Now THAT'S Better!

Yep.  That's a lot better.  I had to have

that ring off for a few days due to my recent

knee surgery.  I took advantage of that to have

it re-sized at Honeycutt's Jeweler's in Southern

Pines, where Judy bought it for me 39 years ago.

Now it fits, but not too loosely, and has been

re-engraved and nicely burnished.

It's back where it belongs.

So that's better, and so is my knee!

Since most of you have family or friends

with plenty of surgical experiences (and

quite possibly yourselves), I won't bore you

with a journal type review of my own experience.

But I would like to say I thank God and the people

He has placed in my life that have made this a time

of learning, healing, and thanksgiving.

First, my surgeon, Dr. Jason Guevara, is a Christian,

and member of Judy's church, Grace Church.  So is

Dr. Lupkus, who in spite of still recovering from his

own knee surgery, came in on his day off to be my

anesthesiologist.  Other Christian friends have been

there for me at every turn.

The very best part of all is that I wasn't sent to a

rehab center.  I was sent straight home under the

care of Moore County's best caregiver and cook,

my Judy.

She's still in the midst of helping me with 21 one

days of sponge baths, washing hair in the kitchen

sink, and making sure I get my meds and ice on time.

My appetite has been good, but not big, so our left-

overs are lasting longer.  But every meal since I

woke up from surgery has been a pleasure, and I'm

thankful for that.

They give you plenty of pain meds, and I'm gradually

being weaned from them.  The leg muscles were

strong before surgery, and thanks to the wise

guidance of home therapists from First Health

and now Dr. Teri Walsh of Appalachian Physical

Therapy, the muscles are coordinating better and

better to make the new knee function naturally.

Teri says I should avoid tennis and running or

shooting basketball layups.  Anything with great

impact is a no-no.  But hiking is a YES. She even

said I'll be fine to teach the grandkids Four Square

when the time is right.  I need to ask her about

jump rope tricks.  I know that's high impact, but

perhaps with a cushioned mat I can at least show

the kids some cool tricks when they're about 8.

So I'm thankful, excited, and hopeful about a full

return to my favorite activities.  Surgery on the

second knee awaits, possibly by mid-summer.

If it goes as well as this one, by fall I truly will

feel like I'm liberated by my new healthy knees.

P.S. : I'm Done With That!

Yeah, it will take a little getting used to.

Haven't had it off in probably 25 years,

but P.S., I'm done with that.

That scar won't go away, but I can handle it.

That's not all I'm done with.

I've done "household chores" for the last time.

I'm not cranking that chain saw or lawn mower

again. Splitting wood?  Uh-uh.

I'm done with working on the nature trail

and nursing home singalongs. And after I

play the piano on Easter Sunday, I'm done with

that.  Delores understands and forgives me.

Judy understands, too, and so do some others.

I've washed the car for the last time,

I won't be setting foot in the garden.

And this might just be my last blog post.

We'll see.

By the way, P.S. is my abbreviation for 

Pre-Surgery.  I'm getting my left knee replaced

next Wednesday, and then I'll be done with 

that, too!

And hopefully, soon I'll be able to get back

to all those things that I love so much.

Cutting wood, cutting grass, gardening.

Washing the car-- not so much. Once a year.

I'll be hoppin' down the nature trail like

Peter Cottontail before you know it.

And back at the nursing homes and other

venues to share music with one and all.

And I'll be especially glad to get that

wedding band back.  You know, you can't

wear any jewelry into surgery. But I couldn't

get it off.  I honestly have no recollection of

the last time I ever took it off.

So today, I took it to Honeycutt Jewelers in

Southern Pines, where Judy purchased my ring

(and I, hers). I was there when they opened at

10 and by 10:08 they had cut it off with their

handy tools and measured me for a size larger.

Most likely, Judy will need to pick it up when

it's ready, because driving? I'll be done with that,

too, as of next Wednesday.

And once I put it back on, I'll introduce it to my 

new knee.  The knee is supposed to be good for

25 years.  I guarantee you the ring is good for

longer than that!

48 Hours of March to April-- no foolin'

A ton of things happened at our house on the

last day of March and the first day of April.

And I'm not foolin.'  Check it out.

Bri and Hunter were delighted with a bucket

balance I got at a yard sale. Throw in some donated

surplus "gram-stackers" and we've instant fun. We

started by weighing and comparing some random

toys they selected.

Sound strategies quickly emerged.

Estimating, comparing, and logic were employed.

We recorded the weight of each object and

at the conclusion, Bri ranked all objects from

heaviest to lightest.  And by the way, this

wasn't school!

Let's listen in on Bri thinking out loud.

We weren't inside long on that beautiful day.

Bri is trying out the constantly improving

Tarzan swing.  Again, she calls it amazing. 

The padded hand grips make a big difference.

No blisters!

Here's what Bri thinks is fun.

Hunter did a million things at our house,

but he was in constant motion and kept

turning out as a blur.  Normal for a kid

who sometimes calls himself Flash.

Lets watch him work with our tepee

(From Uncle Buddy to Jennifer and Amanda

decades ago).

Let's try it like this.

No, let's fold it up and start over.

 

Uh, what happened?

Grandpa, are you sure all the grandkids like

to wear these handcuffs?

Fast forward to Thursday, April Fools Day.

There was no foolin' around, just playin' around.

Claire falls in love with the improved swing.

Not once have any of the children slipped off.

It's exhilarating to leap off into space, even if

you're only a couple of feet above the ground.

Here's our conversation:

Claire: I really like this swing!

Grandpa: I'm glad you do.

Claire: I'm glad you're glad.

Grandpa: I'm glad you're glad I'm glad.

Moral: You can't out-corny Grandpa.

Let's see what tricks Claire has mastered.

(By the way, Claire spent at least 30 minutes

with me just swinging back and forth in pure

delight.  After we returned to the house, she

insisted that Judy go back with her.  That time,

she swung across the ravine FORTY more times.

And when Jennifer arrived to pick the kids up,

both Evan and Claire had to show off their

trapeze skills many times before they could leave.) 

Meanwhile, Evan and Grandma are waging

dinosaur war on the front porch. How we love

these days when the doors can be flung open

wide and everywhere is a play space.

My camera angle makes it look like Evan is

Superman (he really is, but don't tell anyone).

He's actually demonstrating how to glide down

our ramp on two scooters at once.

But he's perfectly willing to share when

Claire wants a turn.

Claire scoots up to Grandma while Evan

courts disaster.  Rule # 1, Ev-man: No

broken bones at Grandma and Grandpa's!

Here's the Ev-man in action.

Mom will be here soon-- what have we 

not done?  How about shooting soldiers

with Grandpa's cannon?

Right.  We haven't done that since last fall.

Pretty good shootin', sharpshooter.

(Uncle Buddy and I collected these World

War II figures at Woolworth's more than

50 years ago.)

After Jennifer arrived, everyone was inside

except Evan.  I stepped out back and called

his name.  No answer.  I turned and saw him

grinning at me from the dogwood tree. (The

same one Jennifer and Amanda climbed back

in the 80's.)

I smiled back at him and asked, "What are

you doing up in that tree?"

He gazed seriously into my eyes and replied,

"Today is a day for tricking people, isn't it?"

Yes, it was, and for making a lot of people happy!