CARPAL TUNNEL SYNDROME

What’s the latest with Ken? He continues to recover from his left Hip Repair Surgery that was done last Halloween. Progress is good. But there is still the problem with the right knee that was scheduled to be replaced in mid-October. That scheduled surgery lost out to the hip repair surgery when his hip popped out of place. The knee is still a problem. What to do about it? Ken still has not made up his mind. He will make a decision about knee replacement surgery when we get back to Richmond in the Spring.

All of that took a back seat recently when Ken’s left wrist and hand became swollen and extremely painful, and a big lump appeared on his inner wrist. Before we left Richmond to come to Florida, Ken’s thumb had been bothering him so he saw a Hand Specialist. The doctor gave him a shot in his thumb and gave him a thumb and wrist brace. Ken dug out the brace and wore it for about week. It helped some, but the pain was still excruciating.

We had noticed there was a Hand Specialist in the office next to my hip doctor in Sebring. We called my doctor’s office and got the number for Diana Carr and set up an appointment to see her on Friday, February 13, as we were moving from TT Orlando to TT Peace River. She examined Ken’s hand and wrist, wiggled his thumb and poked the big knot – all of this to diagnose Ken’s problem as Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.

The knot was a Ganglion Cyst.









Dr. Carr arranged for Ken to have a Nerve Test on Monday morning, and if the test confirmed Carpal Tunnel, she would operate on his hand on Tuesday. She could remove the Ganglion Cyst at the same time. In the meantime, she prescribed an anti-inflammatory which worked like a miracle! The swelling went down, the knot disappeared, and most of the pain was gone.

The nerve tests confirmed Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Surgery was scheduled for Tuesday, February 17. Everything went like clock-work, and Ken is now recovering from Carpal Tunnel Surgery.

One funny note in all of this (well, maybe not so funny). When we first went to Dr. Carr’s office, they asked for our Florida address. We told them we were staying at Thousand Trails in Wauchula. Dr. Carr said that was where her morning patient who broke her wrist was staying. Ken asked, “Was she playing Pickleball?” “Yes, she was. She fell on the Pickleball court.” On Monday, when Ken went to see Dr. Carr following the nerve tests, Karen (that’s her name), was there. On Tuesday, when Ken went for surgery, Karen was in the next bed for the pre-op. When Ken went to see Dr. Carr to have the bandage removed on Wednesday, Karen was there. Ken presented Karen with a pickle pin right there in the doctor’s office!!! She was thrilled!!

UP A LAZY RIVER!!!

Today, Tuesday, a group of us went on a Canoe trip down the Peace River which runs through our campground. We all gathered at the ranger station for sign-up, etc. and a moment for pictures.

Stan, Sally, Ken, Faye, Pat, John, Dennis, and our Guide, Tom.

We car-pooled to a public boat ramp in Wauchula; launched the canoes and off we went! We left at about 11:25 AM, and arrived at our destination at the TT Peace River Canoe Ramp at about 2 PM. A great time was had by all!!!

At the launch: Ken, John, Stan, Pat,Sally, and another couple on the trip.

Good Friends, Pat and John.

Good Friends, Sally and Stan.

Faye and Ken.

Sally and Stan took a spill along the way! Sally blamed the incident on Pat because she started the splashing battle that caused Sally and Stan to capsize!!! Sally is playfully trying to dump Pat and John in revenge!!

After Sally and Stan had a shower (HA HA), we all went to the China Buffet for dinner. A great way to end the day!

Ken, Faye, Pat, John, Sally and Stan.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JANE!!

Friend Jane recently celebrated a birthday. For those who don’t know Jane, she is a Pickleball Player, of course. She also does line dancing with me. But her main claim to fame is that she takes people to look for fossils in the Peace River. They have found some amazing items.

Jane’s husband, Jim, and friends, Chris and Mark, planned a surprise get-together for her. Chris went shopping with Jane to get her away from the camp site while friends gathered. Chris and Mark brought a birthday cake, and Travis provided the ice cream. A great time was had by all!!

Stan's shoe sings, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JANE!!"

MARTI GETS THE BEST NEWS EVER!!!

Our very good friend, Marti (Marti and Norm), called a couple of weeks ago to tell us that she had recently discovered that she had breast cancer. She had undergone a surgical biopsy because of suspicious findings during her latest mammogram. The results of the biopsy were not good – there was evidence of breast cancer. But, Marti was cheerful and said things were not all bad. The doctors believed they had removed all of the cancerous cells during the biopsy, and because it was detected in the early stages, the prognosis was very good. Marti felt very optimistic.

Marti called us again today. She was elated!! A follow-up surgery revealed that all of the cancerous cells had been removed and everything was clean. There was no sign of the cancer. There is no need for chemotherapy or radiation treatment. We share in your excitement, Marti!!! And pray for you the very best.

Marti believes the good news in this case is primarily due to very early detection. She sends this message to all of her friends: GET YOUR MAMMOGRAMS!!

We love you, Marti!!!

A SURPRISE E-MAIL!!

We just received one of the nicest e-mails from our good friend, Judy Arnold. Thought I would share it with you:

Hi Teacher,
Thank You for being such a great teacher and got me hooked on this wonderful sport. I just love it. Steve [Franssen] and I took silver in the tournament out here in Palm Springs. But, we only had two other couples in our age group, but what a great day we had. Thank You again, Teach.

How are things out east there? Everyone here is asking about you two and wondering how you two are doing? We have seen a lot of old friends again, it sure has been nice to see them all again and even some that we seen out in Florida are out here. All say HI to you. Let me know if you get this picture O.K. Hugs to you both and hope all is well
. Judy and Brian

Thank you, Judy. Made us feel sooo good!! CONGRATULATIONS to you and Steve on your win at Palm Springs. Great picture!!! Great Medals!!!

ANOTHER GREAT FIND

Last Friday (Feb. 06) new friends, Barbara and Jerry, took us to Chevy’s in Ocoee, FL. They have fabulous $3 Margaritas and $3 Appetizers!! Ummmmmmmmmmm! They also showed us around the area of Ocoee – Shopping Mall, AMC Theatres ($5 Senior Day on Tuesdays), Wal-Mart, and Sam’s Club. We are replacing our HDTV in the front of the RV, so while at Sam’s we took a look at their 26” Vizio; found one we really liked. We had a great time with Barbara and Jerry, especially the $3 deal at Chevy’s!!

Today (Tuesday) we returned to Ocoee with our To Do List! We stopped first at Sam’s Club and purchased the Vizio HDTV, mount and HD cable!! Now all we have to do is figure out how to mount it!!! Next I stopped at Dillard’s for some makeup – they were out! It was now time to go to see “Benjamin Button” playing at AMC (Senior Day). It was a good movie, but weird!! So now, guess what time it is!! Happy Hour at Chevy’s!! $3 Margaritas and $3 Appertizers!! An action-packed afternoon!!
[

[Sorry, Barbara and Jerry, that we did not have the camera when you took us to Chevy’s.]

RIBS AT OAKWOOD SMOKEHOUSE AND GRILL

We like to go to Oakwood whenever we are at TT Orlando. We discovered last year that they have the best ribs (See Dec. 17 article). This time we went with Pickleball friends Al and Eddie, and Al’s mom Abby. Also joining us were Fay (without an e) and her friend, Carol. Ribs were G-R-E-A-T again!!! Thanks you guys for another awesome time out!!

SNOW IN RALEIGH, NC

January 20 - My Grandson, Thomas (Age 11), who lives in Raleigh, NC, sent me these snow pictures by e-mail. At first I thought, “What neat snow pictures.” Then, it dawned on me that these pictures were taken in Raleigh!! It just does not SNOW in RALEIGH!! Thanks, Thomas, for the wonderful pictures. They are beautiful!!




Chair and New Shed covered with Snow!

Little Cat Paws in the Snow.

And here he is -- Harley, who made the Little Cat Paws!

Pictures courtesy of Thomas.

KEN IS TEACHING PICKLEBALL AGAIN!

Ken has been helping out our good friend, Sally, while she and Stan are in Michigan. Sally has been teaching beginner Pickleball here at Peace River this winter. While she is gone, Ken has been teaching the game to anyone interested in learning.

Here he is with a group of novice players (not really beginners). He really enjoyed being back on the court again, even if he did not play himself.

After the lesson, we had a Pickle Pinning Ceremony for them. They were thrilled to receive the pickle pin. (Unfortunately, wemissed the picture.)

ROYAL LIPIZZAN STALLIONS OF AUSTRIA

January 15 –The Winter Training Headquarters of the Herrmann’s Royal Lipizzan Stallions is in Myakka City, FL, only about 45 miles from TT Peace River. Who would have guessed!! As a part of the training program, informal shows are staged frequently, open to the public. For a mere donation, not only can you see the show, but, you are welcome to visit the stables to get up really close and personal with these magnificent animals. You may remember the story of how the Royal Lipizzaners were rescued from Hostau, Czechoslovakia during WWII by General Patton’s troops as Russian forces were closing in. Now their offspring are here!!

Ken and I went to one of the shows last year and what a thrill it was. This year, Ken went with Stan and Sally to see one of their shows.

Ken said the original Herrmann had only daughters. Consequently, only girls trained and rode the horses. That tradition has continued. Males in the family can work around the horses, but do not train or ride them!! Interesting. Note, only female riders below.



The Lipizzaners are know throughout the world as the “dancing horses”. Here the famous Airs Above the Ground.



Lipizzaners with dark hair or mane have not yet matured. At maturity, the horses are pure white.

The current owner of the Royal Lipizzan Stallions. She is the granddaughter of the original Mr. Herrmann. The stallion performing the stunt is young (note the mane). The stallion on which she is mounted is over 30 years old!!

The Grand Finale!!

UTE, GUENTER AND EIKE

Many of you will remember Ute, Guenter and Eike from Germany and living in their motorhome. Ute developed a thriving business selling her painted silk strings. Eike was a tall drink of water and we all watched him develop as a teenager and Pickleball player. The family now lives in Carlsbad, CA, which is North County San Diego, 45 minutes away from TT Pio Pico or TT Wilderness.

Recently Ute asked me if I could use our Blog to extend an invitation from them to their traveling friends to please contact them when planning to be in that area. They would love to see you.

Following is a nice e-mail we received from them, commenting articles on our Blog.

Hi all our friends,
I wish we where there. We did not see Dawn and Carl for a long time and I cannot remember when we saw Travis, this was so nice to see him on your blog, please say hi and tell all a lot of greetings from us. We are doing very well here in San Diego North County and we love the weather. We hope to go up Northwest in July to see at least some of our travel friends. We are not going east for a while, that’s for sure. As long we have the business we will stay west. Eike is not traveling any longer with us, because he is busy with the college. He is doing really good. Please keep us posted.
Love and Happiness to all of you
Warmly
Ute, Guenter and Eike

Silk Painting is Fun
6965 El Camino Real Ste 105 #268
Carlsbad, CA 92009
Phone: 928 607 2765
Fax: 760 448 5765

Ute@silkpaintingisfun.com

[EDITED] GRANDSON, MICHAEL, NOMINATED TO 2009 GOVERNOR’S SCHOOL

I, Faye-with-an-e, must have a latent smart gene buried somewhere deep within! Who knew?? This smart gene recently manifested itself through my grandson, Michael, who was nominated by not one, but three, [OOPS. His mother reminded me, it was not three, but four!] of his high school teachers in three different subjects as a candidate to attend the 2009 North Carolina Governor’s School -- A school for the best and brightest upcoming high school seniors in the state!! The nomination is only the first step. The actual Selection Process involves essays, interviews, etc. Nominees must pass each step of the Selection Process before actually being accepted to attend the school. While the Selection Process has not been completed, Michael is still in the running!! We are SO PROUD!!

Michael is a terrific, well-rounded young man. He maintains an excellent points average and is among the top students in his class. He is a star player on both his high school and local league baseball teams, with aspirations of becoming an Atlanta Brave! Not only that -- this past summer, he won a Guitar Hero competition in his home town, Goldsboro, NC. Way to go!!

LOVE YOU, MICHAEL.

[Michael's mom said his dad always thought the smart genes came from him. Silly man!!!]