Dec 3: Catching up

Oops.....long time.

-Mom is doing great. She is four weeks out from her knee replacement and walking very well. She's been back in her apartment for almost two weeks, now mostly walking with just a 4-prong cane. The debate now will be whether or not to get the other knee done. It may improve with strain off of it, we'll have to see.

-Heart Walk was a mixed success. From the beginning I was more short of breath than expected, probably because of talking for two hours before and during! We needed to take a few short cuts, but I did finish it--kinda. Didn't officially walk across the finish line as needed the bathroom. Several people from work were there and even Joanne came down (grumbling the whole time, but she was there!). I think you can still donate.

-Going back and forth to Doylestown almost every day I didn't work to see Mom really sucked a lot out of me. A real lot. Just recovering.

-Doing yoga. It's amazing how many muscles one can stretch! It's harder than you might expect to tell the difference between a muscle that is complaining because it hasn't moved like that in years (or ever!) versus when it's painful because too much strain is put on an operated part. Obviously my waist, hips and legs are not the issues here. It's the movement of the chest, shoulders and arms that get a little dicey. Now I need to have the discipline to do it other days of the week.

-Windows still not in.

-Squirrel population in P'ville down by ten!

-New tenant working out, still smoothing over some rough patches. But the fact that she doesn't have a felony record and the county pays the majority of her rent like clockwork are two MAJOR pluses!

-Today was the Red Cross Blood Drive at my Fellowship. With a lot of reluctance because of the increased demands on my schedule I agreed to be the coordinator. No one was willing to take it on and it would have been canceled, especially bad at a time of year when demand is increased and donations generally down. Discovered Red Cross is not the well-oiled machine you might expect. Lots of problems. But after a rocky start it went terrifically well with the help of many people from the congregation. We got 45 units of blood, which is really good. I wanted so much to donate back at least twice the amount received in my transfusions, but was never healthy enough. Then, of course, got the mechanical valve and will be on blood thinners for life, making me ineligible to ever donate. It has given me a tremendous satisfaction to 'give back', even indirectly, the blood that was given to me which saved my life. I'm feeling particularly warm and fuzzy at the moment!

-And, the holidays. Every year I swear to be better prepared, not get caught up in everything and go nuts. And every year I fail. Sigh. Good luck to all the rest of you probably going through the same thing!

Thanks for checking in, Laurie