Nov. 18, 2006

Dear Gang,

Greetings from Warren, RI. Yes I said RI. Into every life a little rain (snow) must fall! This summer we ran into a bump in the road of enjoying retirement, although it seemed more like a hill.

Please don't think I'm feeling sorry for myself or even think we have the very serious problems of others we know. I'm really chuckling to think how many events can happen in such a short time.

For those of you we haven't talked to since our last letter, we left Ft. Lauderdale on April 4th, and arrived in our slip in Portsmouth on June 5th. Along the way, we visited with many friends and even got to travel with our old sailing friends on Pacer, from northern Florida to Beaufort, NC. The men decided to avoid the waterway in Georgia since they were reporting problems with shallow water in several places, so we made our first overnight going outside at Fernandina, Fl. and heading in south of Beaufort, SC. We meandered along, spending a day or two in slips when the mood (or weather) hit, enjoying the companionship.

We remained on the Waterway until Norfolk, VA and spent a week there waiting for a weather window to go outside the DELMARVA Peninsula to Cape May. In Cape May we spent another 4 days in a slip, making repairs and waiting for another window. This did provide the opportunity to rent a car and spend a night with Ken's daughter and family in northwestern NJ,

On May 29th, we left Cape May in thick fog which we kept all the way up the NJ coast, through NYC, Long Island Sound, and into Narragansett Bay. It felt like the good old days traveling in Maine with zero visibility, navigating by radar. However, now we also have GPS which shows you where the buoys and land are located and makes life easier. The radar shows moving objects, although they were much bigger and faster than those I remember in Maine.

I'm not sure Ken was enjoying the fog as much as I was, since he spent most of the time at the wheel with little to no visibility, while I stayed below watching the radar, GPS, and listening to traffic on the radio. He had a GPS repeater at the wheel, but that didn't show him moving objects. One of our most exciting sessions occurred while crossing into NY Harbor, avoiding the three main commercial channels. Fleet week was just ending, so huge naval vessels were heading out as freighters were entering. We would use GPS to take us to the edge of a channel, I would study radar for moving vessels, tell him when to dash across the channel, and hold our breath when a mammoth shape would loom out of the fog. At one point, when Ken didn't think I was giving him fast enough info, he hollered at me: "I feel like a mushroom! You keep me in the dark and every once in awhile you throw sh-t on me!!"

Another exciting time happened while crossing the entrance to New London. I was keeping track on the radio, of a tug which was towing in a submarine 400 ft behind him, when I spotted a huge blip on the radar. I informed Ken that something very big was speeding right at us, when out of the fog a fast ferry appeared and passed about 100 ft to stbd. He obviously knew we were there, but you do wonder.

On Sunday, June 4th, about 3pm we motored into our slip at East Passage, pleased to be out of the fog and away from that "horrendous approaching hurricane season in southern Florida." We also looked forward to a long leisurely summer sailing in New England before our return to Fl. in Oct. But that fickle finger of fate had other things in mind.

Now I know some of you will say Jane is writing a book. Get over it! You can skim or delete it, I'll never know. Consider it my therapy.

You probably remember that ken was having serious shoulder problems. After getting his yearly physical, meeting with an orthopedic surgeon and getting all the tests, an operation was recommended. Ken thought about it for awhile, but decided he would wait til we returned to FL and he could recuperate in a warm climate.

I also went for my yearly physical. My doctor told me everything looked great, except for that lump in my breast he didn't remember from last year. "How could you possibly remember every lump you've seen in every woman in the last year!!", I blurted. And a few days later my cholesterol results. He wanted me on medication, but I said NO!! My good cholesterol is high, I'll bring the total down. I don't take medications! Give me three months and I'll have it down. But I would get the lump checked out. Thankfully, after a month of mammogram, ultrasound, and trip to specialist, all turned out fine.

During this time, my mother decided to go for a back operation. She had been in serious pain for 8 yrs but was too old for an operation. Now at 82, they say no problem. "Except for your back problems, you have the health of a 60 yr old, it should be a piece of cake." We schedule it for early August.

Meanwhile, Ken's 2 youngest grandsons come for a few days of sailing over the Fourth of July, a new experience for him and a chance to bond, as long as I'm there to protect them all.

My friend Chris (actually my step-daughter-once-removed) arrives from Houston for her yearly visit, but decides to visit her sister in The Berkshires for a couple of days while I help Ken sailing with the boys. While there, Chris' back gives out and she spends nine days there in bed, highly medicated. When the pain lets up enough to travel, she heads back to RI and the couch. Finally, she cuts her vacation short, heads back to Houston and has the same back operation Mother is scheduled to get. Three weeks later, she's back to her teaching job.

About a week before Mother goes in, Ken and I decide to take off for a few days sailing. As I stop by to let Mother and Ralph know we're leaving, they inform me they have just sold their house, must be moved out in a few days and all Mother's things must be moved to my (really her) house while Ralph's family will be moving the household into a pod and a storage bin. Oh, and Mother and Ralph are moving in with me til they close on a condo. So long cruising!

On Aug 8th, Mother goes in for surgery and gets out of rehab 10 weeks later. Some may think that's an easy time with round the clock care. Others know it's a full time job for the family member dealing with the complications, pain, doctors, over-worked staff, meetings, refusal to eat, walk, etc. and always maintaining a positive attitude and a sense of humor.

Ralph closes on a condo and along with daily trips to Providence, I help him with condo projects. I know he hates to be alone at night and he is happy spending days working on the condo, visiting Mother and to my house by dinnertime

In mid August, Ken's daughter Amy comes with all 3 boys (ages 11,12, 14) for a few days sailing. They head for Cuttyhunk, but I'm too busy to go along AND I TREMBLE! I don't know all that went on. Amy just said her father kept saying, "Jane would never allow that to happen!"

While my mother is in rehab at Elmhurst in Providence, my cousin Carole's mother, 86, falls and ends up in rehab down the hall from Mother. At least this allows us to do double duty visiting.

Aunt Fran, also 86, whom I watch out for, starts having blood pressure problems and ends up in the emergency room/hospital 6 times in 2 weeks. Every couple of days I find a message on my machine that she is on her way to the hospital. I wonder if we could get her a room in Elmhurst also??? They finally adjust her medication and things settle down.

About this time, I'm eating my oatmeal every day, not getting real exercise, but running out straight 12 hours a day, cutting out all possible fat from my diet( I can't afford to loose any more weight, I'm already dropping below 110) when someone says, "Cheer up, things could be worse.") So I cheered up and sure enough, things got worse!

Ken had the boat hauled to get the mast painted and do a bottom job (sand and paint). He decided to do the bottom job himself, which I was sure would do his shoulder in, But "if you want a job done right, you must do it yourself!" And he moved in with Ralph and me.

For some unearthly reason, I had decided this was the summer I had to attack the 89 boxes stored in the cellar since I moved home in 1985 and have a yard sale. Along with lots of stuff from Ralph's move and some of Ken's junk, we spent two weekends selling, got rid of lots of stuff, and I ended up with a bad back and many uncomfortable nights. I forgot my back is 61 years old.

Every morning, Ralph would be up at 4:30 and head out to the "Y" with the boys, then onto condo projects and off to visit mother in the afternoon, I worry he's doing too much; Ken would head for the boat and return at dusk, I worry he's doing too much; and I would clean, shop and head out for my daily rehab duties; we'd all meet at dinnertime and fall into bed by 9pm to get ready for the next day. Everybody worries I'm doing too much.

One night as I woke Ralph up at 9 to go to bed, he said "I've got to get x-rays and a stress test, they think I may have had a heart attack" What!!!

The next day Ken moves back on the boat and finds out he has prostate cancer. What!!!

I decide, even tho Ralph doesn't like to stay alone, Ken needs me more and stay aboard Conquest, Early the next morning , Mother calls me from rehab to say Ralph is in RI Hospital. He was having pains in his shoulder, thought he might be having a heart attack, and called the rescue squad at 2 AM. The good news is it was a pinched nerve and a stress test shows no heart problems. But I wonder if we could get him a room on Mother's floor in rehab.

The following week, Mother comes home and they move into their new condo, Now I can devote my time to Ken. We spend a month finding out all we can about prostate cancer, schedule surgery and get the boat covered and shrink-wrapped in preparation for a winter in RI.

Ken had surgery Nov 2 and came to my house on the 4th. According to him, the next two weeks were the worst he had ever gone through, having to wear a catheter 24 hrs a day and walk at least a mile a day. He was not a happy camper! I'm pleased to say the catheter came out Friday, the surgeon reports all looks good with no remaining or spreading cells, although we won't know for sure for until another blood test in a month.

So everyone appears to be doing well and I've cheered up, cause "things could be worse!"

Oh yes, the doctor called me the other day, After three months of oatmeal and little to no fat, my cholesterol went up 20 points and he wants me on medication. "NO!" I scream, " it's got to be stress!!", but I go on medication.

Holiday greetings to all,

Jane and Ken

Some of you have mentioned mail being returned, We have a new mailing address:

PO Box 1187

Bristol. RI 02809