Excitement

What an exciting day today!

• Slept until 7:30.
• Ate breakfast, read the paper, did computer stuff, did exercises, took a nap.
• Ate lunch.
• Took a nap.
• Listened to the Lady Mocs totally dominate Alabama, 72-58!
• Ate supper.
• Watched a fascinating documentary.

The Rape of Europa is a 2007 documentary based on a book of the same name by Lynn H. Nichols. The envelope from Netflix says “Joan Allen narrates this documentary that chronicles 12 years of the Nazis’ pillaging works of art throughout Europe and the international effort to locate, protect and return millions of valuable treasures. The film traces the story of art lovers and everyday heroes who tried to thwart the looting Nazis and reveals how experts from Europe and the United States are working to recover priceless works of art missing or hidden for decades.”  Definitely worth watching.

A busy Friday

　
Margaret, Jesse, his lady friend Ashley, her daughter Maddy, and their friends Marcus and Danielle came for dinner and to visit. They came over in the afternoon, came by the house to leave some food Margaret was bringing, and then they headed out to the zoo. I got out a lasagna and bread, Margaret brought corn, salad, stuff, and made banana pudding. Yum!

We’d done some minimal child-proofing of the house. It’s been a long time since there’s been a 2-year-old around here. The really breakable stuff went out of sight. Other stuff just got left out. Maddy was really very good. She wanted to touch some of the things, and we let her (with supervision) - that’s why we left them out.

It was a nice visit. They left about 8:30, but we were exhausted. It was mostly a chance for us to meet Ashley and Maddy, and for them to get together with their friends from VA. It was great that the two couples enjoyed visiting so much. And Maddy, is so cute, and really well behaved.

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We’ve made our first travel reservations for 2013. We’ve been looking at Blount Small Ship Advenures catalogs for several years, and the right conditions finally arrived. They were having a 2-for-the-price-of-1 sale (ending today) for several trips, one of which was from New Orleans, through the intracoastal waterway to Mobile, up the Tennessee-Tombigbee waterway to the Tennessee River. The trip then goes down the Tennessee, almost to the Ohio River, then back up the Cumberland River to Nashville. We’ve been on part of this trip on other ships, but it’s a lovely area. Click here  to see the web page for this trip.

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This is the old and the older, Corfu, Greece.

Thursday miscellany

After the PT session this morning, I got in some walking. Well, it was walking the aisles in Costco. But that can be a lot. Of course, we did also get our gourmet lunch of the Polish hot dogs and a drink.

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We’ll be hosting Margaret, Jesse, his lady friend Ashley, her daughter Maddy, and some of their friends for dinner Friday night. We haven’t had a 2-year-old in the house for quite some time, so we’ll have to do some putting-up-stuff tomorrow. Margaret’s going to bring part of the dinner, and I’ll get getting a lasagna out of the freezer. That does make a good easy meal.

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The freezer is emptying out. Probably after the first of the year, with more mobility in this shoulder, I’m going to have to be doing some cooking. We’re out of everything I usually stock in the freezer - no more meat loaf, no lasagna, no chili, and only a couple of bags of split pea soup. Time to get busy. 

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The lower fort from the upper fort, Corfu, Greece.

 

Quiet week

It’s been so quiet around here, I haven’t had anything to write about.

About all that’s on the schedule this week is swimming classes on MWF, and PT sessions on Tues/Thurs. We may go to CostCo tomorrow for our monthly trip.

Friday will be special when we get to see Margaret, Jesse, and his friends. More about that when we get some details.
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Lighthouse, upper fort, Corfu

 

Just another Tuesday

From an exciting Monday, we backed off to the routine.  I went to PT, Aldi, and WalMart.  Wow - the excitement of it all.

Not routine, was that John got to row again today.  That's very unusual - for him to get in some lovely rowing days in December.  That made it even more special.
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Another photo from our trip last spring - the harbor at Corfu, Greece.

What a day!

What an amazing Monday!

We knew today was the day that Alison was to defend her PhD thesis, but it went on from there. Unfortunately we weren’t able to be there in person, but we were part of the invisible crowd in the room supporting her.

The day started with my going to swimming. I got back in the deep end with the class for the first time since the replacement. It surely did feel good!

This strange warm December weather gave John another great row today. It might be the last one of the season, but he said it was fantastic.

He was going to contact somebody today to see about getting the leaves blown off the roof and the gutters. A yard guy was doing our neighbor’s yard. John asked him what he’d charge to do our roof. John gave him the $30 he asked for, and the job was done immediately. They even cleaned off the leaves that fell on the sidewalk. And that was just this morning.

We went to bridge and had terrific cards. We started off playing together, and had two 700 rubbers in the first round. John probably had over 7000 points for the afternoon, and will surely come in first.

What a day!

May I present

Dr. Alison Cawood

 



Nothing going on

The Lady Vols had an easy time with UNC this afternoon.  And that was about the extent of the excitement today.

Hope y'all had a great first weekend in December!

Basketball and leaves

Basketball and leaves - it must be late fall.

The Lady Mocs pretty much demolished the Furman Lady Paladins tonight, 83-40. I do hope the little boy who was sitting behind me was indeed suffering from allergies, as his grandfather said several times. He certainly did have a nasty-sounding cough. And I was not happy to be in the “line of fire”.

This was John’s third game in four days, and he and Margaret will be going to see the Lady Vols tomorrow.
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Our wonderful oak trees are in that time of year when we hate them. It’s amazing how many leaves and nuts they produce. John’s been working at them pretty steadily the last few days. He’s been running the lawnmower which bags the mulch. Once he gets through with the front yard, we’ll call the city to schedule a pickup. He’s going to find someone to clean the roof and gutters. Yea!
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I can never resist greenery and flowers on an old wall.  In Corfu, Greece.

 

Moving along

Corfu, Greece

 

 



Wednesday haiku

Swimming in morning,

Coffee with the greatest group,

Followed by haircuts.

 

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Sometimes when you're cruising, you get to see the ship and the water.

 



A bit of independence

The therapist today said that I’m doing very well with the range of motion, and now it’s time to start working more on strengthening the arm and shoulder. It’ll be interesting to see what tortures they come up with on Thursday.

This was my first solo outing today, and everything worked out well. I didn’t do much, but did get to PT, Aldi, and WalMart. It is nice to be accomplish these little things. I know I’ll soon be back to hating the grocery store runs, but in the meantime, I’ll just enjoy the independence.
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I love the abstract patterns found in geology.

 

Comfortable routines

It was another lovely fall day here today. It surely did feel good to get in the pool, even if not to do the regular class stuff. It'll be a while before I'm ready for that, but any exercise helps.

The afternoon at bridge made for a long day, but at least I did get some good cards. I doubt that I was near the high scorer, but I did get some good cards.

I have two PT sessions scheduled this week (tomorrow and Thursday), so we'll see how the therapist thinks I'm doing. And I’m going to do a regular grocery run after PT. That ought to probably wipe me out for the day.==============================
Mountains along the Gulf of Kotor

 

The day after

Margaret left early this morning, and Jean left about noon. As far as we know, the only thing that got left was Jean’s iPad. I’ll be sending that to her tomorrow.

What a great weekend we had - capped off by the dinner get-together Saturday afternoon with family and friends. I know I said this yesterday, but we are so thankful to have this warm, wonderful circle surrounding us.

The rest of today was for laundry and resting up.

Things are going to get sort of back to the routine tomorrow. I’m going to start back to the pool - still not the class, but walking in the water and stretching my arm. We’re going to get back to our Monday afternoon bridge playing, too.

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Thanks to Margaret for taking some photos of our feast.

 

A wonderful day!

We've had a wonderful day with our great daughters and friends. Just good all around. Everybody's gone except Margaret, Jean, John and me. The food was exceptionally good. The leftovers are put away and most of the dishes washed. Football's on the TV and John got a nap in his chair.

I guess all's right with the world at our house.

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Gulf of Kotor

 

Friday Photo

 

Along the Gulf of Kotor

 



Preparation Day

Jean's been helping me do cooking stuff today. She did the cranberry relish while I assembled the squash casserole . Only sweet potatoes, cut up fruit and veggies, and dressing left to do. We'll do that tomorrow.

Jean went to K-Mart this morning, but just to get a couple of planned things - no “shopping” involved. John rowed, and the two of them took Leroy to the dog park for a walk.

I must’ve done my exercises well today, ‘cause I surely am achy tonight. I’ll be more careful tomorrow. And that was pretty much it for the day.

I hope everybody’s had a good Thanksgiving Day. And happy shopping to those of you who are into that sort of thing.
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Second man-made island in the Gulf of Kotor.

 

Medical reports

I saw the doc this morning. The x-rays are looking okay, and he says I’m doing well. I have clearance to drive and three more weeks of PT prescribed. At the PT appointment this afternoon, she increased the weights I’m to use and other strengthening exercises, and not as much of the stretching stuff.

Jean texted that she was leaving about 1, so we expected her about 4-4:30. Later she texted that traffic was awful and she’d be much later. On the 5 p.m. news it was reported that there had been a 10-car pile-up just west of Chattanooga on I-24. She finally got here about 6 or so - a normally 2 ½ hour trip took her 5 hours. She was whipped. So instead of going out somewhere to eat, John went out for Chinese.

It’s nice to have her here, and to meet Leroy - our new granddog. Plus we’ll be doing some stuff around here, including doing some of the Thanksgiving preparation. Thanksgiving dinner around here isn’t until Saturday, so we still have a couple of days to cook.

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Island chapel, Gulf of Kotor

Getting ready

Margaret called last night to tell me about all that she had already done for our dinner on Saturday and what all she was bringing. Jean will be here to help, too. We love all the stuff that goes with a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, so I like to have it. But I think we'll be only 8 people, and that's really a lot of food for such a small number. Oh, well. If nothing else, the family, food, and friendship will be fabulous.

John took me to WalMart and Aldi this morning. None of the riding carts were fully charged, so I walked. That certainly got in my walking exercise for the day. And I've done my two sessions of PT here at home. I see the surgeon tomorrow morning, and then have another formal PT session in the afternoon. I think I have one or two more treatments prescribed, and we'll see what, if any, the doc adds to that. I hope I get more treatments. They've told me my range of motion has gotten pretty good, and now I need to work on gaining more strength.

Flo Jean’s at home now and working on her physical therapy, too.

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Chapels on man-made islands in the Gulf of Kotor.

 

Monday photo

Gulf of Kotor

 

 

 

Sunday

The shoulder was pretty achy all day today. No weather changes in the offing, so I don’t know what was going on. I only did one set of exercises, though, plus the usual stuff involved with Sunday breakfast and laundry. Another PT session tomorrow, though, so I’ll get back on track.

John did fix one of his gourmet meals tonight. One of the promotions at the Lady Mocs games is from Sonic. If the Lady Mocs scores at least 65 points, everybody in a designated section gets a coupon from Sonic. Last night, they had 81 points, and our section was the winner. So John went to Sonic and got us our BOGO foot-long coney dogs. Not the best of his special meals, but certainly good enough.
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Be sure to watch the Ken Burns documentary on the Dust Bowl tonight and tomorrow.  He collaborated with Timothy Egan on this one.  He's the author of The Worst Hard Times.
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Flo Jean went home from the hospital last night. They sent her home with one of the passive exercise machines and visits from home health care, so she’ll still be working hard.

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Cruising in the Gulf of Kotor.

 

It's basketball time

UTC 81, ETSU 48. The Lady Mocs looked pretty good tonight. 
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John’s going to push me to do some walking - trying to help me build up some stamina. We walked out to the mailbox and up the hill to the next driveway. And we walked one loop around the concourse at the arena tonight. Guess that’ll be increasing over the next few weeks. 
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Cruising in the Gulf of Kotor.

Ordinary Friday

Nothing unusual around here. I went to PT, and did a session at home. That about did it for the day. We had picked a rotisserie chicken at WM on Tuesday, and ate some of it that night. I put it in some bottled alfredo sauce with mushrooms for chicken alfredo tonight. John says I'm improving enough that I can start getting back to spoiling HIM - "like it's supposed to be".  

This year is the earliest Thanksgiving can be - the fourth Thursday in November is the 22nd. If it still was like it was originally, it'd be the following (5th or last) Thursday, which just happens to be John's birthday. He was born on a Thannksgiving Day, but it was changed a year or so after that. The reason was to lengthen the Christmas shopping season, which (in those olden days) didn't start until after Thanksgiving. So his birthday has never been on Thanksgiving since. (little known and totally useless information).

Basketball note: The Lady Mocs play tomorrow night, so that'll be my big outing for the weekend. And in a holiday tournament in Hawaii, Stanford knocked off last year’s national champion, Baylor.
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I haven't posted a photograph in a while.  Here's a fortress at the entrance to the Gulf of Kotor, on the border between Croatia and Montenegro.

 

Physical therapy update

I went to my 6^th PT treatment this morning. They do push (literally as well as figuratively). Necessary, though.

Of interest, I mentioned that friend was having a total knee replacement this morning, and I wasn't envying her the therapy. The therapist said "oh, that's not nearly as hard as the shoulder therapy you're having". I never would've thought that. Go figure.

The therapist keeps adding more things to do. The tasks are really hard at first, but do tend to get easier. And, she says that my range of motion is increasing satisfactorily - that was good to hear.
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Flo Jean did very well with her surgery.  I talked with her tonight.  She'll be running the hospital before she leaves - possibly on Saturday.

Easing back into the routine

Tough morning today, getting back into the routine. Poor John had to do chauffeur duty until 11. I had my regular rheumatologist appointment - just a check and lab work visit.

Then my first post-surgery grocery run. He took me to Aldi, and then to WalMart. Not too long at either one, but combined, I was really whipped when he got me home. And I used one of the electric carts at WM. John got all the groceries in the house and helped me put them up, then he went to the Y to exercise and relax. We both had killer naps this afternoon.

After yesterday's cold rain, today has been glorious - cool and breezy, but gorgeous bright sunshine. I hope, wherever you are, you’ve had a lovely fall day, too.
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Hold good thoughts tomorrow for our Flo Jean, who is having knee replacement surgery.

Cold and rainy

It was cold and rainy all day today.  The big excitement was the cleaning lady coming, and two sessions of exercises.

Maybe tomorrow will be a little bit more exciting...my first postop trip to WalMart.  Wow!

Discoveries

One of the good things about writing a blog is getting comments. I love the comments from long-time readers, who become friends. And I love getting them from new people - learning about people who read what I write.

This happened the other day when there was a comment from Yorkshire Pudding.   
How could I pass up a name like that? So I went directly to his blog. The post for that day was a poem he had written on Gluttony.  That was certainly enough to catch and hold my attention. He has a whole series of poems on the Seven Deadly Sins, and I’d suggest you check them out. He’s also a terrific photographer and documentarian of Yorkshire, England.
 
On the blog listing on Yorkshire Pudding’s page, I saw a link to Rhymes with Plague with an address in Georgia. I couldn’t pass that up - a link on a blog in Yorkshire, England, to a blog in our neighbor state. So now I’ve started reading a blog from a fellow who’s about half-way between here and Atlanta. What fun!

Check them out.

Honor

We honor our servicemen and women, past and present, - not just on this special day, but every day.

 

 

 

 

And our very own, Jesse!

OH! MY!! GOD!!!

CHATTANOOGA LADY MOCS   80

UNIV. OF TN. LADY VOLS  75

OH!  MY!  GOD!!!

Choice

It’s been all about choice.

Tuesday, the American voters made their choice to give Barack Obama another four years to try to bring us out of the Bush-era recession, to convince members of Congress that “compromise” is not a dirty word, and to get the disparate views in this country to work toward a common good.

A lot of the issues focused on choice: whom you can love; whom you can marry; who controls your health care; how much do you want your government to do for you; the list goes on.

And last, but not least, the Republicans have to figure out whether they went too far to the reactionary right or not far enough. And depending on that answer, they have to choose whether to move back toward the central position of most US citizens, or to move even farther to the rigid, reactionary right.

Thomas Friedman said it well in his column today Hope and Change, Part 2.  This is the closing paragraph:

The votes have been counted. President Obama now needs to get to work to justify the second chance the country has given him, and the Republicans need to get to work understanding why that happened.

And now we can take a deep breath!

At last this interminable election season is over.  And we can take a few deep breaths of relief that Barack Obama will be President for a second term!

And have you seen the great news about the Senate races - Claire McCaskill in Missouri and Elizabeth Warren in Massachusetts were elected!

Election day - but we voted two weeks ago.

Not a good night - or morning. I was due for a pain pill about 1-2 a.m., with the next one to be at 7 (just before PT). I woke up about 3, unable to get comfortable, and wondering why I hurt so much. I moved to the chair, but was afraid to take another pain pill. I did sleep until about 6, and then took the med at 7. The overnight cold and rain probably didn’t help, either.

I told the therapist and said maybe I just thought I took it, but didn’t. She suggested that maybe I had dreamed it. In any case, I now know I need to be more careful with meds in the middle of the night. Guess I’ll have to be sure I’m awake and write down the time I take it, or else lay out the medicine so I‘ll know. The therapy session was no picnic, either. She made me cry once, but it was better after that. A couple of the stretches I did very well with (I think).

A haircut and shampoo after the session made life a little better. To say nothing of a nice nap and some quality chair time.

We might even watch a few election returns. There will be no local surprises, unfortunately, but I do have hopes nationally.

Ken's visit

It’s been a busy several days. My cousin (Betsy‘s son), Ken, came up from Texas for a visit this past weekend. It’s been great, getting to spend the chaotic family time and one-on-one time with him.

We went to Margaret's on Saturday. There were hordes of family and friends for Ken to meet, with lots of food and football. Tennessee ( awful game) and Texas (Ken's team) won. We spent the night at a local motel. I finally pooped out, but it was worth it.

We had Sunday breakfast at Margaret's, and then took the scenic route home (only had to make two U-turns to stay on track), but it was a lovely drive, with some great fall color. We stopped at home to let me off and John took Ken on a tour of some of the Civil War sites around town and to some of the scenic view areas.

We got more talking in this morning before we took him to the airport at noon. Now we’re all primed for him to join us at the beach next summer.

Physical therapy starts up again in the morning. I think all the niceness is going to be over by now. Oh, dear…..

First peek

Ken's flights got delayed, so he was later getting here than we had hoped (way too long in the DFW airport). But he's here, and we're enjoying getting caught up. We'll be off to Margaret's tomorrow.

I had my first return visit to the surgeon this morning. The staples were taken out, so that feels better. It's looking good, too. The doctor did get me back the hardware that was taken out at this surgery. I'm going to do something with it, just haven't figured out what.

Check it out - this is what my partial shoulder replacement looks like.

 

Day 1

The first PT session went well, I guess.  The therapist was very gentle, didn't hurt me, and got lots more movement than I thought was possible at this point.  #2 is at 8 a.m. tomorrow.
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Sandy's devastation came to light this morning.  What a terrible thing.  Our friends in Delaware were okay.  Harriet had water in her lower level again, but seems to have had power.  She didn't lose as much as she did with Irene (didn't have as much left to lose), but her daughter and friends did.  I'm just glad she's okay.
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These photos have been all over the news, but I love the comment that was put on one of them that I saw on FB.  The caption read:

"Speaker Boehner and Senator McConnell, take note!"  Amen!

And it starts....

Think good thoughts - the first physical therapy treatment is at 8 a.m. tomorrow.

Getting back on track

Thanks so much for all the good wishes. It really does help to know there are folks out there who care. The swimmers have been keeping us well fed and laughing. And some lovely flower arrangements brighten the living room.

A card from one of the swimmers shows three white-haired broads in bathing suits at the beach. One says “Okay, it’s my turn to make the HOT lifeguard drag me out of the water and give ME mouth-to-mouth.” Inside it says “Friends like us always make WAVES!” And don’t we just love it that way.

I’ve set up my first postop appointment with the surgeon on Friday morning, and the first physical therapy session is early Wednesday morning.

Mostly I don’t know what I’d’ve done without John. He’s been great. A Word A Day posted this Thought for the Day right before the surgery. This about says it all:

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: You know what getting married is? It's agreeing to taking this person who right now is at the top of his form, full of hopes and ideas, feeling good, looking good, wildly interested in you because you're the same way, and sticking by him while he slowly disintegrates. And he does the same for you. You're his responsibility now and he's yours. If no one else will take care of him, you will. If everyone else rejects you, he won't. What do you think love is? Going to bed all the time? -Jane Smiley, novelist (b.1949)

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I especially want to send good thoughts and hopes for safety through this storm to all in harm’s way - especially Harriet and Dennis & Lisa.

Home,sweet home!

Today has gone pretty well.  I slept good last night, plus off and on today.  John helped me do some exercises, without much pain.  The hardest thing for me to do seems to be relaxing my shoulder, so the arm can move easily.  That'll come, I guess.

The swimmers have been bringing wonderful food.  Don't know what we'd do without them.  And the great good vibes from you all out in cyberspace.  

Love to you all!

Home for R, R, and R.

Yesterday's surgery went well.  The doctor came in this afternoon, and let me come home  to rest and recover.  Which I'm sure I'll do more comfortably.  I'll call Monday to set up my physical therapy schedule for rehabilitation.  

And so it goes....

S minus One

I went to swimming, coffee, painting class, and to get a haircut today. I've done a couple of loads of laundry so that's caught up for John. I got the checkbook stuff done, too, and my bag’s packed. Just the last minute stuff.

The hospital called this evening and asked if I could be there at 5:45, in case the doctor wanted to start a bit early. So it'll be even an earlier start. I’m taking my cell phone and my iPad with me, but I don't know how much I'll be able to do. I know there is wifi at the hospital, so we‘ll see. Right now, I'm just ready to get it over with!

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This picture was taken at painting class today. I’m second from the left, and Sandra Washburn (teacher) is fourth from the right.

S-Day minus 2

Good day today. I got to the grocery stores early, and then went for a last massage before the surgery. 

It's almost time for basketball to start.  John and I have given some extra money each year to support the team - to help with a few of the extras.  This group of supporters was invited to watch a practice this afternoon. It was really fun to see how the coaches work with the girls, and how they're learning. We also got a tour of their newly remodeled locker room. 

After the practice, we went to our favorite Mexican place for dinner.  We don't even need the menu any more - we always order the same thing.  The restaurant is next door to a carneceria, so we walked through the store after dinner. We got some butcher-made chorizo, so John can have chorizo and eggs (one of his favorites).

Not quite as busy tomorrow - just swimming, painting, and packing.
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The Boldt Castle on its island.

 

Monday, Monday

I had some great cards today at bridge. John was high last week. I might not be high for today, but I'll be among the top ones I'm sure. I even bid, and my partner made a small slam. That surely felt good - especially since I won't be playing for a while.
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My good friend's husband had surgery today. He's the guy who is 7 years out from pancreatic cancer (amazing, I know). They discovered a lump on his chest a couple of weeks ago. A needle biopsy found breast cancer, with no pancreatic cells. He had a lumpectomy this morning. She said the tumor was encapsulated and they got it all. He'll be going home tomorrow, and it'll be a couple of days before the final pathology reports are in. All good thoughts and prayers will be appreciated. His name is Hunter. ============================================
Click here to see a great time lapse film of the shuttle Endeavor going from LAX to its new home.  The link goes to the Astronomy Picture of the Day (look for 22 October 2012).
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The boat house at Boldt Castle.

 

Weekend wanderings

This weekend, I’ve been thinking about and working to get things ready for me to be in the hospital for a few days.

Only you readers of a “certain age” will be with me on this one, but I remember having a bag packed beside the door, so I’d be ready to go to the hospital when I went into labor. This was back in the Dark Ages when a mother stayed in the hospital for five days after giving birth. Amazing to think of now, but…

So I’m trying to think of things I need to take with me, things I need to buy ahead at the grocery store, getting things set up so they’ll be in reach when I get home, etc., etc.

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There are other things going on in the world. Isn’t there an election or something like that?

Seriously, we’ll all be glad when this is over. I know I’m not alone in really hating what the election process has turned into in this country. I wonder what, if anything, could possibly change it. And what would/could it be changed to? For one thing, it would be great if all the millions (billions?) of dollars that are being spent on advertising and campaigning could be spent on getting us out of our economic troubles: job creation, repairing the infrastructure, school and teachers, health care, disease prevention, who knows what. I’d like to think there’s a limit to this spending on elections.

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Boldt Castle in the St. Lawrence Seaway.

 

Silent Saturday

1000 Islands, St. Lawrence Seaway, Ontario

Dust

The Friends of the Library annual meeting/luncheon/speaker was today. A group of the swimmers had a table. The speaker was quite good, and the food was delicious.

This definitely took care of my main meal for the day. Poor John had to settle for chorizo, eggs, and tortillas for his dinner. LOL

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I’ve just finished reading The Worst Hard Times by Timothy Egan. It’s about the Dust Bowl in the middle of the Depression in the 1930s, told in the stories of some of the survivors. It’s a very moving account about a really terrible time.

And now, that same area is a drought again. And the dust is blowing. There has been a cloud of dust all over the midsection of the country, reaching all the way to Chattanooga. Amazing - and scary.

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You're probably familiar with the photographs of Dorothea Lange from this time.  Here are some others, plus a map.

 

Voting

I voted this morning. Only five things on my ballot,

President: I hope my vote is for the winning candidate, even though I know my state electors will be the list for the other guy.

U.S. Senator: I couldn't in good conscience vote for either of the candidates. I hate to leave a space blank, but I did this time.

U.S. Representative: the candidate I voted for will surely lose.

State Representative: I cast a losing vote here, too.

Referendum on minor change to the city charter: voted yes.

It took maybe 10 minutes total - from walking in the door to walking out. But it always makes me feel good.
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Color-tipped maples in the 1000 Islands.

 

Not much longer

I've sort of avoided politics - here as well as every place else.  Damn, but I'll be glad when this is over.  I'm planning to vote tomorrow, and then I can really ignore it.  At least until the returns start coming in.

This morning, Jenconsin posted this awesome web link:

Romney's Tax Plan

That's enough for one day.
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We did see a few fall colors along the St. Lawrence Seaway.

Preadmission stuff.

This afternoon, I went to the hospital for my preadmission testing session. About a third of the 90 minute session was spent in reviewing the information already in their files and going over any additions or corrections.

Another 30 minutes was spent getting an EKG, taking a nasal swab, and drawing blood. The nasal swab was to be sure I didn’t have any MRSA germs (look it up - that’s that really bad bacteria). It took two techs, but only two sticks to get a vein, so not too bad. The bad news is that the vein they found was in the left (surgical) arm, so it can’t be used for the IV at surgery. One of my instructions was to drink lots of fluids, preferably water, in the two days prior to surgery. This is to increase the fluid content of my body so veins are easier to find. It’s a good think I like water, but there is that obvious annoying side effect of increasing liquid intake. Oh, well…..

Then there was the information and instruction section. I’m scheduled for 7:30 a.m. on Thursday, 25 October, to be at the hospital by 6:15. I got instructions for which medicines to stop taking on Saturday (NSAID, aspirin, fish oil); nothing after midnight before; which meds to take before going to the hospital. I got advice on clothes to wear and bring with me. The nurse gave me some antiseptic cleanser to wash the left upper half of my body the night before and the morning of surgery.

The hospital stay will be about three days. I got lots of advice about pain meds and pain control - when to ask for meds and (what I’ve always said) not to let the pain get ahead of you. It’s nice that they really want you to have as little pain as possible.

I also got a bunch of reading material - some particularly about shoulder replacement, some about joint replacements in general. So now I’m in the system and starting the count-down.
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John does take great bridge pictures.

 

Sleep, glorious sleep!

John usually goes to sleep very quickly. He tends to wake up early, and not be able to go back to sleep. I usually take a little longer to get to sleep, but then can sleep later (it took a long time for me to train my body to do that).

Last night was not one of the better ones - at least for me. I didn’t get to sleep until nearly 2 a.m., woke up an hour later. I moved to the chair, and got back to sleep again about 4. Of course, being Monday, the alarm went off at 6.

I have two more days of sleeping only on my back or left side (which I can’t do), and I guess that was part of the problem. This is the follow up to the Epley maneuver I had last week. I do better sleeping in my recliner when I have to stay in one position.

So it looks like a couple more nights of sleeping in the chair. At least that seems to work.

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Sailing down the St. Lawrence Seaway

Slow weekend

John worked all day yesterday at the Chattanooga Head Race, so except for a walk on the Riverwalk, he was happy to stay at home all day.  That was all that happened around here this weekend. 

Margaret was busy taking pictures at her house - with a great photo of her fall azalea.

Saturday Sunset

St. Lawrence Seaway sunset (John's photo)

Friday Foto

St. Lawrence Seaway sunset (John's photograph)

Thursday this and that

I've been needing to get my cell phone tended to, but somehow the time to do this just hasn't been available in the schedule. I got an e-mail from Verizon telling me that I could get a new free phone when I renewed my contract. I went to the Verizon store this morning to see about my "free phone", etc. Seems that's only an online offer, and can't be done in the store - and there would still be some charges. The guy in the store tried very hard to get me to "upgrade" to the "top of the line" for "only $200“. I just don't have the need for and wouldn't use all the bells and whistles that come with that price, so I know I don't want to do that. Mainly, I'm thoroughly confused. I can just get the upgraded version of the phone I have now, but will still have to pay something for it. One main benefit of that would be that I can use the same cover and chargers (not insignificant). I’ve talked to Tina, and she’s going to look at the e-mail and go with me to the Verizon store in the morning.

John and I went out for our first-in-a-while gourmet lunch. You guessed it, we went to Costco. I spent a good bit, but mostly things we usually get or had planned to get. The only impulse thing we got was a pizza for supper tonight, and two of the little "personal" watermelons. I'd never seen those before the trip to CA, and they were SO good. WM doesn't carry them, so I was pleased to see them at Costco here.

The Costco pizza was good, and I cut one of the watermelons for our fruit/vegetable unit. ;) The watermelon is delicious. I got an unpleasant surprise when I was adding toppings to the pizza. A jar of pickle relish had fallen over in the back of the fridge. all that sugary liquid had dried, and some of the jars were unmovable, stuck to the shelf. So while the pizza was cooking, John and I got the jars unstuck, the shelf out, and everything soaking in warm soapy water while we ate. It's all cleaned up now, but Yuck!
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Diocletian's Palace, Split, Croatia

 

It's beautiful!

This video is so fabulous, it deserves its own posting.

Miscellany

I got all my day's stuff done before lunch today - even if lunch happened about 1 p.m. Swimming and coffee. Then I went for followup to the ENT doctor. They did the Epley maneuver again, since I'm still having some of the vertigo when I lie down at night. I got some post-Epley instructions this time. I'm to sleep fairly upright in the recliner or bed for two nights, and not turn onto my right side for the rest of a week. That'll mean back-sleeping (and snoring, of course) because I can't lie comfortably on my left side now. And I'm to go back in 3-4 weeks.

From there, I went for my much-needed haircut. (I'll get another one in two weeks, right before I go into the hospital). Aldi and WalMart were next for the replenishment of the bare cupboards and refrigerator. All in all, it was after noon when I got home.

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Click here  for some pronunciation fun. I surely am glad I didn’t have to learn English as a second language.

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Margaret and Helen are at it again. Love those gals!

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We got a special treat tonight. The best NCIS episode ever Call of Silence , was on. It’s the one with Charles Durning as a World War II Medal of Honor recipient. Fabulous performances and story. You can even watch the episode on line at the link.

The date has been set

It was a full day - at least until about 2 p.m. We met one of my Seniors-and-Friends Bosom Buddies for breakfast. Sue and Charlie were headed down I-75, and we made arrangements to meet at the Cracker Barrel. That always means a good visit with good friends, and good food as well.

We went home to finish the paper, etc. John went to the Y, and I went for my massage and to the eye doctor. I've had a decrease in the distance vision in my right eye, and he can't find a reason for it - it's driving him crazy. I love that he's so concerned. The decrease hasn't gotten any worse since the last visit, but he's still watching it carefully. I go back in three months.

When I left there, I had a message from the orthopedist. I'm on the surgery schedule for Thursday, 25 October, 7:30 a.m., for my shoulder replacement. The hospital has already called to set up my preadmission testing for next week. So things are underway.  Click here  for a good article about shoulder replacement. I’m sure I’ll get more specifics as time goes along.

I had planned to go to Aldi and WalMart (since I haven’t been for groceries since we got home last Saturday), but with the surgery news, and getting my dilated eyes back to normal, I decided groceries could wait for another day.

I even “let” John do the cooking for supper. This usually means that he goes to KFC, and tonight was no exception. Yum!
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Watching the boats and enjoying the sunshine, Split, Croatia.

 

Jumping back into the routine

The St. Lawrence trip was terrific. The weather left something to be desired - cloudy and cool most of the time, and not nearly as much color as we had hoped for. But this was made up for by the folks we were with (Sue, Randy, Margaret, Anne & Nick), the nice folks we met, and the lovely countryside.

This was a very small ship, max of 66 passengers, and there weren’t that many. The food was good, and the staff was very friendly and attentive. I can definitely recommend the St. Lawrence Cruise Line if you’re interested in seeing the St. Lawrence River up close and personal. Traveling to get there was long, but uneventful - at least for us. Sue & Randy’s luggage sent to Philadelphia instead, but did eventually get there. Anne & Nick had a long delay in Detroit, but met another couple going on the trip, so it was not all bad.

I’ll get the pictures downloaded in a day or two. In the meantime, Sue & Margaret have posted pictures on FB, so if you’re friends with them, you can see them there.  =======================
And we jumped right back into the routine.

Pool, then coffee. It did feel good to get back into the water. The cleaning lady came this morning, and clean floors are nice, too.

At bridge, the week before we left, John was high, and I was second. That surely doesn’t happen very often. This was definitely not the case today. 

More doctors’ appointments coming up this week, but there’s a massage scheduled in there, too.

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From Ravenna, we crossed the Adriatic to Split, Croatia. As you can see, this is definitely a water-oriented city. 

Home again

We got home before 10 p.m., after a long, but uneventful travel day.  It was a good trip with great people.  But now it's bedtime.  More later.

Heading home

In the Buffalo airport, heading home.  Will be getting to Chattanooga late this evening.  It's been a good trip, and great time spent with Sue, Randy, Margaret, Anne, and Nick.

Greetings!

Greetings from the St. Lawrence Seaway.  We're docked just below the uppermost lock, heading later today toward Montreal.  

Just checking in.  Great trip so far, and we expect it to continue.