OK… it’s off to Georgetown today for the last day of tests before surgery…

Something called “Pre-Surgical Intake” and ending with a new MRI. Then we’ll be chugging back to Harpers Ferry, I get a day off and on Thursday night I’m back in Georgetown at the hotel next to the hospital waiting to have a hole drilled in my head the next day.

Looks like we’ll be driving down in the rain.

I can’t say this is the week I’m looking forward to, but if it ends up solving the problem of my seizures and other things and I am allowed to drive a car again someday (that’s something a guy who goes around to visit friends really misses!) and maybe live a while longer who could complain?

Hey… a note to my wife… Let’s assume I’m going to make Christmas this year. Know what I want? The new DVD of the revival of Sondheim’s company with Neil Patrick Harris, Patty LuPone and… Stephen Colbert! You can get it at Amazon.  Don’t order it until after Saturday.

 

Lunch with the family…

Oy! Three flights of stairs!

My sister took Elly and me, my mother, my son and his wife, my two daughters and three of my grandsons to lunch at Lightfoot’s, a former bank turned into a restaurant in Leesburg, VA. Supposedly, this restaurant is at a halfway point between my mother in Manassas and Elly and me in Harpers Ferry (and my daughter Penny and her kids in Williamsport, MD.)

This was put together so everyone could give me their best wishes before I go into the hospital next week and for all of them to wish me their best.

Buddy and Rachel

We were up three flights of stairs in a private room in this old bank building, where we (or at least me with my current balance and dizziness) slowly walked up and then spent two hours in one place.

It’s full of old French theatre posters, which was sort of neat for my 12-year-old grandson John who is learning French in school this year…”Mais oui!”

My Mother

My son Bud and his wife Rachel are in from Wisconsin.. they’ll be flying back early tomorrow. Penny and the boys, of course, only live a little bit away from us and will be involved in watching me when I recuperate so Elly can go into Hagerstown Community College and work.

Me, of course

My daughter Cassandra who will be here for another week is coordinating all the hospital and doctor stuff with Elly. She is a very organized and impressive woman and has everything going on schedule… more tests next week before surgery, hospital be rental for after (not sure why I need this, but I’m told not to argue.)

Anyway, I can’t get over thinking that this is everyone’s chance to say goodbye to me in case anything goes wrong in surgery (I think there’s a 7% chance or something.)

No radio shows this coming weekend… perhaps the week after. Let’s hope.

Related articles

• My daughter, Cassandra, has come down from Connecticut and is helping my wife coordinate all the brain surgery problems… (underthelobsterscope.wordpress.com)
• Ever make out a “living will?” (underthelobsterscope.wordpress.com)

So, it looks like we’ve sold our Town House…

Three months after moving over here to rural Harper’s Ferry, we have just signed the agreement to sell our Shepherdstown town house…not for as much as we wanted, but for enough to move forward in our plans to eventually build a totally sustainable house in the lot next to ours. In Elly’s mind, we are moving again next year, but I’ll just wait and see.

Life is never easy.

 

Related articles

• Two weeks of moving start today… (underthelobsterscope.wordpress.com)
• W.Va. cuts ribbon on new outdoor classroom in June (wvgazette.com)

Here’s part of my Yard Sale…

No one around here would seem to need these, but I’d like to sell them,

These are 2 30-year-old (or so) TV Camera rolling tripod/stands… before rolling up the heads they are about 4 feet tall. The heads need new handles, which appear to be rods set in a hole with a set screw.

I’d like $50.00 each for these (or both for $75.00). These are awfully big for shipping, but if you can pick them up here in Harper’s Ferry they will fit in a station wagon.

 

 

Drop me an e-mail here if you are interested.

I’m sitting at home, trapped without my car…

Last night, coming home from Charles Town, my car with a load of groceries and me died at the Engle Switch Rd railroad crossing, while waiting for an awfully long train to pass.

I managed to roll it off the road to the side, then proceeded on the unimagineably complex and bewildering communication via iPhone to the Triple A. It took nine calls, during which I was switched all over the place to find someone who represented this little piece of woodland in Harpers Ferry, WV, and was repeatedly disconnected, forced to call again, give my membership number, spell my name, describe the problem, be told that I was at the wrong `office, but would be transferred….

Finally yelling at the last, really undeserving guy who I hadn’t spoken with before, I got notice that a tow truck was coming and waited for an hour until it go there. Total times with calls and waits was close to 2 hours.

Now Brown’s Auto Service picked up the Subaru this morning and with luck they can get it running today and I can find someone to give me a ride over to the west side of Shepherdstown to pick it up.

Not a great day at the beginning.

How does John Case do it every morning?

I’m in my third day of subbing for John Case on the WSHC Winners and Losers show and once again I’ve gotten up at 5:30, taken my meds, fed the dogs and have had a cup of coffee while I sort out the music for the broadcast.

Now I’m usually a late sleeper and it is an effort to get up on Friday Mornings when I regularly do Winners and Losers with John. But he does this every day… as a matter of fact, he gets up earlier than I do so he can come into Shepherdstown from Harper’s Ferry. He is always bright and intellectually alert this early in the morning, which I give him great credit for.

Anyway, I’m off now to the basement of Knutti Hall where I’ll get on the 89.7 FM microphone once again (you can listen on the internet at http://www.897wshc.org.)

Talk to you later.

Related articles

• Harpers Ferry – Civil War History (nowpublic.com)
• Looks like I’ll be doing the radio show alone tomorrow… (underthelobsterscope.wordpress.com)

Jefferson County Commission… I’m supporting Ed Dunleavy

I’ve just put a Dunleavy for County Commissioner sign out on my front lawn, which means I guess I’m committing myself to an Independent, something I haven’t done in a couple of elections. I am in agreement with just about all of his stands… especially keeping the PATH line out of Jefferson County, supporting and expanding the National Parks (Harper’s Ferry, Civil War Trails, etc.), Modification of the Zoning Ordinance, etc.

I listened to John Case’s hour and a half interview with Ed Dunleavy yesterday, after having heard Paul Taylor, the Democrat, a while ago, and having heard Delegate John Doyle’s comments on the Independent two weeks ago, also on John’s show (is anyone else covering local politics at this depth around here?).  I was very impressed with Ed’s comments and the fact that he didn’t avoid directly talking to the issues… not something you always get around here. His financial accountancy background stands out with his concern with “the books” on the County Commission’s work (not something you hear from other candidates or current Commissioners whose function, after all, is to spend our money.)

The Republican will be on John’s show next week, but he would have to go a long way to get me interested in him. Next Thursday (October 14) at  7PM all the candidates will debate at War Memorial Building—Shepherdstown Men’s Club. This should be a place to make a final decision. If you are from Jefferson County, go there and ask the questions which will define their potential as Commissioners.