Tuesday, February 15, 2011

The Fallbrook House

Dave and I have been members at the Fallbrook YMCA since last October. We try to go two or three times to the Water Fit class, and have decided that when we get back from our Mexico trip we will be ready to try another class, or go off on our own to the weights, etc. I think I would like to have some sessions with a personal trainer.
Anyway, as we drive into the Fallbrook subdivision I always admire the homes. There is a lot of variety in the designs, and the way the subdivision is planned is also appealing to me. The houses have an alley behind them so the garages are in the back, reminiscent of the neighborhoods of my youth. Many of the homes have front porches as well as decks--I like a front porch.
Several weeks ago as we drove around after our workout we spotted a house with a For Sale sign--there are not very many of those in Fallbrook. One Sunday as we were driving back from Omaha and right by Fallbrook we decided to see if there was an open house still going on. Sure enough, we got in there just in time. As we were walking through the home I knew it was too big for us. Also, it is on a corner lot (more snow removal) and the master bedroom is on the second floor (probably should look for something all on one level!). But, it is a beautiful home. I was surprised to hear Dave making inquiries as to the price, taxes, age of the home, etc. He likes it too.
I can't stop thinking about that house. Impractical. We would have a lot to do before we could sell our house. But still . . .

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Back to the Library

It was time to return books to the library yesterday and there are two I meant to write about from the bunch I had at home. Now they are gone, but I will try (with a lot of help from Amazon.com to write about them.)
The first is The Happiness Project: Or, Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun by Gretchen Rubin. This is a carefully researched book--Rubin takes notes on everything she reads and eventually uses the notes in her books. She was not an unhappy person when she started the project, but definitely thought she could be happier. And, by the end of the year of making and keeping "happiness" resolutions, she is happier. She also has a blog where a lot of this material is available. I became a happier person because I read this book--and you could too!
The next book is The Survivor's Club: The Secrets and Science that could Save Your Life by Ben Sherwood. (Have you noticed that I read a lot of non-fiction?) According to Sherwood, two questions are central to this book. What does it really take to survive a catastrophic event and what kind of survivor are you? Lots of examples and stories of survival--really interesting and fascinating. One of the most interesting questions for me was why more people don't survive? The last section of the book will help you determine if you have what it takes to be a member of this club.
I recommend both of these books!
We are caring for our two grandsons while their parents are on vacation this week. They both picked out books to bring home. Sam is now reading chapter books, and Austin can read the beginning level readers. It is fun for me to see them reading.

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Skin Cancer

I have had a scare in this new year. Sometime in December I noticed a strange spot on my right shoulder, right where my shoulder goes from pointing straight out to where it changes into my arm. This spot resembled a pimple, or maybe a boil (but I am not sure what a boil looks like), or some type of infection. I attempted to squeeze it thinking it probably was a pimple and that it would 'pop' and then would heal and not bother me. It would not squeeze--it just hurt when I did that. Next I tried applying hot packs thinking this would 'bring it to a head'. This did not work either. My sister-in-law looked at it when she was here for Christmas and said I should have it looked at, sooner rather than later. Christmas and New Year intervened as well as a few other things to do and then I went to see my doctor on January 14, a Friday afternoon. She looked at it, said "It looks like skin cancer. Come back on Tuesday and we will take it off." That was kind of scary, and I thought her manner was a tad abrupt.
So I went back the next week and she removed the spot, which by this time had grown a bit. It required five stitches to close the wound, and when the deadening stuff wore off, it hurt a lot. Three days later I got the call from her nurse telling me it was squamous cell cancer, probably caused by sun damage. The good news was that it was not melanoma.
The stitched were removed after one week and sterile-strips plastered over the incision so it wouldn't open up again. Today is two weeks since the incision was made and the sterile-strips are gone, but my shoulder still hurts.
While I was having the sutures removed I asked Dr. Froehner to look at my nose which has a red spot on it. She  told me it as pre-cancerous and 'froze' it. I am waiting for the peeling to stop, but I think I will have to go back and have her do it again.
We are going to Mexico in 3 weeks and I think I will wear a hat, long sleeves and sit in the shade. Sigh , , ,