A Fangirling Interlude

As I near the 33.3 percent milestone of my 36-visit (shh...35) leg therapy journey, I must pause to sing the praises of my OT. She really knows her stuff. While inconvenient to drive 45 minutes one-way three times a week, the appointments themselves are not unpleasant. That's a rousing endorsement from Mrs. HM. Or maybe I'm succumbing to Stockholm Syndrome...

Anyhoo... OT was pleased with the progress she observed on Friday. Looking at the inner part of my right knee, she moved the skin around and exclaimed,

"Look how soft and wrinkly it is!"

"Uh. Yes. It really is... My son would say, 'You elderlies, with your papery-thin skin!'"

"Oh. I don't want you to take that the wrong way. In the lymphedema world, 'soft and wrinkly' is GREAT! That's what we look for! I have to remember when I tell people that. I don't want them think I'm insulting them, or making fun. It's just what we like to see. What we're working for. One lady even had wrinkly TOES! Oh, look. YOU also have wrinkles in your toes."

"I see that now. I didn't think you were making fun. It's nice to see that progress."

"Some of that loose wrinkly-ness will go away, the longer it goes."

"Well. Not a lot, because I AM old, and my skin isn't so elastic anymore."

"I have one guy, he's in his 90s--"

"Oh, so he has a couple years on me, heh, heh!"

"Yeah. His daughter brings him in. He's on some kind of blood-thinner. I have to be really careful of his skin. And another guy who bleeds if you just look at him wrong. Like, he can just take off his pants and there's a fresh cut bleeding. I say, 'How do you DO that?' So I have to be aware of each person and how their skin reacts."

Indeed. I, myself, had some weird wound on my left leg on Wednesday. Took the support stocking off, and OT said, "WHAT am I going to do with you? There's some kind of sore on your leg!"

She held the mirror because I couldn't see it. WOW! It was about the size of a half-dollar, all white and gooey. I was worried that was PUS, but OT didn't think so. She swiped at it with a paper towel, and it rubbed off. "I think it's just wet skin. Maybe that area wasn't all the way dry when you put your sock back on after showering."

My thought was that I had a little nick there that was oozing, and being trapped in a support stocking and the rubbery velcro wraps made it all gooshy in that area, like when you have a bandaid that gets wet, and turns the skin soft and white. OT had put a non-stick gauze pad in there Wednesday, and on this day, there was just a tiny circle of fluid soaked in. So we're just waiting for that to close up. No infection, nothing to worry about.

That's the thing. OT is really good with people skills. I have a toenail that wants to fall off, and she said,

"It's not a big deal. I had one lady who had THREE toenails pop off as I was taking off her socks! I told her, 'Um. Did you not feel that? That's not normal. You might want to keep an eye on that.' She didn't really seem concerned."

I hope other clients are enjoying such stories about ME, heh, heh! Just saying, OT has a way of putting people at ease, like whatever is going on with you is not the most horrific thing she's ever seen!

Knee-CROW-Sis

I am 10 visits into my leg therapy, according to my OT. Of course, she is counting the missed appointment when she was out sick, but I'm not going to correct her. By the calendar, I am 1/3 finished with treatment, although by appointments, that would come at #13, which will be this upcoming Friday.

This therapy is helping more than I imagined possible. OT really knows her stuff. I wish that I hadn't been allowed to "fall through the cracks," as she says, since during my history-taking, she pointed out signs that doctors should have caught and referred me. Then again, you have been enlightened on how hard it was to actually GET these appointments once I WAS finally referred.

Friday was my second "measuring day," when OT marks my bare legs with a purple marker, then checks circumferences with a metal retractable metric measuring tape. She DID translate one measurement into inches for me, and that's what I'm here to crow about. 

I lost 4 INCHES in my right knee! First of all, let's consider that nothing was done to my knees until LAST FRIDAY. That's the day Farmer H came to carry in the awkward box of wraps for me. The first day that OT trimmed and fitted the velcro wraps that are now used on my lower legs instead of the elastic wraps, and also on each knee. So technically, in just a week, Friday to Friday, my right knee decreased in circumference by 4 inches!

That's a plus, because even though it has not lessened any pain from my bone-on-bone arthritis, it must surely be helping the circulation in that leg. Which is what the orthopedic surgeon was concerned with. I take it as a good sign, anyway. Even though I'm not totally sold on knee replacement surgery, it will be nice to have that option if the surgeon thinks it's possible after re-evaluation in several months.

A Decent Grilling

The Pony came out for Memorial Day, and Farmer H grilled bratwursts, chicken, and pork steaks. I wish I could report that it was a delicious feast, but I cannot!

That is Farmer H's tray, in case you couldn't figure it out from his meaty paw grasping a BBQ chicken breast as if he'd never heard of a KNIFE and fork. He also has slaw, stuffing, a bratwurst, onion rings, potatoes/onions, and white cheddar mac and cheese.

This is The Pony's tray. With a slight view of the "Mexican Coke" as the beverage of choice. The Pony says this version of Coke is better, because I think it is sweetened with real sugar, and not corn syrup. I don't know for sure. Never tried it. And I thought the recipe was secret.

There's my tray. And my salad peeking out in the background. Which deserves a picture.

Isn't that a beautiful salad? I went for a raspberry vinaigrette dressing. So made my salad with romaine, onions, tomato, and grated Muenster. Gotta say, it was not as tasty as I had hoped. The cheese was too mild, or not enough. I didn't finish it. This salad seemed too salad-y. I prefer a boiled egg and sharp cheddar, but I didn't think that would go well with the raspberry vinaigrette. 

The lack of deliciousness of our feast was no fault of anybody. Unless it's ME! Which of course I will not admit to. I'm not taking the fall! The bratwursts were not well-liked. I got them at the Sis-Town Save A Lot, because our Hillmomba Save A Lot often runs out of brats, and has only the sausage patties. The only variety I had to choose from were cheddar, and BBQ cheddar. Both were surprisingly tasteless! None of us finished our brats!

The potatoes would have been better if I'd used russets instead of goldens. The goldens don't like to crisp up. I thought the mac and cheese was tasteless. It came from a box, with an herb packet, and The Pony and Farmer H enjoyed it well enough. I imagine the boxed stuffing was just fine, but I didn't have any. The onion rings were crispy enough, but it was like a tempura batter. I prefer more of a cornmeal batter.

Anyhoo... the chicken and the pork steaks were WONDERFUL! I didn't get a picture until later, and keep in mind they are cold, right out of FRIG II before I warmed them for future suppers.

The chicken was the boneless skinless breasts that come frozen in a bag. Farmer H did a fantastic job of grilling them. Juicy, but completely done in the middle. I had thawed them the day before cooking.

The pork steaks were also great. Farmer H knows his way around GassyG Jr. I will say that he skimped on the sauce this time. I like my pork steak coated with sauce, and grilled until it's a bit charred on the edges. Still, I just added sauce before warming in the oven, and it came out great. Of course I cut mine in half for two meals, but Farmer H eats a whole pork steak, with sides.

As usual, I forgot about the desserts. That happens when I don't eat them, heh, heh! It was cupcakes, both chocolate and vanilla, and some cookies that look like flat brownies with white icing. The Pony took half home, and Farmer H is still working his way through the rest.

I will adjust my potato choice next time, having only gotten the goldens because that's what The Pony likes. They don't work for everything. Farmer H will eventually eat up the onion rings, but I won't buy that version again. And I will go back to buying my bratwursts at the Hillmomba Save A Lot.

Still, it was a nice grilling, and nobody was left hungry.

It's Rainin', Men!

Last week I came out of 10Box as it started sprinkling. I knew there was rain coming, but I thought I might miss it. I DID! Mostly. I climbed into T-Hoe, hearing a weird noise. It was a steady sound. Like something hard hitting something hard.

"Oh," I thought. "I guess maybe there's some hail. Or just hard raindrops. Must be hitting those garden things over there." 

10Box had angered me of late, having a big display of plants sitting on metal racks, taking up FOUR parking spaces in front of the building. That meant the lazy ne'er-do-wells took advantage of my rightful handicap spaces. More than usual. Most had been sold, and the parking spaces opened up again. But a few racks remained on the sidewalk.

Anyhoo... I looked over that way, to see if hail was falling. I didn't see any. Just a few raindrops plinking onto T-Hoe's windshield. THEN a movement caught my eye! The reason for that sound:

ROOF MEN! Over on top of the mini-mall building that has my pharmacy at the far end, then a Chinese restaurant, then what used to be the urgent care clinic. Huh. I figured they must be putting up that sign. I thought it was there before, but maybe not. I think it's for the Chinese restaurant. That sure was a lot of men to put up a sign. I don't think they were taking it down, because of the noise. Which was more like hammering than prying.

All this time, I've thought those men were working on the sign. Until I tried to zoom in on my second picture:

That looks like some loose shingles there on the end. Maybe they were tearing out old shingles, and putting down new ones. That makes more sense than fiddling with a sign. 

I hope they didn't get too wet. The rain slacked off as I left town.

Not As Hard To Resist

The Pony has been making meals at home more, rather than ordering out. They're not all gourmet dinners. Sometimes you just want something filling. Something with flavors that appeal to you. And can use what you have in your freezer. Like chicken patties.

Those are the buns for two chicken patty sandwiches. The Pony says it was Munster cheese, which I'd sent home from one of our last meals here, which needed to be used. The sauce was mayo, ketchup, and mustard, I think. They look a little better with the chicken patties added, and all closed up.

The toasted buns were a nice touch. I'm not saying The Pony's chicken patties don't look good. Just that I would have chosen different toppings for mine. Like BBQ sauce and sliced Vidalia onion and dill pickle. Or some shredded lettuce with mayo. Or stone-ground mustard with a little hot Chinese mustard mixed in, and onion and pickles. Three varieties I would like better than The Pony's version. I don't much care for cheese on my chicken.

Chicken has me thinking about making myself some chicken nachos for supper...

It Doesn't Hurt To Look

The Pony went out for Chinese food a couple weeks ago. I think this was on actual Mother's Day. I'm not complaining. The Pony would have taken me out to eat if I would have gone. I don't like getting out much. Mainly because I don't like people!

Also because it's complicated if I haven't been somewhere before, and wonder if I can walk that far, and what kind of seating they will have. The chairs in the diner at the casino are SO LOW that I have problems getting up and down from them. Doesn't keep me from going to the casino, though! Or from eating while I'm there.

Anyhoo... for the past couple years, I've been making wise choices and cutting back. The scale has shown significant results, so YAY, ME! I would love to eat a meal like The Pony's picture, but I can control myself. Doesn't hurt to look, though!

I would love that Sweet & Sour Chicken. And a couple of crab rangoons. I don't have to have the fried rice. And the SUSHI doesn't tempt me at all! I don't know why a Chinese restaurant has sushi, but The Pony likes it. Better than buying it at Country Mart, I suppose. 

The Pony sent me the picture after eating. I was in town at the time, parked at the Gas Station Chicken Store. Another text followed, with The Pony's fortune:

My reply to the photos was: "Yum. I'm in town. Raging."

I think it's harder to resist the road rage than the Chinese food.

A Premature Swim In POOLIO

Thursday evening around 7:30, I was once again innernetting at the kitchen table. I noticed Pepper roaming around under the kitchen window between me and POOLIO. That's not unusual. The water dish is just around the corner.

Then I heard a THUMP. Or maybe a CRACK. It sounded like a block of wood falling onto the wooden porch boards. I turned to look, but didn't see anything out of place. However... Pepper poked his head through the porch rails, and started barking towards POOLIO. Or the woods behind POOLIO. I couldn't see Pepper's face.

Then something grabbed my attention. IN POOLIO! It was a squirrel. Floating. Slowly. A mere two days after Farmer H and Old Buddy took the cover off POOLIO.

"Hey! You've got a dead squirrel in POOLIO, and Pepper is barking his fool head off!"

"Huh. It must have got trapped in there, and can't get out because the water is so low now, and no ladder."

"I'm pretty sure he's dead. He's not moving like trying to swim. Just drifting."

"Well, I better come get him out."

Farmer H went down to the pool deck and used his net skimmer to dip out the squirrel. I didn't watch the whole operation. Farmer H said he threw the squirrel down in the woods. I don't think the skimmer could fling it in that direction from the deck. I have a sneaking suspicion that Farmer H pulled in the squirrel, and then picked it up and swung it across the yard into the treeline. He did NOT stop to wash his hands when he came in!

"You know those dogs will be on that squirrel in a couple minutes."

"Yeah. He must have been dead for a while. He didn't just now drown."

"I don't know why Pepper all at once started barking at it."

"Maybe it just now rose to the top."

That's even worse! Maybe it was there all winter! The water is murky. I can't believe Farmer H doesn't drain the water out and start fresh every summer!