Tow Truck

 

My car was loaded on the tow truck and it's on the way to the dealership.  My appointment is tomorrow so hopefully I'll hear something then.  The tow truck driver's guess is something electrical.  Kudos to Subaru Roadside Assistance for making it easy to schedule the appointment and keeping me informed.

It's been one gorgeous February day.  I sat on the back porch and listened to the birds and looked around and it was so nice.  On my list of goals:  to watch the 6:00 pm sunset.  I want to take advantage of this pretty day.

I've taken most of my sewing things upstairs and that means I'll be creating again soon.  

Not tomorrow morning though - PT again.   

  

Rree Is Gone

 

Christmas is over, the tree is packed away.  My house will be quite dark tonight.  Those three empty ornament boxes - I found all three ornaments when I took off the lights.

And along with the tree, the walker and that toilet chair that makes the seat higher went to the basement too.  That makes me very happy.

PT yesterday was going so well - until there was a new challenge in getting up from the chair without using my arms.  I so could not do that, not even close.  I hope that isn't a graduation requirement.

For those of you who like to keep track of these things, we gained 45 minutes of daylight during January.  Where I am, mostly in the evening.

Thinking of where I am - I despair about the state legislature, the US senators, and my US representative.  But I love my governor.  

Puzzle

 

The puzzle was harder than it looks.  I only do 300 piece jigsaw puzzles since I have no patience beyond that.  Of course there is one piece missing - I know it's on my colorful rug, somewhere - my daughter will spot it in a few seconds.

On Sunday I realized that my car's battery was dead.  It's been cold and I haven't been driving it.  On Monday the AAA guy came and jumped it.  He told me that the battery probably needed to be replaced.  I told him that the car only had 10,000 miles and the battery should be ok.  I ran the car for 45 minutes, part of the time driving and the rest looking at the manual and familiarizing myself with things.

Yesterday I got in the car to make the trip to PT - I was preety happy about driving myself - and the battery was dead.  Today my neighbor tried to jump it without success.  And so, tomorrow I'll call AAA once again.  The dealer told me that the battery is under warranty but that I need to bring the car to the dealership so they can check it out.

But, on to other things.  Sunday night's football game was disappointing.  I really wanted the Bills to win - or more like it, I really wanted the Chiefs to NOT win.

I'm doing pretty well with walking - I use the cane about half the time and half the time I'm ok without it.  I haven't been using the walker at all.  Pain is lessening and I'm sleeping better.  

I can navigate the outside steps easily and can go up the stairs.  So far, no sewing - It's hard to get my creativity back and I'm trying to be patient.  It will come.

Good News Today

 

The winter puffy throw.  This one stays on my bed for now.

Another day, another PT session.  And such good news.  I can walk around the house, cane free, and take the cane when I go out to the store or other places.

And just like that, my world will be opening up.  Tomorrow, maybe, I'll call AAA and get my battery charged and air put in the tires.  Next PT, next week, I plan to drive myself.

Tomorrow or the next day, I'll make the trek upstairs to my studio and spend a little time, just being there.

Tonight I'm celebrating with a Door Dash order from my favorite neighborhood restaurant.  A salad with salmon and cheese bread sticks.  I wish you could celebrate with me.

The Next Day

 This gifted puffy fall throw has been just the thing for these cold days.  I was gifted another for the holidays - it's on my bed - maybe you'll see it tomorrow.  I hope it won't be -1 degrees when I wake up tomorrow  

I couldn't not read the comments on news articles about the Bishop's plea to the president.  Lots of support.  Some saying she should apologize.  A few comments about how women shouldn't be in the pulpit.  A few that women should be subservient to men. Some mentioned that what she said wasn't biblical, that she should read her Bible before preaching.  

It was interesting reading.  And I did way too much thinking and puzzling and I'm glad that my garden flag reminds me to love my neighbor, no exceptions  My heart felt so hopeful yesterday, so discouraged today.  

And then there was Bernie, no mittens for him this inauguration, telling us that 'the wealthiest three people in America now have more wealth than the bottom half of our society."  And that all three sat behind the president at the inauguration.  

Today

 It's been a strange day.  I've been having trouble sleeping and overslept this morning.  PT was at 11:00 and it seems to take me  longer than it should to get ready.

The good PT news is that I'm cleared to use a cane instead of the walker.  That's a pretty big step.  It will mean that I can navigate the steps out to the car by myself and drive away.   When the snow around the car melts.  And when I get the battery charged.  Neither of which will be happening in the next few cold days. 

The oft-balance day took a turn up when I heard the small female Episcopal bishop's plea to the president.  It touched my heart.  I wish I was that articulate and compassionate and brave.

Words for Tomorrow

 

From Clergy Coaching Network

Words for tomorrow.

I think I've been in denial that tomorrow is coming.

Still Here

 

The snow is still here.  Maybe not as much, but it's still around.  When I got up this morning the temperature was three degrees, tonight's low is 16.  In a few days the highs will be 39, maybe rain on Saturday, so that should help.  And then Sunday's low will be 7, followed by 2, 5, and 4 as the week goes on.

Yesterday's PT included thirty step-ups on the bottom step - and  today is a sore day.  I've done a few simple stretching exercises but mostly took a lot of reading breaks.  Ate leftovers.  It's ok, tomorrow will be better.

As I did those steps I got a little glimpse of the top of the stairs - and I know that soon I'll be up there.  I hope my sewing machine still knows my name.  (Really, it does.) 

There is a church committee meeting tonight starting at 8:00, kind of late for me.  The chair is really good at holding meetings to an hour, which I appeciate.  I hope I don't act like a sleepy old person.

Do Over

 For the past few days I've been without internet.  My router needed to be restarted, which happens from time to time.  The router is in my basement, and the basement isn't accessible to me right now.  Yesterday it was unplugged and then plugged back in and all is right with my internet world once again.

The Chex Mix picture above is from my redo.  At Christmas I thought I could surely make Chex Mix and stir in from a chair.  That wasn't a good idea.  There was Chex Mix spilling in the oven and Chex Mix on the floor and someone else had to take over.

Now, though, I can make Chex Mix, and there is no chair.  And it was delightful.

Yesterday was my eye doctor visit, which went much better than I'd hoped.  Return in three months and in the meantime see a corneal specialist to see whether to monitor or consider a corneal transplant.  The operated eye was stable and pressure was good.

And so - I was able to navigate the steps down and up fairly easily.  And for the first time in a month I left the house and rode in a car, just like real people do.  

Thanks to my son-in-law for taking me to the appointment and for  restarting the router.

Icicles

 

Icicles hanging from my roof.  One of those repairs I need to deal with.  I wish I knew a good handy person.  I have a list.

More snow is falling, but it should be much less than last weekend.  The salt trucks are running through the neighborhood.

There was PT again today.  I tried going up and down the bottom step ten times.  Or maybe 20, I can't remember.  I was sore afterward but it went ok.  And then later I tried walking across the room.  It wasn't pretty but I could do it.

I asked the therapist whether the soreness comes from the muscles or the broken bone.  His guess is the bone.

I'm realizing the value of preventive exercise.  All that walking last summer is helping me now.  I've been reading about pre-surgery PT, strengthening muscles prior to replacement hip or knee surgery.  Not that I need a replacement - I just read stuff.

No Tracks

 

I admired the snow in the back yard this morning and noticed that it looked pristine.  No rabbit tracks, no squirrel tracks, no deer tracks, no cat tracks, no people tracks, nothing.  It was 18 degrees and I hope that everything and everyone was holed up somewhere.

(That big building across the way, it's a hospital.)

it was a good PT session this afternoon.  I walked about five steps without my walker and climbed a couple of stairs.  Did the required exercises.  And then ate a protein bar instead of lunch and took a nap, worn out.

There was Zoom at Noon today.  During the early pandemic days four of us church friends started meeting for a hour Wednesdays at noon.  Four years later, we still Zoom on Wednesdays at noon. 

No mail delivery today, which isn't unusual for me.  And no mail delivery tomorrow in honor of Jimmy Carter.  I appreciate that.

Quiet Neighorhood

It's amazing how quiet the neighborhood is after the snowstorm.  Much of the usual traffic has stayed home.  My daughter went back to work, pleased that her shoveling allowed her to drive away.  She's back at home tonight.  A noisy snowblower came and cleared my neighbor's driveway.  A bobcat with a snow blade cleared the edges of the street.  The mailman came.  And that was the outdoor excitement for the day.

I did sew a bit more, and it went a little better than yesterday.  I did all the marking for the half square triangles before I sat down.  And I put a silicone potholder under the foot pedal so it wouldn't scoot away.  

There was Impossible meatloaf, Lima beans, and fruit for dinner.  The 12 ounce packages of Impossible meat makes a small meat loaf that tastes about like the real thing.  Cooking and washing the dishes takes much longer than my usual, but I'm satisfied to be able to do it.

My daughter and I watched a couple of episodes of Virgin River on Sunday night - she'd never seen it.  That inspired me to re-read the book, which is free on Kindle Unlimited.  It's as good the second time as it was the first time.

No Snow Picture

 

I'm sure everyone is so tired of seeing pictures of snow in back yards, so you won't see one here today.

Instead we'll admire this new little cast iron skillet, just the right size for a grilled sandwich or an over-easy egg.  It came preseasoned, so I just seasoned it a couple of times before using it, and that worked out fine.

The Chiefs lost yesterday so the Bengals are out of the play offs.  Now I can just sit back and enjoy the games without fretting.  Word on the street is that the Chiefs didn't want to play the Bengals in the playoffs so they didn't play their starters, but I think they were just resting their starters for the games to come.

My local daughter is channeling her sister by using the blower to clear the steps and sidewalks.  I love my girls.

And So We Wait

 

And so we wait in Cincinnati.

It wasn't a pretty Bengals win last night in Pittsburgh, it never is, but a win is a win, and the Bengals' slim playoff hopes are still alive.  For the Bengals to be in the playoffs, the Jets need to beat the Dolphins and the Chiefs need a win over the Broncos.  (Joanne, will you be watching?  4:25)

It was a dismal start but the Bengals had a winning season, their fourth in a row, by winning their last five games.

And we wait for the snow.  Predictions are all over the place.  There will be precipitation, it 's just a matter of whether it will be ice or snow or both.  And if it's snow, whether there will be a lot.

My grandson's Christmas break is scheduled to end tomorrow and I'm sure he is hoping for snow.  My church cancelled services for this morning.

Last night I was able to put a baking sheet of breaded shrimp into the oven and take it out.  It sounds like nothing, but it's something I couldn't do a week ago.

Blessed Among Women

 A Christmas card from a church friend had a piece of green paper enclosed.  It was a reflection of Elizabeth's telling pregnant Mary that she was blessed among women.  

All of us women need this reminder, no matter what we tell ourselves or what others may tell us, or have told us

And so I am telling my women readers today, "You are blessed among women." 

Tuesday's PT led to a very sore Wednesday.  Thursday the therapist took out the squats we had added, and today the day-after is better.  I can move ahead with the exercises.

And today was the first normal-feeling day in a long time.  I could cook a simple meal, which I enjoy, and wash the dishes later.  I could focus enough to work on a jig saw puzzle.  In a few minutes,  I'll turn on the sewing machine, enjoy its computerized sound, and sew a few simple blocks together.

I'm so happy to be able to read in bed again at the end of the day.  It's one of my pleasures.  During the really painful times there was nothing left of me at bedtime to be able to concentrate on the words.  I'm not reading anything "heavy," just enjoying those mindless Christmas novels.

If the books' plots seem to run together, that's ok, I don't mind, I just skim along.

The Work of Christmas

 

The Work of Christmas

When the star in the sky is gone,

When the song of the angels is stilled,

When the kings and princes are home,

When the shepherds are back with their flocks,

The work of Christmas begins.

            To find the lost,

        To heal the broken,

        To feed the hungry,

        To release the prisoner,

        To rebuild the nations,

        To bring peace among the people,

        To make music in the heart.

                                                       by Howard Thurman     

The star above was a Christmas gift.  It arrived folded, made of stiff paper, and is lighted.  It will remain in the window for a long time,  reminding me of the poem, which stays relevant year after year.

            

Not Yet

 

Social media has been full of posts describing friends' taking down their Christmas trees, packing away decorations, starting fresh for the new year.

Not me, not yet.  I'm still enjoying the tree, loving the lights and ornaments.  There will come a time in a couple of weeks when I'll take off the ornaments and pack them in their little boxes but still leave the lighted tree in place until more toward the end of January.  

I don't need the space, no one is telling me it's time to pack it away, I'm happy for now.

The news from New Orleans is hard to hear.  All those people, enjoying themselves, never thinking that in a moment they would be dead or hurting.  They weren't carrying guns, probably, or looking for a fight, just out celebrating a happy night of the year.  Enjoying their friends, enjoying the city.