We're Here

We're here - in Arizona that is. Yeh, its hot here during the day - about 107 or so today. But its nice in the morning, about 80-85 or so - nice for taking a morning walk, or whatever. One just needs to be inside most of the time during the hot part of the day, much like we do in Kansas sometimes.

I visited the neurologist yesterday at Phoenix Neurological Associates. He had a very nice office in a new, not fully occupied, office building. We could look out and see Camelback mountain through the spacious windows there. Nice. The doctor was also very nice and intelligent. They had no nurses there so the Dr. came to the waiting room to call me in. There was no scales to weigh, no blood pressure or temperature taken. The Dr. got right to the point.

We were pleased with what happened there, for the most part at least. After a few normal reflex tests and many questions, Dr. Levine gave us his analysis, a good part coming from reading the medical reports he received from our family doctor, and from hearing me answer his questions. There will be a neurological text next week, I gave a blood sample this morning, and there will be a change in at least one of the medications, plus a couple of things to do after we get back home. Hopefully things can change for the better as a result of all this.

We're enjoying our stay here with our daughter and her family. We're hoping that we can be together with all of them sometime while we're here. Our son in law Brad went to London today on business but the others may all be around over the weekend. Then there's Bogey the dog who sleeps most of the time but who barks loudly when the doorbell rings or someone comes in the door. Jazmine the cat will go live with her master this p.m. sometime. She's been around a long time, but she is Whitney's cat and she's picking her up to take her to her new apartment near ASU where she'll be a senior this year.

Hope all is well with all you readers wherever you may be. We all know that God is with us wherever we are, which always gives me much comfort. May God's peace be with you wherever you may go. I remain

Pilgrim on the way

Time and Space

Phoenix, AZ is a beautiful place as one comes in over the mountains and sees the vast city in the valley. However, one is reminded of the way we are polluting the environment when you can see the pollution ring at the horizon. Landing there brings a new set of experiences in this great city.

We leave in a couple of days to go to Phoenix, as I stated in my last post. We leave Kansas at 3:25 p.m. and arrive in Arizona at 3:50 p.m. Not bad, huh, for such a long trip. But wait! Did I mention that there's a two hour time difference between here and there? I guess not, but well, there is. So we will get to change our watches, and our body clocks! That's the hard part. I can change my watch in just a few seconds, but it takes my body clock several days to get adjusted to that kind of change. And by the way, how does Arizona get by with not changing their clocks twice a year like we have to? Why do we need to do that anyway? Whatever happened to "God's time?" Oh well, adjust we must, and we will.

We like the sunrises and sets here in Kansas, but this one from Arizona isn't too bad is it? One usually thinks of it being hot in Arizona and that's true a lot of the time. Right now though they say its the monsoon season there, and it's been raining and a bit cooler, even with thunder and lightning. So Kansas is not the only place where it does that? I hope the rain continues until we get there, but then it gets muggy and hot again, so take your pick - Kansas or Arizona in the summer. As we know here it can get quite hot, and windy.

Whatever the weather, or the environment, we will enjoy being with our family while we are there. Our kids run their own business and are doing quite well. Check it out at here. It keeps them both very busy but that's what businesses do, isn't it? But being their own bosses gives them freedom sometimes to take off for personal things, like picking up your parents at the airport and taking them back. And taking them to the doctor, etc. We appreciate all that and thank them much. We'll see their girls too, but much less frequently since one teaches school, one is in college, and one in high school. We love our family, here and elsewhere, and pray God's best for each of them.

So its off to the southwest soon, and hopefully it will be a good time for us. We are praying for God's leading and His blessing of healing and hope.

Pilgrim on the way

Going South

I guess after exactly a one month "vacation" from doing a post its time that I got back into that again. I have finished some of my commitments in the little wood shop and have "closed" the shop for a couple of weeks. We're going south.

"Going south" is as we know a phrase that describes a deteriorating condition of some sort. That's not what this blog is about - at least that's what I hope. Rather its about taking another trip south, and west, to Arizona, to the valley of the sun. That's just what one needs this time of year, huh. Well its not for the weather we're going there but rather this time its for something we hope will prove to be helpful.

This trip is for a visit to the Phoenix Neurological Associates. This group of neurologists have a clinic that specializes in every kind of nerve disease one can imagine. I hope to be able to learn what has been causing my increasing weakness and hopefully find some answers that will be helpful. While I'm optomistic I'm also aware that the tests and consultations there may not produce the results I desire. I guess we'll see.

The picture above was taken when our oldest son and four of their five children visited us a few weeks ago. Gordon's wife Chris is a practicing family physican in Ohio and was a source of some helpful consultation while here. Her suggestions and ideas have proven to be helpful along the way. Chris is a very fine doctor and also a very much loved and respected member of our family. Gordon is a physical therapist so his council and suggestions along the way have also been quite helpful.

We will be staying with our daughter again and we will enjoy being there with her husband and family. They only have one daughter living at home anymore and she is in high school so we will probably see her a limited amount of time. And since Brad and Lynne have their own business to run we will have a lot of time to do "whatever" during most of the time there. Its only a guess as to how many visits I will have to the clinic. We're only planning to be there a couple of weeks so there may not be many.


And so it is that I remain

Pilgrim on the way