Slippy slide in the shower

Yesterday after cooking all morning I was ready for my only my second shower after breaking my leg. Our shower has a built in seat in the corner, and after taking down the sliding doors and putting up a rod and shower curtain, attaching a hand held shower head I was ready to go again. It is difficult for me to get in, with the step up and with being unable to put any weight on my broken leg. But I have managed to do that. Soaped up to my hearts content, rinsed, then stood up and rinsed and rinsed - you get the picture. Went to sit back down to lather up my broken leg one more time - it can build up quite an odor in the sock, in the airboot! - and when I sat down - I was on the slippy slide! Slid all of the way to the bottom of the shower. Instinctively I pulled my knees up or would have slammed my broken leg - without the boot - into the shower wall! DH and DD heard my scream and came running in - but by then I was laughing! Then came the task - how to get up from that position without harming my broken leg. But after giving it some serious thought - well somewhat serious - how serious can you get, drippy wet, naked, on the shower floor in front of daughter and husband in a bathroom built for less than one person - you have to stand up to shut the bathroom door before using the commode! But I managed to lift myself up with the help of my walker with my one good leg - thank goodness for the exercises the PT had left with me for my legs. And broken leg was no worse for the ordeal!

Happy Thanksgiving

My New Parrot

Recently I received a parrot as a gift.
The parrot had a bad attitude and an even worse vocabulary. Every
word out of the bird's mouth was rude, obnoxious and laced with profanity.

I tried and tried to change the bird's attitude by consistently
saying only polite words, playing soft music and anything else I
could think of to "clean up" the bird's vocabulary. Finally, I was fed up and I yelled at the parrot.

The parrot yelled back.

I shook the parrot and the parrot got angrier and even ruder.

So, in desperation, I threw up my hands, grabbed the bird and put
him in the freezer.

For a few minutes the parrot squawked and kicked and screamed.
Then suddenly there was total quiet.
Not a peep was heard for over a minute.
Fearing that I'd hurt the parrot, I quickly opened the door to the freezer.

The parrot calmly stepped out onto my outstretched arms and said "I
believe I may have offended you with my rude language and
actions. I'm sincerely remorseful for my inappropriate
transgressions and I fully intend to do everything I can to correct
my rude and unforgivable behavior."

I was stunned at the change in the bird's attitude. As I was about
to ask the parrot what had made such a dramatic change in his
behavior, the bird continued,

"May I ask what the turkey did?"

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

I am blessed by.....

I am blessed to have my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in my life. He has promised to be with me through good times and bad - through a year that has had 5 surgeries and years that have had none. I have to trust that His promise that "All things work together for good for those whose trust is in the Lord" means what it says. That there have been people who I have met while in the hospital, while in surgery, while in recovery, whose lives I may have left a tiny touch on that will see Christ in me.

I am blessed by a wonderful family. My husband and children have done so much to help me in the past month since I have broken my leg. My husband has done so much work around the house to make things more accomodating for my wheelchair, has done laundry, bought groceries, cleaned up dishes, done so much that I am grateful for. My children have taken me to drs appts even when it was inconvenient for them.

I am blessed by wonderful friends. My dear friend has called me everyday to check up on me, has cooked and brought me food time after time. Many friends from my church have brought food and helped us out.

I am blessed that we have a wonderful Thanksgiving meal with friends here that are also misplaced Texans - other than they are Aggies and I am a Baylor Bear! We have a great meal, great conversation and an overall terrific time!

I am blessed by wonderful doctors who have taken care of me, understood the stress that I have been under, have been there to help me realize that I have to take care of myself.

Life has sometimes hidden in misfortune, many wonderful blessings for us. Take the time to count and appreciate the wonderful people in your lives.

A different kind of Fall

I had been sitting on my bed, folding clothes to take to Goodwill on Friday Oct 12. When I got up to walk off, my leg buckled and the next thing I knew, I was sitting there with a double fracture of the leg plus and ankle fracture. Verizon didn't send my calls through to my husband, so next on my list was DS #2. He rounded up his brother and Andy and all came to my rescue. Thanks to my computer chair they were able to push me out the back door, down the steep hill to the car - better than down the 6 then 7 steps inside the house! Hours and hours later - 2:00 am to be exact, we left the emergency room with a splint and little pain medication.

So on Monday, we made the same perilous trip out the back, down the hill, to the car to go to the Ortho's office. We should get frequent patient miles from him - he repaired our daughter's ankle two years ago after she crushed it rock climbing.

Any way, on Tuesday I was in surgery, and home on Friday. Then have been kept busy with Home health nurses, Physical therapists, and Aides to help me bathe. The baths have been wonderful because they were able to help me wash my hair!!!!

My means of getting up and down the stairs - on my hands and knees or down by sliding on my butt! Hey, it isn't pretty but it works!

I have been so encouraged by all of the letters from "cyber" friends I have received. It has helped a little in keeping away the "get me out of this house" blues. But it has been 10 days and I am going a little stir crazy - and I have 3-4 mos of no weight on my leg. By spring I will be certifiable crazy!

Fall

The calendar says it is fall but the weather makes one think it is still August. The high temperature today was 91 and that is 15 degrees above average. The almanac says we are in for a colder than normal winter - but now, nothing would surprise me.

There will be no pretty leaf show this fall - they are just brown and curling up and falling off. Many of the old trees have died during this entire heat and dry weather. We had less than an inch of rain in September which normally is one of our wettest months. We are almost 20" below normal so this the third year we are finishing somewhere in that range. Rain would be nice, real nice. Even some snow might be nice, but not too much - being in the mountains the entire city comes to a halt if there is a snowflake within 20 miles. So Happy Fall to all!

Flowers of summer

Many are showing their flower gardens as the last of summer brings forth new blooms. Here in SE TN, temperatures have been so hot and so dry that everything has turned to dust. So while I don't have much outside to show - I do have some treasures from inside to show. One of my favorites, next to African violets are my orchids.
They are dependable to show their beauty year after year, with only modest care, and occasional dividing and repotting.



This is a denbrodium that my oldest son gave me quite a few years ago. I have several pots of it, but they don't bloom at the same time. So I get to spread its beauty around.



This beauty is called Sugar Sweet - and it is covered with dozens of small, yellow fragrant blossoms. It is a real treat when it blooms.

Seeing these lovelies helps me forget that we haven't had but 1 rain for the month of September, which is normally one of our rainiest or that yesterday set a record temperature at 94 degrees! I may have to go to the street corner to panhandle to be able to continue to pay our electric bill. Any donations are appreciated!!

September Exchange

In the TeaTimeKnitters September exchange, I was having my eye problems and wasn't able to knit to start it. Deborah, the list mom, sent me a care package - which was wonderful of her. Look at all of the nice things she sent me! A beautiful rose lace dishcloth that is incrediblely soft, a cannister of tea with a tea bag retriever (don't know what to call it - LOL), some loose tea bags, some little dice that will make great stitch markers, a pad of leaves sticky notes - all great and exciting things. Deborah is a great list mom. And if anyone wants to join - TeaTimeKnitters is the name.