Sunday Scripture...

Psalms 27:13-14

 

Ready For Relish...

While I've been receiving lovely zucchini recently, I couldn't start making our favorite relish until I located locally grown green (and/or red) peppers. When I contacted local growers, I was told that they didn't have many because the growing season wasn't conducive to a large crop this year. As I need peppers, I had to keep looking.

Two days ago, I found someone in the next county who was advertising hers for 75¢ each. I asked her if she had about twenty five of them, and she told me she would check her garden after work. Later that day she contacted me to tell me she did have that many, but some were a little deformed. I asked her, taking that into account, how much would she charge me if I took all of them. She replied, $12.00. I jumped.

After my physical therapy appointment yesterday - I got to 124º bend, by the way!!!  - Handsome drove us to this lady's home where the peppers were waiting on her porch for us. They're gorgeous, and I've yet to find one of those "deformed" ones. This basket is full, and I now have what I need to make the zucchini pepper relish. That's what I'll be doing today.

A few of you mentioned my cow image yesterday when I shared it on Facebook. I got it at Hobby Lobby last year, and only just put it up recently. I looks a lot different in this daylight photograph than in yesterday's post, which I took under artificial light. I'm rather fond of it myself. HobLob still has lots of farmhouse images, which I really love. Problem is we just don't have the wall space. It's probably just as well. sigh

We don't have anything planned for this weekend, so Handsome will help me with this project, and then we'll take it easy. Enjoy your holiday weekend, friends. 

A Little Salsa...

I danced in the kitchen again yesterday. The last of my frozen tomatoes became salsa. I have my electric water bath canner set up on the porch, so even though the temperature has dropped outdoors, I won't have to worry about steaming up the kitchen. 

All my pints (and one half pint) fit into the canner in one batch, so after a 40 minute bubble bath, they were all finished. I started to remove them, but one of the jars started to siphon, so they all stayed in the water until it cooled down late day. The one that siphoned didn't seal, but everything else did.

Before bed, I removed the rings, cleaned the jars and labeled them. Final step was to line them up like little pretty soldiers in the pantry. I went to bed with a smile on my face.

I did take time to rest during the day, and iced my knee on another time-out. I have physical therapy this morning and didn't want to backslide. I'm feeling pretty good right now, but I'll take my pain killer just in case I get a tougher workout from Nicole than what I usually do with Jenna. It's Jenna's birthday today so she took the day off. I won't see her on Monday either as the clinic is closed for the holiday. I'm down to twice a week now, so I won't have PT again until next Friday. I'll keep working on my exercised, and hopefully I'll have made some more progress by the time I do see her.

I'd better get rolling. I don't want to be late for my appointment, and the sooner I get to my session, the sooner I can get back home to do something fun. What, you ask? I haven't decided yet.

What do you have planned for this holiday weekend? I'll be back here tomorrow.

Homemade Rotel...

A few years ago, I started assessing what I repeatedly purchased at the grocery store. I then decided to start canning those things myself. I was always buying tomato products: Rotel™, spaghetti sauce, pizza sauce, stewed or diced tomatoes, and salsa, to name a few. I now can all those things at the farmhouse, and after calculating everything but my time (as I thoroughly enjoy doing this), we actually save money.

Case in point...When I first started buying pizza sauce, I always got Pastorelli brand in small cans. They cost 99¢ each. Even after we moved to Florida, I'd order from a supply place in Wisconsin and have it shipped by the caseload. After we moved back to Wisconsin, I still purchased that brand at the grocery store. Then, one day about five years ago, the price of the same 99¢ can bounced up to $1.79! I think I bought two cans because we needed it, and then decided no more. My half pint jars cost us 71¢ each, use the highest quality San Marzano tomatoes from a local grower, and I know (and can pronounce) every single ingredient I use.

Same goes for all the products we can. I know what's in our jars. No unpronounceable ingredients. No toxic growth hormones in our meats. No insecticides on our vegetables. This time of year gets really busy (and right now, more-than-usual tiring), but it's worth it for our family.

This year, I've already finished the Rotel™. Next is our salsa. This weekend I'll be pressure canning venison that I've prepared and is in the freezer, along with a turkey (from a Thanksgiving sale last year), beef roasts, and chicken. Then next week I'll buy more tomatoes and green peppers for pizza sauce, as well as apples for Handsome's favorite apple sauce. I'll wait until after growing season to pressure can mushrooms, pinto beans, baked beans, homemade soups, and whatever else can hold until then.

By winter, our pantry will be restocked for the next two seasons until summer comes around again. We'll be able to enjoy the fruits of our labor, and when the weather is blustery and cold, knowing we won't have to hop in the truck to buy a meal will be well worth the time we spent now.

I see the surgeon on September 8th for what I expect will be clearance to drive and work again. I'm doing my at-home and in-clinic physical therapy to get back to my full range of motion. Once I get clearance, my boss and I have discussed starting me back for four hours on Friday nights to see if I can tolerate that. Once I clear that hurdle, I'll get back to my regular Tuesdays, and perhaps one or two more days. 

So, with that in mind, I want to get as much of this canning behind me before then, so my days off into fall can be spent sitting in the autumn sunshine and stitching. Doesn't that sound blissful? I know the coming weeks sounds like a lot, but trust me. I'll be careful. I don't want to push "Bob" (my Bone-On-Bone leg) because I'm not ready to have that second surgery yet. I'd really like to wait until spring, if I can hold off that long. Fingers crossed.

Guess What I've Started...

During the course of my physical therapy sessions with Jenna, I've learned that she's engaged and they're planning a wedding next year. With that in mind, can you guess what I've started working on for her? 

I know that I'll have it completed well before our last session together the end of September, but I wanted to pull colors and at least set up the project long before then, so I have plenty of time to pace myself. 

I didn't do much else yesterday. I did pull thirteen one-gallon bags of frozen San Marzano tomatoes and organized them on trays (still in the bags) to thaw. Once they're ready, I'll start the homemade Rotel™ and salsa. I decided it was best to save up my energy, because that's going to be a marathon canning session once I get started...most likely tomorrow.

In the meantime, I'm going to continue my needlework pursuits and see what I can get done today. I'll share more tomorrow.

Today, I Rest...

Physical therapy went really well yesterday. I little TLC mixed in with the PT. I came home, rested a bit and then baked a double batch of my sister, Diana's bread recipe. My farmhouse bread takes around five hours from start to finish and is completely mixed by hand. This one of Di's (she does other recipes, too) is quicker and easier, using a mixer and less time. Start to finish around three hours.

I'm using one of my old photographs this time because it's getting cooler outdoors already. I had one of the kitchen windows open, and when I scored my beautiful loaves to put into the oven, they all fell and got wrinkly tops. Handsome thought they were cool, but I wasn't as happy with the look of the finished products. They did rise some back in the oven, but not State Fair worthy by any stretch of the imagination.

One cool amendment I tried was adding cheese to one of the loaves. I also made a eight hamburger rolls, and added cheese to three of them. We tested one right out of the oven, and I'll definitely be doing that again! Next time I'll have picture-worthy loaves, too!

After baking, Handsome and I both got on our respective yard tractors and mowed an overdue lawn. With both of us manning the riding mowers, it takes about two hours. Actually, time flies when we do this, and we frequently wave to each other if we pass in the yard. It's kind of cute. As all the foot controls for my smaller mower are on the right side, it's no stress on the healing leg, and quite enjoyable to be out in the sunshine. Nevertheless, I iced my left knee after dinner for a little more TLC.

I forgot to take all my tomatoes out of the freezer last night, so my canning won't take place today. It's just as well. I'm going to take a break, pamper the knee, and try a little needlework today. I think I'm ready to concentrate on that fencing again!

We've got another sunny day and the temperature isn't forecast to reach 70º. Although Autumn is my absolute favorite time of year, I was hoping for more warm weather. This season seems to have passed too quickly. Oh, Summer. We hardly knew ye. sigh I'll be back tomorrow to show you what I actually accomplished. 

I Came, I Canned, I Napped...

 

Sunday was a productive day at the farmhouse. My dear friend and neighbor to the north of us, Dawn and her husband, Pete have an extensive and prolific garden this year. She asked if we'd like some pickling cucumbers (among other things), and I said we would. 

Pete brought over a five gallon bucket of them, along with a large crate filled with red potatoes, more zucchini, and some gorgeous eating cucumbers. We sent home jars of pickled beets, pears, and green tomatoes in exchange. Pete had planted a whole row of beets because they love eating them, but the local deer herd proceeded to waltz right down that row, plucking and eating every last beet, leaving them with nothing. Our beets came from their crop last year, so I sent the last two jars I had left home for them.

Sunday was our day to see if I was up to canning the pickles. Handsome and I cleaned and sliced all the cucumbers and then I raw packed them into jars, covering them with the liquid for processing. A number of years ago, I did pickles using a recipe from one of my books, and got limp pickles that Handsome didn't particularly care for, so this year I bought packages of Mrs. Wage's Bread and Butter Pickle Mix to make the liquid. I didn't want to take any chances. I also added less than a quarter teaspoon of Extra Crisp to the bottom of the jar, hoping that would help.

 

 

 

After all the cukes were sorted, washed, sliced and jarred, I added the hot, sweet liquid, then added the lids and rings. I did wash the rim of each jar first, following safe canning guidelines. We had roughly thirteen to fourteen pounds of cucumbers, and ended up processing ten quarts, plus one pint of bread and butter pickles. 

These jars all pinged and were labeled last night. They sat undisturbed overnight, and I'll make sure the jars are clean on the outside and will add them to our pantry stores afterward.

I'm going to bake some bread after physical therapy today, and will be pulling all my frozen San Marzano tomatoes out of the freezer to thaw overnight. My plan is to can homemade Rotel and salsa on Wednesday. 

 

By the end of the day, I was tired, but Handsome was, too. We had a light dinner and called it a day. I did take a mild pain med before bed, but not the heavy duty hydrocodone. I'm reserving those for before my next few physical therapy appointments, but hopefully I won't have to take them through all my remaining visits. I hate taking that stuff.

 

I feel like I turned the corner Sunday. I was able to accomplish something I hadn't done for a while - standing and moving around for an extended period of time. I was proud of myself for being able to do something I loved with Handsome, without too much discomfort. That's a win in my book. Yes, I'm patting myself on the back. See you tomorrow!

 

Sunday Scripture...

Galatians 6:9

 

Tiny Miracles...

 

 

Yesterday was wonderful. I had my physical therapy appointment and hit my goal of 120º bend in my knee. I still will work toward 130º, which was my pre-operation measurement, but getting to 120º was a huge achievement. 

Jenna (and Nicole) have been monitoring my progress, and because I got to 120º and am walking so well, I was told that I no longer need to use the cane, and we're changing my appointment schedule from three times a week down to two. I was thrilled.

Nicole was my therapist for yesterday's appointment and we went from riding the bicycle to stair stepping to some strength training. I also stood on a flat cushion and she evaluated my balance on both legs. I passed everything with flying colors, and I'm so happy.

Even better was that, although my knee muscles felt tight, there was no pain, heat, or inflammation in my knee like there's been before. The best possible news. Of course, once home Handsome and I sat down and I immediately fell asleep for an hour (or two). I guess it was more of a workout than I thought. 

 

Friends of mine who live close have gifted us with pickling cucumbers, zucchini and potatoes, so today Handsome and I will be canning bread and butter pickles. I have a five gallon bucket-full, but that will be my limit.

I also have bread to make, so it will be easy to work back and forth between the two. I'm going to pace myself so I don't overdo it, but I intend to do more canning this next week as my knee allows. I'm looking forward to seeing the pantry restocked with lots and lots of jars this fall. I've already made a list of what I hope to get canned in the next few weeks, and some things can definitely wait until later (canning my dried pinto beans into refrieds; making baked beans from my dried navy beans. Stuff like that.) You can count on me to show you the fruits of our labors, too. 

 

I hope you have a wonderful weekend, dears. I'll be back tomorrow.

 

 

Monster Cookies!...

Yes! I baked yesterday afternoon. I mixed up a double batch of chocolate chip cookies, but rather than make the "civilized" size, I opted for MONSTER sized.

I grabbed the larger of my two scoop sizes and ended up with thick, chewy, 4" cookies. Instead of six or seven dozen, there were two dozen. The first batch turned out lighter as I tested my way through baking times. The second batch was darker, but not as dark as they appear in this late day photograph, and still chewy.

Handsome ran an errand while I made these, and my own Cookie Monster was delighted to see them when he walked in the back door. Made my day, actually.

We both spent a lot of time off our feet during the day, and although my knee still feels tight, I'm pleasantly surprised that there's no longer that intense pain. More like a dull, tight sensation. Have I turned a corner? I'm being optimistic here. I may have.

Physical therapy this morning and then no trips to town for the weekend. Jenna is off today, so I'll have a different therapist. We'll see how hard she wants to push me, and how I do with it. I'll let you know how it goes. 

I can always console myself with milk and a cookie when I get back home. That's if Handsome hasn't eaten them all! I'm not too concerned. They're a bit rich to eat more than one for me, and maybe two, even for him.

Happy Weekend!!!

My Music Man...

Fond du Lac Symphonic Band - Last Concert of the Season

I made it! I got to Handsome's final concert of the season. Rather than climbing up the hill with my lawn chair for my usual vantage point, I opted for a more conservative location down in front on the flat part of the yard. There I sat for the two hour performance.  In case you're wondering, my husband is standing in the percussion section on the left side of this photograph (second from the left). Yep. He's the tall, handsome one.

Handsome on the Drum Kit

Handsome was front of the stage for three or four pieces last night. A Dixieland piece which was well-received by the audience. He also played a Tribute to Count Basie medley which was my favorite. His first love is jazz and swing, so he's always the best choice to play the kit for those pieces. I've witnessed an occasional partial derailing either by the band or the conductor that's he's brought back on line with his playing. It's a beautiful thing to watch. He's not only my heartbeat, but truly the heartbeat for the organizations with which he plays. Can you tell how proud I am of him and his talents?  

Handsome on Kit for the Dixieland Piece

My post is late going up today. We went for a little while to the after party that the band sponsors at the end of each season. Last night it was at a pizza place that everyone likes. We got home around 10:15, and by then, I knew I might have been on my butt and feet too long. Rather than write my post, I took my meds, stacked a few pillows in bed so I could elevate my leg, and called it a night.

This morning, I'm happy to report that although my knee feels really tight, it's not warm to the touch (signifying inflammation), or swollen. Progress! I'll be taking my morning meds, refilling my ice machine and doing a little cold therapy next. I nice hot cup of coffee will hit the spot, too.

I'll be taking it easy the rest of the day, as will Handsome. He'll be taking care of the dogs this morning, and then pampering his back. It's not just the playing. When you're a percussionist, you've almost always got the most lifting, toting, and heavier equipment than anyone else. He doesn't just show up to play and then leave after a performance. He deserves a rest today, too.

Once again, I find myself asking, "Aren't we a pair." I hope you have a great day. We'll just be hanging out in the farmhouse in case you're looking for us.

What A Wonderful Day...

My visit with Kathy D. yesterday made for a great day. We shared lunch - I made our favorite mac n cheese, and Kathy showed up with fruit, fried chicken, and homemade cookies! Handsome joined us for lunch and then he disappeared with the dogs to other parts of the house.

Meanwhile, Kathy and I had a great visit. I saw the counted thread sampler she's currently working on from a retreat she recently attended on Madelein Island in northern Wisconsin. I showed her my stalled progress on the bluebirds, and then we just got caught up. 

Of course, I never took a photograph of a single thing while she was here, so that's why you're seeing a silly photo of sleeping Claudette instead.

Late day today, I got a chance to speak with Mum. She's still in the hospital so they can monitor one of her blood levels that's been off the charts. Once that's regulated - thanks to the surgery results - she'll be able to go home...hopefully tomorrow. She sounded really great and is content to wait there, as she's quite sore from all the prodding and poking. It's the best place for her right now. It was so good to hear her voice and know she's okay. I told her I'll speak with her again soon.

Handsome has his last concert this evening. We're hoping there's no rain so it can be open air at the park, rather than indoors at the fairgrounds. The outdoor venue is so much better. 

It's going to be a busy day, too. Physical therapy, a doctor's checkup for Handsome, a scheduled classmate dinner (I'm not sure how we're going to get to that), and then the concert. We'll see. I'm going to make sure I get a good nap in there somewhere, and ice my knee after we get home from the clinic so I can get around for the concert. That's the one thing I absolutely won't be missing.

How are you doing?

 

117º...

Last Wednesday, my knee bend measured 114º. Then, I rolled into my Friday PT with a swollen knee. Jenna said, "I'm not even going to tell you the measurement, because you'll be upset." That told me that I'd backslid in my progress, so I didn't push to know.

I took it easy over the weekend, icing, elevating, and only doing the bare minimum home exercises. When I went in for my session yesterday, we started on the stationary bike. I took one full pedal slowly, and then proceeded to pedal like I never had an issue with that knee. Jenna was surprised, and then smiled and said, "I moved the seat a notch closer today just to see if you could do it." Sneaky kid. lol I completed my five minutes and we moved on to the table where I have been reclining to do my heel slides and leg extensions. She decided to take a measurement first. 117º !!! I got a "you're fierce, girl!" and a high five. I was really happy. We're back on track again.

I did a few more exercises, but with lighter weights and nothing heroic. Even so, when I got home I knew I'd had a workout. I went back on ice and rested the remainder of the day.

Mum made it through surgery and will now have a recuperation period. One step at a time, but her kids are all grateful for the good news. Thanks to all who lifted prayers and good thoughts prior to her procedure. 

 

I'm looking forward to some fun today. Kathy D. is coming out for lunch and a visit. I'm going to make my favorite Emeril Lagasse mac and cheese recipe, and Kathy is bringing fried chicken and a few sides. I'll be able to show her my bluebirds (so far), and she's going to tell me about a retreat she recently attended. It will be so nice to see her again!

 

Hope you have something fun planned today, too. I'll be back tomorrow with photos and let you know what's going on Wednesday. More fun! 

 

She's On My Mind Today...

Mum with two great-grands - 2023

My mum turned 88 in June, and this photograph is from two years ago. She's much thinner and more frail-looking now. Recently her doctor(s) decided that she needed to undergo surgery. She's been having ongoing issues for a while now, and truthfully, I believe many of her problems are caused by the medicine on top of medicine on top of medicine she's been prescribed.

You know. First they tell you to take this pill, and when you have a reaction, they add a pill for that symptom, and so on and so on. Can you tell I don't really trust the people she's trusting? Well, the last prescription was a second prescription for diabetes. What it's causing is severe weight loss, and after reading up on all possible side effects, another is problems for the thyroid...from malfunction all the way up to the Big C. 

Her doctor convinced her to have a major surgery on her thyroid today. They've also said it's a day surgery! I've had two thyroid surgeries (one when I was 7 and the other when I was 18). I know what it does to a young, otherwise healthy person. I'm deeply concerned about what it may do to my 88 year old mother, and it's inconceivable to me that it could - under any stretch of the imagination - be a day surgery for her.

What that means for me is that I'll go to my PT appointment, and then spend the rest of the day waiting for word about how she is. One of my brothers is her medical surrogate (in the event my 93 year old stepdad can't be - or he hands off that responsibility). He and my sister, Jan will be at the hospital with our stepdad. I've had my fill of medical facilities, so I'll wait at home to hear from Jan.

I have a feeling it's going to be a long day. I hope you have something more fun on your agenda. See you tomorrow.

Sunday Scripture...

Jeremiah 30:17

 

Plymouth Cheese Counter...

Plymouth Cheese Counter - Plymouth, Wisconsin

My therapy session went really well yesterday. I showed Jenna my swollen knee so our appointment was more focused on TLC than PT. I rode the stationary bicycle for five minutes, stretched for two, and then she took measurements of my knee joint straight and bent as far as I was able. I was still over 100º, but she purposely didn't tell me the measurement because she knows I'm a competitor and didn't want me disappointed.

After those things were taken care of, she had me lie down on the table and proceeded to gently work on the muscles below my knee joint. First with mild pressure (which as wonderful), and then by pulling toward her from the back of the knee (even more comfortable). After that, she had me sit and gently used her hands to pull down on my knee creating some mild traction - all to help move the joint, but also relieve some of the swelling. Lastly, I have fifteen minutes of icing and then left feeling so much better. 

Handsome was waiting to take me for our lunch date. We drove from the clinic downtown to a place we'd noticed last week. The Plymouth Cheese Counter. I'd also done a little research online, and we were anxious to check it out.

Map of Cheese Companies in Wisconsin

This map hangs on the wall inside the store, marking every cheese company in Wisconsin, but Plymouth is considered the Cheese Capital of Wisconsin. If you enlarge the image, you can see a yellow "X", which marks the location of Plymouth. Our farmhouse is about eleven miles straight west of there.

Once inside, there are myriad cheese choices from all the local makers, many of whom have factories in or within ten miles of Plymouth. Sargento, Widmer's, Grande, and Sartori to name a few. They also offer local honey, local ice cream, and lots of "cheesy merch".

To the rear left of this image is a food counter where we ordered delicious panini sandwiches, featuring - what else? - cheese, of course. The menu also features macaroni and cheese, and soups. Our meal was delicious, and it was nice to sit down for a meal neither of us had to cook. It was a bit pricey for two sandwiches and a beverage each, but it's a place we'll definitely visit again in the future.

This weekend will be restful, per Jenna's and Handsome's orders. We have nothing planned, so whatever we do will be close to home. I hope you have a nice weekend planned, too. I'll see you later!

Band Concert...

Handsome - Pre-Concert

Well, I didn't make it to his concert last night, but I did get a photograph of him before he left for the venue. This was his second-to-last concert of the season, and then he'll be off until this fall (or later, if he decides to go to Florida to play for part of the winter).

He told me his last concert is next week, and I promised I'll be there, come hell or high water. I don't want to miss him playing on the kit which he'll be doing again for that one. He's playing in a separate Dixieland band which will be out front and center that night. I'll definitely be there as his biggest fan.

Me? I stayed home with my knee on ice. I called the doctor's office yesterday and talked with them about the swelling. His nurse reminded me that it's only three weeks. sigh I also got a refill of two prescriptions, and told that I can alternate Tylenol with the other painkiller as long as I stay under 3,000 mgs. I'm way under that, but I'm not going to be silly about not taking it either - which I've been trying not to do. She reminded me it's a good thing to stay ahead of the pain, and I'm not driving anyway so, there's that.

Physical therapy again this morning, and I'll also discuss the swelling with Jenna to see how we can best achieve our goals and minimize the discomfort afterward. As a special treat, I'm going somewhere special with Handsome today, too. I'll tell you about that tomorrow. I'll let you know how PT goes, too. Gotta run!

Do What You Love...

Unknown Needleworker-via Facebook

Definitely "yes" to this image. PT? Not so much right now. This week, my physical therapist(s) moved to the "strengthening" portion of my knee rehabilitation. I'm not a fan, and neither is my knee. This phase is kicking my butt! I get home and have to do more icing, and I took another pain killer before bed last night. I was hoping to get away from those, but I guess pre-PT and post are still in the foreseeable future.

You know me, though. I'll just pull up my big girl panties and do what needs to be done. I don't complain (at PT or home), except for an occasional "ugh" when I try to get out of the chair, or walk from one room to another. My therapist, Jenna said I'm a "warrior" with a poker face - even when it hurts. Handsome spotted me up the stairs last night "just to be safe". My heartbeat.

No physical therapy today, so we'll see what the day holds after I take my morning meds (I'm still on blood thinners to avoid clots for the next month), along with a couple others, then coffee and a bite to eat. 

Handsome has a band concert this evening, so I'm hoping I'll be up to seeing him perform. He has drum kit pieces this time, so I really want to see that! I guess that means I'll most likely take it easy so I'm well-rested and my knee is agreeable to walk from the venue parking lot to the park where the band will be playing.

Thanks for sharing your current projects with me yesterday. It's really fun to know what you're working on, especially when I'm not busy with my own projects. I even stood back on the the artist trading cards for this month. I'm sure I'll jump back in for September, but I thought better of it for August. 

Once again, I'm off like a herd of turtles. lol See you tomorrow!

Have You Seen My Mojo?...

 

In the meantime, reading needlework magazines, tutorials, watching videos, and sorting through projects will have to suffice. Soon. Very soon.

I'd love to know what you're working on these days!

Let The Sun Shine...

A bumblebee enjoying one of the "volunteer" sunflowers

Imagine my delight when I noticed a quartet of volunteer sunflower plants that sprouted under the bird feeders hanging from the old apple tree. When I went to photograph them, I noticed a bumblebee collecting pollen from the tallest one. Double delight!

I had my physical therapy appointment yesterday morning. As usual, I now start on the stationary bicycle, and move from there to the other exercises. Jenna, my therapist, took my "bend measurement" right after the bicycle, and then again at the end of my appointment - and before the blessed ice machine therapy. At the beginning, I was 112º - a degree better than last week. By the end, I had progressed to 114º!  

We ran a few errands before coming home, and by then, I was wiped. One treat was another package from a dear blog friend with a card and gifts for Handsome and me. I'll be sending a proper thank you out to her, but you can imagine how nice it was to find a gift after a tiring day. It was really wonderful.

I didn't sit to stitch. I elevated my leg and rested instead. Handsome had band rehearsal, which always means late night dinner, and I wanted to make something to surprise him. So, I spent most of the time between getting home and making dinner doing absolutely nothing except taking two Tylenol, and drinking lots of water.

It was so rewarding to look at my blog to find so many kind messages from you. I read each and every one, and am responding to them all, too. Your words made my day. So, I'm back and will update you on my knee progress, as well as anything creative (as soon as I can kick start my artistic muses). Believe me, I'm working on it! In the meantime, hugs to all!

I've Got A New Attitude...

This is my knee as of Sunday afternoon.  I'm blessed to be a good healer, and this is no exception. However, it's been three weeks since my last post, and it sure hasn't been a cake walk. Handsome and I talked about it, and although he can think of one other long recuperation (I was in my 30s then), I think I can safely say this has been the hardest recovery in my life.

Everyone told me the first two weeks would be the worst, and I can concur. I was taking pain meds every four to six hours (along with an anti-nausea pill) and spent what time wasn't in physical therapy, icing and sleeping. I also did my home physical therapy to move the healing along, too.

This is a front and side view from last week's appointment with the surgeon's assistant. Everything is where it's supposed to be, and they're very happy with the results. I'm officially "left side bionic". The joint is secure and stable, and now it's just a matter of getting the musculature healed and mobile again.

My progress is right on schedule, too. They wanted me to be at 90º (for my knee bend) by that appointment, and I was already at 101º. I'm doing physical therapy three times a week, so by the next appointment I was at 107º, and by last Friday, I'd managed to exercise myself to 111º by the beginning of the appointment (rather than getting a measurement again at the end per usual). My therapist was really happy about it, and truthfully, so am I. Knowing how much they had to move things out of the way to install the new hardware, the muscles and tendons were traumatized. Even though they weren't damaged before or during, I still have to give myself some grace to heal everything. I have therapy again today, so we'll see what I managed to accomplish over the weekend. 

I haven't been able to sit at my needlework frame for multiple reasons. The main one being that I didn't want to stitch while heavily medicated, but I also wasn't comfortable sitting upright in my needlework chair. While I've recently graduated to a cane (which I rarely use in the house now), getting around with a walker before that wasn't conducive to being comfortable either. I thought it better to just resort to sleeping and healing.

Handsome has been a great nurse - even though we learned that he has his own issues now, too. He has a bone spur on his spine, so I tried to be mindful of his condition as he was taking care of me. Aren't we a pair, though? Although I couldn't do much to help the first two weeks, I've slowly been working my way back into the kitchen to take some of that burden off him.While there are no three or four-course dinners around here, he's happy that he isn't responsible for our evening menus anymore. 

Even so, he's been a wonderful caretaker, driving me to all my appointments; helping me in and out of our vehicles; and patiently waiting until he can take me home again. That's not even mentioning all he's done for us around the house. He really is the best, and I'm so grateful.

Finally, thank you to those who reached out, sent cards and gifts prayed, and held healing thoughts for me. I think you know by now just how much that means to me. I know it's been a minute since I last posted (July 22nd to be exact, but who's counting - as I raise my own hand), but you're still here, and I awfully blessed and appreciative. 

Thanks from the bottom of my heart. See you again tomorrow.