By Janet and Charley Hoult
Holiday Greetings to You on the 12th Night with wishes that you will receive many gifts this coming year!
[img]2376|right|||no_popup[/img]A Note to our friends: These greetings are usually sent to you prior to Christmas. Some of you have called because you didn't receive them, and you were concerned….thanks to you all. Both of us had our yearly flu shots on the 19th, and Charley became sick a few days later…fever, cough, nausea…all the flu symptoms. An antibiotic hasn't helped him much. By Christmas Day we were both sick, and Janet began having severe asthma problems. It got so bad that we went to Cedars-Sinai ER. Diagnosis: Viral infection… Janet is on a course of prednisone, and she is breathing a bit better. Her pulmonologist verified it and added two more prescriptions. Let's hope 2014 doesn't begin and end with emergencies!
Twenty-thirteen began with an emergency visit to the veterinarian. Ginger, our rescue puggle who has lived with us for six years, managed to knock down a box of gift chocolates and ate them all – including the foil wrapping. She had to have her stomach pumped, but still begs for pieces of chocolate chip cookies.
We organized a gathering of Charley’s MIT Class of 1956 in February in Culver City at the Culver Hotel with dinner and music from the Swing Era. Two of the couples attending stayed overnight. Perhaps they had the rooms where the Munchkins stayed while MGM was filming “The Wizard of Oz.” Our neighborhood was once an MGM backlot. Some of our neighbors say they are sure they have heard the Munchkins singing late at night. Since our street was part of a racetrack in the 1920’s, the sounds of racing cars could be what wakes us up in the middle of the night!
Charley is doing much better than last year, although he developed spinal stenosis and spent most of March in a wheelchair before successful back surgery in April. He has been under the care of a cardiologist at Cedars. He underwent a second cardioversion, which underscored the atrial fibrillation he has been dealing with for years. His new meds have made him an easy bleeder. When he hits his head or has a cut that won't stop bleeding, we resort to WoundSeal (used by our troops in Afghanistan) in order to stop the bleeding.
In spite of his health problems, he continues to work with rocket engineering students – this is his second year at Cal State L.A., Janet’s home campus. The 2012-2013 CSULA team designed and built a rocket, the “Sonic Eagle,” which was set to launch at the Intercollegiate Rocket Engineering Competition held in Green River, Utah, each June.
Unfortunately, after the students got the rocket up on the rail, the launch rail broke, then spilled and broke the rocket. We brought it back to campus, repaired it and are planning to launch it as part of the senior design class Charley is teaching to this year’s group. Wish us luck in June!
We both continue to judge at the CSULA Research Symposium. This year, however, since Charley’s “Sonic Eagle” team gave presentations, he had to recuse himself because we both had assisted them. The team won at CSULA and took first in the CSU statewide competition. Janet continues to serve the Emeriti Assn. as a member of the Fellowship Fund Committee and as a representative to Phi Kappa Phi.
Janet delayed her hand surgery until a decision is made about a “revision” of her first total knee replacement in 1993. The advice is to do the knee before the hand or shoulder so she can pilot a walker while she recuperates. She has not been able to play her ukulele with the C.C. Strummers at concerts in the Culver City Senior Center because of thumb and tendon problems in her right hand, but hopes to rejoin the group next year.
Janet’s book “Body Parts” is continuing to sell on Amazon.com, and the proceeds have increased the CSULA scholarship endowment in her son's memory to over $15,000. Her book, “Where Did the Sun Go?,” a book of poems about the myths and legends of solar eclipses, has been published and is also available on Amazon.com. Due to all the health problems, booksignings just began. Book reviewers said that the book should be in children’s sections of libraries. So in 2014 she is planning to do puppet workshops and donate books. All proceeds will go to the Friends of the Observatory (FOTO) educational programs.
It took months to work out our travel claims after we had to cancel our solar eclipse trip last year. We were able to use part of the travel in August for a week in Kauai, Hawaii…truly, the Garden Isle.
Family helped Janet celebrate her 77th in October and Charley's 80th in December…this year on the Queen Mary. He enjoyed it so much when Janet had her 75th on the QM he requested the same venue!
In spite of our health problems and aging another year, we are still keeping active. We hope that this next year will bring us all good health, peace of mind and prosperity.
Best wishes,
Janet and Charley
The Drs. Hoult may be contacted at HOULTight@aol.com
