Sundays @ 115.

That's Mah Jong time. Here's my lucky bracelet.

End of a garden.

It's too hot for anything now but basil and rosemary. A few tomatoes are left.And one lonely sunflower and some lettuce. Michael thinks it is deer getting into everything. Especially since the shrub beneath the kitchen window that normally requires trimming every week has, oddly, shrunk two feet. The rabbits could have eaten the greens off the radishes and carrots but not a shrub and sunflower stems. I've seen them snacking on greens. They only have little tiny teeth.

Mystique stands guard from the lanai.

That's what we call these little screen rooms here in Florida. I don't know why since that is a Hawaiian word and we are no where near Hawaii. But we do. So there you have it. Next time you look the door and trim will be green.

craigslist

I found this wicker furniture on craigslist. That was a deal. Then I blew it buying new cushions but I like it all a whole lot better. Here is before.

Here is after.Flip it over and the flowers are stripes. I love it.

New birdies a comin'.

This time she is in my hose hanger upper thing. I hung a towel in there to dry and it has been confiscated as part of the nest.

Mommy. Babies to be.

Arm use.

I have almost total use and recovery of my right arm. The tough part is lifting it. And lifting things. No strength yet. Moving side to side is easy. I can almost reach around my back. Almost. OK, I can put my hand on my hip.

If you think it's easy try putting your arm into a sling for a week. Tight up against your torso. You'd be amazed at what you can't do.

And watch Rome. It was excellent. A little bloody in parts but a fabu production. Thanks to the Thomas' for turning me onto that.

Sutures removed.

I got to see the video of the surgery. You can see the full tear, the partial tear, and all the little frays. Then you see all the tie downs and bolts. Pretty amazing.

New therapy exercises were assigned. No need to sleep with the sling on any longer. One more week and it's back to work. Watching season two.

CARNIVORE!

This week I craved meat. Lots and lots of meat. I think it's a post surgical thing.
Thank God for Fresh Market. I got ribs, spiral cut ham, meatballs and a steak. That's more meat that I usually eat in a month.

Surgery - Part Deux

Rotator cuff surgery in four one inch incisions. That's it. At least for me.

Check this link.

It's done by remote control while the doctor looks at a flat panel monitor. Out came the spur. He cleaned up the crud in the area and then did the drilling, anchoring, and tying. Pretty darn amazing.

Received via SFCC Alert system to cell phone - Message 1

SFCC received unspecified bomb threat. College is open. Use caution check work areas report anything suspicious to SFCC Police.

Received via SFCC Alert system to cell phone - Message 2

SFCC has ended operations in response to an unspecified bomb threat today. College is open. Thank you for your attention and cooperation.

It's a good day.

I have total use and CONTROL of my right hand again. Not my arm but a hand is a good start. And I'm off pain meds enough to concentrate on a movie. Time for season one.

Friends rock!

My friends have done day sitter service, meal delivery service, and general calling and cheering up service.

They were here almost 24/7 the first four days.

They brought Satchel's, Chan's, and Fazzoli's and laughter.

They made this whole thing pretty darn easy.

Surgery - Part Un

The radiant pain that ran down arm to my elbow then onto my thumb is gone. That fast.

When the doctor called this afternoon he said that was because when he took the spur out and cleaned out the scar tissue (impingement) it released the tendon that was pinched. Voila, no more pain in elbow or thumb. I like it.

Add this to the list; a long handled but very soft bristled shower brush. Unless you are way more ambidextrous than me. Even then you just can't stretch the way you need/want to. Get the brush.

Oh...that doctor was right about the pain.

He warned me that when the nerve block wore off it would be a killer. He was more than right. For 24 hours I was numb. Then the hurting began. WOW. That's all I've got to say. That and thank God for JoAnn's determination to stay the night.

Here come Tari and the kinders.

It's time to leave for the OR.

My bed is fresh and opened and ready for me to jump into as soon as I get back. The wastebasket/towel is next to the bead (for you know...just in case). The bedside table has a glass of water with a straw, a notebook and pen (keep track of what time you take the pain meds), a couple of hard candies and a candle and lighter.

You may want a pair of reading glasses and a magazine but my house is little so I left all that out by (as JoAnn calls it) the command center in the living room. For me it is bed/sleep or couch/up. The two rarely overlap.

There are fresh towels in the bathroom. Every convenience I can think of for myself has been attended to. Why not? It's a long week ahead.

Pre surgery prep.

Really, trust me on this one. Now a veteran of two total knee replacements I think I've got this stuff figured out pretty well.

Things to do those last few days before surgery include getting a haircut, a manicure and pedicure, cleaning and washing the car, bathing the dog, cleaning the bathroom one more time and putting clean sheets on the bed.
I also recommend buying a few new jammies/nighties and robes (this one learned from Pam). For the first four or five days, at least, by the time you get up and showered and breakfasted you are about ready to go back to bed and nothing is nicer than clean, fresh jammies everyday when you are in them all day.

Get yourself a stack of favorite magazines too. Sometimes that first week of post anesthetic makes focusing on a book tough. Magazine articles are doable.

Get a book or two for later on and rent some long series movies like Rome, The Tudors, or a season of something like the Sopranos or Sex and the City.

And lots of cash. It's good to have on hand. For ordering a pizza. Or for buying for friends who deliver. They are worth their weight in gold.

Must haves on my list also include a hand held shower head and a shower chair.

In the kitchen you can't miss with Folgers Coffee Singles, assorted tea bags, and instant soups, lunches and whatever else you can make with boiling water. Stock the freezer with a few Marie Callendar/Stouffer microwavable meals and the pantry with popcorn and you are good to go. Oh yeah, and get lots of juice and pop. For some strange reason (I'll blame anesthetic and meds) thirst seems insatiable post surg.

Wild Iris

I love this place. It's one of the few remaining feminist bookstores in the country. They have expanded and reorganized and have lots of cool books and gifts.

This week I bought some kind of organic dog shampoo. We were out of Baby Dog Baby Powder Shampoo so why not try something different?

I also got this.
It's the double shot and you can get one here. You make a French press coffee in the mug AND store another shot to make later in the hidden compartment in the bottom of the mug. Perfect for the office.

Visiting Live Oak.

For some strange reason I needed to make a trip to Live Oak. I stopped for lunch at Camp Weed to meet with the Executive Director and the Operations Manager. Pretty cool place and I may go back to camp. Then it was onto Live Oak proper. First I logged a couple of benchmarks; the cupolaand the reset were among the days find.
Then it was onto the Dixie Diner for coconut pie and coffee. And orchid display. Who knew? Better yet was the purse display. That was hard for me to pass up but I held firm and moved on.

Next stop was the gigondo Florida Sheriff's Boys Ranch which turns out to be the largest and saddest thrift store I've ever entered. Moving on I passed this barn of recycled aluminum that wins the award in my book. Last stop of the day was the hippo. While I was taking the photo they lured me into the gardens where tho' I longed for the godfatherI only bought the globe.

Sunflower seed thieves caught!
Under cover of darkness, I saw that rabbit snacking her way from the front yard to the back, heading for the garden. I believe she is the one enjoying parsley, carrots, and beets...the tops anyway. Which then stops the growth of the bottoms. She has left me the lettuce and spinach. Now she has a friend...hubby? If only they weren't so darn cute there would be hassenpfeffer for dinner.