Tail WIP...

I began work on this in the morning, and then had to stop after about four hours to get to my new doctor appointment. (Yes. This is all I accomplished in four hours.) I did a little more when we got back home, but decided to leave the rest for daylight.

I've begun with the outline for the legs, but what's shown will be the padding for the actual stitching to give the legs and feet dimension. I'll pad them out a bit more, but just needed to get the placement before I completed the feathers.

I'm at work interpreting again this morning, so after I get home (and take a nap) I'll work on it again. I'm happy with the progress so far, though.

About my doctor's appointment...seems my little voice (and Handsome) came through again. In conversation with this doctor, it seems that my "knee parts" would not have done well with a repair procedure. Osteoarthritis is already causing bone issues, and the meniscus - if successfully repaired - would have failed again soon without a viable anchor. Considering the recuperation for the repair would have been 6-8 weeks non-weight bearing, it would have all been for nothing in the long run.

I really like this doctor. He answered all our questions thoroughly, and is confident a replacement will serve me 25-30 years. Our plan is to do the injured leg first, and the other one about twelve weeks later. He expects full recovery and a return to my former mobility...pain-free. Plus, this procedure will have me up and walking the same day. Of course, there will be initial pain, physical therapy, and work on my part, but then I'll be good to go.

We're going to wait to schedule surgery until after my echocardiogram on the 11th, so we have a safe "go ahead" from the cardiologist. I should get a call from the scheduler this week. I'll pick a date as close to that as possible. I'm tired of walking like a penguin in pain, and now I can see a real bright future for my mobility.

In the meantime, I'm going to finish a few projects, and get my head in a healing mindset. I've got this!

We're Gonna Shake Some Tail Feathers...

I stayed with this yesterday until I completed the wing! There was some frogging, but in the end, I won! The last bluebird wing is finished.

Next will be to complete the tail, legs and feet. I'll do this and then it will be time to move on to the fence post. I have my appointment with the new orthopedist today, but there will still be plenty of time to stitch. We'll see how much I can accomplish and I'll share that soon.

Happy July!!

Spanish and English...

Donna, Juan and Kim

I was up at 5 and at work by 5:30 Sunday morning. It was Juan's first day of work. Juan recently married Kim's friend and was hired to work in our kitchen. (Kim is the daughter of dear friends, and my direct boss.) Juan's from the Dominican Republic, and we weren't sure how fluent he is in English, so Kim asked me to come in to translate, if necessary. It was definitely worth getting up early to be a participant.

Juan speaks some English and he's working hard to learn more. While I was able to converse with him in Spanish, he actually requested that we speak as much English as possible to help him learn. I happily obliged, but told him if he didn't understand or had questions, we could lapse into Spanish at will. I also confided in him that I'd enjoy speaking Spanish with him to improve my skills.

He's enthusiastic about his new job, and has requested days with double shifts. Kim is pretty darn excited about his willingness to work, as well as how hard he works when he's clocked in. We can see already that he's going to be a dream employee.

When I got home, Handsome asked me if I'm ready to work at the United Nations as an interpreter now. I told him I'll pass, but gosh! I sure had fun. I've been asked to come back on Wednesday for a few hours in the event I'm again needed to translate. I'll be there!

It's going to be a busy week. My doctor's appointment on Tuesday; work on Wednesday; and then work again on Saturday to fill in for a cashier who handed in her resignation. I'll know more about my regular schedule once I have an idea of a new surgery date. I'm just going to keep it simple for now. My legs are thanking me for the consideration, I know.