried to at least get breakfast in. I arranged to meet Cat at Kristi’s on my way back home. Later, we worked some more on the yard. I also spent some time working on the mule. I am finding that there is a lot of dirt embedded in the cracks and crevices so I am taking things apart to clean and lubricate. The tailgate hinges are rusted so they are first to get replaced. I will need to sand them down and repaint them but that is no big deal. I already know which bolts to buy and I will get stainless steel ones so they won’t ever rust again!       

Friday, June 19^th., 2026…… Today is mowing day!  I got back from my treatment and rested for a bit. Then I got started. Cat left to go pick up her prescription and planned to stop at Walmart while I got the mowers out and ready. Penny came over and we got going. Again, it only takes about 1 ½ hours to get it all done. We are still bagging the lawn but we have that down to a science now and it went quickly. Once we were done, Penny hosed off the mowers and then we all sat around and cooled off. The weather is hot today!  Temps in the 80s, but that is down from yesterday when it was 95°. We were done for the day!    

Saturday, June 20^th., 2026…… HAPPY BIRTHDAY TREASA!!  After we walked and fed the girls, we headed off for our adventure today!  We are driving up to Portland to go to the OMSI to see the Titanic exhibit. Cat had bought these tickets a while back and got one for Josh, who will be meeting us there. The drive was pretty easy and we got parked just before our meet up time. We went in and looked around at the other exhibits there. They have a turbine room where they have interactive kinetic exhibits for all ages. We watched the kids play with swoosh balls and bottle rockets and other games. Here are pics from that area….

We met Josh and headed in to the exhibit. They give each person a card with a passenger’s name and bio on it. Cathye got a lady from second class, Josh and I got brothers, also in second class. As we walked through the exhibit, we could see how each class was treated. They even had separate menus for each class!  Then they showed the sequence before and after the iceberg. They even had a real iceberg for everyone to touch. And, yes, it was cold! At the end, you can look up your passenger to see if they survived or not. Cat’s lady made it. Unfortunately, Josh’s and mine did not.

We left and headed back home, taking the scenic route through Milwaukie and Lake Oswego. We made it back home and fed the girls and we were done for the day.     

Oregon Living 2026 – Blog #22 – A Bad Situation with Family, A Piano Show and Family Dinners

 

 

Sunday, June 7^th., 2026……  HAPPY BIRTHDAY IN HEAVEN LYDIA!  She would have been 75 today.

We wanted to sleep in this morning because of the busy day - and days past. But no – I got up and showered and left before 7:00am!  I let Cat sleep and went over to the senior center for the breakfast and cleanup project. I asked if I could help with breakfast and so I was there early to start in wherever they wanted. Kye gave me egg duty. We had plenty of time before the 8:30am breakfast time, so most of us started in on breaking everything down for the summer.  We got most of it done, leaving the tables for breakfast. Then it was time for me to make scrambled eggs. We didn’t know how many we needed to feed, but I always cook for more than less, so we had plenty. They also had ham and hashbrowns as well as pancakes. They had tortillas so most of us enjoyed breakfast burritos. Everything was really tasty. Then it was time to go back to work. The Club members really showed up so it wasn’t too hard for any of us. Once we were done, I loaded up all of the unsold items from the auction in my car. We will store those to put out for the next yard sale. Once I got home and we unloaded them, we were done!  Yaay!  Next up was to let my interested buyer know that I would be home for the day. We had originally planned to go to meet up with Penny and Cherrelyn to have dinner and a drink for Lydia’s birthday, but I got a message that my buyer would be by today to take a look at the truckster. So, we put that on hold so I could possibly make the sale today. Turns out it took several hours for them to gather up a truck and trailer and drive down to meet up with me. But all was good and they made an offer that I gratefully accepted. I got my cash and helped them load it on the trailer and we were done! We’ll have to make our dinner another day. We watched tv until Cat couldn’t keep her eyes open so we called it a night and went to bed early.        

Monday, June 8^th., 2026…… Today we slept in. Before we got up, we got a call with terrible news. Vikki called to tell us that Corey was badly burned this morning. He vapes and while he was getting ready for work, the batteries in his pocket caught fire. It took some help to put out the flames. He was seriously burned on his thigh, knee and leg, as well as his hands which he used to remove the device from his pocket. They called the paramedics who transported him to the hospital in Salem. Vikki said they would be transporting him to the burn unit in Portland later this morning. Later, we walked and fed the girls and went to breakfast. It was raining today and is supposed to last for a day or two.  Later, we got an update from Vikki – it doesn’t look good. He will be needing skin grafts and will need to stay in the hospital for some time. He’s on high level pain meds as you can imagine how painful burns are. She sent pics but I am choosing only to publish one that is not too garish.

His mother is heading up this afternoon. We will give him some time to rest and will go up Wednesday. Later, we got an update. Not too much in the way of change. They have him on meds so he’s at least resting now. 

Tuesday, June 9^th., 2026……  Today, we have a scheduled in-home health assessment scheduled. They can’t give us an exact time so we have to hang around the house for the day. Vikki called to give us an update on Corey – not much in the way of change. He is awake and feels some pain but they still have him really sedated and it will continue that way for several days. Meanwhile, she has help with the four kids. She’s contacted his employer (Walmart) and says she is planning on continuing with negotiations on an offer for that house in Bly they are interested in.  A little after 5:00pm, our provider showed up. She is a third-party worked for our health insurance provider. She had our histories and we had signed up for each of us to go through the procedure, which each took about 45 minutes. It was time consuming and we can never understand the rationale for going over everything that our doctors already have, but hey, we will now each get a $100.00 gift card for doing this visit!    

Wednesday, June 10^th., 2026……  After walking and feeding the dogs and eating breakfast, we drove up to Portland to visit Corey. He is in the new burn ward at Legacy Emanuel Medical Center. We found it with only a few issues. But most important, we were able to get in to visit him!  He looked really good for all he has gone through! Of course, they have him on pain meds but they have taken him off the high dose ones. He was in pretty good spirits considering!  We stayed until he started to get tired, then left for the day.

Thursday, June 11^th., 2026…… My plan today was to get the mule loaded up to take to the DMV to get the title changed. It’s not street legal but the paperwork hasn’t changed for over two new owners. The guy I got it from got it from a corporation and the chain of title is confusing. I had gone in to the DMV last week but they said they need to verify the vin no so I have to put it on a trailer to take there. I used the mule to pull the flat-bed trailer out and hooked it up behind my truck. Then, I put the ramps down and drove the mule up on the trailer and tied it down. The whole visit to the DMV only took maybe 30 minutes and I was back home again to reverse the procedure. It was a lot of work, but worth it because we now will get a clear title.  I came in and rested a bit and ate lunch.  We have been talking with Penny and Cherrelyn to arrange a day and time for all of us to get together to have a toast to Lydia for her 75^th.  But, with everything going on, it wouldn’t be until tonight that we could all get together. We chose Sam’s Place for dinner and drinks. It was fun but also sad. We got back home and rested from the day.

Friday, June 12^th., 2026…… This morning, after walking and feeding the dogs and eating breakfast, I chose to cut out the evergreen shrub that is just off the front porch. It was there when we moved in and we thought it would look better as the years went by – but it has not done so well and it was time to remove it. I got my chain saw out and, in the mule, and went out and proceeded to shave off branches and made several trips to the burn pile with them. Cat came out and helped and we eventually got everything cut. The base turned out to be probably 11 inches wide! I ended up cutting it off flush just above the ground so Cat could put a potted plant on it later. It went well

 

                                                                          before (2018)

                                                                     present (2026)

and we got done before the temps heated up. It is supposed to get into the mid-90s today and high 90s tomorrow and for the next 3-4 days. We also found out later that Corey was going home! Vikki says the plan is for them to take dressings home so she can change them out. That will go on for 5-6 days and then they will see if he’s ready for skin grafts or not. She is happy because it is a drive up and back from Salem to Portland every day. They have a go fund me page going right now that we all have contributed to for gas and food since Corey will be out of work for some time. But at least he’s home and can be with his family! Later, Cat and Vikki talked and she said they will be coming down here tomorrow for dinner – if he’s up to it.

Later, we got showered and dressed for our night out. We are taking Mike and Cheryl to a show in Eugene tonight. We bought tickets for a show called Dueling Pianos, featuring Elton John vs Billy Joel. Mike and Cheryl got here in time for us to make it there and we got parked and seated and had drinks and dinner before the 6:00pm show. It was really a fun night!  The guys were very talented and even though it was just song after song (and they played all requests even if it wasn’t their songs), it was very entertaining for 2 hours. We left after 8:00pm and made it back home before it even got dark up here! It was a really fun night. Here are pics from my phone (Cat left hers at home!)…   

When we got home Cat had a message from Vikki that she was broken down on the freeway and needed help. Turns out she got money from her dad and got towed to a shop. They still expect the car to be fixed so they will be here tomorrow.

Saturday, June 13^th., 2026…… HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHERRELYN!!!  We have everything arranged for a lasagna dinner tonight that Cathye is making for Cherrelyn. Vikki and Corey and family are coming too since we owe Corey a birthday party as well. today. Ok, we knew that wouldn’t happen! She called later to say the car wouldn’t be ready and even though they had a loaner, it didn’t have ac so they wouldn’t drive it down to see us. So, we had plenty of lasagna for Penny, Cherrelyn, and us. The plan is for us to take it up tomorrow to visit them.  Anyway, we had a good visit and celebrated Cherrelyn’s birthday.      

Oregon Living 2026 – Blog #21 – A Lot Happening This Week!

  

Sunday, May 31^st., 2026……  Nothing until tonight when we go to our new beginner’s class graduation. We have decided to sell the Truckster. We moved it out in the sunlight and cleaned it up and staged it for pics for Facebook Marketplace.

I posted it for $1000. obo. Of course I will take way less. We’ll see if I get any bites. Meanwhile, we worked on pruning and cleaning up some of the trees on the property and used the mule to take them out to the burnpile.  Well, just the little ones around the yard and garden. We still have a couple of large trees out back on the other side of the creek (also our property) that are dead and have busted limbs or have fallen completely. Now I can work on those as well. Just not today. The rest of the day was spent lounging with me watching races and Cat watching her taped programs.  Later, we headed off to class graduation. We only had three students for this one-time spring class so we probably won’t be doing this again anytime soon. We had pizza and danced and they went through their graduation ceremonies, even though it was a poor turnout from the Club. But we all had fun!

Monday, June 1^st., 2026…… Great weather today!  Temps in the 80s!  Yaay!  After breakfast, we worked in the yard for most of the day, taking breaks every so often. We used the new torch I just got and burned weeds around the French drain and along the driveway cracks. We like the torch so much that I have already ordered another one just like it! We have a 5-gallon propane tank strapped to a hand truck and that works really nicely. I found another cart that will work even better for Cat and we have another propane tank all ready to go for the new one!   Later, I got a message with some interest in the Truckster. They would like to come tomorrow to look at it. Fingers crossed! I discovered that all of the lugnuts on the mule are really rusted! So much that I couldn’t get them loose!  I have sprayed wd40 rust loosener so I will have to wait until tomorrow to see if that helps.

Tuesday, June 2^nd., 2026……  The weather is nice today. Temps in the mid-70s. We had the girls walked and fed and had the rest of the day open. I went out and found a makeshift breaker bar and got all of the lug nuts loosened on the mule.  Oh, I have decided to name her.  So, from time to time, I will probably be referring to her as Molly (the Mule). Anyway, next step is to take the side-view mirrors that I have removed from the doors and mount them permanently on the mule’s frame.  I also mounted the new rearview mirror I had just got from Amazon.

Wednesday, June 3^rd., 2026……  Today the yard guy was coming. Cat called him and told him we would be leaving this morning so he arranged he come over a little earlier. They met and talked and settled on $350. as payment for the truckster damage. He paid us $50. cash and will take the rest out in work the next few weeks. We left because I had to go off to Corvallis to the oncologist for a test CT. Today they would run a test scan and use as a base for future treatments. I got three tattoo ‘dots’ on my hips and lower belly area. These are actual ink dots and will be the markers for the upcoming treatments. I have my first one on the 15^th and they said they will have the calendar ready for the next 5 ½ weeks (28 treatments). They asked if I had any preferences for times and I told them early mornings would be my first choice. So, we’ll see.      

Thursday, June 4^th., 2026…… First thing up this morning was to get the four gallons of strawberries out of the freezer to defrost for the dance on Saturday. Next up was to get the mowers out and gassed up for mowing today. It is supposed to rain tomorrow and we really need to mow. We decided to squeeze it in between the dogs and our massages, so Penny will come over and help when she gets out of her doctor’s appointment. We started out about 11:00am and bagged the yard. We were pretty much done before Sis showed up because we weren’t mowing the field this time. We got done and I cleaned up and had some time to rest before heading off to my massage. Cathye followed later. Next up was to feed the dogs, then head over to Rachel’s house to help decorate the parade float. We took the bike and a tub of macaroni salad, which we packed in the storage compartment with no issues. The project went well. I got asked to cook the chicken that Rachel had seasoned and pre heated. All I needed to do was throw them on the bbq for a few minutes to heat them up. All went well with dinner and decorating and we headed home just before dark.     

Friday, June 5^th., 2026…… HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARYANNE! I called her and we sang to her and talked for a bit. She said that she is still planning on coming up with Randy next month.  She says they are still planning on coming up together and will meet Steve and his wife at our house. The girls will stay (not sure how long) and then fly back home and the guys will stay longer and ride their mountain bikes at several locations on the way back. Later in the afternoon, we left to go help decorate the hall for our dances. We have one tonight and one tomorrow. This is also the weekend we bring out our experienced square dance clothes for sale. Plus, Kaynor holds her annual silent auction which starts tonight through tomorrow. Tonight, we also have our bake goods sale. It’s also a silent auction. I made two separate dishes of Death By Chocolate. One for the dinner and one for the sale. Anyway, we needed to set up tables for the sales and for our guests for dinner and the dance. Once we were done, we had time to come home and rest up a bit. Later, we went to the dance. As well as the dessert, we heated up bbq wings in the crockpot and took that. I think the dessert ended up selling for $17.  

Saturday, June 6^th., 2026…… This morning, we were up and going early. We walked and fed the girls and had breakfast and then we began getting dressed up for our parade. Then I got the bike out and we headed over to meet up with the float, which was in position. We took some pics

and then headed out. Oops, I couldn’t get the bike started and we missed getting in line!  Not sure yet what happened but after a minute or two, I got it started and we caught up before they got too far in front of us. The rest of the parade was fun. Even though it was forecast for rain, we managed to dodge that bullet and the crowds as well as the parade walkers and everyone on the floats – and us - stayed dry. We enjoyed the comments and cheers we received from the audience as we drove by in our greaser outfits!

It sprinkled at the very end but we got the float broken down and then we headed home and rested for the afternoon.  Later, we dressed and headed off to our biggest dance of the season. For this dance, the Club always hires a guest caller and we always get good attendance. We brought lasagna for the ‘Italian’ theme dinner. During the dance, both of us bid on a few things in the silent auction that we were interested in. I ended up winning a nice giant sized hard case rolling luggage bag for $27.00! It still had the plastic on the handles. This will be used on cruises. Cat already has one but mine is soft sided and I wanted to upgrade. Cat got some nice items for future gifts and for the house and rv.  Here are some pics form the night

After the dance, we came home and crashed from the long weekend. Tomorrow we will have to go back to the senior center to break everything down and store because we are dark for the summer. Also, I have volunteered to help cook breakfast for the workers. But more on that tomorrow….