Altered states...

On Tuesday, I had some foot choreography orchestrated related to my arthritis of 20 years.
Nothing to eat or drink after midnight...same routine...different procedure.
I am grateful for the medical staff who are mostly upbeat and compassionate, and especially thankful to the nurse who managed to put the IV into my arm with minimal drama. Once that is done, it's all okay with me. Each person had their own set of questions for me to answer. Most of the time, I responded as expected with the anticipated answers. Some force of nature caused me to inquire further in one case:
After a nurse asked me what I had for breakfast, an anesthesologist[ man in his 50's I'm guessing]] was the third person to ask me, "Nothing to eat or drink after midnight?"
"Nothing. But hey,[said in a jovial tone] just for the record...What would happen if I had eaten or drunk something?"
"First of all, you'd be sent home and surgery would have to be rescheduled. If it had been a liquid that could have caused acid reflux, it could have burned your lungs...and if it was a solid like a piece of banana, you could cough it into a lung and cause...."
At this point, his tone and manner were so formal that I had to say,
"I can assure you that I've had nothing to eat or drink since midnight. I was merely asking to find out the answer...being an inquisitive person by nature who loves to learn new things."
And I wanted to add, "Eat tacks for breakfast, did ya?"

Every other person who I came into contact was very friendly, caring, and professional.

Ten minutes later, the other half of the anesthesia team[ a man in his early thirties I'm guessing] smiled and said that he had a few medical background questions for me.

"Have you ever had any breathing problems?"

"No"

"Problems in the past with other surgeries?"

"No."

"Any heart related problems?"

"Other than a divorce, no."

He laughed outloud.
We all laughed together and he shared that he had never had anyone say that before!!

And he added, smiling, "Healed ok?"

"Oh yeah...a long time ago."

And then he said,

"Okay then. Off we go. I'm going to give you something in your IV to relax you a little bit."

Ahhh! Altered states...my favorite place to be. No cares. No responsibilities. No worries.

Bunions, callouses, and nodules...be gone.
I am now sporting two black shoes that look just like this clip art photo. I must add that while selecting a picture from 'foot surgery'...I saw foot problems that made my foot problems look good!! Whew!

Happy that it's a done deal.

Happy that my computer is back home again.

Looking forward to getting back out in the real world again.

A quick hello!

I brought my computer in on Monday because the 'g, h, and backspace' were not working great, and you would not believe how much you use those keys!! Anyway, they had to send it to Kentucky for repairs since I have a service contract on it....so I am in extreme withdrawal and am anxiously awaiting its return.

On a different note, I am having [day surgery] foot surgery on 7/27. I'll be back in touch as soon as I get my computer back.

Flo is well.

Gracie is too.

TTFN

Stereotypes!! Bahh!!

To begin with, my vegetable garden did not start at my house by the planting seeds. I purchased them as very small plants yearning to be adopted from the gardening section of a large, uncaring store. As a result, my budding veges are in container pots, not quite like the typical rectangular weeded land version.

We enjoy watching the blossoms produce vegetables, and there is an element of pride in 'assisting'. There are tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers already growing, with the long shot being the sweet potatoes.

The initial harvest of one tomato and one cucumber is a wrap!

One appears to be 'normal'... whatever that is!!!

The other has quite an unusual twist....

Now while I might think this is a fluke...there is a matching one still on the vine, and rapidly approaching a reunion with said 'twisted sister!!!

Perhaps they are 'right' brained...and a bit gnarly with a jointed appearance. Just like Mama Bear.

They say that if you talk to plants...they listen.

I'm a believer, now!

What'd you say?

Just a couple of 'Flo moments'....

I was getting supper together and I stopped by Mom's chair and asked her,"

"Would you like some potato salad?"

"No, I don't want to take a shower!"

I repeated my question, we both laughed, and she said 'Yes!' [to the potato salad, that is.]

We watch NBC Nightly News because Mom thinks that Brian Williams is 'pretty darn cute.' Last night as he ended the newscast with a 'Good night everyone'...I heard her say,

"Good Night Sweetheart."

Bedtime for all. Nic is on a mini-vacation so I am flying solo taking care of Flo until Monday morning at 9 AM. Wish me luck. I get cabin fever after 48 hours on a normal basis. Is it Monday yet?

Shephard's Pie To Go, Please!!

Abe Lincoln said, "You can please some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can't please all of the people all of the time.

When family visit from NJ, it is generally their desire to take Flo out to a restaurant to eat. And it is Flo's desire to be spared the drama involved because she is in a wheelchair and needs help to accomplish basic tasks. Perspective is everything.

So, this past weekend, Mom politely declined the offer to eat out. She stayed at home in sheer comfort and Nic came over while I went to dine out with the family. We were seated, ordered, and were enjoying the soup/salad part of the meal . I had selected Shephard's Pie when...all of a sudden....a very familiar sound pierced the air and altered the course of the dinner. It was the dreaded fire alarm, and for more than 30 years it was 'second nature' for me to jump up, grab the attendance cards[??], and immediately lead the students to evacuate the building. Now, here at the Holiday Inn, everyone kind of looked up momentarily, and then promptly resumed eating their dinner.

What? Doesn't the fire alarm mean...get up and go?

And then the waitress came around to all of the tables saying,

"We do have to evacuate the building. The fire trucks are on the way. Really!!!! And then we were all sheparded out the front door. There were sirens, flashing lights, the hook and ladder truck and assorted other emergency vehicles, and immediately a whole bunch of cell phones/cameras surfaced to document it all.

Okay...I joined in...took out my cell phone and called Flo.

"Hey! Good thing you didn't come out to dinner with us because we are all standing around outside watching the firemen enter the building while we take pictures of their equipment!! You would have been stressed right out! Whew! The Lord works in mysterious ways!"

As I ended the phone conversation, a waitress looked at me, smiled, and said, "Hi Mrs. W".

I hadn't seen this former 5th grade student in many years. She has graduated from college and is going on to get her Master's Degree. We had a great reunion and she did share that fire alarms were relatively common.

"Quite often, we never find out what the problem was...and then we return to the restaurant and carry on."

It reminded me of August 2006 in Niagara Falls. At 3:30 AM, the hotel fire alarm woke us up [Flo included]. We were on the 14th floor, and here is how the desk clerk answered my brother's questions:

"Is that a real fire alarm?"

"Yes it is."

"What should we do?"

"Run!!"

I kid you not. After that experience, I wouldn't book a hotel reservation above the second floor.

I never thought about a restaurant, though.

Thankfully, the restaurant was on the first floor and there were not a thousand stairs to navigate due to elevators not in service because of the fire alarm rules.

It was such a 'moment in time' that the kids asked the firemen for their autographs.

I think it was a 'first' for everyone involved!!!

Surprise!!

On Thursday, I was reading my Facebook friends' status statements and realized that my niece and her family were en route to visit Flo and me for the weekend....surprise!!! I called her on her cell phone and 'yep!yep!... they had done four of the five hours and were one hour away. They stayed at The Holiday Inn so that the kids could swim in the pool , along with the fact that for some...allergies [to my cat] were an issue.

I said nothing to Flo.

Out of the blue [something that Mom has become quite famous for], she said,

"You know what I would really like to have sometime?"

"No, Mom, what would that be?"

"A Hershey Bar!!"

"Really!!! With or without nuts?"

"With nuts!!"

"That's the first time that I have ever heard you request a Hershey Bar!!!"

Into the kitchen went I, and called my niece,Katie, and relayed G'ma's request. I just could not pass up the opportunity to heighten the surprise that I knew was soon to happen.

Flo's face was priceless when Katie walked in, kissed her, and said:

"Hi G'ma! I heard that you were wishing you had a Hershey Bar with nuts, and so here I am to deliver it to ya!"

"Oh my God!! How did you know that? And ...I haven't seen you in years!"

"It hasn't been years!!! A year and a half. I came up here when Aunt Mare broke her leg."

Hugs and kisses.

And then a joyously 'sweet' reunion began for the three of us. Three different generations. Ages: 98[and a half!!]...61[Huh? This must be a miscalculation.]...42[I remember where I was when I heard the news of her arrival!!]...Kindred spirits.
Lots of laughter. A good time.

Additional weekend adventures in the next post. Wahoo!!

Day Clock

Sometimes you happen onto 'the greatest thing since sliced bread'. I first noticed the 'day clock' at a friend's house and immediately bought one for my mother. And so I pass it along in case it may work for you or a loved one.

This clock tells you one thing: what day it is!!! Sometimes that is all you want to know. Upon retirement when every day is Saturday, the day clock answers the most basic of questions...'What day is today?'

For my mom, it lessens her confusion and helps her to keep track of daily stuff without feeling silly and having to ask the same question again and again. When she was in rehab after her stroke, I brought it to her room and hung it up there. And it has moved along with her and is direct sight of her chair in the living room.

They are about $39 and you can find it at 'www.dayclocks.com'.

And there you have it! Peace of mind in one quick glance!!!

Boom!

Last night, I had to ride out the 'BOOMS' with the wide-eyed Gracie Dog who was in 'altered states' upon hearing the very first whistling 'crackle'!! I live less than a mile from the city's fireworks launchpad also known as The Lake. The initial 'pop' ...grew into a 'bang' ...followed by a pattern of :

Boom! Light!..10 seconds...Boom! Light!..10 seconds...etc.

Thousands of people enjoy the traditional Syracuse Symphony Fourth of July 'Concert and Fireworks Display'. Grace did not share the joy. She was in constant motion and could not be consoled in any way. Back and forth between Mom's bed and mine, at one point she was above my head on the pillow and I think I was wearing her as a hat!! She would want to go out, and within 5 seconds there would be a boom which would send her into waist high jumps at the back door...to come back in! What next?

The finale!!!!!!!!!!This consists of a gazillion fireworks all set off within seconds causing simultaneous rapid fire rounds of sound and light. While I was staring out of the skylights while resting comfortably on my bed, I figured Grace was praying for the end. The deafening sound resembled the evening news report of wartime activity in Afghanistan. Perspective is everything. It reminded me of a 4th of July in 1971 when the sound of these booms had our friends who were Vietnam Vets crouched under the dining room table probably having some serious flashbacks that none of us could possibly imagine. God bless them all.

Meanwhile, back in 2010, and the finale is finally over. The dog is now stretched out on the floor, and not responding to her name. I'm thinking...'OMG...she's probably had a heart attack!!'

I touch her, and she moves, and joins me in bed...and not as my hat, this time. Aaahhh! Life has returned to normal for us. And just when you thought it was safe to come out of the woods...

The neighbor whose backyard is on the other side of my bedroom window...has fireworks.

And they are really, really colorful....

and TOO DAMN CLOSE...for the dog who has already been through many levels of fireworks hell.

Ya know, I wasn't born yesterday, and so when I think, "Whew! Glad that's all behind us...I know better than that ! Because tonight through my bedroom window, I am sure...we will get to experience the joy of...the other half of my neighbor's encore of sound and light!!! Boohoo!!."

Well, I guess that means there'll also be an encore of me sporting that 'poodle hat' that I treasure dearly.
Hot diggeddy, dog diggedly, "Boom" what you do to me[Grace]!
Fabricated thunder and lightning...what a concept!!

Survey Said.....

A very interesting conversation over lunch landed on a discussion about 'birth order'. It reminded me of a favorite activity that I used as a prompt in the classroom in the name of a 'writing exercise' as well as a 'get out of your seat, move around, and share your thoughts' theme. Pointing to the four corners of the room: One corner was for 'first born', the second was for 'middle child', the third was for 'the youngest', and the fourth corner was where the 'one of a kind' otherwise known as 'only child' gathered. The students were then to confer with their group as to what they had in common, what they liked and disliked about their 'position' in the family, and lastly, what would be their choice and why... if they were given a voice in the matter. And then they documented it in their writing journal.
What a fascinating activity to participate in as well as observe the interactive process. Before I share any results, let me conduct a survey among my blogging friends. Where do you allign in 'birth order', and given the choice...what would you choose?