A Helping Hand

As I stood up to go to my first class Wednesday morning, I heard my phone ringing deep within my purse. Deciding that I had time to take a quick call before starting class, I answered. B told me that he was at loose ends today, so he was coming to my house to do the gardening in the front yard. I was speechless: my front yard was so overgrown that doing yardwork was going to be a huge undertaking. I demurred, explaining that B didn't have to do that, but he said, "You cannot do it, but you'll try to do it, and then you'll hurt yourself again. Forget it: I'm on my way."

My front yard was so overgrown that there was no longer a path through the vegetation; half the sidewalk was hidden under the creepers; the brick outline of the middle section was completely covered in sand; and the front door could no longer be used as either an entrance or an exit as it was ferociously guarded by an out-of-control bougainvilla bush!
Believe me when I say I was flabbergasted when I drove into the driveway at the end of my workday. B was working with his Lady L, and both of them were covered in sweat and sand. The piles of debris were huge, the result of cutting down all the vegetation to stumps with a few leaves clinging valiantly to what's left. The pathway through the front yard is now so wide that troops could hold maneuvers!

B told me that if I blogged about it, I would exaggerate, and I told him "no way," I'll just tell the truth about the massacre at Liza Land. That's my story and I'm sticking to it! Okay, so the translation is actually wow: the front yard looks so good! I cannot believe how much work they did and what a difference it makes in the landscaping.

B and his Lady came back Thursday to finish up (yeah, there really is that much gardening to do), including shoveling up the doggie doo in the doggie run. We should have had a pool on how much product there is since I haven't been out in about 2 months. I do know that there is so much poo that I can smell it from the front yard, not a good way to impress the neighborhood.

I was at the dr office in the morning for my final injection and a consultation to determine if a partial knee replacement is in my future or a life of constant nagging pain from the torn meniscus or a middle ground that I can live with and not have to take pain pills every 4 hours. We're coming up on a full year since the injury, and that's too long to live with constant pain and increasing knee instability. Basically, the injections have done for the bone erosion what they are going to do, with maximum benefit coming in another 4 weeks. The effects of the injection will slowly wear off as the lubricant is absorbed into my body, at which time I'll have the torn meniscus repaired again, and then have a partial knee replacement or another round of injections. Perhaps there will come a day -- soon -- when I'll be able to keep up my own house and property again!

I not only am thankful to B for being a part of my life, but I am also grateful for the help that B gives repeatedly and always with a smile. Thanks, B, and your Lady L.

Falling for the New Season

I entered the new line-ups into my DVR and have been slowly working my way through the new shows, but it seems to me that they are old shows with new casts. I've deleted more new shows than I've saved because if they don't make a good first impression, I'm not impressed.

I watched CHASE, but won't watch it again: the summer US Marshal show was much better, with Mary and Marshal Marshall stiking sparks off each other. Under Covers is ... inane. Lone Star is ... wow, I cannot think of a word to capture "what the hell were you thinking when you filmed this show?" I love The Glades, but it's almost finished its late summer run; another fav, Miami Medical, was just gone one week. The new Miami 5-0 is pretty good, but could just as easily be any of the CSI, L&O, NCIS shows set in a different locale. Flashback is one of the best of the cop genre, but it may be heading off-schedule, too. I watched Blue Bloods for Tom Selleck, who is aging nicely.

Glee always has unbelievable/mediocre storylines, but the singing is nice. Castle would never be in a second season if success depended on good storytelling, rather than the charisma shared by Castle and Beckett. House has gone on far too long, so I wait until the endless summer reruns for that boredom-breaker. Some of the other good shows are supposed to return about January, including The Closer and Rizzoli and Isles, both of which feature strong women in strong roles.

I enjoy the cooking/cake shows, but cannot fathom why some of the contestants last past the first week of temper tantrums, melt-downs, and tasteless food. The latest one, the dessert show, drives me crazy with the pastry chef who runs around the kitchen like a chicken with his head cut off, getting in everyone else's way, and then bursts into tears because ... wait for it ... the red hots were his mother's favorite candy. OMG: make room for some real chefs, please. Duff's road trip has been a hoot, and the Ace of Cakes must be ready to move into the larger bakery and/or hack off his sister's head and use it as a cake-topper. How anyone can put up with Mary and her mother is beyond me. Thankfully, most of the cupcake shows are gone, but the contests to see who can make the biggest, gaudiest theme cake are thriving. Carrie Ann, the acerbic judge whose work has never been showcased, boils everyone's best efforts down to sloppy fondant, poor execution, or "it looks like a wedding cake." I'll bet she's never been in the position to do anything well under pressure, and I'll double dare that she's one hell of a bitch to work for.

It's only the last week in September, but the new season has already decided what's going to make it to the spring and which shows are going to fold. Me, too. Maybe I'll sign up for NetFlix afterall: my new TV has an option to download movies directly, which could be a nice option if I can figure out how to do that.

A Decade of Deciduous Growth

I relocated 10 years ago to my present abode, bringing my worldly possessions with me. For the most part, life has been good for me, especially retiring in the middle of a recession, but still working part-time. Economics are not that difficult if consumers keep one principle firmly in mind: do not spend what you do not have. I live well within my means, resisting the urge to move up a few years ago into a more prestigous neighborhood, while also realizing that owning 2 automobiles was not, perhaps, as cost effective as I could be during hard financial times. Hence, I prestiged the home I own and traded in 2 vehicles for the new RAV.

The best laid plans sometimes get messed with by means beyond our control, but if we have a cushion stashed away, we can often weather those storms. My storms since the beinning of the New Year have been many: new washing machine, new microwave (the 2nd in 3 years), 2 new windshields for the cars I later sold, as well as 2 full sets of new tires, and yesterday, a new phone with answering machine. My intent was to stay with what I have, but when I went to the battery section of a local store, I found that I can purchase a brand-new phone, with digital recording and many, many other needless feature, that includes a new battery for $20. The new battery for my old phone would have cost the same amount, so now I have a new phone.

The old saw used to be that we "nickel and dime" ourselves to death, but my recent experience is costing me in the hundreds of dollars each time something else needs to be replaced! I will admit that I bought the new flat screen TV just because I wanted it, but ... my old technology was old and probably going to go out suddenly with all the power surges we've been enjoying.

In the neighborhoods, fires are starting in the power poles, such as the one at the back of my property obscured by an out-of-control tree. No one lives in the adjoining property, so the tree must be in a septic tank to be flourishing without water. It's time for the leaves to turn, fall off, and gather at the base of the tree ... and no one is there to clean up after the tree sheds its foliage. The pole has a transformer and many little appendages that I cannot identify, so I'm sure it gets pretty darned hot when we all have our electronics plugged in and making our lives more comfortable. We talk about infrastructure, but we somehow forget about the power poles shrouded in leaves at the backs of our properties.

This was a new, sparse neighborhood a decade ago, houses widely-spread and vegetation newly-planted. Then came the growth spurt during which new houses popped up like microwave popcorn. Each of the homes contains not just a family, but an electronic family that uses electrical current far beyond what was imagined when the communities were settled. I don't know if there has ever been an upgrade to the power lines and equipment at the back of my property, but I have never seen a crew in the area doing any work on "my" pole. If there were to be a pole fire, the neighbors have effectively blocked access to it by extending their brick walls and wooden fences to include the easement -- so I guess it would burn and take with it what it's going to use for fuel, including all those shabby wooden fences we old-timers call kindling. The fire departments remind us several times a year to keep the vegetation away from our property during fire season, but I've never been told to clear the power pole.

I'm not going to unplug my life, but I am going to keep an eye on the power pole, I'll never be a pole dancer, but I sure as heck can become a darned good pole watcher!

The Worst Walk Ever

This morning, I met "the gals" for b'fast, which meant I didn't walk the dogs as the sun was rising in the east. I brought them home 1/2 of my cheese omelet, which they devoured as I changed into my walking gear. As we headed up the street, the traffic coming down was in a steady stream; as we turned the corner at the top of the block, it was a speedway; when I cut the walk short by turning down the street with sidewalks, we were almost run over by kids on their bikes racing down the sidewalk on their way to school.

To top if off, Mia stopped at every bush she could find, not to potty, but to sniff. When she stops, Daisy stops, and getting both of them headed in the same direction again takes almost more energy than I have these days. Needless to say, I cut the walk shorter still and we had not just the shortest walk ever, but the worst walk.

My mind is filled with a great big huge WHAT???? I had the second injection this week and asked a couple of questions about what we're doing and why we're doing it. Last week, with no explanation, my request for a copy of the previous surgery report was firmly denied, perhaps because the first item on the new MRI report says "Surgery was unsuccessful," referring to the procedure I had April 21, 2010. No way does the new team want to be involved in anything I may consider involving the previous surgeon, so they washed their hands of prior agreement to fax the request to the surgeon for his formal surgery report.

It also doesn't state that there is arthritis in my kneecap, but, suddenly, this week there is "severe arthritis," where last week it was "severe erosion" in the kneecap that may require a partial knee replacement. This week it was okay to talk about a meniscus repair, while last week it was a "wait and see" process involving the injection of the lubricant before making a meniscus decision because if the lubrication process does not work, a partial knee replacement is warranted. This week, no mention of the knee replacement possibility.

I'm confused. This week I was told that "many people" choose to live with the torn meniscus, adapting to the condition. When I again mentioned the excruciating pain associated with that decision, suddenly it was okay to talk to the doctor about the surgery. WHAT? Should I have the tear repaired; wait to see if the damage to the knee evidenced by the "severe erosion" is going to be a factor; or should I seek yet another orthopedic surgeon's opinion? If I wanted this same run-around, I probably could have stayed with the surgeon who ignored the fractures in my knee and performed the unsuccessful surgery. I think this team went into "keep us out of it" mode and is deliberately side-stepping any comment that could be construed as negative toward the other doctor. They do cover each other's backs, even when they know that the doctor is mediocre on his best day.

So, here I sit. I cannot walk without the brace, but I'm so not going to wear this for the rest of my life! I'm not very steady on my feet because the torn meniscus contributes to my leg giving way suddenly and/or locking up, and that causes me to fall, but I'm not going to use crutches/walkers for the rest of my life. If I need to have a partial knee replacement, why would I first have the torn meniscus repaired in a separate surgery, and why would I consent to injections to treat the "severe erosion" in my kneecap if I planned to open it up to fix the meniscus?

I'm going to try to have this conversation again next week when the final injection is given. The effectiveness of the series of injections won't be fully realized for another 4 weeks, but they don't address the pain from the torn meniscus, so why did I have them?

Oh, and that's right: all of the changes resulting from the new health care legislation went into effect yesterday! Hurrah??

Hopalong and the Posse

The dogs and I are going for our walk in the morning. Yes, I’ll be wearing the knee brace, but leaving the crutches/walker at home as today’s ortho appointment provided the good news that the fractures in my kneecap are basically healed. However, the meniscus is torn again and there are some other issues that may lead to a partial knee replacement surgery at the end of the semester, but the doctor said that if walking the dogs is the only over-extending that I do, go ahead. I can elevate/ice when I get back from our walk and keep off my feet as much as possible the rest of the day.

I’m having a series of 3 injections designed to “lubricate” the knee area and provide more ease of use with less pain, but there’s going to be pain until the meniscus is repaired again. I have to continue to depend on the crutches/walker when I have to be on my feet for extended periods of time, so that’s what I’ll do.

Because these past few months have been stressful and I’m looking forward to more couch time in the near future, I drove to the big box discount store before heading home and bought a 37” flat screen TV. B came over and installed it for me after first removing the 50# dinosaur I’ve had for at least a decade. I was totally excited to have the energy-efficient LED HDTV with wi-fi access and a ratio of 1,000,000:1 (something to do with clarity of picture), but was duped by the sale’s person who told me it came ready for me to do my email on the TV screen. Okay, so he was sorta/kinda telling the truth, but the way he presented it did not include that I can use the TV as a computer monitor IF I plug my computer into the back of the TV screen. I did sign in to Yahoo as prompted on-screen, and that allowed me to download some apps (Yahoo weather and news), but not do my email or anything else remotely resembling “using my computer” from the couch.

I was totally excited about my purchase until … I realized that when I selected the HD channels, the picture suddenly was ½ the size of the big 37” screen. Thus, people who pay the big bucks for the 60” screen probably get a picture the size of my 37” screen, while I’m now getting a picture about the size of the little 19” screen I have in my bedroom! Yeah, I tried using both the “wide” and the “panorama” screen options, but then all the people looked like Sumo wrestlers with pinheads!! I do, however, have a very wide, very black band of nothing all around the mini-screen size, but I’d prefer to have the picture extending from top to bottom and side to side as it did on the dinosaur. Not going to happen, so let it go, right?

I’ve been coping for many months with what is and must continue to cope for at least another 3 months, so I'm doing my life one step at a time, checking carefully to assure that it’s okay to step … there … before I do so. And I always remind myself that this, too, shall pass eventually, so suck it up and move on because once we finally resolve the issues with the right knee, we're probably going to have to resolve the issues with my left hip because it's crashed with all the additional weight-bearing and work it's been doing. No good deed goes unpunished.