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.

526 miles, and never more than 40 miles from home.

It all started last Sunday, Mothers' Day: I met Carmen in Mayfield and she took me out to lunch. The local restaurant she had selected wasn't open, so we went to Cracker Barrel (also in Mayfield, but not 'local.') I introduced her to their kale salad, which my friend Mary had introduced me to a couple of months ago.  When I had been home about an hour, Alyssa called and asked if I could help her out with Calla. Head Start is over, but Calla is not yet in day care. Her other great-grandmother (they call her Bma) was going to keep her for the week, but was on her way home from VA or NC that day. So I went to Metropolis and got Calla and kept her for the night. All that was 111 miles.

Monday: I took Calla to Bma's house, met Carmen in Mayfield, and then drove to Metropolis for Lily's program at school. By the time I returned home, I had driven 107 miles.

Tuesday: My normal trip to The Ice House in Mayfield to knit. 40 miles.

Wednesday: My normal trip to Paducah for the noon Eucharist service at Grace Episcopal Church, followed by knitting with friends at Itty Bitty Knitty Shop. However, I went by way of Bardwell to drop off a couple of bags of clothing at West KY Allied Services, and to stop at the county court house to renew my car registration. About 75 miles total, I think.

Thursday: I think I stayed home all day and didn't even unlock the door.

Friday: I picked up Calla from Bma's house, met Carmen in Mayfield, and headed to Metropolis. We took Calla to Alyssa's house (She had someone to babysit the little ones), then went to the high school for Lexi's graduation. Lexi was one of the honor students, who sat on the front row and got their diplomas first. They also had gold tassels, while the rest of the class had school-color ones. I couldn't possibly be more proud of Lexi.

After the graduation, we went back to Alyssa's house for birthday cake for my 78th. After dropping Carmen off in Mayfield, and returning home, it must have been at least 120 miles.

Saturday: Alyssa asked if I could keep Lily for the night, so I drove to Metropolis to get her. We came back through Mayfield and met Carmen at the A Taste of Mayfield festival. So that was another 100 miles.

I actually kept Lily two nights. We got up early this morning and left about 7:30 to drive to Metropolis in time for school. Brady's kindergarten graduation was this morning at 9 o'clock. He is now finished with school until August, but Lily has to go until Friday.

That Was The Week That Was

{Do you remember that show?}

My week was quite tiring for this old person. On Monday I had an appointment for my annual check-up. My blood pressure was a bit high. I told Dr. Pat what my week was going to be, and she said to come back when it was over and things have settled down a bit, and have the nurse check it again. I didn't tell her that part of it may have been sitting in the waiting room at least 45 minutes after my appointment time before being called back, and thinking that I may not make it to Metropolis in time to hear the high school jazz band play.

I did make it in time, but just barely. They were playing at the Mexican restaurant. On the way up from Mayfield, I was grateful for red lights as I was driving through Lone Oak - they gave me a chance to text with Susie about the kids. We met at the restaurant, and I took Lily and Calla and sat at the table with Lexi's Gill grandparents. Brady ate with his Ragsdale family. Lexi, of course, was the reason we were there. She plays trumpet in the band. After supper, we went to Alyssa's house, where I spent the week until Friday night. Alyssa works for the American Quilters Society and this was "Quilt Week" in Paducah. AQS has been putting on this event for a long time. People come from all over the world; Alyssa was really surprised a how many there were from Japan. So Alyssa was working looooong hours, and asked me to stay at her house to take care of the kids. Nothing like sleeping on the couch for four nights!

Susie (Stephen's mother) came over each morning and got the kids ready for school and then took them there. She's been doing this since Alyssa started working at AQS, because she needs to leave earlier than the kids do. Susie usually picks them up from school, as well, and takes them to her house until Alyssa get home, but I relieved her of that duty this week.

On Tuesday evening, I took the three kids and met Carmen at Mellow Mushroom in Paducah, again to hear the jazz band play. We got  medium pepperoni pizza for the kids and a small holy shitaki one for the two of us. Unfortunately, Alyssa was not able to attend either of those performances, but she should be able to go to the mall when they play there on Tuesday evening.

So that was two nights I didn't need to cook. On Wednesday, I did cook. I fed them the goulash Mother used to make frequently - ground beef, elbow macaroni and Campbell's tomato soup concentrate. I had peas as a side dish.

On Thursday, the school had a family reading night, with spaghetti and meatballs and breadsticks from Fazoli's, so I didn't need to cook that night either. Lexi asked if I wanted her to go with us, and I said it was up to her. I am SOOO glad she did; I don't think I'd have survived without her help. I think the kids enjoyed it. They had tables set up with activities related to books most of the kids are familiar with.

Friday afternoon, Brady went home with his grandmother Susie, and I took Lily and Calla to their other great-grandmother near Mayfield. So other people fed them that night. I don't know why the cooking seems so arduous for me - I guess because I've been feeding only myself for so long. I used to be a good cook, but I think I've forgotten how.

It was good to sleep in my own bed last night.

Today I drove in to Mayfield and went to the used book sale at the library. I went mainly for children's books, but of course I looked at the adult ones, a well. I bought 15 children's books, including one on insects and another on chipmunks and beavers (I think Lily especially will like those), and 8 books for me. All that for only $15.25.

New computer

I recently bought a new computer. The one I had was at least 12 years old and had Windows XP operating system, which is no longer being supported. This one has Windows 10 and a much larger memory. It is taking some getting used to. Carmen went with me to buy it, and then set it up for me. There are still some things she needs to do on it, but I've found most of the things I want.

I will be spending most of next week in Metropolis with Alyssa. She works for the American Quilters' Society and next Wednesday through Saturday is the annual Spring quilt show in Paducah. She will be very busy, leaving the house earlier than usual, and getting home much later than usual. So I'll be there to help with the kids. I'll take my laptop and plenty of knitting to work on during the day while they're in school. I'll need to pick them up from school, help with homework, give them supper, and put them to bed. Stephen's mother will continue to come in the morning to get them ready and take them to school. Since she has her routine on that, I see no reason to upset it for the week. Besides, the less I need to go up and down those stairs, the better.

Yesterday, I picked Calla up from Carmen's, where she had spent two days, and took her back to Metropolis. Then I took her, Lily and Brady to the Easter egg hunt at the church they go to. I've been there enough that that some of the faces are familiar to me, although I don't know any of the names. One of the women said to me, "Yes, I know your number is 102." She is a teacher or aide at the elementary school and takes down the numbers of those of us in the pick-up lines in the afternoons. I've picked up Lily and Brady enough times that she recognizes my car, knows who I'm picking up and what their number is. I guess that, by this time of year, she and the others know many of the numbers.

Merit Weekend at UK

Lexi, Alyssa and I drove to Stanford on Thursday evening and spent the night in my sister Pauline's townhouse there. Of course, before we left, I drove 123 miles, going to Metropolis to pick up the three little ones from school and delivering Brady to his grandparents in Metropolis and Lily and Calla to their Grammy Carmen near Pryorsburg KY, then returning to Metropolis. When Lexi was home from school and Alyssa from work, we set out for central KY. I rode for that 240 miles.

Friday we drove from Stanford to Lexington, to the UK campus. It was a busy day, especially for Lexi. She had to take a couple of placement tests, while Alyssa and I attended some information sessions to find out more about UK. Alyssa also talked to someone in the finance (or something) office about the money, and Lexi had a meeting about band. At the end of the afternoon, we visited the dorm Lexi will be living in. (I didn't take the tour.) It is a dorm that will have mainly people in the Fine Arts majors - she may be the only one from Arts & Science (She plans to major in Psychology.) She was impressed by the practice rooms and art studios. She will be in the marching band and the pep band that plays at home ball games, so the practice rooms might be useful for her. It was about 10 pm when we got back to Stanford.

On Saturday, we went back to UK. Lexi had more small-group meetings and met with her adviser to set up her schedule for the fall semester. Alyssa and I were in more information meetings. At the end, we were told that if we hear of more orientations during the summer, ignore them, they are for the 'regular' kids. These three weekends in March were for the 'cream of the crop.' The average high school GPA of this group was 4.1 and their average SAT score was over 1300. Then after our free lunch in the Champions dining room [sort of like a food court in a mall, except you pay one price (usually about $10) and eat as much as you want from the various vendors], there were a bunch of tables set up in the ballroom with information about campus organizations, services, etc. I finally got home about 9:30 pm.

Tiring couple of days, but I'm so glad I went with them. I had thought I'd be able to show Lexi where I lived at her age, but we left too early and got back too late to see anything. I'll have to visit her some weekend this fall and take her to see Stanford and Berea (where I went to college).

Sunday afternoon, Carmen brought Lily and Calla to me to spend their Spring Break here. We're doing nothing today, but tomorrow we will go to Mayfield to visit the Ice House (Art Guild) and the library, and to do some grocery shopping. I'm not sure what we'll do after that.