| 19 | Winter | 99 |
|---|---|---|
| 3610 KNOLL LN #117 | COLORADO SPRINGS, CO | 79066-0522 |
| Volume 9 | of the family, by the family, for the family | Issue 3 |
| 719 573 6651 | Happy Holidays 1999 | Happy Y2K | Merry Christmas News From Idaho | Colorado Springs | 2000 Cousins Reunion |
puzzler1@uswestmail.net |
Happy Holidays 1999I sincerely hope 1999 has been good for all and the new millennium will be better and filled with good and exciting things. So much has happened, healthwise to so many of us, that I, for one, am looking forward with an occasional backward look to keep me looking forward.I have learned not to make lists. I have so much to do after my lengthy illness along with a short memory, so I made a list (nearly two pages). I was doing great, checking things off with no small amount of pride as I completed them. The next morning, I awoke in excruciating pain in my chest. I knew it wasn't my heart, but I feared a blood clot. Bob called the cardiac group and was told to call 911 and go to the hospital. He decided to take me to the hospital himself, until I started vomiting and quickly changed his mind. He called 911. I had been off my anti-inflammatory medications for a while, partly due to the heart surgery, and the pain was costal chondritis (inflammation within the chest cavity), arthritis, whatever. I spent 7 hours on that hard ER bed with morphine and a grasshopper cocktail. Those things are nasty! Donagel, Maloxx and Lidocaine. A couple of days later, (a Tuesday) I began to work on my list again. My legs began swelling, and my wound that took so long to heal, (where the vein was removed to repair my heart) began draining once more. I washed it with liquid soap, rinsed it well, dried it with paper towels, Bob put betadine on it, letting that dry before applying antibiotic ointment and bandaging it. Later that day, Bob was redressing it for me and said he didn't like the looks of it. It had a red spot about two inches in diameter. He had an appointment to see the surgeon who repaired my heart the next day so I told him I would go with him. His appointment was cancelled because of an emergency surgery. I went on to my regular cardiac rehab class, and the therapist (who is from Bancroft, Id.) had a nurse look at it. The red spot had grown to about 6 inches in diameter. I happened to be allergic to the medication the doctor prescribed. It was after hours by the time I discovered that, so I didn't get a different prescription. I called them the next day, was seen by the doctor almost immediately with a hot, bright red leg (from foot to just below the knee). I spent two more days in the hospital and came home with a PICC line through which I could infuse antibiotics (Vancomycin in a neat little pressurized ball that I could slip in my pocket and forget about for awhile) at home. Fortunately, I had gone to the doctor early enough that it didn't require a "cut-down" and a clean out. He made a little prick, couldn't find any puss so left it alone. They told me I could do anything 1 wanted to do as long as I kept my leg elevated. It took one and a half hours to infuse the medication. Every time I bent my arm, it would stop. Everything I wanted to do required bending my arm or being on my feet. This PICC line is so small, the ball didn't have enough pressure to infuse it properly and they finally changed me over to a pump with a bag. Haven't had any problems since. The pharmacy called yesterday and said if all went well with my next blood work, they would pull the line Friday. That's the best Christmas present I can think of. With all that is going on, I lost my summer and now I've done nothing for Christmas. Since Roy plans to put the newsletter out on the 27th, I thought this would do instead of cards this year. Bob is doing really well after his carotid surgery. He came home the second day and everything healed and surprised him at how well he felt. They have him scheduled for a quadruple bypass January 11. I pray that it goes as well. He has the same heart surgeon as I did and she is wonderful. They also done a scan of his aortic aneurysm. It is in the kidney area, so I don't know if they can fix that at the same time. We've had no word on that. The dogs and cats are getting along rather well. We were adopted by a new kitty. He is so pretty. Siamese, but the dark areas on his head, legs and tail has tabby markings. He fell in love with Gretchen. Horrors!!! Nummy was insistent, so Gretchen now tolerates being pitty pattered then used as a pillow, as long as she is under the cover and that cat is on top of the cover. Marmaduke is an estimated 17 years old, tries not to act like it, but his tail is now the most vigorous part of him. Other than getting somewhat shaky and bothered by arthritis, he seems in good health and still takes care of Gretchen. Love and Happy Holidays to all, Monta & Bob Happy Y2KSharon is on semester break from her RN classes and is enjoying the time off. She's looking forward to visiting with her boys for the holidays. Louada is very thankful that her health problems only include arthritis, as opposed to so much that many others are dealing with. Her pecan crop this year is nil, thanks to hail, birds and squirrels.Cecil and I are enjoying the computer we got a few months ago. If you have e-mail, our address is cecilhart@prodigy.net. We look forward to flying to Oklahoma City to meet my nephews, Jason and Jeremy, as they will fly in from Kansas City right after we arrive. Then we will rent an SUV and drive to Altus. Cecil went to an all-day "success" seminar recently and heard General Colin Powell, Zig Ziglar, and several other speakers. He said it was very good and practical, so now he is extra motivated to sell manufactured homes. He sold his first house on December 4th; that commission check should arrive around the first part of 2000. There are several other possible deals waiting in the wings. He is off on Fridays and Sundays and has one 4-day weekend off every 2 months. He still drives a limousine occasionally in the evenings. He's scheduled to drive one on New Year's Eve. I told him to be extra careful after midnight, so that he can find his way around in the dark! :) As a "hearing clerk" at a branch of Social Security called "The Office of Hearings and Appeals" (OHA for short) my job is getting busier all the time. There once was 13 ladies working as hearing clerks-now there are 6 1/2 (one is part time) as of January 1, there will be 4 1/2 as two of them start new jobs. Although we do have more and faster computers now than years ago, we will still be very busy. I am taking leave from work the last two full weeks of the year, so I am going to enjoy the break while I can. Billy is now a black belt in karate, after beginning classes only a year and a half ago! He's a natural at it. He's in the college class a t church. They meet in a coffee shop, as that draws in more young people who might not want to be in a traditional church environment. Our gray tabby, Mellow, enjoys trying to help me on the computer. She sits next to the keyboard and occasionally reaches for the keys. Sometimes she follows the cursor with her eyes and paws at it. Happy Y2K! Merry ChristmasWe sincerely hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas. We had our Family Christmas the 18th with Richie and Judy as our hosts and hostess. There were several missing due to sickness, etc. We (Richie) cooked hamburgers on the grill and we had all the trimmings of a good old summertime cookout. It was really good. Judy was getting a pretty miserable cold but otherwise they are doing good.
Nancy and Randal went home from the Christmas party with Ben and Janna and left from there the next morning for Austin to spend Christmas week with Heather and Todd. Rhett will fly down there for the weekend. They are all fine. Jerry and family didn't get to come to the party as they were coming down with something. Lots of junk going around right now. They've been real busy though going to football games. Wheeler was in the running for quite a while for the state championship. I think it was the next to the last game they lost. We wish them better luck next year. I heard they had a really good team this year. Haven't heard anything from Amy or Randy so guess no news is good news. Thanksgiving, all our kids and grandkids were home at the same time which is a treat for us. We really enjoyed having them all sitting at the same table at one time. Tessa has move to Sayre. She is a guard at the prison there and really does like her job. Curt and I have the house to ourselves again and it sure is nice. I love my kids dearly but am glad they now have their own homes. The only bad thing, we have no one to blame the messes on! Ha! Herb had the chance for a promotion with Fed-Ex that was to good to pass up so they have moved to Tulsa. Herb moved about a month before Steph and Connor because of her job. They got down there the 17th. We are real happy about the move as they are now four hours closer. Their address is: Herb & Stephanie White Curt and I will meet our kids at Ben and Janna's the 26th for our Christmas. I am looking forward to that. Till next time, we wish each and everyone good health and happiness. HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! News From IdahoAll has been going well at our house until October 17 when T.J. had a heart attack. After local emergency treatment he was sent to the hospital in Idaho Falls and, after tests, sent to the University of Utah Hospital in Salt Lake City. More tests and consults by numerous physicians who recommended 3 bypasses and a left carotid arterectomy. Due to his frail condition it was opted to send him home with medications to keep him stable and to try to build up some strength and gain some weight and then to be re-checked in Salt Lake City by the heart surgeon and the vascular surgeon. T. J. is maintaining and has gained a little weight but is not much stronger.The rest of the family is fine. I am managing everything very well and glad I am able to do so. Barbara and Dennis are fine, busy all the time and enjoying the little grandson. Roger is doing well. He met us in Salt Lake City when T. J. was transferred there, then brought us home and stayed a couple of days. Our kids and grandkids are really there for us when we need them the most. Shannon, Kenneth and Little T. J. are all OK. Little T. J. was two years old on November 25th and he and Big T. J. celebrated their birthdays together on November 27th. It was fun being around an excited two year old. We will celebrate Christmas with Barbara, Dennis, Shannon, Kenneth and Little T. J. Roger and friends from Florida will once again spend Christmas week snowmobiling in Yellowstone Park. However, they will be with us on Sunday, December 19th and again after Christmas. Wishing everyone a Happy Holiday Season. Virginia Patterson Colorado SpringsThere are many places to visit here in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Palmer Park, the US Olympic Complex and the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame among others are right here in the Springs. Seven Falls, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo and Garden of the Gods to name a few are just minutes away. Cave of the Winds, Cripple Creek and The Royal Gorge are among places you can visit that are less than an hour away.Palmer Park, as you may have read in previous articles, is our favorite place to visit. Along with the fresh air and scenic overlooks, we get a bit of exercise. Marian and I once spotted a hawk that at first appeared lame but later realized he had a little varmit in its clutches and didn't want any of the other birds around him to take it away from him. We recently visited the US Olympic Complex which is a training facility for many athletes who want to increase their red corpuscles (oxygen carrying blood cells) so they can be more competitive in events that are at lower altitude. This facility also has a gift shop as do most of the places you can visit. Garden of the Gods is similar to Palmer Park with the exception of the Sandstone that has been upended (turned on its side). This place is also great for walking and biking exercise. Although we haven't actually visited Cripple Creek, it does draw a crowd where people can try their skills at gambling. If you make it up that way, you won't want to miss the Florescent Fossil Beds National Monument just minutes out of the way. The Royal Gorge features one of the highest suspension bridges (1,053 feet above the river). It gives you a feel of being in an airplane, only open to the elements. If you get a chance to visit Cave of the Winds, you might also want to see the Laser Light show they display each evening after sundown. All of these places provide pamphlets to help you get the most out of the respective places you may want to visit. Your Family Scribe, 2000 Cousins ReunionWe were unable to obtain the Reunion Room at the Fair Park in Childress the first two weeks in May so we have set the reunion for May 21st, 2000.We will send out a followup letter in the early spring. Warmest thoughts and best wishes for a Happy Holiday and prosperous New Year "2000". Love Bill & Mary Watts |
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