by Judy Handley | May 28, 2024 | 2024 Life Logs |
2024 Life Logs, Day 149: Another Pity Party Day
Date: Tuesday, May 28, 2024
Weather: Storm Overnight, Sunny Day; Temp 66, Low 57 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth, MA
The tiniest things can seem so monumental sometimes. I really wanted to take the shower curtain down to wash it before Justin and Jo arrive on Friday. I have wanted to do this since early winter. Back then my back was so bad that I just couldn’t climb up on the stool to unclip the curtain. So, I decided I’d get it done after my back surgery. But then there was a bout with Covid, six weeks of recovery time, six weeks of physical therapy, and then another surgery and more PT. That shower curtain didn’t have a chance of being done. This afternoon, I was very tempted to climb up on the stool to take the curtain down, but common sense prevailed. I am doing so well after the knee surgery that it would be truly fool hardy to take a chance on falling. But realizing this made me feel sorry for myself and question if I will ever be able to do the simplest things again. Thus, the pity party. I know I will get back to being able to do these things, but that doesn’t help right now. I can’t drive so I can’t go to the grocery store or anywhere without having someone else take me. That is just not my style, but it is the way things are. And it makes getting ready for a big family visit very difficult. Thankfully there is Insta-Cart who does my grocery shopping for me. It’s not perfect, but it gets the job done. I just have to stop feeling sorry for myself and celebrate the fact that I can walk without back pain, have a knee replacement that is well on its way to full recovery, and I have friends willing to cart me around. I must focus on celebrating the positive moments in my life. No more pity parties.
Lynda took me to my first out-patient PT session this afternoon and I got a ravingly good report. There are things I need to work on, but Matt, who was my back PT person, was amazed at the fast recovery. He literally spent a few minutes studying my incision and my whole leg. Then he declared that Dr. Kinkead, my knee surgeon, is his new hero. Thank you, Dr. Kinkead.
I spent some time this afternoon taking the plants I started in the living room under grow lights outside. This required walking up and down the three steps to the deck with plants in hand which is no easy feat. Stairs are still a challenge making this a very slow process. But I felt better once that was done because it makes a lot more space in the living room which will become one huge bedroom when Justin and family arrive. I was going to spend this evening making a list of all the grocery items I need to order and all of the things I need to do before Friday. But I got caught up in watching a recap of the final arguments in Trump’s New York trial. I’ll have to get to that list first thing in the morning.
I heard from Jo earlier saying that they were all feeling good enough to fly to DC this afternoon. But I just now got a text update. They made it to the San Juan airport, but with an entirely unhelpful security staff, they missed their flight my seconds. They are flying with all of Justins’ musical instruments and the electronic sound equipment. I imagine that was the hang-up. But, whatever, they are still sitting in the airport waiting for a late night flight to Ft. Lauderdale and then on to DC in the morning. Jo said the good thing was that they didn’t have to buy new tickets and that the kids are being troopers. I guess that is the glass half full version, but I cannot imagine that they are not all totally exhausted. Here’s hoping the rest of the trek to getting here on Friday goes a bit smoother.
by Judy Handley | May 27, 2024 | 2024 Life Logs |
2024 Life Logs, Day 148: Memorial Day
Date: Monday, May 27, 2024
Weather: Overcast, Fog Early and Late; Temp 67, Low 61 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth, MA
The annual Memorial Day observance on the library lawn on Main Street …
the first cook out of the summer in my yard …
playing on the beach to make sure we had some sand between our toes before the end of this day.
Heather walked in the parade this morning with the other town officials.
Jonah and Ollie marched with the Falmouth combined band in the parade.
When the combined band—upper elementary, middle school, and high school–and played America the Beautiful it was quite impressive. They don’t practice together, but the band directors are so coordinated that it all works. Sam did not march in the parade today with the Scouts as he has for so many years now. He stayed behind when the others headed downtown at 9 am so he could pick me up later. This was the first time in probably ten years that he watched the parade instead of being in it. He said it felt really strange, but I certainly appreciated the kindness of not having to sit outside for an hour waiting for the parade to start. Thank you, Sam.
After the parade, Jonah was off to Harwich for the final soccer tournament game, Sam spent the day completing a required reading assignment for school, Heather and Ollie attended the grand opening of the Falmouth Community Veterans Center and then completed Ollie’s first paid mowing job, and I took a nap to regain the energy to fix a family dinner. I really couldn’t let a Memorial Day go by without celebrating with the first cook out of the summer. We had marinated steak, chicken, portobello mushrooms, assorted veggies, and roasted potatoes with a salad straight out of the garden. It was warm enough to eat outside, but the closer to sunset, the cooler it got. Still, we had one more tradition that had to met. A trip to the beach. We went to Bristol Beach and boys played with a beach ball and a frisbee. It was so windy that the ball kept flying into the parking lot. We were the only ones there, so that wasn’t a problem. Just a nuisance. So, then they tried the frisbee and lost it in the ocean. Sam went in to try and retrieve it and got his summer initiation in the ocean.
Not a beautiful, sunny day, but a lovely day!
No word from Puerto Rico today. I am hoping no news is good news. But, I worry.
by Judy Handley | May 26, 2024 | 2024 Life Logs |
2024 Life Logs, Day 147: Motivation or Lack Thereof
Date: Sunday, May 26, 2024
Weather: Mostly Sunny and Warm; Temp 71, Low 58 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth, MA
I spent most of my day feeling sorry for myself because I cannot garden like I normally do. The new elevated raised bed I planted prior to my knee surgery is doing great, but the only things growing in the other raised beds are kale and Swiss chard from the fall. I have some flowers I grew from seed that are still on the shelves in the living room because I just can’t seem to get motivated to transplant them. But finally, late this afternoon, I got a bit of a start on transplanting some of those flowers. If I can just do a little bit each day, I think I will be amazed at the results. So, it is time to stop feeling sorry for myself and get to work!
Sam and Jonah drove to Harwich this morning for their soccer games while Heather played the role of overseeing Ollie’s first paying lawn job with his riding lawn mower. It was a big yard and it had not been cut this spring making it a much bigger job than just normally cutting the grass. The riding lawn mower has a huge bin where the cut grass automatically goes, but it was filling up after every go around the yard and had to be emptied. Ollie will have to continue that job tomorrow as Heather had to leave at 3 pm to take Jonah back to Harwich for his second game of the day. His team won 1-0, so he must be back in Harwich for the final at 1 pm tomorrow. But first, he and Ollie will march with the Falmouth combined band in the Memorial Day Parade tomorrow morning. Thankfully, Jonah has a ride with a friend for tomorrow’s game, so Heather doesn’t have to drive out there again.
Since Heather and Jonah were not going to get home until 7:30 tonight, I sent a text to Sam saying that if he could come pick me up, I would come fix dinner. I had a grocery delivery today that included a couple of steaks for shish kabobs for tomorrow evening. But we had those with roasted potatoes and a salad of butter crunch lettuce from the elevated raised bed. I did say anything about the lettuce being from my garden, but Sam was raving about how good the new hydroponic bib lettuce is that is a new item at Stop and Shop. He loved that the lettuce from my garden is even better. But the best thing about the evening was that I did not have to cook the steaks. They were very thick, so Sam decided to cook them on the stove top in a cast iron skillet and finish them off in the oven. He was the chef and Ollie the sous chef and they cooked the steak just perfectly and made a delicious butter sauce with fresh thyme and rosemary from the deck garden, a little garlic, and some red wine. I was amazed that they knew exactly how do this.
The news from Puerto Rico is that Covid hit Justin hard today. He is feeling awful, but still hopeful that he will be able to fly on Tuesday. Coco was much better today, and Jo is feeling good enough to work on packing. So far, Ziggy is still Covid clear. I contacted Lynda this afternoon about the possibility of me staying in the studio apartment while Justin and Jo are here and she is fine with that. So, if they can get here, I think we can arrange things so we can visit
by Judy Handley | May 25, 2024 | 2024 Life Logs |
2024 Life Logs, Day 146: Holiday Weekend Fun
Date: Saturday, May 25, 2024
Weather: Sunny and Very Warm; Temp 69, Low 55 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth, MA
Being so focused on recovery from my knee surgery, I am not really thinking about holiday activities. Regardless, it is Memorial Day Weekend–the official start of summer, the weekend when gardens on Cape Cod should be planted, time for family gatherings and barbecues. But all I can think about is my full-time job of focusing on recovery. Thankfully I have family and friends who can do the thinking of fun activities for me. Karen Baranowski contacted me to see if I would like to go on a lobster roll picnic lunch outing up by the canal. I explained that I had Ollie with me this afternoon, but since he loves lobster rolls so I said I would check to see if he would like to come along. I had Ollie because Heather was gone all afternoon with Jonah and Sam for their soccer tournament games. At 2 pm, Karen and Peter picked me up and then we picked Ollie up and headed for the canal. Karen and Peter had already stopped at Jack in the Beanstalk to get the lobster rolls for the three of us and clam chowder, in addition to a lobster roll, for Ollie. He is a growing boy. It was windy by the canal but sitting in the sun felt wonderful.
And on the way home, we stopped at Somerset Creamery for ice cream. A perfect Cape Cod Memorial Day activity.
I mentioned last night that Jo has Covid. Today Jo contacted me to let me know Coco and Justin have now succumbed. So far, Ziggy has avoided it. They are still planning to fly to Washington, DC, on Tuesday. I don’t know how in the world they will gather the energy to do this, especially since they are packing for a six-week stay in England and taking their instruments and electronic equipment for doing shows. But they are determined. Then after a Thursday show in DC, they are driving here on Friday. I told Jo that I will have the living room set up as a sick ward. If any of them are still positive, I might have to stay at Heather and Jed’s for a night or two. Covid certainly complicates planning for their visit, but we will figure out a way to make it all work and still have a wonderful week together.
by Judy Handley | May 24, 2024 | 2024 Life Logs |
2024 Life Logs, Day 145: The Good, the Bad, and the Beautiful
Date: Friday, May 24, 2024
Weather: Sunny and Very Warm; Temp 73, Low 55 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth, MA
The Good: My knee flexion is 118 degrees. At the end of six weeks after surgery, it should be 130 degrees. So I am staying ahead of the game. With a knee replacement it is doubtful that it will ever be a normal 150 again, but the exercising, icing, elevating, and stretching is working, and I was released from home PT.
The Bad: Because things are going so well, I asked the physical therapist if she thought I could start driving. She suggested I call my knee surgeon. I did and left a message with his assistant as to my request. When he called back, I knew immediately from the tone of his voice that the answer was NO. It was an emphatic NO. There are reflexes that do not return this soon and with a knee replacement and he said it could be 4-6 weeks before it is safe to drive with a right knee. But with the good report from home PT, I was told that the doctor will make that determination at my follow-up appointment on June 5. Maybe then.
The Beautiful: The weather was gorgeous today and tonight Jonah called and asked if I would like to bring Shadow and come over for a piece of chocolate cake and sit around a fire and visit. That sounded delightful, so I said yes. Sam has been out of school all week with a terrible cold. He is still congested but feeling almost normal again. He came to get me and my Shadow and we enjoyed the fire and then went inside to visit for a bit before Sam brought me home. It was wonderful to do something ‘normal’. Just watching the Sam and Jonah play on the Xbox and Ollie play with Shadow felt great.
There was a nice article about Heather’s election win on the front page of The Enterprise today with a photo of Heather. I don’t get the paper, but friends kept texting to ask if I had seen the article. Lynda came over to do yardwork this afternoon and she offered to take me to the store to buy a paper. Friends are a beautiful thing.
Justin called today to tell me that Jo has Covid. She thought for the first couple of days that she just had a cold, but then two days ago she started feeling like she had the flu and her teeth hurt! That is what got her to thinking that it was more than a normal cold, so she tested. They are supposed to fly to Washington, DC, on Tuesday, so hopefully no one else gets it. If they do get to stay on schedule, they will be here one week from tonight. That is another ‘beautiful’ thing.
by Judy Handley | May 23, 2024 | 2024 Life Logs |
2024 Life Logs, Day 144: A Much Better Day
Date: Thursday, May 23, 2024
Weather: Rainy Day; Temp 65, Low 56 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth, MA
I woke up at 7 am and decided to get out of bed and start my day an hour earlier than usual. After doing some of the basic stretches, it was obvious that it was not quite as painful as yesterday. So, Shadow and I did the quarter mile walk around the block and I was off to a much better day than yesterday. Then Karen Baranowski called and asked if I needed a little outing. An emphatic YES was my answer. I asked her to come take me to Soare’s Nursery to buy some plants, so she did. We were just beginning to browse when we heard the first thunder. We sped up our browsing and put the plants we wanted to buy on the cart. We wanted to do some more browsing, but when we felt the first rain drops, we rushed to check out and got into the car before it started pouring rain. I invited Karen in for lunch when we got home, and we promised to return to Soares another day when the sun is shining. Karen’s visit was just what the doctor ordered. Thank you, Karen!
I spent the rest of my day back in the routine of exercise, ice, elevate and then tonight I attended a Newcomers DEI committee meeting. Tomorrow, I have my last home PT session and will be released by the home health nurse. I am not sure when I will get the green light for driving, but I’m hoping that I will be able to drive myself to my first outpatient PT session on Tuesday. Life is looking brighter.
