Full Corn Moon

According to Native American tradition, the full moon on Friday this month will be the Corn Moon (sometimes referred to as one of the Harvest Moons, but they typically occur in October). Photo by Birdgirl.

Very cold at night and in the mornings since my return from Michigan. I'm drinking coffee again, but have none in the house to my dismay. I was off coffee for months when I was so sick, but picked it up again while away. My plants did well while I was gone, and yesterday I severely pruned the tropical hibiscus so that it would not take up so much room in the house when I move it inside. She looks a bit in shock, but should have a few more weeks to sprout new branches before the cold weather really sets in and I have to move her in.

Yesterday I saw the ID (infectious disease) doc who said my lab work looks good, the sed rate is now normal (a predictor of infection), and I can cut back the antibiotics to once a day. I don't have to go see her for another six months unless something happens, which IT WON'T. Started back with physical therapy at a new place connected to my gym. Every PT I've seen, and I must have seen at least ten or so does something different, and she had a creative use of a dog leash to stretch my knees. Now how can you not like that? I'm off to see the surgeon today, and then to the dreaded supermarket. I've come to hate big stores immensely, but I don't have good small ones near me.

Does anyone watch Anthony Bourdain's "No Reservations"? It/he just keeps getting better and better. He goes everywhere in the world meeting interesting people, getting off the tourist track, and eating the local fare. Tough job. He says he likes the travelling, but it would do me in, I'm afraid, no matter how interesting.

Last Day Before Heading Home

Went off my coffee hiatus since I've been here, and yesterday, with no Starbucks coffee, got a headache that would not go away. So first thing this morning, I was in Minnow, the smaller van sibling of Moby, the 15 seater, headed towards the nearest Starbucks for my double shot espresso non fat latte, and the Sunday New York Times. Back to the house, then to the community center for my half hour swim, kicking these artificial knees for all they are worth, which is a lot. Then to my sister in law's parents for lunch, and a talk with her father about how we are just in our infancy of knowing the intelligence of animals, as I was reading an article about the piano playing cat, Nora (check her out on YouTube if you haven't already). I mentioned how dogs are being trained to smell out cancer, and he sited a friend of his who has a black lab who growls at anyone who comes around and has cancer! He says he's always very grateful when the dog comes up to him calm and wanting petting.

Gibson, the next door dog, in my attempt to have him make friends with Bindi, was unappreciatively amorous with her, much to her and my dismay. He's a beautiful dog, but I don't think his owner's are up to snuff on dog training and neutering and that sort of thing. Oh well.

My sister in law ran in a small 5K marathon yesterday which we all got up and went to witness. She did well in her class, and we were all proud of her. She won a five buck gift certificate for hot wings. It was a fun event. We all came back and took naps.

Did I tell you I watched "Paul Blart: Mall Cop," on video with the family? It's very silly and stupid, but we enjoyed it, esp. Kevin James physical comedy. K. my sister in law, and I watched "Marley and Me," and I cried. I had read the book, which was more about the dog than the movie was, but still it was a decent vehicle for Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston.

On Friday night I went to Saginaw with one of my new women friends here, to meet a group for dinner at Pasong's, a traditionally Chinese restaurant, but esp. for our group that night made a special Thai menu. The owner had hand written one menu with five different dishes on it. I felt rather cosmopolitan in the group, as I think only one other person there had ever had Thai food before, and they were appreh

ensive and skeptical, although I think most were pleased with what they ordered. The coconut curry soup was extremely good, although many did not like the coconut cilantro and spices combination.

Another trip to the farmer's market yesterday with E. and T., more viewing of the downtown art frogs, and lunch at Daddy O's, A 1950s style diner in town.

Bindi and Kid Feet

Today was a gathering of the homeschool moms and kids at a local park, which I attented. I met a high school aged foreign exchange student from Israel, a beautiful young woman who is Arab, Muslim, very smart and sophisticated, and we hit it off and had the best conversation. She is staying with one of the families that was represented there today. She misses her family terribly but is looking forward to many adventures as she attends a private school here, named Hemlock (shades of Hogwarts?). Unfortunate name for a school, methinks. She finds this small town too tame for her, but I think she'll be ok once school starts and she meets more students her age. She considers herself a feminist, and said her dad, a psychologist, was a supportive feminist, although her mother isn't. She's quite extraordinary. We exchanged email addresses and I hope to be of cyber-support to her throughout her school year here.

I left to go for my lap swim but decided I wanted a skim milk latte from Starbucks, so stopped by there. While waiting, I picked up a book in their magazine rack called "The Art of Racing in the Rain," by Garth Stein, a novel written from the perspective of his dog, Enzo. It captivated me, and I must have spent an hour reading and drinking coffee before I asked the staff if I could borrow the book. Amazingly, they said yes, and I'll try to finish it before I go home next Monday, so I can take it back to them.

Stopped by a yard sale and coveted a Spartan sewing machine, made by Singer, one of the first electric ones, in pristine condition. They wanted $20, I offered $10 since I would have to pay to ship it home, but they wouldn't go for it. I own a sewing machine, but it has stopped working the way it should, and tho I've had it fixed twice, it's still not what it once was. And I don't want one of those new machines with twelve thousand bells and whistles. I just want something basic.

So I never made it to the lap swim, but came back to the house and made a lime pie which everyone liked. Took a nap, then had dinner. Bindi finally met Gibson, the German shepard/chow mix puppy next door who is gorgeous, but unruly.

Got the name of a massage therapist so will get a 90 minute massage tomorrow. Yippee. Am looking into places to go horseback trail riding, but haven't gotten a return call yet. Need to check out the dog park, although Bindi has this terrible habit of being initially aggressive towards new dogs before settling down to play. When I get her into training for therapy dog status, perhaps some of these bad behaviors will be corrected.

Does anyone know how to get rid of bad doggie breath? Her teeth have a bit of tartar but she has no infection. Maybe it's the food I'm feeding her, but man, her breath could knock over a truck.

Backyard Theatre

My two older nieces on Thursday evening were part of a backyard theatre production that one of their sister homeschooler's has been producing for four years. "Check Under the Bed" was the name of the play, and took place on the back porch of the young producer's house. With an audience of about 50, the twenty minute mystery was well-acted and very well received. I was so proud of my two girls, the 10 year old who played a shy, tidy young woman (the joke is she isn't tidy at all!), and the older one played Dr. Sidney Brockett, a scientist/researcher/inventor. My 12 year old nephew was the videographer. The rain held off until after the performance and the reception of sweets and drinks, but then we were deluged for about 10 minutes, everyone scrambling into the garage. Very inspiring, what these kids pulled off on their own, with just a little help from some adults.

Last night I went into Bay City to have some pizza with some online friends I made. It was great fun, and the pizza was good. Tomorrow I'll have coffee with another online friend at Barnes & Noble, so I can get the New York Times. (Does anyone else hate reading it online?)

Saturday morning Buzz and I went to the farmer's market, then to look at some of the frog art on the street. I found a pair of designer jeans at a consignment shop, and Buzz was quintessentially patient for a four year old.

******************

Sunday, Aug. 23

Had a great time at Starbucks with my two new women friends. Hopefully one of them will call me to do something else this week. It was my first cup of coffee in weeks and weeks and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Lap swimming afterwards again at the community center pool, which was nicely warm, then a long hot shower in the nice facility. Went to Marshall's afterwards and bought a $7 swimsuit, a nice black cardigan, and another nightgown that fits. A stop at Kroger for chicken to make chicken soup tomorrow, and pie crust to make a not-key-lime lime pie. Have been making myself greek salads with tomatoes, cucumbers, calamata olives, feta cheese, onion, sometimes peppers.

For Peter

Small round yellow fleshed watermelon. Light sabers on the lawn, three color sunflowers on the kitchen table. Luscious farmer's market, potatoes, tomatoes, squash, blueberries, peaches, corn. Kids on the wii. Swimming at the public pool, then being told to stay out of the sun because of the side effects of the antibiotics. Stay out of the sun in the height of summer in Michigan? Shopping for tank tops, white chili for supper. Lost cell phone found, overnighted by a friend back in CT. Baby coos, cries, smiles, nurses. Dog gets taken for a walk, fearful of going too far from the house, but working on it. Dinner in Bay City on Friday night with some new internet friends. Teaching the boys how to catch a ball. Focus, concentrate, relax, it's just the ball and you, keep your eye on the ball. They get better each time we practice. Vegetables cooked on the outdoor grill, smokey, flavorful. Aching knees if I stand too long, or walk too far. Reading a 600 page novel, set in 19th century England. Off coffee, off sugar, except for the CT salt water taffy made in Massachusetts. Girls in a play tomorrow night, getting very good at playing the piano too. Artful frogs on Main Street. Small black kittens living next door. I'd have fifty cats if I could. Camilla back home being good at taking her pills for the cat sitter. Relief. Dog has mange, vet called it demodex to spare the embarrassment. Ointment does not seem to be working. Have to figure out what to do with the rest of my life. Hope the dog can pass the therapy dog program, that's a start. Pulling weeds, sweeping the walk, husking the corn, slicing the tomatoes. Using the wheelchair privilege at the airport, gets me through security faster. False knees set off the alarms, or else the pants with too many zippered pockets. Must remember to wear socks with shoes always at the airport, who knows what bare feet can pick up in that environment. Nice person in the seat next to me. Dog is always so quiet under the seat; she exceeds the weight limit but they never check, esp. now I have a letter from the doctor. Working at my brother's computer station in the house, surrounded by StarTrek paraphernalia. Why do I even bother playing Scrabble? Always so frustrating. It's not a competition. Yawns and long pauses to make an eight letter word. Flowers planted along a main thoroughfare. Special truck comes along just to water them. Miles and miles of petunias and zinnias, healthy and vibrant. Dog likes dad's chair, rests her head on his ankle. Her bark makes the baby cry, but her sister still encourages her to touch the fur, to see the dog is not a threat, just loud. Hardy pink hibiscus boldly standing against the Wedgewood blue of the house.

Wenshu Temple and Grounds

Chengdu, China. My friend Max took a trip there recently and this photo is one of many exquisite shots he took of the gardens and walls and temple. Look at the color and form and pattern; just so entirely pleasing.

Still in the recovery center. I've officially passed the two week mark, which is longer than I was in for the original knee replacement surgery. The staff is being very attentive, which is nice, but they make me get up when I don't want to. They changed up my sleep meds on me and they are leaving me groggy in the morning, so I have to get them changed back to the original formula.

Bindi is with my dog trainer and her two dogs, Achilles and Peeve. I feel my doggie is safer and doing better with two of her own species to hang out with all day, and of course she prefers the bigger dog to romp with. I was not happy with the dog walker coming in just two times a day for one half hour, and then
Bindi being left alone all night with just Misty. Now poor Misty is alone, as Camilla is boarded, but I think she can handle it better. Camilla I'm sure is not too happy but she needs to be in a place where she can get her two medications. I know! She can come stay here with me!! And we'll get our meds together!! I've been fantasizing about the ideal recovery center, because of course this is not it, and it certainly would include a small petting zoo.

Sleep

When you go to sleep with a box of chocolates under your pillow, and a kiss made from the blue sky itself on your lips, I can almost assure you will have a dream like no other. I can even explain this dream to you, and if you have this dream you will see that I have not lied. But there is only one way to invoke your mind to dream this dream; and that is to sleep with a box of chocolates beneath your pillow and a kiss made from the blue sky itself on your lips.

--IKA

Day 11 in, then out, of the hospital.

Am in rehab now, but physically not much less pain than being in the hospital. All very confusing.

Day 8 in the Hospital.

Still lots of knee pain and stiffness. They put in the PICC line tomorrow, and then do the white blood cell scan on Tuesday, then maybe they will let me go home. I'm very scared that the six weeks of antibiotics will not work and they'll have to do surgery afterall on the knee. I've had visitors but still feel alone.

ughhhhhhh

I'm back in the hospital. On Sunday i started experiencing extreme pain in my left knee, then chills, throwing up, fever. A friend came over and I was in too much pain to even try to get into her car to go to the Emergency Dept. and we called an ambulance. At the ED they pumped me full of morphine, dilaudid, did an agonizing knee fluid puncture, and admitted me. I've been here since.

Although I do not have have an absolute diagnosis and the doctors are still not done doing their echocardiograms of my heart, MRI's, blood cultures, determining antibiotics, and the like, my knee is much less painful, and the other symptoms have disappeared. The doctors do think I have some kind of staph infection, altough they do not know which one and they do not know how the orthopedists will want to do handle the knee involvement.

I'm taking it day by day and trying not to be freaked out.

Fox, Lilac

This morning at 5.30am I head this loud barking/yelling outside my window. I grabbed my camera and sure enough the fox we had spyed a couple days ago, was back, jumped up on the big rock in the back yard, and let lose. She went around the back and as I followed her thru the house I passed the guest room, and K. came out holding her camera as well. I think she got few seconds of video of the creature vocalizing. This is the first fox I have seen here and it feels good to know they are around.

The sound was like anything I'd ever heard. My sister in law, who fortunately got a 3 second video of the fox vocalizing which I'll post soon, said it sounded like a two year old child yelling " no no no no no no no." To me it sounded like a bark/scream/yell. Very hard to describe. I think she was calling to another fox cause she kept facing the same way and making that call. I took the photo thru my bedroom window which was closed, before I was even awake. I'm so pleased that the photo turned out as well as it did. Divine cooperation, I'd say. What a blessing for me to have seen this. Fills me.

The sound was like anything I'd ever heard. My sister in law, who fortunately got a 3 second video of the fox vocalizing which I'll post soon, said it sounded like a two year old child yelling " no no no no no no no." To me it sounded like a bark/scream/yell. Very hard to describe. I think she was calling to another fox cause she kept facingthe same way and making that call. I took the photo thru my bedroom window which was closed, before I was even awake. I'm so pleased that the photo turned out as well as it did. Divine cooperation, I'd say. What a blessing for me to have seen this. Fills me.

The sound was unlike anything I'd ever heard. My sister in law K. said it sounded like a two year old child yelling " no no no no no no no." To me it sounded like a bark/scream/yell. Very hard to describe. I think she was calling to another fox cause she kept facing the same way and making that call. I took the photo thru my bedroom window which was closed, before I was even awake. I'm so pleased that the photo turned out as well as it did. Divine cooperation, I'd say. What a blessing for me to have seen this. Filled me.


K. and her daughters have been here helping me for a few days, cooking, shopping, driving. We went to Hammonassett one day to lie in the sun when the temps were high, then K. and ICat and Seven in the sling climbed the Tower Trail at Sleeping Giant while I went to physical therapy on another day, and yesterday we went out to Rob's so ICat could climb the interesting rocks on his property. Rob had a drawf lilac tree on his property and he let me pluck some branches with some buds that still had not opened. Seven is all smiles and joy, and was very loveingly attended to by all. ICat spent lots of time on the computer chatting with her friends back home.

Photo of Seven and ICat.

Sunset at the North Pole

One of my knee replacement buddies sent this captivating photo. Would that it were easier to get to such a place.

Extremely tired this morning, lightheaded, but the house cleaning person was coming so couldn't stay in bed; had to get up and clear some of the clutter so she could actually get to surfaces and clean. Then saw a client, then the dog walker came, then I went to the pharmacy and the natural foods store, then i had to nap. It's been very cold all day, supposed to get into the low 30s tonight.

Yellow Azaleas

The pinks and reds and whites are more common, but at the park yesterday there were two kinds of yellow azaleas and I just had to have a few branches of each. Being camera-less, I took the real thing, and they are so lovely in my house. I sat on two bags of mulch so I could easily get to the soil in my plot, and planted borage, that beautiful herb with the deliciously blue flowers.

It's six weeks since my surgery and I just began driving short distances last week. I've had no desire to blog: too tired, too spaced out, too redundant. Recovery is a long uphill struggle. One day at a time.

Pre-Surgery

Ok, Monday's the day. The past two weeks has been a blur or doctor's appointments, anxiety, trying to think about what I need, blah blah blah. Has dinner with M & S this evening; they had gone on a trip to see the wild horses of Chincoteague, Virginia, and we had our usual ecclectic range of conversating topics. Conversating? Is that a Bush-ism?

Saw my naturopath this morning, who picked up that the reason I might be so cold after last year's cancer/radiation experience is that my thyroid may have been compromised by the radiation treatments. Duh. None of my other "doctors" suggested that. So she suggested that after I'm done with the knee thing, I have my TSH levels checked out again.

Spent a long time on the phone with my insurance company today who conveniently keeps "not receiving" the naturopath bills for reimbursement. This has happened three times now. I am diligently keeping copies of what I submit, when before I hadn't, and I can resubmit them, but they want to make it as hard on me as possible. It's a clear case of them trying to screw me, since my being covered by a naturopath was an exception made to the coverage I have thru Jale.

Picked up Misty from the vet yesterday. She had a dental cleaning and two back teeth removed. So now she's on two medications, one for pain, one an antibiotic, and Camilla is still on her two pills every day, and I'm on thirty zillion myself. I so badly need a personal assistant to keep on top of all of this. Not to mention the Frontline they all need for fleas/ticks, and the once a month heartworm pill Bindi has to take. I don't even reconcile my own checkbook. Help!!

I did make it to the gym to do the weight circuits and about twenty minutes on the stationery bike, and some stretching.

Monday a.m. I had a CT scan and a mammogram, cause the cancer radiologist thought she saw something on the last PET scan I had. That all went smoothly, but after I left and went to get coffee, I get a message on my cell phone saying I am scheduled for a biopsy and ultrasound on Wednesday!? WHAT?!?! What biopsy? For what? I had to call back three times to get a human being on the phone, and I freaked out on them. Long story short, they called me IN ERROR!!!! They meant to call someone else. You do not do such a thing to someone who has PTSD. I went to the optometrist in tears to pick up my glasses; fortunately, I've been going to him forever and he was great.

Finally talked to the cancer doc yesterday who said that the CT scan showed nothing to worry about, and that I would have heard already if something was up with the mammogram. Still haven't heard back from the surgeon's office about the anesthesia and pain meds they used on me for the surgery last March. Getting information is never just a one call deal. It's call, call, and call again. Help!

Sunday morning I had coffee with a friend from NYC, so good to see him and hear about his teaching adventures in middle school. Then I went to the community garden, and since it was a sunny, warm day, all the gardeners were out, and I ended up staying quite a long time. I planted carrots, beets, calendula, and lettuce, and K. came to get some perennials I'm dividing to transplant to her house garden. We then went out for bad pizza, at a place that used to have good pizza.

Friday I had a dentist appointment in the morning, then had to go to the surgery center to have my blood drawn so it could be typed. Was supposed to see a concert that night, but the woman performing had plane connection problems, and we didn't know if she was gonna show up or not, so I got my money refunded.

Thursday, I had an appt. with the surgeon's assistant who gave me the rundown of what to expect. My surgery will probably be first thing in the morning next Monday. The good news is as soon as I show up they sedate me. Woo hoo.

Photos are of Muscovey mama duck and her fifteen chicks in Scott's back yard pond. Really cute.

Why I Love Old Florida

Turn the Calendar

While waiting at the airport on Monday night, I got into a conversation with a woman who had a knee replacement. She said she did all the wrong things, and had a much too long recovery: she didn't do any pre-hab or muscle strengthening before the surgery; she refused much of the pain meds so wasn't able to do the post PT as diligently as she needed; she didn't go to a rehab facility; she had a bad PT at home. She wishes she had done both knees at the same time, as now she is reluctant to do the other knee, but says she eventually will. She was travelling with her black cat Buddy, back to Massachussetts, and was working on the most exquisite cat needlepoint project. I told her how anxious I was about my surgery, and she said, "Put that anxious on a shelf, and replace it with anticipation. Anticipate being able to walk without pain, anticipate recoverying quickly, anticipate doing the PT with as much determination as possible." That was good advice for me. I wish I had gotten her email address or something.

The airplane ride back to Hartford was uneventful except that we were smashed in like sardines, and they made me change the seat I was assigned to, and going through security they patted me down for some reason, and even scanned the wheelchair I was in. They did not scan Bindi or her carrier, so I got through with the kilo of cocaine I was smuggling. (Ha ha, April fools joke!) But they wanted to scan the bottom of my feet, then forgot to!!! Duh. I was sitting next to a very nice couple, however, so that helped. They had a chihuahua at home, too. Everyone is very impressed with what a good traveller Bindi is. Quiet, no pooing or peeing in the carrier.

Remember my mention of chronic Lyme disease in a blog posting? Well, in the Naples dog park, I had a conversation with a woman who has chronic Lyme, and the extraordinary efforts she is going through to cure herself. She did not know about the video I had seen. Funny how those coincidences occur.

Yesterday morning I had to pick up Camilla from the kennel at the vet, and she scolded me all the way home, and then some. I had stopped at Starbucks to get a tall double shot espresso skim milk latte, and the friendly young man (barista guy) behind the counter told me how he had broken his knee (the patella), showed me his surgery scar, etc. EVERYONE I talk to has a story about knee surgery, replacement, or hips, either themselves or their friend or their father/mother/sister/cousin. I remember I think seeing a billboard in Florida about an association that exists to help "preserve the health of your knees for a lifetime," but I didn't catch what it was. Knee replacement is epidemic esp. with the baby boomers, and we don't get preventative information yet, like we get about teeth. Used to be that it was common for older folks to loose their teeth, but now with care we can keep our teeth for a lifetime. Same approach should be applied to knees.

So I brought Camilla home, saw a client, then went to get a pre-op chest xray. On the way home from that I decided to get a manicure. Stopped at one place and the chemical smell was overwhelming so I had to leave. Acrylics. Those women are losing a bunch of brain cells, I'm sure. Went next door to a really great place, and got my nails done. As they were drying, another woman who worked there gave me a ten minute neck and shoulder rub. Amazing, except for the fact that I could not feel it. This has been happening to me with massage lately. I can't feel the relief from it. I wonder what that means.

A quick stop at the natural foods store, then home again. Tired. Today I have the pre-op exam with my primary care doc, then have to pick up my glasses with the new lenses, then a therapy appt. I'm supposed to be going to the gym to do more strengthening, but I'm so tired.

My Week in Naples

An exhibit of works by Andy Warhol at the Von Liebig Art Center in Naples. Small but startling, colorful, and bold. We were surprised by the four Andy Mouse pieces, a collaboration between Warhol and Keith Haring. The student exhibit had some extremely fine works in the collection, as well.

Lunch at the Greek restaurant, owned by friends of Scott; the best tasting tomatoes in the salad of anywhere I have eaten here. Naps on the rainy Sunday afternoon. S. goes off to work and I attend a crystal bowl sound healing meditation. The singing bowls are mesmerizing, and when the meditation was over, I was acutely aware of how much tension I have been storing up in my shoulders. And how much I need more of those kinds of healing experiences. What is considered "New Age," is actually very ancient, and full of great power.

Dinner at California Pizza, crunchy Thai salad, vegetable panini, yum. Lunch at La Playa, fancy resort on Gulf Shore Blvd., great view of the ocean, the food completely mediocre.

Lunch in Bonita Springs with an old friend, at Dixie Moon Cafe, "Southern Food With an Attitude," fried chicken, fried okra, mashed potatoes, three kinds of gravy, excellent peace cobbler, green beans with bacon, banana pudding with vanilla wafers!
An exploration of the "historical" section of town, about one block long, but still interesting. Walked along the Imperial River, and a vacant lot alongside, which we later learned was destined for a strip mall. Old, lush paradisical Florida once again being paved for a parking lot. Heartbreaking.

Many visits to the beach. Water was a bit cold the first few days I was here, but warmed up. The winds were brisk the whole time, so lots of waves to bob about on. The sand is clean and almost white. Unlike CT, where all the beach access is private, you can drive down almost any coastline street here and there will be a tiny or larger parking lot, and excellent access to the sand and ocean. Even the numerous McMansions cannot claim exclusive rights to the beach access, although there are private clubs that have restricted beaches.

Took the dogs to the dog park a couple of times where we met Cotton, a young fluffy white long haired Chihuahua, Sidney, a white bull terrier, Ben, an old golden lab, and Winnie, a black lab mix puppy. Bindi is clearly the alpha dog with the smaller canines, so actually does much better playing with the bigger dogs. Today two big dogs had both gotten their teeth on the same ball and were pulling in opposite directions, but there was no real danger, just a lot of growling and posturing.

Had delicious potato latkes at Fred's, the diner that allows dogs on the terrace. In fact, one woman who was there was passing out her dog sitting service cards, and she also drives people to and from the airport, so she's gonna pick me up later today and take me to RSW.

Made it to the Naples zoo again to see the botanical garden planted amidst the animals. Rather the botanical garden preceded the zoo, so the animals are nestled amongst the flora. There were two lion cubs, nine months old and already pretty large. Zebra, gazelle, gators, primates, parrots, and a gorgeous tiger. I felt bad for the cheetah, pacing in her cage. Although this is considered a fine zoo, full of "enrichments" for the animals, it is nothing like them being in the wild, or even on a very large reserve. It's a terrible compromise for endangered species to have to be caged.

Scott's pond behind his house has afforded many moments of enjoyment watching the muscovy ducks, the anhinga, the turtles, and other things I cannot identify. He says there is an otter living in the pond, but I never saw it. The muscovies roost in the trees at night. Yesterday I saw for the first time a female with fifteen chicks that must have just hatched, as they were so small and fluffy and following mama around.

I did no shopping this trip. I don't need anything, and need to save my money to hire help for after the knee surgery. I have very high anxiety about going home and making various arrangements and going to various doctor's appointments before the surgery. I'm very very nervous about it. This has been in the back of my mind the whole time I was here, but have managed mostly to keep the anxiety under control and have some good times.

Vernal Equinox

Happy Spring! And in Iran, Happy New Year!


At the community garden committee meeting last night, an elegant solution was arrived at concerning my garden and the Food Not Bombs initiative. http://www.foodnotbombs.net/ One of our committee members runs the local FNB chapter, and needs more space to grow vegetables, so I offered my garden for the season for her to use, since I'll be laid up with recovery from knee surgery. In return she will tend my garden and harvest whatever she plants for distribution. I love this arrangement.


Had lunch with K. yesterday at Midori, the Korean restaurant where I had a huge bowl of chicken soup with Asian greens, and udon noodles. It was so cold and rainy out. She lent me the dvd "Under Our Skin," a documentary about Lyme disease, how it is misdiagnosed, the damage done to your body if it is not treated soon enough, and the political corruption which keeps hidden the true extent of the epidemic. I recommend it to everyone. http://www.underourskin.com/


And esp. for those who have a chronic illness that is not improving or is dismissed by your doctors. Luckily, my being infected with Lyme, babesiosis, and ehrlichiosis, all from being bitten by one tick, was diagnosed early, but if it had not been . . .


Yesterday morning I had an appt. with a trainer at my gym who stretched me, and used this roller thingie to work on the knots in my thighs. He was amazed at my flexibility and said that boded (is that a word?) well for my knee replacement recovery. I also did the weight circuit, and about ten minutes on the eliptical machine. It's absolutely clear to me that I need a trainer on a regular basis. My two comp training sessions are over, but perhaps seeing somebody once a week would not cost too much. Haven't looked into that. Can't believe I'm gonna write this but: I like my gym, and it's worth the price. The staff is great.



Had pre-op blood drawn yesterday too, and the woman was so good I didn't feel the needle AT ALL! The vampires usually hurt me and leave a big bruise. Roseann gets an A++! Now have to get a chest xray. No wonder I'm tired today.

8:00pm

Elvy, K's dog, was hit hard in the eye by a golfball today. When K called me and said her eye was swollen and she was squinting, I said "take her to the vet hospital immediately," Natasha Richardson's death still on my mind. Turns out Elvy has a scratch on her cornea, which was likely painful, and was given two meds. Always better to be safe.

Went to my optometrist the other day to get new lenses for my everyday glasses, my computer glasses, and my reading glasses. No new frames this time, as the lenses themselves will be hundreds of dollars.

Bad news about my haircutter. I was absolutely sure I had asked her when I first started going to her if she charged the same fee for women and men, and I was sure she said yes. I asked her again today, and she charges $20 for men and $35 for women! Ethical dilemma alert! I really like this woman, but I cannot stand this discrimination. She was in the middle of my cut when I asked her this question, and I decided not to talk to her about it. Oh man . . .

Rodillas

Ok, I had a good day at the gym. Had an appt. with a trainer who took me through the weight circuit. Now I have a chart, and when I go back to the circuit, I'll sign in for what time I want to use it, and a trainer will set the weight and the seat to my specs. Then I did 25 minutes on the recumbant bike, and then stretched on the raised PT table.

Went to an orientation yesterday at the hospital where I will have my knees replaced. (see photo) Fortunately, with the great help from my sis, I knew much of what they said. I got a little peeved when the nutritionist/dietition gave her part of the talk, and when I asked about their ability to accommodate people with food allergies, she said I would have to order special items ahead or bring them myself!!! What is it with these people? She claimed they don't keep rice or soy milk on hand because there aren't that many requests for it, and it spoils. Spoils!? In those aseptic cartons, they can stay on the shelf for a year! It's one of those small but highly annoying things that really get under my skin. I made a nice connection with a woman who also lives alone and is having a knee replaced, after having the other knee and hip already replaced. She had good suggestions about making sure the medical staff knows about my PTSD.

Saturday night I went to the Milford Center for the Arts to hear the father/son Mexican classical guitarists. I was all the way in the back, and couldn't see very well, but the music was really engaging and beautiful. And the Center had a great photography exhibit on the walls as well.

Hung out with D. and her son N. on Sunday. We had a nice time. N. went across the street with Bindi and played with Chris's dogs and daughters for a really long time. He came back at one point to get a water bowl for Bindi, saying she wouldn't drink out of the other dogs bowls, and she seemed really thirsty. How sweet and thoughtful is THAT?! I was so touched. That night K. and I went out for pizza. So it was a good Sunday.

Hey, I changed the sheets on my bed! Woo hoo!!

Sunny, but Cold

Photos of Misty, Geranium, and Clivia, taken yesterday in the morning as the sun shone through the kitchen window.

Found a place called Charlie's Closet in Guilford that will "rent" medical rehab equipment for $1. Not $1 per day, but $1 for the entire time you need it, with the agreement that you return it when you are done so others can use it. Got that tip from Freecycle WHICH I LOVE. So am going out there today to pick the things up: a commode, a bar that attaches to the tub, and a walker. Am also going to buy some chain to hang my porch swing between two trees, and my neighbor Chris will attach it for me, as well as install a handrail on my front porch. I offered to pay him, but he said we'll barter. He's so great.

Did you know that if you take the online Defensive Driving course that your insurance company may lower your rates? I use Geico, and since my friend had a fender bender when he used my car in December, and I had one previously, my rate went up over $100/year. But I took the course, passed it, and my rate is now reduced by $86 a year for three years. The online course was long, but doable, and I passed the test at the end with a 96% score.

My back door neighbors have been taking out my trash barrel and recycling for me, without my even asking them to. T. is going to plant a raised flower bed this spring, and I will give her parts of all my perennials in my Edgerton garden so she won't have to spend a lot of money on new plants. It will make me happy to give them to her, as I will probably be giving up my plot in the next year or so, as I plan my move out of the Northeast. I'll know where they are and will likely stay for quite some time.

Went to the gym yesterday for over an hour. At some point when I was working out on the weight machines, I felt very depressed. I shook it off, and made a couple of appointments with trainers for next week. I was so tired when I came home I had to take a nap.

There were a bunch of "wellness" vendors there for the day, which I think were all focussing on weight loss (what else?!?! makes me so mad . . .), but I noticed one for the VNA (Visiting Nurse Association), and CPAP (that awful sleep apnea machine I can't get myself to use). I had useful conversations with both of them. Am gonna try to find a CPAP support group. Of course if I could lose enough weight perhaps I wouldn't need it, but that doesn't seem to be happening, so I HAVE TO USE THE MACHINE for now. Whaaaaaaa. But perhaps I would have sleep apnea even if I were thin. I've always been tired and had low energy. Oh, man . . . .