Saturday May 6 through Monday, May 29, 2023: Concert, Physical Therapy, Becky's Birthday, Spring is Here

Today, May 6, is a special day. In celebration of Tom's March 9th birthday, I bought tickets for us to see George Strait in concert at the State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. I also booked a hotel in easy walking distance from the venue. We arrived at the hotel before 1:00 p.m. Our room was ready. We freshened up and walked to a nearby restaurant. It was McFadden's Restaurant and Saloon --- an established Irish themed sports bar.

The concert starts at 5:45 p.m., so we thought it prudent to have a nice lunch. There were signs all around this Westgate mall promoting the concert.

While getting ready for the concert, we were able to watch the 149th Kentucky Derby in our room television. There were 20 horses in the race. The winner was Mage --- a come-from-behind winner with low betting odds. It was an exciting race.

Tom and I arrived at the State Farm Arena at about 5:00 p.m.

It was so nice to just walk to the venue from our hotel. We had great premium seats.

The concert started with two groups --- Little Big Town and Chris Stapleton. I knew who Chris Stapleton was. He sang a wonderful arrangement of the National Anthem at the February 12 Super Bowl LVII at this same State Farm Arena venue. George Strait arrived on the stage at  about 9:00 p.m. He was terrific. He sang most of his hit songs.

The next morning, we changed our plans. Tom broke a tooth at lunch the day before. So, he needed to attend to that matter. Tom cancelled his Phoenix appointment for Monday morning with Dr. Kay, a Glaucoma specialist. We drove home to Williams and didn't pick up the dogs until Monday afternoon. Our Dentist, Dr. Stark, was able to see Tom on Monday. He fitted Tom with a temporary crown.

On another note, I have been having severe pain in my left rear-end and down my left leg. It seemed to be a pinched nerve. In late April, I went to Urgent Care in Williams. They referred me back to my primary care physician, Dr Crumrin, to authorize physical therapy. Within a week, I had a telephone call with Dr Crumrin. The scheduled Physical Therapy intake session was Thursday, May 11. I was at the Physical Therapy section of the Medical Clinic and it was a zoom type of call with Victoria Noack.  Later in the day, I drove to Flagstaff to meet Mike Hippard, a massage  therapist. My chiropractor Dr. Moseng referred me to Mike. I had a great session with Mike. He worked to stretch out my rear-end muscles.

The Physical Therapist team calls my condition Piriformis syndrome. Piriformis syndrome is a condition which is believed to result from compression of the sciatic nerve by the piriformis muscle. Tom and I have items that we would like to sell. Tom does a great job posting these For Sale items. One thing I have is a firetable. I bought it in 2018 and we have only used it once!

Tom is also trying to sell a small boat and trailer. He's had some nibbles, but no takers yet.

By the time it is dark here in Williams, it is usually too cold to sit outside. Sunday, May 14, was Mother's Day and my sister Carrie's birthday. Both Donna and Rick sought me out to wish me Happy Mother's Day. I also called Carrie. She and Brent are at their Bend house. Donna and David were able to join the Senior Bernstein group in Los Angeles for a Mother's Day celebration!

On Monday, I had an acupuncture appointment at Canyon Pet Hospital in Flagstaff. Dr. Sullivan is a pro at applying acupuncture for Kelsey.

That afternoon, I also had a massage appointment with Mike. While I was getting a massage, Kelsey just slept comfortably in the truck. 

 

Having so much snow this winter created abundance of greenery in our back yard.

 

It is nice that the plants just do their thing. All I provide is water.

Early Wednesday morning, I had a physical therapy session with Ethan Hansen. One of his specialties is "dry needle" treatment. It is a modern treatment designed to ease muscular pain. Ethan also had me do a number of stretching exercises.

At lunchtime, I met some of the Highland Meadows ladies for lunch at DJ's Wild West Junction.

Later in the afternoon, we had a storm overhead. It rained very hard for at least 45 minutes.

Thursday afternoon, I drove to Flagstaff to have a facial with Amy at Junto Skin and Laser. Amy gives incredible facials. 

Friday was my 71st birthday. No big deal for sure! Tom was kind enough to make dinner reservations at the Red Raven Restaurant. Thank-you, Tom!

Saturday, May 20, was Donna and David's 33rd wedding anniversary. Happy Anniversary to the two of you!!😊😊💖💖

Rick and Joell have moved out of Austin's Steiner Ranch and have moved to a two bedroom, two bathroom condominium in downtown Austin. I asked to see a photo of their view. Awesome!

On the top story of their building is a bar and restaurant. It is great seeing the happy couple --- even if it is just a photo.

Tom and I had breakfast on Tuesday at a new restaurant --- Rulu's Bar & Grille. The food was good and the ambiance was nice.

Wednesday, I decided to tackle the spa. For the past year, there has been a leak. It has not been a big leak, but still a leak And, in the past month, there were indications that there was a second leak. I bought a product at Summit Spa called "Fix-a-Leak." It involved putting the product into the spa and running the jets several times a day. After two days of applying the product, Tom and I emptied the spa.

The next step was to let the spa sit without water for two days. Done! The final step was to fill the spa with water and hope for the best.

When I came home from a Flagstaff hair appointment on Thursday, Tom was agitated. His blood pressure was off the charts. He was very concerned. I drove him over to the Urgent Care Clinic at North Country. The doctor on duty ran several tests, including an EKG.

 

 

 

It was the doctor's recommendation that Tom go to the Emergency Room at Flagstaff Medical Center. There, they had the facilities to conduct further evaluation and tests --- blood, urine, radiology, etc. Tom and I went home to feed the dogs and then we drove to Flagstaff. We arrived at the Emergency Room around 6:30 p.m. Tom's vital signs were taken and he was assigned to Bed #11.

Various EMTs, nurses, and doctors made the rounds. Blood was drawn, urine was analyzed, and chest x-rays were taken. After about five hours, the ER doctor came to talk to me and Tom. The doctor had called Tom's Kidney doctor and additional medication was prescribed. Tom's blood pressure was somewhat stabilized. It was our decision to drive home. We arrived home at around 12:30 a.m.

On Saturday, Tom and I drove to Prescott. Stephanie Hap was hosting a memorial service for her late husband Joe. It was at an Episcopal church near the airport. It was a beautiful service. Stephanie's son and daughter were there.

After the service, everyone congregated for refreshments --- coffee, soft drinks, sandwiches, shrimp, and desserts. Tom and I headed home at about 1:30 p.m.

On Sunday, my cousin and his wife hosted a baby shower in Orange County for their son Jason and his girlfriend, Cassie. I was invited, but my pinched nerve --- the Pirofomis Syndrome --- did not allow for me to drive the seven hours to attend the event. But, Kathy sent me photos from the shower. My brother Peter and some of his family members attended. So did my sister Wendy and some of her family members.

It looked like a beautiful celebration. Callie Diehl looks radiant!

Monday was Memorial Day. I decided to attend the 11:00 a.m. ceremony at the Williams Cemetery. The American Legion Post officiated the event.

Also in attendance were Candy and John Finkl. I hooked both of them on geocaching. Candy became a geocaching.com member the end of April and she already had over 50 found caches!

They are a very cute couple who live in the nearby patio homes.