Mid priced hearing aid

Good morning.
Had my appointment with the Audiologist yesterday, and ordered my hearing aid.  There were numerous types to chose from. I'm fortunate that I didn't need those big clunky looking ones since my loss isn't that great.  This is the style we settled on....

It's called an open fit. The main part rests behind the ear, while a small tube comes around and into the ear canal. It's more slim than the older behind the ear types. And you can even chose different colors.
The price? .........    $2400.00.   I knew going in the price could run from about $1600 to $3000 depending on style and hearing loss needs.
It's a good thing I only need one!
The cheaper styles only magnify sound, where as the more expensive ones are actually programmed for your specific hearing loss.
Think of it this way.....
Say the normal ear can hear 60 different distinct tones. And say my hearing loss is affecting 14  tones. A cheaper aid that just magnifies your hearing will increase those 14 but also increase the rest too so your still not hearing 'good'.  But if you just magnify the 14 tones I need, you get better more normal hearing.
So, I go back on the 20th to pick it up. And then there are follow-up visits in case there's any adjustments needed. All that's included in the price.
So that's all I got for today. It's currently raining out, so not sure what we'll do today.

a rude awakening.

Good morning.
We were awakened last night by a loud popping noise, followed by our carbon monoxide detector going off.
Craig removed the carbon monoxide detector from the wall out side the bedroom to shut it off. We checked out the apartment, and couldn't find any reason for it going off. We're not using the furnace yet, and nothing else runs on natural gas. Then we heard occasional beeps from the smoke detector in the bedroom.
Took that apart to find this......

I've never seen a 9-volt battery explode  before. Even the other end is cracked. The explosion must have released some gas that set off the carbon monoxide detector. So we removed the battery, set it in the kitchen sink, and went back to bed.
Never heard of a Camelion battery before. Will replace it with an Energizer. Energizer and Duracell are the best rated and longest lasting batteries. I don't know why anyone would buy cheaper ones. And I think I'll ask the apartment management if they should replace that detector in case it was the detector that caused the battery to explode.
Anyway, The turkey on the grill yesterday  turned out great, along with the acorn squash and fingerling potatoes.
We walked another section of the river trail they completed last year. I need to remember to take my camera when we go out. Now that i don't have a yard, I'll need to find other things to take pics of.  :-)
And this morning is my appointment with the audioligist.
So time to get.

a nice Saturday

Good morning.
I've just returned from cleaning the Salon.
It was a fairly steady week. Reached my average.   :-)
Saturday after work, we drove downtown and walked the river trail. Afterwards, we stopped at the Waterfront Bar and Grill at the Lansing City Market. Had a couple of drinks and took in the Michigan State game.
On the way back to the apartment, we stopped at Horrocks and picked up a turkey breast to cook on the grill today.
On checking the mail when we got home, I received a check from our health insurance company. It was from the 2014 billing year. It was for $3.34.  :-/
Apparently, according to the Affordable Care Act, (Obama care) if the insurance companies don't spend a certain percentage of their premiums on actual heath care, the rest has to be refunded to the subscribers. Blue Cross said their health care expenditures were less than expected, so a refund was in order. Do you think that will keep my next year rates from going up? I don't think so.  But, it's better than nothing!
Today, after our coffee, paper, and walk, Craig will do his book work and I'll give the apartment a quick cleaning.
Tomorrow, I go in to be fitted for a hearing aid.
Not much else to say.   :-)

I have Otosclerosis

Good morning.
I went to the ear specialist at Michigan Ear Institute yesterday, and they determined I have a condition called Otosclerosis.
It's not as bad as it sounds.   :-)
They redid the tests I received in Lansing plus a few more. Apparently the doctors there don't have a very high regard for 'Audiologists' in general.
The resident Dr who first saw me was surprised the Audiologist didn't just recommend hearing aids.
So they were impressed I was referred, and also when they redid the tests with very similar results.
But the Doctors were better able to explain exactly whats going on.
Look at the picture below where it shows the 'oval window'.  That tiny bone right next to it is called the 'stirrup'. That bone is connected to two other bones that then connect to the eardrum.

Well, that tiny bone has lost some of it's flexibility, which means it's not transmitting properly to the cochlea.
It can be corrected with surgery. They make an incision around the eardrum, push the eardrum over to reach the little bone.  Then with a laser, cut out the section of bone that has lost it's flexibility and replace it with a prostheses.
But, the Dr isn't recommending surgery at this time. My hearing loss isn't that great. The surgery has possible risks and unless there's  a chance for considerable improvement they don't want to do it. He is recommending a hearing aid at this point, and retesting of the ear every year or so. We can do surgery if and when it gets bad enough. And It's possible the condition could stay the same. So, I'll be making another appointment with the Audiologist.
And now, I'm off to work.

not normal hearing loss

Good morning.
Well, I went to the Audiologist yesterday for my hearing exam. Here's the results....

 Your hearing should fall in the -10 to the 25 range. My right ear (the circles) pretty much does that, but my left ear (the X's) is all below that.  And of course, I had already new my left ear was bad, that's why I went. But surprisingly, it's not normal hearing loss. The loss is not in my inner ear, but in the middle ear. There's 3 bones behind the eardrum.

Apparently there's something wrong in there. So, I've been referred to a specialist that I'm seeing today. He's in Novi which is about an hour east of Lansing. He will decide if surgery is a viable option. If not, I can get a hearing aid to correct the issue. It would be nice if I didn't have to wear a hearing aid, but I'm not keen on having surgery either. I'll know more later this afternoon.
After the hearing test, we did our usual running. Bank, post office and store. Now that we're living in an apartment, with absolutely no outside work to do, we've been doing a lot more walking.
Sunday, we even went over to East Lansing to walk and stop at the East Lansing Farmer's Market.
And we're enjoying sitting on our balcony and watching the goings on around the complex. With the office/clubhouse across the street, there's always people coming and going.
So liking apartment living so far.
And with that, time to get.

settled in

Good morning.
I've just returned from cleaning the Salon.
It was a nice steady week.
We're settling in to our new apartment routine.
We're taking laundry to the Salon on Saturday when only Craig and I are working. That has been working quite well as one of us is usually available to fold, hang shirts, and get the next load in. I have been doing dishes either in the evening after we eat, or early morning when I get up. I also empty the ice trays in the morning, so we can do them again in the afternoon. Gotta have ice for our cocktails!   :-)
I'm also doing a load of laundry at the apartment building on Tuesdays. Just one load of towels and underwear. That saves a little extra time on Saturdays since towels take so long to dry. Which is why I'm also doing a load of Salon towels on Friday afternoon, so I don't take up time on Saturday for them.
Tomorrow, I go in to get my hearing checked. I've noticed hearing loss in my left ear for several years now. I haven't gone in earlier because hearing aids are so expensive, my insurance doesn't cover them, and I really could still hear pretty good. But lately I'm noticing I'm asking people to repeat themselves a lot more and I've apparently gotten bad enough that even Craig has finally said we need to spent the money.
So, I have an appointment  tomorrow at 8:30 am. and I have to drag Craig there with me. Part of the exam is having a familiar voice test. I told Craig they are probably just trying to get another customer. Anyway, we'll see how it goes.
And that's it for now.

completely closed

Good morning.
Just a quick post before I dash off to work.
We've finally finished closing on the house!   :-)
Went to the title company and picked up our copies of the closing documents, and they wired the money to our bank. Our home of 30 years, is no longer ours, never to set foot in again. I feel I should be more emotional about that, but it really feels good getting out from under all that yard work. And I'll miss parts of the house, just as I miss parts of owning a motor home and boat. The house became a chore with that huge yard. Downsizing the flower beds helped a lot, but it was still a lot of work. Loved our mo-ho trips, but a motor home is a very expensive toy.
Life is chapters, and we've been turning a lot of pages these last few years.
I've read those old chapters, and they were good. So much so, that I'm anxious to discover what's in the chapters that lie ahead.
But for right now, I'm still stuck on that work chapter. And it's been a long one.
So off I go.

Tuesday update

Good morning.
It's been a nice few days weather wise. Cool in the morning, but warm during the day.
Sunday, we went to Muskegon to see my Mom. Gave her a much needed haircut. Also cleaned her kitchen and took out the trash. Then we headed out to Pizza Hut for lunch. Mom had a personal size pizza, and Craig and I split a medium supreme pizza.  Then to the VFW, for a couple of drinks and some pull tabs.
Mom was very happy for the haircut, and to get out of the apartment for a while. On the way back to her apartment, we stopped at the store to get her a couple of things. Also picked up a couple of small cork boards to put on her wall next to her puter. She tapes notes on the wall  and Craig thought they may help her organize her notes better. Got them up and saw we could have used a couple more.   :-)
Maybe next time.
Got back to Lansing with out any issues.
Monday was our usual running around day. Bank, P.O. and store. Went back out to check on the house one more time before final closing, which still isn't completely done.    :-/
Got a text from the title company at 5:21 Monday afternoon stating the buyer was an hour and a half late for the 3:00 closing, and was still finishing stuff up past 5 pm. So they missed the wire cutoff for the day. But they are suppose to post the wire this morning. So later today, we'll check to see if the money is there and this whole closing deal is finally done.
And we're still changing addresses. Just when we think we've informed everyone of our new address, we get another forwarded piece of mail, or we find another place that needs our new address.
Today, we have to go to the title company to pick up our copies of the closing papers, and Craig has a doctors appointment. His latest blood test shows his sugar has gotten a little high again. With all that's been going on, we haven't been doing very well walking and eating, so I'm sure the doctor won't be happy. Oh well, he'll probably get a talking and want more blood tests in a couple of months.
Now time to go.

half closing and trip details.

Good morning.
Well, we didn't have closing Friday. We had a half closing.
 The lender was having issues with software that allows them to print out the closing documents, so our closing was delayed. They got that worked out and reset our closing to 4:30, but they wouldn't be able to cut us a check until Monday. We consulted with our lawyer, and determined it would be fine. We'd sign all the papers and the money would technically be held in escrow until Monday.
Got to closing and discovered that the lender never received an addendum to the purchase,. it was to late to get all of that done, so we signed our stuff, and the buyer will have to go back Monday to complete her half. The keys to the house will be held in 'escrow' until then.

Another picture from another morning walk. You can see the community isn't flat, as the houses in the background go up hill.

One day we drove out near Red Rock Canyon on the east side of the valley. A beautiful day and there were a lot of bicyclists out.

Our free room on our last night there was at Mandalay Bay. A very nice room on the 27th floor with a great view of the strip.

Fortunately there were no maintenance issues on this trip. A couple of minor issues with the flights, but we got there safe and arrived back in Lansing safe.
Hopefully, by late Monday, we'll have one less house to maintain.
Now, I'm off to clean the Salon.

our Vegas community

Good morning.
Here's a few pics from our latest trip to Vegas.....

Me on the golf cart path just off the road in front of the main water feature in our community.

Our community, Sun City Aliante, is just off the 215, behind the Aliante Casino Hotel. You can see, a public golf course weaves it's way through the community.

Craig with the hotel rising in the background.

Having the golf course in our community makes for some very pleasant morning walks.
We didn't do much on this trip. Just a few minor things. Just enjoyed being away from everything that's been going on here.
We do finally have a closing date. This afternoon at 3pm. Had to move some customers, but they all were very understanding. We were originally scheduled to close on the 24th of August. That's why we moved on the 17th.  But because of problems on the buyers end, we've been delayed. I actually thought we were going to come back from Vegas to find the deal dead and having to relist it and start all over. But things worked out. We went over to the house one last time to mow, fill the bird baths, do a little weeding, deadheading and say goodbye to the place we lived for 30 years. I thought it might be a bit more emotional, but with the place empty, it doesn't feel the same. And we've already moved on. We have a future, and it's not there anymore. I might feel a little different this afternoon when I hand the keys to the new owner. We'll see.
But now, I have to get to work. I moved some people to early today, the rest to late tomorrow.

back!

Good afternoon.
Sorry for my absence, but we were in Las Vegas!
Had a really nice time. Was good to unwnind from everything we've been dealing with.
Here's a pic of Craig at a park across the highway from our community....

I'll post more when time allows, and I just heard from our Realtor, we should finally close on our house Friday!   :-)