2017 Greetings from Lona and Don
Lona and Don eating breakfast in Death Valley in 2005
Alert friends and relatives no doubt noticed that holiday greetings were not forthcoming from the Packwoods in 2016. Nothing much happened to write about that year except that both of us wound up in the hospital with situations that could have been fatal—but more about that later. No trips were taken nor sunrises photographed with which to illustrate my “May the Giving Spirit of Christmas Dawn on Your Life Each Day of the New Year” theme which I first conceived of in 1983 and first used in 2001 when I finally had the technology to implement the idea. Since it is customary for people to send pictures of themselves each year, and by and large we have not done so, I decided to show you what we looked like in 2005 when we could still travel.
In early 2017 I kept hoping that something soon would happen that would justify a Packwood's update. Now that the year has slipped away, and it is time for a 2017 update, I will do the best I can with what I have to work with.
Before proceeding, let's get the unpleasantness of the hospitalizations over with. I went first by getting an E-coli infection that got into my blood stream (became septic). My temperature shot up to 104oF, and I became incoherent. Lona drove me to the emergency department despite the fact that I felt so lousy, I didn't want to go. I wasn't able to think straight. They pumped Cipro and a lot of fluids into me with an IV for four days before they let me go home. Lona never left my side and got very little sleep. Then a few months later, Lona started getting weaker and weaker and eventually started getting confused. The Kaiser-Permanente advice nurse told her to get a blood test immediately. The next morning, we were awakened by the advice nurse calling to tell Lona to get to the emergency department ASAP. Her blood sodium was critically low, and she was in danger of slipping into a coma. It took nearly two weeks for them to get her sodium stabilized again. During that time, I seldom left her side except that every few days, I had to make a quick dash home to shower my BO off, get some clean clothes, and restock my prescriptions. Lona is still having to take salt supplements to keep her sodium level up.
We both seem to be showing the ravages of advancing age, Lona more so than I. “What age?”, you may ask. Well, we were born exactly two weeks apart during the administration of F.D.R, and before the USA had entered WWII. With this information, you should be able to calculate that we are approximately as old as dirt.
Lona is afflicted with multiple infirmities and requires frequent assistance from me. Her body's failure to properly regulate her sodium is one side affect. None the less, she remains uncomplaining and cheerful and we still have a good time together. She still manages to attend the Opera San Jose season. Even after a couple of years, Lona continues to struggle to cope with the complexities of my homemade, digital TV recording and distribution system, see, http://dlpackwood.com/15XmasLetter/Xmas2015.html.
Anyone looking at me would think that I have escaped the ravages of old age, but you would be amazed at how many prescriptions and supplements I need to keep myself together. However, my knees once again permit me to run, and I am currently racing faster than I have been able to for over 3 years, a remarkable thing at my age. I golf weekly still pushing my bag cart instead of riding (I hate riding). Lona and I both lift weights twice a week and stay as strong as our tendons will allow. Now that I no longer can travel to MO for the meetings of my dean's alumni advisory board, I participate by web conference and email.
Mercy! It is amazing the drivel I have had to write to try to create something from next to nothing. Since I have some space left, I'll share a Canon 30X pocket super-zoom photo that I took in March on one of my runs.
Lona and I hope you will have a wonderful holiday season and a great New Year. Stay happy and healthy.
