Sheet Music is Heading Home!

Our winter fun is over, and we left Stuart, FL, this morning heading for our home port. We had a beautiful sunny day on the water with 10-15 knots of wind, perfect for some motor sailing.

We're on a mooring at the Vero Beach City Marina.

We're disappointed that we didn't make it to the Bahamas, but my back just wasn't good enough to handle dinghy rides and I was concerned about crossing with an injured back. It is mostly healed, but I still have some discomfort, especially at night after being up all day. I have an appointment with my doctor at home next month and will ask about PT.

Tomorrow we'll catch up with old friends, Mark and Sara Turner, for dinner at Ichabod's at the Melbourne Harbor Marina, then on to Titusville.

Discovered Back Injury While Home; We're Back on Sheet Music; New Grandchild Due this Summer!

We are back on Sheet Music after an unexpected, extended stay at home. We had a wonderful Christmas with all of our kids and grandkids together for the first time in five years! It was fabulous.

First, the good news…Our best Christmas present was the announcement that we’re going to have a new grandbaby!  We are over the moon. Our youngest, Ryan, and his wife, Catherine, told us the good news and we had to keep it secret for more than three weeks, which was killing me. I wanted to tell the world. I’m so excited!

Now the bad news and the reason our stay at home was extended. I saw my family doctor on Christmas Eve morning because I was still unable to sit comfortably since my fall in Daytona on Nov. 4, followed by a rough ride in a friend’s dinghy in early December. She ordered an X-ray and two MRIs. The results: a compression fracture at L1 and three sacrum fractures from the top of S-3 to the bottom of S-5.  No wonder I wasn’t able to sit!

After consulting my neurosurgeon, who then referred me to a Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation doctor at Rothman (I didn’t know there was such a specialty), I got the okay to return to Sheet Music.  No dinghy rides for a while, no heavy lifting and “if it hurts, don’t do it,” were my instructions.

We left home on Tuesday morning in our own car and drove straight to my mom’s in Ocala for an overnight stay and brief visit. Wednesday morning, my sister and her husband came for breakfast and we opened Christmas gifts. By lunchtime, we were heading south for the marina, complete with roasted turkey sandwiches from mom.

I think we brought the cold weather with us, because I’ve worn two sweatshirts for the past two nights, but it’s warmer today (near 70) and the sunshine feels good!

We drove to Publix (a treat now that we have a car) and reprovisioned.

I have my coccyx pillow, pain and muscle relaxer meds (which I’m only taking in the evening), and am trying to take it easy. We’re just happy to be back in Stuart, FL. Especially since they’re calling for more snow at home.

Sam, the dockmaster here, moved us closer to the marina office, still on the seawall, to make room for a bigger boat coming in. I’m happy because it’s a shorter trek to the bathhouse and laundry. We’re lucky to even be at a dock. There is such a long waiting list and we can’t be in a mooring field, because I can’t ride in a dinghy yet.

Our tide/wall clock stopped working while we were gone. The next day, the water pump kept kicking on. After some investigating, Chuck discovered the hot water heater is leaking. Unfortunately, it’s under the solar control panel AND the air conditioning unit. Not a very convenient place to get to for replacement. So he bypassed it for now, so at least I have running water, just cold. It looks like we’ll be using the bathhouse for showers for a little while until he confirms that the tank is leaking and gets his hands on a new one.

Such is the cruising life. Someone told me last night that “cruising is just fixing your boat in more exotic places.” Sadly, that’s the truth! LOL.

We’re looking forward to a visit with our grandsons, Dylan and Jimmy and Jimmy’s girlfriend, Angela, next week in West Palm. We brought down Jim’s Christmas presents that he couldn’t take on the airplane…golf clubs, a tent and bedding won’t fit in a suitcase!  Our car was loaded on the trip down.

We’ll hang here in Stuart for the month of February, then we’ll see how my back is. If I’m feeling up to it, we may head to the Bahamas after all or maybe the Florida Keys. Time will tell.

We’ve heard from so many cruisers who have had health or boat issues this year and couldn’t complete their trip. We’re hoping to put this all behind us soon and move on.

Today I did a load of laundry and Chuck spent the day in the lazzarette working his way to the hot water heater. Which means I have no air/heat for now, so we dug out the old reliable portable heater for a few days until the sun warms things up again.

For those of you who always ask what I’m making for dinner, last night we had seared scallops, sautéed broccoli and a spring garden salad with strawberries, walnuts and feta cheese. I’m making chicken and vegetable stir-fry for dinner tonight.

We wish everyone a very happy, healthy 2014!