Saturday, September 06, 2008
People I need!
I sit here to correct a wrong I committed with yesterday’s post. I am most ashamed to admit that my statement on constants was indeed a hurtful oversight. When people spend some 34 years of their lives together it becomes a given, an understood commitment, an it will always be, in their mind. After that post yesterday I was hit with the thought of being thoughtless, uncaring, and a very selfish person. I have in my life countless acquaintances, many close friends and family, and some people who would leave a very big hole in my life if I lost them. So I take this opportunity to correct my error by saying that, my husband, my children, my dear friends should also have been named in my list of constants so important to my life.
I wish only to let these people know that I do need them in my life also.
Friday, September 05, 2008
We’ve Done It!
Tell me why is it when the nurse says what color cast do you want you always find that finger pointing to the brightest orange in the bunch.
You never stop to think that you will be wearing this cast for the next month. That you really only have one orange tee shirt to go with it. That it will clash loudly with your normal reds, blues. and greens. That every time you put on anything black with it every one will get this vision of Charlie Brown’s Giant Pumpkin raising out of the patch and wobbling like a UFO gaining altitude. No, you can’t picture anything but this delightful but shocking orange appendage flashing in the sun light! It has got to be a mental --I’m happy, I make you smile, and you think I’m nuts---situation!!.
But I must confess Sweet daughter made all the cottonwood mess evaporate before I woke up yesterday to tell them good bye and thank you for the help. She drove me the 100 some odd miles down and back to the appointment and sat with me in the room when I usually wait alone. She kept me thinking and enjoying the time for a change. Son -in-law David took Jay to the grocery store and mowed the front part of the property while we were gone not to mention his help in getting me in the back seat of the pickup. All I could imagine was this big old butt stuck in the doorway.
The last day or so is beginning to show some relief in the pain department. Dr. Fortin said with the extent of the surgery I should expect pain but that within the next week or so I should experience enough of an improvement that I will be able to read and concentrate on what I’m reading.
But for the next month the two constants in my life will be:
But this means the worse part is over and it is all birds singing , flowers blooming, and a silly old lady with a big ass grin on her face going yes indeed we have done it!!!
Wednesday, September 03, 2008
Never Fear!!!!
Sometimes things don’t always work the way they are suppose to but when you are surrounded by some of the most caring and creative people a woman, as lucky as I am can have, you find a way to make it work. This card came on Tuesday. I couldn’t get it to scan from my machine so I pulled out the trusty Fujifilm camera and took a picture of to share with you. I especially love the tan, fluffy, cross eyed creature with the crutches and the boot. He so depicts my feelings this last week or so.
Each day I gain a little more control over the situation and that makes me feel a little better . I have managed to clean my bird cages, give Brandy a bath, catch up on the laundry and even make my lunch the other day. Nothing fancy but at least I did it. Tomorrow is Dr. Fortin’s appointment and Cindy Is working midnights so she can take me in.
Jay’s has been a little under the weather so he is scheduled to see Dr. Webb next week. At least we are still well enough to help the other guy get through the day.
A lunch of Egg Salad sandwich and green grapes just magically appeared on my computer desk. Good stuff Maynard!!!!!
I have to record a summary of Jay’s daily results to send to Dr. Hukill and pay a few bills this afternoon. The leg is still painful but I don’t expect any less! So I’ll get started on the paperwork so I can relax in a bit! But never fear --Old mighty moose is here and that ain’t no typo!!!
Monday, September 01, 2008
Burn And Slide!!!!!
Saturday evening started a down hill slide for me. I backed my wheelchair into a tall metal and glass candle holder. This resulted in a great deal of broken glass all over the dining room floor. Nothing is so frustrating when you can’t reach it to pick it up and your animal’s curiosity is too close for comfort. Sweet husband, semi blind and all, valiantly managed to get most of it picked up with no loss of blood. The next afternoon I awoke to a very frustrated hubby trying to clean up a broken butter dish on the kitchen floor. I’ll tell you it seemed like something was trying to do us in!!! But as Sunday came to a close with no more mishaps occurring we finally started to breathe easier.
I keep hoping for some relief from the burning sensation around my heel and ankle so that I can at least sit and read some. I will see Dr. Fortin on the fourth for the first report. on my progress.
You know that no matter how hard I try to find something funny with this situation there ain’t nothing to laugh about dam it! Bear with me my friends I will make it over this climb!!!!
Saturday, August 30, 2008
For Now I Must Sleep!
As I opened my eyes I could feel the weight of the cotton wood growing out of the end of my leg. There has been a mistake here! I was to have an ankle fixed not become a surrogate mother to a tree stump. As I looked down all around me all I could see was wads of cotton settling on the bed, the floor, and the walls. The ever presence of alligators snapping at my ankles, heels and feet seemed to confuse my thought processes. I knew that soon I would drop from conciseness into a dark cavern of painless sleep and there I would rest enough to face the next round of adventure.
But as I looked I could see the cotton yes but not the green leaves or bark my Natures’ prison. I keep telling myself it is going to get better soon But for now I must sleep!!
Thursday, August 28, 2008
I’m Out!
A little after dark last night the driveway doorbell chimed. Of course the porch light that burnt out while I was in the hospital had not been changed yet so coming into the dome proved to be a bit of a pain in the butt. But when finally our guests were able to maneuver inside it was Edna and Bob with a basket of blackberries picked from their garden for us.
I could not believe the size of them with just enough sweet and tart to make you believe a master gardener had specially blended just for you. When you are fortunate enough to have friends like these --who could ask for more.
I’m looking forward to these little gems on my cereal this morning. It will make a ho hum into an OH Wow breakfast for me I’ll tell you.
It is grey and rainy out there this morning and a bit on the chilly side. My alligators are extremely angry but I’m purposely delaying the pain pill because it will feel so good when it finally start to work. I have an itch in the middle of my back that is driving me bonkers and no amount of shirt maneuvering is making it quit. Oh my sweet hubby just walked into the room and scratched the piss out of my back. I knew there was a good reason to keep him around!!!!
I’m going to find a place to hang this foot today so I don’t keep squirming in this chair all day.
O K I can’t take any more right now my friend --so I’m out of here for a while!!
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Keep Smiling!
These beautiful flowers came from Phyllis’ garden on Monday. It takes just a little bump to make the smile machine work. I have spent the last few days doing a lot of sleeping. It seems to work in blocks of two hours. I sleep then either the bladder or the alligators start snapping and I come awake real fast. I know that the rest will help me get better quicker so I just go with the flow. It seems that Brandy is getting her share of siesta time also. So it is extremely quiet around here. Phyllis brought us some spaghetti squash from her garden so we made a dinner with home canned marinara sauce, meat balls, and garlic toast. Adding canned peaches from last year for dessert it was a great supper. Tonight it is acorn squash, polish sausage, and blueberry muffins so we will be well fed.The addition of sliced tomato from our garden seems like the ideal topper. The weather is sunshiny and if I could find a place to hang up this 10 ton log on the end of my leg then all would be right with the world. But I look at each day as one closer to being fixed!
Keep smiling because I sure am!!!!
Monday, August 25, 2008
Coming Along!
Just before going in for surgery I took pictures of two of the shelf units in the food room. This will give you a little bit of an idea of our labor of love. Jay said we had to stop canning because we are running out of room.
My roommate in the hospital was a sweetheart of a woman in her eighties with a sense of humor and a quick and charming laugh. Although we only spent two days together she helped make it a delightful visit.
This carnation was from her bouquet. She wanted to share it with me. She went home just before me on the 24th. All I can say is thank you Helen for making my stay so pleasant.
The Time Is Right!
Good morning my friends --it is 2:00am and my alligators are back… Anyone who suffered through last Thanksgiving with me knows what I’m talking about. But I did have to take time to wish Cyn and Dave a belated 12 year Happy Anniversary--it was yesterday. Also Middle child a Happy Birthday today. Yep Old S E B is 41 years young! I still haven’t got all the Hospital fuzz worn off but I’m working on it. I’m going to take a little time to reads some blogs and then I’ ll try to sleep some more. Anywho it is good to be half back anyway!
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Fruit Is Jarred And All Right With The World!
Where to start when you have little time, a bushel of peaches, roughly nine pounds of apricots, 24 ounces of store bought raspberries, and over 25 pounds of sugar. Why you can, naturally. Tuesday afternoon I bought the raspberries and apricots so I could get the apricot jam out of the way because it is a fruit that does not keep well. I called Meijers earlier in the day and asked them to set aside what they had left in stock and a young man, after hearing my story, graciously set them in the cooler until after I picked Jay up.
While I was there I bought the raspberries needed for the Peach Melba jam so I was ready to roll. I spent most of Tuesday night peeling peaches and making the jam and Amaretto peaches. The brown stuff in the peaches is cinnamon sticks. The results was 10 pints of Amaretto peaches and 14 half pints of Peach Melba jam. My day ended around 1 am with a heck of a lot of peaches still to be blanched and peeled.
I started Wednesday morning at around 6:30 am with the the apricots
Love them apricots--no peeling just cut and core--a piece of cake! I ended up with 21 half pints of apricot jam and 7 pints of apricots in light syrup.
Then it was back to peach peeling. Do you how long it takes to peel a bushel of peaches? Too freakin’ long I’ll tell you!! But once I got the hang of it I was busy stuffing jars for peaches in syrup and then chopping them up for jam.
By the end of the day I was too tired to think and needed Jay to come out and stir jam and put lids on. He had been making labels, bringing up more jars , and moving full ones down to the food room. The results of this labor of love was 23 pints of peaches in light syrup and 30 half pints of peach jam.
Then the table was clean (almost that is) and all the fruit was safe in their own little jars. Needless to say I fell into bed a 9:30 last night and never moved until 6:15 this morning.
The first order of the day was to put away clean dishes and reload the dishwasher, do a load of washing including dish towels, dish cloths, and every hot pad I own. I cleared the wash to be folded out of the dryer to make room for the next batch. I started gathering the canning paraphernalia to go down to the food room for another day. Next was to tackle that kitchen floor. I swear it sounded like bubble wrap when you walked across it. I also mopped the utility room at the same time leaving only the bathroom to go.
I have spent the last hour visiting with you but now I still have a bunch of things to do including packing my bag for the hospital so I’ll close for now and get my butt moving. I’ll see Yah!
Update: This afternoon McDaniel’s Farm Market called this afternoon to say they had Michigan apricots for us. So Jay is going to get some tomorrow and do them up for me. Dang just a day too late for me.