Weekend!

It's been such a nice day- fall feeling. It's going to get chilly tonight. Toast is visiting for the evening. Steph and Dan are having a party, and Toast gets anxious around a lot of people. Whiskey is very sociable, and goes to everyone. She's better off here, curled up with Ralph. 

I'm getting back into the work routine. Other than the part about getting up at 6.30, in the dark, I like it. We're getting in a bunch of new kids. At the end of the week, Health Services was notified that we all had to enter the doc's order dates on the med kids onto the website where we document meds. And it of course had to happen within two days. Since I was one of the few who knew how to do it, Health Services had anyone having issues call me to walk them thru it. It was easy enough to help, and it earned me some brownie points! 

I just finished another baby afghan. It seems like there's a bunch of pregnancies this year! I've been using various colors of varigated yarn, and making big granny squares, so they work up fast and look cute. And they require no concentration. 

Ralph and I still each have a cough, but are feeling much better this week.

I read a "real" book from the library, and it felt so strange after reading on the Kindle and Nook all summer. The new TV season has started. I've only DVR'd two new shows- nothing else looks like I want to be bothered with it. 

When I was at the cardiologist a couple weeks ago, he cut down the beta blocker by half. In six weeks, I can stop it altogether. It's absolutely amazing how much better I feel! The beta blocker made me tired all the time, and everything felt like it was such an effort. I'll be so glad to stop it altogether, and I haven't had any palpitations or episodes of afib since the ablation. Mom was at the cardiologist, and the EKG lady told her that they have so many people with afib now! 

Two milestones- I can come up the steps one foot per step, after years of putting two feet on a step. I have to hold the railing and the cane to do it, but it feels good. And the shower chair has been put in the basement- I took a standing up shower for the first time since my knee surgery. That felt so good! 

And it's time to change the laundry!
Holly

Another Sunday morning

Good grief, I can't believe I've gone so long without posting! School has started, and I'm back into the work routine. Getting up at 6.30 is the hardest part of the day. The kids at school are wonderful, and I really enjoy them. The staff is pleasant, our teacher in charge is an angel, and the physical plant is very nice. 

Last Monday I started feeling lousy, and coughing and congested. I called out from work Tuesday, and made a doctor appt. I already had a routine ortho followup visit scheduled. I was so short of breath that I asked Ralph to drive me! Ortho was concerned about a PE, and was glad I was on the way to medicine. He was happy with my knee progress. 

Dr. Furey didn't see any signs of a PE, and diagnosed me with viral bronchitis. He ordered robitussin DM, fluids, and rest, and stay home. Tuesday night and Wednesday passed in a blur of sleeping and not eating. By Thursday night, my friend Barbara could here me wheeze on the phone, and ordered me to call the doc. I did, and he sent me for a chest xray, which was negative. He had me take a hit of Ralph's inhaler, which helped the wheeze. 

By mid afternoon Friday I was feeling like I might live after all. By Saturday morning I felt human, tho still tired. I hate that I used up 4 sick days on being sick, but I was so down for the count that I had no choice. 
I'm still tired today, but I know I'll make it to work tomorrow. 

And the beat goes on!
Holly

Week One Survived

Our first week of school is done! Staff went in on Tuesday, and the kids came in yesterday. It was so humid all week that I felt like my head was going to explode, and walking made me want to cry. Toast and I were hobbling around like we were 100 years old. Today was the first day that it's almost decent out. 

I had PT after work Wednesday, and the therapist said that all the patients said the same thing about being especially achey. I almost cancelled, and was glad I didn't- I felt a lot better after the session. Monday I have a re-eval. It's been 10 weeks and a couple days since the surgery. 

Today is Steph and Dan's last full day in Portland. They'll be home tomorrow, which means they'll take their dogs home! Yay! I love the dogs, but 8 days is a lot. They're still afraid of my cane, which gets old real fast. 

Amazon announced yesterday that they have added a bunch of new kinds of Kindles. One is a tablet, to give Apple some competition. There's also a faster Fire, and a new lighted ereader. All nice things, but I'm not ready to order any. My Fire is less than a year old, my baby kindle is only 3 months old, and I love my iPad. 

One week from today Manda and Ben will be home for the weekend! They'll be here for Mom Florence's 90th birthday brunch party. 

And the beat goes on!
Holly

Good Grief, it's September!

It's so humid out that it's like walking thru soup. I think we're supposed to get some rain, courtesy of Tropical Storm Isaac. The dogs are here, while Steph and Dan visit Manda and Ben. They've been really good so far. Ralph fenced off a big play area for them, so we don't have to take them on the leashes, they can just wander. Whiskey loves to just lay in the grass in the sun, and Toast wanders like a tourist. 

My pedicure left me with a little infection of my toe- I remember her saying there was an area that was ingrown, and she clipped it. I saw my family doc on Friday, and because of the new knee, he put me on an antibiotic for 5 days. It's looking a lot better today. 

August was a reading month- I read 23 books, all on the Nook or Kindle! I haven't read a physical book since June. 

September has birthdays! Linda G is the 3rd, her sister Pat is the 15, Eddie will be 9 on the 23, and Ralph is the 21st. Roseanne is the 6th, and Barbara and Sharon are on the 9th. Mikey is the 13th.

Heather, Ed and the kids brought Honey Rose up to meet her cousins yesterday. We were laughing trying to take pix, because no one stood still for two seconds! We took them outside to play. Toast didn't want to be bothered, so Ralph held her. Honey was jump on Whiskey, then take off running, with him chasing her. There was some wrestling, and a lot of falling down. Then she was trying to stand in the water dish. After a half hour, all the dogs were exhausted. 

We had dinner at the home of our friends Barbara and John last night. Their PC is at death's door, and they got a laptop, so Ralph hooked up a wireless router for them, and they fed us. A great bargain for all concerned! Their yellow lab, Chloe looks the way Honey will in a couple of months. We had a nice visit and sympathized with each other about having to return to work on Tuesday. 

We skyped with Manda and Steph last night, while they were waiting for Dan and Ben to get back from the PAX con, where they were geeking out. Steph wanted to see the dogs, and she confused Whiskey- he kept looking around for her. 

I went thru a huge stack of catalogs and magazines, and pulled out a few patterns. Heather took the cooking magazines, which she'll read and then take to work. I took the quilting magazines to Barbara, and the catalogs can be recycled. 

And the beat goes on!
Holly

Wow, nine weeks!

Nine weeks postop, and the summer is shot. I had a good PT session today, tho the new knee still doesn't bend as far or as easily as I'd like it to. I have PT on Friday, then next week it'll drop back to once or twice a week, after school. 

We have a new grand-dog! Ed and Heather got an 8 week old yellow lab puppy that they named Honey Rose. Ed came up with the Honey, and Julianna gave her a middle name. She looks adorable, and Ed's sister Michelle will be the designated dog sitter. 

I went and got a pedicure yesterday, so my toes are ready for fall. This Friday, Steph and Dan fly out to see Manda and Ben. I'm jealous, but I know my knee isn't up to a long flight and a lot of touristing. Maybe next summer. 

I'm still reading my way thru John Sandford, and enjoying them all. I bought more baby yarn, and I'm working on afghans. One of these days I'll get the urge to sew! I have been working on going thru magazines, and tidying up the sewing room. 

And the beat goes on!
Holly

It's the end of August!

We're running out of summer! The days are getting shorter and shorter already. I won't miss the extreme heat that we've had this summer, which is reflected in my electric bill. 

PT continues. I'm having trouble lifting up my leg, so a new exercise was added. PT puts small cones in a row of 3 or 4 inside the parallel bars. I have to walk sideways and step over the cones. I can really feel it, so it must be a good exercise. That and the straight leg lifts are the hardest. I know I have to walk more, but I'm limited by the other leg. 

Mom Florence will be 90 in October! We're giving her a party at Scotland Run on Sept 15. We went with a brunch party, with an omelette station. It's mostly family, since sadly, most of her friends have passed. It was quite a production setting up a date around the grandchildren's schedules. First we got a list of Saturdays that Manda and Ben could fly in from Seattle. Then we had Heather subtract out the Saturdays she had to work (which has changed now with her change to pool- no assigned Saturdays!). Then Naureen subtracted out the Saturdays that Kevin is on duty. We were left with a choice of 2 Saturdays, so we had Juliette pick one. She picked the 15, as it is the furtherest one from the wedding. The party is not a surprise.

It'll be a short visit for Manda and Ben. They get in Friday night at dinnertime, and leave Sunday late afternoon. We haven't seen them since March! 

This week is Kevin and Naureen's anniversary! 

I was having trouble with my glasses, so new lenses were ordered in July. They finally came in. They made my eyes hurt so much that I called the next day. When they checked, two things were off on the lenses, so they're sending them back and getting the correct ones.

Manda is going to run a marathon! I'm so impressed! She started a program called "From couch potato to 5K" and she's doing great. There's an exercise room at her apartment complex, and she uses the treadmill, or she runs trails near her. And Ben's company has a program where if they walk 10,000 steps they get awards. From what he says, the company is so spread out that he almost makes the steps at work, and when he doesn't, they take a walk at night to finish up the numbers. 

And now I'm off to get some laundry started. Always fun.
Holly

Eight weeks postop!

Good grief, we're running out of summer! Only one more full week, then it's Labor Day weekend, then back to work. Staff goes back on the 4th, kids on the 6th. I have PT three times next week, then it'll get scaled back to twice a week when school starts. 

What a strange summer it's been. One long surgery/rehab/procedure/PT. No traveling, no vacation. But it's been very productive. I just got a regular straight cane from amazon, to use instead of the quad cane. The only disadvantage is that I can't just stand it up anywhere and leave it, it has to be leaned on something.

Mom Florence told Ralph that she needs a hobby, since her cat has passed. I suggested reading, and Ralph took her to the library this morning and got her some large print books. She's always liked to read. I don't see her learning a craft at this point in her life. 

It's been really nice out all week, and we've had the AC off and the windows open, which makes Cliffie very happy. She wanders on and off the porch, and on and off the window shelf in our room. Lots of things to watch and smell. 

The hummingbird feeder on the deck has been getting quite a workout. It's quite entertaining to sit at the kitchen table and watch them feed and chase others away. My neighbor was over to bring us tomatoes, and he was watching the little birds and decided he might need to get a feeder for his deck. 

Next week Steph and Dan leave for a week split between Seattle and Portland, which means that Toast and Whiskey come to visit us for the week. Whiskey's foot has been bothering him, and I'm hoping he feels better before they come to visit. I forget how high maintainence they are, until they come. 

I've been catching up on the Lucas Davenport series by John Sandford. I'd read the first 10 years ago, and somehow not kept up with them. I'd forgotten what a great writer he is. Mysteries, of course. 

And so it goes!
Holly