We are at peak lilac bloom. Nearly all of the traditional fruit trees bloomed while I was elsewhere. Quince is currently in bloom, at least in town. My trees are not visible from the house and I have been forbidden from moving cross-country.
I have no idea how heavy a bloom and fruit set we had.
I did take the wheelchair down our gravel driveway. It was doable but high effort. It made my left hand hurt. I see a hand-doctor on Tuesday for diagnosis on the structural issues I still have with that hand.
Yellow rocket (Barbarea vulgaris) is in full bloom and Autumn Olive is just starting.
Mobility in the home
Our house has an 8" step at the door. A family member had a folding ramp and graciously donated it for-the-duration.
Our house is a ranch-style and it has wooden floors except for a 12' square (more or less) patch of berber-style carpet in the living room. Smooth rolling but not much friction if I want to help with my feet.
The two complications in the house are that the hallway to the back of the house is 36" wide and doorways are less than that.
Mobility problems with narrow doorways are compounded because all three of our bedrooms are "safe rooms". I took a concealed weapons class and was impressed with the advice on "safe rooms". The point of a safe-room is that it be easily accessible to the occupants and once locked it will slow intruders/aggressors and improve the odds of law enforcement showing up before you need to shoot the aggressors.
The single most important feature of a safe-room is to have a stout door. An exterior door that is made of steel with a traditional handle and a dead-bolt meets that requirement if the short screws in the hinge and handle-bolt area are replaced with much longer screws (long enough to go through the frame and 1-1/2" into the studs framing the door....say 3" deck screws.
That will not stop a determined attacker but it will certainly slow them down and if your home invaders are interested in loot they will give up and ransack the rest of the house.
The point of this aside is that all three of our bedrooms have steel, exterior fire-doors and they came with thresholds. Getting over the raised thresholds is a pain.
Weight
I weighed 206 lbs before the accident. Three weeks after the accident I weighed 196.
Doctor's visit
My doctor informed me that I must have at least two, and maybe three guardian angels looking out for me.
My blood-pressure which had drifted up to 135/84 in the last few years was measured at 102/70 at the doctor's office, and that was after two cups of coffee. That might be why I have been dizzy when sitting up in bed in the morning.
The Old Curmudgeon informed Mrs ERJ that it might be appropriate for me to eat more BBQ. BBQ is a good source of salt.
I got to visit Mom
Mrs ERJ and I were able to go and visit Mom yesterday.
Mrs ERJ fed her dinner since I run out of hands and I can only stand on my right leg for about fifteen minutes before it complains.
I was glad to see her and she was relieved to see me. I think Mom knows that she is shielded from unpleasant news, things like petty squabbles between siblings. Consequently she fears the worst when she hears that one of her children has been in an accident.
She got to see me. I was breathing. I could stand. My brain appeared no more damaged than it was before the accident.
It is great to be back in the rotation.
Swelling
The swelling is going down daily. Two days ago I struggled to make tiny motions of my foot. Today I can move it a couple of inches in any direction. A week ago I struggled to raise my injured leg at the hip, today I can raise it almost vertical when lying on my back.
Vision
We found the Fed Ex package with my replacement eyeglasses. It was tucked between the storm door and the entry door in one of the entry ways we do not use.
One thing I like about Amazon deliveries is that they include a photo of where they put the package. They might deliver it to the wrong house but at least the photo is a clue.
I can see again!!!
Progress!!!
Glad to hear that you are getting better. Those raised thresholds might be a real problem for you and Mrs. ERJ as you get older and start to shuffle which we all do. My 76 year old wife who was in a car accident about 25 years ago has got rid of most rugs in the house because they were tripping her. It's no fun getting old. As for salt I have a shaker of Trace Mineral with selenium salt , like you give to your cows, on the table that I use about every day. I know it really helps livestock so I can't help but think it is good for us also. I compliment you on maintaining your good spirits. Keep it up. ---ken
ReplyDeleteMy good cheer might sag a bit when I don't notice day-to-day progress. My hope is that I will be cleared to walk around outside and do some light chores before that happens.
DeleteThat will keep my mind off my circumstances and I will be outwardly focused.
How did you lose weight? When I broke my hip, I shot up from 185 to 205 in the first three months after my accident. I was in a walker around the house and wheelchair when going out. So not much exercise other than the physical therapy which was performed on my back in the bed. After that, I was in crutches 3 months, cane for 3 months to eventually walking without a limp after a year of rehab. I never was able to get back to my "fighting weight" of 185.
ReplyDeleteThe Old Curmudgeon implied that much of it was muscle atrophying and the autolysing of injured muscle tissue.
DeleteI have also been eating what Mrs ERJ is feeding me. Greens, carrots, vegetable soup, chicken and so on.
Drinking lots and lots of water.
Glad to hear you're still on the mend.
ReplyDelete