Popcorn, Shuffleboard and Cancer

Day 5 of our stay at the Lakeview RV Resort  in Houston.  We closed on the house last Thursday without too much of an incident.  There was some discussion about who was supposed to pay for the survey but the realtors got it worked out and it’s not costing us anything.

Packing was a pain! If we were moving into another house, we would’ve purged and then hired movers to pack/move us.  But downsizing from a 2,000 sq ft house to a 300 sq ft RV proved to be quite the task.  Towards the end we had become eBay and Craigslist junkies and everything not packed and shipped in any box we could find was placed in the driveway for pickup by Purple Heart donations.  Of course, they didn’t pick it up when scheduled so the new owners arrived at their newly purchased house to find a pile of donations in their driveway.  Several phone calls later the pile was finally picked up.

I don’t feel too attached to the house.  It was completely remodeled when we purchased it so we didn’t do much to make it our own other than furnish it and add a doggie door.  I always blame my detachment on being a military brat - moving every 3-4 years means learning not to get too attached to people, places or things.  In my career I’ve made a change every 3-4 years – changed jobs, changed units, changed rank.  Same with moving – changed cities, changed neighborhoods, changed houses.  This might just be my racket but it makes sense to me.

Anyway, May 10 marked my 4^th year at UH and I can’t wait to get the hell out!  Was actually ready over 2 years ago but kept hoping I’d feel better about the place.  Nope – didn’t happen.  I’m ready for the next adventure which is why I think this lifestyle will be perfect for me. 

The resort is much nicer than I expected.  Very tropical feeling even though our site backs up to the access road to 90/Main Street.  Took us about a week to figure out things were a lot quieter over night when we used ear plugs so that’s what we do and it’s much better. 

View from pool area

The resort has a nice club house which includes a ping pong table, a pool table, shuffleboard, a big screen TV, a popcorn maker, puzzles, games, books and a computer room.  There’s also a state of the art laundry room (separate post) and beautiful pond with a walking trail around it.  The managers are super nice and we’re really enjoying our stay.  Now we’d much rather have trees and pine needles over concrete and traffic but for the next couple of weeks this will work perfectly.

The resort is about 7 miles south of the largest medical center in the world, the Texas Medical Center, home to MD Anderson Cancer Center, Texas Children’s Hospital and St. Luke’s.  There’s actually a shuttle that runs between the resort and TMC so it’s a very popular home to patients undergoing treatment.  We’ve seen several and have met a few.  You can tell who they are – visible chemo stints, heads balding from chemo/radiation and the tell-tell masks that protect them from the rest of us.  I met a woman last night who had just set up after driving from Kerrville.  Her 63 year old husband is fighting leukemia and, after several months of chemo, he will spend the next 4 months undergoing a bone marrow transplant.  One of those months will be spent entirely in the hospital. 

We also met Debbi and Don, two FB RV page acquaintances, who ended up here after Don’s heart attack in February while RV-ing at South Padre.  Don received a new heart in March and they will be here quite a while as the wonderful cardiologists at St. Luke’s ensure his body doesn’t reject the new heart.

Our Site

We visited with Debbi and Don last night in their 42’ ft Monaco and really enjoyed ourselves.  He is 70 – she is 64 and they’ve been full-timing for years.  What a wonderful couple and two hellacious survivors!  They were so happy for us!

As we complete week two of our new lifestyle, we both agree that the four of us have adapted well and that our routines are working. We haven’t missed the house much and feel that our little RV is just perfect for us.  Let the adventure continue…….

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