Treats for Breathing

The one thing I thought I'd miss was bacon...

2009-01-29T13:11:00.002-05:00

but this is just too much...

The Bacon Explosion is a woven mat of bacon filled with italian sausage and cooked bacon bits, then smoked for a couple hours.

Don't do this to yourself. Please.

I will eat the fruits of their slave labor...

2009-01-22T13:15:00.002-05:00

but I will not eat their flesh.

Several months ago, Len decided to stop eating meat. Fine by me, I thought. So, we began eating vegetarian-only fare at home and I'd have the ocassional bit of flesh here and there when I went out with friends.

It was fine for a while, but then I really got to thinking about it and realized that if I didn't do it at home, why do it anywhere. That was almost four weeks ago. And I don't miss meat at all. In fact, on some level I'm a little disgusted by it. That is not to say that we have stopped eating all things animal-related. Cheese, eggs, milk, etc. are still part of our diet.

Going out can be a challenge. I recently celebrated a co-worker's birthday at Ted's Montana Grill, a restaurant specializing in Beef, Bison and Buffalo. The veggie plate, though, was amazing! Mashed potatoes, creamed spinach, squash casserole and slice tomatoes. Yummy! I am finding that collards not cooking in bacon are hard to find, in fact a lot of veggies in the South are cooked in some sort of smoked pork fat, but I can get around that.

So far, so good.

This Small, Small World

2008-12-08T09:46:00.002-05:00

A few weeks ago, a nice lady sent me a message through my Etsy store and told me she loved my hand dyed fiber and asked if I would teach her to spin. She was so enthusiastic and I liked her e-mail presence so much, I told her yes, I'd be happy to show her the basics and if she wanted a real lesson afterward I know several people who would be great teachers (Sandy, you may be getting a call!).

Well, yesterday I drove out to Lawrenceville and met this nice lady for her spinning lesson. (Did I mention her daughter and I have the same first and middle name?)
Len joked that I would not be coming home, that my fiber stalker would kidnap me. He's right, of course. Who goes to a stranger's home based only on e-mail conversations? Apparently I do.

It was a great afternoon. And Gina is a natural spinner. She wants to spin sock yarn and showed me samples of handspun sock yarn that she had purchased from Etsy. Wow. Beautiful stuff, and really labor intensive. I was mighty impressed.

She seemed pretty disappointed with her progress, but in reality, her first hank of handspun is pretty fantastic. I loaned her my wheel for the week and I imagine she'll be buying her own before too long. She's coming by Knitch next weekend to return the wheel and potentially buy some fiber there.

Just helping to keep the crafting economy going!

By the time I find out about it, it can't be cool anymore..

2008-12-04T11:32:00.002-05:00

I recently joined Facebook. I really don't know why I joined, but I will 'google' people I know every now and again and saw that Len had joined. So I did, too.

Haven't done a thing with it since, but I do intend to go rooting around in it sometime soon.

The weird thing is that since I joined, several people (that's three or more, folks)have told me how wonderful it is. Which makes me think it must not be cool anymore, since folks my age are getting into it.

I also joined twitter. That's because I got an e-mail from Knitch asking me to join. And, I do as I am told.

Keeping up with it all is surely going to give me headaches.

Long Time

2008-12-03T16:17:00.002-05:00

I know, I know, it's about time.

I've not been blogging in a while -- probably because I didn't want to blog about my politics and that's all I've thought about lately. I get kinda worked up about politics -- in a flustered fit I told my mom last month that I'd never speak to her again if she voted for a certain someone. Didn't mean it, of course, but like I said, I get kinda worked up.

Now all the elections are over and I can commence to blogging, so expect to see updates on a regular basis from this point forward.

Storm Troopers

2008-09-01T14:11:00.004-04:00

I never have a camera when I need one.

There I was, leaving my office's parking structure in downtown Atlanta on Friday, and a group of Storm Troopers walk past. A little further down the block was a family consisting of Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Ron, the twins and Harry Potter himself. As I continued my commute down Peachtree Street, I saw what looked like a wood nymph holding hands with yet another Storm Trooper.

Ah yes, the annual DragonCon is back!

The parade featured Dragons, characters from the Firefly series, Star Wars, etc. Apparently the real Weasley twins were in town last year for the event -- but refused to come back because Atlanta is too hot. I guess when you live in climate like the U.K., parading in full costume thought the Atlanta streets in late August/early September would seem a bit toasty. Of course, Chewbacca here didn't seem to mind.

No, I did not take these pictures, the good folks at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution did. I need a tee-tiny little pocket camera to carry with me for emergencies like this one!

Drenched

2008-08-28T14:36:00.004-04:00

Be careful what you wish for.

The Atlanta metropolitan area has been in a drought these last several years and the lakes and waterways surrounding the area have been diminishing and diminishing. As a result, we have instituted strict watering policies, residents have changed their car-washing habits, and shortened our showers, all in hopes of alleviating the water issues here.

Then came Kay.

Lake Lanier, one of the biggest lakes in the area, and a primary source of drinking water here, has risen 2.4 feet, the lake's biggest gain in two years. The lake is still 15 feet below full, but that 22 billion gallons it got last weekend really helps the problem. And with Tropical Storm Gustav on his way, the area is bound to get even more rainfall. The drought is by no means over, but this soaking is really important to the area.

Trouble is, not everyone wants so much water.

Down in southwest Georgia, roads are impassable, homes have been destroyed, and farmland has been seriously damaged -- all because of too much rainfall.

So, while we are celebrating our windfall of rain, our neighbors to the south are surveying their damage.

Geez.

Too Many Men...

2008-08-22T09:58:00.003-04:00

The last couple days I have had business meetings that lasted until the evenings and into the dinner hour. It's not often I stay in Downtown Atlanta for dinner during the week, but there I was, walking down Peachtree Street amongst the throngs of visitors and tourists and whatnot. Wednesday evening, I was struck by the sheer volume of people downtown. I really had no idea how active a nightlife Downtown Atlanta enjoys. I thought everyone went to Buckhead or Midtown for their evening fun, but with all the new hotel construction down here and the new Aquarium and World of Coke just a couple blocks from here, it makes sense there are more people around these days.

That was my Wednesday evening observation.

Last night, I suddenly realized that practically everyone around me was male. There were a few females here and there, but really, the place was overrun with men.
So, I asked around and found that the International Woodworking Fair is at the Georgia World Congress, just a couple blocks from my office, and there are approximately 40,000 attendees. Most of those attendees are men, filling all the available hotel rooms in the area.

Holy crap!

I knew what I had to do: Call Alice!

Finally, a Finished Object!

2008-08-17T20:44:00.002-04:00

I've been working on this medallion tunic from Spring Vogue Knitting all summer. I even had the crazy notion I'd finish it in time for my trip to Scotland, but seeing as how I just finished it today, two months after my return, I was pretty wrong in my calculations. It's not that this was terribly difficult, it's a relatively straightforward all-over lace pattern, but it was tedious and I just got bored.
In the end, I made only one change to the original pattern, and that was to add the loop and the button at the neckline. The head opening is plenty big (though in this picture, it looks like it might strangle the wearer) and the flaps just didn't fall right.
Anyway, I'm pretty impressed with myself.

Yum! Join a CSA!

2008-08-08T14:47:00.003-04:00

My friend, Jennie, is looking for a job to do in retirement. She and her husband live on a few acres of land in Social Circle (also home to the Blue Willow Inn and Nathalie DuPree) and she was musing about getting goats and having a microfarm one day. She had me read an article about a Georgia farmer delivering food to regular customers here in Atlanta. She was intrigued by the idea she and her husband might start such a small farm. I really liked the idea of getting my food direct from the farmer, so I investigated existing CSA farms.

It's not a new concept, I remember hearing about Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) back when we lived in Ann Arbor. But, just never jumped on the idea for my own groceries. Basically, customers "join" a CSA farm, generally offering up a weekly fee (either year round or just during prime growing season months, depending on the farm), and the farm supplies its members with weekly produce. Whatever is fresh that week. Tomatoes and corn in the peak of summer, broccoli and lettuce later on and potatoes in the fall, etc. Whatever is ripe, you get the idea.

There are 1000s of these kinds of farms in the U.S. There is usually a maximum number of customers each farm can service -- and most are at capacity by mid summer.

I did a google search on "CSA farm Georgia" and found many sites, some were listings of the farms, some were the websites for the individual farms. I settled on TaylOrganics, a farm in Ellenwood, Georgia (which also happens to be the subject of the article Jennie had me read). I planned to join up weeks ago, but was required to send a check. I had everything filled out and ready to go, but never actually sent the check.

I told my Monday Night Knitters about it, and Nell mentioned Moore's Farm and Friends. Debbie and I signed on right away (though Debbie thinks I am still with TaylOrganics, but no, that check daggumm check got in my way!). But with Moore's Farms, you can sign up and pay for everything online! Perfect! I pick up my fruits and veggies in Downtown Decatur, just minutes from my house (there are many, many locations around Atlanta for convenient pickups).

Yesterday's bounty has me salivating over what I will prepare for tonight's meal. Len came home last night to a freshly prepared asparagus, mushroom, onion and fontina cheese frittata, prepared with organic farm fresh eggs and onion from the Moore's farm folks. On the side was an amazing heirloom tomato salad with Florida avocado and cucumbers, all from my Moore's farm package. I added only a bit of salt and pepper, no oils or vinegars on those luscious 'maters needed. Yum!

Tonight, I am planning a delicious tomato pie and a cold side salad made with the rest of the asparagus that I didn't prepare last night, with fresh peppers and cucumbers -- and a splash of vinegar. Tomorrow, we'll have some of the wonderful squash from the package, and something made with my Yukon Gold 'taters.

I mention this to folks who invariably ask if I worry I can't use all the veggies I get. No! Len and I are eating better with the CSA than we ever have. It's good food, at the peak of ripeness, grown with no artificial pesticides. It's all organic, whatever that really means (Len has me confused about that one). Not only that, we are helping the environment in many ways, by supporting local farmers. Our food isn't tranported all over the place, just within Moore's delivery area (probably a 100-mile radius of distribution, max), and our food producers don't use the aforementioned pesticides on their crops.

So, if you haven't already, look into supporting a CSA. Google it.

My fingernails are stained

2008-08-02T10:34:00.002-04:00

I went on a fiber dying binge last night. After several hours and several pounds of fiber, I came up with this.

August Musings

2008-08-01T15:01:00.003-04:00

Geez. I've got the summer lazies. I keep meaning to write, but...

I went to visit my mom last weekend. My big brother, John, was home from Qatar and my big sister, Paula, flew to Altanta and we drove down to Tallahassee together for the family visit.

We had a lot of fun. John's wife, Karen, had a new pool put in while John's been gone, and we thoroughly enjoyed it and their hot tub. Their back yard is a vacation paradise. Karen made vodka and cranberry drinks all around, and she's a pretty heavy pourer -- even Paula joined the fun. I forgot to bring my bathing suit, so I wore an old suit of mom's -- she hasn't been swimming since the early 90s, when she was merely 65 or so, so you can imagine how glamorous I looked. Plus, I really don't like getting sunburnt, so I waited in the shade until the sun subsided a bit. I got a kiss of color, because you just can't help that, but nothing serious.

Paula, whose husband passed away in January, really looked good. The last time I saw her was in April, and she still looked pretty tired and out of sorts. Now, she looks much healthier and happier. She's going to be just fine.

John is doing really well. He looks good, he's having fun, and he and Karen seem happy. What more is there?

Len is pretty happy I don't have another trip scheduled for a good while. This summer, I've been to Scotland and Vegas and Tallahassee, and he's been to Cleveland.

He starts school again very soon. His last year, and I can hardly believe how fast the time has gone. I am really looking forward to the schooling being over. A year from now, he'll have finished school and taken the bar exam. Woohoo! Nothing left but finding out the results.

No Solar Oven

2008-07-13T09:22:00.004-04:00

I didn't build a solar oven after all. I may still, but not this weekend.

My hands are stained with dye, but I am really really excited about dying and colors and making exactly the yarn I want to knit. I have so far perfected the dying process and am confident the resulting fiber's color won't run (much -- all hand dyed yarns do this a bit). I reprocessed the first couple batches to better set the dye in those, and look forward to spinning that fiber soon.

Next, I'll start dying yarn!

Fiber Dye Days

2008-07-09T10:45:00.002-04:00

I recently jumped into dying fiber for spinning. I really like the idea of taking color images of my memories and putting them to fiber. For example, bright yellow, white and rich greens will always remind me of my trip to Scotland. The Rape fields were everywhere and those colors are so prominent. Or, neon blues and greens and yellows and reds remind me of Vegas. Lobster red and seaweed green and corn yellow are the colors of the Lobster boil Len and I enjoyed in Maine. So, I had the idea I could take these wonderful colors of my memory and put them to wool, making the resulting spun yarn all the more special to me.

So, I bought a bunch of undyed merino top (wool fiber that has been combed and cleaned and prepared for spinning), and several colors of dye. I didn't do anything with the fiber for a while because I've been afraid of felting it in the process of dying. Plus, you really need big cooking pots that are exclusive to dying (never cook in pots you've used to dye stuff in). I went shopping at some thrift stores for some pots and none were appropriate. But, then I had the idea that the Big Lots near my house might have something cheap and appropriate -- and they did! I bought a good sized stock pot for $12.

My first attempt at dying was a marginal success. I used a method where you dip chop sticks into the powdered dye and then into a section of the fiber as it sits in the pot of hot water. Then I dipped another stick into another color and put it into a different section, and so on. Then, I cooked the mess for 20 minutes.

Trouble is, I boiled it, and the slight agitation caused the colors to mix and now I have 4 ounces of beautiful purple merino, instead of the mix of colors I was hoping for. So, tonight I will do the same, but without boiling -- hoping a slight simmer will do the trick.

This weekend, when I have more time in the middle of the day, I plan to do my cooking outside, using a solar oven that I will make out of cardboard and aluminum foil. Might as well get some use out of the heat in Georgia!

Another Holiday

2008-07-04T10:31:00.003-04:00

Hurray!
I just returned from Las Vegas and get another day off a few days later to celebrate the birth of the nation. Woohoo!
I had a great time with mom in Vegas. We gambled and saw the sights and stayed up way too late. It was a nice break from reality. The best part was spending time with my 81-year old mom. Who knows how much longer she'll be able to do stuff like this, so I try to get together with her whenever I can (she doesn't read this blog, so I can say that about her).
Len is off on a morning bike ride today and I am planning to clean house today. We may go to a Braves game tonight, so it should be a pretty good holiday.
Both Len and I went to ball games recently (but separately) with our companies. Len saw the Braves lose, but least I got to see the Braves win! I had a great time at the game and hope to go more often!
On the work front, I started commuting to work with a former co-worker who recently bought a house not far from mine and she works just a few blocks away from me. I get to enjoy some company on my 20-minute ride in now AND save gas money. Less wear aand tear on our cars, too, so it's a win-win-win!
Happy Independence Day, everyone!

Gotta did, so I will, too...

2008-06-26T10:33:00.004-04:00

Light Wading tagged me for a meme. I've heard of these things, but have never come in actual contact with any. Until now...

1. What was I doing 10 years ago?
Living in Ann Arbor, Michigan, working at Automobile Magazine.

2. What are 5 things on my to-do list today?
1) Send magazines to a contributor
2) Pack for a trip to Vegas, leaving tomorrow
3) Write a script for an announcer in Australia
4) Interview an Asian businessman
5) Plan my knitting project to take with me to Vegas

3. Snacks I enjoy: Peanuts.

4. Places I’ve lived: Indiana, Georgia, Florida, Michigan, Washington

5. Things I would do if I were a billionaire: Create a charitable foundation of which I am the head. The foundation would provide economic incentives to communities I care about to do the things I care about. I would also start a farm for misfit animals, and Jackie Brantley of Greyhounds Galore would run it for me.

At Long Last, I Present the Bathroom

2008-06-18T14:02:00.005-04:00

Finally, the bathroom is complete. I painted the room with "Tranquility Blue" paint from a fancy paint manufacturer (the name escapes me). After the color went up, I realized this is nearly exactly the same color as the bathroom at Knitch. It's the highest form a flattery, Knitch Kim.

The new medicine cabinet comes from Rejuvenation. The light fixture came from Lowes, and everthing else (including the tiles) came from Home Depot.

These next two pics show the other side of the room, and how nicely the re-surfaced bathtub looks. Isn't it a nice tub? I am just so pleased that we didn't have to replace it after all!

It's shiny and white and looks brand new. The guy who did the work told Len that he stays in business with his Inman Park clients. No one wants to get rid of their cool old tubs.

I am also very pleased with the subway tiles on the walls, floor and shower wall. The toilet is ultra low-flow. I still need to hem the sheer for the curtain, but that will be done sometime this weekend (or next). We also need to caulk around all the edges before we actually use the shower, but that, too, will be done in the very near future.

Why Is Target Okay but not Wal-Mart?

2008-06-16T15:33:00.004-04:00

Really. For a long time I've wondered why I don't ever feel guilty going to Target, but don't like to admit to shopping at Wal-Mart. Truth is, until last week it had been years since I last went to a Wal-Mart (except when visiting my mom and it's one of the only stores in her small town).

A new super Wal-Mart recently opened at the old Avondale Mall location here in Atlanta several months ago after many years of legal wrangling by the locals to stop it. Remember, Wal-Mart almost always wins. In this case, Wal-Mart had to do a lot of special landscaping, etc., and from the looks of things they aren't allowed to have any big signage showing the store is there. Really, I was afraid I'd passed it when I tried to find it last week. I was actually not opposed to this Wal-Mart location. They put it in an area of town that has not seen better days in decades. The store brought a lot of jobs and a lot of traffic to a section of Memorial Drive that really needed the boost. There wasn't a decent grocery store in the area, and Wal-Mart, therefore, provides residents nearby with an alternative to driving miles away.

But, why did I go? Well, I had just read an interesting article about Wal-Mart's attempts to "go green" in their stores. I had a little time and just wanted to see for myself if they incorporated any of the "green" technology into this new store.

They did. For example, there are plenty of skylights in the ceiling, which brings in loads of natural lights. Lights switch on and off depending on need (some sort of fancy sensors in use there) and even the cold case lights switch on and off, sensing when folks walk by. Oh, and the cold case is closed -- saving all that electricity that seeps out of those open cases. Pretty cool stuff. Anyway, on my way out I noticed some bathroom towels in a color I thought might be perfect for the new bath in my house. So I bought two nice. lofty Egyptian cotton towels and matching hand towels and wash rags. They are perfect in the room! Yay! But, I still feel guilty. Why? The country of origin for these towels is listed as "USA and/or imported." WTF does that mean?

Now, about my love affair with Target. I am currently wearing a shirt I bought at Target, made in Nicaragua. In fact, I went to Target yesterday because my hair dryer finally died. I used the old hair dryer for at least 16 years (thank you, Vidal Sassoon)! Hair dryer technology hasn't really changed much in all these years (a lot like a washing machine) so I figured a cheap-o unit from Target would be a fine replacement. $9.99 for a very nice salon-inspired hair dryer, AND it's in a cute bluish-purple color! I also purchased a few new lightweight cotton girlie t-shirts, two pair of flip-flops, a new toilet brush and stand, two boxes of 1-gallon sized zip-top bags, sponges, and a bottle of water for the ride home. Yeah. That's the trouble with Target. You go in for one $10 item and come out having spent $80.

Anyway, the point is, I feel no guilt at having gone to Target. Is it because Target hasn't got the Wal-Mart reputation for ruining small-town America? Is it that Target does have a reputation for sending some of its profits to local charities and community projects? Or, is it that Target is so much more fashionable? Target markets itself as the discount store for young "upwardly mobiles" (a few years ago, I'd have called 'em "yuppies"), and I seem to have bought into their marketing plan. What does that say about me?

Heat Stroke

2008-06-12T15:29:00.002-04:00

It's been so hot here in Atlanta this last week that I haven't been interested in doing anything at all. My mom is coming to visit tomorrow and I still have trim to paint in the guest bathroom. But, we finally had a break in the hot weather last night and the city got some cooling rain. So, tonight I will be finishing the bathroom and hanging the towel bars, etc., just in time for the visit from Ma.

She is coming to visit on her way home to Tallahassee from visiting her brother in Indiana. My uncle Monk (who looked like a monkey when he was a baby and never shook the nickname) is a sweet old guy. I hope he decides to spend more time in Florida with Mom. I think she'd love to see him more often. Mom is traveling with my brother Frank's daughter, Emily. She's 8, and my mom decided this was the summer for her first plane trip. As it turns out, it is also her first bus trip as well, since mom needed a way to get to Atlanta from Tallahassee and back, and no one seemed to be able to drive her up and back. Emily LOVES riding the bus. The trip home will take a couple extra hours than flying or driving, but it's a unique and fun experience for Miss Emily. They arrive here tomorrow afternoon and leave again first thing in the morning Saturday. Mom is famous for whirlwind visits. I do wish she'd stay a little longer, though.

Home at last

2008-06-03T08:26:00.002-04:00

Treats is back from Scotland. I am tired after the long travel day yesterday, but I am back at the job today. Gotta Knit and her wonderful husband drove me home from the airport last night. Len and the hounds were very happy to see me. Gotta Knit has several more days off this week (BIIAATCH!) and will be able to upload her pics from the green, foggy land before I can, so if you are interested in seeing all the fun stuff we did, check out her blog.
Some quick notes about my trip:
1. I managed to get a sunburn
2. Di Gilpin IS odd, but I loved her
3. Louisa Harding is a lovely woman
4. The Scots don't seem to care if they lose a tooth or two
5. The Scots aren't the most fashionable folk, so I felt right at home while there
6. Folks in the U.S. knit a lot more than folks in Scotland
7. We in the U.S. have a great supply of wonderful, unusual yarn
8. Cobblestones are beautiful, but really hard on your feet

A lot of dead folks in Scotland

2008-05-31T03:08:00.004-04:00

Scots are very proud of their history, bloody and violent though it is. William Wallace, for example, was beheaded and cut into bits and pieces were sent to various towns in the country to show what King Edward would do to those who defied him. After Mary, Queen of Scots, married the man thought to have murdered her first husband, she was imprisoned for 21 years before her beheading. In St. Andrews, the bishop there, who was very corrupt and kinda evil, was hung from his own castle, naked, after the people revolted (the bishop pissed them off when he had a "good" man killed in the town square).

The moral: Don't piss off the Scots.

St. Andrews has more to offer than a beautiful golf course. It features a magnificient coast line, the ruins of St. Andrews Cathedral, and lots of interesting history.

Culross is another coastal city in Fife that appears to be in full restoration. It looks like people live in these wonderful homes, and there were children walking about and riding bicycles and old men chatting in the park. Idyllic.

Today is Saturday, and we have a free day (our only day without a set plan). Some folks plan to ride the train to Glasgow, but I plan to hang out in Linlithgow, knitting and drinking coffee and beer. The Linlithgow museum has a special exhibit on Scotty, James Doohan's character on Star Trek. Scotty was born in Linlithgow in 2025, I believe. It should be a great day.

Let's take bets

2008-05-28T17:48:00.002-04:00

"I think this Di Gilpin is going to be a weirdo," says my roommate, Linda.

We are going to knit with Ms. Gilpin all day on Sunday, and we need to have an 'inspiration piece' to, well, inspire us. I am actually looking forward to said inspiration.

"Does she not sound weird to you?" Linda asks.

Today is Kathleen's 50th birthday (HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KATHLEEN!!!!) and we celebrated with a pizza party at the "Atlanta Girls'" cabin tonight. It included a lot of wine, DrumBray (a very special treat), and pizza.

Today, I climbed 246 steps to the top of the William Wallace monument in Stirling.

Sue, my other roommate says, "It is very interesting what our guide calls a 'gentle incline' and a 'mist.''

It rained pretty hard today. But, we managed to go to Di Gilpin's shop in Perth, and see yet another castle. William Wallace is a national hero to Scotland. You may remember him from the movie, Braveheart. Mel Gibson is about 20 inches shorter than the real William Wallace, though.

Tomorrow, we'll see Fife and the St. Andrew's Cathredral. I hope it stops raining before then...

Scotland, Chapter Two

2008-05-25T04:55:00.002-04:00

It is Sunday morning and I am in the cottage alone. My roommates have left for the day's activities, but I am staying behind with Alice and Debbie. The three of us are taking the train to Edinburgh today to watch Alice's friend, John, in his running race. It should be a pleasant day.
We spent yesterday with Ms. Louisa Harding, a lovely woman and very interesting knitwear designer. We were knitting samples of her "Betty Wrap" design, and, inspite of how horrible we thought the wrap was based on pictures from her "Knitting Little Luxuries" book, we really enjoyed making the lace pattern. In the end, we decided the wrap was actually quite nice -- the colors in the sample in the book were terrible.
The yarn, for the most part, was not my style. But her Grace yarn is magnificent. I believe it's a 50/50 silk/merino yarn, and it truly is wonderful yarn. It's on my short list of yarns for a good project.

Scotland, First Installment

2008-05-23T18:19:00.002-04:00

Alice, Debbie, Kathleen, Kim, Me and the rest of the Scotland team arrived yesterday -- or thereabouts -- in Linlithgow, a lovely town about twenty miles west of Edinburgh. The above picture is the Bonsyde Hotel, with which our cabins share grounds. It is a lovely place to stay, on a high hill overlooking the small town of Linlithgow.

The bright yellow flower shown here is called a "rape," which is grown for fuel in Scotland, but is better known as Canola Oil in the U.S. Alice talked with a Scot, who told her either 17 or 70 percent of the Scottish population is allergic to the flower. She couldn't decipher which from the conversation. In any case, I was sneezing like a fiend until I took some allergy pills.

We are in "self catering" cottages, so we are shopping in the town market, the Tesco, and this aisle sign was pretty hilarious. Bacon and Toilet Paper. If you have one, chances are you'll need the other, I guess.

The walk to town is about a mile and a half, and we pass along a lot of farms and parks and fields along the way. Cows and sheep are everywhere!

The is the Cross, the Main Square in Linlithgow. Here is where the ancients had their public hangings, festivals, and where they watered their horses. Now, it is a tourist attraction.

Vacation Anticipation

2008-05-18T08:17:00.002-04:00

I have spent a lot of my career on airplanes, and I have been lucky enough to get to go places that I might not otherwise have seen. But travel for work is WORK. There are suits to wear, meetings to attend, PowerPoint presentations to view, and lots of time spent in hotel rooms writing up memos and stories and garbage like that. That's why I am so excited about going to Scotland (in THREE days!). It's not WORK. I'm going because I want to go -- what a concept!
Working at Knitch yesterday, a couple customers who know about the trip asked if I was excited. I used my reserved-for-home words and told them I was so excited I might pee. Oops. They got the idea, I'm excited.
Kathleen delivered the trip goodies to Knitch, so I now know all the details of the trip. We fly out from Newark late Wednesday night, allowing for overnight snoozing -- much better than leaving from Detroit for Europe at 5 p.m.! Back in those days, I was never tired enough to get any sleep before arriving in my destination the next morning. Made for a bad first day. But, I am confident I'll sleep on the overnight trip to Edinburgh.
One nice lady, who is a Knitch customer, offered to loan me a book for my flight -- 44 Scotland Street by Alexander McCall Smith of "Ladies No. 1 Detective Agency" fame. Love him! So, after my shift I went to her home to pick up the tome. Judy has an amazing collection of Folk art -- and I am a big fan, so I spent a hour there getting the grand tour. She has an Elvis room, and Mexico room, a bathroom dedicated to religious art. Oh yes, it was quite the spectacular collection! She and her husband, Bud, were married by probably the most famous Folk artist today, the late great Reverend Howard Finster. (A side note: His granddaughter went to college with Len.) She has a funky garden with man-hole covers (she found them, she says) as stepping stones, and bottle trees and lush greenery. It was a feast for the eyes.

Spring Madness

2008-05-12T13:17:00.002-04:00

My trip to San Diego was fabulous. I was lucky enough to have a room on the 24th floor with two walls of windows, which allowed me to view the city on one side and the bay on the other. Very good, since I spent pretty much the rest of my time behind the stage of Ballroom 6 at the San Diego Convention Center. I did have a couple nice meals at night in some Gas Lamp district restaurants, and I managed to walk a couple times around the pool area. Still, the event was a huge success, and I walked many miles each day -- proving that I am prepared for my splendid trip to Scotland. Castles and yarn stores, here I come!
Said trip to Scotland begins late next week and every day I will be sending out pictures to all my yarnie friends on these blog pages. Debbie, Alice, Kathleen and the rest of us will be having a great time eating haggis and drinking Scotch while knitting. Fun, indeed!
We leave on the 22nd and return June 2. Check these pages those days to see what we are doing!

Cramming a Lot of Life into a Few Weeks

2008-04-28T10:56:00.003-04:00

The bathroom project is still not complete. But, it's the least of my worries these days. In a few days I leave for my company's big event in San Diego, and I'm working on all the things I need to complete before I leave. I have scripts to write and assignments to assign. At least I closed the latest issue of the magazine last week.

I haven't rented a scooter for this event like the one I had for the last one. I'm a little nervous, because these things require a lot of walking, but I figure I can walk until I'm tired, sit a bit, then get up and walk some more. I hope I'm not kidding myself.

Besides, I need to be prepared for the tremendous amount of walking I will be doing in Scotland in a few weeks. There will be castles to see, yarn to admire. I have to be ready for that!

Speaking of Scotland, I will be blogging from my trip. Loads of pictures and commentary. I'm looking forward to traveling with my fancy new ultralight computer. I hope I will have internet access. Hmm. Gotta check into that.

My good friend, Ashley, finally got engaged (I say finally, because she has wanted this for several years now), and my other good friend, Staci, made an offer on a house that was accepted. Len thinks he can finish his pilot's license while I'm away in Scotland. Gosh, there is so much happening in the world around me, I guess it makes me feel less overwhelmed. Everyone has a lot going on, and we all seem to manage.

The endless bathroom project

2008-04-11T13:00:00.006-04:00

About six weeks or so ago, Len and I hired a company to gut and remodel our little bathroom. Back when the house was a two bedroom, one bath house, this was the one bath. It's the original bathroom for the home and still had the original 1940s tiles and fixtures. Too bad for us, though, because the floor joists beneath the bath had rotted and our tiles were cracking. If we had been able to save the original tiles, we would have.

As for the sink and commode, some very fashionable homeowner in the 1980s did a quick remodel, and installed a very unfortunate green formica counter and weird wood vanity, and a matching wood seat for the toilet. Top the whole thing off with a cheap medicine cabinet, crappy light fixture and southwestern-style striped forest green wallpaper and you get the idea. Nice.

So we had the floor joists replaced, all the tiles re-done, a new pedestal sink and commode (low-flow 1.2 gallons, thank you very much) installed, and had the fabulous old bathtub resurfaced, keeping the old streamlined/late art deco look of the tub. The tiles are white subway tiles with a black decorative stripe near the edges.

Last week, I thought all that I needed to do was prep the walls and paint to finish off the room. That is, until I went to wash my hands to find the new medicine cabinet had been installed way off center. It seems our contracter didn't bother to mention that he needed to move the sink from its original spot and that the cabinet above would be off-center -- he just installed it that way. And it wasn't an inadvertant mistake, he knew he was doing this. WTF?

So, Len's friend George came to the rescue. He and Len are re-installing the cabinet and adding the lighting, etc. I should be painting in a few days. Hurrah!

I'll publish pics of the final product in a week or so.

A big yarn day in Atlanta

2008-04-07T13:40:00.005-04:00

Knitch was THE place to be yesterday (Sunday, April 6). Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, a.k.a. The Yarn Harlot, made her second appearance in the ATL, thanks to Kim Nickels, proprietor extraordinaire of Knitch. Hundreds of knitters piled into the Hilan Theatre a few doors down from the shop to listen to the aforementioned Harlot yammer on about knitting. The Knitch team and a few volunteers kept order and the event went off without a hitch. Pearl-McPhee was funny, interesting, and endearing. Buy her latest book, available at fine bookstores everywhere, as well as at Knitch. Have I said Knitch enough? Knitch, Knitch, Knitch, Knitch. Love that place!

I am spinning again, after a brief (what was it, one week?) hiatus. I made a hank of some lovely yarn as a gift for a certain someone. You'll know who you are soon enough. I also spun up the Hip Hip Hurray batt that Kerry made for me. Pretty in Pink! I also picked up a package of fiber bits from Knitch this weekend (I can't remember the name of the company who made the package of bits, but I'll add that later) and hand-carded the bits with some lovely green, red, yellow, and blue merino.
I call the finished yarn Charming, because I think it's charming!

Hip, Hip, Hooray!

2008-03-24T10:27:00.004-04:00

To all who came to The HIP Party to help me celebrate my new parts: THANKS SO MUCH: I HAD A GREAT NIGHT!

It really was a good time for me. Gosh, all that good cheer, not to mention all that beer, really wore me out. Funny, I think it was one of my top birthdays ever. Yep, it was my birthday, too. I didn't mention it to folks who didn't know. Didn't want anyone to feel like they should bring gifts. I am really the girl who has everything. Some folks brought me gifts anyway, and I have to admit, those who did, gave me things I really want! Like the bottle of wine from a certain smartie-pants. I always appreciate booze! And the cutie-patootie picture frame to hi-lite the cute-ness of my hounds. That will soon take a place on my 15th floor window ledge in downtown Atlanta. The gorgeous plant from a certain someone is already on said ledge, enyoying the sunshine. But, the best tangible prezzie is the hand-carded batt from Knitten' Mittens for Ma Kittens. I can't wait to pull out the wheel for that!
Not to be mushy, but the best gift of all was seeing all those folks on Saturday, helping me celebrate the big day. You guys are fabulous. Thanks!

Water Woes

2008-03-19T10:42:00.003-04:00

We are having one of our bathrooms remodeled and the guys couldn't shut off the water last week because the valve at the street was really, really old and stuck. So, the city water guys came out and today they are replacing everything at the street. I'm a little worried about our next water bill.

All is Well at Treats

2008-03-17T14:55:00.004-04:00

A lot of folks who live outside Atlanta have called or e-mailed to ask how Treats for Breathing fared after the tornadoes that hit Atlanta this weekend. I am happy to report we escaped damage of any kind here at HQ. My office downtown is in the middle of a lot of the devastation, but the building itself was not hurt. I had to stay home from the office today because the cops have asked folks not to go downtown unless absolutely necessary, and my bosses' boss actually called me yesterday to tell me to stay home. I will go in tomorrow, via MARTA.

Len rode his bicycle to school this morning, and had this to say via e-mail: "Wow, the devastation. Sweet auburn market is closed, the building across the street burned down, the main grady building has fences and antennas and other crap hanging off the side, and one of the old grady buildings has its copper roof partially lifted off. Many traffic lights are out. Sirens and helicopters non stop for the past half hour at least."

Handspun Diary

2008-03-13T09:57:00.004-04:00

I spin almost every day now. Crazy.
I card extra fibers when I'm not spinning, and now, because I have SO much handspun yarn, I've put some of it on Etsy.com (handmade goods paradise) for sale. Don't worry, I have no dilussions about my spinning. The idea is not to start a business, but to have my spinning help pay for itself (and make room for more!). I made my first sale this week! Thanks, Nell!
I'm currently knitting a vest out of my own handspun, a blend of natural color alpaca and silk.
I recently learned how to card by hand and by carding machine. I actually like the process of carding by hand better. It's a lot slower, but the fiber comes out so soft and fluffy. In fact, I have two hanks out of the same fiber, different colors, one was hand carded before spinning, the other machine carded. The hand carded yarn is the same guage, but weighs a lot less -- which means the resulting garment will be lighter. I like that -- especially since I live in Georgia.

Still, the Drought Continues

2008-03-06T12:47:00.004-05:00

Georgia has been in a serious drought since last summer (see the current aerial view of a part of Lake Lanier taken from the AJC.com website today). We've had substantially less rainfall in the last year than we need, and the big lakes around Atlanta are depleted to a point that's pretty scary to see.

The culprit is more than inadequate rainfall. The Atlanta area is being developed beyond its capacity, with no plans in place to create the increased water and power needs. Also, a good bit of water from Georgia resources is flowing into Alabama and Florida waterways to preserve wildlife habitats in those areas.

First, our state lawmakers tried to sue the Army Corps of Engineers (the group that requires the water diversion) into allowing the state to keep her water. That didn't work, so they are now battling with Tennessee in a silly attempt to reclaim about a mile of land at the border that was apparently mislabeled as Tennessee in the early 1800s. That extra mile of land would give Georgia access to the Tennessee River, and its precious water.

Now, I've listened to Len talk about his law classes enough to know that after all this time has passed without Georgia laying claim to that land, there is very little the state can actually do to get it now. But, they'll still try. An enormous waste of time, I think, but I'm not an elected official.

The cool thing about all this is the effort I see being put forth by the average Georgian to conserve his water. I know people who, when running their shower waiting for the water to get warm, save that cold water into buckets to use on their plants. Others are collecting rainwater from their storm drains to use on their lawns. Folks aren't washing their cars as often. The county I live in is now requiring old, inefficient toilets be replaced at the time of a house sale.

That said, though, we've had a good bit of rain lately. Our trees and flowers are beginning to bloom and the grass is green and at first glance the drought seems to be a distant, unhappy memory.

But it's not. Our lakes are still dangerously low and the water crisis still exists. So, let's keep it up, folks! I'll keep doing what I can and I hope you continue your efforts, too!

Day 349

2008-02-29T15:03:00.005-05:00

Yesterday, several of my co-workers left for India for our company's big annual event in Asia. I have very little to do with this particular event, so I always stay here in Atlanta. Working in the office during this week is a lot like working between Christmas and New Years: Only a few people are here.

I closed the current issue of my magazine a few days ago and am in that lull between publishing cycles. Today, I finally got around to planting some plants for my new office (I'm on the other side of my building now and my window actually allows in light) and I've organized my files. I've even begun editing articles for the next issue and setting up interviews. Still, it feels like a lazy time.

Last year, when the folks were gone to the Asia event, I decided to work from home that Monday, which happens to be the day of the big crash. Several of my friends/co-workers were informed of the accident while they were in China. When I think of that, I wonder how it felt to be them. A friend, seriously injured, and you are half the world away. Kind of puts a damper on the trip.

Things are going very well in my recovery, by the way. Sure, some days I wonder if I'll ever feel perfectly fine again, but mostly I feel good. The numbness in my foot is decreasing and I don't have pain in my hip. I still have some discomfort, especially on cold days when I forget to get up and move around regularly, but I can see a real improvement in my range of motion. I'm starting to use the stairs normally, as in one foot in front of the other. And also when climbing stairs, I try not to use my arms as leverage. Best of all, I'm able to do most things around the house again, which probably makes Len a lot happier.

The accident has been such a huge part of my life, and now that what happened is no longer obvious, I wonder if folks who don't know me notice my limp. Do they see that I am damaged? Is it as imperceptible as I hope it is?

Frankly, I'm awfully grateful that these are my concerns. Because it could have been so much worse.

Trek to Target

2008-02-25T13:28:00.002-05:00

Since the accident, I've done a lot of online shopping. The hassle of shopping when you are 'differently abled' is enough to keep a person glued to her keyboard. But, I had to make the big step sometime, and I needed some pots for some new plants in my office. So, I finally went to Target by myself for the first time since said accident. (Some of you might recall that I was on my way to Target to buy some underpants when I hit the big black SUV last year.)
Target did not have pots for my plants, but I did find some lovely new pajamas and socks and, yes, a package of those unlucky underpants. Who did I run into at the checkout line? Kim and Scott of Knitch fame. Kim related my story to the cashier and just had to stop and give me a hug for surviving this Target trip. The cashier stopped what she was doing and asked for a hug as well. It was a good time.
My trip home was uneventful.
As it should be.

Save the Date for the "Hip" Party!

2008-02-22T16:16:00.004-05:00

I just confirmed the date and location for the Hip Party, the celebration of my new manufactured hip. It just so happens the event will take place four days shy of the one-year anniversary of my crash. I will upload more information soon, but if you want to celebrate with me, save the evening of Saturday, March 22.

Spinning Yarns

2008-02-06T16:26:00.000-05:00

Ha! Spinning Yarns. I crack myself up.

I'll actually be spinning some yarns by Friday. On my very own spinning wheel!

I finally took the plunge and bought myself a beautiful Louet Victoria Wheel. It's six pounds of foldable spinning glory. I just can't wait until Mr. (or Ms.) UPS drops off that tee-tiny little package sometime on Friday. My roving is waiting to be turned into yarn!

What Would Jesus Say?

2008-02-01T10:29:00.000-05:00

When I was in the eighth grade, my social studies teacher told me, in class, that I was going to hell because my family was Catholic.

Think about that a minute. I was a 13-year-old girl whose teacher announced would go to hell. WTF?!?!

This morning, some knitting friends sent me a link to a blog discussion about the Subway Token Mittens featured in the most recent Interweave Knits. Apparently, the blogger had seen an early version of the mittens and thought the cute little pocket was actually a flap the wearer would pull back when entering the NY Subway -- revealing an embedded computer chip. This gave way to all sorts of discussions about Revelations and Satan.

I've seen a lot of examples of bizarro religious ideas between the eighth grade and today, and I gotta say the crazies freak me out.

Who are you people? Why are you spewing your hatred at the rest of us? It's my understanding that Jesus was a simple man. He taught his followers to care for one another and to do good works for those less fortunate. So, where does all this fearful scary garbage come from?

Satan, perhaps?

Avoiding the Blog-o-sphere

2008-01-28T16:43:00.000-05:00

I've been avoiding the blog-o-sphere (hence, the blog title above) for a couple weeks because I've had some things going on that I wasn't sure I wanted to blog about. I've decided I should, so here goes...

One of my favorite people on this planet passed away a couple weeks ago. Dennis Mahaney married my sister Paula when I was just 5 years old. He and Paula and their four kids were a huge part of my childhood. When I think about it, he was in his early 20s then and really a kid, too. But, he truly loved my sister and eventually adopted her kids from a previous marriage.

Before my immediate family and I left Indiana for Georgia, their kids felt more like my brothers and sisters than my neices and nephews. We lived just a few blocks apart and went to school together. After we moved away, I spent summers at their home in small-town Indiana. I have a lot of amazing memories from that time in my life.

Paula and Dennis were married about 12 years when he had an accident at work and broke his back, rendering him a parapalegic these last 20+ years. He remained very active, though, and became really involved in his church and community.

He was a big help to me last summer when I was feeling pretty sorry for myself in my wheelchair. It was the first time in my life I truly understood what life had been like for him since the accident. He may have wanted to, and he had a right to, but I never heard him complain about his situation. And in my short time in the chair, I saw how much the world ignores the disabled. Cars aren't made for you. Stores aren't set up for you. The world bends over for people who have all their abilities, but makes very little accommodation for those who can't walk, or see, or hear.

He was a great example of someone who continued to live his life, in spite of the obstacles he faced. He and Paula made a wonderful life together. They raised their children with love and then made time every Tuesday for dinner with all their grandchildren. What wonderful memories those kids will always have!

Dennis died of cancer that began in his bladder and spread to his heart. The family thought he might beat it, but it was not to be. He was only 56 years old.

Dennis was a contractor who taught his fellow churchmembers his craft and they built an amazing gymnasium together. In fact, it was in that church gymnasium that his funeral took place. People stood up to talk about how important he was to them, the difference he made in their lives. They gave Paula a standing ovation. I cried from so much sadness and pride at the same time.

By the family's count there were about 800 people who came to pay their respects to Dennis and his family. I had never experienced anything quite like it: People flowed into the funeral home for six hours, and my sister personally greeted almost every single person. I am awed by her strength.

We all miss you, Dennis Mahaney.

Yet Another Hobby

2008-01-16T11:03:00.001-05:00

I don't think it's fair to call my latest hobby a "hobby." Truth is, I am absolutely addicted. Last Sunday was Knitch's first "Spin In" event, where yarn spinners brought their wheels and spun together at Knitch for a few hours. I thought it would be an opportunity to meet some spinners and maybe try my hand at the wheel.

I bought some colorful roving for a few dollars and borrowed the shop's wheel for the event. Sandy was there (a.k.a. Hockey Mom) and she gave me a quick spinning lesson, and I was off. OMG, I really loved it! I spun for hours and came away with a lovely hank of yarn. (BTW, Sandy also teaches spinning at Knitch, and I found her to be an EXCELLENT instructor -- I plan to take a formal lesson from her again soon!)

I'm not completely new to spinning. I went to a spinning guild meeting in Chelsea, MI, about 20 years ago, and got a quick lesson that day. I spent the next several years looking for used wheels at auctions, but never found one in good working order at a price I could afford. A couple years ago, I took a class at SAFF on spindle spinning and -- though I enjoyed the idea of it -- I found the process too tedious for me.

I enjoyed my spinning so much on Sunday that I find myself making the foot motions while sitting at red lights in my car. I am hooked!

Hacking Away

2008-01-11T15:52:00.000-05:00

I called my mom the other day and the first thing she said was: "You have a cold, don't you?"

Yes, ma, I have a cold. I get whatever is going around, whenever it is going around. In fact, the very first entry on Treats for Breathing was all about how terrible I was feeling due to flu.

Lucky for me, this one seems shorter lived than most of my winter colds. I am happy to be on the tail end of symptoms now, with just the occasional clearing of the throat. In fact, the worst of it was about a week ago. And the worst part of the worst of it? When I laid down for bed I'd begin to cough. And cough. And cough. I'd cough until I sat up again. So, I spent three days on the sofa, hacking away, while Len held pillows to his ears in the next room.

He started it. He got the cold over Christmas and passed it along to me.

Cold Weather, Warm Sweaters

2008-01-02T15:11:00.000-05:00

It's definitely sweater weather here in Hotlanta, and I am feverishly knitting myself some spectacular cold weather gear. I started knitting a soft and lovely striped raglan for Len out of some Malabrigo in my stash, when we both began to notice as the sweater emerged that the colors were much more feminine than we first anticipated. No problem! It easily becomes a raglan sweater for ME!

The other sweater I am making for MYSELF (I am such a greedy knitter!) is the Sweater Girl Pullover from the latest Interweave Knits. It's knit in the luscious Rowan KidSilk Haze, double stranded, in a repeating simple cable pattern. It is light as air and lovely to touch. I'm about 20 percent into the sweater after three days of knitting -- I love it so much I can't put the darned thing down.

Len also found in his car yesterday a project that I've been missing for weeks. It is a short-sleeved Art Yarns silk affair that is meant to be worn over a camisole. I've completed everything but the beading work on the collar. As soon as Sweater Girl is complete, I'm going to complete this special project.

And, I have finally begun completion on a project that was all but finished a year ago, a zippered cardigan in a soft bulky alpaca. I am a little intimidated by the zipper installation, but have all the ingredients and will sit down and get 'er done in the next several days.

I feel warmer already.

2007: Good, Bad and Ugly

2007-12-17T15:11:00.000-05:00

When a colleague/friend approached me today to express condolences at the loss of Daisy the Whippet, she ended it by noting that this has been a pretty terrible year for me and Len. And, I thought, yes, that is true, it has been a terrible year, but it has also been a really good year.

Yes, I was in a terrible accident that I am still recovering from. And, I lost my oldest sister. And, Len's dad had painful knee surgery. And, we lost a beloved pet. But I frankly feel pretty positive about the future.

Without sounding too gooey, I have to admit that without all the hardships we faced this year, I don't know if we'd be fortunate to know just how much those around us care. I truly believe I have had more hugs in the last twelve months than in the previous 40 years.

This year woke me up to just how good my life is: I have a wonderful husband and family (which includes three precocious hounds), and fantastic friends. The company I work for is extraordinarily supportive and I enjoy my work. My body is healing, so I will soon have my health. And, I still have a job waiting for me at the best yarn shop on the planet, Knitch. (Thanks, Kim!)

As for the ugly, I have three giant surgical scars on my legs. But that's no biggie: I never liked how I looked in a bathing suit, anyway.

Daisy the Whippet, 1992-2007

2007-12-12T13:00:00.000-05:00

Daisy the Whippet came to us in 1999, not long after we lost our beloved Dolly the greyhound. She was seven years old then, and full of energy and spunk. Emily the greyhound was annoyed at that energy and took a couple bites out of Miss Daisy early on. But, eventually the two became good roommates. When Emily passed away several years ago, we brought Scully and Maggie and Devon into our home, a move Daisy did not seem to like. But, she dealt with it, and reorganized her Whippety life around her newest roomies.

Since coming to us, Daisy lived in Michigan, Georgia, Washington and Georgia. She has the dubious honor of having peed in more states than most people.

A couple years ago, we thought we'd lose Miss Daisy, but with the help of the great Oz, her cardiologist, we managed to medicate her into relative comfort and her spunk resumed. But, she took a turn for the worse in the last few days, refusing to eat and not leaving her little Whippet nest. It was clear she was ready to cross the bridge. So, Tuesday December 11 was her last day with us. She spent it on Len's lap or on my tummy, resting and getting lots of love and attention.

We'll miss you, sweetie pie.

Let the Swelling Begin

2007-12-07T10:23:00.001-05:00

So far, recuperation is going well. I have a good bit of pain in my muscles and I still have around 40 staples in my leg. The worst part is the swelling. My left leg is at least two sizes larger than my right, which prevents me from wearing pretty much any pants I own. So, I'm living in pajamas, and that's not a bad thing.

I had my first visit from an in-home physical therapist yesterday. She seemed happy with my progress thus far, so I guess I am, too. This first week home from the hospital is nothing like that first week back in April. I am working, knitting, blogging: Except for the Oxycontin and the fact I can stand up straight, it's almost as if nothing is different from two weeks ago.

Every day it's a little easier to move my left leg. I'm having to lift it with my hands less and less. Once the pain dies down and I can stop taking pain meds, I think I'll be fine to drive. Eventually this whole experience will be a memory. A memory punctuated by giant scars.

Home at Last

2007-12-05T09:03:00.000-05:00

I left the hospital yesterday morning and spent most of the afternoon asleep on the green recuperation sofa. My friend, Staci, dropped by to see the new me and was witness to my walking with two straight legs -- the first I've been able to do that in eight months. Pretty exciting stuff.

Today, my plan is to do a little work. do my exercises, and sleep. Tomorrow, a little more exercise and less sleep and so on.

I am feeling really good and can finally see and end to the injury prison sentence. Until this surgery, I wasn't sure if I'd ever be able to walk normally again. Now that it's over and I can stand up straight and put weight on my left leg, I know it's just a matter of time and exercise before I'm walking the hounds and back on the bicycle. It's a good feeling.

Scully and Devon are all over themselves with happiness that I've returned. Devon must have been smothering me a little during my sleep because I dreamt we put him down after he called in a bomb threat because he was afraid I'd leave again. Yes, I'm on a little pain medication.

Life is fine at Crawford Long

2007-12-02T00:24:00.002-05:00

It's after midnight, the morning of Sunday, December 2, and the need to scratch the itch under my 'circulation stocking' has awakened me. At my age, I shouldn't even know what a 'circulation stocking' is, let alone have an itch to scratch under one. I have seen snippets of old age, folks, and it isn't pretty. At least I don't have first-hand experience with menopause. Yet.

There is something going on outside the hospital, somewhere on Peachtree Street. The muffled noises I hear through the double-paned windows sound an awful lot like the Carpenter's Union, when outside my Peachtree Street office they protest my company's landlord, Richard Bowers, for not hiring union carpenters. But it's after midnight and I'm hearing it outside my hospital, so that can't be it.

i can also hear the giant wind chime outside my window. I didn't notice it until someone pointed out it was there yesterday. Ignorance is bliss, I guess. It is beautiful, and seriously large. Like the size of a house large. It's a big wind chime.

i also understand this hospital has a lovely aviary in the lobby. I've never seen it. The quality of the food here is hit and miss. It seems to me that the weekday food is much better. My lunch today was odd. Thankfully Len was here and offered to get me something from the outstanding cafeteria so I had a nice macaroni and cheese instead.

In all, this is a nicer place to be than Atlanta Medical Center. The Emory Crawford Long folks seem to understand that aesthetics are important. It's just prettier here.

My recovery is going very well. Except a dag-ummed butt screw has started shimmying itself loose. It is a large screw that had been inserted into my left sit bone right after my accident. It's now pushing out an inch or two outside the bone, probably a result of all the activity that went on nearby during my six-hour hip surgery. I can actually see the tip under a layer of skin and butt fat. Very painful.

But, the good news is, that screw is the most painful part, and it will be unscrewed first thing Monday morning. Doc says I don't need it, so we are getting rid of it.

Otherwise, it's going very well. I've been walking using a walker down the halls here and using my crutches to move around my room when necessary. I'm exercising my left leg as required by my physical therapists. I'm on minimal pain meds, and am lucid and clear. I've even been able to do a little work while here in the hospital.

Thanks for your good wishes for the surgery. And for all the nice messages about my sister. Means a lot to me.

In return, I won't post pictures of the errant butt screw. At least not while it's still in my butt.

A Great American Hero

2007-11-30T19:26:00.000-05:00

Evil Knievel, dead today at age 69. He and Megan had a lot in common. Evil jumped his motorcycle over cars, buses, and the Snake River. Megan drove her scooter down the big hill on 41st Street in Seattle and on DeKalb Avenue in Atlanta. Evil broke almost every bone in his body, some more than once, in multiple crashes. Megan broke maybe 5 bones in one crash. Evil beat up a pimp. Well, I don't think Megan has beaten up a pimp. But with that new leg she has a chance.

Recovery

2007-11-30T19:08:00.000-05:00

Megan was a little low on blood today so received a boost from a NutterButter Lover. She couldn't have her screw removed today because of the blood so she's first on the list Monday.

Visiting Hours Are Open!

2007-11-29T21:29:00.000-05:00

Crawford Long visiting hours are 10 am until 8:30 pm daily. The hospital is conveniently located between the Civic Center and North Avenue MARTA stations. Parking is available in the hospital deck or surface lots in the area. For risk-takers there is a valet parking service. You must supply your own attorney.

Out of Bed

2007-11-29T09:36:00.000-05:00

Megan walked down the hall this morning. With crutches. She sounds a little more groggy today than yesterday. She will be in the hospital until next Tuesday.

Blog Hijack

2007-11-28T22:51:00.000-05:00

I'm back, posting for Megan. She's out of surgery and looking good. If you want to go see her send me an email and I'll tell you where she is.

Len

The Day Has Finally Arrived

2007-11-28T07:29:00.000-05:00

Today is surgery day. In just a few hours, I'll be able to fully extend my left leg, and in a few weeks I'll get rid of the crutches. It's a good day.

Sunny Rothenhoefer 1947-2007

2007-11-24T09:20:00.000-05:00

After several years suffering with severe heart and lung disease, my oldest sister, Sunny, passed away yesterday of a heart attack. She left behind a son and daughter-in-law and two grandchildren, her mother, and two brothers and two sisters. Sunny lived most of her life in Indiana, but moved to south Florida nine years ago. Her son and his family followed a year later. My mom told me yesterday that she thinks these last nine years have been the happiest in Sunny's life. I hope so. She was 60 years old.

Aw Shucks, I'm Thankful

2007-11-23T17:22:00.003-05:00

Anyone who reads this blog knows I have much to be thankful for this year: 1. I'm Alive; 2. I'm Not Dead; etc., etc.

I'm pretty thankful for a lot of other things in my life, too. I have a husband who took care of me during the hardest part of my recuperation -- without a single complaint. My family (on both Len's side and mine) were extraordinarily helpful and supportive. And, I have wonderful friends, who visited me in the hospital and then when I came home. Other friends who don't live nearby called and sent cards and gifts and offered their support from afar. Those people in my life turned this terrible chapter into a very positive experience. I feel loved, I feel wanted, I feel so darned lucky. Thank you, everyone. You guys are awesome.

Surgery is a GO!

2007-11-20T11:31:00.001-05:00

My tests came back slightly elevated, but inconclusive. So they brought in an infection disease specialist who has cleared me for surgery. Wahooo!!!!!!!

Wednesday, November 28 at Crawford Long. Oh, joy!

Can anyone help me hide my stash?

2007-11-18T10:59:00.000-05:00

Len is starting to notice that nearly every time I go to Knitch, I buy something. He reads this blog and actually knows I have a lot of projects going, but I thought I'd acknowledge my addiction to the world. Eleven steps to go...

After more than two months and $13,000 worth of repair work, my car is back in my driveway. When Len and I pulled up to Sterling Auto Body in Decatur near the Farmer's Market, I almost didn't recognize the car as mine, it's been so long since I saw the little cutie. I immediately felt happiness when I recognized the car, and checked it all around to find the paint looks good and nothing seems amiss. And while driving it, I didn't have warning bells going off in my head about the handling, etc. They did a good job. That's how I want my surgery to go, whenever that happens.

I go back to court on Tuesday with the valet and the guy who hit my car while the valet was driving. I don't know what is going to happen there, so I'll wait and see what the judge and the lawyers do.

No news yet on the surgery. I went to Crawford Long Hospital last week for an amazing test on my white blood cells. They took blood, separated the white blood cells, radiated them, and put them back into my body. Then they took pictures of my insides to see where the blood cells went off to. (White blood cells fight infection, so being able to see where they go might tell the docs an infection's location.) I should hear something Monday.

Surgery? Not this week.

2007-11-08T10:56:00.000-05:00

The gods are playing tricks on me.

My hip replacement has been postponed. Again.

I have some 'elevated levels' in my blood tests and my doc is determining what's up before cutting into me. He's got good reasons for the delay, but I'm still disappointed. Eventually this thing will happen. Eventually.

Counting Down the Days

2007-11-05T13:42:00.000-05:00

My running joke these days is how excited I am to be having surgery this week, and it's not even plastic surgery!

Tuesday I return to my new doc for a pre-op visit where his staff will go over the whole procedure with me and we verify that I am healthy enough to have the surgery. I spent a lot of time in doctor's offices these last couple days getting blood work and x-rays, etc. done for this purpose. Nice to know Dr. Minter wants to start with a healthy patient!

I have already planned out my knitting projects for the next couple weeks so I have plenty to work on while I'm recuperating (that is, when I not exercising my new implant!).

Yes, I am a happy, happy girl.

OMG! I HAVE A DATE!

2007-11-01T08:27:00.000-04:00

Okay kids, big news: I'm going under the knife next Friday, November 9!

Dr. Minter was very cool, gave me loads of information, explained the problems and how he hopes to fix them. He also said my hip is pretty messed up. My body is trying to fuse the joint with extra bone -- much longer and my body would succeed. He gave me a much more realistic recovery time: It will probably be a year before I feel back to "normal." (snicker all you like)

So, here we go! I'm finally on my way!

Yet Another Delay

2007-10-24T13:54:00.000-04:00

I'm beginning to feel like a broken record. Every time I have an appointment with Dr. Furie, I tell folks that is when my surgery will be scheduled. And, every time I actually see Dr. Furie, he has a reason not to schedule my surgery.

I went to see said doc yesterday, fully expecting to schedule my surgery for next week, and was foiled yet again by the good doctor. No, I didn't punch him in the face like I announced I would. He just wants me to see another doctor -- one who has performed my special kind of hip replacement surgery 100s of times.

Okay. I get that. Dr. Minter will work with Dr. Furie on my custom acetabulum cup -- some kind of thing they will make once they've opened me up. Mine is a special case, not your normal everyday hip replacement, so special things need to be done for me.

One thing Dr. Furie said that I will be holding on to until my surgery finally is scheduled is that "is what we need to do to get you back to normal."

Normal? You mean I'll actually get there some day?

Okay, I can wait a little longer for normal.

So, sometime before Thanksgiving, folks. I'll keep you posted.

Work work work

2007-10-13T09:47:00.000-04:00

It's been a busy couple of weeks at Treats. I don't often mention my day job in this forum, but it is spilling out into my after-five life these days. We are preparing for our fall event, where around 3,000 corporate real estate and workplace professionals will arrive in Atlanta for a few days of education, networking, and drinking. I am excited for this event to be over, partly because I won't be so swamped with writing scripts and editing the magazine and all the minor details I have to make sure are completed. Mostly, though, I can't wait for it to be over because right after the Atlanta event I'll have my final surgery that should take care of the pain I've been having.

I'm really glad the event is in Atlanta this fall, because traveling would be really difficult for me at this time. By the time our spring event comes around in San Diego, I should be fully healed and easily able to travel. I'm glad, too, because I'm excited about going to San Diego. And, a week or two after I return from California, I head off to Scotland to wallow in all things wool. Not a bad way to go through life...

It's finally beginning to feel like fall here in Atlanta, and I'm motivated to sew up all the pieces I've knitted this year and turn them all into sweaters and whatnot. I've finished two things this week alone, and I can think of three more that I can work on next week. Then, I can start on some new stuff!

Why I Have No Children

2007-09-27T10:28:00.000-04:00

Woman Delivers 17-Pound Baby

'Nuff said about that.

Surgery Update
Yesterday's surgery went well. I slept about 20 hours after I got home. The amazing thing is, I've been having a lot of pain in my left leg for the last few weeks and just chalked it up to the fact it isn't healing well. Nope. It was the infection. I feel so good today. I had no idea. Hurray!

Yes, it SUCKS to be me!

2007-09-25T17:10:00.000-04:00

The surgery I've been waiting and planning for has been postponed, but -- ooh, lucky me -- another surgical opportunity has popped up! I asked Dr. Furie to have a look at a lump near my incision site this morning. It concerned him so he referred to Dr. Mason to determine what it is. Turns out it's an infection that has abscessed and I need immediate surgery to remove all the bits. FUN. The best part is, this requires general anesthesia! So, I'll be at Atlanta Medical Center Wednesday morning at 6, preparing for another day in a drug-addled state. At least I'll be good to go tomorrow afternoon and back to my version of normal by Thursday.

Now, that my rant is over, I can relax. I do feel better now.

Another Delay

2007-09-25T10:19:00.000-04:00

I'm really bummed this morning.

Today was my appointment with Dr. Furie where he was going to set a firm date for my final surgery. But, my CT scans show there is still a little unhealed fracture in my acetabulum, so Dr. Furie says we have to wait another month before setting the date.

I'd been internalizing a lot of my discomfort because I knew the surgery would take care of so much -- I figured another couple weeks and it would be over. Alas, I have to wait until the first of November to get this thing done.

I hope.

Bad Car-Ma

2007-09-15T18:51:00.000-04:00

Earlier this week, I saw an accident happen. Yesterday morning, my friend Erin called to tell me she crashed her car, and last night a valet driver attempted a U-turn while parking my car and another car slammed into it.

What a week.

There I was last night, minding my own at a trendy downtown restaurant with some co-workers, giving our now-former colleague, Marie, a proper send-off. I'd only been there about 20 minutes when the valet people came to get me to talk with the police about my car. Obviously I'm not responsible for anything here, but the owner of the valet company tried to say he wasn't either.

It seems it was my driver's first day and he wasn't technically an employee. The valet owner nearly convinced the cops to arrest the kid for auto theft when I stepped in and explained that I gave my keys to a valid employee of his company. That employee gave me a ticket and I paid the valet fee. That employee MUST have given this kid the keys to my car and told him where to park it. So, yes, his company is responsible.

The cops agreed and cited the kid for unlawful U-turn and my good friend, Ashley, made sure the valet owner gave us all his insurance information. No one asked for mine and I didn't provide it.

My brand-new car is hurt pretty bad (the driver's side is crushed and the rear wheel is turned in and two airbags went off), but aside from some airbag burns no people were injured, so that's the important thing here. I called my insurance company and they said they'd take care of me and go after the other guys for their money, so I'm cool, if not a little put-out. I already have a new rental car, a much less-tricked out version of my own Mazda 3.

The thing that burns me is that I looked for handicapped parking first and when there wasn't any, I used the valet (there was no other option). And, I had to pay $5 for some kid to park my car on the street, not even in a real lot. What a scam.

Deja Vu All Over Again

2007-09-11T15:38:00.000-04:00

As a matter of pride, on the days I work in my downtown Atlanta office, I drive there on DeKalb Avenue. Why? Because that's where I nearly lost my life in the accident all those months ago: Being able to drive down that stretch of road makes me feel strong somehow, like I can lick any fear.

But, after this morning's commute, I won't be driving down DeKalb again for a while.

Not far after I passed the infamous Rocky Ford Road intersection where the middle lane changes direction depending on the time of day, I noticed a car in my lane ahead of me (that would be the right lane, because, I'm not so fearless as to drive in the middle lane and risk some other idiot coming at me from the other direction) that had its left blinker on.

We approached a stoplight and there were no cars in the center lane. When the light changed green, the car ahead of me pulled out just a little like he/she was waiting for oncoming traffic to clear. I just kept wondering what that person was thinking, making a left from the far right lane.

Just as the driver fully entered the turn, a car came from behind us and slammed into the car.

It appeared no one was injured, so I continued on. I know I should have stopped, since I was clearly a witness. But the fact is, being so close to that accident and watching it play out made me nauseous. I knew I'd vomit if I stopped.

Clearly, the car turning left was at fault.

But, this morning's accident happened to someone who, like me, was confused by the center lane directional change. Those roads are dangerous.

How many people need to die/get seriously injured and how much damage needs to be caused before the DOT finally puts an end to this practice?

As for me, I'm sending a letter to the DOT to complain about these dangerous roads.

Swallowing My Pride

2007-09-07T14:42:00.000-04:00

I finally did it. I got a temporary handicapped parking permit for my car. It's pretty difficult for me to walk through grocery-store parking lots, and since I've been going out alone more and more I decided it was time.

I got an affidavit from Dr. Furie to verify that yes, indeed, I am injured. Then I took it to the DMV today to get the tag. After standing in line behind several other people using walkers and crutches (including a man who must be the oldest human driving), I handed over my ID and the affidavit, and minutes later had the permit.

I haven't used it yet, but I am sure it will come in handy in the very near future. Thank you DMV.

I'm a Yarn Whore and Happy for It

2007-08-30T10:57:00.000-04:00

My knitting friend, Debbie, was recently talking about a family trip to Scotland. I was excited for her, but didn't hear the whole story. A few days later, my other friend, Alice, excitedly told me she was going to Scotland with Debbie.
Now, I was intrigued.
I went home that night thinking, "How can I get myself invited on Debbie's family trip to Scotland?"
Turns out, it isn't a family trip at all, but a knitting trip put on by a Scottish woman who runs a Pittsburgh yarn shop. (Don't ask me how I thought it was a family trip -- I'm still trying to figure that out.) Anyway, when Alice clarified that for me, I became VERY excited and she sent me the info.
I approached Len on the idea and he simply said: "You better get your passport renewed quick!"
The very nice Scottish lady (whose hometown is a big part of the trip) told me there were a couple spots available still, so I'm IN! I'm going to Scotland for eleven days next May, with my good friends Debbie and Alice! Scottish yarn, here I come!

My New Hip

2007-08-28T14:15:00.000-04:00

It's been five months since my accident and I have just one more big step in the recovery process.

Total hip replacement surgery.

Sounds scary to me, but I'm actually really excited about getting this done. From everything I've read, it's a very successful surgery and all my caregivers believe this will be the thing that really puts me back to "normal."

I went to see Dr. Furie this morning. Today was his first day back from his own leg surgery and he looked pretty uncomfortable with all those pins sticking out of his tibia and the halo cage-type thing he has on to protect those pins that stick out. But he was in good spirits, and actually more personable than he's ever been with me.

Seeing him like that, though, sure reminded me of how far I've come these last few months. This stuff is not easy.

The x-rays showed my right tibia is doing very well, but that left hip really needs replacement. Dr. Furie won't do it until it's been six months since the last surgery -- just to make sure the original break is healed before creating more injury that needs to heal.

It looks like I'll have the surgery October 11 or so. First, I have to have a CT scan and we have to order my parts and that sort of thing. Then we will have a firm date for the surgery.

For those of you who don't know much about this procedure, this is what I can expect:
The surgeon will reopen my hip incision, move the muscles away and dislocate my hip joint. He will remove the top of my femur and the acetabula from my pelvis (these compose the ball and socket joint -- and, yes, it is as gruesome as that sounds). Then, he will remove any excess bone that has grown around the joint. He will attach the new prosthetic femur head and acetabular cup. He'll check for fit and to make sure the joint moves well. Finally, he'll sew my muscles back together and staple the incision.

The next day, I get to learn to use crutches again and very likely will go home.

If you really want to know more about the procedure, go to the edhead website for a virtual experience.

My life lesson.

2007-08-20T13:41:00.000-04:00

Sometimes I get way too serious. Especially now as I wait for my bones to heal. It could have been so much worse. And, since it wasn't worse, does that mean I should do something more important with my life? And, if I don't do something more with my life, does that mean I'm disrespectful of my life?
I just read an article about an 18-year old boy in Michigan who died of cancer this week. In the last couple years, he had developed a following on his blog: A following of folks who felt admiration for his courage, and those who felt comforted by his irreverent attitude about his certain death. They read as he hit life milestones like prom and high-school graduation. He was an inspiration to tens of thousands.
Then, I read another article about a 23-year-old Serbian man who was eaten by a bear at a beer festival in a zoo. What kind of inspiration is that? Don't get drunk in a zoo because you might jump into an animal exhibit and get eaten?
It's a fluke that I had my accident. It's a fluke that I am still alive. I know that in the end, my only obligation is to me, and that is to live a good life. Be happy. Have fun. Be kind. Don't harm others in the process of living my life.
I think that's a good philosophy. But in truth, that was the way I lived my life before the accident. So, what is my lesson in all this?
Don't drive on the wrong side of the road.

Ch Ch Ch Changes

2007-08-16T10:36:00.000-04:00

Len's summer internship ended last week and he starts school next week. Year two in his three-year law program. It's hard to believe so much time has passed since he first came up with this scheme.

I went to work yesterday: It was the first full day I've spent in the office since March. I was really tired when I got home last night, but not in extra pain. I went to lunch with some pals and had a couple meetings and made some phone calls and wrote an article. It was a good day. I've committed to going in on Wednesdays from now on, and adding additional days as I build my endurance.

Chuck, my physical therapist, took pity on me on Tuesday when I told him how uncomfortable I'd been. He zapped me with some electric current and some sound waves, and a good bit of the pain dissipated. Thank you, Chuck.

I finally got around to making some CDs to listen to in my car (it has a 6-disc CD player and I don't have an MP3 player). I'm old. I went through all the thousands of songs Len has in his i-tunes library and really had a difficult time coming up with a good mix for myself. In the end, I just grabbed some songs and plugged them into my player. Not so good. Half the music I don't recognize and the other half I don't like. I only knew of a few of the bands on his list. He's much more hep than I am. Clearly.

Feeling Puny

2007-08-10T09:47:00.000-04:00

It's been a rough night at recovery central. I don't know what I did to myself yesterday, but I feel like crap. My body aches and I have shooting pain in my left hip. I felt so bad last night that I didn't go to knitting night -- and Knitch had the world's biggest sock for me to knit on! It's a sock that requires nine people to work it at a time. It started in England and is making the rounds to cities in the U.S. My chance to have a real connection to the Guinness Book of World Records and I blew it. Ah, well.

Out of Captivity

2007-08-05T09:55:00.001-04:00

I'm currently working on a fabulous meandering cabled vest and I am really pleased with my progress. It was slow going at first, but once I figured out that while I casted on the right number of stitches for the size I wanted, I wasn't working the same size in the pattern, then things started working out. I finished the back, but made a couple mistakes in the pattern (cables going over instead of under, etc.) so I'm now reworking the back. I'm nearly finished with that side, and then it's off to the front! Since it is a vest, I'll be finished in no time! The vest is made of a lovely yarn from Debbie Bliss called Rialto, a superwash merino. The yarn splits more than I'd like, but really creates clear stitch definition -- great for a cabled work.

Next, I think I'll make myself a big v-neck pullover from the Malabrigo I have. I have a good bit of a pale water green and one hank each of natural and orange. I see stripes in my future.

I've been spending many of my Saturdays at Knitch lately. Before the accident, I spent my Saturdays there working. It's a great place for me to go, since I can stay as long as I want and I'm out of my house for a few hours. I can't easily go shopping anymore and since I just can't sit still for long periods, movies at the theatre are out. Walking around museums or botanical gardens or bicycling are all problems for me just now. So, knitting at Knitch is a great outlet for me. Thanks, Kim and Steph and Lois and Michelle and Nell and Haley, for making it such a nice place for knitters to be!

Support for Cruelty?

2007-08-03T09:35:00.000-04:00

Anyone who knows me knows that I have four rescued dogs at home. In fact, over the years, Len and I have taken ten rescues into our family. We love our dogs. I love cats, too (but I'm allergic), and horses and sheep and llamas and alpacas (the list goes on). When we bring these wonderful creatures into our home, they become part of our family. They trust us, they love us, the need us. And, we need them. This is why it is so difficult for me to understand how people can neglect or actively harm their pets. But, people do. Fact is, there are a lot of people in this world who do not feel as I do about pets.

A recent article in the AJC, it was reported that 200 people rallied in support of Michael Vick, angry that he has been vilified for his alleged role in a dogfighting business. They held up banners that read: "We support Michael Vick, a Human Being, over Dogs." They are angry that the Falcons and the NFL don't stand up to the Humane Society and PETA.

Folks, you backing the wrong guy in this fight.

Regardless of whether you care about dogs or not, if the allegations are correct, Vick broke the law. He participated in multi-state gambling and broke animal cruelty laws.

Not cool behavior.

Nike and other companies have dropped Vick as spokesman. Why? Because they don't want the buying public to associate their brand with these activities. I can't blame them for protecting their businesses. And, I can't blame the NFL if they decide to drop him. That kind of behavior is bad for the NFL brand and bad for their business, too.

The protesters have a good point that others in the NFL were only temporarily suspended or given minor punishment for breaking laws like buying drugs and obstructing justice (in a double murder case). Maybe those guys should have gotten bigger punishments.

Let's wait to hear what the courts say.

Feeling Good

2007-07-28T10:41:00.000-04:00

Len doesn't seem to have botulism after all. We do have a can of Kroger brand hot dog chili sauce on our counter though -- not sure what he plans to do with it. Hmmm.

Injury update: I'm feeling pretty darned good these days. I can sit for much longer periods without discomfort and can almost straighten my left leg enough to walk on it. Every now and again I feel extra stiffness and pain, but I'm really seeing progress and can finally see the light. Hoo-rah!

I'm using my birthday gift card from Len for the first time today. I'm getting a facial at Key Lime Pie spa. Can't wait. When I can straighten out my leg and lay comfortably on my stomach, I'll use the rest of the gift card on a massage. Finally! I get to enjoy my 40th birthday!

No Spoilers Here

2007-07-27T09:04:00.000-04:00

I always order the Harry Potter books way in advance so they are delivered to my door the day they are released. No standing in line wearing some Hogwarts-related costume for me. Unfortunately I neglected to consider that delivery when I arranged to visit my mom last weekend. No worries, the book was waiting for me when I arrived home and I pretty much did nothing else but read until I was finished with "The Deathly Hallows." It's not great literature, but J.K. Rowling does tell a good story. It's simple and straightforward, with lots of action: That's probably why it has such mass appeal.
Me? I like stories about good and evil, about growing up and learning about life. That's pretty much the gist of the series. Plus, there's all that action I mentioned before.
This last book was definitely a lot more grown up than the others, with Harry turning 17 and all. He faces a lot of grown-up problems and has to learn to make good decisions. Great lessons: I'm glad so many kids are reading these books.
I'm a little sad there won't be another installment, but I'm sure Harry will live on in fan fiction for years and years to come.

Botulism?

2007-07-19T08:58:00.000-04:00

Len and I eat a lot of white meat turkey dogs. We just love 'em. Add a little of Castleberry's hot dog chili sauce and a Kroger light hot dog bun, some mustard and onions, and you have a decadent chili dog for fewer than 200 calories.

We last had these delicious treats July 3. In fact, I think I ate them for something like four meals in a row. So yesterday's news that Castleberry's issued a recall due to botulism is really distressing.

Len has been complaining lately of blurred vision. He's also been feeling a little achy. These are symptoms of botulism poisoning, so of course he is worried he has it. (Nevermind that I ate far more than he did of the dogs, and I have no symptoms.) He's calling our general practitioner today for an appointment.

He says I have to apologize for not taking it seriously when he's diagnosed with botulism poisoning.

If he has it, I will.

Back to the Sticks

2007-07-17T08:57:00.000-04:00

It took a while for me to really get back into knitting after my accident. It wasn't until the painkillers were completely out of my system before I could complete a row successfully. But I'm back to knitting every day and I might even start finishing some projects! I wanted to post some pics of my latest work, but I am embarrassed to say I don't know how to download pics of my camera. Len will have to assist.
I've been hanging out at Knitch a good bit lately, trying to reacquaint myself with the yarns and just get back into the swing before returning to work. It's so nice to have a lovely spot away from my house to sit and knit with friends. I'm just so glad that place exists! It's better than therapy!
Speaking of therapy, physical therapy is going well, if painfully well. My stiff left leg is getting more range of motion and at last night's knitting group at the Highlander Pub I even straddled a picnic table bench with only a little difficulty. I am looking forward to being well so I can actually do some toning exercises. My legs are looking a little lumpier these days.

Under the Knife...Again

2007-07-10T13:36:00.000-04:00

Today I had a follow-up appointment with Dr. Furie. My knee looks great, but my hip doesn't. I go back in August for further x-rays and a CT scan and we will schedule the hip replacement surgery.

Even though I told myself this was an almost certainty, I secretly expected my hip to heal well and the replacement surgery would not be necessary. I'm pretty blue today.

It seems the bones in the joint are not forming smooth connections. The last couple weeks I have noticed this weird feeling in my hip like bones were loose and scraping together. The x-ray helped explain why it's been feeling this way. Nothing is loose, but bones really are scraping together. Kinda like artificially created arthritis.

Anyway, the surgery will happen some time this fall, after all my other injuries are completely healed and at a time that doesn't conflict with Len's school schedule or my work schedule. Maybe mid to late September? If not then, then it will be after my company's big fall event (which requires me on my feet for a week), sometime in November.

Good news is recovery is much easier than what I have experienced thus far. I should be using crutches within a day or two of the surgery and perhaps walking without aid 4-6 weeks later.

I'm As Tough As Pudding

2007-06-28T12:48:00.000-04:00

Physical therapy is a lot harder than I thought it would be. When Chuck, my handsome physical therapist with the trendy hair, gently pulls or pushes on my legs, I smile through gritted teeth and clenched fists. Geez, this hurts! And then, a couple hours after I leave, my whole body aches and I really need to sleep.

Yesterday, an older lady (she appeared to be in her 80s) came in for therapy. She was very slowly moving an arm exercise machine while I moved my legs from side to side, holding myself up on grab bars. As I hobbled out the door when I was finished, I heard her say about me, "I had no idea she was as bad off as that!" An 80-year-old lady with physical problems is feeling sorry for me. Great.

Today, another older lady was in for shoulder work while Chuck worked my legs. She asked how I was injured and I told her and asked how she was injured. She's a BIG sports fan, you see, and she was watching the Manning boys in the SuperBowl and didn't want to miss a thing so she ran to the restroom during a commercial. On her way back, she slipped on her oxygen tube and broke her shoulder.

Chuck probably sees a lot of old folks.

If an 80-year old and a woman on oxygen can do this, so can I.

Sheesh! I need a nap!

2007-06-25T14:29:00.000-04:00

The last two days have been quite eventful.

Yesterday, I bought a car, and today I started rehab.

The car decision was the result of a long internal struggle with whether to buy a car that I truly like and want to drive or to buy a car that makes a strong statement about fuel efficiency. I think I hit a nice compromise with the Mazda3 hatchback.

The Mazda3 is great fun to drive (or so Len tells me, since I won't actually get behind the wheel until it is delivered Tuesday), has loads of space for such a small car, and has great styling inside and out. I'm very excited! The Prius just didn't thrill me, once inside the MINI I found it to be cramped and weird, and the Honda Civic Hybrid was my top choice until I got inside the Mazda. At 30 or so mpg, it's not as fuel efficient as some of the others I considered, but it is more so than some of the other cars I considered for their drivability. I was not officially able to drive, so Len did the testing for me. We have similar driving likes and dislikes, so I trust his judgment. Besides, I really loved my Madza Miata, and Len tells me it has similar road-hugging qualities. The first place I'll get to drive my new wheels is to physical therapy.

Which brings me to today. My PT guy, Chuck, checked me over and moved my stiff muscles and had me do several exercises. Then he gave me a home exercise program and instructions on proper use of crutches. I walked around the office on the crutches for a bit and then we made arrangements for my future appointments. Easy, peasy.

Well, easy until I got home and slowly started using the crutches here. Oh man, does my body ache from this morning's movements! And, using the crutches is hard work! I'm beat already!

But, as I've said before, this is so worth it -- and a long time coming. I was beginning to think this day might never arrive. But it has, and I'm okay! Normal is just a few weeks away!

The First Day of the Rest of My Life

2007-06-24T10:21:00.001-04:00

I've really tried not to fall into the "when this happens, my life can begin again" trap, but my physical therapy starts Monday and I really feel like my life is about to begin again. As it is, I can't even go out the front door to pick up the mail, but once I'm using crutches or a walker I can exit any door I choose. A lot has happened these last three months, so it's certainly not like my life has been at a standstill. I've experienced quite a lot, I've learned a lot about myself and the people around me, and I've changed as a person. As I recuperate, I'm moving back to my body-modest ways, but I'll never be as concerned about hiding myself as I once was. In fact, I kinda like my giant scars -- they are part of who I have become.
So tomorrow is the big day. The physical therapy will be painful and difficult, but so worth it. I'll never be the same, but hopefully I'll be better in some ways and just different in others.

Cancer Blows

2007-06-20T16:41:00.000-04:00

My brother-in-law, Dennis, was diagnosed with Bladder cancer last year and underwent surgery to remove his bladder and prostate in December. He was to start chemo, but was too ill until recently. Unfortunately, the cancer has spread to his legs and he starts chemo in a couple weeks. He's been my hero since I got into the wheelchair, since he's been in one for the last 24 years. He's helped me not feel sorry for myself and he and my sister Paula have been very supportive.

His doctors are not very hopeful, but he is, and he feels good right now.

That's everything.

Eco or Gas Hog? That is the question.

2007-06-11T12:19:00.000-04:00

This car-buying thing has gotten to be a tougher decision than I ever imagined.

I want a fuel-efficient car, but I also want something fun and cool. None of the hybrids really make me excited, but I can't deny that 50 mpg for a Prius is pretty darned spectacular. I don't think the car is ugly, but for its spaceship interior, the outside is a bore. We drove a Prius, as well as a Highlander this weekend (Len drove, I just slid over from the chair into the seat). But the Highlander is an SUV and we just aren't SUV folk. They swish and sway too much and are simply too bulky. Not for us. The Prius we drove was a rental car from the dealership because they'd sold all they had in stock. Cavernous inside -- absolutely huge. But the cloth seats were pretty dirty, and we'd have to get leather. One trip and the hounds would destroy the interior. I'd be happy with leatherette, but leather is all that is offered.

Isn't there some disconnect between a car that was designed from the ground up to get super-efficient gas mileage -- a "green" vehicle -- that offers leather interior? Anyway, it bothers me.

But, does that mean I should go way to the other side and get a 2005 BMW 325i sedan? Same price as the Prius, with 4 years left on its BMW certified used car warranty, and to hell with the gas mileage and tree-hugging ideals. I used to have a 3-series, Len's hand-me-down when he got the Saab wagon. It's a really nice exciting car, but geez, talk about conspicuous consumption!

I've wanted a Mini Cooper for years. I almost got one when I decided to spend about 10K less and get another car I wanted forever, a Mazda Miata. I loved my Miata, but sold it because when we moved to Seattle and I worked from home, we decided we'd be a one car family. I bought the scooter while we lived there.

The problem with the Mini is Len. He thinks it's a kid's car and just doesn't like it. Fair enough. But it gets pretty good mileage at 35/40mpg, and it has reasonable cargo capacity for such a small car, and I really like it. I guess we just have to drive one. Maybe that will change his mind.

Two Weeks, Five Days

2007-06-06T07:55:00.000-04:00

The night before my appointment with Dr.Furie, Len asked what I'd do if Dr. Furie told me I had to wait longer before getting out of the chair. I told Len I'd punch Dr. Furie in the face. When it came down to it, I chickened out.
I have to wait until June 25 before beginning physical therapy. Dr. Furie's face is intact.
My knee is great, but he doesn't want me putting all my weight on it -- by waiting, I'll be able to balance the weight between both legs. He's right and I hate it, but I don't want to risk prolonging the healing even more, so I'll abide.
My hip is re-growing way too much bone. When I have the hip replacement, Dr. Furie says he'll zap my hip with a little radiation to stop the bone from growing all around the joint. Yowza!
Still, I'm in good spirits about the wait to walk. I'm resigned to it now and I just have a new goal day. I made the appointment already for my first PT treatment at the hospital a couple blocks from my house. Two weeks after that, I'll see Dr. Furie again for a follow up.

Time Heals

2007-06-04T09:18:00.000-04:00

When I first came home from the hospital, I was out of sorts. I was sad and in pain and not at all myself. I'd cry because Len would have to take care of my every need. I was humiliated by my lack of independence. He kept telling me that I just needed to wait things out and I'd be better and he was right.

I feel like my old self again. I'm sleeping in my own bed again. I need Len for fewer and fewer of my daily activities. I'm relatively pain free. And, I'm anxious to get back to work.

I just need to get out of this wheelchair.

Tomorrow, I see my orthopedic surgeon again for x-rays and an exam. Considering how well I'm doing, I believe physical therapy will begin then and I'll be learning to walk with a walker or crutches or something. I might finally get out of this blasted chair!

In anticipation of my getting out of said chair, I have ramped up my interest in a new vehicle. Len and I went to a Toyota dealer Sunday. They had sold all their Prius models, but had Camry Hybrids and Highlander Hybrids. Len was quite taken with the Highlander. Great gas mileage for an SUV, loads of room for hounds and accompanying hound stuff, and not too large (for an SUV). The Highlander Hybrid gets better gas mileage than our Saab wagon. Lots to think about...

No Time in the Pokey

2007-05-31T08:16:00.000-04:00

Yesterday afternoon was my court date. Apparently since I was unable to accept my ticket at the scene of the accident, I had to appear in person in court to accept my fate. Len hired a lawyer to represent me because I was still unable to appear at the first scheduled date. The lawyer was there to postpone it a month for me. He was also there yesterday for me.

As I have explained before, I was going the wrong way in one of those lanes that change direction of travel. I was confused and paid a hefty price for it. Anyway, I was cited for improper lane change. I planned to plead guilty and pay the fine.

But, no, Mark Gaffney the lawyer said, let's see how this plays out. Turns out the judge was one of Mr. Gaffney's law professors back in the day. Then, the "victim" (wasn't that ME?) never showed up, and the case was dismissed. Whoa! No fine, no record, no inflated insurance rates? Hurrah! Best part is, my time began at 5 p.m. and we were in the car by 5:11. Who knew Atlanta traffic court was so efficient?

The Invalid Invalid

2007-05-29T09:59:00.000-04:00

I often joke with Len that I feel like an invalid (as in not valid) invalid. But, it's really not funny.

As a person in a wheelchair, however temporarily, I observe the actions of the people around me -- how they interact, what they do -- and I must say I am appalled that folks don't have more compassion or understanding when it comes to the handicapped.

I get stares from grown people who should know better. I know what they are thinking when they see me: "She's so young, I wonder how it happened. That poor woman." Etc. Truth is, people see me and other injured folks as a reminder that anything can happen, and it frightens them. I know because I have felt that way.

Innappropriate stares from the able-bodied isn't where it stops. To add insult to injury, life for the handicapped is a thousand times more difficult because very little accommodates their needs.

I recently went to a nearby fabric store to purchase a couple items for a project. The giant glass doors were not automatic, so I had to push them to get in. I made it, though, and I placed a basket on my lap and began to shop. I got stuck in an aisle and items protruding from the shelves nudged my basket to the floor and everything spilled out. No one was around to help, so I struggled to get the items from the floor. I paid and backed my chair to the door to push out when a young man walking by outside saw me and opened the door for me. (Very nice!)

I will begin physical therapy next week, and there is a facility just two blocks from my house. I thought it would be great to just wheel down for the therapy, but nixed the idea when I saw that the sidewalks in between are not built with the mini-ramps needed at the intersections. That, and the fact the sidewalks are very uneven means I'll have to be driven to sessions. Two blocks.

I can't reach the top shelf of my refrigerator. I can barely wash my hands in the sink because it's too high. I am using the smallest wheelchair available for adults and I only just fit through the doorways in my house.

This weekend, Len and I went with some friends to the annual Decatur Arts Festival. Half of the booths were in the grass and poor Len pushed me hard to get me through. At one point we had to turn and go all the way around a line of booths that we had just passed because there were steps at the end. We had to go back to where we started just to get out.

There were loads of people there and when some people saw me they pushed through in front of me -- like I was a city bus that no one wanted to sit behind in traffic. By rudely pushing through ahead of me, they saved themselves a good two seconds. At one point I said loudly, "Don't mind the woman in the wheelchair. She doesn't matter."

Come on, people. Life is difficult enough for the disabled. Why make it more difficult? My legs don't work right, but otherwise I'm exactly like everyone else. I matter.

I'll be out of this chair soon, thankfully, and I will again join the ranks of the able-bodied. But, I won't push ahead of the wheelchair-bound, and I won't avoid their eyes. Instead, I'll smile as they pass. Just like I would any other human being.

I am not a drug addict!

2007-05-25T19:40:00.000-04:00

Okay, so I've been taking some pretty serious narcotics for pain since returning from the hospital, including oxycodone and such. But about a week ago I decided to do only over the counter painkillers and tried Aleve, which worked for the most part. Last night though, I fell asleep before taking my nighttime dose. And this morning, I passed altogether on the pills. I have not had pain medication of any kind since 7 a.m. yesterday. I feel some discomfort, but not enough to do anything about it. I'll take the occasional pill when I expect a particularly arduous day. Point is, I was on heavy narcotics for eight weeks and I'm glad to be free of 'em.

One more box to check off in my recuperation plan.

Nerve News

2007-05-24T11:17:00.000-04:00

I went to see a neurologist this morning. Dr. Mishu was very personable and likable -- Dr. Furie has a lot less personality. I went to find out what kind of damage had been done to my nerves in my left leg and foot. I have a condition called "foot drop" which means I can't raise my left foot. I also a good bit of tingling and numbness in that foot. Sometimes I have pain, too.

Dr. Mishu and his nice nurse practitioner asked a lot of questions and poked at me for a while. Then Dr.Mishu did an electric current-type test to see if he could stimulate my foot. He explained to me that a nerve is a lot like a copper electrical wire that is wrapped in plastic coating. A nerve has a coating as well. If the coating is not damaged, but the nerve inside is, there is the chance for the nerve to grow back through the coating. If the coating is severed, then thing become much more complicated.

The damaged nerve is called the peroneal and is located on the back of my knee and down the outside of my calf and into my foot. The electric impulses to the back of my knee did, indeed, stimulate my foot and spontaneously my toes rose up. That means the coating around the damaged nerve is intact, meaning the nerve can grow back. He also believes there is not damage to my sciatic nerve.

HURRAH!!!!

This will take time, he further explained, because nerves grow at a rate of about 1 millimeter per day, or about a centimeter every 10 days, or about an inch a month. I have no idea how much damage there is, so I don't know how long it will take for the nerve to reconnect to itself.

But, I don't really care. I had resigned myself to living with a limp for the rest of my life. So this is fantastic news!

Dog Pile

2007-05-21T19:33:00.002-04:00

Four dog beds. Maggie lays on three. Daisy, Devon, and Scully share the fourth.

Sunday Afternoon Adventures

2007-05-20T17:53:00.000-04:00

What a lovely day it is here in Atlanta, Georgia. There's not a cloud in the sky, it's 80 degrees and there is a nice breeze. I know all this because Len and I went out today. I showered and put on clothes and Len wheeled me out to the car.
We drove past my accident site on Dekalb Avenue (I didn't get upset because seeing it did not trigger a single memory!). The accident happened in a different spot than I'd imagined, and with all the construction going on, I didn't really recognize it anymore. One less thing for me to fear!
Then, we went to Oakhurst to the Universal Joint for sandwiches for lunch. We sat outside under a shade tree and it was lovely. Across the street from the restaurant, we saw several people in wheelchairs gather from different directions. It was like a MeetUp group! I didn't join in... they seemed a lot more mobile than I am. Besides, I only belong to the group on a temporary basis.
After lunch we came home and each took a nap.
Not a bad way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

Pain Management

2007-05-19T12:56:00.000-04:00

I'm taking weaker painkillers these days and fewer of them, so I am beginning to feel a good bit more discomfort in places that were pain-free before. Understandably, it freaks me out when I feel a new ache in my right hip, since that caused so much trouble in the hospital. Yesterday, I was rubbing on my right sit bone (you cyclists out there know what that is) and comparing to to my left. I felt the tip of it move! Oh, my God! I was going to have to go back to the hospital! I tearfully asked Len to check it out, and he said,"That's your fat moving around, Megan." So I re-checked and sure enough, it was no bone fragment, it was fat.

I gotta chill out.

I'm getting a little stir-crazy not being able to get up and go whenever I want, so I seem to be focusing on my aches and pains and what they might mean. I think that's making Len a little crazy because he's having to talk me down several times a day.

So, today I finished reading "The Finer Points of Sausage Dogs," and started knitting again for the first time in several days. I wish I could sit outside to knit because it's such a lovely day, but I can't seem to stay in the chair long enough to make going outside worth my while. I do open the front door and sit for a while each day. I say hello to neighborhood joggers as they pass and dog walkers.

Can You Ever Have Too Much Information?

2007-05-17T16:19:00.000-04:00

Since I've been laid up with only the internet as my connection to the outside world, I've been researching my injuries and what the doctors did during surgeries and what I can expect in the future. In particular, I found this interesting interactive video that allows the user to be the doctor during a hip replacement surgery, something I expect to have in the next several months. Thing is, I have a lot of hardware in that hip and chances are I won't be able to use it without a lot of pain. And, even if I don't have pain when I go to walk on it in a few weeks, chances are I'll develop arthritis there fairly soon. Hip replacement surgery has been shown to very successfully eliminate arthritis pain and the folks who have it tend to start using a walker the day after their surgery. So, I'm not terribly concerned after all about the likelihood that I'll need the surgery.

I also found out that people who suffer the kind of injury that I have to my knee, a tibial plateau level 5 fracture, tend to develop arthritis there because of the damage to the cartilage and the bone. It's not clear to me yet whether a knee replacement will remedy arthritis pain caused by that kind of fracture, however. More research...

Good Times...

2007-05-14T09:16:00.000-04:00

It's been a great, but painful, weekend here at Injury Central. Lots of important progress was made these last few days, but with that activity comes a lot of soreness. No pain, no gain.

I showered for the first time since the accident on Friday, and it was a wonderful thing. Sunday, I put on real clothing, pants, shirt, undergarments, the whole nine. Len took me out for a stroll around the neighborhood, too. The circuit is made up of slight inclines and declines, so Len did all the work. I was just there for the ride. The sun and breeze did me a lot of good. At one point, though, we hit a huge bump in the sidewalk that nearly knocked me out of the chair, and caused me great pelvis pain. It stayed with me until well into the night last night, but this morning I'm good.

Scully is home again (THANKS Suzy and Clark for everything!!!). She stepped on my sore foot once or twice, but she's really being gentle around me. In the three nights since she's been back, she has slept in the dog bed next to my sofa. Every now and again she'll try to get up on the sofa, but she's actually listening to me when I say "no." She's a good girl.

I think I overdid the activity, though, and was sore all weekend. I have several restrictions on moving my left leg: Don't cross over the other leg, don't bend more than 90 degrees, etc. With all the transferring from chair to sofa to chair I did, I'm sure I came close to violating once or twice, so I need to be very careful. Today, I'm taking things easy and see where that gets me.

WARNING! Graphic Images Follow!

2007-05-12T13:07:00.000-04:00

Now that Scully is home and my family is intact again, I thought it was time to reflect on the injury in pictures. Some of these are hard to view, so consider yourselves warned.

Len took this first picture on my cellphone at the emergency room on March 26, 2007, just hours after my accident. Note I am still in the neck brace and sandwich boards. Frankly, I think I look dead. Thank goodness looks can be deceiving.

Next, here I am in the Intensive Care Unit in the first few days after my accident. Notice the traction stuff? That leads me to the next picture, a close up of the rod they put through my left femur to stabilize my leg. Connected to the rod is the traction system, pulled down by weights at the end of my bed. After my first pelvis surgery, when the nurses accidentally dropped me while transferring me to the potty and re-dislocated my pelvis, the doctors had to add a second set of traction. But this time they went through my tibia, below my knee, because they had already used my femur.

When I was moved to a regular room, I had a lovely view of Atlanta. I don't see it in this picture, but from my room I could see my downtown office building. The other thing you don't see here is the helicopter pad, just outside my window. Since Atlanta Medical Center is a category 2 trauma center, there is a lot of helicopter traffic there, to bring in injured souls. The view was lovely, but the noise could be pretty distracting at times.

After I was in the hospital about a week, bruises started to appear all over me. To illustrate, here is the bruised underside of my arm. I didn't feel pain from the bruising, but the pain may have been masked by the mass amount of painkillers I was taking. Both arms were bruised like this and I had several mysterious bruises on my legs and even hands. Never saw a thing on my neck or face, though. Helmets rule!

Finally, and this is probably the grossest image, this picture of the side of my butt was taken just before the staples were removed from my hip.
This was just a couple weeks ago, just after I returned home. Those first few days were hard physically because I was taking smaller doses of painkillers. They were hard mentally because I really thought that as soon as I returned home I'd be better.

I'm still not there, but I will be.

The wound there is about a foot long and still causes me problems. The scar on my knee looks a lot like this one, just no staples and not quite as long.

Ooffph.

Finally, here I am in my own bed just after I returned from the hospital.

Now, that these pictures are up for the world to view, I can just log on to see how far I've progressed.

Splish Splash!

2007-05-11T13:13:00.000-04:00

I took a shower today. And, I feel better than James Brown!

Len moved a sofa and arranged a wheelchair ramp so that I could get to the bigger bathroom with the big shower stall today. He put my plastic bench half in and half out. It was a little awkward at first, but I managed to get from the chair to the bench and slid inside the shower. Hot water running through my hair. Knowing I rinsed all the soap out. Exfoliating my face. You can't imagine how wonderful it feels to be truly clean again!

Plus, now that Len's exams are over, he bought a lawn mower and took care of our front and back lawns yesterday. Today, he's been cleaning the inside of the house, removing as much dog hair as possible. And, best of all, Suzy and Clark are coming today to bring Scully home. It will be wonderful to see Suzy and Clark! I can't wait! I just worry my girl Scully won't remember me!

Chubby

2007-05-10T11:55:00.000-04:00

As I sit here on my living room sofa, with an overweight italian greyhound resting next to me, I think about how fortunate I am in this life. I may be laid up with severely broken bones and unable to go outside when I'd like, but I have folks coming by to check on me all the time. Through the aftermath of this accident, I have found that a lot of people love me and are willing to take the time to attend to my needs during this healing period. It's pretty humbling, really, to learn how genuinely kind and considerate the people around you can be. It's been a wonderful lesson.

One thing people are always willing to do in a crisis is provide food. Len and I will not go hungry as long as I'm injured. Casseroles, soups, meatloaf, cakes and candy, and gift cards to local restaurants have poured in since I returned home. I'm worried that my fabulous weight loss will turn to weight gain by the time I can walk on my own!

So, I've been exercising more and really trying to do more on my own. I spent an awful lot of time in the wheel chair yesterday and did the bulk of transferring without help and just did a good deal of moving without assistance. When I went to bed last night I felt like I'd been working in the fields all day. I was exhausted!

Len is taking his last final today and after that, he has two weeks before starting his summer internship. Hurrah! Some time to hang with Len! And Scully, the crazy dog who likes to jump, is likely to come home this weekend. Hurray! Can't wait to hug that girl!