Lexi made the dean's list!

At the University of Kentucky! I couldn't possibly be prouder of her.

79 ?

I turned another year older yesterday. Didn't really do anything, but we did drive to Mayfield and had supper at Burger King - drive through, eat in parking lot. Dominic went into Walmart for a few things, mainly milk. He also bought a pecan pie to celebrate my birthday. I think I'll have a piece of it now.

ZOOM!

We're still spending most of our time at home, but we do get out some, mostly to pharmacy and grocery, and fast-food drive-throughs. Our neighbor, who is an X-ray tech, gave us two masks, and Alyssa has given us two that she made. She has been making them and giving them to friends and neighbors. Masks are mandatory in Illinois now, and will be soon in Kentucky. I don't like wearing them, but of course I will.

One of my online knitting groups has started having online meetings on Zoom, and our rector is having Zoom coffee hours. I was lamenting the fact that I can't join in, because there is no camera on my computer (and Walmart is out of them), but Alyssa said there is one on my iPad. Carmen bought this iPad for me when I was in the nursing home, but I couldn't figure it out, so it has just been sitting here. Alyssa and the kids visited us a week ago and she set things up for me. Yesterday at 11am, I joined the Grace Church coffee hour. There were only six of us, but it was nice to see everyone. Then at 6pm I joined the KnitTalk group. I think there were 18 of us, and it was very interesting to see these people I've been communicating with online for several years. I knew what Alison looks like, because I have her book of shawl patterns and I followed her blog for several years (I'm not following any blogs now). But I had no idea what any of the others looked like. I had sort of pictured Robin as looking like a woman I go to church with, but she is very different.

Social Distancing

I'm pretty good at this, but I do need some interaction with other people. We haven't gone anywhere for several days. I haven't gotten as much knitting done as I should have though. I guess phone and internet make socialization easier than it was years ago.

The little great grandkids are home from school until the end of the month (at least). I think the teachers spent last weekend putting together packets of work to keep them busy during that time. Lexi came home for spring break and thought she was going back to do online classes from the dorm for two weeks and then back to normal. However, UK decided to do online classes for the rest of the spring semester, and to close the dorms. Now they will need to go back to Lexington to get her stuff out of her room. At least now she can help with the little ones. She'll probably have less trouble with the common core math that Stephen's mother. It's a foreign language to those of us over a certain age.

Alyssa is adamant that I need to stay home. I think she's going to buy a couple of things Dominic and I need and have Lexi drop them off to us when she comes this way to visit her grandparents tomorrow. (They're only 12 miles from me instead of the 38 Alyssa is.)

I just updated my 'cast of characters' for the kids' current ages. Actually Lexi won't be 19 until June, but I don't feel like going back to change it. She voted in the Illinois primary yesterday - first time. I guess that makes her an adult now. And Devin is now driving!

Again, brother Jim has reminded me that I've neglected my blog for almost two months.

I'm doing quite a bit better in getting around, but not walking without a walker yet.  Getting into and out of the car is fairly easy now, but I don't feel up to driving. I probably could, but that's one of the reasons Dominic is here. He does a lot of other things for me, as well, including emptying the container that I empty my colostomy bag into, and emptying the pot of my bedside commode - not pleasant tasks.

I spend a fair amoumt of time knitting. Two weeks ago, we delivered 14 hats to the local school for whoever needs them and several shawls to the church to be blessed and given as prayer/comfort shawls. I also waste a lot of time on the computer, mostly playing solitaire.

I was discharged from home health in December and from Wound Care about the same time. I've had a couple of other follow-up doctor's appointments and have another one scheduled in May with the kidney doctor.

I was able to weave at the Walk Through Bethlehem in December. Carmen was there again this year as the vendor, and I told people that Dominic was my slave - that seemed appropriate.

Jury Duty

When I got the summons to jury duty two months ago, I thought I'd be walking independently by now, so I didn't mention my recent medical problems when I filled out the questionnaire. I'm still using a walker and Dominic is still my driver.
Today was the day I had jury duty orientation. The judge explained several reasons why we are lucky to be in a small county - there are very few jury trials each year and they are very short. Afterwards, I told him that, for someone who has served on a jury for a trial that lasted two full weeks, this sounded easy. I did not ask to be excused, but since they plan to divide the jury pool into two groups, each to serve for half the year (oh, yes, this is for the year 2020), I asked to be in the second half. I figure that by July I should be much more stable on my feet.

How I Spent my Summer (it was no vacation)

I thought I had posted in June, but I guess not. I can't tell you what I did until June 24. On that day, I walked out my back door on my way to a fiberarts meeting, something threw me off-balance, and I wound up lying on the concrete carport. As one of my friends said, "the concrete always wins." I called my daughter, who came over and took me to the emergency room. X-rays showed 5 broken ribs and 2 pelvic fractures. I was admitted to the hospital for a few days, then transferred to Mills Manor nursing home for recuperation and physical therapy.

Then on July 9, I had some problems with my belly. I hadn't been eating much, but my belly was distended and off-color, and I started vomiting some strange looking, orange stuff. So they sent me back to the hospital. The next day I had surgery for a perforated colon. They tell me that I had a mild heart attack in surgery and that they almost gave me up for lost. I completely lost 4 or 5 days; my primary care doctor tells me I don't need to remember those days. After I came around, the doctors were calling me a miracle. My daughter sent out prayer requests to family, churches, and knitting groups. I'm told they even did a laying on of hands.

I spent the rest of July in Jackson Purchase Medical Center and then was transferred back to Mills Manor. I was in bed so long that I had to learn to walk again. I now look at babies and toddlers a bit differently, because I know how much strength and endurance it takes to hold oneself upright and to walk. After much recuperation and therapy, I came home on October 17.

During all this time, my daughter, Carmen, has been a fabulous advocate for me. She moved back into my house and rearranged furniture so I can get around the house more easily.

My son, Dominic, is here also, and has become an attentive nurse, changing dressings, etc. The dressing on the surgical incision will be discontinued soon, I believe, but the one on a bedsore on my butt will take longer. We go back to Wound Care at the hospital in Tuesday to see what the surgeon says about them.

I have a wheelchair and walkers. Mercy Home Health sends out nurses and therapists several times a week.

When we have to go to doctors are the only times I go out. Getting into the car is easy, but getting out is not. After the appointments, we go to a drive-thru for lunch, which we then sit in the parking lot to eat. Then we do other errands, with me sitting in the car while Dominic goes into the stores. I did go into Walmart the first time, so I could show Dom where things are, and what foods I wanted. Now I can just make a list for him.