Oregon Living 2023 – Blog #12 – Selling and Delivering the 5th Wheel, Hot Tub Time!, & Getting my Procedure Done!

 

Sunday, March 19^th., 2023…… The rain came back today. We had the girls out and walked and fed and Cathye had already left for church before it started to rain. I have lights laying out on the deck and we moved them and some pillows in that were getting a little wet. We’ll have to keep on that because the winds tend to blow in the rain even under the deck’s roof! Nothing else going on today. Landscaper is booked. No rv showings today. So, we rested and I caught up on races and Cat watched some of her taped programs.  

Monday, March 20^th., 2023…… Rain showers are still in the forecast and the clouds are still hanging around. But we were able to get out with the girls and they had a good walk. They get us up in the morning. Once from me and once from Cat. It seems they have our numbers! But we love them anyway! We have two rv showings today. I have been very careful so as to not have someone drive a long distance if someone else is coming to look. Today a lady was heading to us from Lincoln City, which is a 95 mile drive. She said she had two appointments today in Corvallis (we’re guessing doctor’s appointments because of the facilities there) and that she would come by afterwards. Meanwhile, I had another request to come see it, this one from someone 3.3 miles away. So, I told her to come and if she was interested, she would have to wait until the other person got here and looked. Cathye was heading off for a day with her girlfriends so I was one my own.  She (Breee – yes with three e’s!) showed up and checked out everything. She really liked the rv! She made a $1700.00 cash offer (we were asking $2000.00), which I told her I would gladly take but as we had already told her, we would need to wait until the other lady checked it out. She left and we waited but as it got later in the day, we realized we got stood up! So, we contacted Breee and asked for a deposit which she said she would bring by tomorrow. We feel pretty good about this offer going through. Only hangup is that Breee needs to find someone who can move it for her. We will both be working on that. While all of this has been going on, I have been communicating with my cardiologist’s office in Corvallis. The instructions from my doctor said he wanted me on Eliquis for 3 weeks, then I would have the cardioversion (to shock the heart to hopefully get it back into normal rhythm).  Well, Friday will be 3 weeks and I haven’t heard from the scheduler. So, I was on the MyChart message board this morning which must have gotten through to them because I received a call within minutes setting up the procedure for this Thursday. She said they would need another ekg and were sending orders to the Lebanon hospital for me to come in anytime this week for. No time like the present – and since we were going to go out this morning to run some errands - we headed over there after seeing Jamie and dropping off a mattress pad Cat had ordered for him. After the ten minute visit and test at the hospital, we stopped by Walmart before heading for lunch and then home. We only needed to let the one guy, who was also local, know that we had an offer. He was also anxious to come see it. I went as far as texting him but he never responded so that never happened.           

Tuesday, March 21^st., 2023…… Nice weather today!  Temps today are supposed to get up into the 60s, which is normal for this time of year but surprised us because we have had  several extra weeks of rain and cold. We spent the morning working on cleaning up the deck. We moved the glider from the front porch to the deck but it needed some pressure washing, which we did. Breee showed up about mid-day and gave us a sizeable deposit – so it’s officially hers now! Boy, that feels good. We offered to post a request on The Buzz, a local Facebook page here, looking for someone who might have a truck capable and who might want to earn a few bucks for an hour’s work. We will wait and hopefully get someone soon. Also this morning, even with things going on, I got a call from Patty at L&R Windows that our part for the sliding door was in and could they could now to put it in?  Heck yeah! The guy showed up alone, so I had to help lift out the heavy door so we could install the replacement part.  It took about 30 minutes (and cost us a mere $95.) but it is 100% better and works just like new now!   Later in the afternoon, Cathye got a tuna casserole going and we had a nice dinner. Then it was tv time for a while, then it was time to hit the hot tub!  Boy, we have been waiting for this forever!  We spent over an hour out there, just relaxing and drinking Fireball and enjoying the evening and each other’s company before coming in and heading off to bed. The dogs didn’t know what to do while we were in the spa. It was funny because Jama was content to just hang around in the house on the bed where she could see us, but Rylee was out there watching our every move. I don’t think she has figured out that we are in a giant pool of the water she so craves! She would want in for sure. But that is a no-no so she’ll just have to learn that. It was a Good Day!   

Wednesday, March 22^nd., 2023…… Today was moving day!  For the 5^th wheel! When Cat posted that we were in search of someone with a truck capable of moving it, she got numerous responses. We sent them to Breee with the instruction that she could have it moved whenever she made the final payoff to us. She said she had a couple who could come today after she finished work. We suggested paying them around $50. to move it and they agreed. So, around 2:30 or so, a big newer Dodge truck pulls in and turns around and gets in position. We went out and I met them – Jack and Valerie – and he and I came up with a plan. Bree showed up a few minutes later and she and Cathye got the payment and receipts and paperwork all squared away. The major problem with Jack’s truck was that it was set up to tow their 40 ft. 5^th wheel and the receiver was way up high in the bed. So, we had to jack up our 5^th wheel a bunch just to line it up. But we made it.  Second problem was that the battery in the 5^th wheel was down and wouldn’t turn the jacks. So again, we had to figure that out. We used 2 auxiliary bottle jacks to lift up the old levelers and release them so we could tow. But that went smoothly, and in 45 minutes or so, we had everything hooked up and we were off. You can see how high the 5^th wheel rides on their truck as they were pulling out….

 

I had loaded up the wooden steps that we got when we bought the 5^th wheel plus added some tools and blocks in my truck and we all caravanned the 3.3 miles to Breee’s place. She only had about 26ft. to park this so some of it overhangs the sidewalk. But that’s not on us!  Jack knows how to tow and back an rv and did an excellent job!  Once we unloaded and leveled it we were out of there!  We stopped by Jack and Valerie’s house on the way home because we found out they sell eggs and we wanted to buy some and also see their place and their 5^th wheel. All very nice. We came home and ate dinner and went out to the hot tub for a bit before coming back in and watching The Masked Singer.  I drank water before bed. It was the last thing I can do before my procedure tomorrow.    

Thursday, March 23^rd., 2023…… Rain again this morning. But very light and not an issue. We left the house around 8:30am to go pick up Penny. She would be sitting with Cathye while I was in for my cardioversion. We drove to the cardiac procedure building/facility next to the hospital in Corvallis. I checked in and we waited for 20 minutes or so before they called me back. Cat and Penny came in with me. The nurses got me prepped and an iv line going, then the assistant to the doctor, and then the anesthesiologist came in to meet and greet, and then finally the surgeon, Dr. Lindberg, came in and talked to me. The prep time was twice as long as the procedure! I would get two pads - one on my chest and one on my back and they would sedate me with Propofol (same as you get for a colonoscopy) then give me a shock through the pads to get the heart back in sinus rhythm. Everything went as planned and after only one attempt, I was back in rhythm with no issues! They wheeled me back to the room where I woke up feeling fine. I was able to go home 30 minutes or so after that. We stopped by Arby’s for lunch and headed back to drop Penny off at her house. She would be coming right over to sit with me so Cathye could make her 2:30pm massage appointment.  When she got back home, Penny left, we had a light dinner, then watched Survivor which we had on tape. By then I was tired and we went off to bed. Thanks to everyone for the calls, texts and emails and Facebook posts before and after.

Friday, March 24^th., 2023…… HAPPY BIRTHDAY JANIE!!   I woke up this morning with some discomfort. I liken it to someone hitting me in the chest!  They said this is normal and it’s not hurting, just slightly uncomfortable. And, after getting up and moving around, I don’t feel it anymore. I honestly don’t feel too different. While we were out walking the dogs, I felt about the same. Maybe a little less winded but nothing significant. But that’s fine because I was ok before. And they said it would be some time before I might notice a difference. After we fed the girls, we called Janie to wish her a happy birthday and then headed off to Kristi’s for breakfast and had a nice meal. We got home and rested for a bit.  Today was cleaning day and Cathye got started on her tasks. She is amazing! I was told to take it easy for the next couple of days but I felt that pushing the small electric Shark vacuum around the house wouldn’t be too much work.  I ran the battery down and didn’t quite finish so I took a break. A little later, atter the battery was charged, it only took a few minutes and I was done for the day. I sat around the house and watched tv while Cathye went off to pick up a few things from Walmart.  I wanted to get up on the ladder on the deck and hang the patio lights but she said, “No!”  So, I was housebound. I did sneak out and clean up around the area where the 5^th wheel was parked. Don’t miss that thing at all!  I also went online and booked a room at the Marriott Bonvoy Hotel in San Francisco (wharf area). We are going down there next month for 5 nights to celebrate our anniversary. While I booked us in there, she was working on getting a room in Napa Valley for the night before, where we will enjoy a mud bath and massage. It will be a fun trip for sure!   Cathye made chicken breasts stuffed with cream cheese and spinach and baby potatoes.  Yummy!   Later, we hit the spa. We are happy to be in there and thankful the walk from the bedroom slider to the spa and back is short because it is still pretty chilly outside!  After we dried off, we relaxed in the house and watched tv until bedtime.

Saturday, March 25^th., 2023…… Weather is iffy today. But when we walked the girls this morning, the sun was out and we had to put our sunglasses on! We fed them and then loaded up her garden wagon in the back of the truck. We were heading off to Salem to hit the annual Home and Garden Show at the state fairgrounds. But we first had to stop to get our fix of the apple pancake at The Original Pancake House. They have a few of these in SoCal so some may recognize the name. We split the meal and enjoyed every bite! 

Then we drove to the fairgrounds, parked and went in. Cathye didn’t see anyone else with wagons so she left ours in the truck for now. The show was ok. There were a lot of exhibitors trying to pull you in to “sign up for our free giveaway!” but I know how to just keep walking and say no. Cathye learned quickly as well. But we did find some great exhibits and sellers that we were looking for! She got some starter plants and amendments and such and we found several landscapers who had wonderful presentations for patios that we really liked! 

We will be thinking about a fire pit in place of the planting beds in the photos above. It’s amazing that they can come in with raw material and set up exhibits like these inside on concrete! These were full scale with waterfalls and real brick, stone, mulch, rock, etc.!  We also found a vendor with beautiful charcuterie trays and tables hand made and reasonable. So, I bought this one for her, complete with indents on one side for serving flights of drinks!

She has been talking about finding one somewhere and we will be using it a lot I’m sure!  When we got back in the truck and were heading home, I got a call from my brother-in-law, Stan. I hadn’t heard from him in some time and was just thinking about calling him so it was nice to catch up. He’s doing ok, getting ready to fly up to Seattle in June to see his youngest son. He says he will be planning a trip up here after that. We got back home and unloaded and rested from our morning. The rains hit us on the way home but so far it’s still pretty dry here. I’m sure we will get hit again today. They are saying they we could get snow down to 500’ (we are at 340’), so we’ll see. But there is clear weather coming next week so that’s always good to hear!  While I was working on my blog, I got a call from Sandie, asking about my heart health. She was concerned. We had a nice talk. Sure would like them to come up and visit when they can get away. We had leftovers for dinner and relaxed and watched our individual taped programs for a bit, then joined up and watched a few more until it was time to call it a night. Oh, yeah, the rains did hit and came in pretty hard. Can’t see that far right now, but I’m sure there will be snow in the hills later this evening!