Cold Winter Be Gone

The weather is okay right now, February 18th, but the past couple of months have been really cold.  Got down into the teen's two or three nights, but there were many nights in the low to mid 20's.  I don't recall it even freezing last winter.  If it did, it was just barely below the freeze mark. 

No matter, we're soon to be complaining about the pollen, then the heat and humidity, then the cold again.

We missed our Friend's birthday party on January 1st in San Antonio so we decided to go see him on January 30th while in town for a house blessing for Judy's cousin, Jane Lee.  We had never been to a house blessing before and it came as somewhat of a surprise when Jane Lee's husband, an Episcopal Priest, blessed the front and back yards and every room in the house.  I suppose that makes it easier to give guests the complete tour and saying this room is blessed but this one isn't.

There were a lot of distant relatives there, most of whom we haven't seen in years.  It was fun talking to them as if it was only a few weeks since we last saw each other.

Judy's brother, Curtis and his wife, Sandra, drove down from Kerrville for the event.  The four of us had lunch in Market Square before heading down to the house blessing.

The next day we drove to the north side of San Antonio to visit our Egghead friend and spent an enjoyable day there.  Another Egghead friend and his wife from here was also there.  So I thought I'd make a movie of the day.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6NdVz8U--0 

We stayed until 3:30 and left for home.  I'm not too keen on driving after dark anymore so it was a relief when we pulled into our garage about one minute before it was totally dark.

Meanwhile, Judy has already started cleaning out flower beds and trimming some plants so they will have a fresh start.

We're both getting 'Eggcited' about the upcoming Salado Egghead Gathering in Salado, Texas on March 26th.  http://saladoeggheadgathering.blogspot.com/  We've already had over 100 pre-register for the event so it should be fun.

We're also headed up to Oklahoma City for the Oklahoma Eggfest on April 16th.  It's always fun.

Then on April 21st we're leaving for Hawaii.  We'll cruise to all the islands and do all the tourist things then fly back to Houston.  It's one of those trips we've wanted to do for 35 years.  Best to do it now before we get too old and sickly to enjoy it.  It should be loads of fun.

After we return from Hawaii, we will be going to the Green Eggs and Ham....burgers Eggfest in Athens, Texas on May 21st.  It's at the Texas Freshwater Fish Hatcheries and promises to be a fun event as well.

I'm sure there will be something else to get into after that. 

At least this year is not as depressing as 2010.  That's a good thing.

Thirteen Days Into The New Year

"Last Year" seems so long ago, but it has only been thirteen days.  Actually, fourteen if you are a numbers person.  Even so,  it still feels like a long time ago.

The weather has ranged from cool to cold so I'm spending most of my time inside.  I'm just not a cool/cold weather person.  I wouldn't survive a day up north where temperatures routinely get below freezing.  And snow.... no way can I live in that stuff.  But the pictures of it sure make it look pretty.

I did visit my doctor and got all good numbers.  Even lost a few pounds.  Actually, I lost about 27 pounds but put some of them back on during the 'eating season,' uhh, I mean 'holidays.'  I'm trying to slim back down before summer.

I've spent some of my 'inside' time working on the web site for the Egghead Gathering in Salado, Texas on March 26th.  Here's the link to the site if you're interested:  http://saladoeggheadgathering.blogspot.com/

We were invited to our neighbors house for shrimp, chicken and sausage gumbo tonight.  It was delicious, as good as most Cajun restaurants.  I had two big bowls of it over rice.  That's not going to help me lose weight but it sure was good.

Now I'm sleepy.

Coop Christmas Party - The Movie

It took me long enough but I finally finished the video of the Coop Christmas Party.  Almost all of the videos and photos were taken by others.  I don't remember picking up a camera...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3ib848sAOk

I'll try to do better at the upcoming Salado Egghead Gathering in March.

2010 Will Soon Be Over

As with every year, there were good times and bad times during 2010.  Even so, almost everyone looks forward to the new year.  Many will tell themselves that it will be better than all the years before, while some will long for yesterday.

Judy and I are looking forward to 2011, but we are doing so with the reality mindset that we no longer have employment income to feed our hunger for adventure.  That's okay, we will just have to select what we do and where we go with greater care.  More important, we no longer are bound by the shackles of employment nor the hands of a clock.  Above all, we have each other to share whatever comes our way.

Meanwhile, we closed out the year with a wonderful Christmas party here at the Chicken Ranch.  It was clearly Friends among Friends having fun. 

The Christmas decorations are down and put away for another year.  The promises to lose ten pounds are constantly reminded by our blue Dr. OZ "Just 10" bracelets.  The life-long dream-trip to Hawaii is well planned and paid for.  The Eggfest season kicks off in March with a "Gathering of Eggheads"  in Salado, Texas.

Both of us are in good health, all but with some aches and pains.  And we have a larger TV to make up for our aging vision and comfortable chairs to nap in when we feel like it.

Yes, 2011 is going to be a good year.

Plano Egghead Gathering and Coop Christmas Party

On November 5th, Judy and I drove up to Plano, Texas and joined with other Eggheads for the 2010 Plano Egghead Gathering at the Plano American Legion Hall the following day.  We had a great time.  If you want to see what we did to have so much fun, check out the video I put together.

http://planooutlawgathering.blogspot.com/

Now we're getting ready for a Christmas Party with many of those same Eggheads coming to visit.  It's on December 18th.  Check out the blog site I made for it.

http://coopchristmasparty.blogspot.com/

And while we're on the subject of Egghead Gatherings, a bunch of us Eggheads are getting together in Salado, Texas in April for the Salado Egghead Gathering.  Check out the blog site for it too.

http://saladoeggheadgathering.blogspot.com/

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

While the carpet guys were here today installing the last of the carpet, Judy and I were decorating our Christmas Tree.  I forgot how long it takes to make a tree look pretty.  And it sure is that...

Had the home theater sound system playing Christmas music all day.  White Christmas must have played fifty times. 

We're busy preparing for the Coop Christmas Party on December 18th.  Quite a few of our Egghead friends and a few non-Eggheads will be dropping by throughout the day, mostly to say hi to our friends from Mexico, Beli, Loren and Valeria.  They are spending the night here and leaving the following day on a cruise out of Galveston.

It'll be fun seeing them again, along with all those stopping by.

By the way, if you didn't get a chance to see the video I made of the Plano Egghead Gathering a couple of weeks ago in Plano, Texas, take a look...  http://planooutlawgathering.blogspot.com/

Yes, we had a lot of fun.

More Remodeling

We finally got our new carpet installed, then the new wall unit for the Home Theater System, then the Home Theater System stuff itself.  Then today the carpet guys came back to install in the guest bedroom.

That should pretty much do it for flooring for now.  There is no more flooring to do.  Looks good. 

We will have to purge ourselves of some items.  Already sent the 50" Mitsubushi TV to New Orleans, along with our favorite coffee table and end table.  At least we can go to New Orleans to see if if we get lonely for it.

There's other stuff to get rid of too.  Nothing valuable but it works and is in good shape.  Judy thinks of it as 'thinning down' our possessions.  Probably a good idea.

Remodeling Continues

Two things really stand out when remodeling a home: it's expensive and it's not fun. Not to mention it makes a mess.

But as of today, we're progressing well. In fact, the installers will be here shortly to replace the carpet in our master bedroom and living room. We had to disassemble our bed because it is a bit complex. It has a Select Comfort (numbers bed) mattress system. Took us about an hour to totally disassemble it. The guys can move the head board the foot board.

Meanwhile, yesterday our tile guy finished installing the new tile in the foyer and wood flooring in the dining room. Then he textured the wall in the guest bath. He will finish up there today.

Then on Monday the new wall unit for the TV will arrive and be set up. It is almost the same size as the one we had before. We sold it on Craig's List to a nice couple who just happen to live nearby.

On Tuesday, Best Buy will deliver the new Sony TV and install it in the new wall unit. We upgraded our home theater equipment to the latest digital technology and paid for them to hook all that up too. By Tuesday night we should be able to watch TV for the first time in over a week.

Yes, Judy and I are tired, sore and sleepy but everything will soon be over. I'll show some photos then.

Bath Remodeling

The painters and tilers should be finishing up today on our master bath remodel.  It already looks better than it did before. 

The next step is to call the glass people to come measure the shower enclosure.  Then it will take a couple of weeks to build and install the enclosure.  Only then can we use it. 

Meanwhile, we are operating out of our guest bathroom.  It's a bit awkward, that's all.

Here's some before and after photos:

Starting tonight we will be doing a thorough cleaning of the entire house and most of the items in it.  Construction generates dust, lots of it.

Pain Block Injection

Shortly after my knee replacement surgery in June, I developed a strange but painful burning sensation on the top of my foot.  In as much as it was the same leg as the knee replacement my first thought was that the two were related.  Apparently not so, and it took a few months and a lot of tests to determine that it was a nerve issue, probably resulting from a slight bulge near L5 and S1.  I could just put up with it or they could try something.  Putting up with it was not an option so they scheduled me for pain block injections last Friday. 

Although these injections are sometimes performed in the examining room, my doctors prefer that it be done under surgery conditions: fasting, hospital gown, surgical center, anesthesia, and recovery room.  I was home later in the day but limited as to what I could do due to the anesthesia.  Definitely no driving.

The injection is to deliver an antiflammatory drug directly to the point where needed.  The doctor actually utilizes an X-ray to position the needle.

I was in hopes that the results would be immediate but so far that hasn't been the case.  They said it may take a few days and possibly additional injections, but they feel this treatment will solve the problem with minimal disruption.

Oddly, the burning sensation comes about within minutes after lying in my bed to sleep.  If I am not asleep when it starts I will have to get out of bed.  The burning goes away almost immediately and remains clear until I return to bed.  However, once asleep, I can awaken during the night and not experience the sensation. 

There never seems to be an end to the complexities of an aging body.

Master Bath Remodeling

Our master bath has been mostly unchanged since November 1988.  Although everything still works, it shows both age and wear.  And frankly, we're just tired of it.

So today the remodelers will take out the entire shower down to the wall, including the glass doors and frame.  Also, the floor pan will come up and be replaced.  They will also take up all the carpet and the ceramic tile flooring in the potty area. 

Tomorrow they return to do the plumbing for the new shower fixtures and replace the tub and sink faucets.  It will probably be Thursday when they return to install the new tile floor and shower.  Then most of the heavy work will be done.  Another day of grouting and cleaning and we can then call the shower door people to come measure for a frameless glass fixture.  That takes about ten days to order and return for the install.

All of this should greatly update the bathroom and hopefully last out our remaining years here.

Meanwhile, one of the workers is going to refurbish our wood and cut glass front door.  A lot of sanding and cleaning, followed by new stain and multiple coats of urethane.  We also purchased a new brushed nickle door latch kit.  It should look good.

I'll be posting photos of the progress.

So That's a Gallbladder

It started with a slight pain on my right side just under the ribs.  Not all the time, but sometimes it would hurt enough for me to press on it for relief.  Actually, it was more annoying than painful.

Finally I asked my doctor about it and within three days and a few scans I was scheduled for laparoscopic gallbladder surgery (cholecystectomy) to remove the gallbladder and a bunch of gallstones through several small incisions in my abdomen.

That was last Thursday afternoon and I was home the following day.  Pretty amazing what doctors can do these days.

Anyway, I didn't know what a gallbladder was and started asking around.  It turns out that humans have known for over four centuries that the gallbladder isn't necessary for humans to lead a normal life.  I'll know if that's true on Saturday when I see the surgeon.  I feel great and I'm not leaking anywhere so I'm pretty sure he will say I can resume my normal life.

A "Texas" Sort of Day

The first signs of Fall is in the air and I woke up wanting something "Texas" for breakfast.  It just seemed the right time for it.

So I made a pan of cornbread.  But then I started being more creative than hungry.  Here's what I came up with.  I call it "Heart In The Deep Part Of Texas"

Added some Texas sausage and it was a good breakfast.

Also made a Texas Pineapple Upside Down Cake that turned out both pretty and tasty.

Had some batter left over so I made Baby Texas Pineapple Upside Down Cakes.

Still had some batter left so I made Pineapple Upside Down Aebleskivers

Yes, it was a fun day, and no, there wasn't any smoke flavor from the Big Green Egg.

My Sweetie Had A Birthday

Well, it's official now... I'm married to someone who is old enough for both Medicare and Social Security.  But that's a good thing.

Yep! She had a birthday last Thursday and, as usual, she claimed the entire week to be her "Birthday Week."

Our Forever Friend, Wanda, flew in from Jacksonville on Wednesday and stayed until Saturday.  We had a great time, frequently punctuated with food and drink.  Our neighbors Pam and Tom joined us for much of the food and drink.  We even took Wanda to see the Burcham Triplets that she's been hearing about for over a year.  I made a video just to remind us how tiring babies can be for old folks.  Here's the link:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J92SEIZWBUA

No sooner than we dropped Wanda off at the airport on Saturday, Judy's brother Curtis and wife, Sandra, drove in from Kerrville, and sister Joyce and husband, Allen, drove in from Metairie.  We picked up where we left off with lots of fish cooked different ways on the Big Green Egg and more birthday cake.

But we celebrated four birthdays since they all come up soon.  Four kinds of cake.  Yes, we all probably gained a few pounds.

By 9:00 AM Sunday morning everyone was gone and the house was quiet.  We never even got out of our PJ's all day long.

Happy Birthday, my Love.  Thank you for sharing your life with me.

Final Knee Surgery Update

Well, as of 8/18/10 I'm officially on the right road to knee surgery recovery.  All those blood tests, cultures, Xrays and body scans found nothing seriously out of whack with me. 

But my leg still hurts. 

They think it may possibly be due to my sciatica rearing its ugly head.  But it could also be from some remaining inflammation in the knee (not unexpected at this stage).  So they gave me a few anti-inflammatory pills for a few days.  If the pills don't help it then it's probably the sciatica.  If that doesn't work they will declare me 4-F and no longer eligible for the draft.

The fun will begin again sometime next year when they do the right knee.

Knee Surgery Update 3

It has now been over four weeks since surgery and my new knee seems to be working okay, although it is still a bit sensitive.  But I'm still having problems with pain in other areas of my leg. 

My knee surgeon sent me to a Pain Management doctor to see if perhaps a different combination of pain meds would help.  It did but I'm still having some problems with cramps and spasms pretty much all the time.  My foot is also creating a lot of pain because it feels like it is tingling, or extremely hot, or extremely cold, especially at night while I'm trying to sleep. 

He sent me for a bone density scan and the results were interpreted by the surgeon who performed my back surgery two years ago.  He said he thinks it could be due to bone pressing against my nerves.  He wants to perform another Laminectomy.

Meanwhile, my knee surgeon suggested I do another month of physical therapy.  I haven't done that yet because now they want me to undergo a Nuclear White Blood Cell scan.  They are concerned that there may be infection in the leg.  The scheduler for the Nuclear scan said they rarely do this type scan and it takes up pretty much most of the day.  They have to load me up with some glow in the dark stuff.

At least they are trying to find out what is causing the pain.

Knee Surgery Update 2

It has now been over seven weeks since my knee replacement surgery. And I still hurt quite a bit. But most of the pain is not from the knee, it's from my entire leg, mostly the thigh and calf areas. So my surgeon referred me to a pain management doctor. He quickly determined that something was amiss. He changed my pain medication from Hydrocodone (It never really worked very well anyway) to a less potent drug. But he added another drug that addresses the tingling/burning/freezing/numbness in my leg. Then he scheduled me for a bone density scan. I do it about nine hours from now.
If that isn't enough he will use some kind of device to help locate circulatory problems. And if that doesn't work he will schedule me for an MRI. He's determined to find out why my leg hurts so much.

Meanwhile, I finished my therapy. Or I should say my therapy benefits ran out and now my surgeon wants to schedule me for another month of treatments. That's good because I missed a lot during the first two weeks when I was anemic. I would always arrive on time but as soon as the therapist saw me looking pale, or struggling to do an exercise, she would stop the treatment. Most of the time when that happened I was so dizzy that I was close to passing out. I've got my strength back and really need to work on the areas that are still stiff and swollen.

My surgeon told me earlier today that I have good circulation in my legs. He also said the knee surgery and my range of motion is right on target except for about 5° to get my leg straight.
At least I'm recovering from the surgery.

I made a video of my experience and posted it on YouTube if you care to see it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LMlsl_7N4Y

I'll report again soon.

Knee Surgery Update

Knee Surgery Update


It is now 7/24/10 and I'm still in recovery mode from my knee surgery on 7/9/10, and apparently, I will be for at least another six weeks up to a year. Yes it still hurts but getting to hurt less. There are periods when the pain level reaches 8, as it did on Friday during my last day of therapy. Actually, it wasn't the therapy itself that caused the spike in pain but cramps and inflammation, compounded by stiffness. The combination made me nauseous and light-headed. I needed to come right home so that I could at least try to rest. Saturday was better and I actually felt pretty good for a few hours.

I see Dr Fitzgerald, my knee surgeon, this Tuesday and I'm curious as to what he will do. I think I'm behind where I should be as for range of movement and ability to function around the house. I'm already wearing a knee brace designed to straighten my leg but I can't get enough bend in it to make a full revolution on a bicycle. Deep knee bends and squatting is out of the question. But the therapy folks tell me everyone is different and one day I will be back to normal. Meanwhile, drink plenty of clear liquids, eat lots of vegetables and do the exercises as directed, some of them as frequently as possible.

At least I'm now able to put my own shoes and socks on, a significant milestone for me, and doing Number Two in the restroom is no longer a 45-minute ordeal, prepped by suppositories, vocalized by grunts and groans and a final 'aaaaaaaa,' and then soothed by gentle baby wipes. Precious moments indeed.

In an effort to keep my mind off the constant pain I've decided to do a full recovery of my computer. It was doing things that it should not have been doing, most likely because of my recent installation of Windows 7. I'm slowly getting it put back together.

Another update will follow soon...

Total Knee Replacement Surgery

Today starts the third week of recovery from my knee replacement surgery on June 9, 2010.  It has not been a fun experience.  Pain is the key word to describe all aspects of recovery.  There hasn't been a single moment when it wasn't there, usually at level 8 or higher, even while under the influence of Vicodin every four hours.

I've been trying to find that happy moment between sleep, therapy and pain to record my experiences but until now my brain hasn't been functioning well enough to write about all that I hope to be able to record here for the world to see (at least for those who may want to read about my experience before they do it themselves).
I have to say though, everyone, including Doctor Fitzgerald's staff, Tops Surgery Center staff, friends and neighbors, and especially my Judy, have gone well beyond what I expected from them.  In fact, they are the energy behind where I am today.  And they constantly assure me that where I may be disappointed in my progress, the truth is that I am coming along well.  At least I was until the last three or four days when my energy level dropped to near zilch.  Where I consider it a disappointing setback, they look beyond it and say there's tomorrow and the next day and the next day, until I can truthfully feel that I have recovered from what has to be the most difficult surgery I have ever encountered.

I will try to briefly explain why the need for surgery in the first place.

I've had bad knees for as long as I can remember.  Nothing dramatically wrong with them, they just ached a lot when standing on hard surfaces for long periods.  Then about seven or eight years ago I had a serious pain in the left knee that would not go away.  I went to Doctor Fitzgerald, an orthopedic surgeon at KSF Orthopedic Center. He diagnosed 'torn meniscus' as the cause and suggested orthoscopic surgery to repair it. 

During the surgery he recorded clear images of the interior of my knee, pointing out each step he was taking and showing images of a growing arthritis problem which I would eventually need to address.  Seven years later I told him, "I'm back."

(continued later when I get my wits back)

I'm now into my fifth week of recovery.  Yes, it still hurts, but not nearly as much as before.  I'm having a lot of problems with cramps.  My therapist told me that it may be due to a lack of hydration.  Could be, I pee a lot, mostly due to the drugs.  So I try to drink a lot of water.  Even that doesn't work well because if I drink a cup or a quart I almost immediately pee a cup or quart.  I just can't keep it in me.  Anyway, the cramps hurt a lot.  But I've also got a problem with my sciatica.  All the way from my hip to my toes is in constant pain.  Nothing helps relieve it and to make matters worse I can't sit for very long anywhere.  We went to a burger place a couple of days ago and I had to stand up a number of times the pain was so bad.

I'm also behind on my therapy progress, mostly because I was anemic for about three weeks and could not complete my therapy sessions.  The timing was bad because it was when I was suppose to be making the most progress.  As a result, the doctor ordered a device which I will wear on my knee a few hours a day.  Each day I tighten a screw or something that straightens my leg.  The last measurement showed I was -5° off plumb.  I need to be 0°.  I'm told that it's very important or I will always walk funny and be less than stable.

I'm still taking Vicodin but in considerably less amounts.  On average, I take maybe one tablet every six hours, but if the pain is bad enough I will take one at four hours.  At least I'm not taking two at a time like in the first few weeks.  I supplement the Vicodin with Tylenol or use Tylenol only if the pain isn't that bad.  I would like to be off Vicodin completely by week seven.  That's when I end my therapy sessions at the health center.

Even with all the problems I'm having now I still plan to have the right leg done later this year or early next year.  I think the right leg will be much easier to deal with because I've never had problems with cramps or sciatica in the right leg.  Plus, I've kinda learned what works and what doesn't work.  Hopefully, they will give me some other kind of pain meds.  Vicodin just doesn't do the job that well for me. 

I'll update again in a few days.

Pool

Yesterday was Memorial Day and it was HOT! So we talked about what we’re going to do to cool off during the summer now that Judy is retired. Eventually, the discussion came around to pools. And that led to us remembering just how much we enjoyed having our pool in Florida. And before long we decided if we would forego some of the planned cruises, trips and high-tech toys we probably could afford one.

That’s when we decided to take the plunge.