2024 Life Logs, Day 13: Another Lovely Day of Nothingness
Date: Saturday, January 13, 2024
Weather: Storm Overnight, Clearing Midday; High Temp 56, Low 33 F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth MA
Wow! This is a record for me. Two straight days of doing almost nothing and enjoying it tremendously. We had a storm overnight, rain and heavy winds, but by 8 am when I took Shadow out, the rain was still coming down, but it didn’t feel so stormy. By noon, the sun came out but it was still very windy, 25 to 35 miles per hour, so even though the temperature was in the 50’s (Yes, it is January), it didn’t feel so warm. I heard from Heather, and she said the report from the snowboarders on the mountain was that it was a bit wet. It snowed a few inches overnight, but it was all very heavy snow. Heather skipped skiing today but was headed out on snowshoes to explore the property of their VRBO. So, weatherwise, an okay day here and in Maine.
My days of nothingness are filled with checking and double checking to see if I have everything needed to make recovery from the back surgery as smooth as possible. I have slip on boots and slip on shoes and a long-handled shoehorn. I have slip on yoga pants that I can sleep in, as well as wear during the day. I have three walkers, two grabbers (with one more on the way from the Woodins), some food in the freezer, my whole kitchen rearranged so I don’t have to bend down to get things out of low cabinets. All of this because I was told by the doctor’s assistant that there can be NO bending for at least six weeks after surgery. If someone has any ideas on how I can feed and water Shadow without bending down, please let me know. He eats only wet food, and I tried lowering the bowl of food to the floor with the grabber and that was disastrous. So, I’ll keep working on that one. Jane Woodin is coming over in the morning to go through the house with me to see if there is anything else I need. Jane was a home Visiting Nurse for the last few years of her career, so there is no one better to let me know if there is anything else I need. Thank you, Jane.
At 3 pm, I went out to enjoy the last of the sunshine for the day and play fetch with Shadow. After 30 minutes, he was exhausted, so we came back inside. Then I headed out to feed the kitties at Heather and Jed’s, go to the pet store to get a supply of treats for Shadow, and to go the drug store to pick up a few more items I suspect I will need. I forgot to get Tylenol, which I know I will need, as NSAIDS are a no no after back surgery. I will have to make at least one more trip to the drug store. I also had to go to the bank to get cash to pay the dog walker. I didn’t have him come today as I knew it was going to be pouring rain, but he will come tomorrow and Monday. Then Heather and Jed will be back on the morning walk schedule. Tonight, I talked to my friend Lynne in New Zealand and got lots of positive encouragement for my recovery after surgery. I also got a call from Karen Baranowski this afternoon. She and Peter are in Florida for the next two to three weeks, but she called to check on me. It is a wonderful feeling to have friends and family who are constantly checking to make sure all is on track. I feel blessed.
