A working fool

Here I am again at work. I am not going to whine, I am not going to whine....I have lots of plans for tomorrow, but mostly I am going to rest. (I will not whine....) I was thinking the other day about how much my life has changed since the dreaded thyroid surgery. Before I had that surgery and the subsequent emergency surgery, I planned on someday trying out for the opera, but never got to it. Then, when I had no voice to speak of (LOL) for 2 mos. afterwards, I realized how precious my voice was to me. I promised myself that if I got it back, I would audition and pursue the opera thing until I got it. And now, 6 years later, I am starting my third season with the opera. I got to thinking about my challenges with my knee and being told not to run anymore. I remember last year, when I was prepping for the Wasatch Back and feeling the awakening of the lean, strong woman inside of me. I really liked that feeling, however brief it was. Of course, I was looking forward to reviving her this past winter and spring, but the knee problems stopped that. I have been encouraged by my dr. to ride a bike for knee flexibility and exercise, and he also, very diplomatically, suggested that my knee would last longer if I could lose a few lbs. I immediately snapped back at him that I was planning on doing that this spring, but the knee thing stopped those plans. He quickly agreed, so as not to make me mad. But since then, I have been thinking about getting a bike. Money is, of course, an issue. And the last time I sat on Dana's bike seat, the pain was discouraging. The other day, I sat on Tori's bike seat and realized that it might be doable (is that a word?). So, I have been mulling this around in my head....Could I find the lean, strong woman in my body by biking? I think I might. I am afraid of looking like a fool until I get used to riding, but I suspect I looked like a fool at first when I started running again. I ran a lot at night, after dark, so that no one could see me. I am not sure I would want to ride a bike after dark, but maybe early in the morning. Hmmm...... Sue

I am back to work, starting last Thursday. My knee was surprised to be walked upon so much, but did okay with some stretching exercises that evening. The people at Physical Therapy sure know how to find your weaknesses. And then they give you exercises to strengthen you. My problem, and I am sure I am not alone, is that I don't seem to be able to find the time to do the exercises. The stretching exercises are the best to decrease the swelling, but I really need to do the strengthening exercises. I don't know how my legs got so weak. Gripe, gripe, gripe.
I have revived an old hobby. I am going to start doing counted cross-stitch again. I used to do it almost non-stop, but then I got tired of it. Now, after doing crocheting until my eyes are crossed and knitting until my fingers are sore, I am going to do some cross-stitch projects. I wish I could inspire Tori to do some of those kinds of projects. She liked doing the knitted caps that she made, so hopefully I can get her interested in cross-stitch. TTFN Sue

Our Yellowstone trip

We just got back from Yellowstone, a day earlier than planned.  I am so glad to be home.  Yellowstone is amazing, but that was a really bad camping experience.  Because of the bear issue, we couldn't leave anything related to food outside.  I pride myself in keeping a clean campsite; dishes washed and drying, food put away in boxes and coolers, tidy tent, etc., but up there, you can't leave anything out that has touched food, so no table cloth, no toiletries, no dishes drying, etc.  All we could leave out was fuel sources, so propane lamps were ok, and chairs.  The camp stove had to be put away whenever we weren't in camp.  It was like setting up camp everytime you came back to camp and then taking it all down when you went to bed or left to do sightseeing.  We literally lived out of our cars.  ANd the mosquitos, oh my gosh.  I haven't seen mosquitos like that.  Even with deep woods repellant all over my face and hands, they would dive bomb my face.  I have bites along my part in my hair, in my hair along my neck and on my ears.  I even have some that they did through my socks.  I was too hot to wear my hooded sweatshirt, so I was constantly fighting them off.  They were fierce, even in the middle of the day.  It was hot during the day and cold at night.  We were quite close to the bathroom, but not close enough.  I sort of had a breakdown on Sunday, after sitting in the Old Faithful Lodge for about 5 hours, cell phone dead, camera battery dead, couldn't find the car, trying to drink enough but not succeeding.  I was so exhausted from poor sleep for 2 nights and it was so crowded with tourists and hot.  They don't air condition the buildings up there.  There was no where to nap except in the car and it was too hot to sit in the car and I couldn't find it anyway.I walked, or rather stumbled, around the parking lot 3 times, crying and looking for the Prius.  You can't believe how many silver cars there are in the world.  Dana and Tori were off sightseeing, but with a dead cell phone I couldn't get in contact with them.  My knee was stiff and achy and the only thing I had to read was a *%#@!! book about Yellowstone that had supplemental CD's and DVD's, but I didn't have a CD player (couldn't find the car) or a computer to watch the DVD's.  Note to reader, they don't sell newspapers or magazines in the Gift shops at Old Faithful Inn or Lodge.  Only stuff about Yellowstone.  I finally literally stumbled across the Prius, so I dug out the Newsweek that I had already read and re-read about Cindy McCain.  I think that saved my sanity, at least for the moment.  When we finally got back to camp, I told Dana and Tori that I was going home the next day and was trying to sort out which pots and pans and food they would need and what I could take home in my car.  Finally, they told me to go to bed.  They offered me some dinner, but my headache was SO bad that I wasn't hungry.  I just tried to sleep, but that was hard too, because I worried about making it to the bathroom.  Anyway, the next morning, Dana booked us a cabin at Mammoth Hot Springs and we drove up there, stopping along the way to look at stuff and take pictures.  When we got there, the cabin wasn't quite ready, so D and T went sight seeing and I laid on the lawn in the shade of a tree and rested.  When the cabin was ready, I walked in and thought I was in heaven.  2 beds, a shower, toilet and sink and windows with screens to keep out the mosquitos.  And on top of that, it had a cute porch looking out onto a lawn where little ground squirrels were playing.  I almost started crying again.  It was so beautiful and peaceful.  The next day, we did some more sightseeing along the way home and got home last night at midnight.  

Several things that I learned:  1-I can't camp at Yellowstone ever again.  I like Richardson Grove camping.  2-I need some sort of camp cot, because getting up off the ground in a tent is too hard.  3-I now have more understanding of homeless people.  I have heard that the biggest problems are chronic fatigue and feeling demoralized because you are dirty and smell bad and can't do anything about it. At least on my "homeless day" at Old Faithful Lodge, I had some money, so I could eat and I had showered just that morning, so I looked presentable, but I was so exhausted that I couldn't think straight and so sweaty that I know I smelled bad.  Given another day or two of that life, I would have looked like a homeless woman. 4- I will save money to stay at Mammoth Hot Springs cabins again.  The one we had, B7, was delightful and I told Dana that if I had a radio, I could stay there for a long time.  I could learn to live without TV, but I need a radio to know what the news is.  So there it is.  Now I am home with tons of chores to do and starting back at work tomorrow.  

a shorter post

Today Tori and I went riding.  My knee did fine with it. Yesterday I did most of the exercises that I am supposed to do daily.  My knee is more flexible than it has been in months.  I think the physical therapist just may know what he is talking about.  I still have numbness on the outside of my knee and it feels really creepy when I bump or touch it.  Several members of the WB2008 team sent congratulatory emails to the others on the team.  It was a great experience and it was nice to get the thank you emails.  

   My new favorite song is "Lux Aurumque" by Eric Whitacre.  It is on the album "To the Edge of Space" and is beautiful.  Sue

The Wasatch Back, etc

Well, it's over for this year!  The Wasatch Back Relay was this weekend and it went really well.  Our team actually had 12 members, the last one being signed up on Thursday night.  Nothing like living on faith or whatever.  We had resigned ourselves to having only 11 runners and one person would have to run 6 legs instead of 3 legs.  But at the last minute, Ronell found a runner!  Thank goodness for him.  He also found a van to rent for a really good price, better than  the AAA rate that I found at Hertz.  I think everyone on our team had a good time.  They seemed to be very happy when they came over the finish line.  I will post some pictures when I get them.  I was so proud of them.  I volunteered in 2 first aid stations.  The first one was at Morgan City Park, from 4:30 pm to 9:00 pm.  It was not too hot, and not busy for the first aid person (me). so it was fun.  Dana came with me and we read and I did sudoku and chatted with some cute neighborhood kids who were at the park.  The boy's name is Caden and he is 8 yrs. old.  His little dog is Pooh Bear.  His friend is Cheyenne and she is 4 yrs. old.  Caden was very patient with Cheyenne and she and Pooh Bear tagged along with him.  He was very chatty and also played frisbee with some of the other volunteer guys who were there.  I helped him with the words to "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star"  He couldn't remember the "Up above the world so high" line.  He says he sings to Pooh Bear at night to  put her to sleep.  Dana had a small bag of cashews and the kids said that they would like some peanuts, too, so we shared with them.  Cheyenne said she REALLY likes those peanuts and her grandpa has that kind of peanuts, too.  Pooh Bear liked the cashew/peanuts, too.  She is a Jack Russell, but is brown and black instead of white and brown.  Anyway, they were really cute kids and made an otherwise boring 5 hours more entertaining.  After we were finished there and had eaten at the Fazoli's food venue, we drove on to South Summit High School, in Kamas.  I was scheduled to do first aid there at 0530-1030, the next morning.  Our plan was to sleep in a tent there on the lawn until time to go on duty.  When we got the to high school, there was no one there.  The school was locked and there wasn't much lawn to camp on, except in front of the school.  Also, most importantly, there were no portapotties or bathrooms available.  I found out later that the volunteers didn't come until about midnight and the first runners didn't get there until about 0300.  So we decided to drive on to Heber and find a motel.  The Holiday Inn was all full, the Rodeway only had one smoking room available and Mac's Motel (under new management) looked seedy.  We asked the guy at the Rodeway if there were any other motels in town and he suggested the Danish Viking Inn.  (I think he was trying to get even with us for not taking his smoking room)  So, we drove to the D.V.I.  It said it was AAA approved, but on closer examination, the middle A was crossed out.  There was a tiny swimming pool, but it had only a little water in the bottom and there were reeds growing in it.   But I digress.  When we got there, the woman at the counter was signing up another guy.  We were crossing our fingers that she wasn't giving away the last room.  Lucky us. She had two rooms left.  102 didn't have air conditioning and the shower didn't work, but the cable did.  Oh and it was a smoking room, but since the shower hadn't worked for awhile, it probably didn't smell too bad.  Room 108 had air and the shower worked, but the cable was out.  She suggested that we could watch TV in 102 and then walk over to 108 to sleep and shower.  She also said that she wouldn't charge us full price even for the two rooms.  At first she said it would be $30, but then she tore up that card and only charged us $25 ($31.95 with tax).  Since we had planned on sleeping on the ground anyway, we decided this was an upgrade for us.  She also told us that she is the head housekeeper there and her brother is the manager, but he has 2 broken feet and so she is helping him out at the desk.  About her attire.  She was young, maybe 22 yrs old and has a two year old daughter.  She was wearing a tank top, and a push up bra.  Envision her bosoms being high and almost popping out of the tank top.  At first I watched the men in the office to see where they were looking.  You guessed it.  Later, I mentioned that she was a bosomy woman and Dana said, "She has jugs."  I laughed because he usually doesn't talk like that.  But she was so friendly and chatty and nice, that I couldn't be critical of her.  She said that she wants to be a nurse, too, someday, but right now, it's hard with her two year old.  I think she was pregnant, too.  Dana took pictures of the room and I will post them, too.  We slept in our sleeping bags on the bed, using our own pillows.  Since we had to get up by 0430, we didn't shower and just went to bed.  When we got back to the high school in Kamas, I mostly saw people with blisters.  One guy was covered in hives and itching, so I gave him Benadryl and suggested he shower to wash off whatever pollen he had gotten into.  Another girl had the same problem, but had already taken benadryl and was starting to get a little better.  One lady asked for ginger for an upset stomach, but I didn't have it.  One guy asked for talcum powder for chafing, but I didn't have that either.  A couple of people needed their knees wrapped and all I had was 2 inch Ace wrap, but I did the best I could.  It was an adventure, but I may do it again next year.  It was fun, too.  

Well, this is long, but it was an eventful weekend.  Dane and Jamie got married on Saturday and we couldn't go because of the race, but went to their reception last evening.  It was a fun reception, with Dane playing the guitar and singing to Jamie and then later he played the drums with the band.  He is good at drums.  We all danced and had fun.  Brian is so proud of his boys.  You can see it in his face.  They are good kids, all of them.  Shelley was crying when she was doing the Mother/Son dance with Dane.  The song was sweet, something about "I was  the first one to hold you"  It made me want to cry, too.  Holly was planning on attending the ceremony, but her recommend was expired.  If I had known, I would have lent mine to her.  Is that legal???  ;)

Insomnia

I hate insomnia!  All of my problems look gigantic at 12:43 a.m.  Right now I am freaking out about the Wasatch Back Team.  We still only have 8 registered runners and the race starts in 4 days and about 8 hours.  Everyone says they want to be on the team, but they don't follow through. What's up with that, people????  Is this a problem unique to our team????  I am sure K wants to totally wash her hands on this, but since somehow she got roped into  co-managing this team, she is stuck.  I wish D would be more proactive and help her.  Well, at least I am not worrying about the mess in my attic.  That's usually what I focus on when I am having insomnia.  I need to find the off switch for my brain.  Usually if I go somewhere else to sleep, like the couch, I can relax and go to sleep, but we have out of town company this weekend and all the alternate sleeping places are taken.  Maybe if I read "John Adams"......

Update

I had my surgery a week ago, last Friday.  I was so nervous about everything, but mostly about the anesthesia.  I have had Brian Waterfall do my anesthesia for both of my most recent surgeries, so I was a little nervous about having my life in the hands of a stranger.  But Dr. McAllister came highly recommended from my friend Steve and it was fine.  I know Dr. McAllister's brother, who does some anesthesia at the Women Center at AVH, so we had something to talk about.  TOSH really had this surgery thing down to a fine science.  I met my circulating nurse before the surgery, so that was nice.  Her name is Max and she took good care of me.  When I woke up in the recovery room, the back of my knee was really hurting, as if it had been hyperextended for a long time, but I knew it had been bent.  They were really good to address my pain and within the hour, I was comfortable.  I now have three little scars on my knee and it is  swollen and a little stiff.  I drove yesterday for the first time, which was great.  Driving is easy, but getting in and out of the car is slow.  My knee is still stiff and doesn't bend as much as it used to, but the Physical Therapist, Joel, is taking care of that.  It hurts to do the exercises he gave me, but I can already tell a difference in both mobility and strength.  Now that I can get up and around, my recovery is starting to feel more like having a vacation from work.  Last weekend, when I couldn't get up much and I needed Percocet and ice on my knee, I got so bored with TV and knitting that I thought I would go crazy.  That's why I mopped the kitchen floor on Monday.  Everyone thinks I am crazy, but standing still and moving my arms with the mop wasn't a hard thing to do.  Since then, I have gotten a ton of flowers and vegies to plant, so Tori and I will be doing that this weekend.  I will supervise and plant the pots and Tori will do the kneeling and shoveling.  

We had a little incident on Tuesday.  A Husky dog jumped our fence by the Woods yard and chased our chickens and actually bit Arwen.  She was in shock when we found her, hiding by the fence.  I took her inside and comforted her and she finally started acting more normal.  When we found her, she was limp, wheezing and cyanotic.  I thought she might die from shock in my arms, but she seems fine now.  There were so many piles of feathers in the backyard that I was surprised that she and Osiris had any feathers left on their bodies.  When we first went out there, after Dana had chased the dog away, Blackberry was in the pine tree (smart girl), Dot, Nefertiti, Chic, Buffy and Chicken Little were hiding in under the ivy on the side of the house.  They can really get down under the ivy if they need to.  We couldn't find Osiris, but she showed up in a little while.  I suspect she was hiding under the chicken house, but we couldn't see her.  We called Animal Control and they actually found the dog, still running loose, about a mile away.  They followed it home, where it jumped a 6 ft. fence into it's backyard.  So, they picked it up.  It is a nice dog and wasn't doing anything that doesn't come natural to it, as far as hunting.  The officer said that because he saw it running loose and jumping the fence, the owners will have a pretty high fine.  Also, it has to be quarantined for 10 days, and will cost about $30 to pay for that.  We decided to press charges of animal attacking animal, not to add to their fees, but to let them know that their dog had come a long way from home and had gotten into mischief.  We discussed it and decided that if Lacey had gotten out and caused some damage, we would want to know about it.  I hope they will figure out how to keep him confined in their backyard.  We also added to our fence to make it higher, to protect both the neighbors from our fierce chickens and to protect the girls from jumping dogs.  

Oh, back to my knee.  No more running for me, ever.  Unless I want a knee replacement in a few years.  So, I guess I will take up hiking and biking.  It has been a bit of a paradigm shift for me this week, along with some minor grieving for my lost youth.  :(