Monsoon Time in Pahrump

 Hi there, glad to see you back. Our last chapter concluded on Friday, July 29^th, with us still parked on our lot at the Escapee's RV park in Pahrump, Nevada. Saturday we went out after lunch to run a few errands after which we went back to the coach and relaxed. We went to the 4:00 happy hour at the clubhouse and then home for dinner. After dinner we watched TV until bedtime.

Sunday I had plans to do some work outside on the air conditioner project, however about lunch time it started raining and it rained, on and off hard rain, all day. It didn't clear up until about 6:00, just in time for me to be able to cook some nice t-bones on the BBQ. After dinner we watched TV and then went to bed. Monday we went out after lunch to do a Walmart run. Before we went to the store we stopped at the Nugget Casino for some gaming time. Both lost about $40 but had fun. After shopping we returned home and spent the rest of the day inside. We did go to happy hour at the Clubhouse. Jackie made chili relleno casserole for dinner and it was good. Spent the rest of the evening with the TV.

Tuesday, August 2^nd, I had to take a quick trip in the morning to the Pahrump office of the Ophthalmologist I am seeing to have them take some pictures of my eyes. I am trying to get approval for eyelid surgery to open up my eyes a little and they had called and said the insurance wanted some pictures of my eyes to go with the test results the doctor sent them. After that I headed back to the coach and we stayed in for the rest of the day. Jackie was feeling a little down today because her intermittent cough isn't getting better and she is still having trouble sleeping. I did go to happy hour in the clubhouse after which we had leftovers for dinner. I also had security duty this evening for an hour, but we spent most of the night with the TV. Wednesday was a stay at home day. Jackie went to play Pokeno at 1:00. My friend Len came over to help me lift the new air conditioner into the housing I installed in the wall of the shed. I plugged it in and it worked! Yea! Now I just have to get the materials to do the finish trim on the inside and caulk the outside and that project will be done. I also spent some time cleaning up and rearranging the shed and covered patio. I had security duty tonight again, but other than that we spent the evening with the TV.

Thursday, August 4^th, I went out after lunch to Home Depot to pick up some supplies I needed for our improvement projects in the shed. After I got home we went to the happy hour at the Clubhouse and I did my last shift of security duty for the month. After I was finished we watched TV and went to bed. Friday I did some work on the air conditioner trim work and we went out to run some errands later in the afternoon. One of the places we stopped was Goodwill where we found a good Samsonite hard side suitcase for $10. We are looking to buy some cheap but usable hard sided luggage for our Panama Canal cruise in February. We don't travel enough to justify buying new stuff. After we got home we had dinner and then I spent some time putting together a new small storage cabinet that was delivered today. We watched some TV and went to bed.

Saturday, August 6^th, we went out about 12:30 for a late lunch at China A Gogo. After lunch we hit went to another thrift store in town and found two more Samsonite hard side cases, the same model as the one we got at Goodwill, just a different color. They were also only $10 each. I also got a really nice, brand new blue blazer that fits perfectly, also $10. We now have two medium size and one large case, which should be enough for the cruise. Yea! After our shopping we went back to the coach and spent the rest of the evening relaxing with the TV. Sunday was a stay at home day. I did a little work in the shed and my office. We went to root beer floats in the clubhouse at 2:00. The regular crew was sick, so I had to help scoop the ice cream. We only had seven people, so it went pretty quick. I made a pot of chili for dinner and we spent the evening relaxing with the TV.

Monday, August 8^th, would have been my mother's 97^th birthday. Happy Birthday mom in heaven. We had a stay at home day today. I finished the air conditioner project today, completing the trim work on the inside and sealing around the casing on the outside. The next one to tackle is the ceiling fan on the patio. We went to happy hour at the clubhouse and then had dinner at home. We spent the rest of the evening with the TV. Tuesday we were up and out early, REALLY early. We left the coach at 6:00 a.m. and headed into Las Vegas for my eyelid surgery. I had been scheduled at the out patient surgery center for 7:45. Once we got there I got called in pretty quickly and prepped for the surgery. I had thought I was going to be put out, but they did a very light, twilight anesthesia and I was quite alert during the procedure, even talking to the doctor. I would say the whole surgery process was maybe an hour with another couple hours for prep and recovery. I my recovery time they wheeled me out the car and Jackie drove us home. I have to ice my face every hour for 15 minutes to keep swelling down, but I don't really have any pain, just some discomfort. After we got home I spent the rest of the day and evening sitting in my chair, icing my face every hour and watching TV.

Wednesday, August 10^th, we were out early again heading for Las Vegas, at least a slightly more reasonable 9:30 departure time. Today we were going to the urologists office for my consult after my UTI last month. During the treatment process some “issues” with my bladder and prostate were seen on two CT scans and they recommended seeing a specialist. Today was truly just a consultation, the doctor interviewed me, looked at the CT reports, and told me that I did have an enlarged prostrate and that I needed to come back for some tests. At the end of the month I have a “flow test” to see how strong my urine flow is. Then early in September I have to have a cystoscopy, which in layman's terms is the camera up the pee pee. Not looking forward to that one. After the doctor's appointment we stopped for lunch and then headed back over the hill. We didn't dally in Vegas too long because it was starting to look stormy, but we didn't have any rain except for a couple drops on the windshield coming over the pass. After we got home we went to happy hour and spent the rest of the night with the TV.  The photo to the right we took in the Red Rock Canyon park on the way to my doctor's appointment.  These little gas powered three-wheelers are the latest tourist craze for touring the Red Rock Canyon.  There was a line of about a dozen of these colorful little buggies.

Thursday, August 11^th, we had a more relaxing day. I had a meeting in the morning with the Audit committee I am the chairman of. After the meeting we had lunch and then did a Walmart and mail run. We went to happy hour in the clubhouse, had dinner and spent the rest of the evening with the TV. Friday was a stay at home day. We had a big meeting in the clubhouse at 2:00 which was for all members of the park. It was called to give the members a chance to vent about some issues that have been occurring at the park. It was mostly a gripe session, but I think it helped some people get some things off their chest. In my estimation it stems from a Board of Directors that has abdicated their role of governance and management of the park to untrained staff and also has neglected, some say refused, to communicate with the membership. There is an election of three of the nine Board members in November and I am one of the eight people running for the three open seats. After the meeting we had happy hour with some friends in the clubhouse then went home for dinner and TV watching the rest of the night.

Saturday, August 13^th, we left the coach about 1:00 and went out for a late lunch at the Roadhouse Casino. After lunch we went to the laundromat to do our laundry. We don't usually like doing laundry on weekends, but we were so busy last week we couldn't get it in. As it turned out, by the time we got to the laundromat in the mid afternoon it was pretty empty. The photo is of our traditional laundry day Skip-Bo card game.  After our laundry we went home, put everything away and relaxed for the rest of the evening. Sunday was a stay at home day. Other than going out to the shed after lunch for some guitar practice neither of us left the coach all day. Very relaxing day. We did a “Thanksgiving in August” dinner with turkey breast, stuffing and gravy, then watched TV until it was time for bed.

Monday, August 15^th, we went out after lunch to run some errands. Jackie needed some prescription refills from Walgreens and we had some packages at the UPS Store to pick up. We also stopped and put gas in the car for the first time in two months. After our errands we went back to the coach and then at 4:00 went to happy hour at the Clubhouse. After happy hour we went home and had dinner, then watched TV until it was time for bed. Tuesday Jackie went out about 10:30 to get a haircut. I stayed home and did some chores. We went to happy hour at 4:00 and then did some chicken on the BBQ for dinner. We spent the rest of the night watching TV.

Wednesday, August 17^th, Jackie went to the Clubhouse for Pokeno at 1:00. I did some office work and chores around the coach in the afternoon. We went to 4:00 social hour, then came home and watched TV until bedtime. Thursday I did some office work in the morning. About 1:00 I had a meeting with the Co-op's office manager regarding my work on the Audit committee. After my meeting we went out for a late lunch to a place called “The Place to Go” here in Pahrump. The place has been open for a couple of years now and has gotten really good ratings and reviews, but for some reason we have not gone there. I don't know if it was it's location in a little strip mall, actually right next to our dentist's office, or the fact that we thought it was just a burger joint. At any rate, it is primarily a sandwich and burger place, but they have wings and salads as well and the sandwich menu is pretty extensive. I had a Philly cheesesteak and it was one of the best I have had in a while. Jackie had the gyro, which had real lamb and she said it was good as well, although the meat was slightly dry. Because this was our only meal for the day we had the fish taco appetizer, which was two HUGE fish tacos, one for each of us. They were also excellent in my opinion. Jackie had great onion rings and I had the tater tots which were also very good. We definitely will be back again. The only down side of the place is they don't have a beer and wine license which I think would help boost their business. After lunch we headed back to the park, went to happy hour at the Clubhouse and then spent the rest of the evening with the TV.

Friday was mostly a stay at home day. Did a few chores around the coach and generally relaxed. About 6:00 we left and drove to the Roadhouse Casino for dinner and some gaming. Being Friday we had to wait so we gambled a bit. When they called us to eat we went in. We both had the salad bar and the Friday special, which was two pieces of fish, two fried shrimp and some hush puppies, for $5.99. We both had drinks and the total was still under $30. After we ate we gambled for another hour or so. All in all, I did OK, leaving having only lost less than $4. Jackie didn't do well, but still had fun. We went back home and spent the rest of the night with the TV.

We are now three weeks into this Chapter and it is time to get it online. We haven't been doing too much, so not much in the way of pictures for this episode. Until next time, remember the words of the comedian and actor George Burns. “You know you’re getting old when you stoop to tie your shoelaces and wonder what else you could do while you’re down there.” See ya soon.

Summer in the Desert

 Hello again, welcome back to our story. Our last chapter concluded on Thursday, July 6^th, with us parked on our lot at the Escapees Co-op park in Pahrump. It also found both of us not feeling a hundred percent, Jackie with an annoying cough and me with a stubborn urinary tract infection. Friday found us once again pretty much house-bound with our maladies. We spent the day on the computer or watching TV and hoping to get better soon.

Friday, July 8^th, I was supposed to have my last class at the Sheriff's Office for my position on the Peace Officers Advisory Review Board, but because of my UTI issues I had to email the training sergeant and let her know I wasn't going to make it. We again spent the day with computers and the TV. Saturday was another stay at home day. I was waiting for some improvement in my UTI conditions, but I only saw incremental changes and it seemed that the amount of blood in my urine was increasing, not decreasing.

Sunday, July 10^th, I finally decided to go back to the urgent care when the blood issue in my urine was still very high this morning. After lunch I went to the same ER. Fortunately, it was very quiet. In fact, there was no one in waiting room when I arrived about 1:00. The girl behind the check in desk even remembered me, asking if I had been in recently. I checked in and within ten minutes was called into the exam area. After the nurse took my vitals a very pleasant woman doctor came in. She took her time and got my whole story and told me she was glad I came back in as she was concerned it might be more than just a UTI. She told me that she was going to order a shot of strong antibiotics and also order a CT scan. She also said she was going to change my oral antibiotic, although she was unsure at that point to what. She wanted to eliminate the possibilities of kidney issues, like stones or tumors, as well as any masses in the bladder. I figured I would have to come back for the CT, but they walked me down to Desert Radiology, which is in the same building, and there was no one waiting there either. I got in for the CT again in about 15 minutes. After the CT I went back to the Urgent Care and waited. This is where the waiting was the longest since they had to wait for a radiologist to read the CT and write the report. I guess regular doctors are not legally qualified to read raw radiology data. After an hour or so of waiting the doctor came back in and told me that my kidneys were fine. My bladder was infected, but it was in the lining, as is common, and there were no masses present. She concluded it was, in fact, just a really bad infection of the bladder and urinary tract. I had gotten the shot, which was in my butt and hurt, and left with my report and headed to Walgreens to pick up my new prescription. Even at Walgreens I was lucky as my phone rang with the automated message that my prescription was ready just as I walked in the door. I got my new sulfa based antibiotic and headed home. We spent the rest of the day watching TV.

Monday, July 11^th, we stayed home for most of the day. We did go to the 4:00 happy hour at the clubhouse for the first time in a week. Yea! Since yesterday I seem to be seeing some improvement, still a lot of blood in the urine, but the other symptoms are improving. Tuesday we finally went out of the house for a while. We went to our favorite Thai restaurant, Chat Thai, for lunch, then ran a couple of errands. After we were done we went back to the coach and relaxed for a bit before going to the clubhouse for happy hour. We had a light dinner and then spent the night with the TV. Wednesday was going to be a stay at home day. Jackie went to her Pokeno game at 1:00 and I did some office work and played some guitar. About 3:30 I got a call from the Urgent Care that I went to twice in the last week and a half. They told me that they had gotten the culture report back on the urine sample I left on Sunday and she said it showed no bacteria, no infection. Therefore, they said, it was not a UTI and that I should go in and see my primary care doctor as soon as possible. I called our doctor's office and described my problem, including the blood in the urine for almost nine days, and what the Urgent Care had just told me. They couldn't find my doctor, so they asked another doctor in the practice and he said that I was to go immediately to the hospital emergency room because it appeared I might have a bleed inside somewhere. Well, that scared the crap out of me, so we drove to the ER and dropped me off. I know how long ER visits can be, so no sense Jackie hanging around since they don't even let you inside the hospital anymore unless you are a patient. I got in, got processed and registered and into an ER room. Eventually a doctor came in and I gave him all the details, starting just before the July 4^th weekend. He was very skeptical that it was a UTI as well, saying it was more likely a prostrate problem, which is more common in men that a UTI. He had blood drawn for more tests and also set up for another CT, this one with contrast to better see the organs. I was mostly just waiting, but I did the CT and finally, about 9:30 he came in and told me he was wrong, by all diagnostics, it was a UTI. He said everything in the CT was normal except the bladder, which showed some nodules on the inside wall. He said they could be infection, or they could be something else and I needed to see a urologist ASAP, even if the blood in the urine clears up. He had me get another shot of antibiotics and a new prescription for an even stronger one. His only answer to both the samples I gave to the Urgent Care coming back negative for bacteria was that the lab screwed up. Jackie had already come back to the hospital and was waiting in the parking lot, so we headed home and got ready for bed. Long day.

Thursday, July 14^th, I had a committee meeting at 11:00 in the clubhouse. After the meeting I went back to the coach and we gathered up our dirty laundry and went to the laundromat in town. After laundry we ran a couple of errands, including picking up my new prescription, then headed back to the coach to put everything away. We went to happy hour at the clubhouse then returned to the coach for dinner. We then spent the rest of the evening relaxing with the TV. Friday we stayed around the house for most of the day. About 2:30 we went out and back to the healthcare center so Jackie could get an MRI of her head. It had been ordered by the neurologist several weeks ago in response to her complaint of continued headaches. I dropped her off at the center and ran some errands. I did a Walmart run and picked up mail. By the time I got done and back to the center she was just about done. After that we headed back home. We went to happy hour at the clubhouse at 4:00 and then went home. I did some stuffed peppers for dinner and then we watched TV until it was time for bed.

Saturday, July 16^th, we went out for a late lunch at the Roadhouse Casino. We both had the liver. Did have a bit of a bout of poor service. We both like our liver medium, that is a little pink inside rather than overcooked. However, the bottom piece of my liver was very rare, almost raw inside. I told the waitress and expected they might take it back and nuke it or something. She came back from the kitchen and said “they told me since it had been served and you starting eating they couldn't take it back into the kitchen for sanitary reasons. They said they would be more careful in the future.” That was it. I can see the reasoning for not fixing the piece I already had, but they could have offered a new piece cooked properly. After lunch we gamed for an hour or so. I had a decent run for a change, coming out $80 ahead after hitting four deuces twice. Jackie only lost $20. We then headed back to the coach a relaxed for a bit before leaving around 5:00 for karaoke at the Elks. There were very few singers tonight so we all got to do four songs. We also learned that tonight was the last karaoke until September, so we will have to find something else to occupy us on Saturdays. After karaoke we went home and relaxed with the TV until bedtime. Sunday was a stay at home day. It was overcast all day and we even had some light rain on and off. I got a few chores done in the coach and we just had a relaxing day at home.

Monday, July 18^th, another mostly cloudy start to the day. The Monsoon is definitely with us. For the most part we stayed home today. We did go out after lunch to pick up mail and do a couple of chores. We went to happy hour at the clubhouse then went back home and had dinner. After dinner we spent the rest of the night watching TV. Tuesday we left the park about 11:00 and drove to Jackie's new hairdresser so she could get a haircut. After the haircut we stopped at El Jefe's Mexican restaurant nearby for lunch. We had a great lunch. This is the best Mexican food in Pahrump. After lunch we went back to the coach and spent the rest of the day relaxing. We went to happy hour at 4:00 in the clubhouse, then went home and spent the rest of the evening with the TV.

Wednesday, July 20^th, we had a stay at home day. Jackie went to the clubhouse for Pokeno at 1:00 and I stayed home and did some chores and played. We went to happy hour at 4:00 and I had my first cocktail in two weeks. I am off of the antibiotics that I have been taking, so vodka is back on the menu. Yea! I made an effort at making chopino for the first time for dinner. It is basically a tomato based seafood stew or soup. It turned out OK, although in the future I will use better quality seafood than the mix I bought at Walmart. After dinner we watched TV until bedtime. Thursday was a stay at home day. I had a committee meeting in the morning at the clubhouse and did a few chores around the house. Generally we just relaxed. After dinner we spent the rest of the evening with the TV.

Friday we went out to Denny's for brunch about 11:30, after which we picked up mail and did a Walmart run. We returned to the park and put stuff away, then relaxed for a couple of hours. A little after 4:00 we left again, picked up our friend Linda Sullivan and drove to the Elks Lodge for dinner. Tonight they were having a 26^th anniversary “birthday” party for the Lodge, which was chartered in 1997. They had baby back ribs and sides of beans and potato salad and the ribs were excellent. In addition to our friend Linda, our friends Len and Debbie also came and sat at our table. We had a very nice dinner. After the dinner the Exalted Ruler had an informal meeting with Lodge members to talk about were to put the large metal Elk stature the lodge recently purchased. We stayed until about 7:00, after which we left and went back to the park. Linda had security duty tonight and had to be home. After we got home we relaxed with the TV until it was bedtime.

Saturday, July 23^rd, I went out after lunch to Home Depot to get some stuff I needed for my A/C project in the shed and to drop something off at the UPS store. After I got home I went down to the park's shop and spent about ninety minutes building a two by four frame for the air conditioner to install in the wall of the shed. It is nice to go to the shop because they have all sorts of power woodworking and metal working tools and supplies. After I was done with building the frame I was hot, so we spent the rest of the afternoon and evening in the coach. Sunday we went out about 1:00 for brunch at the China Wok, the local Chinese Buffet. We had a nice lunch, then returned to the park and spent the rest of the day relaxing in the coach.

Monday, July 25^th, we went out a little before 1:00 to the nail salon. Jackie was getting both a pedi and manicure and I was getting my toenails trimmed. After I was done I left Jackie there and went out to run some errands. I drove to the hospital to pick up copies of my records from my visit to the ER last week. I needed them to take to the Urologist when I go in a couple of weeks. I then stopped at the Intermountain medical center to pick up the records from Jackie's MRI on her head. She needs those when we go to the Ear Nose and Throat (ENT) specialist on Friday in Las Vegas. I finally stopped at the post office to get some stamps. I arrived back at the nail salon and only had to wait about ten minutes before Jackie came out. We went back home and relaxed for a while. We went to the happy hour at 4:00 and then came back to the coach where we relaxed for the rest of the evening. Tuesday was a stay at home day. I had a meeting at 10:00 regarding my audit committee responsibilities. I spent about 90 minutes after lunch out in the shed working on my air conditioner project before I finally got too hot. The rest of the day we spent inside. We went to happy hour at 4:00, came home and had dinner then watched TV until bedtime.

Wednesday, July 27^th, Jackie went to play Pokeno at the clubhouse at 1:00. I did some chores around the house while she was gone, including another hour or so working on the air conditioner project in the shed. I have almost finished the basic installation of the box that holds the A/C unit and goes through the wall of the shed. This was the part of the project that concerned me the most, so I was happy to be close to done. After dinner, about 8:00, I went out for my first tour of duty as security for the park for this month. I have two more nights this month, then next week I have three nights as my tours for August. After I got back at 9:00 we watched some TV and then went to bed. Thursday was laundry day again. We went out about 11:30 and had brunch at Mom's Diner. After lunch we went to the laundromat and did our laundry. When we were finished we ran a couple of errands, picking up mail and a quick stop at Albertson's to get some steaks that were on sale. After that we went back to the coach and put stuff away. We spent the rest of the evening in the coach relaxing.

Friday, July 29^th, we were in the car and headed for Las Vegas about 10:00. We are going to an Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) specialist in Vegas to see about Jackie's persistent cough. When we got to the doctor's office we were seen by one of the Nurse Practitioners who talked at length with Jackie about the issue. She seemed pretty convinced that it was related to acid reflux but wanted to put a small scope up Jackie's nose to look at her throat. This was the kind of diagnostic tools I had hoped for when I suggested to Jackie that she go to an ENT specialist. After she numbed Jackie's nose she went in with the scope and told Jackie that her throat was, in her words, “a hot mess” with inflammation in the larynx and on the vocal cords. She said that she was now quite certain that it was primarily a reflux issue and explained that she suffered from the same thing. She told Jackie that it was important to take the acid reflux medications first thing in the morning, otherwise they didn't do much good. This was something none of the other doctors have explained. She wrote another prescription for something to take in the evening before bed and told Jackie to come back in six weeks for a check up. After the doctor we drove into Henderson and had lunch at an In N Out, then went to Costco for some supplies. We were back on the road by 3:00 and home before 5:00. I went out at 8:00 for my last security shift for July. Pretty quiet in the park tonight. After I got back we spent the rest of the evening in the coach.

We are now a little over three weeks into this episode, so it's time to close it out and get it posted. Until next time, remember that friendship picks you up when the world lets you down. See ya soon.