We've loved the sunshine and the beautiful flowers and fresh air this week. I haven't been outside as much as I should have, but there were good parts of every day.
Tuesday was my only medical day, and I was dreading it somewhat. I was ready early and was going to go through Fall City, the "back way," since all the construction has been finished. I don't think it takes much longer, but it's slower paced, and I don't get as tense. On the interstate, I'm expected to hang in there with the 70- and 80-MPH drivers, but on the back way, it's so hilly and curvy that it's impossible to drive fast.
Something happened at the last minute that made me run a little late, and then I had to buy gas. I drove up to the pumps at our nearby Chevron station, and the pumps were surrounded by strips of plastic that said, "Do not enter." I don't usually get up really close to pump gas, so I wasn't sure if that meant just go about your business as usual or not to use the pumps at all. There were two trucks parked in other places, but no one was in them or near them. Not wanting to embarrass myself, I just cruised right on by and went across the street to Safeway. After losing that bit of time, I just headed to the interstate and got there with only about 10 minutes to spare. I realized about that time that I had forgotten to take my ibuprophen that I always try to take about an hour before therapy. I'm not sure if it really helps or not, but I don't see any reason not to help myself where I can. This was not a good day to forget that!
It turned out to be okay pain-wise, and Laura was for the most part complimentary. I even got a "beautiful" one time. The time passed pretty quickly, and then it was table time. I can always tell when it's getting serious when Laura asks, "What are your plans for the rest of the day?" She wants to get me started talking so I won't notice what she's doing to me. Sometimes it works and sometimes it's enough to make me silent and other times enough to make me say, "Okay, that's it. No more!"
I had 30 minutes between that appointment and the surgeon's followup, so I went on and checked in. Luckily, I got in 15 minutes ahead of schedule, and that was a good visit too. Dr. Marshall looked at the x-rays and said they were perfect with no signs of avascular necrosis. I hate that term. I hope I never hear it again. He said, "If the measurements Laura has sent are correct, you're doing wonderfully." I told him I could vouch for her measurements - every one of them. He held my arm above my head and praised my range of motion and asked if it hurt. I told him it did not but that I probably couldn't lift it there on my own. He invited me to try, and I actually did it. Over-achiever, that's me. Emily says that the doctors that ask her how her mother is doing are surprised when she tells them how much progress I've made. Supposedly, that's the most painful and longest healing injury, worse than hips and knees and ankles, and lots of people never get back to their former strength and range of motion. I might not either, but I still have a chance. Six more weeks of PT and then a final x-ray, and I might be done. I'm going to have to start visiting the clinic every once in a while because I'll miss it so much.
I did take the pretty drive on the way home though. I felt like I deserved it.
Nothing is ever perfect though. This was my first drive on the newly configured Issaquah-Fall City Road. Before, I had it all figured out - when the lanes merged from 3 to 2 and vice versa - which lane to be in for which turn. Etc. All the planning I have to do nowadays that I didn't used to have to do. If there's anything I dislike almost as much as interstates, it's roundabouts. I have two of them closer to Snoqualmie, but I've driven them enough to figure out what to do when, and there's usually very little traffic on them. Imagine my surprise to find out that the new road has no fewer than 3 roundabouts, one right after another. I see the yield sign and then see the road markings with all kind of squiggly arrows on them. Help! I just slow down and probably irritate the people behind me who are used to these. It's going to take me a few tries to get comfortable with these.
Noreen and I had our Wednesday morning coffee by the pool, and I just love that time. Sunshine but not hot, very quiet except for the birds singing. The fence hides us, so at this time of year, we have our own area for sharing our week and venting and laughing. I'm not sure how the summer will go, because I imagine the pool will be busy, but we'll have our warm patio and balcony by then. We're not sure how often we'll be keeping grandchildren either or whether they'll be allowed to play together safely.
Wednesday afternoon is play day with the girls, and we decided to work on a kit of cats that Graysen got for her birthday. Wow. A little more than I bargained for.
This is the one Graysen was in love with. The first thing to do was sew the front to the back through the holes all around the edges. I can't say it was easy, but after a bit, they stopped unthreading their needles and making knots and carried on like big girls.
The first thing I would complain about is the scissors. You don't want sharp ones, but I've cut with children's scissors before that will at least gnaw through thread. These would not! At all. The other thing was the decals, and there were bunches of them. They wanted every stripe and every spot punched out, but when you went to punch them out, half the time the adhesive back separated, and you were left with just a useless piece of felt. And they were attached so firmly to the background that pulling them off resulted in torn whiskers and noses, so you needed to cut them. And back to the useless scissors.
We managed to avoid disaster, because these girls are creative, and Graysen was working on her nose with a Sharpie, and Katherine was making do with cat being put together facing the wrong direction.
The garage is once more a mess, but it's not all mine!
They were so thrilled and rode around and around the alley area, getting braver and braver and faster and faster. I was glad to know they had gone to the bike trail to try them out. There are too many cars parked in my alley for my comfort - including mine!
Thursday was a do-nothing day, but I did go over to stay with the girls for a bit while Ryan went and got his second vaccination. Emily got home from work, and he got teased a lot about making up enough symptoms to let him take a long nap, but I think he was feeling fine when I left. There are some new cases in our county, so we can't relax completely, but I'm so thankful we've all been healthy for this past year.
Speaking of healthy, Em and Ryan discussed what to eat last night for a long time. There are pretty good choices here of vegan or plant-based meals, but not right in town, and I think they're tired of them. They love cooking, but last night was not the night for it. They finally decided on some of their tacos or pizza or something that they love, and Emily brought out a treat for the girls. I tried to be excited about it, but - hmmmm. It looked like frozen olives.
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