November 26

     I have decided that the old saying "time flies when you're having fun" is really true. It is hard to believe that the last three weeks have passed so fast.  Each day brings a new challenge.  The best thing about being retired is that the world is now on my schedule, more or less.  There is so much to do around the house that I could do, if I choose to, and that's the best part - I now have a choice.  When I was younger, I always had to work two or more jobs to make ends meet. Time was dictated by work.  Spare time was hard to find or just didn't exist.
     Remembering the jobs I have had, I started working when I was in the 8th grade.  My first job was delivering newspapers.  We lived in Auburn, AL at that time while dad finished getting his BS from Auburn University (War Eagle!!!).   My paper route covered from town all the way out West Glenn.  I rode my bike to town and delivered papers in the afternoon.  My brother was younger but had a paper route around our neighborhood.  I can remember we would both ride our bikes to town on Sunday mornings, before daylight, in the freezing cold, so we could roll and stuff our papers.  Along my route there were two other drop sites where I would have to pick up and stuff more papers.  There were times that I would also have to do his route, but I do not remember if I was paid for those times or not.  I remember the worst part of the job was the monthly collections I had to do.  Sometimes college students were hard to find when it was time to pay the bill.
     We moved to Tuscaloosa so my parents could continue their education at that other school in the state.  From there we moved to Talladega.  I was about 16 and needed a job to put gas in my car and to save a little money.  I walked all over town looking for a job.  I found one working at a gas station, Jack's Gulf Station.  I remember asking Mr. Jacks if he needed someone to work for him.  I told him that I knew nothing about working at a gas station but I was willing to learn.  I was really surprised when he hired me.  I worked on Saturdays, from 7 to 7 and was paid $5.00 at the end of the day.  Not a lot of money, but I think minimum wage at that time was less than a dollar an hour.  It was a full service gas station and every customer had his gas pumped and oil checked and water checked in the battery.  I also washed cars and Alabama Power Company trucks in January and February when it was so cold we would have to boil water over the gas heater inside just to pour on the water faucet to get the water flowing. The gas station was one of my favorite jobs.  I was always busy and Mr. Jacks had a couple of good looking daughters that would sometimes come to the station.  The station was located on North Street about a block from First Baptist Church.  It was close enough that we could go get a coke between Sunday School and Church, We made a deal with the Sunday School Teacher to end the lesson early so we could get to the gas station and back.  Okay, the real reason was so we could slip off and smoke a cigarette before church.  We were not the only ones though, some of the older church men were doing the same thing.  The station is no longer there, but was located where the parking lot for Burger King is now.  More to come later.

November 9

My son, Jason, and I spent the weekend camping at Vogel State Park.  Vogel is located at the base of Blood Mountain, Ga. We camped at one of the walk-in campsites in the park.  This was an excellent place to camp since this was the first camping since my knee surgery.  I was not sure about being able to crawl into my tent and then to get up out of the tent each day, but the knees did fine.  I even did some hiking up the mountain at Hogpen Gap.  Jason hiked from Neels Gap to Tesnatee Gap about 5.5 miles with his dog on Saturday.  Returning to camp I hiked a one mile loop around the lake at the state park.  On Sunday I dropped him off at Tesnatee Gap and he hiked up Wildcat Mountain, while I parked at Hogpen Gap and went up the mountain from there.  We met close to the top.  As I remembered there was an excellent view on the trail towards Whitney shelter so we headed that way.
Below are several pictures of our trip.

Park Entrance

Well behaved Brooks.

Jason staking down his tent.

View from behind the store at Neels Gap.

I think Brooks was dragging Jason up the trail.

Just one of the many views from a mountain top.

The one mile trail I hiked.

I also hiked down to these falls.

I even made it to the top of a mountain.

 

Nov 8

Well it's been a while since my last post. I wanted to give a quick update and then edit this tomorrow. Here we are at Vogel state park. Jason and I are enjoying the time camping. 

October 11 - 24

     I cannot believe that it has been 2 weeks since my last post.  Time passes so fast that I need to take time out to enjoy it more.  After spending one week in Chantilly, Virginia and this past week at home, I am wondering where the time went.  We really enjoyed our visit with grandkids at Katy and Scott's house.  They were laying laminated hardwood flooring during the first part of the week and then adding the trim after the flooring was down.  I still have pain when getting on my knees, so all I could do to help was give advice and operate a saw.  By the time we left, I am sure that Scott had enough advice from me to last at least until they come visit after Christmas.  Katy is a perfectionist and quickly pointed out any flaw she saw.  Of course that meant redoing several things.  I think she was doing the right thing since she wanted a professional job from amateurs.  Also we celebrated Cooper and Kinsley's birthday while we were there.  Cooper turned 3 and Kinsley will be 6 next month.  We celebrate both their birthdays together so we can do it in one visit.  It is just a little far for us to make monthly trips to Virginia.  

     We returned home on Sunday.  Amy's mom, GoGo, was taken to live at Amy's brother's house.  She had fallen twice on Saturday and had to get a neighbor to help her off the floor.  She has always been on the "go", hence her nickname GoGo, but now age has caught up to her and she has lost her mobility.  For now she will live in Birmingham instead of her home in Talladega.  Amy made two trips to see her one on Tuesday and one on Thursday.  I went with her on Thursday, and we will visit again on Sunday.  

     Also on Tuesday I went to a breakfast meeting at the Cracker Barrell in Oxford.  For the past couple of months a group of us (4) get together to talk about old times.  We were friends in high school, church, and college.  The group includes Bobby Slay, Jimmy Harris, Hal Phillips and myself.  We all have ties to Auburn.  Bobby and I roomed together our Freshman year.  We have a lot of good memories from those years.  Jimmy's parents and my parents were very close friends and used to take vacations together.  Next month we will meet for lunch at the Ark, a fish restaurant between Lincoln and Riverside.   

     Jason and I are planning a camping trip together.  Since my knees are not ready for long hikes we will be car camping at Vogel State Park in north Georgia.  We will pitch our tents about 1500 feet from the parking lot.  We will do some short hikes, without packs, so I can test out the knees.  I am looking forward to that experience.  I hope the weather cooperates with us to make it more enjoyable.

Our trip is planned for November 7, 8 and 9.  I get excited just thinking about it.  More to come later.

October 5 - 10

The past few days seem to be flying by.  The highlight of Monday was my bi-annual appointment with my kidney doctor.  Every six months I go for a check up as a precaution due to my diabetes.  Each time the doctor says everything is stable, come back in 6 months.  I have decided to increase my walking.  On Tuesday I walked 4 miles.  On Wednesday, 6.5 miles.  I decided to take it easy on Thursday and only walked a little over 2 miles (4 laps at the park).  I thought I might try the knees with a slow jog so I jogged for one-half a lap.  I need to say that my slow jog is about walking speed for a normal person.  I did have some swelling after that and sitting in church for 5 hours Thursday night really caused the legs to tighten up.  This morning the effects were not that bad, but after the 12 hour ride to visit the grandkids, getting out of the car was quite painful.  The pain is not in the knees, but tendonitus.  The pain will gradually go away with exercise I hope.

Sept 25 - Oct. 4

     I'm so sorry that I haven't updated in a while but I will try to catch up this past week.  For the past three days we have our door guarded by this creature. Just thought I would post this picture.

He seems content to just move around the door and I suppose he is eating bugs that move toward the light shinning through the windows at night.
     I have continued walking 3 - 4 miles at least every other day.  On Monday I went back to the doctor.   He said that the pain that I have is tendonitus and prescribed an anti-inflamatory medicine and said that I needed to lose some weight.  Thinking I was going to begin my diet on Tuesday, Amy and I stopped for Krispy Kreme donuts,  Then coming back through Pell City, we decided to get a Blizzard at the new DQ.  On Tuesday I walked 3 miles and decided to spend the afternoon cutting grass.  On Wednesday, after walking 4 miles I spent the afternoon using the weedeater.  Slightly overdid it and had a lot of pain.
     On Thursday mom and I rode to Woodstock, Ga to visit with my brother and his wife.  He will begin radiation and chemo on another inoperable tumor next week.  The goal will be to shrink this tumor.  This has been the source of his back pain for about a year, but was just discovered in a scan a couple of weeks ago.  How it was missed I don't know.  It is about the size of a golf ball.  We had a really good visit and enjoyed sitting on their porch watching the birds feeding all afternoon.
     Expected to rest up on Friday, but that did not happen.  Amy went in to check on her mother who apparently had a slight stroke.  She e  nded up spending most of the day taking her to the doctor.  Then my mom called because she was having a dizzy spell and could not drive home from the hairdresser.  Both are better today.  Now to watch some football.

 





  

Sept. 19 - 24

     Came home from the beach on Friday the 19th.  On the way home we stopped to visit my cousin Barbara Anne Bowling and her husband Bob.  We both grew up in the south Alabama town of Monroeville.  We were in the same grade in school. Our backyard bordered with another set of cousin's and after they lost their house in a fire, she moved across the street from them.  We spent a lot of time playing together.  After moving several times, we ran into each other at Auburn.  I had only seen them a couple of times, at family funerals, or weddings since then.  We had a good visit which was quite enjoyable.  
     Arriving home we found that the puppy was still hanging around the house.  Asked several neighbors if they had lost a dog.  Puppy turned out to be about a year old and had had a litter of pups before.  Although the puppy was cute we did not want a dog because of the traveling we do.  After checking with the local vets to see if they may have recognized the dog, I finally took the dog to the Animal Shelter.on Tuesday. Maybe someone will adopt the dog.
     Went to the doctor on Monday.  I have arthritis and tendonitus in the left knee.  The pain is not related to the surgery but more a pulled hamstring caused from the swelling.  I had not taken the ibuprofen the way I should have.  I thought it was for swelling and pain so I was only taking it in the morning.  I found out that it only is good for 6 hours, so I had not been taking it the way I should.  I now have another medicine for inflammation that I take once a day.  Hopefully it will give some relief in a couple of days. After exercise I get real stiff.and thus a little more pain.  I have no pain while walking, 3 miles on Tuesday and 4 miles on Wednesday, (24th).  Also today I need to use my weedeater outside around the house.  I also need to redo the wiring for the phones in my house.  I have a lot of static that is in the lines but no static if I bypass the house wiring.  I will work on that project tomorrow, after all no since doing it today if it is not mandatory.  More to come later.
     Oh, spare time has been spent on the first 2000 piece puzzle that I have ever worked.  Amy did a lot of it too. 

Sept 13 - 18

Beach trip. View from our room on floor 13.   When we arrived it was cloudy and rainy.  Lots of waves.  Of course we forgot to bring everything we might need for a week on the beach, so we made the trip to the local Walmart for supplies.

On Tuesday we decided to walk on the beach.  This pier is 1.5 miles from our room.  So that meant our walk was 3 miles on the sand.  

Of course I had to take a picture of me. 

That afternoon we decided to go find a Best Buy so I could buy a part I needed to connect my computer to the internet.  That was an adventure in itself.  It was only 11 miles away, but the road we needed to take was closed due to an accident.  Trying to reroute on streets that do not run parallel to each other proved to be a nightmare.  When we finally got to Best Buy, the power was out for the whole shopping center.  We decided to wait for the power to come back on and the store to open up again.  After about an hour wait I was able to get the part I needed.  On the return trip the road was still closed and we had to reroute again.  The only good thing is that we stopped to eat at Angelo's Steak Pit, since we passed right by it.  The food was real good.  

On Wednesday we walked a little farther in the other direction.  After going for 2 miles we decided to turn around and head back.  Total trip 4 miles.  As you can see from the picture Amy walks a whole lot faster than I do.  She was constantly waiting on me.

Today I could barely walk at all.  My calves are hurting so bad that I can't even think about my knees.  We did walk a little down the beach and then turned around and went to sit by the pool.   Of course I had to try out the water.  Now we are resting in the condo.  We have also eaten at Runaway Island and Pineapple Willie's.  We are planning to eat about 4:00 at Sharky's so we can be back to watch Auburn play football.

Sept. 9-12

Raking rocks in the hot sun...

We have now cleared down to the scarecrow in the picture.  The rocks have to be removed so I can cut the grass with the lawn mower without tearing it up.  Some of the rocks are boulder size.  We rake the rocks into the front end loader on the tractor.  Then dump them on the other side of the driveway. Amy usually drives the tractor and I rake the rocks.  This project should be completed in a couple of days.

We now have a new visitor at our house.  As we were working out raking up the rocks in the yard this little puppy wanted to see what we were doing.  We tried to ignore her but that was not successful.  She is a cute puppy.  I have no idea how old she is, but she may have had a litter of puppies before.  She looks like just a puppy herself.  I have posted on facebook trying to find her owner, but so far no one has claimed her.  I do not have any close neighbors so I do not know where she may have come from.  She apparently is someones pet and may have been a house dog, but has not tried to come in the house yet.  

The last puppy that came to our house ended up staying for several years before she disappeared one day.  We never knew what happend to her, but she was gone one day when I came home from work.  Below is a picture of Lulu, our last dog.  She hated to be bathed, so we would put her in the truck bed to give her a bath.  It would take 2 people to give her a bath.  Here Jason is helping with her bath.  She turned out to be a great dog, and we miss her.  We still wonder if some thing got her in the woods or what might have happened to her.  Maybe she stayed for those years and then decided to move on.  Who knows.  There is a resemblance in the colors of the two dogs.  Could it be that both mutts had something in common?

   

Sept. 2 - 8

Where did the last week go?  Most of the day last Tuesday was spent with mom, taking her to the doctor then out to eat lunch.  The rest of the week is a blur.  One day was grass cutting.  Another was raking up rocks that are on top of the ground as a result from laying the water pipe.  On Friday, we had our air ducts cleaned.  I am not sure how often they need to be cleaned, but this was the first time in 38 years that it has been done.  Spare time was spent working another puzzle.  This one was much easier than the last one I worked.

Oh, by the way, we have been watching Mr. Turkey in the garden spot all week.  I suppose that he is cleaning up the seeds that were scattered when I cut down the rest of the beans and peas. I am not sure that we have been watching the same bird each day.  The beard on this one seems to be dragging the ground, otherwise they all seem to look alike.

My knees are much better than they have been and today I walked about 3.5 miles.  I am still having a pain on the back side of my left knee that makes sitting down and standing up painful.  It could be due to some swelling.  I have an appointment to see the doctor again in about 2 weeks. Not really sure what his remedy may be, but maybe he has a solution.  I am still unable to get down on my knees, and I really need to do some work that requires me to be on the floor.  I need to re-insulate a vent pipe under the house, and I also need to check on the telephone wiring under the house.  I have static in my telephone lines and need to check on what is causing it.  Amy just reminded me that I have more rocks to rake up so I need to get back to work.  More to come later.

Aug. 27 - Sept. 1

Safely home after a week in San Antonio, Texas.  Our trip to see Kale, Emily and Craig was great.  This was the perfect time to go as Emily has not started her new job, and Kale could missed his day care an stay home with us.  The week went by so fast that I never got a chance to write about it.  Most of my time was spent in an recliner.  Not too good for the knees, but very comfortable.  I should have been out getting some exercise, but it was too hot outside so we mostly stayed inside.  Their house is located a couple of blocks from a mall, and almost anything else you would want.  There is also a walking path close to their house, but we will have to check it out when the weather is cooler.  For this trip just spending time playing with Kale, and his dogs, Radley and Major (indoor labs) was worth the trip.  Next time we will do more sightseeing.  Today we are just glad to be home for a couple of weeks before our next adventure.

August 26

     In trying to catch up for the past week I forgot to mention that on Friday night we met with our supper club group.  We meet every other month for supper on a rotating basis.  The host provides the meat and the rest bring a vegetable, dessert, and salad.  Our group has been meeting for over 35 years.  At one time we met every month but shifted to every other month many years ago.  Those in our group are Gary and Pat Hastings, Crawford and Linda Nelson, Steve and Jan Roberts, Moody and Joan Scroggins, Larry and Betty Lane Shirley, and us of course.  We always have a great meal and good fellowship.  

     For today we made it to Kale's house in San Antonio, Texas.  It was really great to spend the afternoon with Emily and then go to get Kale at day care.  Kale will stay home with us tomorrow.  Fantastic!  I am not looking forward to the drive home.  We also have some relatives in Houston that would be nice to see.  But, if we decide to drive back in one day we will not have time to stop and visit.  Until then we are going to enjoy this time with the Burt's. 

August 20-25

     Time has really been flying by.  On Wed, Aug 20,  I walked 3 miles and then worked most of the day in the garden.  Then picked mom up for church.  Church suppers had started back, and since I do not miss too many meals, I had to go.  Then prayer meeting after supper.  After I got back home I realized that my air conditioning was not working.  The temperature was about 80 in the house.  I immediately emailed the installers to set up a time that someone could fix it.
     On Thursday I walked 3.5 miles with Amy early in the morning.  I am so slow that Amy even lapped me.  Then I was passed by an old grey haired lady, and a lady pushing a baby stroller.  The repairman came to fix the air and found that insulation from a side panel had not been glued properly and had restricted air flow, which caused the unit to freeze up with a sheet of ice blocking any air from getting through.  Once that was fixed the unit was checked out and has been fine ever since.  The repairman took a while to fix it causing us to be about an hour late picking up gogo to take her for a doctor's appointment.  I went along to get a free meal.  But ended up just sitting (sleeping) in the doctor's office.  It was about 3 hours in that office.  Got out too late to eat lunch so we drove back home.
      On Friday, Aug. 22, the installers came to re-insulate the house.  Since we are trying to make our house more energy efficient, we added insulation in the attic and under the house.  I am hoping to see a decrease in my power bill, but only time will tell how much of an effect it has.  I hope it is quite noticeable.
     Saturday was a busy day.  Amy's sister, Ginger, was doing a tri-athelon in Athens, GA, so she picked us up and we went to spend the night at Jason's.  We had a great time with visiting Jason and Shelley, and Brooks (chocolate lab the size of a horse)
     Ginger's race was early Sunday morning and by the time we were getting out of bed, she was finishing the course.  Her course consisted of a 400 meter swim, a 16 mile bike ride and a 3 mile run.  She finished 5th in her age group which was fantastic.  We returned home for a couple of hours sleep before starting our next adventure, a trip to San Antonio to see Kale, and Emily and Craig.
     We set out early this morning, stopping for breakfast of course.  We got to Hattiesburg about lunch time and visited with some life-long friends, Chuck and Mary Jane Wood.  We got to meet their grandchildren.  It was a great visit and lots of memories and laughs.  We need to get together more often.  After about a 4 hour visit were we continued down I-10 and stopped at Lake Charles for the night.
   

August 17 - 19

Sunday, Aug 17 was uneventful.  Church, out to eat, nap and back to church.  Typical Sunday.

Monday was a garden work day.  Picked peas, pulled up dead plants and picked butterbeans.  I have a few more plants to pull up and pick clean before I plow up for my winter garden.  We had a storm that ended the garden work, but gave plenty of time for me to take the ALS ice bucket challenge since I was challenged by my oldest daughter, Katy.  Posted video on facebook, so I will not post it here.

Today, Tuesday, Aug 19th was more fun.  I drove to Oxford to meet with some old high school friends that I have not seen in 30 or 40 years.  It was a great time of fellowship and meal.  Bobby Slay, Jimmy Harris, and Hal Phillips and I became close friends when I first moved to Talladega in 1965.  Even though Hal was a year older than the rest of us we all attended the same church, First Baptist in Talladega, and the same high school.  Bobby and I were roommates at Cheshire's at Auburn University.  He and Hal both became pharmacists, Jimmy was a Vocational Rehab counselor, and I a teacher.  We had lost touch over the years, but facebook helped us to reconnect.  We plan to meet every other month to get together again.  It was great talking about old times, and remembering how we were as teenagers and young adults.  Can't wait till next time.  Returned home to continue picking beans.  Tomorrow I should have everything out of the garden and can start preparing for the next planting.

August 13 - 16

This is what I have been spending my time on. This has to be the hardest puzzle I have ever put together in my lifetime.

Almost every piece would interchange with other piece. At one time I had the boats on the bottom located in the wrong place, swapped right and left sides.  Thank goodness the box shows a picture of the completed puzzle.  Even though I think that using the picture is somehow cheating, I did refer to it several times when I realized that I had some pieces in the wrong place.

To catch up for the last few days, the plumber did come and put in the new water line.  I use Raymond Jones, Jones Plumbing, because he does a great job and is very reasonable.  It took most of the day to dig the ditch for the pipe.  There are so many rocks, some large, some small, that he used a backhoe to dig the trench.  Then once the pipe was laid, he disconnected the old system, tapped into the existing water lines, and reconnected my old system to an outdoor faucet.  The biggest change is that after 38 years I will now have to pay a monthly water bill.  But, I now have some advantages that I did not have before.  No brown water after it rains.  No contaminates, bacteria, alge, etc. (good and bad).  Clothes should be cleaner.  Water pressure that does not fluctuate every five minutes.  Buy keeping the old system I will be able to use it for things that use a lot of water outside the house; like washing the cars, pressure washing the house (which Amy likes to do), watering the lawn and watering the garden.

On Thursday, I made my weekly trip to Home Depot and Walmart in Pell City.  These trips usually start with a breakfast at the Cracker Barrel, but since Amy did not go with me, I skipped the breakfast.  The last stop is usually Publix, but I omitted that stop also.  

On Friday, our new windows were installed.  We decided to try to make our house as energy efficient as possible, so new windows were a necessity.  Due to the cost, we could not replace all of them at this time, but we did replace all the downstairs windows, including the big bay window in our dining room.  The next step will be to increase the insulation in the attic and insulate under the house.  Hopefully that will be completed next week.  

I have big plans for today.  I plan to pick butterbeans in the garden and then begin removing the rocks left from the trench so I can cut the grass again.  It will take some time before the trench is covered with grass, but I have to remove the rocks so I won't tear up my lawnmower the next time I cut the grass.  I think that it may take several days to complete this project.  One final thing for today, my knees are not 100% yet.  I have decided that I will ride the bike twice a day and continue walking.  The biggest problem now is that they continue to swell when I am on my feet for a long period of time.  Solution, sit more, and strengthen the muscles around the knees.  Even though I hate to go back to the doctor, I may need to eventually.  I was mentioning that it has been 7 weeks since my surgery to a friend of mine, and he reminded me that I was 65 and it takes longer for older people to heal.  That may be true.

August 9 - 12

     Not much happening at the Locklin house.   On Friday we had more rain.  On Saturday, Amy and I went to walk.  She had a pain in her ankle so she was finished before I even started walking.  Walked 3.4 miles. Knees felt so good that I even tried jogging just to see if I could. Later in the day we made our weekly trip to Walmart.  

     On Sunday we went to church then out to lunch with Go-go (Amy's mom) and G-mama (my mom).  Those names were given to them by my son, Jason, when he was a little boy.  Go-go got her name because she was always on the go, never staying home during the day.  G-mama was short for grandmother.  After lunch was the Sunday afternoon nap, followed by church again. 

     On Monday I slept late.  By the time I got up Amy had finished her 3 mile walk.  We had a tire leaking air so I went to town to have it fixed.  After running a couple of other errands I went to the park to walk. As long as I am up and moving I am pain free.  I walked in the hottest part of the day and did 7  laps which was 4 miles.  By the time I got home and cleaned up it was time to go out to eat with the Sunday School class.  Afterwards we went to the church for dessert and a meeting.  By the time I got home my knees were swelling and hurting. 

     Today I was a total bum.  Legs hurt all day.  Slept most of the morning away.  Iced my knees.  Basically did nothing. I walked around the garden trying to exercise my legs but after sitting awhile I can hardly get up again.  I noticed some fluid on one knee in one spot. I may need to go back to the doctor about that. Hoping it will go away on it's own.   Sitting on my reclining sectional is the most comfortable and that is all I've done today.  

     Tomorrow the plumber comes to connect us to the county water system.  He will need to lay about 500 ft of pipe.  He will also disconnect my pressure tank and put a faucet on it.  That way I can use the spring water for watering and washing outside the house.  Hopefully he can complete it in one day. 

Will know tomorrow. 

August 8

If I thought I was sore on Thursday, I was mistaken.  I could barely move yesterday.  Muscles were so sore that it was a pain to move at all.  Had nothing to do with the knees, but more to do with helping lay sod at the church.  I was helping unload three pallets of grass.  More physical labor than I have done in the last 6 months.  Every muscle in my body aches.  I think this is a good day to lay around and work my puzzle.  I somehow got enough energy to pull some weeds out of the garden and pick a few peas, but that was it for the day.  I decided to go walk, but the weather decided I needed to stay home.  This was the first rain I have had at my house in the last month.  My garden really needed it, but I don't think we got enough rain to saturate the ground.  Maybe we will get more rain soon.  We need one of those all day slow and steady rain.  But this time of the year the rain usually comes with threat of severe thunder storms.  There was a lot of thunder and lightening with this shower.  Now I really have a good excuse to work my puzzle.

Happy Birthday to ME!

Thursday, Aug. 7 - My birthday.  Not that it matters, but I am 65 years old.  When I got out of bed this morning I could hardly walk.  Not a knee problem, but I guess between walking and working in the garden I stretched some muscles that I had not used before.  Well, I decided not to do anything that required walking until the afternoon.  I started working a jigsaw puzzle, which is a great way to waste time.  By late afternoon I was headed to the church to help lay sod around the playgrounds.  As long as I was moving everything was fine.  Once I stopped to rest, the muscles would tighten up and it would take a few minutes to get moving again.  When I got home my wife had fixed my favorite meal, hamburger steak and french fries.  After supper I continued working on my puzzle and rode my bike.  All in all a pretty good day.

August 6

     Wednesday, Aug 6.  For some odd reason my wife wanted to go walking almost as soon as I got out of bed.  So, being the wonderful husband I am, I agreed.  I did not even get a cup of coffee before we left the house.  I ended up walking 3.4 miles.  My knees were fine and only a little pain in the leg muscles rather than the knees.  After returning home I did get to finish my cup of coffee, in fact, my wife fixed a big breakfast.  Maybe there is something I can learn from this.  Walk then big breakfast.  Sounds like a deal to me.
     After breakfast I headed to the garden to pick some butter peas.  After about an hour in 97 degree temperature.  I gave up and came in for a shower.  I had been called to give blood at a blood drive at the Coosa Valley Electric building.  I thought it was the least I could do since I know my sister used 2 to 3 pints each time she was in the hospital.  Even though I had an appointment it took nearly 2 hours before I was finished.  It took 3 different people to decide where to stick me.  I knew they were going to have trouble because I experience the same thing when I get my A1C test.  I got home just in time to swap cars with my wife and head to church.  After prayer meeting, I headed to Walmart for entertainment, no, really for bird food.  By the time I got home it was 9:30 and my legs had begun to swell some and I was in a little discomfort.  I resorted to the ice bags and went to bed.
 

August 5

     I seem to be falling behind on my blog.  On Tuesday, Aug 5, we headed to Birmingham.  After shopping at Costco, we met up with Amy's brother and sister, her mother and two other friends for lunch.  We had planned to eat at a deli at the Summit, but it was so crowded that we ended up at a Stir Fry place next door. The food was very good, even though my mother-in-law did not think so.  It could be that with all the choices on the menu she ordered tacos.  I will definitely eat there again.
     When we got home the county had just finished setting the water meter.  In doing so they dug up a pipe marker that showed where my property line was located.  I will now have to find the other markers and use a tape measure to relocate that property line.  The other boundaries have markers, but that corner was the only one that I knew exactly where it was.  Now I will have to hunt through the woods to find the other ones.  I may be able to wait until someone is interested in the house next door.  They may have the property surveyed to find their property lines.  If so, they will locate two corners for my property and make hunting those markers easy.  Due to the price and the fact that it is a short sale, it may be empty for a long time before someone buys it. At one time I had an option to purchase all the land around me, but I could not afford to do so.  I would like about 5 more acres so I can add a chicken coup and raise my own eggs.  If I do get one I will probably have to get another wife.  Amy refuses to have chickens in her yard.  I think the jury is still out on that idea but we will have to wait a while on that plan.  Maybe I can catch her at a weak moment and she will say yes.  Who knows, it just might happen.

Forty-one years and counting

     Monday, August 4 - Today is our wedding anniversary.  We have been married for 41 years.  I guess we have lasted this long because Amy is the only person that would put up with me.  41 years ago I peeked through a door to the sanctuary of the First Baptist Church and saw that the church was filled.  At that point all I could think about was what if I dropped the ring.  I was so nervous that my knees were shaking.  Dr. T.M. Hamby, just as cool, calm, and sophisticated as ever, reassured me by saying if I dropped it he would pick it up.  I then glanced toward the side door and thought, its not to late to run.  But instead of running I married the love of my life.  I still remember most of that day.  In spite of hiding my car at the hospital, someone squeeled and my friends really messed it up good.  We drove through Wadley and stopped at a gas station to get it washed.  It was messed up so bad that the guy washed it for free.  Supper was at the hamburger joint there in Wadley.  Honeymoon was at Disney World, with a few stops along the way.  One was at Silver Springs, glass bottom boats to see the fish, and another was an Aligator Farm.  My wife loved those (yeah right).  All this traveling in a Volkswagon beetle with no air conditioning.  I can still she her long hair blowing in the wind.  It has not always been an easy road, but we have weathered the storms together, raised three kids, who now have families of their own.  We are very proud of each one and love them as much as we love each other.  Tonight we celebrated by eating at Longhorn's in Oxford and stopping by the bookstore.  We will really celebrate next month at the beach, but for now this would have to do.  I think we are beginning to act like old folks.(Oh no!!!)  All in all it was a good day.

Recovery Update

     The past week has been a blur.  On Wednesday, July 30, I cut the grass in our yard.  I used Map My Walk to see how far I walked while mowing.  The distance was 2.6 miles.  Knees were feeling great.
     On Thursday I met with several people concerning projects that are ongoing at my house.  New heat pumps were installed on the 29th.  Energy efficient windows will be installed mid August, and the adding of more insulation to the attic and floors. These will be installed soon.
     For the last 37 years our water has come from a natural spring on my neighbor's property.  Of course I have had water rights.  Included is the right to build and maintain a structure to cover the spring.  I have not needed to do this because originally we knocked the bottom out of a grease trap then placed it in the spring to act as an enclosed 250 gallon reservoir.  Water filled in from the bottom and was pumped out a hole in the top to my pressure tank.  I have not had this water tested in the last 15 years.  I am sure it would test contaminated.  A couple of years ago my neighbors decided to clean out around the spring, removing all the bushes and trees around the spring.  I supposed this was so they could see the spring better.  The end result - whenever it rains now my water is muddy.  Now the house is vacant and up for sale.  I could build a structure to cover the spring, but that would detract from the way their house looks.  Not knowing if the next neighbors would be protective of the spring, I decided this is the best time to connect to the county water lines.  I will still use the spring water from a faucet at my house, but will disconnect it from the rest of the plumbing.  I will then use it for watering my garden, washing the car, and as an extra water source.  So, I met with a plumber who will do the install from the meter to the house to find the best location for the meter.  This will be installed next week.
     My knees were swollen due to mowing, and by Thursday night after visitation at the funeral home, then to mom's house for supper, then to the airport to pick up Katy, I was experiencing some discomfort.  I applied ice bags.
     On Friday, we celebrated the life of my sister.  This was held at the First Baptist Church and the church was packed.  If you were to rate funerals from one to ten with ten being the "best", this would have been a 15.  A lot of the things that my sister had done for others behind the scenes were brought out by the officiating ministers in the services.  After the services, at the church and at the cemetery, all guests were invited back to the church for a meal.  By the time I got home late Friday night, my knees were swollen again.  More ice and ibuprofen.
     Saturday was spent visiting with my kids at their grandmothers, Go-Go and G-mama.  This was another long day.  My wife took Katy to the airport in Birmingham for her flight back to Chantilly, Virginia, and we visited the cemetery.  The flowers had not wilted and were really pretty.
     Sunday, August 3, was literally a real day of rest.  Amy took Emily to the airport in Atlanta for her flight back to San Antonio, while I attended church.  Sitting, sleeping, and doing nothing provided much needed rest.  Knees were feeling fine.

Day 30, Tuesday

     Tuesday, July 29, 2014 was a day I prayed would never come.  My sister finally lost her battle with cancer. Last Wednesday after the anointing services she had commented that she felt touched by God.  I do not doubt that for a minute.  It could very well be that God was letting her know that she would be with him forever.  We had prayed for her to be cancer free, and God has answered that prayer.  Not exactly in the way we wanted, but God's planning does not always coincide with our wants.  She is no longer struggling with pain and nausea but is hugging our dad (G-daddy or G for short) who was her hero.
     My sister was one of those people who was always positive, always smiling, always willing to do anything for you, always thinking of others, always willing to help, always involved in her church and community activities.  She was the epitome of a Christian lady.  She will be missed by all of her family, her extended church family, and her friends.  Though we are separated from her now we know it is only a temporary separation.  For all those who believe that Jesus was God's son who died to save us from our sins, we know that death is not the end, but a new beginning of everlasting life with Him. One day we will rejoice in seeing her again.  Today our hearts are sad, but we know she is now in Heaven with the Lord.  Please remember her family in your prayers.

Recovery, Day 29, Monday

     What a difference a day makes!  Today, no pain.  I even used a weedeater to trim around the house.  I can't really say totally pain free, but no pain while working outside in the yard.  I also was able to slowly stand up from sitting in a chair without holding on to something to support my weight.  I had been able to do this last week but with pain above the knee caps.  Before today, I would try to get up as fast as I could, so the pain would be over quickly.  But, rising slowly was met with a minimal amount of discomfort in the muscles above the knee, not the knee itself.  Fantastic!  Maybe I am seeing the results of my 20 minutes a day on the exercise bike.
     We are making some changes around our house.  Expensive changes.  We have known for a while that we needed to replace our heat pumps.  New ones will be installed tomorrow.  We also decided that since we are getting more efficient heating and cooling we needed to add more insulation in the attic and under the house and change out the windows for new energy efficient ones.  We will replace the windows downstairs this year and then the upstairs windows next year.  I could not afford to do all the windows at this time, but I think it will help to cut my power bills.
     One other decision was made today.  I have decided to connect to the county water system.  For the last 37 years we have used natural spring water.  Our spring is located on the property next door.  Of course we maintain water rights in the deed, but now the house is up for sale and I am not interested in buying it.  Our water comes from a spring located next to the neighbors driveway, thus could be easily contaminated.  Now is the best time for me to get another water source.  It will also increase the water pressure in our house.  I will keep the spring and rights to it, but only use it for washing the car, watering the garden, or watering the grass.  Over the years, we have just gotten use to water getting discolored whenever it would rain, so it will be nice to experience clear water for a change.
     I almost forgot.  I looked out our windows toward the garden and this is what I saw.  I don't think the scarecrow is scarring anything.

Recovery day 28, Sunday

     I'm not ready for prime time. Today my knees had a setback.  As the swelling had diminished new pains are occurring.  After a very restless night I got up and had my usual cup of coffee, got ready for church.  Knees were feeling okay until I got to church.  For some reason I had to climb the balcony steps 4 times.  Since our Minister of Music was on vacation I used my Mac for the service.  I had to climb the steps to set it up.  Back down to get the soloist music for her to practice.  Then back up to play the cd. Then back down to meet with the guest song leader.  Then back up for the service. Then back down after the service.  After eating lunch with mom I came home and crashed until it was time to go back to church. I know my knees are getting better, but I wonder if having them "fixed" was worth it. I think I will give it a couple more weeks and then answer the question. 

Recovery Day 27, Saturday

     Today was like a day of rest.  I did as little as I could all day long.  Totally lazy.  I started to do several things at different times during the day, but decided they could wait for another day.  Syfy Channell was showing the B rated type movies I like so I just watched all day long.  My excuse for being lazy was that my knees needed the rest, which might have been true.  I have had only a twinge of pain when walking down to check the mail.  Oh well, that is one thing I did.  I also picked squash from the garden.  The last thing I did today was to spray a wasp nest that was built in my outside phone box.  Several weeks ago during a storm, lightening must have entered through the cable.  One phone started to have static, but the others were clear.  Since that time the phone with the static cleared up and the other phones do not work at all.  The phones are good, so it has to be a problem with the wiring in the box. When I opened the box there was a wasp nest in the middle of all the wires.  I have been hesitant to fix the problem, because, worst case scenario, I could end up with no phones working at all.  I have been known to mess things up before I finally get it right.  At least for the past four weeks I have had a legitimate excuse with my knees.  But the swelling is almost completely gone and I have not had to use any ice packs today.  I expect to be fully recovered after the next two weeks, but only time will tell.

Recovery Day 24, 25, and 26 - Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday

    I have missed posting so I am trying to catch up.  On Wednesday, mom and I went to visit my sister in the hospital. We were there all afternoon except for the short trip I made to the Apple Store to pick up iPads for Lele and mom and an accessory for my Mac. Anyone reading this should know that my sister is fighting a battle with cancer and has been hospitalized on numerous occasions.  Please remember her in your prayers.  It was good to see her alert and feeling well enough to configure her new ipad.  One of the highlights of our visit was meeting Brother Yancy, a pastor who had come by to pray with her and anoint her.  Since her husband was not there at the time, he was going to come back later for the anointing, but did pray for her.  His prayer was beautiful, one of those that brought heaven right down into that hospital room.  We stayed until after supper, then headed home.  Later that night, Lele's three sons, Ben, Matt, and Jac were anointed for her in different churches, Ben in Indiana, where he was preaching a revival, Matt at his church in Talladega, and Jac at his church in Hobe Sound, Florida.  And of course Brother Yancy came back and performed the anointing in the hospital room.  About 9:30 pm Lele said she felt like she had been touched by the hand of God.
     On Thursday when the doctor came in he said that her liver, kidneys, and nutrient counts had improved.  To us this was fantastic news.  She has a real tough road ahead of her so we look at any improvement as great news.  This change can only be attributed to the power of prayer.  Today she continues to improve and was able to sit in a chair all afternoon.  She was not able to get out of the bed prior to today.
     Being on my feet most of the day Wednesday caused swelling in my knees and consequently not much sleep Wednesday night.  Thursday morning I went to town to run some errands and go by mom's house to help configure her iPad.  Ended up spending most of the day in town and then had to drive to Home Depot after a few minutes at home. Finally got home about 6:30, knowing that I had overdone the knees for the day.  I was able to sleep through the night though.  I was wobbly when I got up, but after a cup of coffee, my wife and I went to walk at Veterans Park in town.  My left knee was experiencing pain that has not been there before, but probably because most of the swelling had diminished, and the pain was directly under one of the incision locations.  I ended up walking 2.25 miles which was 4 laps around the track.  I did stop for a few minutes after each lap to sit and take my weight off my knees.  When I got home I iced the knees and took a good nap.  I believe that over the last couple of days I might have spent too much time standing and not resting my knees.  Therefore I have to face the consequences.  I have to continue to remind myself that there is a 4 to 6 week recovery period and this has been the forth week.  When I mention pain it is not a debilitating pain but more of a pin stick type pain that only occurs when my weight is on the knee.  Other pains occur on standing which are caused by the muscles above the knee.  That is the reason for the exercise bike, to strengthen those muscles.  In fact, I better close for today and do my 20 minutes on the bike.

Recovery Day 23. Tuesday

     I only got a couple of hours of sleep last night.  This time it was not my knees, but I decided to add multiple operating systems on my Macbook Air.  I purchased Parallels, downloaded the latest version and then loaded both Windows 7 and Windows 8 on my Mac.  While doing all this I never looked at the clock.  When I finally finished it was 3:00 am.  I got in the bed and woke up about 6:30.  After drinking my one cup of coffee, Amy and I went to Veteran's Park to walk.  I did 3 laps, a distance of 1.7 miles.  The first lap my left knee was hurting below the knee cap.  After the first lap the pain went away.  Also I noticed that the way I walked was causing the pain.  As long as my heel touched the ground first the pain was not there.  Tomorrow will be a busy day, but I will try to add one more lap each day until I am doing 5 miles per day.  I know my knees are getting better because I am able to stand up without holding onto something.  Of course there is pain on the top of the knee when I do this so I do not try to do if very much.  Knees are not swelling as much today.

     My sister is back in the hospital and will no longer receive any more chemo treatments.  Mom and I will go see her tomorrow.  Mom tripped in her kitchen and could not get up off the floor.  After about an hour she was finally able to crawl across the floor and get up.  Once she was able to get to a phone she called me and I took her to see her doctor.  Nothing broken just bruised.  I am sure she will be sore tomorrow.  

    When I got home I tried to take a nap, but the phone kept ringing and I never did get to sleep.  After supper I watched a couple of movies and then rode the bike for 20 minutes.  Beginning to feel sleepy so I will sign off for tonight.

Recovery day 22 Monday

This morning was off to rocky start. By that I mean when I got out of bed I was rocking on my knees or maybe the correct word would be wobbling.  After my cup of coffee I went to the garden to pick peas, tomatoes, squash, and cucumbers that had ripened while we were in Virginia.  I finally headed to town about 11:00 to get the oil changed in the car.  Then to take mom to lunch and Walmart.  I then went to her house to work on her internet connection.  (Once a computer tech always a computer tech).  Finally after another trip to Walmart to return a faulty wireless router I was able to get everything up and running.  By the time I got home (7:30) my knees were beginning to swell. There were a couple of good things.  One, my knees did not hurt all day. Two, I was able to kneel down on one knee by using a pillow. But could only do it with the left knee.  The really amazing thing was that I was able to get back up again.  Once I got home I applied ice and propped the knees up.  I intend to start back walking at the park in the morning.  Maybe get in a couple of miles.  More about that tomorrow  

Recovery Day 20, 21

     Okay so I overdid it on Friday.  I spent 20 minutes on the exercise bike then walked for 1.44 miles.  I regret that now.  Knees were really swollen on Saturday morning.  Amy and I had to swap out driving so I could straighten out my legs, but we made the 12 hour trip in 13 hours.  Stopped to rest several times and to eat.  Made it home by 9:00 and my swollen knees were really hurting.  I got some ice on them as soon as we got home. Slept pretty good though I still had trouble finding a position that supported my knees comfortably.
     Today, Sunday, I went to church.  This was the first time since the surgery.  Managed to even make it up the stairs to sit in the balcony, my regular place.  By the time I got home I thought about working in the garden. but that would mean I would need to change clothes, and take a bath before returning to church later. I decided to hold off getting to the garden.  We finished the audio book we had listened to on our trip to and from Virginia.  Gone Girl turned out to be a good book (all 19 hours of the unabridged version).   After church tonight I could feel my swollen knees and applied ice as soon as I got home.  Tomorrow will be a busy day.  More about it later.  

Recovery Day 19

     Yesterday was a pretty good day.  Still not getting to sleep through the night, just can't get the knees comfortable enough when sleeping on my side.  I usually use a pillow to prop them up and sleep on my back, but it is harder for me to get to sleep that way.  That was the reason I returned the first sleeping bag I purchased.  I was forced to sleep on my back, which is not normal for me.  Besides, I could not move in that bag, mainly due to the sleep pad that had to be used with it.  The Big Agnes bags have 0 insulation on the bottom and the pad inserted into the underside of the bag provides that insulation.
     I was able to ride the bike for 20 minutes and then decided to try walking outside.  I did about a mile with no bad effects.  I will try that again today.  The quicker I can get back to walking I can get started back on my weight loss program.  I had lost about 12 pounds before the surgery, but I am sure the inactivity and the snack food has added the weight back on.  I was at 241 before our trip to Virginia.  It will be interesting to see how much I have gained on this trip.
     Today I will get to babysit Cooper, while the girls go to a Vacation Bible School luncheon.  That should be an experience.  Then tonight Amy and I will keep the kids so Katy and Scott can have a date night.  That will be fun for them, not sure about us.  Hopefully we can get by with only one or two meltdowns.  Tomorrow we hit the road heading home.  More about that later.

Recovery Day 18

Today was a better day. This morning I rode the bike for 30 minutes.  Flexibility is coming back but the knees really tighten up after exercise. This is probably due to swelling that follows also. I was able to get up 4 different times from a sitting position without using my arms to support most of my weight.  Pain was there but bearable. I think each day is getting better and better. I am still waking in the middle of the night, about 3:00, with my legs aching.  I expect that to go away soon. This afternoon I did another 20 minutes on the bike. Then stretched the thighs real good. Swelling followed that of course. The exercise bike is doing its job. The time passes faster while listening to 60's on 6 on my iPhone. I can't wait till I can walk a few miles. I may try that tomorrow just to see if I can.  Ice and ibuprofen have become my best friends. I am not sure how long that will last since I am not suppose to take ibuprofen due to diabetes. But it sure helps with the swelling.  More updates to come tomorrow. 

Recovery Day 17

Knees are becoming more flexible. Today I rode my bike for 2 - 20 minute periods. Knees do not hurt but I have pain when I try to get up from a sitting position. This pain is on the top of the knee above the knee cap where there is still some swelling.  I can tell that each day the knees are better.  By the end of the week maybe the pain will be gone   If not I may be looking at 4 to 6 weeks recover period. I was able to stand up one time today without using my arms to support my weight. Due to the pain I will not try this again for a couple of days. Last night I was able to sleep with my legs bent for the first time. I think my muscles are cramping causing me to wake up early, like 4:30 am. I may have to take something for the cramps. Time will tell. Maybe I will sleep better tonight. 

Recovery Day 14, 15, and 16

     Great day on Friday.  Lewis, Deon, and G-mama all came out for lunch and stayed most of the afternoon.  It was a good visit.  We do not get together very often so I was glad they came for a visit.  Cooked hamburgers on the grill. Toward dark I went to town stopped by moms and gogos to fix a couple of things.  By the time I got back home, my knees were swollen and hurting. 

     Saturday was a work day.  I had to cut grass.  I rode the tractor to cut below the garden and used a push mower to cut the front yard. My guess is I walked about 4 miles in the process.  By the end of the day I was really tired, but the yard looks nice again. I also picked peas, squash, cucumbers, and tomatoes from the garden. 

     Sunday, day 16, was a long day traveling.  We drove to visit Katy, Scott, Kinsley and Cooper in Chantilly, VA. We will spend a few days here, then return home later this week.  I did bring my exercise bike so I can use it during our stay.  Distance is over 700 miles. We stopped several times so I could stretch my legs. When we travel we listen to an audio book.  It makes the time pass faster.  The book we started for this trip is Gone Girl. So far it has been good.  We did stop it to listen to the final game of the World Cup with Germany winning in the overtime period. 

Recovery Day 12 and 13

     Wednesday, Day 12, did as little as possible.  Sat most of the day with knees on ice.  Most of the swelling is gone.  I still have pain when I stand up and especially if I sit in a low chair.  I was able to go to the garden and begin to pull some weeds.  Picked tomatoes and squash.  Purple Hull peas will need picking tomorrow.  I have pain when walking down hill, but that may be because I was on uneven ground.  I had no pain while hoeing and walking back up the hill to the house from the garden.  I did get my watering system working again.  I am not sure why it stopped working.  It may be that the water filter was not letting the water flow properly.  I am still having restless nights with not being able to get my knees comfortable.  The muscles seem to be cramping when laying on one side.  The other side is about the same.  I hate laying flat on my back but I should be getting use to it by now.
    Thursday, Day 13.  I had problems sleeping so I finally got up at 6:30.  I got to skype with Katy and Cooper.  Cooper had his tonsils removed on Tuesday and appears to be back to normal today.  My new exercise bike was delivered about 10:00 and is much easier to ride than the other one.  I have already gotten on it for 5 minutes to begin with and then later today for 10 minutes.  I am suppose to do 20 to 30 minutes twice a day to help my knee muscles get back in shape.  That will be my goal for tomorrow.  I also walked to the garden and picked peas.  Now to shell them and freeze them.  Hopefully now that I am using the bike I should see improvement daily.  I am expecting to be able to sleep better due to the exercise.
     My brother, Lewis and his wife, Deon, got into town for a visit with mom.  They will come out for lunch tomorrow.  I expect to cook hamburgers on the grill and look forward to a nice visit with them.

Recovery Day 9, 10, and 11

     Sunday was a good day. Knees felt good just tight. My son, Jason, and his wife, Shelley, and their dog, Brooks, came for lunch. We were also joined by G-mama and Gogo, my mother and mother in law.   Names given them by Jason when he was a little boy. We cooked hamburgers on the grill and had a great visit. 

     Monday was back to the doctor day. Amy and I picked up G-mama about 11:00 and headed to Bham.  We dropped mom by the hospital to visit with my sister and headed to the doctor's office.  The nurse removed the stitches and the doctor said he repaired torn meniscus in each knee. The left was more extensive than the right. He said that I needed to get on the exercise bike and pedal aggressively for the next two weeks. I can resume all activities walking, running, etc.  I told him I did not think I was up for running just yet. He said that swimming would be an excellent thing to do. He also said to lose 25 to 30 pounds before backpacking again.  When we left the doc we went to visit my sister and pick up mom.  By the time we finally got home my knees were swollen and hurting. I know I overdid it. 

     Tuesday, today, we got up early and headed to see Emily, Craig, and Kale one last time before they move to Texas.  Knees are still swollen from yesterday but I kept ice on them on the ride over.  We will visit today. Then take them out for supper and drive back home.  

Recovery Day 8

I definitely have my days and nights mixed up.  Watched movies all night and mostly rested or slept all day. When I got up this morning I was in a little pain.  Grabbed some ice packs and ibuprofen and they knees felt better in a short time.  I decided that I may be pushing myself too hard too fast, so today I just limited my walking.  Walked to the refrigerator for more ice, to the bathroom for obvious reasons, and around the inside of the house just to keep my legs moving a little.  No garden or outside work.  No bike.  I rationalized this because I still have my stitches and had not thought about them being pulled out with exercise.  I guess that is as good an excuse as any, and because of this, I will also have limited activity tomorrow.  No need to chance it.   Noticed today that my thighs are bruised.  I think this is because maybe I was wrapping my knees still with ace bandages.  I had not thought that they were wrapped that tight but it is evident that they were.  Today, I left the ace bandages off.  I had used them to give extra support around the knees when I got up and walked.  I can walk pain free, just feel real tight, like swollen, in my knees.  There may be some swelling on the inside, but not real obvious when looking at my knees.  It may be that the tightness is normal.  I will find out when I see the doctor on Monday.

Recovery Day 7

Okay it has been one week since my surgery.  I definitely have my days and nights mixed up. Just laying around is getting to me.  Last night I got very little sleep. I just can't get comfortable laying in the bed.  So I got up again early.  I decided that today I would be more active. I walked down to the garden twice to pick tomatoes, squash and cucumbers. Peas and beans are not ready yet. Then sat out in the sun.  The day is much cooler than the past few days. Temp is 90 today.  I seem to be walking like grandpa on the Real McCoys.  After my shower I took this picture.  Looking lots better compared to last week.  Stitches are to come out Monday when I go back for my followup.  Knees are still very tight due to swelling, but they are getting better.

I must have overdone it today because they are really uncomfortable at this minute.  Maybe that will pass.  I may put on ice packs.  I had them on while eating supper, and had pain due to the cold and could not get them off quick enough.  I can feel some flexibility coming back, but I may be trying to rush it.  I need to be patient and let it heal.  So I will take it easier this weekend.  More to come.

Recovery day 6

Okay I missed posting last night so here is Day 6.  When I went to bed Wednesday night I decided to take a pain pill to help me sleep better.  I also took another pill that usually makes me drowsy.  That was a mistake I could not get comfortable so I never went to sleep.  Watched tv thinking I would fall asleep as usual. But sleep never came. Got up and iced my knees, but my eyes just would not shut.  It was 4:30 am.  Went to the kitchen and started the coffee pot thinking I would go ahead and get up for the day.  Apparently the combination of pills just made me feel terrible.  That plus the lack of sleep put a damper on the whole day.  It was like I was in a fog that never ended.  About 9:00 pm the fog lifted.  I watched a little news and decided to go to bed.  Knees had been uncomfortable all day. I did get on the exercise bike and pedaled about 20 revolutions.  Flexibility seems better.  But, left knee still has a long way to go to catch up with the right knee.  Both still feel real tight and all the swelling is not gone.

Recovery Day 4 and 5

     I was not able to write yesterday since it was not a good day.  I woke up at 4:30 with my knees hurting.  I am trying not to take very much of the pain meds, so I had not taken a pain pill before bedtime.  That may have been a mistake.  There was no way to get comfortable.  Ice packs sprung a leak and water was everywhere.  Decided to use gallon ziplock bags for ice packs, but the humidity is so high that the bags sweated.   Even wrapped in dish towels, there was too much water.  Amy found some ice packs that strapped on knees, so we ordered 2 of them and they arrived today.
     Yesterday was a setback.  Pain, swelling, and generally felt lousy.  The highlight of the day was a visit from one of my Texas cousins, Jay Lewis.  His wife has relatives in Huntsville and they were visiting them.  Since he was so close, about 2.5 hours away, he decided to come for a visit.  On his way he stopped to visit my sister, who is in a hospital in Birmingham.  If anyone is reading this blog, please stop reading and say a prayer for both my sister, Lela, and my brother, Lewis, who are both battling different kinds of cancer.  Pray that Lela regains her strength and will receive a miracle healing.  Pray that Lewis's cancer continues to remain dormant or goes into remission.  Both have inoperable types of cancer.  Thank you for your prayers.
     Jay picked up mom and they brought lunch out to our house.  It was a great time of remembering past visits and old times and our Monroeville relatives.  Like I said, it was the highlight of the day.  As soon as they left, I waddled back to the bedroom for a nap and generally felt blah the rest of the day.
     Today was much better, even though I woke up at 3:30 am, took a pain pill and waited for it to kick in.  I watched television until 6:30 and decided that today I need to move more.  All the time that exercise bike was at the back of my mind.  I needed to make the seat a little higher and so I decided that today I would get on it one way or the other.  I lengthen the shaft by cutting a piece of electrical conduit and inserted it in the existing shaft.  Of course I had to walk a lot outside to find my hacksaw and as usual the first piece I cut was too short.  So I just cut another piece.  I have a lot of this conduit since I use it in my garden for trellises.  Of course now I need a step stool just to get on the bike.  Anyway, with the seat raised, I climbed on the bike and started to pedal.  Not.  I kept remembering the pain I had the first time I tried this so I slowly started pedaling forward and then back never making a complete revolution.  My right knee has more flexibility at this point in my recovery and I could do a complete revolution with that leg alone.  The left is a little different story.  I was content to just to rock back and forth, but pedaling backwards I accidentally went all the way around, but not without pain.  I decided to try pedaling forward and made about 20 revolutions.  Since I still have swelling under the knees I though that I had better quit while I was ahead.  Major obstacle accomplished for today.  One last thing, I walked outside one more time to fill up my bird feeders.  With that accomplished, I have been sitting with the new ice packs on my knees.  Hopefully the swelling will go down each day.  More to come tomorrow.

Recovery day 3

I woke up this morning at 4:30.  Knees were really hurting bad.  I took a pain pill and waited for it to take effect.  Today I decided that I would try to not use the walker, but that decision was quickly put to rest. I was determined to try the exercise bike today. 

I had no trouble getting on it.  That was the easy part.  I got my right leg on the pedal then my left leg.  I should have gotten off then.  But I thought I would pedal once around. Big mistake.  Left knee came up with excruciating pain and brought tears to my eyes.  I now know that recovery will take some time and this bike is not tall enough.  I need to extend the seat at least 6 inckes higher before I get on it again. I was able to step in the bath tub today to get a shower. That was an improvement from yesterday.  I really feel for those athletes who have knee trouble because I now know what the recovery involves.  I am glad I had both done because if I had only done one knee I think I would have never done the other one.  More to come. 

Recovery day 2

Well, the pain level is just as bad as yesterday. I am able to bend my knees a little bit better today. I can walk a little better today than yesterday. Knees are really tight and without the pain medicine I would not be able to get up and down. Tomorrow I will try to see if I can get on the stationary bike. I need to ride 20 minutes a day.  I think that will help with flexibility. By the end of this week I hope to be able to walk without the walker. Still a little wobbly in the knees and there is pain if I step wrong.  Knees are still swollen and I am keeping ice bags on each of them.  That's all for now. 

Recovery day 1

So, the surgery was yesterday.  We got to the hospital a little before 6 am.  After a short wait we were taken to  another waiting area.  From there we went to a pre-op room where we had the longest waiting time. My doctor, Dr. Kenneth Bramlett, came in and marked both legs and explained what he was going to do.  Everyone we came in contact with had a surprised look or comment when they realized that both knees were being done at the same time.  The only nurse that was not surprised was the OR nurse who came in to check the size of my legs to determine if they would do both simultaneously or one at a time.  They rolled me to the OR.  The anesthesiologist asked if I was ready to go to sleep. I really don't think I had any choice because the next thing I was aware of was waking in recovery room.  Surgery completed, pain set in.  Morphine given and gladly accepted. About 3:30 pm we were home.  Below you can see that both legs were wrapped in the largest ace bandage I've ever seen.  

I had a restless night last night. I was told I could remove the bandages and take a shower this morning.  There is something about stepping into a bathtub when your knees don't bend and you can't lift your leg that makes it nearly an impossible task. Getting out was a little easier but not that much.  Here is what it looks like now.  

Doc said the left leg was worse than the right with a torn meniscus so I will be looking at possible knee replacement surgery in 5 to 10 years.  My wife, Amy, just told me that the pictures above were groce. So just imagine the rest of a smiley face drawn on each knee.  That makes all the difference in the world.  More to come tomorrow.