Knees and Intestines and Concrete

Gene has finally found a helper..a wonderful young man who is going to college here in Las Vegas. He is polite, well-spoken (at least 3 languages), hard working and willing to put up with Gene...oops, I mean that in the best sense. He has worked with Gene this week breaking up a couple of large concrete slabs out front and it tired me out just watching them!! Gene picks him up at the university library after class on M-W-F and they work all afternoon. They started on Monday which was Labor Day - appropriately enough. Let's just say that having a sledge hammer or two and a jack hammer made the process easier but still really hard. Gene is recuperating today from his trip to the hospital last night so one of his buddies came and got the car and trailer and broken cement and took it to his house to use for building a wall. So we get rid of the concrete and Lee gets to recycle it for his yard.



Intestines - Last night we got to visit the ER at Alta Vista Hospital as Gene was having severe stomach pains and we thought that it might be a repeat of the obstructed bowel that he had twice before during his chemo a few years ago and also last summer during his trip to Ireland. So off we went to the ER - there was no blockage other than air and gas. Thank heavens he didn't have to endure the intubation again. They gave him some drug to help clear it and after stomach X-rays and blood work, sent him home. Poor guy...he managed to sleep all night with the help of a Tylenol PM and today is feeling better although exhausted. So that takes care of the Concrete and Intestines part of the title!! I know..could make a joke about the concrete settling in the intestines which caused the problem...etc etc.... I also can say that the doctor did not look like the one in the picture!!


Knees - mine! Went to an orthopedic specialist in Taos on Tuesday to see if they can figure out what is causing all the pain in my knees. Arthritis and a minor little bone spur or two. Not bad enough to operate but they gave me soft braces for my knees which Gene has altered a bit and told me to head to physical therapy and take Aleve and Tylenol. If they don't get better in a couple of months, we'll go back and see what else they can come up with. Offered to give me a cortisone shot but I declined. Don't want that except as a last resort. (Oh, that's for the hip).

Looking forward to seeing Dick and Judy Shaw next Thursday and Friday (friends from Seattle who are coming to visit). Get your reservations in.... our B&B is getting popular.

Weather has been gorgeous, as usual, some rain although nowhere near enough. Another of our neighbors had their well go dry yesterday - we've made the local newspaper, the Albuquerque Journal and even Channel 4 in Albuquerque with the news of our water problems. Doubt it'll do any good with the city but the county is being as helpful as they can be.