The Tide is Turning

It's time to tie a 'ribbon' on our first couple months in Navarre. As you know our luck had been on the 'bad side'. I've commented on a laundry list of incidents that befell us. There are a couple more that haven't been discussed in my recent blogs. The first is rather minor, but simply added to the aggravations. A week before we left Elkhart, my dentist 'installed' a Crown. A week after we arrived in Florida, you guessed it, my Crown tried to become part of my lunch. I didn't swallow it. This was a good thing. The annoyance was I had to find a dentist in Navarre, FL. After questioning a few people that live here, we found a delightful lady who took care of the problem. As I write today, the crown is still in place.

In the latter part of February we went to a dutch luncheon with about forty others from the campground. We went to a chinese buffet in Gulf Breeze called the Golden Dragon. We lined up and filled our plates. So far, so good. We sat down and began the process of devouring everything on our plates. It was bite #2 of a spare rib named after an old Chinese General who was three ribs short. I knew immediately as I swallowed that I was in trouble. The tough rib lodged in my esophagus. It didn't impede my ability to breathe, but it was bound and determined to get out of there. I won't go into all the details. Use your imagination, or not. We were a quarter mile from the "facilities". I didn't want to walk through the entire restaurant while retching. It was good that we were sitting against a wall, and I was seated at the far end. Mary Ellen (my poor wife) gathered napkins and eventually a rag. Thus began "the process" of eliminating the culprit. It took about 45 minutes! While all our friends continued to eat, I continued, well you get the idea. We just happened to be sitting next to an emergency exit. The manager finally agreed to open that door and let us out. Much to the relief (I'm sure) of the rest of our friends. Mary Ellen drove for about a block when I asked her to stop. She stopped in a parking lot, I got out, and finally eliminated the problem.

Well, after so many negative experiences, we were due for something positive. We were told that cocktails would be on the deck of the pavilion. It just happened to be on my birthday, and when Mary Ellen and I arrived, the group sang happy birthday. That was nice. However, after 10 minutes or so, Diane suggested we move inside. It was starting to get a little windy. When we walked in I was totally shocked. The tables were set for dinner with decorations and all. All the couples brought a dish, and of course there was a birthday cake! Wow! There were about 9 couples and the food was great. Diane and Janet did most of the planning and decorating, but I know I'm overlooking someone. After dinner, Dave and Janet handled the "gift distribution". The gifts were a total surprise. All the gifts included a clever saying created by Janet. Dave handed me the appropriate gift. There must have been at least 20 items! They ranged from all purpose cleaner to an air horn to wake up those who chose (unwisely) to sleep past 7 a.m.! This gives you an idea of the wonderful people we hang out with at Emerald Beach. For those of you who haven't bought me a gift, I'm now registered at the Dollar Tree.

I have one more appointment with Dr. O. on April 4th. I have started doing physical therapy. All the exercises can be done at home. Thusfar, I have been very faithful. I do all 10 exercises at least twice a day.

We're planning to leave Navarre on the 9th of April. Today, the temperature in Elkhart was 24 degrees. It got to 74 here. Maybe we should extend.

Lastly, we had two offers on our house. We accepted one and rejected the other. It sounds like a 'done deal'. Both parties had financing in hand. You never know though until the closing. We have to be out by May 9th. By the time we get home there will only be a few weeks to prepare for the move. As of now, I'm only supposed to lift 8 lbs. with my left arm. That means 16 lbs. using both arms. You can bet that Mary Ellen will have a scale handy to make sure I'm not exceeding the limit Dr. O. established. We're counting on our boys to help + 2 men and a truck. Wish us luck.