Welcome to My World

" An Adventure " Starring Frankie Avalon

noreply@blogger.com (Diana) — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:49:00 +0000

It was a few decades ago that I had my meeting with

Frankie Avalon.

I was very young , so young in fact ,

I don't remember how old I was exactly. The best that I can figure , thinking back , I'm guessing around eleven years old.

I never liked school. I don't know why. It could have been because of my extreme shyness or perhaps because I had went to so many different schools up until high school , which I really didn't like. It was then that I was in the same school for four years.

Before high school I spent three years , sixth , seventh and eighth grade at the same school. Before that I lost count of the different schools that I attended due to the yearly moving across country for my father's job.

It was in the sixth grade that I met Andrea. She was a cute little red headed girl with the same sense of humor as me.

We became fast friends. As a matter of fact that is when I remember starting to have those hysterical fits of laughter that I had spoke about in the past.

All it would take was a couple of crazy faces made back and forth at each other. The laughter would start and inevitably,

we'd end up getting into to trouble again.

I don't think that Andrea liked school much either because we would skip out of school frequently. We went on many adventures together during those days , most of which were taking the El ( Chicago Transit Authority Elevated Train )

from the Lake Street Station to Downtown Chicago.

We had many , many fun adventures downtown. We would go inside all of the different shops. One was a Popcorn shop that had all different forms and flavors of Popcorn. I've often wondered if it still exists. It was one of my favorite places to visit. The aroma of the delicious Popcorn would envelop us as soon as we walked through the door. We usually bought Popcorn Balls. They were portable and fun to eat.

Marshall Fields was another fun place to go to. We used to love looking at all of the different departments, quite different from today's shopping indeed !

Another time we wandered into a theater to see the movie

"Shaft". Maybe you could imagine our surprise as we went to find our seats. We were the only two little girls , little white girls in the theater !!

It didn't seem to bother anyone and we enjoyed the movie ,

so it was another fun outing.

Another thing we enjoyed doing was going inside the big and fancy hotels such as The Chicago Hilton.

We knew that movie stars would often stay there. I don't remember how we found this out but it doesn't and didn't really matter as the fun was in the hunt !!

I don't know how we found out that Frankie Avalon was staying there on this particular day but again it doesn't and didn't really matter. We both had a crush on him. You may or may not remember him. He was most famous for his beach movie's in the sixties.

I had such a crush on him that when I would watch his movie's , I would take black and white photo's of him on the Television, with my Baby Brownie camera that my mother had given me.

On this particular day that we chose not to further our education , we were determined to find and meet

Mr. Frankie Avalon.

Never underestimate the determination of a love struck young girl , let alone two ! The question was , how on earth would we find him in this huge hotel ?

We started out walking all over the inside of the hotel trying to act as grown up as possible. We didn't need to draw attention from any adults that may be wondering why we were wandering around on a school day while school was in session.

Then one of us, I truly don't remember who but it most likely was Andrea, had a great thought. Lets ask the maids !

Well let me tell you, those maids are a tight mouthed bunch!

I don't know how many maids we asked.

I don't know how many floors we searched.

I didn't know that there were secret hallways.

That's right, secret hallways. We found this out thanks to that one loose lipped maid !!

Oh it was such an odd feeling sneaking through the different floors and and hallways to find the one secret hallway that we were told about by the nice loose lipped maid.

We felt like spies on a secret mission. I guess in a way we were now that I think about it.

Anyway we finally found said hallway. It was odd. There was a main long hallway and then , as we kept walking, there it was to our right. A hallway that led several feet to a large door that had a peep hole on it.

I can't tell you how nervous we were as we walked arm in arm to the door trying so hard to be quite. At that age it's very hard to stay quite, at least for us it was.

As we reached the door, one of us decided to knock. I don't remember which one of us that it was but it was probably Andrea.

Just a few seconds went by when we heard a voice say,

" Who is it?". Then in a very timidly, shaky voice, one of us said, " We are here to see Frankie Avalon." .

I don't remember which one of us said it but it was probably Andrea.

The mysterious voice behind the door replied,

" Go away." And it was at that very moment, if you had been a fly on the wall, you would have seen two little girls

deflate. Not only did we feel deflated but fear as well.

We were afraid we might get reported and caught!

But all was not lost.

Right after we heard the voice telling us to go away, we heard another voice in the background.

It said, " Let them in." very calm and matter of fact.

The big door was opened by an unfamiliar face and it was then that my eyes took everything in very quickly.

I noticed a good sized kitchen to the left and large windows

in the living room area where the very, very big sofa sat.

The sofa that held Frankie lounging on his side in his stocking feet. I don't know why seeing him in his stocking feet was such a big deal to me but it was.

His socks were black and they looked expensive.

Maybe they came from Marshall Fields.

There we were, just Andrea, me, Frankie and this unknown man. I could not believe this was happening.

Here's the sad part. I don't remember a thing that was said by me or Andrea or Frankie. I guess I was really

" Star Struck ". I do remember him being very kind.

We didn't leave his room empty handed.

We each had a personalized, autographed, hotel information booklet in our young " Star Stuck " little hands !

We left Frankie's room feeling elated to say the least.

The big door had shut behind us.

Andrea and I turned and looked at each other and just started

screaming with happiness as we dropped to the floor kicking our feet.

I can't imagine what Frankie and the stranger thought of us at that point. Thinking back on the moment now,

I'm pretty sure they were used to that sort of thing.

Years went by and I lost touch with Andrea.

We were in different high school districts.

I met my first husband and my autograph was destroyed in a flooded basement of the house that we lived in.

But that was a memory that will never leave me.

Unless of coarse I loose my mind!

Thanks Frankie !!

" Just Some Stuff "

noreply@blogger.com (Diana) — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 02:27:00 +0000

Hi Folks !

This is just a little miscellaneous post.

My husband came home this evening and wanted to play video games. The man is almost fifty and loves to play video games. I don't mind so much as I know it is a distraction from work for him.

That is him playing " Halo Reach ". It has the same effect on him that crocheting has for me.

Not to worry, we will watch a movie or something together after a bit ;).

To date I have made five pairs of fingerless gloves. I have made two adorable pairs for my Grandkids and hopefully will have photos of them after the weekend, wearing them. Sometimes baby

(4 year old) Jack can be a bit uncooperative when it comes to the camera though, so will shall see.

Bribery does wonders at times though!

My neck is healing well. I went for my doppler and the girl that was doing it said that everything looked really good. I took this as a good sign as she did the first doppler when it showed I was 90 % blocked and didn't say a word!!!!!!

So here is my photo that I posted before. It was after the surgery.

When I took that one, most of the bruising was already gone.

Please bare in mind, I don't wear make-up anymore.

Once in a great while, maybe for church every now and then.

Here is a photo of me now.

What a difference two weeks makes right?!

O.k. I am almost done for now. I do have an anniversary of sorts to tell you about. It's sort of silly but Jake and I just love it so I will tell you what it is.

We have researched this at the courthouse.

Our house was built in 1946.

We discovered that we are the 13th owners of the house. The longest owners to occupy the house lived here for 13 years.

Weird wouldn't you say?

Anyway as of April 23rd, we will have been in this house for 13 years.

Which means, as of April 23rd, we will be in our 14th year as the owners.

We just thought it a bit odd that no one made it past the 13 year mark.

We both love this house. However, if circumstances changed, we would definitely move as we don't like the area so much.

But for the most part, wrinkles, creaks and leaks...

we love this house. Now we just have to make it to April 2013 to break the record!!

Fourteen years.

So that's it folks,

Just some stuff!!

Have a fun weekend.

" ? ???'? ??? ?? "

noreply@blogger.com (Diana) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 04:03:00 +0000

I Don't get it.

I so strongly believe that everything happens for a reason. Weather you may be a Christian or just a believer in a higher power, I know that both sides tend to believe this as well.

But then there are also those that believe in randomness. This is all fine with me.

I am a Christian. I believe that God has a purpose and a plan for me. I also have learned that I can't always figure out where or why he is guiding me. Most of the time I try not to figure this out as I just prefer to leave my troubles to him.

Then there are the other times that I try to analyze every little thing that I am going through and why God is sending me down a particular path. This I know is futile but none the less I find myself doing so.

Case in point: Today.

I am supposed to be resting, per doctors orders. I feel good but I am, for the most part, feeling exhausted. So I rest. I do a little and I rest.

My pug hasn't been feeling well. She has Doggy IBS. So first thing this morning I had a few messes to clean up.

I had planned on just resting until my doctors appointment at 3:30 this afternoon.

You do know never to use the word "Plan" if you are a Christian. That word makes God laugh. He has a wonderful sense of humor. Did you know that?

The phone calls started in the late morning. There were tax problems at the Church. I made a few calls, got things straightened out, then had to go to Church to do the actual physical straightening. The computer work.

It's all good as this isn't physically taxing.

Get it? Physically taxing. Your supposed to laugh there. Anyway the bookkeeper, treasurer and I got it all straightened out, I think.

I was there almost two hours then had to leave for my doctors appointment. Another follow up visit.

I guess I'll start with the waiting room. Please don't judge me here people. I'm tired. Thanks.

My appointment was for 3:30. I arrived at 3:20. As I sat reading a year old issue of

" Good Housekeeping ", which by the way, is my favorite magazine of all time, the people started to roll in.

I observed many different characters to be sure but the one that really struck, bewildered and annoyed me was a very old man who I assumed was accompanied by his daughter who had a good ten years on me. I guesstimated his age to be around 90.

I love old people. I always wanted to be a geriatric nurse. It was my dream. But I tell you, this man irritated me to no end.

He had the most annoying ticks. He constantly smacked his lips, over and over. In between which he would be moaning and sighing.

I texted to my husband, as I waited two hours just to get into the exam room, that I was sitting next to a very annoying old man. Did I mention that he smelled badly as well?

Now remember I said, please don't judge me. I thought about all of the things that he may have went through in his life. Upon close examination, I supposed that he was probably quite handsome in his day. And he must have been a nice man at one time, even though he complained to his companion the whole time about the wait.

I was irritated with the wait and I was there longer than he was.

I no longer could focus on my "Good Housekeeping " so I texted to my husband that I was still waiting (1.5 hours now) and was sitting next to a very irritating old man.

He texted me back. " Get up and go to the bathroom and then change seats.".

I don't know what happened next. I guess I was slap happy. I was all alone waiting and one of my biggest nightmares happened.

I was overcome by one of my infamous, hysterical laughing fits! Right there in the waiting room while approximetly 15 other people were waiting.

I'm talking roll on the floor, shoulders shaking, tears flowing, laughing fit.

How embarrassing.

I fought mightily to control myself. I kept looking at my phone as if someone had texted something really funny. Damn funny.

I truly hope that I didn't offend anyone. I am thinking that God was playing a joke on me for my thoughts. You don't want to know my thoughts.

I felt badly for my unladylike outburst.

It wasn't much longer after I gained control before I was called into the exam room. I do believe that I moved rather quickly to get in there.

After about another 30 minutes of waiting, I finally got to see the surgeon. As usual, she was very caring and patient.

I am doing well but there is some scar tissue in my neck. I have to go for another doppler test tomorrow. I'm still not allowed to exercise or do strenuous housework for at least a month.

I can do a little but am supposed to keep resting...

Sitting on my butt for another MONTH !!!!!

Good Lord.

I guess the jokes on me.

" Monday, Monday "

noreply@blogger.com (Diana) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 12:31:00 +0000

" Monday Monday... can't trust that day. "

Does anyone remember that song by The MaMa's and PaPa's ?

I always loved that song even though I actually like Monday's.

Everyone leaves, which is a bit sad but I usually throw myself into housework and we all know how much I love housework. I do really. I'm not being sarcastic here. There are some of us who just enjoy it.

I have been mostly sitting per my doctors orders. Although I did do quite a bit yesterday. I made a pot of beef, vegetable and pasta soup. Also washed some lettuce for a salad. I'm still pretty tired most of the day which I was warned about but for the most part, I'm feeling much better.

According to our local weatherman, it's supposed to be sixty degrees today. Weird but nice. Our winter has been very mild so far this year and that's just fine with me.

I have another follow up visit with my surgeon tomorrow and I am hoping for an o.k. to do more. Maybe start riding my bike again. I'd also like to clean the inside of my car since it's supposed to be so mild this week.

I will be going to church today. There are some things that need to be done in the office. I'll have to go back again later in the week but that's fine. It's a good excuse to get out.

I made my Daughter-in-Law a pair of fingerless gloves last week in a soft gray yarn. They fit her tiny hands perfectly. Two of her friends saw them and want a pair as well. I whipped up a black pair for one of her friends over the weekend. I'm charging $ 15.00 a pair. I've seen similar pairs online selling for up to $ 45.00 so I think $15.00 is a bargain. I took a photo of one of the gloves below. I could only get one hand as I needed the other for the camera!!

Now I know what your thinking. I should sell them online. It's a great idea but I wouldn't be able to keep up with orders due to Carpel Tunnel and Arthritis in my hands. I can only do so much and then I have to quit for a few days. Katie's friend came over last week and said there are boys at school that want them too. I told her that I'd need to be paid up front for their orders.

So I doubt that will happen!! But it has given me something to do while sitting here. I want to make a pair for my daughter Ginny next. I know that she would love them.

My lamp that I use to crochet has bit the dust. So I will use the profit to buy a new one. I have borrowed Kate's lamp for the time being. Working with black yarn is especially hard on the eyes!

I've been wanting to post all weekend but really haven't had much to post about. Just trying to heal so that I can get back to my life again.

I hope that everyone had a good weekend and a good Monday!!

" I'm Stuck ! "

noreply@blogger.com (Diana) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 00:58:00 +0000

I am stuck. I have been playing Angry Birds during my recovery. I played it after my knee surgery as well. Those sleepless nights. There were quite a few of those then.

So here I sit once again playing this game which I think I enjoy. Although at times it can get frustrating. But it helps keep ones mind off of other stuff.

I've also been crocheting a lot this past week. I've made myself a pair of fingerless gloves to wear around the house. My hands and feet are always cold. So I made something for myself, which is rare.

Katie didn't want a pair but when her BF, Natasha saw them, well I had to make another pair. She has this Gray and Black sweater that she likes to wear so I made her a Gray and Black pair.

I think she likes them !

I have been a very good girl during my recovery. Today was the first day that I woke feeling good and not so tired. I went for my follow up visit today also. Things are going well and I have to go back next week.

The doctor said that I could work at church as long as I didn't feel too tired. As for house cleaning, not for a few weeks.

I couldn't decide weather or not to post this photo. And believe it or not, I look way better than I did a few days ago. My whole neck was swollen then and dark purple and red. Pretty colors!

But it's much better now. If I put a scarf around my neck, no one can tell. So there I am folks in all of my beautiful glory!!

The real me. Well at least for now. I'm sure it will look better everyday.

Now, back to that Angry Birds game....

" Hi Folks, I'm Home "

noreply@blogger.com (Diana) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 12:14:00 +0000

I made it home yesterday, gosh I don't even remember what time it was now. I know it was in the afternoon and I know that every noise was really getting on my nerves!

I went up to bed very early and angry. Katie's friends were over as they were all going to church last night, and the noise was just too much for me.

I am very swollen and bruised. Not much pain though but a bit of soreness. I was finally able to get some sleep last night. Didn't get but maybe three hours in the hospital.

The surgeon got the plaque filled section of artery from my neck. So once healed things should be better.

For now I am really tired as she said I would be so I intend on just taking it easy for the rest of the week. I have a follow up appointment for Tuesday next week.

I'm not sure when I'll be back here, just wanted to let everyone know that I'm home and alright just tired and sore.

Thank you to everyone for your prayers and well wishes.

Have a great weekend!

Love Di ♥

its been a long day

noreply@blogger.com (Diana) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 01:00:00 +0000

It started with the hospital running behind.

so are 10:00 am start time ended up being a 2:00 pm start time.

Then the 2 hour surgery took 3 hours so that is why im posting this so late. Oh I forgot you guys wanted to know how my wife is doing.

Tune in tomorrow just kidding.

Everything thing went just fine she will be home tomorrow afternoon.

A little sore but just as good as new.So if i didn't mess this up you will all know how she is and if I did mess up you'll have to wait till tomorrow.

Thanks for all the love and friendship you have given to Di

Jake

" Pre-op Jitters "

noreply@blogger.com (Diana) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 21:37:00 +0000

Hi folks, this is somewhat of a test post. I am showing my husband how to post on my blog so that he can let you know how the surgery goes tomorrow.

Was I surprised to see that when you use Google Chrome, posting is completely different so this is an experiment for me as well!

I am feeling a bit anxious today, understandably. I went for my pre-op visit today and I guess that's when the nerves settled in.

But for now I am doing fine and hope to be back visiting all of my friends soon.

Be nice to my husband please. He's never done this before!!

Love To all of you.

Love Di ♥

" Change "

noreply@blogger.com (Diana) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 13:59:00 +0000

We all know that " Change " is inevitable. Or at least we should.

I believe that once we accept " Change " as a part of life things often go smoother.

There is a saying that I have always tried to remember during times of "Change". I don't know who said it but I have always felt that it was very true and it goes something like this,

" The only constant in life is change."

I may not have that word for word but it's close enough for you to get it. I have always prided myself in the way that I deal with "Change". Probably better than others do but in reality I often times find myself kicking and screaming over certain changes.

Things today seem to change at lightening speed. Or could it be that the older we get, things seem to change at lightening speed? That is a question that I cannot answer with full knowledge.

Anyone over Fifty can tell you that the world has changed drastically since we were children. I think that we Baby boomers have adapted quite well. And most of my friends sincerely seem to try to keep up with these changes.

I have noticed that women seem to deal better with change. I'm not trying to offend my male friends here but if you study how women and men react to change, I think you'll notice that men seem to go off on tirades when there are changes in their lives.

I wonder why that is? The ability to adapt to change may not be easy or pleasurable but it is certainly a necessity if we are to survive and function with confidence in the days ahead.

Adapting to change can be frustrating to say the least. Example: I had to change to Google Chrome from Firefox because I wasn't able to comment on some other Blogs.

I have tried Google Chrome twice and didn't care for it except for the fact that it enabled me to play Angry Birds. I am by NO means a game player but while recovering from knee surgery in August, I found this game to be a pleasant distraction.

This was a change that I did not want to make but sometimes, like it or not, we must except change.

Change can be a good thing and a bad thing. If things aren't going your way, you can almost be sure that they will change for the better eventually. Likewise, when things are going well, you can also be sure that something will eventually happen that may not be so happy.

So I guess the best thing to do is to learn to except change, maybe not necessarily willingly but most definitely with the understanding that it is inevitable and perhaps with a bit of grace.

" In a Nutshell "

noreply@blogger.com (Diana) — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 13:21:00 +0000

Alrighty, I went to see the surgeon Thursday. She will be doing the procedure that will unblock my left Carotid Artery. The procedure is called an Endarterectomy. I am so happy that I don't have to say it as I can't, I've tried.

I will be at the hospital on Tuesday morning at 10:00 a.m. And of coarse no food or drink after midnight previous. This should make for a cranky Diana. I don't deal well with fasting but this will be when I will call on our Lord to help me through. And to help Jake as I will most likely be pretty cranky by then!

The following is what the procedure will look like only they don't show the shunt in this diagram. The shunt will bypass the clamps to allow continual blood flow to the brain. The artery itself will be clamped off at both ends and then the inner layer of the artery that contains the plaque will then be removed. Once removed the surgeon will stitch it up.

I have to say that I was very impressed by this surgeon. She was very articulate and seemed to answer ALL of my questions BEFORE I even asked them. She has done this many times and said that I wouldn't notice any scar after. When I told her that scars didn't really bother me, she said " They bother me!".

She also told me that after this surgery, I should never have to worry about a stroke again. I will have to go for an annual Cartorid Doppler to keep an eye on both arteries. Right now the right side is 30 percent blocked but supposedly that isn't bad enough to warrant surgery.

When I asked her why this happened to me, she had a great answer. I told her that I had abused my body in the seventies, always ate whatever I wanted, drank and smoked until the past few years.

She said that there isn't any one answer to that question. Some people are just predisposed to this. It can also be hereditary. That could explain my grandmothers strokes. She was very healthy , never smoked and ate a healthy diet. We never did understand back then why she had them.

I have to say that I was very impressed, in a short period of time, with this doctor. It seemed as though she has done this many times. She was very young. As I told my friend Jackie yesterday on the phone, it makes me feel older when the doctor doesn't look old enough to be one!! But I walked out of her office feeling very confident and relieved. I will take that as a good sign.

I will have to spend the night in the hospital. Since I was there just five months ago, I wasn't too happy about that but it is only overnight. The doctor said that most of her patients complain of very little pain, mostly numbness and swelling. As soon as I can turn my head from side to side, I can drive again. She said I will be very tired for awhile. A week or two, especially since I just had major surgery five months ago.

I wish this hadn't have happened but I am glad that I know now and something can be done about it. The doctor said she would get me back to riding my bike in no time. So this is all good news.

My husband won't be coming home this weekend. He should be home on Monday so he can be with me. My son and Daughter-in-law will be here too. I asked my DIL if she would make me some of that soup she makes with the corn in it for when I come home. She said "What the heck are you talking about?" I said "You know, the soup with the corn and the hamburger or whatever you put in there. I love that stuff." She said "Oh, the succotash soup!". I told her "Whatever it's called, that's what I want!". So I will have something good to heat up after I get home. I've been eating a lot of soups lately.

Which reminds me. I am going to make some Ham and Beans today. I have a lot to do around here before Tuesday. So I bess get busy!!

We'll talk soon O.K.?

" Bright and Cheerful "

noreply@blogger.com (Diana) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 17:44:00 +0000

I really wanted to start my second post of the New Year with a "Bright and Cheerful " note. But unfortunately this won't be in the cards for me at this time so I will do my best to make it sound

"Bright and Cheerful".

Please indulge me.

A week before Christmas I had a TIA or mini stroke. On Christmas Eve I had another one. I am still very happy to be alive and not a vegetable and I am even more excited about having to take more medications.

A week after my visit to the E.R. on Christmas Eve, which really wasn't that bad, The staff was very friendly and helpful, I had an appointment to go and visit my doctor.

I love doctors visits don't you? Really who doesn't? I was so looking forward to telling my doctor about the mini strokes. After all I almost made it two years since the first stroke. I wasn't worried at all!!

At this time, after an examination, my doctor informed me that I was to have a doppler test of my carotid artery as my left one was forty percent blocked two years ago. But the exciting news was that my cholesterol dropped!! What more can a gal ask for?

So I went to the hospital on the 9th, absolutely filled with excitement about my doppler. After about twenty minutes of having a wonderful neck massage, I was able to sit up and leave. It took me about five minutes to get my bearings after sitting up as I was feeling very dizzy. Isn't feeling dizzy fun?

Having heard my doctor tell me that they would call if anything was wrong, imagine my excitement when my phone rang the very next day with my doctors office number showing up on my phone!!

I'll bet they are calling to tell me what a wonderful patient I am!!

Well not quite. It was my doctors nurse telling me that there was a significant blockage of my left Carotid Artery. Between 80 or 90 percent. And they were nice enough to make an appointment for me at the surgeons office for tomorrow.

Wow, this year is starting out bright and cheery. It only took me a few hours to get over the news. That's not bad. And I only have to wait until late tomorrow afternoon to find out what my options are.

Although visiting the SURGEON sort of gives me a clue.

I have been eating like a rabbit but have stopped riding my bike for now. I'm thinking that it may make my head explode. So I will wait and ask the surgeon about that tomorrow.

Am I freaked out or scared?

Well maybe a little, but I am trying very hard to remain

"Bright and Cheerful"!!!

I will be back soon to let you know what is going to happen next.

" Facing The Inevitable "

noreply@blogger.com (Diana) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 22:57:00 +0000

Here it is 2012 already and I still don't feel like Blogging. My mind is just not into it and rightfully so. The end of 2011 brought some scary surprises for me.

The week before Christmas I had a TIA ( Transient Ischemic Attack ). In other words another mini stroke. This one was different from the one that I had in 2009. I was talking to Katie's friends and all of a sudden my words didn't sound right. I really didn't know what was going on so I stopped talking and it sort of passed.

As the next week went by my arm kept feeling numb on and off. Again, I just ignored it. Then on Christmas Eve at my son's house, just before we were to open the gifts, my talking got all jumbled up again.

You know what you want to say but it just doesn't come out right. Long story short, my husband and son insisted I go to the hospital.

Oh joy of joy. I'm being nice here. That wasn't exactly what I was thinking. I was so mad and embarrassed. Yes embarrassed. Everyone was there and I didn't want to leave. I really wasn't in my right mind at the time. Fortunately after having a CT scan seeing that there wasn't any damage, they let me go home with the promise that I would go back on my Plavix. I had stopped taking it some time ago because of the expense but I guess I'm taking it again.

So that is how I spent my Christmas. The Kids came over the next day with our gifts that we had brought to there house. This way we at least didn't miss out on some of the gift giving with the grandkids.

I did manage to finish my sons afghan and I think he really did like it.

Here's what it looks like finished.

My son Frank getting the noisy car working that we bought for Jack!!

Don't get me wrong, I am very grateful that everything turned out alright. But it's a very scary thing to go through. This is the fourth time in three years. The doctors all say that I have thick blood. So it's blood thinners and aspirin for me.


Christmas Day 2011.

I wasn't able to get any other pictures of Christmas. We were all eating loads of wonderful food at my son's house. And then I had to leave but Katie was able to stay. My daughter-in-law brought her home later.

So hopefully you can understand why I haven't wanted to be around much. I have been rearranging my house and my life. I am feeling better now that the Plavix has had time to get through my system.

My knees are doing great. I've been riding my bike 15 to 20 minutes each day. My goal is 30 minutes a day five to six days a week. By summer I'd like to make it up to an hour.

I go to see my family doctor tomorrow and I'm dreading it. He doesn't know what happened yet. But I must face the inevitable!!

I sure did miss all of my blog friends and am glad to be back visiting again. I guess the Holidays were just a bit too busy and stressful for me.

I am looking forward to the New Year. I would like a year of good health. Yes, that would be my wish for us all.

" Merry Christmas Everyone !! "

noreply@blogger.com (Diana) — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 00:14:00 +0000

I'm only back momentarily folks as I've been very busy. I'm sure everyone else has been as well.

I am hoping all is well with all of you.

I'll be back after the New Year begins.

Until then, a Blessed Christmas

and Prosperous New Year to you all !!

Total Bilateral Knee Replacement Surgery / Post-Op Week 15

noreply@blogger.com (Diana) — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 20:56:00 +0000

It's so hard for me to think that it's only been 15 weeks since I had the knee replacement surgery! Truthfully I don't have much to report as things have been going so well since.

I am completely pain free now. Not even an ache. I don't remember how long it's been since I've been able to do all of the things that I can now do once again. As a matter of fact it's the reason that I haven't blogged or been on the computer that much, I've been that busy!


15 weeks, post-op.

I also now have all of my energy and stamina back. I find myself at times just working myself to exhaustion, but with no pain!!

Well my feet ache at times but doesn't every ones ?!

I can dance, walk and walk and walk. Ride my bike. I haven't tried squatting but something tells me that's not a great idea.

I can get up off of the floor on my own.

I remember reading somewhere that I wouldn't be able to kneel. So I experimented and found out why. I actually am capable of kneeling but it hurts quite a bit. That's fine though as I don't do much kneeling!

Going down the stairs is still slow going for me but it is improving slowly. But I can go upstairs very well.

I don't have to see my surgeon again until January. I don't know how many more of these posts that I will be doing if any. Which is good news. It just means that my new knees are working super duper!!

I have had many people ask me if I was crazy having them both done at the same time. I have two answers for them. First of all, since I have had two strokes a few years back, my surgeon felt it best to do them both right away. Less risky.

The second answer is, in my opinion, it was easier. Not that I've ever had it done before but it just seems that I was on a more even playing field. I didn't have to rely on the other bad knee had I only had the one done first. And I don't have to go back and have it done again.

I don't think I'm crazy at all but I do feel like Wonder Woman, thanks to my surgeon of coarse. And come to think of it, I don't think that I thanked him. I must do that in January.

My life has changed so much for me in just 15 weeks. I no longer feel trapped and in constant pain. When someone asks if I want to go somewhere that involves any walking, I can now say "YES!".

I have much to look forward to now. And for that I feel blessed.

" Just Not Feeling It. "

noreply@blogger.com (Diana) — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 00:20:00 +0000

The following photos of artwork and windows were all taken at my church home, Faith Lutheran Church.

I've been doing quite a bit of thinking about Christmas lately and it is not by choice. Quite frankly I am sick of it already. It's been shoved down my throat since before Halloween and I have just had enough.

Am I the only one who remembers a day when Holidays came one at a time? I want to know what happened to Thanksgiving Day. Since I was a very young girl, Thanksgiving Day was one of my favorite holidays. We used to hang pictures of turkeys and pilgrims in our front room windows.

Many of the stores carried all sorts of related table wear for Thanksgiving Day. I still have my grandmothers little Pilgrim salt and pepper shakers along with a turkey set and a turkey candle.

Going to grandma's little apartment for Thanksgiving Day was always "The" big day in our family. Her kitchen wasn't very big and she didn't have a dining room. We, cousins, aunts and uncles would joyfully SQUEEZE in together around my grandmothers kitchen table decorated so beautifully for the holiday.

Grandma would cook the entire dinner for all of us, always wearing her apron. And all the while smiling and humming while cooking. She was always so happy to do this even though it would be so hot in there!! Grandma always had a relish tray, a tradition that my mother and then myself, would carry on.

All of the stores would be closed on that day. If you happened to forget cranberries or needed extra gravy, you had to call a relative that hadn't yet arrived, hoping that they may have some or you would just do without!

I'm sure that my cousins and I may have shared some dreams of what we had wished to receive for Christmas, but if we did, I don't remember. All I remember was enjoying our turkey, ham and all of the Thanksgiving Day fixings. My favorite was always the hot turkey with gravy sandwiches that we would all fix ourselves later in the evening. How we made room for more food is still a mystery to me!

How Thankful we all would feel to be together sharing the delicious meal grandma had prepared just for us!

And somehow Thanksgiving Day stayed with us for days afterward. We didn't think of putting up Christmas decorations until after the first of December and even then we wondered if we were doing it a bit too soon.

Today of coarse, the decorations in the stores start coming out in October. I've actually seen some before Halloween. Am I the only one that thinks this is ridiculous? My neighbors were outside taking there Halloween decorations down the week after Halloween and putting up Christmas lights!

I am ashamed of our society today. It seems as though everything has to be bigger, faster, better and sooner. I sometimes find myself feeling guilty because I can't buy my loved ones a big screen television, I pad, Kindle, I phone or even a shiny brand new car.

That is when I find myself getting angry. Is this what Christmas is all about? Lights, glitter, and spending tons of cash?

I do know better of coarse. The Advent season is my favorite season in the church year. I can't even put into words the warmth that I feel in my heart after going to Advent services. I won't even try. If you don't know that feeling, I really can't explain it to you.

It wasn't that long ago that I enjoyed Christmas music, decorating my home and tree. Right now I'm just not feeling it. I suppose it could be a bit of grief from my mother passing in December 2009. The last day that we saw her was that Thanksgiving Day.

But I really think that a great deal of my disappointment is directed at retailers and advertisers.

They don't give us time. They don't give us the time that we need to slip into the holiday. They don't give us time for the spirit of the season to envelop us like a beloved, warm blanket.

They don't even let us feel the spirit anymore. All that matters is the end of quarter sales. And that my friends is the bottom line.

My favorite window that sits high above the alter.

I am angry. I am angry because the fun part of Christmas has been robbed from me. I am angry that Thanksgiving is all but swept under the rug anymore.

I am not decorating my house for Christmas yet. I may not decorate at all this year. It all depends on when and if I feel the spirit envelop me. I am hoping that it will. But I'll be darned if I am going to let the corporate mongers dictate when and if it happens.

I've had enough.

We are having a small Thanksgiving dinner this year. Just myself, my husband, daughter and her best friend. And that is fine. I intend on not only enjoying the food that we are blessed to have but I am going to enjoy the day itself. With the people that I love. No expectations, no gifts. Just sharing our love for each other and of coarse some sweet memories of my mom.

To all of my Blogger friends that celebrate this holiday,

may you have a

Blessed Thanksgiving Day.

" Bilateral Total Knee Replacement/Week 13. The Ups and Downs. "

noreply@blogger.com (Diana) — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 21:59:00 +0000

Today's post is a bit difficult for me to write. But I am trying to be a good Blogger by posting when I'm not "Up" as I usually do.

I'm having a not so great day today and here I am.

As I was taking the dogs out last night, my Tendonitis in my foot decided to pay me a VERY painful visit once again. For no reason really. But that is generally how it happens. Just take a step and the pain just starts.

But I didn't come here today to complain. I came today to prove to myself that I can do a Blog post without being in the best of moods. Besides, all I can really do today is R.I.C.E.

You know, Rest,Ice,Compression, Elevation.
I'd like to add boredom to the mix but it has given me a chance to work on that Christmas Afghan all morning long.

And now here I am with you, so lets get on with it shall we?

Here is a photo of my scars at week 13.

The great news about week 13 is that I really don't have a lot to report! My aches are almost completely gone. I stated in the past that my knees would ache every evening until I went to lay in bed.

Not horribly, just a little achy. I wondered if it would ever go away since it didn't seem like it was getting better at all. And then one evening a couple of weeks ago, the aching just stopped!

That's when I knew I had turned another corner. The knees are working just wonderfully. I am so happy and pleased with the results and the fact that I had it done at all!

I'm just past the three month mark and the doctor says it will take anywhere between a year to a year and a half before we know exactly how much I will be able to do. I'll tell you, so far I can't imagine doing a lot better than I am already except for maybe going down the stairs.

I do still feel tired more days than I did pre-surgery but that is getting better too as well as the stamina part. I'm not quite back to my old self on that part yet, but all in all, I am very pleased except for this darned foot!!!!

We went Geocaching again this past Saturday and took my daughter and her BFF with us. They had "Nothing better to do" so they came along. It was a fun few hours and we finally found our first cache!!!

It was only a log sheet but still it was exciting as all get out to me!!! Actually my husband found it and I dug it out.

Now, I did take my camera along and took photos of our adventures that day but guess what? I was so excited about the Cache that we found that I totally forgot to take pictures of it!!

But that's me. I was so aggravated with myself about that but in any case I will just post the ones that I did take.

Here we are at the beginning of our first adventure. It was located somewhere down this nature trail that is surrounded by a Pioneer Village, Golf Coarse, and a Cemetery.

Lots of fun for Jake and I. Notice if you will however, the look of pure excitement on my teenager, Katie's face!!

And there go the girls. Remember what it was like to be young and fast? Jake and I did a slower pace while searching for the Cache.

He walks with the GPS, telling us where to go.

Jake and I had a feeling that the Cache was right around here somewhere but we are still novices at this game. We've since looked up some tips on Youtube, so we will be coming back to this spot again when we can.

A clue, we think!!

Proof that I am out there WALKING through the woods.
Something I wouldn't have thought about doing last year at this time!!

An old grave marker Natasha and I uncovered.

As I said we never did find the Cache out there, but will return when we can.

After that adventure we went to the big park in town where my husband actually found the Cache, I know...
I feel like an idiot for not taking a photo of it. Next time I promise!!

So on to the next park. The Skateboard park just blocks from our house. We had been here the first time we went Geocaching with no luck but wanted to try it again.

I am bound and determined to get better at this game and if nothing else, we are getting plenty of exercise!!

I think it was at this point that the girls abandoned us and went back to the car, way in the back of the picture!

Oh well, it was fun having their company anyway. We gave up shortly after that for the day. My legs were getting a bit tired.

I think I did really good that day but the next day I was exhausted. That's how it seems to go since the surgery but it is getting better and I am getting stronger.

I just need this foot to start behaving!

There you have it, I did a blog post while in a BLAH mood.
If you made it this far, thanks for the company!!!

" Ceramics Collection "

noreply@blogger.com (Diana) — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 01:53:00 +0000

I'd like to share with you some of my ceramics collection. Actually some of it's mine and some is on loan.

Raw Talent.

A vase that I use.

A platter. That Looks like a piece of toast!

Until I put a candle on it.

A perfect candle holder.

This holds my lip balm and little scissors to snip yarn when I crochet.

An interesting little bowl.

A different view.

Tea for two ?

Two more you say ?

Lets make it tea for six...

I do have bowls for soup,

if you're hungry...

And yet another interesting vase.

To bad it's lacking flowers today.

Ever wonder what a Kitty Kat thinks about ?

Just ask my daughter Katie.

Apparently they think about handmade beads...

Or quite possibly Penguins !!!!

Many thanks to my daughter Katie who so generously shared her beautiful works with me !!!

" Hope "

noreply@blogger.com (Diana) — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 00:11:00 +0000

A much better week this was! Physically I accomplished much more than I thought I'd be able too. One of the changes that I have made seemed to really help. Most of you know that I clean house for a family every week. I've been with them for at least six years now. They are truly are a warm, loving, understanding, Christian family from my church.

Usually I clean one day a week but this week I decided that I would split it up into two days in hopes that it would make things a bit less painful at the end of the day. They don't really care when I come so that wasn't a problem. I went on Tuesday to clean the bathrooms and the kitchen then went back on Wednesday to do the dusting and the floors. This worked out so much better for me. I was still tired and a bit sore in the evenings but just not so much so. I'm going to do it this way for awhile or until I get healed more.

Look at the gorgeous color of these Petunias from my yard. This little camera really doesn't do them justice. They almost glow! I wanted to take a picture of them before we get a hard freeze. Not to far off I suspect.

On Thursday I went shopping. I bought my husband a new video game that he has been wanting. I can't usually splurge on items like that but he deserves it. He spent his entire three week vacation in August taking care of me, Katie, the animals and the house while I was having my knee replacement surgery. The poor man was exhausted I know. I just want him to know how grateful I am to have him as a partner. I couldn't have asked or paid for better care.

I really wanted to get him that game!

I walked all through Wal-Mart that morning and then I went Croc shopping for me.

I ran all over town looking for a pair. Two malls.

Oh you didn't think that I meant that kind of crock did you ?

No that would be silly!

I've been having problems with the tendons in my feet since the double knee replacement surgery. My husband thinks it's probably because I walked sort of crippled up for so long that my feet got used to supporting more than they have to now. I think he's right. I've been actually practicing different ways to place my feet when walking. I think it's starting to work for me. However I have also found that the only shoe that I am totally comfortable walking in is Crocs.

These one's to be exact. And they had to be black as I already had a comfortable brown pair of shoes. So the one store that carried them didn't have my size, blah, blah, blah.....

But I didn't give up.

While I was at the mall looking at Penny's, I ran into this woman that I used to work out with a few years back. She is probably in her 70's although she looks so good it was hard to really know for sure. We would workout together nearly every morning. She was so sweet and I remember her telling me about all of the cooking she would do for her family.

Now you all know how much I hate cooking and her food always sounded so delicious. I remember even back then thinking how painful all of that cooking would be for me then. A lot of standing.

Anyway the subject of Crocs came up and she suggested that I look online. DUH!!!!!

So after giving Penny's and Sear's a try with no luck, I drove home, went online and ordered the exact pair that I wanted and saved money to boot. The whole point here folks is that I cleaned house two days in a row and then walked all morning the next day. Something that a year ago would have been unthinkable. To top that all off, today I ran errands, went to three grocery stores, came home and cleaned my own house. I'm just a little sore. I just hope I don't pay for it all tomorrow.

My husband will be home tomorrow and the poor dear is pretty sick. My daughter-in-law had minor female surgery yesterday. She is doing fine and loves her Mother-In-Laws Chicken and Homemade Noodles. So I promised them both homemade Chicken and Noodles.

The plan is to cook them in the morning so my son can stop by on his way home from work and pick them up. Wish me luck!!

Speaking of my son, who never reads my blog, I am about three-quarters of the way through his Christmas Afghan. I was telling this to my oldest daughter, Ginny, and guess what? She wants one now too. Of coarse this won't happen before Christmas but it will make a nice winter project.

It isn't a fancy afghan but then my son isn't a fancy man! It's just all of my scrap yarn. But he will know that each stitch is a hug from mom. For those of you who crochet (Naida) I am going to trim it with a reverse single crochet in black. I love that stitch as it almost looks like a rope.

If I can make it through this weekend without feeling exhausted and too much pain, I think I may have just turned a corner. This gives me hope again.

Never give up...

" Best Laid Plans "

noreply@blogger.com (Diana) — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 14:45:00 +0000

Plans

We all have them. And our housewifely heroine, Diana, was no different. Despite the fact that she has always thought that making plans was somewhat futile. Inevitably something or someone always seems to mess them up. So she generally prefers to let things "Come what may" so to speak.

These last few weeks of her recovery from her Bilateral total knee replacement have left her feeling very meloncholy.

It hasn't helped a bit that she has been sick three times, had two infections and her tendonitis in her foot decided to pay her a visit making it nearly impossible for her to walk for four days.

All of this has left her with absolutely no desire to visit cyberspace. The most strenuous thing that she has done over the past few weeks is to crochet. And even that has left her hands numb from carpel tunnel.

Teens

Alas all is not lost. It seems that teenagers have decided that Diana's house is the place to hang out. This has had a strange effect on Diana's mood. After all, teens can be fun, silly and goofy. Oh and lest we not forget, HUNGRY. This too has made Diana's life more of a challenge but teens like wild animals seem to have a talent for scavenging up food. Cooked or not as Diana found out that her very own teen likes turkey bacon, uncooked. Yuck!!!

Photo taken in the middle of Diana's teeny, tiny, kitchen floor.

Since Diana's house has become the official hang out place, she and her husband managed to make a spot in the garage for them to hang out in on warmer days. And they managed to get the yard ornaments packed away for winter.

Three Months. Post-op visit

While Diana manages to have energy one day and then exhaustion and lack of energy for two days, she could not help but wonder if this was "Normal" post-op feelings. She intended on asking her surgeon at her three month visit last week.

As things turned out it was an uplifting visit for Diana. She was told that she was healing beautifully. When she expressed her concern that perhaps she was just being over anxious about her healing, her Doctor told her that those where the kind of patients that he liked because it just means that they don't like to sit around and do nothing. Boy he had that right she thought. He also confirmed that what she was feeling with having one good day and two not so good, was perfectly normal and that with time those bad days would get fewer and farther between the good ones.

The best news of all however was the fact that she doesn't have to see the doctor again for three months!

The Good Husband

Part of Diana's recent feelings of unhappiness has been the absence of her beloved husband. So he has decided at least for now, to switch from an over-the-road truck driver to a regional one. Which simply means that he will be home every weekend instead of every other weekend.

He has been doing his best to help his wife who has been having trouble keeping up with her home and jobs as of late. He has even taken her places when he is home to try and cheer her and himself up. As times have been tough lately.

One weekend they went to the city park to watch the ducks and geese and to walk to a swing that Diana has been wanting to walk to since her surgery. A goal so to speak. It was far enough away that she would not have attempted it before the surgery. It wasn't very far for the average person but for Diana it seemed a mile away.

But she made it. And so that sat together and swung while watching the geese and the turtles.

The Past Weekend

This past weekend was the best one Diana has had in a long time. Months really. Her teen, Katie, was gone for the entire weekend on a Fall Retreat with her church.

Diana's husband came home and declared Saturday to be Di's day.

She could pick anything that she wanted to do and they would take off and go!

She had so many ideas in mind. She had been wanting to go see "Puss and Boots" at the theater. Go out to dinner. Take a ride to Alto Pass to take in the beautiful foliage. But the one thing that she really wanted to try was "Geocaching".

So Diana joined the website and her husband loaded the app to his phone and away they went. Geocaching is a seek and find game using coordinates on ones phone or navigator.

Diana and her husband tried four Geocache locations and WALKED for HOURS!!!! They didn't locate any caches on their first try but they were looking for tiny ones which they later discovered that they should have looked for larger ones on their first time out.

None the less they had fun and plan on doing this again. It seems to be a great hobby that only costs a bit of gas and is great exercise!

That evening Diana's hubby offered to take her out to dinner but she decided to go and buy some steaks to grill instead. They bought some beer and had a fire in the yard. A beautiful fall day and evening.

This, Diana decided, should be done every week!!

All in All

The past weekend and the doctor visit seemed to help Diana start to feel a bit more like her old self.

Will she continue to improve physically and emotionally?

Will Diana and her husband seek out more treasure hunts?

Will the teens continue to come to Diana's house nearly everyday?

And what about those geese? Just how long will it be before they fly south?

Or will they fly south at all???

" Coming Soon ! "

noreply@blogger.com (Diana) — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 10:32:00 +0000

In honor or my long time favorite soap opera, " All My Children ", being taken off of the air, I am bringing back an episode of my very own soap opera,

" Best Laid Plans ".

I find myself apologizing once again for my absence.

Watch for " Best Laid Plans " for answers!!

" Bilateral Total Knee Replacement/ Post Op Week 7 "

noreply@blogger.com (Diana) — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 13:08:00 +0000

Well folks it seems like awhile since I've posted or read other blogs. Although I don't think it's been much more than a week. Time flies as they say.

The truth is that I have been gradually getting my energy and stamina back. A little here and there but none the less, I have been feeling much better.

I went back to work this week. I have been cleaning a house for a family for years now and it went better than I expected. I had the option of doing it all in one or two or even three days if I wished but I managed to get it done in one day. It only took me a half hour longer than usual. But I hadn't been there in a couple of months so there was extra work to be done.

Usually I wouldn't be able to do anything for two days after cleaning that house. But even though I was tired afterwords I managed to clean my car inside and out the next morning. Something that never would have happened before the surgery.

I have noticed that I have acquired some new followers that are interested in information about the bilateral total knee replacement. I remember before the surgery, trying to find info on the web about it. There was very little. That is one of the reasons that I decided to do this series of posts.

As of this posting I will say that my biggest challenge is the stairs. Going up is easy enough especially if you remember to stand straight and lift each leg as if you are marching. I learned that on my own the hard way. Going down is quite a different matter. I was still going down using the same leg first, step by step as I had before the surgery. Part of the reason being that I still had pain in the right knee. But I also discovered upon experimentation that I was being too hard on myself. Each set of stairs in my house were different heights. So what I didn't realize until I started to experiment again was that I could go down some stairs normally and others would have to wait until I healed more.

This is all trial and error folks. I've never had a knee surgery let alone two so I have nothing to compare it with. I can say that I am happy that I did them both at the same time and except for a few hiccups, things are going very well. My legs feel very strong.

Afghan that I am trying to finish before Christmas for my son, I have my doubts!!

For anyone who is thinking of having this surgery, my biggest suggestion would be to do your leg exercises religiously BEFORE the surgery. I know that exercising is a drag but it will help you TREMENDOUSLY post-op. I am still doing them daily. The muscles that surround the knee are what is going to get the new knee moving. Without that muscle strength it's going to be far more difficult.

Now a few of my regular followers expressed some concern about me taking Celebrex since I have had two strokes a few years ago. Not to worry my friends, it's only for a few weeks and I am almost done with them. They never did help my arthritis when I tried them a few years ago so I never took them but they have helped with the swelling on my right knee tremendously.

I have to see my surgeon in two weeks. As you can see in the above photo, my stubborn scab is almost gone so I don't think we will be going back to the hospital for it's removal. Thank God, well I think it will be gone within two weeks.

So there you have it. I am almost to the 8 week mark and am doing very well. I am actually able to do things that I couldn't do before the surgery. I still get very tired and worn out in the evenings and my knees do ache in the evenings as well. But not enough that I need any medication. I can stand straight and walk without limping which is really awesome.

I am leaving you today with a photo for my friend, Naida from "Crochet mama's blog"

It is a photo of my dog Roxy. She likes to cuddle under the covers with her mama too!!

As I said previously, I have been busy trying to get back into the groove of my life. However, I think I will have time this weekend to visit all of you. And to my new followers or any of you that may have a question about this surgery, feel free to ask. I will answer as best I can. Have a great weekend.

" Total Knee Replacement/Post-Op Week Six, and a Few Blooms "

noreply@blogger.com (Diana) — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 13:25:00 +0000

This is going to be a double post today. I've noticed that many of my flowers are still looking very pretty despite the cooler temperatures and the lack of care. I haven't done any gardening since before my surgery six weeks ago so I am throwing a few blooms in here and there.

I don't know what this one is but it is one of my favorites. A little Hummingbird visits it everyday. As I sit it my chair it is just inches away from me!!

My visit to the surgeon didn't turn out exactly as planned. As a matter of fact I was pretty down after seeing him which is why I didn't post on Monday when I saw him. But all is not lost by any means!!

As you can see, the left knee looks pretty good and it feels great. The right knee however is healing at a much slower pace. The infection is gone (for now) but there is some fluid on the right side of the knee cap. The doctor said that this is normal considering the work that he did on that side. I don't think that I mentioned that my knee caps were ulcerated and they had to shave 9 ml. off each one and then put some sort of polymer or something like that , over the knee caps.

He said the fluid should dissipate on it's own. Lets hope!! The scab is being stubborn as well and if it isn't gone in four weeks, I will have to go back to the hospital to have it removed. I did notice last night that it was loose so I am hoping.

Check out these ferns. They are HUGE!! I bought them at Lowes for $3.50 a piece. They didn't look too good but for the price I couldn't help myself. I re-potted them and look at them now!!

O.K. the knee. I told my doctor that I have felt no improvement in it in weeks. It doesn't actually hurt but it is always achy and tight feeling. The doctor gave me some Celebrex, an anti-inflammatory.

I took the first one yesterday and was very surprised at how much better my knee felt. He said that the knee was still swollen.

This next flower is just so pretty. I painted and used stamps for the plant stand that it's in.

And that was the extent of my visit. I suppose I expected everything to be perfect and healed by now. I'm not very patient you know. I have to see the doctor again in four weeks. I am off of the awful antibiotics for now, THANK GOD!!!!!!

I am already feeling better just from being off of them.

Last week I splurged on myself and bought about four pounds of Ox Tails. I love them and no one else here will eat them so this was a bit extravagant for me! Since I was feeling a little low yesterday, I fixed up a crock of Ox Tail soup for myself.

How selfish am I ? That's pasta in there. I usually make it with barley but wasn't in the mood this time.

I wish I could remember the name of this next pretty little flower. I think it's called an Ice Plant. It's a perennial. It's very pretty and spreads all over!

I'm going to end this with two more photos and I just have to say that I am surprised that they are still alive after the lack of attention!

More Later....

" A Gloomy Sunday "

noreply@blogger.com (Diana) — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 18:02:00 +0000

Since I haven't been posting much lately and I've done pretty much nothing but sit here for the last three days, I thought I'd share all the excitement that's been going on around here!

First of all it is so GLOOMY and CHILLY outside. A typical fall day you could say. Just not one of the prettier one's that we all like to enjoy.

Katie, Natasha and I are sitting around the television eating pizza while watching rerun after rerun of "Ice Road Truckers" while the rumble of thunder looms in the distance.

Since being on this mega dose of Keflex, I have felt horrible. No energy. Just weird. So I sit here waiting. Waiting to be done with them. Two more today and two more tomorrow then I'm done.

Oh please let me be done. I have to go see the doctor for my six week check up and I just pray that I don't have to take another coarse. The knee looks better and I've been diligent with my exercises. The knees are working well. I just don't have a lick of energy.

The girls are bored but have each other for company at least. I am missing my husband. Only another five or six days until he comes home again. He's thinking of going Regional again. Which means he'd be home EVERY weekend. That would be nice if we can make it. Sometimes the money isn't as good.

I can't believe the price of everything anymore. I can't barely afford to keep food in the house. It would help if Katie could find a job. In a town this size for someone who hasn't had any experience, it can be difficult.

I am anxious to start working my other jobs and a few more, I just don't have my stamina yet. I wonder how long that will take.

Well I did say it was a gloomy Sunday didn't I ?

Maybe I'll have a brighter post and a brighter day tomorrow.

" There is Wrenches Being Thrown at My Monkeys. Post Op-Week 5 "

noreply@blogger.com (Diana) — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 23:23:00 +0000

I've not been a very good Blogger as of late but you see for some reason unknown to me there has been some wrenches thrown at my monkeys.

Let me splain...

During week five of my recovery last week, I had noticed that my right knee wasn't lookin' so pretty. O.K. I knew it wasn't pretty to begin with but come Friday after I sent a photo of it to my husband, I was pretty sure it was infected.

When your husband is yelling "What are you waiting for call the freakin' doctor?!", that's a pretty good sign. Yup it is. So I called and they fit me in. I had to get Kate out of school so she could drive me there as I couldn't get a ride. Thank goodness the school is just three blocks away, walking distance for her.

So away we went and it was confirmed that I had an infection. I was put on a mega dose of Keflex and sent home with instructions to return on Monday for a follow up.The good news is that the whole knee wasn't infected but just the scar.

This is how it looks today. Believe me it looks much better than it did last week!

Fortunately for me, my hubby made it home that night for the weekend and took good care of me. He also worked so hard putting up new banisters leading upstairs so that I could move back up to my own room!! How wonderful that was and I can't even begin to tell you how comfortable that bed was! I slept good that night thanks to my sweetheart, Thank you Honey!

The weekend filled with work for my husband passed and he was able to go to the doctor with me. I only saw his P.A. but he said the knee looked good and that I could loose the cane and DRIVE!!!!

Yippy, I can drive!!!

And then it hit me. A bug. I woke Tuesday morning feeling like crap. I've been coughing, sneezing, stopped up and have absolutely "Zilch" for energy. I did manage to take my husband back to his truck. And I made a couple of trips to the store although I was very dizzy and probably shouldn't have.

Well you know there is no stopping me. Well almost. I've pretty much done nothing around here except for my exercises and they were labored at best. So now that I have this new found freedom, here I sit waiting to get over whatever this thing is that I have.

I have to go see my surgeon on Monday. My six week mark is Tuesday. I just hope I am feeling better by then. I want to have some FUN!!!!!!!!!!!!

If I haven't been to your blog, I'm trying. But I am really feeling like crap so I'm sorry. I will leave you with a little smile. It is a picture of my two dogs. Ruby and Roxy.

I call it " Ya Got to Have Friends ".

Love Ya !!

"Sleepless Night, Random Thoughts"

noreply@blogger.com (Diana) — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 04:59:00 +0000

It's one of those nights. Restless and therefore sleepless. I did a lot of housework today, got a bit sore and took a nice long nap. That probably explains the sleeplessness now.

I've also had a lot on my mind while recovering from this surgery. I can't drive yet so I can't get out of the house much or go back to work yet. I had such a down day yesterday. It was cloudy and rainy. Had the worst case of cabin fever. I was talking to my DIL on the phone and she suggested that I ride along with her to do her errands in town. Of coarse I jumped at the chance. Wore myself out walking but it was so worth it. It really picked me up. I do believe that was the most that I've walked in a long time. The new knees did good, I just discovered that I don't have my stamina back yet.

I am grateful for how quickly I've been recovering but am still anxious to get my life back and then some since I'll be able to do more.

I've been thinking a lot lately about what I want to do for work. I have my part time job at church which is just a few hours a week. I wouldn't give that up, I love it too much. I have my cleaning job once a week for about three hours and I wouldn't give that up either.

So I am trying to figure out if I want to go back into retail which I am very good at and enjoy immensely. I make a great sales gal. Really. I can sell probably just about anything.

There's also office work which I am qualified for but am not to crazy about sitting on my butt all day. Thank goodness I have plenty of time to figure it out. I'd really love to do volunteer work but right now we need the money. So that will have to wait for a different time in my future.

I already have a couple of places that I want to apply to. It's just a bit too soon. Maybe by November or December. We'll see how the healing goes.

I rode my stationary bike for five minutes today. I felt great after that and was proud of myself. I washed my floors, dusted, did laundry and cooked dinner. That's when I crashed!

I'm pretty sure that my husband will be able to put railings up on the walls leading upstairs this weekend. God willing. It seems that is all I've been thinking about lately. I've probably driven the poor man crazy talking about it. But if he got it done and I could move back upstairs, I'd probably be busy up there for awhile which would give him some gaming time.

I have some new photos of the grandkids but my camera is in the other room. I haven't posted many photos lately. I've really been missing my oldest daughter, Ginny, again. I wish she were here and we could go thrift shopping.

I guess I'll just give up on this post for now, I could just ramble on for hours and it's already too long. So Goodnight to all of you. Sleep tight because I'll be awake watching over things!!!