Landline

I just finished reading Rainbow (who names their kid Rainbow?) Rowell's novel Landline.  Maybe Rainbow's parents were creative or artistic and some of that eclectic thinking wore off on their daughter?  Son?  I guess I think the author is a woman as no manly names come out of the sky.  Rainbow writes well.  Her characters are believable and layered.  The dialogue is snappy and cute.  The scene where the pizza delivery girl comes in to help two sisters as they assist in the delivery of three puppies as a pug labors inside a clothes dryer is hysterical.  The crazy part is the yellow rotary dial phone that Georgie has in her bedroom.  From this phone she can talk to her husband 10 years in the past.  As they talk she realizes he doesn't know they get married and have two little girls.  He doesn't know he is in the past and she doesn't tell him.  Georgie worries that what she tells him now might upset the past and maybe they won't get married and have two girls.  She is afraid she might influence her past (his future) by saying the wrong thing.  I know it's a strange plot but the good writing made this book worth my while. 

Jewelweed

A really good book is a rare find.  Each chapter is delicious.  Just like a serving of rainbow sherbert or sour cream and chive potato chips, you don't want to come to the end so you try to pace yourself and enjoy every last morsel but you can't help it.  You binge and then you hate yourself.  That is how I felt this afternoon after binge reading the last seven chapters of Jewelweed by David Rhodes.  I knew this was going to happen.  A friend told me about a book she liked.  She thought it was called Driftwood and was set in Wisconsin.  "Could it be Driftless?" I asked hopefully.  She said it was and that this book was a continuation of some of the same characters. As soon as possible I requested this book at the library and now, I am unhappy to say, I read the whole thing.  Dang, why didn't I save at least one chapter for tomorrow?  Where is my self-restraint?  My self-discipline?  Why did I splurge on this literary delight?  I sure hope David Rhodes writes more about Winifred the pastor, Blake the felon with great integrity, Amy and Buck Roebuck the happily married couple, Dart the hardworking but impetuous working mother, and Wally who keeps a notebook in his pocket of all the things he is going to miss after he dies.  This was a great book but please excuse me, I need to lie down now, I read too much.

One Of A Kind

Today I went to a funeral for a guy that I have known for a long time.  At first I thought he was a curmudgeon.  But after observing him for a couple years I began to realize that he just enjoys getting excited and getting other people excited.  He enjoyed conflict.  He craved conflict.  He really enjoyed exaggerated conflict when both parties knew the conflict was exaggerated.  The man liked to dish it out and he liked getting it dished right back at him.  For several years he had a buddy who also enjoyed the fake conflicts and would look forward to provoking him right back.  Those were good years when the two of them got together.  Many laughs were laughed Some people took him seriously.  He didn't care.  He wasn't out to win any popularity contests.  Every time I saw him I never knew quite what direction he would provoke the conflict but I could always count on a conflict about to happen.  He will be missed. His family is very upset by his death even though he was ill for a long time.  It takes all kinds to make the world go round.  This man was one of a kind.  I will miss him too.   

Walking Time

I have been taking advantage of the warmer weather and walking outside instead of inside the house or in a store.  I walk around my neighborhood and it makes me miss having a dog.  I feel a little silly walking around the block without a dog on a leash.  I could use a chicken but I don't know if they would cooperate.  I go for a walk in the morning and another walk in the afternoon. My afternoon walks are usually longer and I am to walk at the warmest time of the day which I guess would be 4 o'clock.  I take advantage of the local parks with tarred paths that are dry and clean.  I haven't been able to walk these paths without pain for many years and I see improvements have been made.  One path by my house has a purple martin gourd nest colony and I was happy to see that.  Some of the trees have plaques giving information about the tree species have been added.  I like those too.  In the photo above is a red oak tree I have always liked because it has legs; a hollow hole in the trunk at ground level.  Yesterday I took a long walk on the Rum River Trail.  I remembered the last time I walked that trail.  I believe it was in 2004 on Easter. Offspring #2 and I spent the cold Sunday picking up trash on the path.  We picked up cans, bottles, one tire, papers, and one complete set of underwear.  Halfway through our expedition my back and hip hurt so bad I wanted to quit.  I limped back to the car and we loaded all our trash.  We went out to eat and as my bones warmed up in the restaurant I regretted that long walk down that path because I knew I would be in pain the rest of the evening.  Now things are different. I can walk down the same path and not suffer the rest of the evening,  I got used to life like that.  I avoided long walks.  I spent more time in a kayak or on a motorcycle instead.  Now that I can hike again, I have more options on how to spend my time.  But I don't want to cut back on time in the kayak OR time on the motorcycle.  I guess I will keep all my present warm weather activities and cut back on couch time instead.

Strange Things Indeed

I was out and about yesterday which was a welcome break from my usual stay at home routine.  We went to Como Zoo, Ax Man surplus store, Seward Coop, and Home Depot.  I saw strange things indeed.  I saw a sloth.  I saw down the throat of a lioness as she yawned toward me in the window.  I saw blueberries that cost $7 for a half pint.  But the strangest thing of all was at the AxMan surplus store on University Avenue.  That store has a lot of weird stuff such as bowling pins for $4.75 each and radio components and ropes and chains and yards of burlap on a huge roll.  The strangest thing came near the end of our excursion, close to the check out desk.  At AxMan they have a life size (my size anyway) statue of Jesus.  He is barefoot and wearing a robe.  And his head (wait for it) bobbles.  I know because I bobbled it.  Around his neck he wears a sign that reads, "Take it Easy on Jeezy."  And guess what I said out loud when I saw it?  "Oh. My. God."

Radio Audience

I was talking to my father this week and he remembered when his family got a radio.  His family was one of the first in the vicinity to get a radio.  Sometimes local farmers and their family would come to their house to listen to the radio.  I wondered what would draw people together in such a fashion?  What program on the radio would cause the neighbors to drop what they were doing and gather at the house with the radio?  I didn't think it would be music.  I didn't think it would be comedy.  "Fireside chats with FDR?" I hazarded a guess.  Wrong!  They came to the house to listen to the first black American hero, Joe Louis, world heavyweight championship boxer beat his opponent.   I never would have guessed in a million years.

 

Benediction

This is Kent Haruf's third novel about people in the fictional town of Holt, Colorado.  In Benediction the story focuses on the owner of the hardware store, a new pastor in town, and an eight year old girl living with her Grandmother after her mother died of breast cancer.  The owner of the hardware store is dying while his wife and his daughter take care of him. He has led an upright life but he hasn't always been a likeable man.  The new pastor in town is also leading an upright life but when he gives a sermon about "turning the other cheek" the congregation calls him a terrorist lover and walks out of church.  The story gives a great description of small town Colorado life.  A couple times the author writes about characters from Plainsong and Eventide which thrilled me because I remembered them.  This was a great story that held my interest from beginning to end.

Plate Tectonics

Last night I went to a chapter meeting of the Master Naturalists where we heard a speaker talk about plate tectonics.  Well, she didn't speak about it exactly.  She handed out maps and we studied them in small groups.  My group map was a map of the age of the sea floor.  The newest sea floor pretty much corresponded with the black lines on this map that indicate the borders of the plates.  There were three other kinds of maps and we all studied the maps and then made guesses on which way the plates were converging and diverging.  We might assume that if one plate was being pushed to the east by another plate it would continue pushing to the east but it doesn't always work that way.  Plate tectonics is complicated and we had a fun evening discussing volcanoes and rifts and earthquakes.  As we speak the north American plate on which I sit is moving.  In 2013 this plate has moved about as much as my fingernails have grown in the past year.  After that we got off topic and started talking about frac sand, the cleanliness of the Saint Croix river, and how the Saint Croix has the biggest diversity of mussels of any river in the world.  The Saint Croix has 40 species of mussels. Zebra mussels are a problem because they don't actually clean the water like other mussels but pollution with their feces and pseudo-feces and can cause algae blooms.  People went on talking but my mind got stuck on pseudo-feces.  I never knew there was such a thing as pseudo-feces and what the hell would be the point of pseudo-feces?  My mind was blown I guess.  That is the thing about these master naturalist meetings.  They can be mind blowing.  And I enjoy having my mind blown once in a while. 

Lofty Squirrel

I have been walking around my neighborhood lately to get stronger.  On my walks and even on my drives, I have noticed a squirrel or two hanging out in the same place.  This place is on a tree about 200 house numbers west of mine that angles over the road.  The squirrel(s) hang out above the road in the tallest branches that support their weight.  Today I saw two of them in the same spot.  A nuthatch flew into the branches and one of the squirrels came down to chase it away.  Are these squirrels playing king of the hill?  Under their spot on the tree the road is littered with small twigs that are chewed and stripped of their bark.  I am curious why the squirrels chose this tree.  As I walked back today I paused under the tree and looked directly up at them.  They didn't notice me for a few seconds but then they stopped their nervous busy work to pause and stare back at me.  You may think less of me but one day last week I stopped my car directly under the squirrels and honked my Honda horn thinking it would be funny if I scared them enough to make them fall.  They didn't fall.  There is no squirrel nest in the tree.  Maybe the branches of this particular tree taste the best of all the trees in the neighborhood. Could be a gourmet tree to a squirrel.  Maybe they can see predators coming better from this tree.  I am definitely not complaining that the squirrels are in this tree.  The squirrels are leaving my bird feeders alone so I have absolutely no complaints.  The only thing they eat is the left over canary food that I put on the deck railing for the juncos.  Sometimes squirrels take a drink out of the heated bird bath.  I have no problem with that either.  I guess now that the squirrels aren't being a pest to me, I appreciate them more.

The Book of Vice: Very Naughty Things (and How to Do Them)

I was getting my half hour walk in at the library.  I walked every north/south aisle (about 7) and then all the east/west aisles (about 30).  While walking I saw this book, The Book of Vice: Very Naughty Things (and How to Do Them).  Peter Sagal wrote this book and I liked him from his radio show "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me."  I thought the book would be funny.  A few lines were funny but overall I found it sad. This book was so sad that I don't even want to gamble, over-indulge, watch porn, swing, lie or cheat.  The stories he tells of people who do these things are not happy stories.  I thought reading this book would be a little bit naughty but actually it's an indirect sermon on being good; not at all what I expected.

Funny Stuff She Says

Offspring #2's comment on my groceries?  "All the food you buy is tubular!"

My Cane

When I first had my hip surgery I was dependent on a walker.  Within a week I graduated to a cane and I still use a cane most of the time.  Canes can be great and canes can be a pain in the a$$.  Today, between 9 and noon I lost my cane and it was a pain in the a$$. Without a cane I looked in every room of my house 4 times, on both levels.  I remember taking it downstairs to do laundry and then it got lost.  I searched and searched behind doors, under tables and inside closets. I tend to put it in corners because it falls to the ground if I don't.  A good friend came to visit me and I told her I couldn't find my cane.  She asked me what it looked like.  Before I could finish the sentence describing my cane it leapt into my view.  There it was leaning against the kitchen table and a kitchen chair.  Darn thing!  I walked past it 8 times before I saw it.  This old cane has history.  I really would hate to loose it because it has come with me to Africa, to Australia, to the east coast, to the west coast, and many other places.  I love the cane and hate the cane at the same time.  Now I am using it more than ever before.  When I come in from outside I change my shoes so don't track slush into the house.  Unless I wipe off my cane I have round spots of slush left on the floor.  One day I used it to break the ice in the chicken water bowl on a cold day.  When I came in I almost fell because a cube of ice formed on the tip of the cane.  This ice was solid and could not be wiped off.  I ended up limping to the kitchen sink and melting the ice off the cane tip with hot water. A cane can be a pain inside the house but even worse out in public.  Getting out of the car is difficult between holding the cane, my mittens and my car keys much less a bag or a book.  I have to watch for ice where I step and also where I place my cane. At a sales counter there is no place to hook a cane and keep it from sliding to the floor.  At the grocery store I can set it in the cart and that is helpful. On the other hand, when my library books fell to the floor of the passenger seat, I used my cane to bring them back within reach without breaking my bending restrictions.  I have gotten pretty good at picking up socks, underwear, blankets, and pillows off the floor. All these tiny complaints are miniscule in the bigger scheme of things.  Once this hip heals I probably won't need to use a cane for years; possibly decades.  I heard it is bad juju to get rid of equipment like canes.  If I sell the cane or give it away I will need a cane again sooner than if I just retire it to a closet.  In a few weeks I hope to put this cane in a closet for a long, long time.

Fooling Around With Camera While Waiting For The Gang At The Marina On Sanibel Island

Have you ever, ever, ever

In Your Long Legged Life

Seen A Long Legged Sailor

And His Long Legged Wife?

No I never, never, never

In My Long Legged Life

Seen A Long Legged Sailor

And His Long Legged Wife!

Personal Connections

A couple nights ago some work friends took me out to eat.  Tomorrow I am meeting another work friend for brunch.  Today another work friend sent me an email that made me laugh out loud for a couple minutes.  I treasure these invitations and exchanges.  I guess I have to say I miss work.  I miss the socializing at work but not the actual job.  Although I enjoyed me two walks outside today and watching installments of the television series "House of Cards,"  it's the personal connections that make life worth living.

Outside!

Today the weather was mild so I took two walks outside.  On my first walk I walked to the mailbox and back and then back to the mailbox, down the hill to the corner, and up the hill to the next corner and back again.  How life has changed when walking two corners is a huge accomplishment!  Since that went well I took a longer walk after lunch.  I thought it would be good to get out while it was warm but before the snow had a chance to melt and get slippery.  The path around Elmcrest Park near my house had a half inch of snow on it but the snow gave me good traction.  The angle of the sun make my shadow long.  With my cane I walked around the prairie part of the park.  I was very pleased to see a group of about 20 gourd shaped purple martin nests on the edge of the prairie.  I walked slowly but steadily and all went well until a couple dogs came running up to me. The first dog was a black lab mix of about 60 pounds - enough doggie weight to tip me over.  I stopped and held my hand out to the dog so it would sniff me instead of jumping up on me.  The second dog was a 30 pound mutt who probably also could knock me over.  The man running with the dogs kept calling them and they ignored him.  He had no control over his dogs.  Lucky for me they didn't jump up on me although I think the black one would have if I didn't keep my hand out in front of me.  The man said, "They just want to say hello to you."  Whatever buddy!  Try following the leash law because I am not steady on my feet and I do not want to be knocked over by your friendly dog.  I would have told him this but I could see he had headphones in his ears so he wouldn't have heard me anyway.  The rest of my walk was uneventful except I was surprised that it took me 50 minutes to do this walk.  Man, I am a slow walker.  I was aiming for 28 minutes of walking but 50 minutes worked as well.  This walk was wonderful because it is the first time in, I don't know, 5 or more years since I've attempted this route.  I quit walking Elmcrest Park because it was too painful.  So even though I was slow and a little bit afraid of the loose dogs, I am walking in parks again and not suffering for it.  That is a huge  and very welcome change in my life.

The Light Between Oceans

I thought it was just me. I thought it was because of the oxycodone I was taking when I read this story that caused me to cry.  Turns out other people in my book club who never cry at books cried at this tale of The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman.  This tale is set on an island off the coast of Australia and some parts are as sad as can be.  A young lighthouse keeper and his young wife find a baby abandoned in a boat after the wife just suffered her third miscarriage.  Of course they take the baby in and care for her.  But do they admit they found her?  The next supply boat doesn't come in for another 3 months so they have plenty of time alone to think about it.  The character development was so great that I empathized with the birth mother, the lighthouse keeper, his wife, and just about everyone in this book.  My favorite was the light house keeper who comes back scarred from world war one but has boatloads of integrity and honesty in him that, as much as he loves his wife, he can not shake.

On The Road Again

Today I drove again for the first time since December 21st.  Driving was no problem.  Getting in takes longer than it used to but isn't as painful.  I have to arrange a boat cushion and a pillow wrapped in a plastic bag on the drivers seat.  I move the seat back as far as it can go.  I throw the keys and cane inside.  Then I turn around and back in with one hand on the seat back and the other on the dashboard.  Once I reach the seat I bring my left leg up and scoot toward the middle of the car.  I swing my right leg in slowly and then my left leg.  I raise myself up and arrange the cushions so I am sitting evenly.  Then I shut the door.  After that I grab the cane and search for the bar that allows the seat to move forward and back.  Since I can't reach down and lift that bar without breaking my 90 degree restriction, I hold it up with my cane and simultaneously scoot the seat forward.  The scooting the seat forward is difficult but will probably get easier with practice.  Warmer temperatures would also make this whole process easier.  The temperature was about 5 when I was driving this morning. I felt good driving again; like I am a more competent person.  As a passenger the seat belt gave me no trouble but as a driver the belt irritates the incision site.  I might use a little pillow to pad that area.  Feels great to be on the road again.  That freedom is very important to me.

Things I Have Learned About Myself Lately

In this experience of having a joint replaced I have learned some things about myself that I didn't know before.  #1 I could never be a drug addict.  My body is sensitive to drugs and won't allow me to perform basic functions that a person needs to live. Drugs aren't that great when you are unable to urinate. #2 I am better at asking for help than I thought I was.  Earlier I struggled with this.  But when push came to shove I was able to ask for the help I needed and not feel bad about it.  I even asked a grown man to pick out my underwear and was able to laugh and joke about it.  #3 I am a tough old bird.  I take pain and manage it.  I push through the hard things and focus on the positive.  I try hard and are very determined.  Go me!

Big Eyes

No luck on seeing the snowy owl in Maple Grove but I did enjoy the Tim Burton film "Big Eyes" starring Amy Adams.  This film is based on the true story of the artist Margaret Keane who drew the waifs with big eyes that were popular in in the 1960's.  Unlike Precious Moments which were statues of children with big heads, Keane's drawings were children with normal sized heads but huge eyes.  Her drawings were mass produced and some said they were more kitsch than actual art.  Her husband said he did all the drawings and he kept up that assertion until he died penniless and alone in 2000. He was quite a character; charming and deluded.  Margaret is 90 now and still drawing every day.  She draws people with big eyes but not just sad children like she did when her husband was taking advantage of her talent.  Now she draws all ages and the eyes are not just sad but have other emotions too.  This movie was good but could be enjoyed on a smaller screen.

Excited

A friend is taking me out to a movie this afternoon. I am excited to see my friend, excited to get out of the house, excited to see the movie, and especially excited because a snowy owl has been perching on top of the AMC theater in Maple Grove.  I hope I get to see the owl!

I Can Do It Myself! (Socks)

Since my surgery I am not allowed to bend more than 90 degrees at the waist which makes it impossible to put on my socks in the normal fashion.  I bought a simple piece of adaptive equipment that makes dressing in socks much easier.  It consists of a 7 inch curved piece of plastic with two rope handles.  Looks can be deceptive.  This thing is magic.

On the underside is a piece of blue foam that holds the sock in place.

At the hospital before surgery I got a lesson on how to use this piece of equipment.  You put your sock onto the plastic thing so the opening is near the ropes and the toe is snug at the other end of the plastic.

Once the sock is on you throw it on the floor while still holding to the rope handles.  Stick your foot inside the plastic and pull on the ropes.  Yes, I painted my toenails a cheerful hunter orange.  Now I will be safe if I want to hunt barefoot.

Keep pulling until the sock is on.

The device will slip out of the sock when the sock is all the way on.

Voila!  I can do it myself!

Leninade

Today Offspring #2 took me out for an adventure.  We both got hair cuts before stopping at the library.  Since my goal is now to walk 23 minutes 5 times a day I was so happy to be walking around the library instead of my house.  In my house the only excitement is whether to go clockwise or counterclockwise around my living room/dining room/kitchen.  But at the library I can stroll past the children's area, the reference section, fiction, mystery, non fiction, DVD's and audio books.  I needed to buy a light bulb so we headed to the hardware store.  We both like hardware stores so we basically walked every aisle where I bought stuff I really needed including this bottle of soda called Leninade. I didn't buy it for the taste.  I bought it for the hilarious labeling which included these words:  Get really hammered and sickled! Our 5 year plan-drink a bottle a day for five years and become a hero of socialist flavor. Surprisingly satisfying Simple Soviet Style Soda. Beware the repressed Communist party animal who is really a proletariat in denial masquerading as a bourgeois cold war monger. Crimea and punishment. Drink comrade drink - it's this or the gulag. Misha - chill down this bottle and chill out. A party in every bottle. Join the party. A taste worth standing in line for.

Humpty Dumpty in Oakland

I read Humpty Dumpty in Oakland by Philip K. Dick while I was in Florida.  I chose it because it looked interesting and was very thin and could pack into the suitcase easily.  And I read it in my bedroom at night before going to sleep while listening to the ocean waves roll in and to the voices of my sisters as they talked.  My bed was very plush and much softer than my bed at home so this was a very cozy read.  This story takes place is Oakland, California in 1960.  A businessman rents part of his building to another businessman who shoddily repairs jalopies so they can be driven away but won't last long.  The story is told from both men's perspective.  Which one has the best business sense?  Who will be successful and who will not?  This story proves that attitude can be the biggest, most debilitating disability of all. I enjoyed the story because traveling back to 1960 was a trip down memory lane. 

Heigh Ho Silver Away!

Another thing my doc said that made me happy is that I don't have to sleep with this giant pillow between my legs every night.  When I woke up from surgery my legs were strapped to this giant pony.  The widest part of the wedge was between my ankles and the thinnest part above my knees.  The wedge is five or six inches thick. This made a weird sensation to wake up to.  I felt like one of those toy army guys with their feet permanently set far apart on an oval of plastic. Sleeping with my legs that far apart has not been comfortable.  Plus at home I didn't like it because I have to put my own covers on at night without bending forward at the waist.  With this giant wedge taking up all the room, I didn't have enough covers to completely hang down over the side so cold air was getting in my bed down by my legs.  I still have to use a pillow between my legs at night but it can be a large bed pillow instead which is much more comfortable than this thing.  Now what do I do with it?  Do I repurpose it in a green fashion or enjoy the satisfaction of throwing it in the trash?  Anyone want some thick foam (slightly used)?  It might be good for something.  Shoot, it's tall enough to be a small end table.

Success!

Before I had my hip surgery I set a goal to be a star rehab patient and regain the right to drive my car again as soon as possible.  I had some complications from medication side effects but otherwise I believe I was a star rehab patient.  My first walk on my new joint was 200 feet long and that was the criteria to be released.  Today I had my two week check up and I was really hoping to hear the doc tell me I could drive again. To achieve that goal I rigorously completed my physical therapy exercises and daily walks.  I still use the cane but I walk with confidence.  I worked hard.  Today the doc said I could drive again as long as I don't take pain medication which I haven't been taking except to sleep at night.  Goal Achieved!  Man, that sure feels good.  Am I going to drive? No, not today, not tomorrow, and maybe not even this week.  But I can drive and that makes all the difference.  Freedom!!!!

The Shoemaker's Wife

I read The Shoemaker's Wife by Adriana Trigiani.  This book made me laugh and cry sometimes in the same chapter. To be honest, all the laughing out loud and crying happened after surgery and while I was taking some narcotics so maybe I enjoyed the drama a bit more because of the medicine.  But it was a great book nonetheless.  The story takes place in northern Italy, New York City and Chisholm, Minnesota.  A handsome guy named Ciro meets a beautiful girl named Enza.  Years go by and they don't see each other but eventually Ciro becomes a shoemaker and Enza becomes the shoemaker's wife.  The story is touching and the writing is crisp and elegant.  I enjoyed the family centered drama and Italian immigrant perspective. I will definitely look for more work by this engaging author.

Unusual Day

Yesterday was an unusual day for me; a great day but unusual. I had a major accomplishment in the morning. I managed to put on a pair of tights without breaking the 90 degrees of flexion at the waist.  Those adaptive sock appliers are so great you can even use them on tights.  I was very proud of myself. I got to play the dice game at two different parties.  In the first party we had a mixed crowd of men and women, young and old.  People got competitive over, in this case, small bottles of rum.  In the second party we had all females and all young except for me.  And we got competitive. I got into a fierce competition over a tote bag with Elsa from the movie Frozen on it.  Last night I wanted it bad.  Today I wonder where that wanting came from because it doesn't seem nearly as important.  I guess the dice game brings out the competitiveness in me.  Although I think of myself as a nice person, fair in judgement, and employed in social services, get between me and my Frozen bag and I will trash talk you and steal it right out of your hands time after time after at least 8 times.

Best. Gift. Ever.

My sister gave me this fine gift of 5 pictures in a series that spells my name.  She took each photo on her travels and I haven't asked where each is from but the middle one, the C, is from her trip to Costa Rica.  The fifth one, the Y is from Nevada.  Each letter she found on her travels in the last year.  I am so honored to get a gift that took a year in the making. This gift is so thoughtful I am blown away.

Swan Park

Yesterday I was asked, "Do you want to go out anywhere?"  Existing without driving capabilities since 12/21, I did want to get out.  Anywhere!  But if I had to choose and time was limited, a trip to Monticello to see the trumpeter swans is what I wanted.  So we drove up to Monticello.  My two passengers didn't seem exactly excited about this trip but had to admit it was impressive to see so many trumpeter swans congregated together.  Some swans were bobbing their heads at each other in a sexy way.  And they were loud.  The house just down river from Swan Park was for sale.  We grabbed a flyer from the for sale sign post.  The house is not all that expensive.  Wouldn't it be cool to live on the river next to Swan park?  Do the swans trumpet all night?  I think this face would impact the resale value of the house.  I think it would be awesome to live next to a place where the angel like swans with 8 foot wing spans hang out.  And I could buy the house if I sold this one and got another mortgage.  Think of the kayaking I could do every day.  My commute to work would be longer but not impossible.  To live next to Swan Park is doable but would be a lot of work.  Right now I am feeling too lazy to go through all that work.  I should focus on my recovery for now.  Dreaming is fun though.

Inspiration

Being in the hospital and getting a new hip was tough.  They basically take your leg off and put it on again.  I found that having the job that I do made this easier. I work with people who have developmental disabilities.  I don't have a developmental disability so I am blessed.  When I had urinary retention problems I thought about a woman I work with who has the same issue.  My issue was temporary.  I only get this problem after surgery.  She faces this problem every single day.  Yet she smiles and laughs and works.  If she can do it, surely I can.  I struggled getting my clothes on without breaking the rule of 90 degree maximum flexion of the hips.  Pulling up my pants is hard without bending more than 90 degrees at my waist. I stick my sore leg in the pant leg and then pull up at the waist band with my 26 inch reacher.  I wiggle it around but before I go too high I put my left leg in.  Once the waistband is above my knees I can reach it with my hands.  This takes time.  I can't just jump into my jeans and go.  I work with people who have hemiplegia.  Their fine motor skills are terrible.  Adjusting their clothes takes them 5 times as long as it takes me. My fine motor skills are great so who am I to complain that it takes a few more minutes  to get my pants up?  I'm not in any hurry. I have no appointments to keep.  With all the drugs I am on sometimes my words come out wrong. I say elephant when I want to say pelican.  I have trouble asking for what I want.  My memory of what was said at the hospital is different than what Offspring #2 heard and she corrects me.  I work with people who stutter or who can't talk at all.  Who am I to complain that I had to repeat myself or be corrected?  I work with a fellow who was struck by a car when he was 15 and suffered a traumatic brain injury.  He was in a coma for 6 months.  His loving parents took wonderful care of him and although he is nearing 50, in his head he is still 15 and he still loves Kawasaki dirt bikes.  He is unable to remember what he said 15 seconds ago.  But when I greet him he gives me a smile that goes from ear to ear.  To help him remember my name I put my hands out in front of me as if I'm holding motorcycle handlebars and I twist the throttle.  Then he shouts out, "Suzuki" and has a big smile for me that I totally do not deserve.  Every day he does this for me.  Not just every day but every time I see him he does this.  Where I work not only do they give me an office and a paycheck but my job gives me a good mental outlook to get through a temporary difficulty. Keeping my problems in perspective reduces my anxiety and suffering.  That alone is something money can not buy.  Don't tell my supervisor but I should be paying them.  

That Magic Moment

I woke up early today and decided to make yogurt and cheese.  I'll bring the cheese to a party later today.  I heat up the milk in a pasta pot and add the citric acid and the lysine.  As the temperature approaches 90 degrees I add the rennet.  And then I stare into the pot looking for that magic moment.  I gently stir the rennet in an up and down motion.  Between 90 and 100 degrees the milk changes from an even white liquid.  I watch eagerly as subtle changes appear.  The milk starts looking like the cellulite on my thighs.  The even whiteness disappears and turns into lumpy globules surrounded by a thinner white liquid.  I love this moment because it feels like magic.  The whey separates from the curds.  I keep stirring gently and slowly until the whey is very translucent.  I turn off the heat and strain the cheese through cheesecloth.  Making mozzarella is so easy.  Just a few rounds of heating the cheese in the microwave followed by kneading the extra whey out of the cheese, add a teaspoon of salt and bingo, the cheese is done.  I make many foods and enjoy cooking but only making mozzarella has a magic moment in the process.