Comfort Food Day

It's raining in Fresno!!  Big news since we haven't seen it for months and months.  And I have on long pants and a long sleeved shirt.  That means it's cool outside and calls for comfort food, a good book and a snuggle with the pups.  I was going to take a pic of my other comfort food, buttered toast, but I ate it too fast.  All I have is the crumbs.  The thing that really tipped the scales for a great day was I heard about 5 seconds of thunder.  I really miss the rip-roaring thunderstorms we had in the Midwest so I covet each roll.  So, since I don't have anything better to do I'm hunkerin' down this afternoon.  I'd love to have company if anybody's free.  I even have some more soup and toast!

Treasured Friends

KATE. A FRIEND FOREVER

HALLE is so adorable.  I caught her eating--
it's the only pic I have of her!
She tried to hide from me when I had the camera!

This past weekend was great!!! My BFF  came down to visit with her daughter, Halle. We grew up in Eureka, Illinois but for the past 20+ years have both lived in California. We live only a few hours from each other but it's been years since we've gotten together.  We were busy with kids and life and her daughter is still young (junior high) so she's still busy!  You know how it is when you don't see a good friend for a long time and you get back together?  You don't miss a beat.  That's how it is with her.  We have a 55 year history together so we go waaaaaaaay back.  We know each others' families, warts and all (Well, my family had warts, not sure if Kate's family did, but we got them burned off.....ha ha)  The love that we share is rare because of all we've been through together.  From grade school tribulations to high school tragedies (I don't have a date for Prom!!!!!) we saw each other through.  Kate and I were a part of the BIG THREE.  Our third friend was Nancy who still lives in Illinois.  We were never seen apart and there was nothing the three of us couldn't conquer.  I really don't know how I would have made it without them.  I think I'd be a different person today if I had never met them.  I would probably even be a bit quieter...we could, and still can, make a lot of noise!  In fact my son commented during Kate's visit that this has been my loudest visit yet!  We admit it, we're loud.  Dave kept telling us to use our "inside voices" but we don't have inside voices.  No off button..don't even try!

So I've been thinking about friendship--the kind of friends that we are.  We grew up in the 50's and 60's when life was a lot different.  Our parents weren't afraid to send us to the grocery store on our bikes or even to let us ride all over town.  Everyone looked out for everyone.  That works the other way, too.  If we did something naughty our parents would hear about it before we got home.  It was really difficult to hide things from them.  My parents knew all my classmates and most of their parents.  That at least spared my dates having to come in to meet my dad.  Chances are they had already met or our dads were friends or co-workers. All the moms in the neighborhoods were friends and the kids just went from one house to the next feeling just at home next door or down the block as in their own house.  I stay in touch with several of these friends and love getting together with them when I go back to Eureka, but my BFF's are almost like sisters.  It's a different kind of closeness and I will always marvel at how fortunate I am to have them in my life.  Even if years go by without seeing each other, we know that the other is there and sometimes that's enough. We always worried that we'd forget each other when we went off to college...that we'd meet our best friends in college.  That didn't happen.  We stayed close through the years and I treasure that.  I love knowing that there are a few people who "knew me when" and still like me!  We've changed for sure but that little spark of who we once were is still there, just under the surface.  I love my friends, especially my two BFF's.  That term wasn't around when we were kids.  I guess we just said the words without the initials...Best Friends Forever.  They're one of the very best things I have taken from my childhood!

Bored--moi??? Oui, oui!!!

I really hate to admit this, but yes, I think I am getting bored. It's either time to do something constructive or just sleep for the next few weeks/months of my recuperation.  I'm not going to do that.  I think it's just that I'm feeling well enough now to be bored so that means I'm well enough to start being productive.  The logical thing to do would be to write as I have many, many writing projects to begin and/or finish.  That's something to look forward to.  Last evening I was getting a bad case of cabin fever so Dave hauled me out and loaded me into Murray (his car) and drove me around just like "Miss Daisy".  It feels kind of silly in the back seat but that's all I can do because I have to stretch my leg out.  It was a beautiful evening and we just drove around Woodward Park and the neighborhood.  We stopped at McDonald's for one of my favorite treats--an ice cream cone.  Really, it is so good and only 4 WW points and it costs just over a dollar.  Reminds me of going to the "Custard Stand" back home when I was a kid!

I've been 'mourning' missing my 40th class reunion this past weekend.  This was also to be a reunion with my mom and two sisters.  That happens so rarely and I was really looking forward to it.  We always laugh so much that our sides hurt for days.  Last time I got a bruise on my side from holding it while I laughed.  One sister is from Indiana and the other lives in France and my mom lives in Illinois.  Too far apart, but they say I'm the one who moved away from them so it's my fault :-)  We talked on the phone today for over an hour.  Our trip wasn't cancelled, it was postponed, so we'll see if we can have another go at it.  The class reunion will have to wait until 2016.  I hope I last that long!!!!!!

Shower of Blessing or Blessing the Shower

Yesterday was a banner day!  I got to take a shower for the first time in  almost 3 weeks!  Since our bedroom and bathroom with a shower is upstairs I hadn't anticipated being able to 'hop' into the shower so soon.  But when geniuses put their heads together they come up with interesting ideas.  We thought that if I would scoot up the stairs backwards while Dave held on to my leg it might work...and it did.  I waited at the top of the stairs while he got 'Chuck' (the walker).  Getting into the the shower isn't a one-woman job.  I do have my trusty shower chair and the ledge of the tub is high enough for me to rest my leg.  Waiting for that first blast of water from the shower, I'm a sitting duck.  So far the first shower hasn't given me 3rd degree burns or turned me into an icicle!  Never, never, never underestimate the importance of a hot shower!  I feel human again!

Here I am sitting in my own bed!  We just got a new mattress and have a 3" memory foam topper.  It's awesome and the first time I lay down I knew I had really missed my mattress!  Last night I slept there and it was the best night's sleep I'd had in weeks....Can't wait until bedtime tonight!!!

The Chair

I'm getting a lot of rest and relaxation while I'm on my 'med-cation'. Here I'm in an ancient leather Lazy Boy recliner. A few decades ago it was a Christmas present to my father-in-law. He logged many hours on this baby in a few different residences and at the end stage of his life it was his escape from his bed in the nursing home. He had it sitting right next to the window and he'd sit there basking in the warmth. As I lay here crippled I thought of him. At age 30 he had a particularly nasty episode of polio and was left without the ability to walk. From age 30 to his death at almost 80 he sat either in a wheelchair or some other chair. We tried to help him by getting him comfortable places to sit to give his backside a rest. He was constantly re-adjusting himself in the wheelchair because of painful pressure areas. He tried every kind of seat cushion and whenever something new was on the market he would try it in hopes of being more comfortable. Once a product came out that was supposed to be the end of his troubles. A gel cushion would give support yet avoid any direct pressure areas. Your butt would just happily float along wherever you went. We were all excited about this state of the art cushion. The problem was that after only weeks of use, the gel cushion became a pancake. Flat and hard. No good. What a disappointment. My father-in-law was not a big man and with his atrophied muscles he was well within the average or below average weight for his height. So, it was back to the drawing board. He never did find one that was really satisfactory. He did have a sheepskin that he sat on that helped some. I have that now and am using it as well as his chair.

As I'm in my period of being unable to walk I think of him a lot. At first he was able to use a walker some of the time but soon he became too weak because of post-polio syndrome. Gradually his wheelchair became his home away from home. I rarely, if ever heard him complain. If something was uncomfortable for him or he wasn't able to do something he would make a joke instead of whine. I'm feeling restricted because of what I'm going through right now, but I'm so very fortunate. Unlike Al Friesen, I have an end date. I know that in a few months I'll be walking again independently. He never had that assurance. When he had polio, my husband Dave had it as well. Neither one of them was expected to live but they both did and went on to have incredibly productive lives. In spite of the recovery, that experience in 1956 changed their lives forever. I'll hit those details sometime. It's an incredible story!

What I'm getting at is this: There are a lot of similarities between what I'm going through now and what he went through. I'm trying to have a good attitude and make the most of this time. It's not that hard to keep my chin up for a few months. I'm having a hard time understanding what it would mean to try to do that for decades like Al did. He suffered privately. Sometimes he would let us in on his grief, but usually he kept it in. That's contrary to popular thinking--we're supposed to seek support and let our feelings out so we can do things to improve the situation. In the mid-fifties there wasn't much in the way of that kind of support so he suffered in silence. It would, undoubtedly have been much healthier for him if he had outlets to help him, but he managed to rise above so much adversity and carve out a place for himself and his family. I loved him for many reasons, but I also learned from him. I'm taking a page out of his book and am going to make the most out of a situation that could be destructive. As I sit in his chair I'll try to channel some of his energy and love and hopefully be an example to others of how to handle adversity with dignity.

Punxsutawney Doc

 OK, so here's the deal.  Punxsutawney Doc poked his head out of his office on Wednesday and saw his shadow.  In medical terminology this means that I will have another 4 weeks under house arrest in my knee immobilizer with partial weight bearing, glued to "Chuck" ( Walker Texas Ranger aka 'the walker'--if you don't get the Chuck connection, don't worry.  Here's a hint: Chuck Norris IS Walker Texas Ranger).

Anyway, I knew he would see his shadow--I was warned that knees and hips take  a while to set so it's all good.  We took more x-rays and everything is where is it supposed to be.  Now we just have to let the bone do its miraculous work and knit itself back together.  Anyone know how to knit really fast? Maybe you could help???????

Thanks to Family and Friends

I have to say something about all the great people helping me.  Meals have come regularly since I've been home from the hospital.  Friends are coming over to do laundry & dishes and whatever else I want them to do.  In the midst of all this, our son Michael and his girlfriend, Kendra are moving to Long Beach.  They've been coming over to keep us company and we've loved having them over.  We watch Giants games together and visit and eat together when possible.  They help out wherever needed and are wonderful people.  Here's a picture of Kendra and our babies, Abbey and Eddie.  They have adopted her as a sister and get really excited when she comes over--Abbey knows that since mom's out of commission, Kendra will play ball with her as much as she wants!  Abbey is snuggled on the left and Eddie is snoozing on her lap.   They love having her around!

Thursday night Dave treated all of us to a traditional German/Russian dinner.  We had Verenika, Zwieback and German Sausage.  It was Kendra's first try and she passed with flying colors!!

Emilie was home the first weekend and it was like having "mini-me" around.  She knows what I want before I do!  I love having her around and wish she was here all the time.  But, she thinks she needs to have her own life, too.  (Kids these days!)  Actually she's a second year Pharmacy student in Oregon and we couldn't be more proud.  We talk on the phone a lot and she's my rock.

Matt, our middle kiddo, is in San Francisco finishing up his degree at SF State. He was around when my accident happened and then had to go start his fall semester.  Even though he's not able to be around right now, when we talk on the phone I'm always encouraged.  He's an amazing man and seems to know just the right things to say to his old momma.

I'd never be able to handle this alone.  Last time I had major surgery I just gave up and hibernated for several years, keeping my contact with friends at a minimum.  When I finally came out of that depression, I realized the great value of having friends--lots of friends with varied talents and gifts.  This time I'm not going anywhere!  I want to reach out to all my friends and am gratefully receiving their help.  I don't want to go through this alone.  While Dave is my very best friend, I love and need my girlfriends, too.  Thanks to everyone who is hanging in with me! 

One last pic of last night's dinner: Oops, I ate it too fast!  Sorry, but when you hear what it was you'll understand.  Old fashioned roast beef, just like momma used to make, potatoes, green bean casserole, fresh fruit and chocolate cake.  Thanks to Leola, who is one of the angels who fly in here around dinnertime and leave such good food!  I'll try to get pictures before I eat next time, but no promises!