April's Options

March came in like a lion and now goes out like the lamb of March walking to slaughter when the call came back that it was malignant.  Kathy's mom has cancer, or not, follicular lymphoma, lessons to learn about medical terms and treatment options.  First thought, no Alaska this summer!

A price drop on the house and two offers came...we chose the young doctor and nurse.  Our house is near the medical center in Houston and our house is perfect for a young couple.  Back and forth and an additional $500 to end an option three days early.  No more house, time to pack, time to leave, close the door on the Houston chapter.  But then they ask for a foundation inspection to ensure the warranty is transferable and I get scared.  Scared the sprinkler system will void the warranty because it's too close to the house.  Scared the flower bed or French drain or crushed rock is seen as an alteration.  Okay, at least I have something foolish to direct my fears towards.  Kathy's fears much more real.   What if her mom needs treatment and they refer her to M. D. Anderson here in Houston?

Back working on the plan to prepare to move either to Killeen or hit the road.  Then Kathy noticed a seam on the RV overhang separating. Sure enough after an inspection, water infiltration!  Now the RV is under extreme maintenance with an expensive front cap rebuild.  Our options were either trusting a passionate new guy or taking it somewhere else. Wanting to be friendly and generous and struggling to walk the right path as it seems to be falling apart under our feet, I figured the new guy is still trying to prove something so he'll do a good job.  Overall PPL has been good to work with.  Much better than where we bought it.

We also have to prepare our toad (aka Jeep.) We've asked our neighbor, Cesar, to help put the tow plate on the Jeep.  Reading the directions made it sound easy but 4 hours drilling 4 holes doesn't sound easy. Option two means taking it to PPL to have it done for $400+ or to Meyerland Auto repair shop. With a difference in the quote of more than two hundred dollars, decision made, Meyerland auto collision center. Quick fix and check over gives the Jeep two thumbs up and ready to go except for the need of a spare and a new lug nut.  Too many options for one month.

Our first option seems to be taken care of with the diagnosis.  If treatment is needed, Kathy's sister Karen will move to Killeen and we're headed to Alaska to fulfill our commitment.  The second option is money can save sanity so we paid Meyerland Auto Collision to install the tow plate.

Purging, packing and donating finally gets us out of the house and into the RV full-time.  Less than a month, now.  How many more options will we have before then?

            on hearing it was Cancer
            J.L. Wright

            plans are not Real
            they are a pretense
            we wish to live in

            ours were to be fluid
            LIFE is a breeze
            plans should have been frozen

            instead, we are frozen
            waiting in time
            for information and other peoples' plans

            we feel a shift
            Change causes a reaction
            after a year on the previous plan

            like the frozen skin of a river in spring
            malleability versus flexibility
            eventually everything breaks

            plans are not Real
            ours were to be fluid
            instead we are frozen
            we feel a shift
            like the frozen skin of a river in spring