No walking today my friend. For the past three days we have had early morning temperatures hovering for about two hours around 30 degrees F. Yesterday morning it was 28 degrees F. This morning was 30 degrees F. once again. Looks like the same for tomorrow (Saturday) morning followed by a chilly rain. According to the weather forecasters, it should begin to warm by next week, the last week of April! Sorry to spend time on the weather, but I am anxious for warmer, sunny days. We have watched the Spring flowers and trees bloom and disappear because of the cold as their beauty was short-lived.
Things are improving here at Grace Ridge, we now have a beautiful cafe with both indoor and outdoor seating. The landscaping is quite beautiful with large rocks, a waterfall, walking paths and newly planted grass and greenery. The colors reflect the beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains in that the decor both inside and outside is dark blue. It is called the Ridge Cafe, and will be the main meeting place for Friday evening social beginning next Friday, April, 30. We are all looking forward to being able to connect with our old friends from the Mountain House as well as the cottage area.
The Pandemic is still here, the only difference is that the vaccines that we have all received appear to be effective. The death rates are lower as well as the hospitalizations. Grace Ridge has been very successful in their mitigation practices and we have not experienced a spread of the Covid-19 virus. There were some staff persons who tested positive, but no deaths among any of the residents.
To date, my son Greg continues to struggle to recover from the strong therapy of a combination of radiation and chemotherapy following extensive radical neck surgery to his neck and face on December 17, 2020. Even though he completed the treatment the first week of March, he continues to feel the lingering effects of the radiation and the chemotherapy. He still has not been able to consume food other than the liquid nourishment that provide him with calories and extra protein. His mouth has finally healed but the taste buds have not, and neither have the salivary glands. Even the Boosts drinks continue to have a metallic taste. Another problem now is the fluid retained in his neck, and under his arm has continued to accumulate and he is having a lot of pain with that. Weekly massages, we hope will eventually eliminate that problem.
Well.......this is not what I had planned to write about, but it is so heavy on my mind that my concentration was jeopardized. Perhaps our next visit will be better.................................
More Later......................................Brenda
