Week 3 - Rockin' Plan B

What’s not to like about a week that starts with a Monday holiday? Nothing except that it’s the last one for a LONG time. I couldn’t tell you what I did on MLK Day but I’d bet there was lots of sitting and knitting in the sun followed by Monday Night Knitting at the library. I may have made a pot of chicken soup somewhere in there. Whatever I did, I’m sure I enjoyed the day off.

Tuesday was an early start with breakfast for Cindy’s birthday with the work gang at Cook’s Café. I happily ate sausage (best in town) and a peanut butter pancake. Even on a 1200 day that blew my calories before work but it was worth it.

Wednesday was cleaning lady day and I spent quite a chunk of time trying to find the perfect wording for a note about the floors, which have been a constant source of frustration for both of us. Laminate floors are a bear to clean and if any non-laminate cleaner is used, it creates a gummy gunge on the surface that you actually stick to as you walk. This had not sunk in no matter how many times I discussed it with her and she was spending WAY too much time on the floor because she was using the wrong cleaners and so was creating a problem that she was then frustrated trying to clean. Having spent hours scrubbing the gunge after her last clean, I was determined to get through to her. I even had a picture of the gunge covered Swiffer cover from when I had cleaned. I had 2 people edit my note to remove any vestiges of snark and left if on Wednesday morning in hopes that I’d come home to a clean floor. Of course she messaged me saying her husband was sick and she’d be coming Thursday, which gave me another day of worry. The good news is that I did come home to a much cleaner floor and a note from her saying she’d keep doing it that way, which was MUCH less labor intensive too. Alas, my purchase of Lime Away did nothing to improve the bathroom cleaning but I live in hope.

Thursday night was dinner out at Piedmont Bistro for Rene’s birthday. Anne, Rene and I had a wonderful meal, complete with a huge piece of chocolate cake that they brought with 3 forks without us even ordering it. Yum! Another food even to tank my 1200 calorie week but, again, it was worth it. And it was not my last food obligation for the week because I was heading to Sioux Falls on Saturday to hang with Connie.

That was the plan at least. Connie was there for business that finished late Friday so I was driving up Saturday morning to play with Connie all day and then we’d both drive home on Sunday. Until we saw the weather forecast. There was a storm coming that was forecast to snow all across South Dakota all day on Sunday. When I mentioned it to Connie on Friday, she realized she would need to drive home on Saturday so we cancelled. While I’d miss seeing Connie, I was happy to have a free weekend to stay inside and cozy if it was going to now.

Yeah right! When Andrea found out I wasn’t out of town, she asked if I was going to go to spinning, which was totally off my radar because I had planned on not being able to go. Of course I said I’d go and we planned to go to The Post afterwards since it was playing at 4:00 in Fremont and I had wanted to see it with Connie. Plan B works.

It was so gorgeous out on Saturday morning that I spent some time outside changing out Christmas decorations and doing some general neatizing of the yard. I didn’t finish it but any time spent outside in January is a bonus. I ran to Dollar General to pick up some totes and then met Andrea at her shop. She’d called me earlier so say we needed to “stop at the auction” in Fremont, which meant we’d be going to the auction instead of spinning, which worked for me. I can sit and knit anywhere. I was good and only spent $3, leaving with a fun new plant stand and an orange bowl. Andrea didn’t get the spinning wheel she wanted but did get an industrial swift for a total deal so it was worth it. We went from there to the movie, which was excellent, then stopped at HyVee before heading to Todd’s in Cedar Bluffs for a burger and tots with beer. Yum! All in all, it was a satisfying Plan B day.

Sunday was a regular chore day, which always includes a leisurely morning of TV and knitting in the sun. My back room is a job in the winter when the sun is out so after my recharge morning absorbing sun, I can plow into the usual laundry, dishes and cooking. All good. Except for the blizzard forecast for Monday. I went to be doubtful that UNL would close despite most of eastern Nebraska having cancelled Sunday night. I’d be staying home most likely so the only question was whether I’d be using vacation time or not. 

Week 2 - Normal Life Returns!

You have never seen anyone so excited for a Monday. But this Monday was the beginning of my return to normal and I couldn’t have been happier to start my week.

I was so excited to get back into the pool that I was skipping knitting to swim – something I never do. But I’d just had the knitters’ tea the day before so it was well worth it. I jumped in the deep end and it was like a baptism to start life with my new knee. I was careful with which moves I did but regardless, it felt great to be back in the pool. Even getting out, which had been my main concern, wasn’t too hard and I managed on my own but with Rene spotting me from behind. Happy happy.

I did wake up to a swollen leg – not just my knee but all the way to my ankle. It was well worth it as far as I was concerned and when I went to my LAST PT on Tuesday afternoon, they didn’t seem worried about it either. That last session was pretty useless and I danced out of there after thanking them for helping me all year. Between my shoulder and knee, I’d spent 6 months there and they really are wonderful. But with that last PT session done, I was truly approaching normal. Sort of.

I swam Wednesday night and had no swelling. Progress! But then I was faced with Thursday. Despite it being in the high 50’s after work, a storm was predicted that would start with rain late Wednesday night, which would them freeze and be covered with snow. Many schools had already cancelled but I wasn’t taking any chances on UNL, which is miserly in awarding snow days, so had told Nora I’d be taking a vacation day. I had more vacation time in my bank than I’d ever had so it was worth it so I wouldn’t have to chance falling. But nothing in my life is easy. Of course my cat’s mouth was stuck open and she was freaked and so wouldn’t come in despite me trying just about everything. I had no choice but to go to bed at 10:00 even as the temperature was plummeting. Needless to say, I was up several times during the night trying to get her in without success. At 2:00 a.m., I saw no trace of rain and it was already snowing. Hmmm....

I woke up on Thursday to wind and blowing snow but very little actual accumulation. I still happily stayed inside, knitting and streaming. Only when I watched my neighbor walk across her driveway like it was nothing did I suspect that there was no ice under the dusting of snow. I decided to try it but took no chances, putting on crampons to go to the mailbox. Yup, no ice at all so it never did rain in Wahoo. I was still happy to have taken the day off. I was even happier when Pie finally came into the house. She had been out all night in the storm and came back late morning with her fur covered with snow, her mouth still wide open and dead leaves frozen into the drool on her chest. She wouldn't let me near her but at least she was inside and warm. 

I was determined to be somewhat productive with my bonus day off so went through all the shoes in my house, ending with a big bag to donate and a couple to go to the cobbler. Then I sat down to prep the year end treasurer's report for my Friends of the Library meeting, which lead to doing the long overdue update to the membership list. I had no luck with Pie but All in all, it was still a good day.

When I got up, Pie ran to the back door and I was able to grab her and easily got her mouth shut. I opened a can of wet food and mixed half of it with water, which she gobbled down and then ran downstairs. I left for work knowing she'd be good as new by the time I got home. I had a nice catch up lunch with Layton and grabbed a few groceries at HyVee afterwards so I could head right home after swimming. It was a 3 day weekend so nothing wrong with that. I had the Friends meeting first thing in the morning, which got me up and out. Afterwards, Lorri, Glenda and I went out for coffee. After a quick stop home, I headed to Nancy Meyer's for tea and catching up. It was a lovely day and I ended it with Guinness, tuna nachos and a new British series - The Detectorists. LOVE it! You should check it out on either Prime or Netflix.

There was a lecture at the library on Sunday that I was interested in going to but I completely spaced, not remembering about it until the next morning. It was bitter cold so staying inside wasn't all bad. Sunday was just my regular chore day but even that felt good. My knee was doing fine and other than my fear of walking on ice, I just ignored it and did whatever. Normal, see? And Monday was a day off so more good to add to an already fabulous week. Here's my happy laundry picture to end the week with - pair after pair of handmade socks drying in the sun.

Week 1 - Work and Tea

Happy 2018! In case it's not obvious, I have big plans for 2018. Not having major surgery is my #1 goal and getting back to normal, including eating healthy and moving every chance I get, is #2. That's good enough for me. But New Year's Day didn't cooperate with any return to normal.

One of my favorite holiday traditions is my New Year's Knitters' Tea where I pull out the china, sweets and goody bags for my knitting friends. But with the high temperature forecast of 1 degree with a windchill well below zero, I postponed the tea until Sunday. That left me, you guessed it, streaming and knitting on my own all day but everyone was safe and sound so it was the right decision.

The alarm going off Tuesday morning, which was the first time in 2 months, was brutal. Not only was I heading back to work full-time for the first time since my surgery but I had PT scheduled at 7:00 a.m., which was my method to fit 3 sessions into a 4 day week. So my version of full-time included leaving early Wednesday and Thursday after going in late Tuesday but I was in the home stretch so it was hopefully my last week of PT.

Work was super quiet with many people on vacation but even more in my office out sick. Colds, stomach bug and influenza (confirmed) were in the mix. Lana and I were the only ones unscathed so it was a quiet week, which worked for me to ease back into a normal-ish work routine. I even managed to do some long overdue thrifting at lunch, which was fun. Friday was there in a flash and I left at 3:00 to drop some cat pee at the vet for testing (Gansey has a kidney infection so I left with antibiotics) and then head to PT. I had hoped it would be my last but when they heard I was planning to swim on Monday for the first time, they wanted me there Tuesday to assess how my knee did. Just one more is fine by me. I'm ready to be done!

My cleaning lady had come on Wednesday and the laminate floor was a mess when she left. I had told her repeatedly not to use anything but laminate cleaner on the floor and clearly that had escaped her. There was a layer of gunge so thick on the floor that you stuck when you walked on it so I spent 3 hours on Saturday afternoon bent over at the waist scrubbing the floor by hand. I moved all the furniture in the family room except the TV stand and desk and the floor was squeaky clean when I was done. With that taken care of, I only had tea prep left for Sunday morning.

I started at 9:30 with moving furniture into the family room and then started washing teapots/cups and baking. I had my favorite store bought German cookies and homemade candy plus a cherry stollen from Aldi so made lemon chip cookies to add to the sweets. I had a cranberry covered goat cheese log and crackers but needed something savory so googled a bit and winged something with a can of crescent dough I had bought on a whim my first time at Aldi after surgery. I mixed blue cheese crumbles with snipped golden raisins, chopped walnuts and a bit of butter then spread that between 2 layers of dough, cut it in strips and twisted them before baking. They were delicious and a hit with the knitters. 

I had one no show (Anne Marie - go figure) so there were 7 of us knitting and snacking in the sun all afternoon. The tea always starts at 1:00 and people start leaving when we lose the sun. The goody bags were a hit and it was another successful tea and still a wonderful way to start the year, even when delayed. The dripping from melting snow and ice as people left was the icing on the cake. 

Since I was going into my first full 5 day week of work, I got busy as soon as everyone left and had everything 100% cleaned up and put back to normal before I sat down to dinner. I had sent everyone home with baggie of leftovers so I only had a few cookies for dessert and that was it. Because my plan for the next day was to start rotating and lose some of the weight I'd gained after 2 months of sitting on my butt on top of holiday eating. I'd also be swimming Monday and going to my last PT Tuesday so normal was right around the corner. And as for my knee, I was on it all afternoon Saturday (damn floor!) and from 9:30 until 1:00 doing tea prep Sunday with no problems so that's getting better too. 

I hope my plans for a healthy and active 2018 come to fruition. Hopefully your 2018 will be all you hope for too. Happy New Year!

2018 - Just One Word

So, it's time to pick another word for the year. I've tried all kinds in recent years and thought last year's word - Curate - would be a good one. But who knew when I chose it that I'd be having 2 major surgeries, 2.5 months off work and 6 months of PT! Survival and bare necessities were all I managed in 2017. Oh well. Best laid plans and all.

Well now that my shoulder is fixed and my knee is nearly there, I've chosen a very practical word for 2018:

Movement

Now who'd have thought that I could get sick of sitting, knitting and streaming with a cat on my lap. Not I. But with so much down time and so few options, by the end of the year, I couldn't wait to move. Swim, walk, bike, anything! So hopefully 2018 will bring lots of opportunities for movement of all kinds, with the added bonus of not having to worry about blowing my knee from overuse. Now for the ice and snow to melt so I can start with walks around campus. 

Weeks 41-52 Catch Up Post

Well, it’s been awhile since I posted but I’m clearly not ready to give up on my blog so I’m doing a quick catch up to finish out 2017 and will start fresh for 2018. It’s absolutely ridiculous that I got so far behind, especially because I had all the time in the world to blog but that’s life.

My last post was right before my trip to Ireland. Needless to say, I had a fantastic trip. Here's a link to pictures in case you're interested. The 6 day tour was great but the icing on the cake was spending the final weekend with Francoise and Bridget in Northern Ireland. I would travel with them again anytime! We got along famously and spent our days leisurely exploring in our rental car, taking turns on a whim based on brown (tourist attractions) and gold (galleries and craft places) and having a wonderful time. Anne and I flew back on a Tuesday and I was back at work on Wednesday because I only had 5 working days before my surgery.

My knee replacement went really well and I was back home the next day. My sister was there to help me out for the first week and after that I was on my own. Other than driving myself to PT (just 5 blocks from my house) and an occasional trip to the library or local supermarket, I barely left the house until Black Friday. I drove to Omaha as a trial of my 30 minute commute to work, which I thought I’d go back to part-time after Thanksgiving. Yeah, that didn’t happen. My knee swelled so ridiculously after my brief foray to the yarn shop in Omaha that I was down for another week. Then when I was supposed to teach classes the first week in December, Nora and Cindy informed me that they’d rescheduled them all to the following week so I didn’t start back part-time until December 12^th. I wasn’t even full-time by Christmas. Oh well. Best laid plans and all. I do work with the best people, btw.

I didn’t let my knee stop me from my Christmas trip back to Rhode Island. I took my cane with me just in case (I hadn’t been using it for weeks) and was one of the first people on the plane in both directions. The trip was fun as always but low key all around with every celebration being small and intimate. I flew home the Wednesday after Christmas but was miserably uncomfortable on the 2^nd flight and got home at 1:00 a.m. after a delay with my leg swollen down to my ankle. I was supposed to see the surgeon the next morning but woke up with such a bad headache (and I rarely get them – not even once/year) that I threw up. So I rescheduled the appointment and went back to bed. Bitter cold weather set in so I was back to not leaving the house except for PT on Friday. By Saturday the swelling was down but I didn’t push it, staying inside for the rest of 2017.

So as you can see, I had all the time in the world to blog when I was home for weeks on end after surgery. I just didn’t do it. Call this good and 2018 is a new year. All good.