A Sock on the Needles

 At last, I have a sock on the needles! I can see all the stitches once more - as long as I have good light. I found a bag in the bottom of one of my baskets with several balls of my favorite KROY sock yarn. I couldn't help myself & cast-on for a new sock. It's like crack, you know, socks just do it for me. They're small, easy - I have the formula in my head - and they're done before I get bored. My only problem with them is the formula in my head, it interferes with other patterns & styles when I try to vary my method, so, most of the time I don't. I just buy wild sock yarn instead! At one time, I had 26 pairs of the craziest socks in my basket & all of them from the same pattern in MY size. And I wore them all because it was cold in my basement with cement floors! And I wore them every day. 

So I cast-on using one of my favorite yarns too - Patons KROY. I'm using the 3ply in an orangey/brown/purple which knits up into a sock that's reminiscent of Mexico & the desert. Kroy wears like iron & I get years of wear before I have to darn them. I haven't decided whether this pair will go into my drawer or into the gift basket but I'll decide later. When I get my hands back in practice, I have some gloves to tackle. I printed off the pattern from Knitty a while back & really want to make a pair for myself. Gloves on the bias with no yarn breaks, who could resist that?

Point of View

My buddy Mike thinks I should sell the Shack - because it's truly a shack complete with tripping hazards & a crappy interior - and move to a nice clean apartment with conveniences, close to shopping, accessible & have parking close by. 

My other buddy Ron was over talking about tearing out the entire kitchen & redesigning it for my comfort. No cupboards - all lower drawers, a dishwasher, new counters, a big sink & some upper open shelving. And a chair on wheels so I can move around in comfort.

I'd like a kitchen without cabinets & full of drawers. I could get to all the stuff in the back really easily. I hate doing dishes with a single, small sink - that's a lie, I hate doing dishes, period - & I've never had a dishwasher .  .  .  

Mike thinks I should sell & move soon but Ron says improve what you have while you're here. I know, I know - if I sell, maybe I can rent a nice place if I could find one! And if I do, it would take my whole monthly pension & someone else decides when I have to move again. If I stay here, I have no rent or mortgage to pay but some extensive changes need to be made. Decisions, decisions .  .  .  

It also looks like the boys are getting together to move all my stuff out of the storage locker & into the back bedroom. I will be able to access all my stuff again & find all my kitchen toys. And speaking of toys, all my yarn will be with me once more. I have bins of sock yarns & bags of sock yarn leftovers for scrappy socks!! Woohoo - I can't wait.

Sometimes it's just better to think about fibre. I am able to knit again. Today I dug out the glove pattern I wanted to make over a year ago - was it really that long ago??? Good Grief! I decided to knit a couple of pairs of socks first to get my fingers back in shape - the pal who took me for my two cataract surgeries & Specialist appointments loves handmade socks. His wife loves them even more so I decided to knit them for her - his mom sends him handmade socks three times a year so he's covered!!! I don't think I've knit her any socks in years, so it's her turn. She also loves scrappy socks so that makes it even better.

Nearly Normal

Clouds & coolness today - at last!! I can do with some coolness, that's for sure. I developed quite a painful, swollen, upper arm by the second day after my second jab which was quite unexpected! Tylenol Arthritis & cold packs helped a lot & it cleared up over a couple of days. The worst part of the whole thing was recovering from all that walking & standing on cement to get the jab. My right knee was extremely sore & I was unable to get down the ramp to the garbage for a couple of days. But, all is well & I'm mobile again. Mike showed up with another recliner in the back of his truck too. This one is smaller, cloth covered & electric. It reclines & pulls up the foot rest with a button!! The best part of the whole thing is that it rises up & tilts to help you get out .  .  .  I love it. No more pillow under me & behind my back so I can sit comfortably & still get out. I don't sweat buckets when seated in it & I can actually put my feet up without hanging halfway out of the chair to reach the lever. I thought I needed the biggest chair for my fat behind but I was wrong. Mike can take the leather one home with him.

The final check from my Ex's estate arrived in the mail on Friday & I managed to get it into the bank. It's a comfort to have more money than you need but is it a problem when there's nothing you want to spend it on??? 

Seriously hoping the really high heat is gone but it was still warm enough when I went for my second jab on July 01! What a Zoo! The signage was not the best & I'd never been there before so I went early. Good thing because the Handicapped parking sure was a LONG way from the door. Halfway to that door, a security guard stopped me & told me to drive all the way around the block to the back door where the clinic was actually being held so I could park close to the door. So I trudged back to the car & drove around. How come they don't tell you these things when you ask for directions??? 

The clinic was very busy, lined up outside the door & we all had to stand. I was quite wobbly by the time I got to the document stations where I finally got to sit down. There were no provisions made for anyone who was unsteady on their feet - I wasn't the only one barely creeping along - but I made it to the benches outside the action room for a long rest. All the chairs were inside the gym with screened off cubicles for every one attending. VERY different from the last clinic I attended where masked people sanitized & stood in line doing paperwork before being directed to one of several seats for the jab & then off to a waiting area before going home. This one seated everyone in organized cubicles in rows where we filled out paperwork, gathered documents & waited for our chat & jab. I had another long rest before my jab. Good thing because then I had the hike to my car .  .  .  after my jab a nice lady asked if I needed a wheelchair ride to my car. I can't imagine what I must've looked like at that point.

Got myself home via Starbucks. It's amazing how fast you recover with some banana bread & a giant Passion Tea Lemonade on board! I made it home, had a sandwich & went for a nap. I woke up 41/2 hours later! 

Heat Wave Report

Well, wasn't that a weekend?? Actually it was 4 days of the worst heat I've ever experienced in my life. I don't have air conditioning but lucky for me, I have one ceiling fan over my bed & computer area & one tall, skinny, oscillating fan in front of my big leather chair. The oscillating fan is the one thing that kept me sane in my old basement apartment in August when we got our usual Vancouver heat every year!! It has a 'Hurricane' setting on it, hahaha

I don't recommend a leather recliner in the heat. Even with the fan busting it's chops to oscillate me into comfort, every part that touched the leather was soaking wet. I drank cold water for four days & munched on cold cherries, raspberries, blueberries & romaine lettuce leaves - it was too hot to do anything else! I did wipe myself down with cold water every time I went near the bathroom but was dry by the time I made it back to the chair. Sleeping naked under the ceiling fan was the only way to go!. A friend brought me Dilly bars from Dairy Queen but it was too hot for chocolate  .  .  .

But I survived. I think being fat & well hydrated is what saved me from the heat. I can go a very long time without food if I have to & I made sure I drank constantly. Kept two big jugs of water in the fridge to make sure, too. I hope this is NOT a hint of the days to come.

Tomorrow I go for my second Covid shot & I understand it will be substantially cooler in the morning. I'm ready. I never did make it to my Physio appointment but will do so next week since I really must work on my endurance so I can start shopping for myself again. Even to be able to go to my favorite Chinese market once again would be wonderful. BBQ pork, fish balls, baby bok choy, rice noodles & red bean moon cakes, yummmmm

Today I wanted meat! So off to my favorite cafe for a Beef dip to go. I told them I'd been living on fruit & romaine for the last 5 days & wanted some carbs & meat. That sandwich must've been 5 inches thick!!!! I was impressed. I parked under the trees, read my book for a bit & ate the whole thing - well, I did have a little help from the local crow who knows my car by now. 

Friday in the Heat

 Yesterday I had my appointment at the Physiotherapist. I had it all planned, timed & worked out. I even built in time to grab an egg mcmuffin & iced coffee on the way .  .  .  got one of my favorited parking spots & even a cement bench outside the walk-in clinic beside the inclined sidewalk I had to use to get there. I was already too hot - my appointment was at 11:20 - but I figured I could make it, after all, it's only around the corner from the clinic, right???

Well, no seats anywhere along the way. No fences, not posts, nothing! I was staggering a little by the time I reached the end of the front of the clinic but I made it out to the roadside & leaned on the telephone pole. Nothing there but the front of another professional building another 20 or 30 feet uphill. Asked passersby if there was a Physio clinic up there as I got my breath back. No one knew anything. I could see a Taco Time so I knew there was something up there. Staggered a little farther. Could SEE cement benches outside the professional building. Dragged myself to them & sat down before my wobbling knees gave out .  .  .  I stayed there in the hot sun until my heart rate & breathing got back to normal & asked a couple more people about the Physio office. No one knew a thing. Funny thing about that, everyone looked like I was bothering them! Did they think I was going to drop dead on the sidewalk & cause trouble?? Or was I begging?? I was too hot & short of breath to care about what anyone thought right about then & finally got myself inside the building. No seats inside but a long line-up instead. I'm at the LAB! inside the building where I'm parked! Holy crap, I don't have to walk all the way around to get back to my car!

Spoke to a couple of people in the line but no one knew of a Physio in the neighborhood. Decided it was too damned hot to go outside again, packed up & headed for the elevator. Got back to my car & turned on the air conditioning. Rested for a while & headed home. Got up that damn ramp at home, took off my clothes, fed the cat, got an ice water & sat at my desk under the fan turned up high. I've had my exercise for the day!

Then I called the Physiotherapist. Told them my story only to find out there's now TWO Urgent Care clinics in Surrey & they're next to the other one about 6 miles away. When did that happen??? So, I have a new appointment on Monday. Free parking in front of the clinic, no stairs, no walking, easy peasy. Shit.

Sizzling Thursday

 It's a beautiful day outside but it's too damned HOT to go anywhere!! Today I had an appointment with my eye Surgeon to get the pressure tested in my eyes post surgery. My Optometrist was supposed to do it but I still can't get up that huge ramp to his office to see him. Someone told me there's a door - now unlocked - in the far corner of the mezzanine where he & the druggist are located but it's such a long way around outside from the parking underground that I still can't get there. Maybe if someone installed a couple of benches at the top & bottom of the ramp, I could pull myself up with a rest  .  .  .  .  but no one is willing so far.  But - good news today - my surgeon says I have 20/20 vision in both eyes for the first time in my life without glasses!!! My pressure is good & he says cheaters should solve my fine print reading. I've done so well that I don't even have to see him for the 6 week evaluation. Whoopie.

Tomorrow I'm off to see a physio to be evaluated for walking & climbing stairs to see if I can improve with exercise. I've lost my endurance & ability to walk very far without running out of steam & breath. I am hoping it's just lost muscle tone from being at home on my ass for most of the pandemic & not decreased Oxygen  uptake. Although some of my friends have been pushing me to get a scooter to solve my mobility problems, I'm scratching & screaming every inch of the way. I want to retain some mobility on my own two feet if I can. We'll see what happens in the eval tomorrow morning.

Since we're having a heat wave, I think I'll stay home & wash all the bedding this weekend. I only use a fitted sheet & fluffy throw most of the year anyway but they smell so much better when dried outside in the wind & the sun. This past week I've been picking at my wardrobe & airing my favorite things outside too. All the household towels have been washed & dried in the sun. They smell soooo good. My lungs like this hot, dry weather - I should be living in the desert with a pond full of painted turtles!! I've always wanted to live in a Balinesian - where's spellchek when you need it?? eh? - style house full of ferns, surrounded by palms full of wildlife. Sigh. I do have a small porch  .   .   .   I guess I'll just spin next to  the clothes rack full of laundry on the porch.

Monday Morning

I am sitting here with TWO eyes with new lenses! The world is sure an interesting place when you can see it all - well, I can't read the fine print yet which is a pain but you can't have it all, can you??? Reading glasses later .  .  .  .  but for right now, holy crap! I can see the cobweb in the darkest corner & the dustbunnies under the shelf. My house is disgusting! I think I preferred it when I couldn't SEE it. Not like I can do a whole lot about it in the best of times since I'm not supposed to bend over to clean or push the vacuum back & forth. No matter what the doctors say, you have to do some cleaning & mopping!! 

I have my depth perception back!!  And everything looks bigger with both eyes fixed too. The second eye is a little touchier than the first - it's dry & a little itchy & reacts to the medication more. I haven't really decided if it's the surgery or a reaction to all the cottonwood floating in the air right now. I know I'm having allergy problems with all the sneezing, wheezing & itching .  .  .  .  

My best pal little Ron came by on Tuesday, last week & cleaned the bottom of my fridge out for me. He tossed it all - well, except for the bottles of wine! I can't even bend in to reach into the bottom. I need a fridge a little shallower but two feet higher off the ground, like a side by side with a big shelf or box underneath so I could access all of it. Then I might be able to clean it on my own. The world needs to let handicapped people design living spaces! It's one of my bug bears since I became a gimp. It's so much cheaper to live independently but little is designed to assist in that life. Take the humble toilet, for instance, it's too low for anyone with balance problems or wobbly legs but if you add aftermarket bars or lifts, you can't reach to clean yourself properly. Sinks are too low too. Bath tubs are too high. Things in high cabinets or low ones become inaccessible. I can put my slow cooker away in the cupboard above the stove easily but I can't get it down by myself. I have to leave most things out so I can see them & reach them but it makes the place look like a big mess. I'd like a counter top that runs all the way around my house with a nice shelf above it & drawers beneath it so I can find all the things I use every day. A Murphy bed that folds away at the touch of a button too. Who really needs a bed taking up space when you're not in it?? 

Got my chair & old Indian spinner outside on the porch - I finally started to wind off the last of the Sheep Shed roving I spun up over 2 years ago! I love the giant bobbin most of the time but it's a real pain in the ass to wind all the yarn off once it's full. But I have some old dark grey roving I want to finish spinning too. When I say old, I think I bought it way back when I first rented my basement suite, about 22 years ago .   .   .   I wanted to knit a sheep afghan & needed some dark grey for the border. It's quite dry & even with spinning oil on it, it sheds tiny bits into the air which make me wheeze. Spinning outside is the only way I can work with it until it's spun up. Why didn't I just toss it into the compost? It makes the most beautiful yarn in a soft bluey-grey color once it's spun, washed & conditioned. 

Right now I can spin or knit with large needles or crochet with a large hook. Fine stitches sort of blur away so I can't work on socks or the gloves I wanted to make. I can't see close enough to pluck an eyebrow but I can see all the makeup mistakes people on tv make. Hopefully, I'll be able to get some reading glasses in another month or so .   .   .   .   in the meantime, I can spin or knit up the purple Marble yarn into a light summer cardi for me. I believe it calls for a size 5mm circular needle.

What a Time I've Had

 It's been a busy week. I had a lot of errands to do in advance of my second cataract surgery since I won't be able to drive for a few days. I had to renew my car insurance, get my eye drops before surgery, renew & pick up my new orange puffer, send back the bras that won't fit, give blood at the lab, return leggings from another mail order, return an Mp3 player that won't play Mp4s, pick up a few groceries that I was too tired to collect last week, fill up the gas tank & drop off several tax returns. I'm okay with two or three errands as long as I don't have to walk too far or haul the O2 machine in & out more than three times. I just don't have enough oxygen circulating in the old bod to do more than that until I build up my endurance. Right now, after being house bound for Covid, I might be able to walk to the end of the block in an afternoon if I had too but wouldn't be able to walk back. I just can't keep enough oxygen circulating in my blood to operate all my arms & legs, breathe, think & talk at the same time. So, usually, I time things in twos with a sit down break or lunch in the park. I renewed my insurance next door to London Drugs when I went to get my prescriptions. Lucky day for me because Clover Leaf canned Sockeye was $2 off!! I bought SIX of them for the pantry. When I got finished, I drove home via my favorite café & got Fish & Chips to go for lunch! Then I had to go to bed when I got home .  .  .  .  

I am feeling a lot better for getting out more though. I haven't made it to Safeway or my Chinese grocery yet but they're on the list for next week. I've been way too tired with all my little errands this week. But I now have two huge tubs of flowers on my porch! A little side trip to the dollar store next to the Lab  got me $30 worth of silk flowers in pinks, purples & greens with some Baby's Breath for fun & filled them both with tons of color with no watering!!! 

Since I can't knit socks or anything fine until after my surgery & new eyeglasses, I've been eye balling that huge bag of acrylic laying on my living room floor. I hate acrylic yarns BUT they do make interesting afghans for shut ins. Since I can't find anyone who wants the stuff .  .  .  .  maybe I could crochet them into something useful. I don't like sewing things together but I can crochet a giant granny square afghan or lapghan to give away locally. And I DO miss working on something .  .  .  .

Peering at a Real Life

 Almost everyone I know has had at least one shot of vaccine by now except a couple of vaxavoiders - I'm shocked to admit I actually know a couple - so I've decided to come out of my cave somewhat & visit some of my old haunts. I miss steamed buns, Chinese sausage, BBQ pork & fish balls. I miss baby bok choy too. So I shall be going back to my favorite Chinese grocery store. I miss Safeway's bagged salads with shaved Brussels Sprouts in them. But most of all, I miss the people I know in all the small shops I go to. And I really need to get out & walk more .  .  .  .

Yesterday I went to my mailbox myself for the first time in months. They know me well. They had my box opened, emptied & put in a bag with handles before I got the door open!! LOL They know I have to hook the bag onto my O2 machine .  .  .  .  unfortunately, Canada Post wouldn't deliver a small package because money was due - Gawd knows they can't miss their $7 processing fee - so I was forced to go to the Postal Station to collect it & pay the fee. No handicap parking in sight!! So I took TWO spots as close to the door as I could - yeah, I need a wider spot to get my O2 machine in & out! And there was no dip in the sidewalk so I had to hang onto the car hood to climb up the curb. Out of breath before I even started the trudge to the door. Made it there & back with only a couple of stops to catch my breath but felt exhausted. And then I had to pee. Got myself down to my favorite café - I knew they'd let me in to pee - and came away with a glorious Beef Dip & Caesar salad on the side to eat in the park. Drove over to Starbucks & ordered a Gigantic, Ginormous Passion Tea Lemonade which I enjoyed with my sandwich while parked under a tree.

By the time I got home, it was all I could do to get up that ramp with two bags of mail, necessaries & the O2 machine. Made it in time for another pee - all that lemonade - get my shoes off, fill the cat food dish & fall on the bed with the door ajar for the cat. I slept for FOUR & a half hours & didn't know if it was morning or evening when I woke. All I could do for the rest of the evening was sit in my chair, watch TV & breathe. Good thing I had salad & fruit left from my lunch to eat. I was back in bed early. And I still feel tired today! I think I'll just sit on the porch & arrange my two big pots of flowers. 

At Last

I've been hauling around the check my lawyer sent me for the final disposition of  my Ex's estate for a couple of weeks. I sort of knew what I wanted to do with it but the trip to the bank to sort it all was a little more than I could handle emotionally. I'm not used to having more money than I can spend in a month, never mind for every month in the last year & a half. Every time I check my bank account, there's more money in there!! So this huge - for me anyway - check just weirded me out. Today I - finally - got rid of the check.

The new Bank branch was overjoyed to take my money. They gave me TWO people to handle it all. One does regular banking & one does investments. I like them both but the investment banker is the bomb!! I had picked two funds to invest in already - I had been watching one of them for years & got my Ex into it. My new banker agreed with me for different reasons though. And then I suggested we take $10,000 & do something a little riskier with it. I asked for his favorite fund & we talked about it for a while before picking it up, just for fun. This one should be fun to watch since it's up & down & all over like a roller coaster but it has significantly increased over time. It's all Equities(stocks) so it bounces with the Market but it has everything from Johnson & Johnson to Disney in it. 

And after all of that, I even renewed my Driver's License today. I'm legal to drive once more!! Then I came home, fell on my bed & slept like the dead for 5 hours!!

 Wow, did it ever get cold & wet around here!! I'm back in my winter sweats & added wooly blanket when I watch TV. I could turn on the furnace again but it's not really cold enough for that. Just cool & damp. Even the feral cat wants to come inside.

I'm able to get up & down the ramp to my car once again - not without some problems though - twice is my limit before the old knee starts complaining & I have to be careful using the handrail since I picked up a big splinter in my palm on Sunday. The cat has been sitting on the corner where it's wider & sharpened her claws on the handrail. Thank you Fluffy. But never mind, it sure was nice to get to Rotten Ronnie's for a coffee & McMuffin AND down to my favorite café for a chicken Caesar salad. Now to get my hair cut & my Driver's license renewed!!

Don't mind saying that it feels like I've been released from jail. I have nowhere to go but I have the freedom to go there! Isn't that the silliest thing you ever heard??? 

One of my buddies dropped by on Sunday morning with a coffee - lovely man - he was an hour & a half standing in line for his Covid shot on Friday, then spent Saturday feeling nauseous & headachy. Woke up Sunday feeling fine. Crazy eh?? I just felt tired the next day when I got mine. Funny how we all react differently .  .  .  . Another friend dropped in this afternoon with a baked lasagna with meat balls in hand - and his tax stuff - he'd just heard via the grapevine that I'd fallen & was limping around. He's 69 & still works 2 nights a week delivering for an Italian café & 4 half days for Skip the Dishes. He loves it. Every time he visits, he brings Italian food which is great for a change. It's the only time I ever eat lasagna so I really enjoy it.

Knitting - no knitting. Can't see up close until I get my glasses adjusted. I may try the drugstore 'cheaters' to see if I can read with my fixed eye. Can't see anything without glasses with my unfixed eye. But I can spin, wind off yarn & make balls out of skeins. So, guess what I'll be doing?? 

Working on Walking

Dragged my sorry ass down the ramp to the car on Sunday with two bags of garbage attached to the hook on my O2 machine. Knee still sore but I did it anyway! Spent most of the afternoon resting with my feet up in preparation & was able to drive with NO PROBLEMS. Wish I could say the same for getting from the car to the first station inside .  .  .  it ain't easy with a cane AND a portable O2 machine on wheels. They saw me coming, waved me to the nearest chair & did everything from that chair. Nice folks. They kept me for a half hour after the shot instead of 15 minutes to make sure I was okay & I sailed out to my car & off to Church's Chicken for my take-out dinner. Got home with no problems, made it up the damn ramp, ate my dinner & was in bed before 9PM.

Next day I just felt tired & was sore at the injection site. That's it. Now to work at getting stronger so I can get my Driver's License renewed. Three weeks off my feet made me weaker than ever!! 

You can tell Spring is in the air - all the For Sale signs have sprung up in front yards all over the neighborhood!! I know I need to sell the shack but it's so nice around here for most of the year! And it's quiet unless the neighbors two doors down are partying. I just hate the thought of living in an apartment building with people surrounding me on all sides with noise & fumes. I think I now understand the 'cabin in the woods' mentality that older men get. 

I also really want to buy good dirt & fill up all the planters on the porch, maybe even that pair of size 14 rubber boots I bought for Marlow that only got worn twice, cherry tomatoes would do well in them!!! I want to hang up a basket of trailing plants in the corner & get another Snake plant to replace the one I lost in the move .  .  .  .  sigh

Knitting - no knitting going on right now but I am winding off all that white wool I spun in my old apartment. My giant bobbin holds a lot. Somewhere in my storage locker, there's about 10 huge skeins of the same wool - it's very sproingy, if you know what I mean, & loosely spun. I wanted to dye it all when I finished spinning it & knit it into a top-down, round yoked, cardigan. I even bought a Mother Mackenzie's dye kit & saved a whole lot of Kool Aid in a special Blue - Astro Blaster Blue, I believe. I can't knit until I get my second eye done since I will need reading glasses to see. My arms are just not long enough!!

I have a lovely bin of Romney roving I bought eons ago. It's kind of a dry, dark grey but spins up into a really nice color with a hint of blue. I just spray it with spinning oil & it spins like a dream. It seems to be spinning weather outside right now & I can see to do it without a problem.

Happy Birthday to Me

Today I am 70. Never dreamed I'd be this old when I was young. I still remember the days when the chant was - Never Trust Anyone Over 30! The same days when I couldn't get into Welding school without a Sponsor & guaranteed job because I was a woman. No bathrooms for women in the muffler shop, mechanic shop, welding shop .  .  .  .  .  And why wouldn't I want to go to secretarial school anyway??? 

Those were the days of Live Fast, Die Young. If you remember the 60s, you weren't there! Well, I was there. Working for $1.35 an hour at two jobs trying to save money to go to college since I couldn't be a Welder & my parents had 5 more kids to educate. 

But I'm not going to say I didn't have fun. I tried my hand at hitching around the country, you could get a job washing dishes anywhere! I couldn't drink the water on the Prairies but loved Alberta. Hated Toronto but the water & the islands were good. Missed the Maritimes, to my regret, because I always wanted to go there. Was warned out of Quebec in the early 70s & never made it back. Found out along the way that I needed roots & a home so I came back, kicked the duffle to the curb, got a job & went to college.

Here I am 50 years later - the world has really changed in my lifetime! TV in your car now - when I was a kid, some of us actually had TV but it wasn't in color! And it came in a big cabinet & signed off the air every evening. Radios still had to be plugged in until Transistors hit the market when I was around 12 - battery operated! Woohoo - a kid's dream, no more crystal sets. Remember phones with a partyline?? The whole neighborhood got to listen in when your boyfriend called. Everyone still drove standard transmissions too until my aunty got an automatic imported. She had a Pushbutton gear changer on the dash. Nowadays cars park themselves. And every house has a computer .  .  .  

I'm still taking college courses with Coursera. That is if I can co-ordinate the eye balls & the brain with hands & feet. Speaking of body parts, my leg is a lot better although my ankle is still sore & knee unstable enough that I won't climb over my bathtub for a shower even with the seat in there. I haven't been down the ramp to the garbage yet but I think I'll make a trip today. And try getting into the car since I have my Covid shot booked for Sunday. 

Big Game Hunting . . . . Wheelchair

Wheelchair or Transport chair, that is the question! or sell my car & buy a van with hydraulic lift & scooter? My knee still isn't well. I still can't stand at the sink & wash dishes. One of my pals suggested I just buy a good folding wheelchair because I'm not going to grow a new body any time soon & I should be prepared. He has a point. It's not easy to get a wheelchair when you can't go see it & try it out. I need the Big Girl chair with a wider ass & no one has one in the shop. The spiffy lighter - 33 lbs - one I want is backordered. I want one that folds with one click removable foot rests, backordered. The heavy steel one found at the airport is in stock but costs $300 more & is almost 60lbs. I don't want to take out my back stowing a wheelchair in the van.

This past week I had to cancel two medical appointments because I can't walk well enough to get to them. Renting a wheelchair is almost impossible on short notice & my doctor has to arrange a loaner with the Red Cross in advance. That is, if they have one. She called today & is arranging to send the portable Lab people to sample my blood & hopefully, give me my Covid shot. She is also willing to see me about my leg but I'll go next week if it doesn't get better - I figure I SHOULD be able to walk by then!! But I did suggest some good drugs would help but all she'd offer is Naproxen - nasty stuff burns my gut!! Back to Tylenol Arthritis, I guess .  .  .  .  Hopefully all this is just a bad  memory by May04 when I see the eye surgeon once more.

Today - Saturday - Mike dropped off a big bottle of Tylenol Arthritis on Thursday. It made a big difference in my pain level. I am now able to walk a lot easier although I can't walk for very long or down that damned ramp to my car or garbage can. It does dull the pain in my hip & knee so I can get up & down a whole lot easier. Maybe I can get something into the slow cooker today. I'm pretty tired of sandwiches & cold food that I can carry in a plastic bag. Hopefully life will be better this coming week because I'm looking forward to going for a drive even if it's only to fill the gas tank or get a coffee! Anywhere but here is fine with me!!

Sunday morning coming round

 WooHoo - Easter Sunday! And I'm still upright - well, sort of. I was on my feet too much yesterday & can barely walk today. I did manage a couple of trips to the fridge on top of everything else yesterday - I wanted meat & red peppers on my bread & cheese. You can really get tired of cold fast food breakfast sandwiches quickly. It was lovely at the time but a rotisserie chicken would've hit the spot last night. I did manage to cut the peppers into strips for a nice crunchy moment after I dropped the remote on the floor.

Today, I think I'll stay in bed & listen to audiobooks on my old IPod .  .  .  . & wish for some good dope for the discomfort .  .  .  .  

Still Hobbling

Well, I survived the day after the fall. I would've cheerfully gone to the hospital any time that day if it wasn't for Covid. One of my pals called me in the evening of that day & told me he would be around in the morning with some goodies from Tim Horton's. I was thrilled. Two days after my nose dive & my entire side is still  painful but not as much as the day after & everything moves a little better. I spent a lot of time in bed flexing my thigh & moving my ankle around to loosen everything up. Ron brought enough chicken strips & breakfast sandwiches to feed me for the day!!! But the hot coffee was the best part. I could've kissed him. I was able to get to my recliner in the evening for a little TV.

At midnight, all the power went out with a bang. I was in my recliner on my house O2 when everything failed - the whole neighborhood was black!! I had to find my house machine - I have a 150' of hose, shut off the alarm, get my portable machine, check the O2 level in the tank & get it to my bed so I could breathe. Good thing I had the cell phone in my sweatshirt pouch so I had a light. One more lesson learned - buy flashlights for each room!

Today, on Good Friday, I'm still sore enough that I can't walk too far, stand too long or carry anything hot but I can move around a whole lot easier than yesterday. My knee is round again, instead of square. I definitely did the most damage to my right knee & calf muscles but moving them kept them loose. Both knees are very tender where I landed but every day I can move a little better. Hopefully I'll be back to normal soon because I have an Optometrist appointment on April 6th to get my glasses adjusted.

It never rains but it pours .  .  .  .  .

In the Arms of a Fireman

 It's official. I am officially old & infirm. Yesterday, to my disgust, I fell on my face on my porch. I got up from the chair, hooked my foot under the open screen door, twisted my knee & ankle & fell onto my knees on the porch. 'Course, I couldn't get up & my knees hurt so bad I ended up face down. The person I had just said goodbye to wanted to get me up but  I needed more than one person to help since I was in pain. All I could think of was a fractured ankle so I waited for the Fire Department to arrive. Of course they came with an ambulance .  .  .  .  .  and then all the neighbors lined up to goggle .  .  .  .  .  sigh

The Fire guys got me up PDQ - amazing guys - and set me back on my chair with my cane. I was in pain but could move everything & bear weight on that leg. I was sore from foot to hip, including my knees on both legs but everything worked so I didn't go to the hospital. I figured the next couple of days would be tough but manageable.

Today has been awful. It would've been nice to lay in a hospital bed with people bringing drugs & putting my eye drops in for me. Looks like I wrenched my knee really well & it's extremely painful. It didn't help that I landed on my knees either. My entire right side is painful but I can get from bed to computer - it's two painful steps & to the bathroom - only when I have to - with difficulty. If I didn't have bars on the toilet, I don't think I'd be able to get back up again. I can't make it to the kitchen yet or carry anything so I drink in the bathroom & I'm fasting today. I did manage to get the front door - four steps from the bed - open so the cat could come in & eat. I figure a couple of days in bed will help my knee a whole bunch & maybe tomorrow I can get to my recliner. On the way, maybe I can grab a package of cheese slices, a box of Triscuits & a bag of baby carrots. If I can't carry them, I can sure stuff something into my sweatshirt pouch, ha ha ha.

Eye Report

 Well, here I am 7 days post cataract surgery. I have to say it was the easiest, quickest, least intrusive   surgery I've ever had. It took longer to sew the end back on my thumb when I tried to slice it off with a can!! Other than dumping a whole lot of disinfectant into my ear & hair, the whole thing was fast, tidy & painless. I felt nothing other than one little tug. I didn't need pain killers. No pain, just itchy & teary from the medication. The worst part of the whole thing is those damn eye drops. I swear I'm still dropping them in through my eye lashes .  .  .  .  .  

My new eye does get tired. When it does, I have to take a short nap or wear my glasses so it's fuzzed out of focus. The first three days I took long naps & went to bed really early. I ate lightly & drank only water. Yesterday, I put on my sunglasses & went for a coffee. I found it easier to drive with my glasses on, using my bad eye and made sure I had my best sunglasses on. Since it was only a few blocks & familiar, all went well. Walking is a bit of a problem, I use one eye with the other closed since my depth perception is wonky. But, all in all, I recommend this surgery to everyone. Just get yourself someone to put the drops in if you can.

Knitting - no knitting at all. I suspect there will be no knitting until I get the lens removed from my glasses where the fixed eye is. I can't see anything if I take them off & one eye is totally blurred out with them on. What's a knitter to do?? I may try spinning instead.

Oh by the way - just got an invite from Clara Parks to join the Wool Channel. It's a pay-to-access site but I signed on for a couple of months to see what it's all about - only about $10. Will it become another Ravelry?? 

Post Op Report

 

For the first time in my life I can watch TV & see the nose hairs of the actors. That is how clear my vision is in my right eye. I've worn glasses since I was 8 years old & never had vision like this! Not only that, it's like someone washed the yellowy-brown nicotine stain away - the colors are so clear & bright. It's also very weird having only one eye done while the other is not. I still have to wear my glasses to see out of the other eye . . . . .  you'd think someone would remove the lens I don't need any more but I don't even see the optometrist for two weeks! They told me I may still need glasses for reading but if the other eye works out like this one - no way. I could leave my glasses off but the fixed eye gets 'tired' if I use it all the time. Poor thing, it's been through a lot in 24 hours. Too bad I have to wait 6 weeks before I can get the other one fixed but maybe by then I'll be good at using all the damned eye drops in teeny tiny bottles.