The Grim Reaper took another swipe at me !!

[Frenchie's Wife]

Kenny, I am very tempted to do that.
Fooling the border guards is not
that hard Eh ?? All I have to do is
keep my big mouth shut .

Vegas trips out of the
Great Falls Montana airport are only
79 bucks one way. Another very tempting
alternative way to spend a few days
of R&R.

I am keeping my fingers crossed that
this pain goes away like every other
time. It usually goes away on its own
after a few days, if history repeats
itself.

[Sharon Brent]

Good evening everyone,

Those pictures are amazing Kenny, I have seen people climb like that on TV, it always looks unreal, like their hands have a special kinda glue on them so they don't fall off, it must be amazing to be able to do that.

Frenchie, hope your kidneys are obeying you and not giving you any trouble, I'm looking forward to your next lot of pictures.

It was a Bank Holiday today so the kids were at home with me all day, so we met up with a friend and her kids and hit McDonalds for some Happy meals for lunch, quite a nice day.

Well back to School and Nusery for them tomorrow so almost their bedtime, yipee

Check back with you guys later

Love and kisses from London

[KWT]

.
I am keeping my fingers crossed that
this pain goes away like every other
time. It usually goes away on its own
after a few days, if history repeats
itself.

I'll be hoping that for you as well.

[bitchslapped]

In the United States, there are 3 classes of CDL (commercial driver's license) which require physical exams:

Class A truck
Any combination of vehicles with a GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating) of 26,001 or more pounds (11,793 kg) provided the GVWR of the vehicle(s) being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds (4536 kg).
Class B truck
Any single vehicle with a GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating) of 26,001 or more pounds (11,793 kg), or any such vehicle towing a vehicle not in excess of 10,000 pounds (4536 kg) GVWR.
Class C truck
Any single vehicle, or combination of vehicles, that does not meet the definition of Class A or Class B, but is either designed to transport 16 or more passengers, including the driver, or is placarded for hazardous materials.

He was licensed "Class A" w/NT endorsement which means licensed to pull double, triple trailers, tank trucks. His specialty was lowboy hauling. I believe the largest lowboy trailer he pulled was 15 axle.
Within the trucking industry, the heavy haulers are considered the creme de la creme, a specialty, if you will. There is no school to teach heavy haul. DH said you either have a knack for it or you don't. You have to know all about tandem weights, all kinds of things to be legal on the road, & of course, you have to have some talent/skill. No damage to the rig or the load! He was no stranger to the state troopers. Just comes along w/the territory of rules & regulations. This bunch tend to be family men. He avoided truck stops whenever possible due to the crowd they tend to draw.
He raced the company cab in the Semi drag races one year. That was a hoot.
Considered himself a "rough, tough, cocoa puff", hard on the outside, soft on the inside. He died Dec '07. I have heard lots of stories, lots of ranting about &^%$*# people on the road who he swore had a %^#$*^ death wish.
I remember he was up in the timber one time w/a boom truck loaded, a cliff on the other side of him. There was some sales rep from some company trying to tell him how to secure the boom. DH looked up, simply said: "get away from me."
Another time, he was in the downtown industrial area, parked, separated the cab from the trailer to unload. By the time he got back to the cab, somebody had parked between the cab & trailer so he couldn't hook back up & leave. OMG, I was on the phone w/him @ the time, he was absolutely furious @ the sheer stupidity of people.
Our pickup had an extra fuel tank in the bed where most people have the toolbox when we vacationed together. He had a switch rigged up on the inside where he would flip it to switch tanks w/o having to stop as frequently to fuel up. Always knew I was in good hands w/him.

Hope you enjoyed my couple of stories.

BS

[Frenchie's Wife]

Thanks for the stories BS.
Very heartwarming. Sounds like a true
soulmate to me. Don't close the door to romance.
Look at me, married again 20 years
later ! That was either very foolish
of me or a wise move. Still not
sure what that was all about.

I must have obviously thought it
was a smart move. I really don't
think I am stupid, do you ??

Mrs Frenchie is upset as are all of
my children about my recent escape.
The missus and I text each other.

She has a bit of an idea where I am roaming
around. I am staying close to towns
with adequate medical facilities
to treat me if an emergency should
occur.

[bitchslapped]

Frenchie, you crack me up I'm sure getting married was a good move on your part, but you were probably pretty much untrainable for Mrs. Frenchie by that point! I don't think you are stupid whatsoever. I'm going to talk to you as if you were my own brother for a minute. Hope that is ok. If it isn't...well, sorry about that. I've tended to shoot straight from the hip in my life. Gets me into trouble sometimes.

I think you want what you want, which @ this point is understandable, yet hard on your family to swallow, accommodate. Challenge yourself to find a way, the words to enlist support from your family, friends to achieve your goals that would not be termed wreckless. No question you've got a lot to digest + the Dex meds may have some side effects on on your normal, decent demeanor. I hope the wife, the boys, a friend or two may be able to take turns to share in what you have determined to be important to you @ this stage of the game. Try not to shut your family out. Just leads to hurt all around for everyone, including you. This is the time you need them to understand. My mother used to say you draw more bees w/honey than vinegar

For the soul mate stuff, I'm not sure I buy into that. Some people do. Cohabitation has its challenges no matter who you are. Men & women don't process alike. He did get a piece of me that no one will ever get, I know that. And I miss him a lot. But I am complete in my own skin...for now. I still had my mother to take care for a few years after DH passed. Was pretty much sequestered to the house. I'm an old bitty now. Maybe I should become one of those cougars they talk about?

Glad you're sticking close to hospitals, my friend. I hope you extend the olive branch, use that French charm & your reasoning skills to enlist support toward your cause. Usually there is some kind of compromise that can be reached. If you've got a few favors to call in, now is the time to do it. Sometimes, as parents, we owe our kids an apology too. Not something we are used to. Even if you don't feel you owe it, one feels better taking the high road. A good example for them coming from the old man. Guarantee they'll need to some day w/their own kids. There is a lesson to be learned here!

We just talk about everything here on CT, don't we?!


Best Wishes
bitchslapped

[justin case]

Hell, I'd take old bitty over OCD
Bro Nut

[canadiandaughter]

I personally love that old bitty!! Wise words from BS for you to absorb Frenchie. I know if I was your wife I would be freaking out right now. It is really too bad that someone couldnt have gone on this trip with you. I guess we just worry about you! Maybe its the mom in us. Hoping your pain has vanished and you can continue on your way. Lethbridge Hospital sucks, so avoid that one like the plague if you need something. Have heard many a horror story out of there, one of them being my brother.

[MamaN]

Hi frenchie
I got pm s but the long one is not there. I hope those kidneys feeling better!

[Frenchie's Wife]

CD, the Lethbridge hospital saved my
life a few years ago when my colon
burst. They operated on me in the middle
of the night !
I was driving a a motorhome
to Lethbridge for our dealership as
a matter of fact.
That's when they found all the cancer.
I think they saved my life another time
that was also Cancer related. My memory
is fuzzy but I am pretty sure they
saved me twice

I have nothing but praise for that
hospital and staff.

[canadiandaughter]

Thankful for you that you got good care! My bro was not so lucky. We almost lost him 2 years ago sitting in emerg as they tried to figure out what was wrong with him, then after his surgery they sent him home less then 24 hours later and he was living alone at the time. My friends daughter is a doc in that area and she said there has been lots of problems there.

[peanut_8]

Good morning Frenchie. How are your kidneys feeling this morning? I was thinking about them acting up, and was wondering if it could have anything to do with the weight you have been accumulating.

We are into our 5th day of gloomy fog here. Uck. I'm going to take the dog on a walk this morning, and then clean the kitchen. Very boring stuff. The very nice Terminex man is coming this afternoon, so fair warning to all the rodents, and spiders.

DH is traveling again this week. I like to send him lots of emails during the day. This morning he is getting the science of guacamole. http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/spea ... e/?hpid=z4 We have 2 new avocado trees, that are approximately as tall as the dog is long. So unless I go to the store and purchase avocados, it will be several years before I am making guacamole from my own trees.

It probably annoys him, butt it's my way of staying in contact.
peanut

[Frenchie's Wife]

Good morning Peanut.
I am at a hospital in the foothills
this morning. I am looking into
my kidney problem.
They told me the metal tube is just a
Band aid . Nothing else can be done
at this time except pain meds which
I loath.

They found another problem while I
was there. One that will need medical
attention soon. I have another metal
part in me that is only working a bit.
They found that out today during my
port flush. I have to come back
Thursday to see what can be done
about that. They keep taking things
out and putting things in. I really
don't remember all they have taken
out. I guess I didn't need whatever
It was.

[peanut_8]

Frenchie, I m sincerely hoping that you are not having much pain.
peanut

[Frenchie's Wife]

Pain does not bother me like most
people Peanut.
I just ignore it and it usually
goes away on its own. I was not
patient this time. I had to have a port
flush soon anyway so I looked into it
at the same time.

My port is like my security
blanket. I have left it in until now.