One More Day...

That seems to be what I am doing these days, just marking off one more day at a time, letting my body heal. I suppose it is good discipline for me -- I cannot remember a time when I didn't have something going on, something I just had to get done, or something else that was keeping me busy!

We had thought earlier in the week about driving the 90 miles to Menno this morning for the Harvest Homecoming service. As the week went by, we realized that I was not ready for that long a trip nor did I have the energy to interact with people for 3-4 hours over the service and dinner. But, it would have been nice to see everyone! And we have never been around in the Fall during the past several years to meet Charles Duplessis, the pastor of Mount Nemo Baptist Church in New Orleans that Menno has partnered with the past couple of years.

I did take a fairly long walk around the RV park this afternoon. It's been quite cold here all day. I don't believe it got above 43 degrees.

Is It Naptime Yet?

It must be! I have been so sleepy all day. I just feel like an observer, not a participant in life these days. I am not in pain (haven't had any pain meds or muscles relaxants for two days), just an achy back. I woke up late this morning, had breakfast (thanks, Forry!), and went right back to take a nap. Took another one early this afternoon, then another later while Forry went into town to return the heater that he couldn't use on the hose.

I did rouse enough to read some of the RVing blogs I haven't looked at for a while, and catch up with my farming on Facebook. But other than that haven't done anything but nap and read.

Good night!

Brother Pat Comes to Visit

My brother Patrick was on his way home to Moses Lake from a conference he's been at in Wisconsin all week. He stopped by to visit this afternoon with a beautiful orchid plant in hand. He stayed for a couple of hours to visit, then we all went back in to Spokane to have dinner at the Old Spaghetti Factory with my neice Ashley. Ashley has just one last clinical rotation to do in Seattle at UW and she is finished with all the work for her BSN. Today was her last lab rotation and yesterday she had her last actual class. It's an exciting time for her!

What a Grouch!

Don't know who wrote yesterday's short blog, but it couldn't have been me! I don't know anyone that grouchy...!

Last night and today have been much, much better. It's been almost 40 hours since I've had any pain down my left leg -- what a relief! Let's just hope it stays that way.

It was another overcast day and it finally started to rain a bit a half hour or so ago. We had gone into Cheney late in the afternoon to mail a letter and to pick up some blueberries for breakfast with our granola. Forry want to get a heat strip for the water hose, but had to stop at a couple of different places to find one. Then when we got home and he got it out of the package, he found that the instructions said it was to only be used on pipes, not hoses!

A Blah Day....

You can't say much about a day like today. It was just blah.

We've been listening to the last game of the World Series. Too bad the Phillies couldn't repeat last year!

Haircuts, Company and Dinner Out!

We were up early this morning getting organized in order to get to Sarah's by 9 AM. She trimmed my hair and bangs, but she CUT Forry's hair! I had suggested he get 4-5 inches cut off, but I think she cut off more like 8-10! It's about as short as I've seen it in several years! The nice thing about it is that it just curls...

Our accountant Cleon stopped by this afternoon to copy the work Forry's been doing on the ranch books so that he can get our taxes done. We went into Spokane to Anthony's in time for their sunset 4 course dinner (arrival before 6 PM), but I could NOT eat it all. I got through the crab, shrimp and artichoke dip appetizer and the Caesar salad, but had to get a take-home box for the main course (Idaho trout admondine) and Forry got to eat most of the Creme Brulee I had for the dessert 4th course!

It's been a busy day and I am tired. I did not sleep well last night (Full Moon?), so am hoping for a good night's sleep tonight!

My SMALL World

I was pondering today how my world has shrunk. I have very little interest in anything beyond my own existence these days. It seems so strange to listen to the news on NPR --even about health care reform -- in a very detached manner. Like "that's interesting, but has little to do with me" instead of being concerned about the minute detail.

I had obsrerved this phenomenon before with both my father and my father-in-law after they had had major surgery. It's as though all of their energy was focused on themselves and the healing process and there was none left for anything else.

It's a bit scary to feel this way. I am normally insatiably curious about what is going on around me and what's happening in my friend's lives and families. The past couple of weeks, it's like "who cares?"!

I was pleased yesterday to note how impatient I was to see the pictures of Leslie & Bill's wedding. It felt "more like me!"

I know that a great deal of the "cloudiness" has to do with the amount of muscle relaxent and pain medication I've been taking. As I take less and less of them, I am hoping that my window into the larger world will continue to grow!

Another Quiet Day

It's been a very quiet day. I went outside to take a short walk, otherwise moved from bed to couch to bed. If it wasn't for the pain in the irritated left leg nerve, I think I'd be feeling pretty good.
Forry has been working on his ranch bookwork muttering with every month he enters into QuickBooks that "next year he's going to do it every month so that he can remember what those entries were about!"
Got the SmugMug pictures today of Leslie and Bill's wedding yesterday at Voodoo Doughnuts. Pretty amazing that you can see all the fun in less than a day!

Out For a Walk

It sounds like such a little thing, to just go for a walk. But when you've been restricted from doing so for a couple of weeks, it becomes a BIG thing! The sun was even out most of the afternoon, so it was quite pleasant. I didn't go very far -- just out to the garbage bins (less than a 1/4 mile) and back. Ponderosa Falls RV Resort is currently not terribly busy, so we are not crowded in near anyone. The roads throughout the Resort are not paved, so you do have to watch some of the rough spots.

This is my little corner of Auntie Violet:

Do note the posture! It's amazing how straight I sit with the brace on.



We slept in this morning as yesterday had been a really big day. Our good friends Leslie and Bill were married this noon at the Donut Shop in Portland, Oregon. We had seriously thought about driving down for the festivities this noon, but decided it was a bit too soon in the recovery process to take that a road trip. But, we are waiting to see the pictures!

A Busy Day

It's been a busy one! I had an appointment for my two-week follow-up post-surgery check-up with Dr Powers this morning. He had another set of x-rays taken to compare with the ones they took the morning after surgery. Boy, those are long screws holding the rods in place! He also had the pre-surgical ones. The tech burned a set onto a CD for us to have as well when we're traveling. It's interesting that he does not want me to resume taking aspirin or any oher NSAID (Advil, naproxen) for another six weeks. Evidently the inflammation actually helps with the fusion.
All of the males in my life are telling me that now that I've got the new iPhone, I can tell Forry where I hid the old one! They all think alike!
After the flurries of snow yesterday, the weather was actually pretty nice today -- and much warmer .
Our friends Bill & Leslie are getting married tomorrow noon in Portland at a doughnut shop. We were thinking sort of seriously about driving down, but as tired as I get from just a trip to the doctor's, I guess we'll just have to enjoy it vicariously!