Here is MIA Flash Drive Post from Day After Easter

Hi Folks,

Happy Monday! I noticed something weird on my walk this a.m., probably a side effect from the surgery I guess. When I’m walking and I see someone I smile and say hi, but sometimes I just move my lips, and I don’t make any sound.  I know, very strange, even for me. But today, a man was walking up, I smiled, said my silent “Morning, how are you?” and I’ll be a SOB, he answered me! He boomed “Doing great, how are you?!” Wow, freaked me out.  I haven’t found any more money yet either. But I still keep looking.

I hope everyone (does anyone actually read this blog? If you do please leave a comment, or just send me a psychic comment, don’t even move your lips!) had a nice Easter! It was a lovely day here. John helped me plant a new red bud tree, and a bush, I can’t remember the name of it (it’s been nearly 24 hours after all! but if it ever blooms it will be gold), and lots of perennials he shared out. Mostly I supervised, second-in-command to Midge. I’m not up to digging holes yet. How long can Kay play the recuperation card? I’ll let you know.  My belly continues to heal. Sometimes just still a little pulling and discomfort in the area fka my stoma. I’ve found some strong underwear to be very helpful in aiding the healing process, but, not so nice in the muffin top area. Formerly the area around my waist was massive and hard as a rock (but, as I have now learned, NOT hard in a good way). I do have a witness who could attest to that fact. YOU know who you are! Now it is massive and sort of smushy. This muffin top thing is rather unpleasant as well, but much better than the former massive hardness. Anyway, another good reason to step up the exercise.

We had a nice turkey dinner and I made better than *** cake for dessert.  The family enjoyed that for sure. Though I did miss the traditional Carrot Cake, which I’m sure someone will bake for my birthday. Anyways, Mom shared a story about Dad. She was in the kitchen while he was outside on the patio. She heard an alarming crash, looked out window and saw Dad on the ground, on his back with his head propped up against this weird little table that holds his radio. He had knocked over the little table that holds mom’s ashtray! She rushes out, thinking she’s probably going to have to call 9-1-1. Yadda yadda yadda he’s OK after a bit, but apparently he fell off the picnic table bench. Now why would a 92 year old man be up there?  Simple! He wanted to see what the neighbors were doing in their yard. Oh for cry eye! I was scolding him, I said that would be one hell of a way to end up in the nursing home, wouldn’t it? Fall off the picnic table whilst snooping on the girls next door? Good Lord! I told him look, you are kind of cute, and are at an age where you can pretty much get away with murder. If you want to see what they are doing why don’t you just go over there and ask them? You might end up with a cookie or a beer or something.  He gave me a sheepish grin and sort of skipped away. I hope I’m as spry as Dad if I live to be 92. Hell, I hope I’m as spry as Dad if I live to be 65. John asked how many other 92 year olds do you know who can fall as much as Dad and NOT get hurt! I can honestly say, not a damn one.

I stared physical therapy for my rotator cuff last week. I swear, it started feeling better after the first visit. The stretching and massage sure helps. Or maybe it is the stim and ice. I love that! I’ve been doing my at-home exercises too. Hmm. BRB. OK done.  The therapy also really made it clear how out of shape I am. Those months of inactivity turned me into a big wuss. My second therapy appointment the trainer added some light weights in addition to the stretchy band exercises. I was so sore that night! Engage the core, add some light weights, wow, ouch! I need definitely do some stuff besides walking if I’m going to be ready for those 1200 steps on vacation.  Yikes. 1200.

Still trying to get a handle on my food. Still stealing lilacs. Still good at ping pong. Some things will never change I guess.

And, in honor of birthday #3 coming up on April 15th, a couple of baby pictures of Midge and Finnegan. It truly is rare to find a cat as graceful and photogenic as Midge. She really should be in pictures. Maybe horror films ---see her as Godzilla Midge below.

Godzilla Midge!

Please note Midge's french pedicure.

Buddies.

Take care good folk,

Kay

No news is good news.

Hi Folks,

I blame the lack of posting on a misplaced flash drive. I had a witty, interesting post saved on there. Does anybody know where it is?

I've been going to physical therapy for my rotator cuff (again!). I've been walking quite a bit, but yowza, therapist had me doing some standing exercises with a 1 pound weight. It drove home to me what a slug I've been the last few months, because standing up, engaging my battered core, and using a 1 pound weight made me incredibly sore! Like "Do I have any pain pills left. . . ?" sore! What a wuss. Me, not the therapist. My shoulder is feeling better, felt better almost immediately. The rest of my body is feeling better too!  It was painful to the point that it was disturbing my sleep, so things are looking up and I'm sleeping better, which is very beneficial to my recuperation (and my bitchy ass mood).

Midge and Finn had their 3rd birthday yesterday. Finn was such a good recuperation companion to me, attentive and affectionate, and Midge ignored me splendidly, prancing just out of my reach and ignoring my invitations (begging) to curl up beside me. Finn told me they want the shiny red Schwinn downtown, so I'll have to check my finances. Oh my, what is is this envelope!? A refund check from the hospital, memo "insurance payment". Hmmm. I'll be damned.

I'm going to go find the witty post. It was a really good one.

Kay :)

March Garden

Well, here are some early garden pictures. 

I should know better by now than to say how good I'm feeling. Just like earlier in my recuperation, I'd feel great, then I'd get sore and whiny. Happened again. Maybe instead of walking further and doing more I should perhaps lay around and rest a bit. It's usually over in a day or two. LOL I think I'm just sore from being more active. I put the dreaded binder back on and it's feeling better around the stoma area. Lots of deep healing going on I suspect.


I actually went into the Schwinn store and sat on some bikes instead of just peering in the window early in the morning. Hmmm. Could that make me sore? Anyway, wow bikes are expensive! I can save $50 on "last year's model", it's red! This years model is gold (earwax gold) or purple. I much prefer red anyway! Not just because it is cheaper. Or there is a spiffy mint green one with a big seat for my big ass! And only $100 more than my red bike!  Decisions decisions!

Off to bed so I can wake up feeling better with an improved attitude!

Kay :)

 

Lettuce!

`

Radishes!

Super Midge, and those are zinnias coming up in the bed behind her. She isn't wearing her cape in this picture. And below is my work in progress perennial bed.

Hi Folks,


Doing well. After the first surgery when the mass was removed everyone kept asking me if I was feeling better. Actually people told me I must feel a lot better.  I would reply that I guessed so, but that I didn’t feel that bad before. Well, I take that back. I have so much more energy now, and more get-up-and-go. I remember last summer, kind of having to make myself get up and do things, like yard work, and walking. I was not always successful in talking myself into doing those things. I hardly walked at all last summer. Now boom, I’m up and at ‘em when the thought pops into my head! I guess the weight loss resulting from the surgery could have a lot to do with that, but I think that I had gotten used to the way I was feeling, and that way of feeling became my “normal”, which I can now see was decidedly “abnormal”. Only those near and dear to me can decipher my ramblings. Good luck everybody else! So now if anyone asks me, I can most assuredly say yes, I do feel better! LOL And I know I mention it over and over, but being bagless is a joy. Not to go into too much detail, but sometimes I have to give being bagless a big WOOOOHOOOOO (YES, THAT WOULD BE IN THE BATHROOM, SOMETIMES IN THE SHOWER, SOMETIMES ON THE TOWPATH, SOMETIMES IN THE OFFICE, SOMETIMES ON MY MORNING WALKS IN THE DARK ON LIBERTY STREET, PRETTY MUCH ANYWHERE!). So if you see me kind of throwing my arms up over my head in a celebratory gesture, and looking happy, don’t call the authorities or think I’m nuts. I’m probably just giving my bagless state a big old WOOOOOHOOOOO. Try it. It’s fun. And it doesn’t have to be the bagless thing. You got to make your own kind of music peeps.


I’m sure the spring-like weather has helped my energy level too. It is certainly noticeable to me, without that huge mass in my abdomen, that the ground is much closer! John helped me this weekend with work on my newish perennial bed (thanks John!), with toting and weed-matting and mulching and such. It looks great. I have some more work to do, but heck, it’s only March! I got time. I was sore after yard work, but a good sore, not in the incision area, but in the ass area. Yikes my hamstrings were whistling Dixie after planting some seeds,trimming the fence, and spraying weed/grass killer, and other miscellaneous putterings. 


Zinnias, lettuce and radishes are up. I never thought I’d be watering things in March! 


My family has noticed my increased energy and mobility as well, so I’m not sure how much longer I can play the “recuperation card”. The party may be over. 


I have an appointment for my sore shoulder next week. It’s messing with my sleep, and I can’t have that! Doc was on vacation when I called to schedule and I was hoping it would be that the very act of scheduling the appointment would make it feel better! No luck so far. LOL


I’ve been doing well walking, not so good on the Weight Watcher’s Points. Honestly, I’d be happy right now just holding steady and increasing my physical activity. Losing weight is hard on your body, and my body has been through a lot. I’m going to focus on the walking so I can enjoy some lovely hikes and waterfalls on vacation coming up in May, and eating plenty of fruits and veggies, and cutting back on the junk. I’m a junk food junkie!  If I lose a few pounds before vacation, great, if not, that’s OK too. Gaining is NOT OK! LOL


I didn’t find any money on my walks this week either! But I’m ever hopeful. 


Kay :)

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

This tasted WAY better than it photographed!

Trying to eat better. This is quinoa, marinated artichokes, roasted red peppers, broccoli, peppers, onions, olives, walnuts. I'm not really sure what all is in there. On this hot summer day it was delicious. Thank you John. Oh wait, it's not summer, it's flippin' March! I threw some zinnia seeds in Midge's flower bed yesterday, just for fun.

Feeling a lot better. Not as sore and tired. It's getting better. Will be 8 weeks since the surgery this coming Tuesday. I need to check with doc and see if I can lift some weights and do some more exercises. My rotator cuff, that I finished therapy on just before camping, which was just before all this medical stuff happened . . . well I re-injured it getting out of bed after that first surgery. Ouch. I need to get that checked out too. I'm sure my insurance company would  like to take me out back and shoot me.

Been doing pretty good with the walking. I was so sore and tired after I started back to work that I let it go for a couple of days, but the weather is so gorgeous, and what with waking up at like 3:00 or 4:00 a.m. I have a lot of time to kill before work! How come walking in the dark at 10:00 or 11:00 at night is kind of creepy, but walking in the dark at 5:00 or 6:00 a.m. isn't? When I start my walks in the dark, I don't go on the towpath, I walk smack dab down the main street in town. I like it. I can't take any money with me though, because the bakery is open. I've been peering in the window of the Schwinn shop too. A bike ride sounds good some evenings. I'll have to go check out the old lady fat tired cruisers.

I'm sure I'll do better with the points this coming week. Honestly, it would be hard for me to do worse! LOL I have a St. Pat's party tomorrow, corned beef, colcanon, creamed cabbage, beer. My favorite party food of the year. And there are no points on St. Pat's, right!

Kay

My first full week back at work kicked my ass. Just like last time. I saved a lot of time this week not having to make my bed, because three nights I fell asleep right on top of the quilt, one night with my shoes on! I'm feeling OK, just dragging ass, very easily fatigued, and sore around the middle, especially around that stoma incision. I'm sure things will improve rapidly now that I have whined out loud. I took a break from my  morning walks last three days because I was so fatigued later on in the day. I think it helped. Plus I didn't find any money this week! Grrrrr! I was kind of awake last night, til 9:00, very late for me lately! I'm going to start the walks up again tomorrow, just shorten them up a bit on workdays til I pep up a bit. I tried work with binder on, binder off, neither felt very good this week.

My Points sucked this week. When I'm tired I eat. A lot. And junk too, darn it.

My folks had their 53rd anniversary yesterday, and today we took a ride to John's for dinner. He went through his basket of recipes he had clipped and saved, and found some from the food section of the Tribune. The appetizer was Spinach Pie. Wow! We demolished that. Next was Swai (I had to look that up lol), with a broiled buttery, lemony, panko, parmeson topping. He made a lemony, capery tartar sauce to go with it. It was spectacular. He served it with a lovely green salad with homemade dressing and some homemade Sweet Potato Dinner Rolls. Wow! They were gorgeous and delicious. Just a dough you stir together, no kneading or anything. I can do that . . . I think! We are definitely having those again, probably for Easter. Dessert was cheesecake bars, and he whipped up some sweet potato pie, no recipe,with the leftover phyllo dough from the spinach pie and the sweet potatoes from the rolls. Everything was spectacular.

I counted this Sweet Tater Dinner Roll as a vegetable when I did my points. Haha. Just kidding. Like I am doing my points today! lolol

John snores in this recliner all the time too! Dad is alive, I swear! But his name, after all, is Bernie! Does anyone get my jokes? Or should I just stop.

Mom and John and Dad, post-feast. The folks also got their first look at the wonderful paint job by Mark Riley of Riley Painting, aka Donna's hubby, aka Mar's twin. It looks great. I do not miss that builder white paint!

Mom and Dad, 53 years married. On their anniversary in 2000 I had my hysterectomy and was in the hospital. What a weird thing to remember, and even a weirder thing to type here.

Going hiking in May, down by Chattanooga. One of the hikes has 1200 steps if you want to see all the waterfall action. Cloudland Canyon State Park in Georgia. Check it out. Since I'll be celebrating my 50th birthday, John figured that would be 24 steps for each year! LOL  That is a lot of years, and a lot of steps! LOL

Kay :) the Weirdo

I think I got back in my walking routine this week. When I see something lovely in nature on my walks I consider it a reward for my labors, but this is even better . . .

That's right. Cold (and brrrr on a couple of those walks!), hard cash! I'm not sure I like it better than a cardinal, but a nice diversion nonetheless. I didn't find it all at once either, three separate walks. If anyone really wants to encourage my recuperation and weight loss and fitness efforts, I'd be glad to share my a.m. walking route, if you want to drop a $20 bill or something. Just let me know.

Half-days at work went well. It's surprising how sore you can get getting used to sitting upright again, when you have been reclining a lot for months! LOL  I continue to wear my binder. There is a big old lump of healing going on where the stoma was. I'll get used to it. It feels kind of heavy and pulling sometimes, which is not helped by my own anatomic proportions. :) Back to full-time next week. Tuesday will be 6 weeks since the reconnect.

Lost 5 pounds on weight watchers this week. More important still, I stopped the creeping upward that was happening. Tsk tsk. Being back at work will help too. I mean yeah, I get bored there too, but the only food there is what I bring in, so if I behave myself, all is well. And it doesn't hurt when I walk to work and have no cash either! LOL Makes my healthy food much more appealing when it is the only choice.

Enjoying relaxing and puzzling at John's this blustery Saturday. It's weird being here and NOT playing ping pong. LOL  I haven't played for so long I'll be rusty as all get out! I've only played once minus my tumor (and bigger belly), and it was hilarious! Still had the bag, was being very careful, and my stroke was totally off because the new smaller me was still standing way back from the table to accommodate the former belly, which wasn't even there! It was pretty funny. I thought I'd wait a bit more before beating John at ping pong (haha). Maybe next visit. When you get sore from sitting, maybe you should hold up on the ping pong.

Have a pork roast all mexicanized and in the crock pot, and that smells good too. Will use it for some healthy meals next week. Still can't get enough beans and rice and I am craving jalapeno peppers. I have not indulged that craving yet! LOL

Have a nice weekend all.