Dancing Legs?

This is a "before" shot of Peggy's left calf.

A "before" shot of both of Peggy's legs.
A photo of our elephant ear plant by the coconut tree. It's forming a flower. This has nothing to do with Peggy's legs. It's here just because Peggy wanted to post it!

Ahh, here's the "after" photo. The result from Dr. Morales's Magic Laser! Smooth, dancin' legs!

Well, just work with us on that term for these legs! Maybe they don't look like it but they are feeling good. And swimming? Well it was fabulous! I wasn't able to swim in the ocean because the wind was bringing in some big waves. The pool at Blue Angel Resort was a fantastic substitute. It is so strange that it and all other pools get so cool in the winter. I have gone from the pool at Blue Angel directly into the ocean and the ocean feels like a hot tub by comparison. Go figure!

Cleared to swim!

Dr. Arturo Morales holding my new list of questions and Lulu with her gentle touch

Lyn, Gini, Ed and I took the ferry over to Playa Del Carmen today. Lyn and Gini went to explore the town and check out the beaches. Ed and I took the bus up to Cancun for my first month post-surgery check up. Dr. Morales was happy with my progress. At first he said that I should not swim for another week. After some heavy duty whining, he relented. YES! I do need to continue to wear my stockings all day for the next week, though. Small price to pay. Lulu picked out Dos Equis beerings for herself. Ed asked Dr. Morales if his girlfriend liked beer to which Dr. Morales responded "Of course". She likes Sol beer, so she now has a pair of Sol beerings. Ed and I were thrilled to receive such good news. Ocean, here I come! We'll post photos of my "Tina Turner dancing legs" next.

BeerRings

The stunning creations - Corona, Tecate Light, XX, and Sol BeerRings

Our premier models, Gini and Lyn!

Before we forget again, we want to open this entry by saying Happy Birthday to the Mose! The last thing we talked about last night when the Molesleys left to go back to their new abode at Blue Angel Resort was that it was Lyn's birthday the next day. Of course, we were going to remember that, right? Absolutely not! We spent a beautiful afternoon driving around the island in the fancy 4 wheel drive that they rented and had several opportunities to stop and celebrate with a beach foo foo drink. Did we? No! We hope that our good friend knows we have nothing but great fondness and affection for him - we just don't remember very well!

Now on to BeerRings. Gini came to Cozumel with the perfect earrings. They were fashioned out of Corona beer bottle caps. Ed and Lyn, being the entramanures that they are, saw an opportunity for new industry down here. They got to work with a wire cutter all the while thoughtfully planning what was needed to make the mass production of BeerRings a success. First and foremost, they needed materials. Lyn was trying his best to supply inventory (bottle caps from the most recently purchased 12 pack) while Ed was busy wire cutters, fashining out the rings. It was a valient effort but soon the beermeister was overcome. It became clear that there was a need for more folks willing to rise to the challenge. There was brief thought given to paying guys to drink beer with twist off tops. Quickly, through some test balloons being sent up, Ed and Lyn realized that they only had to ask and they would receive. The selfless guys down at Eco Divers got right to it when they heard what was needed. They agreed to sacrifice their health and fortunes to buy a beer, saving the caps. We also made a few shopping trips for supplies and have to say that this is the first time we selected beer based on the cap design. Even strangers were willing to help. Ed and Lyn found some guys drinking Heineken (stunning BeerRings!) on the street. The drinking buddies were not only more than willing to give Ed and Lyn the bottle caps from their current bottles but also opened the rest of the bottles saying that it was only a matter of time before they got around to finishing off the remaining bottles. What sacrifice from complete strangers. Gotta love this country. So keep your eye out for these works of art coming soon to limited outlets!

Moseleys and Carnival

Here are the Moseleys in their Carnival garb. Ready to PARTY!

One of the many floats.

Another float. Way too many to publich them all.

Lyn and Gini arrived just in time to catch the last Carnival Parade (yes, there were three!). We viewed the parade from the balcony at the Cozumel Museum. Seating was a Red Cross fundraiser. The parade is several hours long with many floats, dancers, bands, and folks dressed up in costumes. Lots of music, dancing, fireworks, drums, etc. In others words an incredible amount of noise! The parade was interrupted by a fire at Senior Frogs, which was close to the parade's starting point. Seems that an errant firework from a parade float caught the Seniors Frogs' palapa on fire which caused about a 40 minute delay in the parade. Videos of the fire are on YouTube. A very exciting parade.

The Moseleys have fit right in here- relaxing, wearing shorts, shopping, eating cheese quesadillas with lots of refried beans, walking a bunch, etc. They are great guests. In a few days they will move into the Blue Angel Hotel and enjoy the view from their balcony, swimming in the ocean and watching sunsets while enjoying an evening cocktail. Ahhh, island life. We'll post more of their vacation later.

Lots of things to celebrate

Daughter Jamie is just about a month away from delivering Aubrey. She has had such a healthy happy pregnancy! Aubrey, just like her big sister Alex, will be the source of great pride, love and laughter, we're sure. Yes, it's true, we are now cooking on more than two burners, not to be confused with having all of our oars in the water! The new Mabe estufa is ready for Peggy (or Ed!) to bake all kinds of delights! Maybe a turkey! Maybe homemade bead! Maybe brownies! The list is endless.

The over grown vacant lots across the street were cut down by the town and, we think it caused the local inhabitants there to see if the grass was greener on the other side of the street. This guy climbed up the wall and began eating the leaves on the poles beans, so maybe the beans are greener!

Hospital and Trip Home

The doctor's office is in this very nice hotel. Woops, it's a hospital! Galenia Hospital.

Peggy's tricycle ride to the ferry from the taxi after surgery.On the overly air-conditioned ferry. We usually sit outside on the ferry but those seats are wooden. A little hard on the back side!

Can you tell that this household has been a little fixated on Peggy's operation? Peggy is finally up long enough to download these gems! More to come.

Vein Update

We went to Cancun Tuesday for Peggy's first checkup following here surgery. We arrived a bit late, as traffic slowed the bus a bit. But, hey, it's Mexico where we've been told that it's a national law that you are allowed to be 15 minutes late for anything (work, appointments, etc.) without being penalized! So, the doctor was unfazed. After examining Peggy's bruises and announced that all is well, he removed the single stitch on the 3 or 4 places where he told us that he had removed the bulging veins on Peggy's calves. He then did an ultrasound on the "good" arteries and veins, as well as the "dead" vein in her thigh. He announced that all was normal and that she was free to wear support hose and walk as much as she wanted. Peggy really misses those heavy ACE bandages! She can't go in the ocean for 3 more weeks, which is punishment for her! For the past few days she's been up and around walking. In fact, she's probably overdone it somewhat, as she's sore and her veins feel "tight". But, all in all, recovery goes well and her legs are ready, as Doctor Morales says, for mini-skirts!

Wizard of Veins

Ding Dong the veins are gone, The big 'ol veins, The mean 'ol veins, Ding Dong the varicose veins are gone! Yes, they're gone. We've unwrapped the bandages, changed the dressing twice now and it's absolutely amazing how little trauma (incisions, stitches, bruising, etc.) there is. Peggy is doing great. She took a shower this morning (yeah baby!) and we had our first real close up and personal view of both of her entire legs. They're gorgeous! Ready for short skirts and dancing! She has very little discomfort and little pain. There are just a couple of areas that continue to bleed and seep, but in tiny amounts. She had a good night's sleep last night and woke up feeling like her old self this morning. She walked around the block tonight, albeit slowly. No pain! For support she'll keep using the elastic bandages covered with the ACE bandages for the next week. Her follow-up with Dr. Morales in next Tuesday. She remains pleased with the surgery and the results! Thanks, Dr. Morales!

We'll try and post photos later, as our internet is slow, slow!

Healthcare Reform

As healthcare reform in the US limps along, we decided to do our own "reform". Last year Peggy's friend, Sarah, had surgery down here on her varicose veins and was very happy with the results. Peggy went with Sarah for a follow-up visit and had her's examined by Doctor Morales, in Cancun. Well, during the summer she decided to have them removed down here on our winter visit, as the procedure was excluded from our US health insurance policy and the veins couldn't wait for Medicare! So, on February 1 we went to Cancun to have the operation performed. The doctor's office is located in a private hospital- an impressive facility. The procedure is an outpatient one, with Peggy being operated upon at 10AM and being released in the late afternoon. We travelled by ferry to Playa, bus to Cancun and taxi to the hospital. Check-in went OK except for the hospital portion of the bill being higher than the doctor quoted. The doctor, wearing his plaid shirt and khaki pants, met us for admission and helped in getting the bill corrected. When was the last time your doctor helped with your admission? Or, getting a bill corrected? Surgery began about 1/2 hour late, but after it was done, the doctor found Ed and told him all went according to plan. Peggy did super! She was impressed with doctor, the hospital, and the staff. After several hours in recovery, we took a taxi to Playa, the 6PM ferry to Cozumel and were met by friend Sarah. So we were home by 7:30PM and in bed by 9PM. Today, the day after surgery, Peg's doing great, with only minor discomfort. Her bandages (cotton, an elastic mesh, and ACE wrapping) were changed today. Very little swelling, a tiny amount of bleeding and some bruising. It appears that incisions were small and few, mostly on her calves. The area of greatest discomfort is behind her left knee where it looks like an incision was may for the vein going to her calf. Other than that, all is good. The doctor emailed her today and inquired about her status! We'll post photos as soon as we can download them. Stay tuned!