Son on the mend

C got his sutures out on his knee, about 8 inches long.  There are steri-strips that will just fall off on their own in a week's time, but this means he can shower and not have to wear a leg bag to keep his leg dry.  He can wash off the Betadine, which was itching fiercely, and scratch (within reason).  He goes back in 4 weeks for xrays to see how it is healing.  He is doing his exercises twice a day, and has  a decent amount of movement in flexing his leg.  Funny, I always thought that after something is immobilized, it would be all floppy when the cast was removed.  But instead it is rigid, and it takes quite a regimen to get the flexibility back.  I learned this when I broke my wrist years ago.  It took ages of time  and work to get to where I could turn my hand palm up.

I have been thinking about my second cataract removal, and I think I may have to resort to a multi-focus lens ($$$$) instead of the monocular one I have in the left eye.  I can't figure how I will be able to apply eye makeup when I won't have any close vision without reading glasses.  I have to remove my glasses and stand directly, closely, in front of the mirror now, but I still have a tiny amount of vision for very close vision.  It will be gone once my lens is removed.  And the left lens is hopeless under a foot or two.

Always something.

Sunday N and I cleaned one of the stalls in the barn, it was a disaster for several reasons I won't go into.  It nearly killed us.  I think the horses will have to be left out in the pasture for the rest of the summer, something I have never done.  They have grain, hay, water, shade, shelter and we can keep our eyes on them when a storm blows up.  Most of our thunder storms last about 10 minutes; so as long as they don't go crazy and try to run through the fence they should be good.  I'll try a new fly repellant once I get to the feed store ; most of them are a waste of money, they only work for a couple of hours max.  And I'll get to see the baby duckies again.

Bumper sticker for the day:  "If we're being chased by a bear, I don't have to run faster than it ; I only have to run faster than you."

Bird(s) of a feather

This is a photo (from the net) of a bird we saw at the feeder yesterday.  It is a mountain bluebird and it''s on the wrong side of the continent.(Well, it could be an indigo bunting, which is found in our area.)  Their range is CA to AK, approximately, and not in WV.  By all rights this should be an eastern bluebird, but the belly was not rusty; it was blue all over.  So I am stumped, also, in that they are insect eaters and only rarely will eat peanuts, etc. and the feeder it was on was the squirrel feeder which does contain peanuts.  So I dunno, was it lost?  Or an eastern one with crop out coloring?  Only saw it the once, so far.  Maybe all the weird weather and storms out west blew it off course?

My really good news is that I have been excused from jury duty next month.  I sent a letter from my eye surgeon's office stating that I am scheduled for eye surgery July 1 and would need that day and two others off.  The circuit court clerk called me today and said that this group of jurors is for one particular trial and so I am excused totally.  Yeah!!  And I bet I know which (murder) trial it will be, and I don't want any part of it.  Especially photos.  I was dreading the entire process, and now I can impatiently wait for the surgery, so my eyes will "match".


bumper sticker for the day:  "If at first you do succeed, try not to look surprised..."

Tired

Son (C) developed a HUGE hematoma suddenly, on the back of his knee (the one he broke), a deep black and purple, the size of a hand, and a smaller one, about half that size.  I didn't  like the look of it, worried about blood clots in the leg that might travel to lungs, etc.  He tried calling the ortho doctor that did his surgery, but it went straight to voice mail.  After waiting an hour and a half, I called the hospital and they paged the on-call doctor, but no response.  So, off to the ER, and after a long wait the ortho doctor came and unwrapped his leg (bandages toe to upper thigh) and she said the bruising is within normal limits.  The good part is they removed all the bandages and we got a good look at the incisions, and they re-wrapped it lightly and without all the pinch-y and wrinkled bits, much more comfortable.  I don't care if we overreacted, I'd never get to sleep thinking about it.  He gets the sutures out next Friday.

I am scheduled to get the right eye cataract removed in July.  Everything is so confusing now, and I need the two eyes to work things out between them.  The left eye has very good far sight, but the right eye needs my glasses to read up close.  No depth perception.   I understand the reasons behind not doing both eyes at once, but dang it, I'm dropping things and misjudging where doors are (crunch).  I'll be glad when the eyes match.

I got a new fountain pen in the mail from China.  It is called "Jinhao" and is nicely weighted and writes great.  The cost was $3.89 with free shipping.  I don't see how they could clear costs, but anyway I am happy with this nice pen.  I have given up, for now, buying vintage Parkers, the cost of them is ridiculous, the price of a restored pen for one that is not restored and not useable as is.  Still keeping an eye out for pens at flea markets, etc., but even there the prices are too high, given that restoration costs around $45 for a simple fix.  I can do a very simple bag replacement myself, but that is it.

Bumper sticker for the day:  "Teach your kids about taxes:  eat 30% of their ice cream."

Everyone is OK

C had his surgery Friday (yesterday) and it went well. His knee is currently immobilized in a pressure bandage to keep the swelling down, and he has considerable pain.  But he will sleep much better at home, without the constant stream of medical staff.  Sometimes I think the night shift people enjoy waking patients up...

My cataract surgery went well, and I am currently wearing my eyeglasses with the left lens removed.  I like the distance correction, but am disappointed that the close vision is so blurry.  Ah well, that may improve as the eye heals.

The old computer is slowly turning toes up, so this is short.

Bumper sticker for the day:  "Gone to my happy place.  Be back soon!"

Surgery

Wednesday I am getting the cataract removed from my left eye.  This has been scheduled for more than a month and is really no big deal.  But Friday my son, C is getting his knee repaired.  He fell at work and broke his tibia, but the main damage he did for long term functioning of the joint concerns the "pit" in the top surface of the tibia (the tibial plateau). It was found on the CAT scan he had done this morning.  Left alone to heal, it will either fuse or erode away until a knee replacement is needed.  On Friday the surgeon will take a piece of bone from his hip and use a plate and screws to hold it in place on the top surface of the tibia.  He will be laid up the entire summer, and then rehab.  But it will give him a functional knee.  They told him that he is the ideal candidate for this surgery:  no smoking, no drinking, no drugs, no allergies, no meds, physically fit, not overweight.   I am trying to forget all the things that could go wrong with the surgery and its aftermath.  I wish I was the one having the surgery instead of him.

This is going to be a long summer.

I have been enjoying looking at "99+ creepiest WalMart customers".  Today we went to our local Wally world and I swear I saw somebody from there.  It was these two enormous women, a minimum of 450 lbs. apiece,wearing spandex and enough face makeup to paint the Golden Gate bridge, each one on one of those powered carts, sailing up and down the aisles.  Between them they blocked the entire aisle, like two semis passing one another up a steep incline.  I was trying to find a package of something and they kept coming toward me, I scurried out of the way because I had no assurance they would stop in time, or just roll on over me.  We moved on and so did they, whirrrrr.  When I had a cast on a few years back, I snagged one of those carts.  I kept getting these stink-eyes from the heavy folks who were forced to walk as  a result.  I'm overweight, but geez, each was more than two of me.  I think they need elbow exercises, i.e., pushing themselves away from the table.

They had baby ducks and chicks at the feed store where we buy horse grain.  I could watch them for ages, they are so cute.  They are only exceeded by the baby rabbits.  I would like to raise chickens, but I am sure the neighbors would object.  And of course we don't need something else to take care of.

Bumper sticker for the day:  "Despite the high cost of living it continues to be very popular."

Sunshine, Happiness

We have sunshine!  Yesterday it was a little warm (84) but in the morning it was cool and sunny, the best combination.  I am not a fan of sunshine, that is, of sun bathing.  It makes my head ache, and my face to become neon red.  As a result, a lifetime of avoiding sun on myself, and despite living in Miami for my first 20 years, I have no wrinkles and no "age spots" which are really a result of too much sun.  I have had only one sunburn, and that was enough for me for the rest of my life!  And it was before effective sunscreens, of which I am a patron.  Should have bought stock in Coppertone.

When I had my last visit with the oncologist, he did a blood test of Vitamin D3, and found that mine was way low.  Not enough sunshine or milk?  So I have been taking a D3 supplement, 4000 IU a day, plus the amount in my calcium and multivitamin (1500 IU).  I' have been told it is necessary to form bone, and I am too lazy to go to Web MD to look it up.  Right now I am taking 17 meds everyday, counting multivitamins and such.  Four antidepressants, thyroid, etc.  It's a wonder I don't rattle when I walk.

This computer is acting up these days, going wonky when I am doing nothing but reading, and then I get a blue screen of death and the whole thing reboots.  I looked online for a fix and I thought I had it nailed.  But now I am getting a different message on the blue screen  "IRQL not less than or equal"  I have no idea what that is.  I need a new computer, one with more memory and less glitches, but I am waiting for Windows 10, as I hear nothing good with Win 8.  Meanwhile I save everything as I go along (especially here). 

Bumper sticker for the day :  "I've found your problem.  You need a user upgrade."

Three times again

Well, life is always interesting here.  Last week C (son) fell off the truck lift and broke his leg.  And not just a simple fracture,oh no.  He cracked his tibia right behind his knee cap. (A fracture of the tibial plateau).   If it doesn't heal correctly, it could fuse and result in a knee that cannot be bent.  He now has a full length brace that he must wear unless he is in the shower or changing clothes; crutches too.  Next week he goes for a CAT scan to see if the end of the tibia itself has fragmented from the downward pressure in the fall.  If so, surgery.  If there is ligament or tendon damage, surgery. We must wait for the results, which are to be done now so as to give the swelling time to go down. The only saving grace is that he is on workman's comp., and not having to pay for this on his own.

I have jury duty starting in June, through July. 

I have cataract surgery next week, too.

The horses are nearly out of hay, the rain has been so persistent that the path into the barn would stick the hay truck in mud.  We will try tomorrow to get a partial number of bales (around 50) to see us through until the rotten weather eases, using the four wheel drive pickup.

N (husband) finally got a hearing test, and it shows that he cannot hear in high range at all, and that the mid-range frequencies (voices) are weak.  I thought he was just ignoring us...

And finally, daughter R is moving her job into a new building.  That doesn't sound too traumatic but R doesn't like changes, and this is sure to send her into a tailspin.

Interesting times.

Bumper sticker:  "When everything is coming your way, you're probably in the wrong lane."

I'm a sucker for jokes like this

A couple lived near the ocean and used to walk the beach a lot. One summer they noticed a girl who was at the beach pretty much every day. She wasn't unusual, nor was the travel bag she carried, except for one thing. She would approach people who were sitting on the beach, glance around, then speak to them. Generally, the people would respond negatively and she would wander off, but occasionally someone would nod and there would be a quick exchange of money for something she carried in her bag. The couple assumed she was selling drugs and debated calling the cops, but since they didn't know for sure they just continued to watch her. After a couple of weeks the wife asked, "Honey, have you ever noticed that she only goes up to people with boom boxes and other electronic devices?" He hadn't and said so. Then she said, "Tomorrow I want you to get a towel and our big radio and go lie out on the beach. Then we can find out what she's really doing." Well, the plan went off without a hitch, and the wife was almost hopping up and down with anticipation when she saw the girl talk to her husband and then leave. The man walked up the beach and met his wife at the road. "Well, is she selling drugs?" she asked excitedly." No, she's not." he said, enjoying this probably more than he should have. "Well, what is it, then?" his wife fairly shrieked. The man grinned and said. "Her name is Sally and she's a battery salesperson." "Batteries?" cried the wife. "Yes," he replied. "She sells C cells by the Seashore

Suzanne

I haven't felt much like posting here, because last week my very very best friend died of inoperable lung cancer.  We have been buddies since the 5th grade in FL, that's more than 50 years, and I thought of her as my sister, much more so than my actual sister.  I haven't written anything here about my friend as she battled her disease because she read this blog and I didn't want to compromise her privacy, or to make her feel like she couldn't get away from her trials and just read here for a chuckle or two.  Now that she is gone I feel the need to talk about us, if that isn't too weird.  We'll see.

When we lived in Memphis in 1970, Suzanne and her husband came for a visit. We all went for a ride on the Mississippi River; went to see Graceland (Elvis’ home), feeding squirrels in the park and so on.  We couldn’t do some of the things available because starting out we were pretty broke once the bills were paid.  But after they left, I found where Suzanne had tucked dollar bills all throughout the apartment for us to find.  There was one in the refrigerator!  She was so generous.

She came to see us in San Francisco in the 70s and we had a good time going to Alcatraz, Chinatown, walking along the Pacific Ocean, etc.  But the thing I remember best was seeing her riding my horse in Golden Gate Park.  She was wall-to-wall smiles.

In WV she came for a stay and went downhill skiing (something I have never been brave enough to try).   She was a strong shoulder to rely on when I went through my own cancer.

Growing up in FL she would frequently tell the story about how I helped her with her bike when she began crying, back in the day when she was 9 or 10.  She was the bridesmaid at my wedding in 1970.  We sang in the high school chorus, went to church, sang in the choir, and went to see Camelot. She teased me about my hair (usually a wreck) and we talked about boys.

But in all of these times together the main thing we did was talk and talk, about the world, about our families and community, and reminisce about the “good old days”.  She was incredibly generous, with money (I never could snag the check when we went out) as well as her time (like all the activities she organized for my first trip to her in FL) ; was a talented singer, had a wicked sense of humor and a caring outlook for people and animals.  It is so sad that a kind and well-loved woman had her time here cut so short.  I thought we would become old ladies together, but it is not to be.  I will cherish the times we had together.

 
"Don't cry because it's over.  Smile because it happened."

Older and Wiser

(I found this on the knitting forum)

Have you ever been guilty of looking at others your own age and thinking, surely I can't look that old?

Well...you'll love this one.

My name is Alice Smith and I was sitting in the waiting room for my first appointment with a new dentist. I noticed his DDS diploma, which bore his full name.

Suddenly, I remembered a tall, handsome, dark-haired boy with the same name had been in my high school class some 40-odd years ago.

Could he be the same guy that I had a secret crush on, way back then? Upon seeing him, however, I quickly discarded any such thought.

This balding, grey-haired man with the deeply lined face was way too old to have been my classmate. After he examined my teeth, i asked him if he had attended Morgan Park High School .

'Yes. Yes, I did. I’m a Mustang,' he gleamed with pride.

'When did you graduate?' i asked.

He answered, 'In 1975. Why do you ask?'

'You were in my class!', i exclaimed.

He looked at me closely.

Then that ugly, old, bald, wrinkled, fat, grey-haired, decrepit, S.O.B. asked me:

'What did you teach?'

Stormy Weather

We have had some rip-snorting weather for the last two days, big thunderstorms, the kind that make you jump.  Three of the house cats are chickens and hide inside the closet downstairs.  The other three can't be bothered; I understand why Gracie doesn't run, she is deaf and can only feel the vibrations. But the other two are nonchalant.  Why is this so odd?  Has to be something from kitten-hood, before we got them.  Anyway, the three scaredy cats eventually venture forth, stretching and all, Hiding, who me?

I have been reading several books by Melissa Olson, fantasy with vampires and werewolves, etc.  That makes them sound pretty juvenile and schlocky but they are a pretty good read.  These have been on my Kindle (instant gratification when ordering a book).  When i went to select one of them, Amazon told me I had already purchased one of them 3 years ago.  When I looked in my archives, sure enough there it was.  I  have no recollection of ever reading it, so there was another "new" book to read.  The problem with finding a new author is that I read faster then they write, so once I have covered all the previous books, I have to wait, sometimes a year or more, for the next installment.  And it leaves me searching for another author.

I was one of the early adopters of the Kindle.  Our actual bound versions of books have been driving us out of the house, one bookcase at a time.  I (guiltily) tossed several hundred books recently, when I gave up on selling them on Abebooks (see the clickable link at the right).  After two years (or more?) I basically paid people to take my books, what with the monthly charge, and the shipping, and it couldn't continue.  We offered them to the library (no) and to the used book store (going out of business) and finally at a flea market (a nickle each; if they didn't have a nickle, then just take them), and had hundreds left.  There are more in the attic, and filling boxes in odd corners of the house, and I can't justify keeping them all.  But I did cringe when we dumped them at the transfer station (trash site).

I went to google maps not long ago, looking at the street view of the house I grew up in.  I wish I hadn't looked.  When I first checked several years ago, the house looked fine, but this time I was sad to see that the chain link fence was gone, as were the awnings, and the windows were boarded shut and worst of all the lush green yard was now scruffy weedy dirt.  I guess it was a defaulted mortgage.  This was in North Miami, and the house was built in the 50s, when my parents moved out of Washington D.C.  I slaved over that yard for all the years I lived there, I swear my mom thought the yard police were coming to arrest her if the yard wasn't pristine.  We also had 3 huge hedges, all had to be cut back to military perfection, and I had the calluses to prove it.  This was before electric hedge trimmers, I should add.  Maybe the house will eventually be opened again, it is built of cinderblock and the roof is tiled, so sitting for a while won't hurt it, I think.

Bumper sticker for the day:  "I like you but if zombies chase us I'm tripping you."

Test results

I saw my GP doctor last week, and he found some worrisome lab results when he did his routine tests.  I am on antibiotics (which make me feel crappy) and will return on Friday.  I hate waiting like this, it leaves my imagination too much time to churn out nightmares, fueled by all the stuff on the internet.  It could be just an erroneous lab result, I worked as a medical technologist for several years, and I know there are scads of errors made, even with the most OCD of techs.  I will try to be unperturbed until I know more.  Update: The doctor switched me to another antibiotic (which is very very bitter, I might add) and took blood for further analysis.  Still a puzzle to figure out, but not too serious.

It is a beautiful day today, Easter Sunday.  Even though we don't celebrate it, I think it makes a nice boundary between winter and spring (which was its origin, until it was co-opted by the Christians; they didn't approve of the fertility rites).  It may snow later this week, but it won't amount to much, it is far too warm.  All the stores are loaded with candy and baskets and easter grass, thank god my kids are well past that age.  They went to a Catholic elementary school, which was academically great and a little too holier-than-thou about religious training.  They knew our kids were not Catholic (we paid twice the tuition because the parish didn't subsidize it), but there wasn't any overt catechism training, and not much preaching either.  But the Easter celebrations were a little too fixated on crucifixion and rising from the dead, a little macabre for a young child, when you look at it. Just my point of view, as a heathen.

The dogs are once again barking and barking, we go out to check things out (after the raccoon affair several posts back) and there is nothing.  One dog is lying in the sunshine and barking at the sky, what is with that?  Low flying birds?  UFOs?  I dunno.

Bumper sticker for the day, "Chocolate comes from Cocoa which is a tree.  That makes it a Plant.  CHOCOLATE is SALAD!"

Four letter swear word

SNOW.  It snowed last night.  It is only about an inch, but I was so over the winter, so encouraged by the daffodils and crocuses peaking out of the ground.  It should be gone by tomorrow, but today it is just a bitter reminder of this past winter.  I want spring, dammit!

We drove to visit my uncle and aunt on Wednesday.  My aunt is slipping away, physically and mentally, and it is heartbreaking to watch it happen.  Soon my uncle will be unable to cope, and it will mean moving her out of their house.  They have already shut off the upstairs, and live exclusively in the LR, DR, and kitchen.  My aunt was an English teacher at the local high school, and for all of those years she had students and former students dropping by to shoot the breeze with them.  They don't come anymore; just visitors from their church, and a couple of neighbors.  A sad situation all around.  She is in pretty good spirits, although her train of thought is a little unreliable.  I will miss her so.

I got an email from a good friend in Virginia today.  She moved away two years ago, and I miss her still also.  She is very busy with her family and her career, so she doesn't have much time to answer emails these days.  I try not to answer too quickly, putting pressure on her to respond.  I don't think she reads my blog any more, so I can grumble away here without hurting her feelings.  I keep hoping she will move back, but it doesn't sound like a possibility for now.  

I bought a box of disposable gloves to use in here when I fiddle with my fountain pens, one of my better ideas.  Bad enough that the ink stains my fingers, but it gets under my nails where it is nearly impossible to remove.  I read in a fashion magazine (don't as me why I am subscribed to In Style) that the trendy look for nails is dark colors that then are wiped back with remover, to give the appearance of worn off polish.  Heck, I have worn this for years; that is why I sport a french manicure all the time now, so it doesn't look chipped or worn off.  Trend setter, that's me.  I wonder when the fashionistas will follow me in the makeup free face?  No time soon, I'd guess.

Bumper sticker for the day:  "The last time I reached for the stars I pulled a muscle."