Oregon Living 2026 – Blog #19 – Selling a Classic, More Surgery, New Phones, and Yard Work

 

Sunday, May 17^th., 2026……  After we got up and showered, Cat walked and fed the girls while I headed off to get us breakfast and coffees. After that, we got the Bolens out of the garage and Cat worked on wiping it down. This was a labor of love and I left her alone. She and Jim worked on this 1957 classic mini tractor years ago, restoring it to better than new. It means a lot to her. But it’s been sitting in the garage, getting dusty and Mike said he will be using it on his place and at the Blueberry farm, maybe pulling kids around. So, that makes Cat happy that it’s going to a good home!  Later, we loaded it in the back of my truck to take over to them sometime this week. I spent the rest of the day working on my blog, watching my taped Preakness, and Nascar races, plus the recent Mecum auction in Indianapolis. Later, we headed over to class. It was the next to last class for this group. We only had 5-6 that stayed through and will graduate next week. But I think they will all join our growing Club!  Pizza afterwards then home to watch some tv and then we hit the spa before bed.  

Monday, May 18^th., 2026…… We were up and going slowly this morning. We got the dogs walked and fed then went to breakfast, skipping the gym this morning. Bad on us!  We stopped at Walmart and also BiMart to pick up some flowers and soil amendments. We also stopped at Wilco for dog food for Rylee. Later, we took the Bolens over to Mike and Cheryl's

Earlier, she told Cat that Mike wants to put it on their back porch by the bedroom so he can look at it!  She said he probably want rather have it inside their bedroom.  SO - that's what we did when we unloaded it. He was out in the field and didn't see anything. We pushed it inside and closed the doors. He was sure shocked to see it inside his bedroom.... 

We both worked around the house and yard today. The plan is to mow later in the week if we can dodge the rain. Later, we ate dinner. After that, I wasn’t allowed any more food until after my procedure tomorrow morning. I had already received my call to report to the hospital at 7:30am tomorrow. As directed, I have stopped my meds for this surgery. More on this tomorrow.  

Tuesday, May 19^th., 2026…… I was up and going early this morning. I had to shower using the antibiotic soap plus do an enema for today’s procedure. We left and got checked in and I was prepped and ready to go. They took me in around 9:20 and I was back in my room at 10:00. Today’s surgery was to implant markers to line up on when they start the upcoming radiation treatments. They also put in a blocker to protect the other areas when they do this. It was invasive but I was still given an anesthesia, similar to a colonoscopy. Once I woke up and had a few minutes to recover and have a drink and a muffin, I was good to go. Remember, after the last procedure, I had complications with tons of bleeding. Of course they went in another path. This one was rectal. So far, no bleeding or uncomfortableness. We’ll see as the day goes by. Cat drove us back home and I was told to rest for the day. But I did feel good enough to get a Facebook marketplace conversation going with a guy up in Damascus (southeast of Portland). I set up a time tomorrow to go look at his side by side. I also found out this morning that my phone no longer supports my banking app, so I now know it’s time to upgrade!  I have been looking and know what I want. Cat needs to think about it too because she has the same app issue as well.     

Wednesday, May 20^th., 2026……  I am feeling really good. No issues and no realization that I even had anything done! They checked up on me later in the day but I was able to tell them I was good. So, after getting dressed, I headed out to make my 10:00am meeting with Sam to see his side by sides. I stopped for coffee and breakfast sandwiches and drove up. It was about 90 miles and I found his place with no issues. He is a reseller of 3 2019 Kawasaki Mules. They came to him from a farm where they were primarily used to shuttle workers to the fields. Other than color, each of these are pretty much identical. They have a second seat, which can fold up to increase the bed size. They are also enclosed, which I like, but I would probably remove the doors for ease of operation here. He has sold one so I had a choice of the others. I did drive both of them and other than hours on them, they are virtually identical in condition and equipment. Of course, I had to tell him I wouldn’t be able to buy today and he understood. I will get back to him after I get funds together. 

While I was out, Cat was staying home because the housekeeper and the gardener were both coming. Since I had time, on the way home, I stopped at the Verizon store in Albany (this store is a hub) to buy at least my new cell phone. The guy helped me and I was good to go. But I wanted to also get Cathye’s phone if I could. We ended up getting her to come over (thanks to Penny for the ride!) and she picked out her phone. They transferred all the data in store for both phones and we were good to go! I had chosen the Samsung S26 Ultra because I wanted the stylus for my notes. Cat didn’t concern herself with that and chose the Galaxy Pixel. When we got back home, I spent the rest of the day playing with my phone, getting things transitioned over. Most all of my apps had passwords involved so it took some time to open and re-establish everything to get going again. I am pretty patient but it was a long process! Cathye was not in the mood and said later that she really didn’t like the operating system the Pixel has. She would spend the next day working through all the nuances and we’ll see how that goes. Later, we fed the girls and then headed to our Club meeting. We did get a rousing thank you from the group after our turn came up to report out on our recent yard sale. The treasurer said we have never had any one-time income that was in comparison to what we brought in! I guess we are now going to be doing this annually at our place! Later, we relaxed at home and watched tv and then went to bed.     

Thursday, May 21^st., 2026…… Today would be a busy one! And yet we managed to sleep in again today!  First thing up was breakfast at Kristi’s. We had to hurry because we needed to be at Dianna’s for our haircuts at 10:00am. We made that and we were good to go. When we got back home, we rested for a few minutes before taking the girls in for their grooming appointment. No worries, we were on schedule so far!  Later, after picking them up, I was able to get ready for my Oncology telecon. I met with Christina, who explained next steps in my prostate treatment process. My first visit they will do a test to make sure the markers and spaceor they just put in are in the right place and will work when they start the radiation. I have a list now of what to do prior to that Jun 3^rd. office visit.  

Friday, May 22^nd., 2026…… Today we only had Cathye’s luncheon. Last night I couldn’t sleep thinking about Cat’s issues with her new phone. I was determined to make this work for her, so this morning I took her phone (and gave her mine) and went off to Verizon again. They were so nice and allowed me to return her old phone. We changed it out for a Samsung 26+, which is pretty close to mine without the stylus. They transferred the data and I was on my way. When we got together at home later, I made sure it was the one she wanted (yes, it was perfect!) so I ordered her the cell phone case that she had picked out. All was good.

Saturday, May 23^rd., 2026…… Nothing on the agenda today. We were up and going and walked and fed the dogs and ate breakfast. Cat went out to work in the yard. We are still having issues with the gardener, who, this last time, just sent his worker, who didn't speak English and really didn’t understand what he was supposed to do. I’m not sure how long we will be sticking with him. Today, Cat worked on some special areas, spraying weed killer.  I also had to work on the sprinkler heads, some of which were broken from last year. We went shopping later and I got two new heads for the lawn sprinklers. I got them installed and will try them out later to make sure they are adjusted correctly. I also needed to take the battery out of the Spyder. I had tried starting it the other day and, when that failed, I had to put it on the charger. I did that yesterday and checked it this morning. Nothing. It was pretty easy to disconnect and get out. Napa didn’t have one but they would order it delivered from the Albany store and would call me when it comes in later today. I went and picked it up later and Cat held the light so I could see to get it put back in. That went easily as well and it started right up!  I think we were about done for the day so we decided to take the bike out for a drive. We went to the Fish Shack and had a nice picnic bench meal. If you look closely, you can see we managed to get our selfie with the bike in the background…

After we got back and got the bike put away, we settled in for the rest of the evening. I texted Randy to see if he was affected by the toxic tank situation in Garden Grove. They had an evacuation order in place and Randy texted back that he was one street away from the zone. They are good for now!   

Oregon Living 2026 – Blog #18 – A Busy Week!

 

Sunday, May 10^th., 2026……  HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!!!  We have set up a day for Cat here at the house. Nothing fancy, just steak bbq, with just Penny and Cherrelyn coming. I got the grill ready and that was about it for me. Paul brought our tables back and visited for a while. He brought us up to speed on the kids next door. Remember, they lost their dad back in November, and are barely 18 and 19 each, and living in the house. No supervision and boyfriends living there too, so we know where this is going. We didn’t know it, but the police were called out on Friday night. He and Cori are closer to the kids than we are so they know what’s happening and shared with us.  Later, Penny and Cherrelyn got here and we visited and drank champagne (thanks Cherrelyn!) and I grilled the steaks. We had scalloped potatoes and Penny made a salad and we had a nice quiet day. Her kids all called her earlier and she also got cards so that was good too!  I have a trip in the planning for us. Just can’t do it now with all my dr visits and procedures. But we’ll get there!  Later, tv and spa and bed.  

Monday, May 11^th., 2026…… I let Cat sleep and walked the dogs and then headed off to the gym by myself. She was up and had them fed when I got back. I spent the morning watching my races and working on the blog while she watched The Devil Wears Prada (no.1) which I had taped for her.  Now she’s caught up so we can go to the show to see the new one.  I also called a guy I met at our yard sale last weekend. He owns a Toyota-specific repair shop in Scio, and I liked him immediately, so I called him today to set up an appointment to get the leaky valve cover gasket replaced on my truck. Will be dropping it off in the next few days.

Tuesday, May 12^th., 2026…… The weather is really nice these days. But we still have storms coming in now and then so we never know until the same week what to expect. But when the sun is out, it’s in the mid-70s and very nice!  All of the flowers are in bloom and Cat takes good care of pruning them when needed.

 

She has ideas of transplanting portions of some of the nicer plants to some of the bare areas you see in the pics to fill in, but she hasn’t got to that yet. Here’s a pic of one that one of our square dance friends gave her a few years ago. 

It sure looks pretty and has done well planted here.

Since we didn’t have anything on the agenda today, I decided to take the truck in to Zack. Cathye followed me there and after we dropped it off, we headed over to Arby’s for lunch on the way back. Once we were back, we were in for the day.

I was asked for an update on me… I am still having issues after the last procedure (5/5). No more bleeding or anything, just pain when urinating. But each day it feels slightly better. Of course, I am still slamming a lot of water because that really helps flush things. But I find that I am always trying to stay close to a restroom!  I go in next week for a small surgery to implant markers and a thing called a spaceor. Those are required prior to starting up the radiation. I have a consult and then a physical test to verify the markers are correct, and then I will get put on a schedule for 8-minute treatments once-a day for 5 ½ weeks. Of course, we are not scheduling much because I have to work around these daily trips to Corvallis, whenever they start! But, aside from the issue I mentioned, I am doing well.   

Wednesday, May 13^th., 2026……  We were up and going and had the girls walked and fed, then headed out to the gym and then to Kristi’s for breakfast. Both of us had prescriptions ready at the pharmacy so we headed over and got those. We stayed around the house for most of the day. I have been searching Facebook Marketplace looking for a new side by side. I have found several but haven’t decided yet which ones I would want. I did get a text later in the day saying the truck was done so we headed off to pick it up. Cat went off on her own and did some shopping while I diverted on the way home and went up to Stayton to Power Motorsports to check out their used side by sides. They only have a couple that I’m interested in. You can get them set up for off road/sand (not what I am wanting)....

or they can be more industrial for farm work (which is what I want). These are some I am looking at…

Thursday, May 14^th., 2026…… Today was burn day!  Cathye checked (on the local burn hotline number) to see if it was indeed a burn day and we were good to go. We had diesel and we used 3 of the presto logs that we had bought yesterday. That really helps keep things going if you place them deep in the pile in various places. I spread almost 5 gallons of diesel on the pile and we got going. It took pretty easily but because the gardeners had dumped the weeds that were mixed with mulch, that made it pretty thick and heavy so the burn would be slow and hot for a long time. Cathye moved some of it around and that helped. She sure enjoys a good fire!

She brought out a chair and sat out there on her phone, keeping an eye on everything. I had already strung together 300 feet of water hose to run out there just in case, so we were good to just let it burn all day. Turns out it would still be burning on Saturday until we got some rain to stop it!

Friday, May 15^th., 2026…… Since we burned yesterday and we only would have a few days before the rains were coming, we decided to mow today. I had to run out and fill 4  5-gallon jugs of non-ethanol because we were about out.  I got the mowers topped off and, along with Penny, we got it done. The only problem I had was that my side of the yard (west of the driveway, had the sprinklers on last night so it was soggier than I wanted. I struggled through and tore up the grass a bit in the extremely wet spots, but I got through ok. We drove out to the burn pile and used the water hose to rinse off the mowers, and we were done!  

Saturday, May 16^th., 2026…… We had an easy day so far. Walked and fed the dogs and then worked around the yard a bit. Since we had some rain last night, the fire is now pretty much out. Cat did go out and look and she says it’s still pretty warm underneath so it’s smoldering still. But later it would rain a lot so we’ll have to check it out tomorrow. Later, Heather and Charley came by on their trip down from Seattle to see Heather’s dad. She is teaching Cathye to crochet so they spent the afternoon working on that.

Later, we headed off to our Club dance. While we were there, Cat made a deal with Mike to buy her Bolens tractor.

 

He had been interested since seeing it while he was here for our yard sale. Well, since he won big at the casino last week, he decided he could afford it!  I’ll have to get it out of the rv garage so Cat can clean it up.  We will load it in my truck and deliver it next week.  Later, when we got back, we watched some tv a bit before calling it a night.

Oregon Living 2026 – Blog #17 – Another Surgery for Me (With Issues) & More Yard Work

 

 

Sunday, May 3^rd., 2026……  I always enjoy Sundays because we usually don’t put anything on the agenda for then. Today though, we needed to mow!  The grass (and everything else in the garden) has taken off!  Again, we can’t bag because the lawn it is so thick and tall!  After walking the dogs and me getting breakfast, Cat took off to go to church. A bit later, I got out the mowers and got them gassed up. Penny would be coming over later to help. I started in just before Cat turned down the driveway from church and we were off and running! Later, Penny came and joined in. We had no issues and got everything done in short time and we were done for the day.

We both came in and watched tv for the rest of the day. Later, we headed off to class. Last week at the yard sale, one of our Club members saw the dish set that Lydia and I used to have and had out for the sale. They are in a small house and didn't have room for all of it.  It ended up not selling, so Cathye had saved one place setting for Marlena and we gave that to her tonight at class. She was overwhelmed. It was the same set her mom had and she was emotional when Cat gave it to her! So sweet!  After class, we went off to Pizza Hut for the afterparty. Then home and bed.

Monday, May 4^th., 2026…… This morning, I was up and going early. I had labs but only urine today for my upcoming (on the 19^th) procedure. More on that in the weeks to come…

When I got back, we left again to go to Kevin’s for breakfast. We spent the rest of day around the house. Cat has her guys coming Wednesday to start on the weeding. I worked in the shop for a few minutes. Just cleanup – no projects today. Rachel came by and got her tables. She didn’t get them all back because we had a miscommunication! She brought two white folding tables and two black 2x4 tables. One of those was brand new in a box. Turns out it got mistaken as a for-sale item and got priced and later sold. After the sale, when I was putting my tables back in the rv, I took the black one and stowed it, thinking it was mine. Anyway, when I told Rachel, she took the one unsold round table that was actually in the sale! That was in trade so no worries! Only one more table to go!     

Tuesday, May 5^th., 2026…… Today was my bladder resection. The doctor wanted to go back in and double check that he got all of the cancer the first time. We made it by 6:00am for check-in. I was done and we were out of there and home before 10:00am!  I settled in and did ok for most of the day. The good news was that I didn’t have to have a catheter this time!  Yaay! The bad news was that, later, I started to feel chest pains. My concerns were pretty low so I just rested for the day. But about 7:30pm, I checked my blood pressure and found it was really high!  So, we headed off to the er.  I was taken back to a bed pretty quickly and they did all of the tests. Everything came back pretty much ok. I was dehydrated and stressed from the procedure and went into tachycardia. The doctor said that I needed to hydrate (which I have already started) and monitor for symptoms and if found, get an appointment again with my cardiologist.  We were back home and in bed by 10:30.    

Wednesday, May 6^th., 2026……  Feeling fine today. No issues (so far). We walked the dogs and just as we came in, Cathye’s guys showed up. They had said 9:00am and they were on time!  Yaay!  When they had talked before, Cat said they could use the truckster to haul weeds back to the burnpile. So, I had to go out and show them how to drive it – remember it has no brakes! We both left them for the day, checking on them from time to time. Cat was impressed and said they were efficient so far. I went out later and talked with them (although it was limited English). No worries so far.  Meanwhile, Cat worked in her she-shed and I cleaned up my shop. Later, they came to the door to tell us they wouldn’t be able to finish today!  Duuh!  So, they arranged to come back tomorrow to get it all done. 

Thursday, May 7^th., 2026…… Today was massages for us. The guys showed up at noon and went to work, cleaning up everything. The boss came up and told me the truckster was broken. I went out and started it but couldn’t get it in gear! When they used it yesterday it was fine but I think they messed with the levers and the linkage is now broken. I will have to get on that because we use that thing a lot in the spring and summer months! Later, Cat went off to her massage then I followed later. While she was gone, my urologist called to tell me that the bladder (resection) procedure on Tuesday showed no more cancer. He wants to put me on the schedule for 3 months out to start the next process (a cystoscopy) to go in with a scope and re-check the bladder. Because I will be going through the 5 ½ week radiation for the prostate coming up soon, he says that might be too much stress to do all at once and he’s confident we can wait until August. They will call later for a date.

Our neighbors are having their yard sale today and tomorrow. They had asked for tables so I took over 5 and unloaded them. Later, we went out with the mowers with the baggers attached and scooped up all of the dried out cut grass that was stacked up on the lawn from the last mowing. It was dry now so it went pretty quickly and we were back in the house in less than 45 minutes resting for the day. Later, I made spaghetti for dinner and then we relaxed and caught up on some season finales of our taped shows.

Friday, May 8^th., 2026…… Nothing on the agenda today. But something has changed for me. On Wednesday evening, I had resumed my normal blood thinner (Eliquis) regiment because I had no bleeding whatsoever and thought it would be ok. Not!  This morning, I noticed I was passing blood in my urine and it wasn’t getting any better throughout the day.  I immediately stopped the medication. But it would take several days for this clotting to start again. In the meantime, I was watching for any indication that I was in trouble. We stayed close to the house and I stayed close to the bathroom!  But no further worries!

Saturday, May 9^th., 2026…… Today was nice weather. We walked and fed the dogs and then we were planning on heading out to Costco because Cat had a 9:00am appointment to pick up her new hearing aids, while I went off and filled our shopping list. I did make one pit stop while there but felt fine for the most part. As I was shopping, she called to ask where I was and wanted to find me in the store. Turns out her appointment wasn’t until 4:45 this afternoon! So, she will have to go back.  We finished up and came home. I rested for the day and took it easy.  Later, she went back and got her new hearing aids.

She brought back street tacos for dinner. I wasn’t feeling like going out to our visitation tonight, so stayed home and relaxed and watched tv until bedtime. Cat was really impressed with all the sounds around the house now! She heard the dryer running from the living room!  I actually had the tv where it was actually comfortable for both of us now!  Her instructions were to wear them 6-10 hours a day, gradually longer to get used to them. We go back next Saturday for a check.    

Oregon Living 2026 – Blog #16 – A Relaxing Trip, More Dr. Appointments and More Yard Work

 

Sunday, April 26^th., 2026……  We slept in this morning. It was so nice!  Later, after walking and feeding the girls, I went out and worked a bit on straightening up the rv garage. Cathye joined me and we got the items all up on the shelves and the tables stacked. Most of the owners will be back this week to pick them up. Once the garage was clean and ready, I could move the motorhome back in.  We did that and we were done for the day!  

Monday, April 27^th., 2026…… Well, we found out we were lucky with the weather most of the yard sale, because today is overcast and cold!  We slept in because we only need to walk and feed the dogs before going off to breakfast. We skipped the gym because we needed to get back home before 10:00am when Mike and Cheryl will be here. They are picking up Cathye for a three-day trip to the casino!  She needs to get away and enjoy herself after our last few weeks! I will stay here and tend to the pups and work with a new landscaper, who will be here this week pulling weeds. I also have folks picking up their tables from the yard sale plus someone is coming later today to pick up the fuel tank we sold at the sale. Ok, it’s later now, No one has shown up to pick up anything but the lady got here to pull weeds. She went to work quickly and got a good-sized area completed in the time she was here. 

I made arrangements for her to come back again on Friday to continue. Later, I had dinner and watched tv for the evening. Cat called later to check in. She said she is enjoying her casino time!

Tuesday, April 28^th., 2026…… I was up and going super early because I had a 7:00am appointment with my pcp this morning. It was only for lab results. They were fine so I was out of there in no time. I stopped and got coffee and breakfast and came back home. The rest of the day was pretty laid back. I spent some time working on cleaning up the yard sale signs and putting them away. I sorted the tables that were donated and loaded up Grace’s two to take back to her while I was out. Nothing else going on for the day. I would find out later that it would be later in the week for the tables and Saturday for the tank pickup.

Wednesday, April 29^th., 2026……  Absolutely nothing on the agenda today!  So, that’s not good for me because I went on Amazon and ordered stuff! I ordered a Dewalt battery charger, a silicone strip to seal the shower door, and new batteries. Yeah, too much idle time! Later, Cat got back. She was tired from her trip and we just hung around the house for the evening.   

Thursday, April 30^th., 2026…… HAPPY BIRTHDAT MICHAEL and HAPPY ANNIVERSARY MICHAEL AND CRYSTA!!   This morning, we were up and walked and fed the dogs. Rylee has a visit with the vet. This was her 8-week checkup. They took x-rays and determined that everything was looking good. The doctor gave her the ok to become a dog again! Of course, he doesn’t know she had been off-leash for several weeks already! He was also glad that she’s lost some weight!  She was down 5 lbs. and weighs 87.5 lbs. now. After we left, we went back home and dropped her off and then headed back to Kristi’s for breakfast. The rest of the day was spent at home. In the next few days, our guy will be coming to pick up the bartop for refinishing. I hope he brings help! 

Friday, May 1^st., 2026…… Our weed-puller is due here today. Steven is also coming to pick up his tables from the yard sale. Cathye is packing up a box of t-shirts that she is sending to her sister to make into a quilt for her. She left to go to the post office while I headed over to Penny’s to do some work she has on her list. Our person texted Cat saying she couldn’t come today. Ironically, Cat has yet another landscaper coming this afternoon to give us a bid. This guy is licensed and bonded so we will be paying for that, I’m sure!  Ok, it’s later now. Her guy did come and gave her a bid to get all of the work done (in 1 day!). As I imagined, it was pretty high! But she booked him for next week. Oh well, at least we will get it all done at once!

Saturday, May 2^nd., 2026…… Today is the Kentucky Derby. I had it taped so I could fast forward through the first 3 ½ hours as needed, but ended up just watching it throughout the whole thing!  It was about an exciting race as they could have!  Wow!  Cat worked on the yard a bit. She has her raised bed cleaned out and so today she planted tomato plants in there. 

We still have berries from last year and, sorry, I don’t know what else. Tonight was our Club dance. It’s a Cinco de Mayo party night so we have signed up for cheese for the taco bar. Cat already had some already and we grabbed that. Later when we left to go, we stopped by Toni’s to pick up her ground meat (actually tofu!) crock pot. Mo’s out of town and she wasn’t able to go because she had gotten sick while driving on her recent trip to and from Montana. The dance was pretty well attended and we danced a few tips. We left early because we were both tired. Back home, we settled in and watched tv until bedtime.