Well, 41 days after my knee went bad, I’m driving again. We went to exercise today. YEA!! But, the knee is not yet healed. It’s slightly less painful than it was the day it went bad, but it still hurts to rise from a chair after I’ve been sitting for a while, and I have to be careful how I do steps.
The Physician’s Assistant at the Orthopedic center thinks I have a medial collateral ligament sprain. She also thinks that the three weeks of immobilization helped that sprain. But, that immobilizing wrecked havoc on the hamstrings on that leg. I’m going to physical therapy to stretch the hamstrings out. I’ve seen improvement every day for the past week.
I was timid at first. My therapist was surprised that I wasn’t driving. She asked if the PA had said not to drive. I began to realize that it was time to quit babying the knee and get back to life.
My gait is a bit odd, but the therapist assures me that it will come back. Sitting for three weeks, trying not to further damage the right knee, I put a lot of demands on the left side of my body. She has me working on all the major groups of muscles from the waist down, to re-create muscle support for balance and walking. I think I have about two or possibly three weeks left of therapy and then it will be time to get back to all my chores. Boo! HISS!
If at the end of the three weeks my knee still hurts, we will probably do an MRI. I find it odd that they have chosen to wait to see what’s wrong, but my knee seems to be healing. We’ll have to trust that they know what they are doing, and hope the knee continues to heal.
The end of therapy will put me at just about six weeks from my visit to the doctor. Bogie….did you say that WS was told to wait it out for six weeks, and then another two? That seems to be the magic number.

Tuesday, a strong storm cell came through the Chicago area. Most of the really heavy rain was dumped on the towns near the northern border with Wisconsin, but we had our share of the high winds.
Unfortunately, one of our old trees succumbed, either to a lightning strike or to the high winds. When Dear Husband made his mail walk down the driveway at 5:15 in the morning, it was apparent that the tree had fallen and was snagged on a mulberry tree at the bend in the driveway. He trimmed enough branches to allow his truck to pass. He came home early to do battle with the tree.
He cut the smaller branches first and pulled them to the side of the drive. Then he started on the the trunk. He said that the tree was winning the contest because the chains on the chain saw were all dull.
We have been collecting branches from across the grounds the past year, and stacking them to the east side of the driveway. DH rented a chipper-shredder last month and chipped through the stack in one afternoon. He mowed the area that had been covered with branches, and it looked bald. Apparently Mother Nature wanted it covered up again with branches, so she sent a storm to help us restock.
The skyline has changed. The bend in the drive is much brighter now with a tree and a half gone. The mulberry that caught the falling tree lost branches, too. It will be interesting to see what effect the additional sunlight has on the area that’s been opened up. Fewer shrubs, more grass, LESS POISON IVY are just a few of the possibilities.

We had a busy day on Sunday. My youngest sister, her two daughters and one of their boyfriends came up for the weekend. Dear Husband took the younger girl and her boyfriend to stay on the boat overnight, while the rest of us vegged out at home. Saturday night we had a phone conference and agreed to meet at Chinatown in Chicago in time for lunch.
Most of us are pretty good path finders, but the exit to Chinatown eluded us, so we had the scenic tour of the neighborhood where the fruit and veggie market is located. Thanks to cell phones, we managed to meet, parked the cars and headed onto the main drag of Chinatown. We decided to try a lunchroom that was new to us. We were their first customers, but the place filled up fast.
Everyone ordered, dishes were passed and shared. Five us ordered dishes with shrimp. It was the first time I’d ever seen shrimp and scrambled eggs! As usual, we were stuffed, and we were just starting the day. The streets were lined with vendor booths under white canvas tent tops. As we walked along, we filled our bags with almond cookies, a red fabric purse, two stalks of silk orchid blooms, umbrellas, and bottles of icy cold water. My sister bought a conical woven hat to shade her eyes. I’m sure it’s become the required headgear for gardening in central Indiana.
We watched a very brief Lion Dance and then headed toward the cars. Our goal was to see the Shedd Aquarium, and attend the three o’clock show at the Oceanarium. Who knew how difficult it was going to be to find the exit to the museum campus off of Lake Shore Drive???
After a lot of false starts and seeing things a second time, we managed to get everyone off-loaded, through the ticketing process and back into one group. Elegante Mother let us put her into a wheelchair for the day. The museum staff, seeing the wheelchair, moved our entire party to the front row seats. EM thoroughly enjoyed seeing the dolphin show up close, and the dolphins were kind enough not to drench us.
At the end of the day, one carload headed home to Indiana, and another made the trek west to the suburbs. I was exhausted. I definitely walked too much on a knee that had been free of it’s immobilizer just four days. When we got home, I covered my knee with an ice bag, and let the cold do it’s work. It wasn’t a prudent choice to spend the day in the heat, walking around for six hours, but I’m glad I got to participate. I had a good time, and it looks as though my knee will recuperate.
Next time…..I’m taking a cab to the museum!

I was sitting in the car with Dear Husband this afternoon, and commented that I had not had anything from McDona1d’s in more than four weeks. I’ve been able to ween myself away from fast food for the most part, but I have this thing for one of the breakfast items at McDona1d’s. I managed to keep it down to once a week, and when I told my doc that I had fast food once a week, she looked horrified. Of course, then my general fast food intake increased, perverse puppy that I am. Then I had to go through the angst of cutting back again.
For the past four weeks, while I haven’t been able to drive, I’ve been making better meal choices. I didn’t miss fast food once during the four weeks, but now that I’m coming closer to driving again, the idea of a fast food breakfast lodged itself in my brain and won’t go away!
Dear Husband asked how long it takes to ween oneself off junk. I’d like to be able to say four and a half weeks, but it depends on how I hold up to temptation.

A comment on the radio this morning got me to thinking along the lines of the best inventions that make our lives more comfortable. The radio personality was talking about the fact that birds seem to follow him around. Last weekend, as he was about to walk into a wedding reception in formal attire, a bird splattered his suit jacket. This weekend, when he was attending a civic function, he parked his car in an outdoor lot. When he returned at 1:00 a.m., his car was covered with 100 or more “deposits.”
Of course, that lead me to sigh with relief that this house has an attached garage. I have NO idea who decided to connect houses with garages, but it was a stroke of genius! I don’t have to suffer the cold rain, sun, birds or even prying neighbors. It’s just a few steps up into the house, rather than a hike, when it’s time to bring in groceries. Who would have thought that such a simple change could make your life so much easier?
I think it must have been a female engineer who suggested putting ice and water service into the door of a refrigerator. From a mother’s point of view, it has to be a benefit (once the kids are past the age where playing in the water fascinates them). You can provide your children with cold drinks without having to open the freezer door, or they can serve themselves if they are old enough. BUT, no one has to fill the ice cube trays! How many times have you gone to the freezer to find ONE ice cube left?? Think of the family arguments this has saved!
I suppose that men like the idea of a gas log, rather than having to chop wood, lug it in, and then carry the ashes out. Personally, I prefer a wood fire for the rare times we use the fireplace, but there is something to be said about not having to clean out the ashes.
Have you tried the product that is a toothbrush with toothpaste ready to go? I understand that some parents pack these disposable brushes with their children’s lunches, and other people use them on short trips. There are dozens of variations on this idea. It’s instructive, and amazing, to stroll down the toothpaste aisle of the grocery store these days.
There are tons of things we take for granted that most of the world has yet to see: in-home washers and driers, showers, garbage disposals, trash compactors, towel heaters, security systems, microwave ovens, and, of course, computers.
I like to think that I could do without a lot of these creature comforts, but while they are here, I plan to enjoy them. I can recall the interest in the Foxfire books when they first came out. There are twelve of them now. These books record what life was like in the Appalachian Mountains of northern Georgia, and supply instructions on how to accomplish every day activities such as spinning, weaving, creating tinctures and poultices from herbs, butchering a hog, or making a dulcimer. I think it’s a GOOD idea to record this information. I can see a time when we might need to know those things, and certainly there are still places in the world where it’s important to be self-sufficient.
But, I have the great, good fortune to be living at a time, and a place, where I can take advantage of men’s inventions. I live modestly. I recycle, I don’t litter. I combine my errands to I can make fewer trips and use less gas. My house is not overheated, or over cooled. If needed, I could grow my own fruits and veggies. I’m going to quietly enjoy my attached garage, knowing that I can contribute more to my world if necessary.
What invention is important to you?

I’m pondering the subject of generosity this morning. I’ve been the recipient of great generosity the past two weeks, and I’m both happy and surprised to be able to tell you that it is alive and well in the heartland!
When the word got out that I’d blown my knee, I had visits from all three of my sisters. Two of them brought me chocolate! *G* Two of them have donated huge amounts of their time to see to it that my household continues to run smoothly.
In addition to the family support, part of our exercise class came to visit one week into our incarceration, bringing coffee, donuts and MORE CHOCOLATE! They gave me the greatest plaque, which I will treasure: “This too shall pass. Now would be good.” Boy, does that sound like me!
The exercise class and the Red Hat ladies have e-mailed me and phoned and sent cards. The first two days my knee was immobilized I entertained myself at the computer. The members of the herb group I belong to were VERY gracious about the number of my posts. I had just announced that I was stepping down, handing the ownership to the woman who had really been the manager for the past year, and that I was going to quietly take a back seat. Immediately after that post, I blew my knee With all the time at the computer, I flooded them with posts as I caught up on two months of mail! They were really good sports, and helped me through a difficult couple of days.
So, I’m here to tell you that generosity is a virtue that still exists. People have shared their time, one of the most valuable assets we have in this century, with me. I’m a bit overwhelmed by it all, and VERY grateful.

My cat has been cranky for the past five days. When my sister came to help, she brought their beagle, Ellie, to stay with us. Ellie has grown up with cats and is used to playing with them. Our cat, Edward Scissorhands, shared our house with our dog, Defer, for easily ten years, but he and Defer had an understanding. HE was top dog in the house, not Defer. For some reason, Defer let him get away with that. Of course, Defer was a gentle, amiable soul.
So, Ellie wanted to play, and Ed couldn’t be bothered. Ed decided that he would absent himself as much as possible throughout the day, and return at night when Ellie was asleep in her travel cage.
Yesterday afternoon, our visitors packed everything up and headed for home. Ed was sitting on the sidewalk, so I opened the door and invited him in. He refused, even though I held the door wide, showing there was no dog waiting to greet him.
A little later, Elegante Mother repeated the entire scene, and Dear Husband tried again after dinner. By the time my stepson came home, the cat was not to be seen.
I tried once more before we went to bed, without luck, so Ed was allowed to stay outside all night.
I have an electric typewriter in my office that I keep for emergencies and for forms in triplicate. It’s covered with a quilted (what else!) dust cover and a black, furry body.
The cat returned this morning, worn out from an night of carousing. For some reason, he has decided that my typewriter is his bed of choice. I’ve watched him languidly ooze from one position to another several times, but most of those positions involve a nose buried under an arm or a tail, or pushed down into the opening of the typewriter. I’d say he’s hung out a “Do Not Disturb” sign!
We’re going back to our usual regimen. NO OUT after 2:00. Somehow, I don’t think he will argue about it today.

I had HELP of every conceivable kind for the past five days and I consider myself VERY lucky!
My youngest sister brought her oldest daughter, and her daughter’s boyfriend for a five day stay, to help my family while my knee is healing. If I gave you a line item list of all she did, you’d be reading for five days. The woman does not have a stop button!
Two of the days we ran errands. We returned books to the library and I picked up a book on disk (more about that later). We made it to two banks, the post office, the salon, the fabric store, the pharmacy, and to the mall, to get batteries put into a collection of watches. Nan remembered to pick up bread for dinner at Panera, one of the asiago baguettes that I love!
I had planned meals, and was going to go over that plan with her when she arrived. Dear Husband short circuited that plan a little bit when he found my grocery shopping list and brought every item home just before Nan arrived. He must have made six trips into the house with multiple bags of food. I’m sure my eyes got bigger with each trip. Thank you, Dear Husband, for doing all the grocery shopping.
Of course, I got hollered at because we spent so much on food. Nan cooked for a couple of days! *G* We had potato salad, chicken salad, green salad, summer salad, burgers, brats, and hot dogs, guacamole, chocolate dipped strawberries, brownies, bowls of strawberries, cantaloupe, deviled eggs, grilled chicken/Cobb salad, German potato salad, steaks on the grill and roasted asparagus. (Inhaling!) And that’s the short list. No…we didn’t do that all one night. That was just the variety of things she prepared, and why she was in the kitchen so much of her stay.
Sis and her family will be returning for a long weekend in a week. She asked me to plan simpler meals, things that are easier on the hips and thighs, and things that don’t take so much time to prepare. She has a point. I’d rather spend my time talking with her than cooking. Elegante Mother wishes she could get a word in edgewise when we start talking, so you know that we are Olympic champions at this sport! *G*
Of course, there was more to their stay than all that food. Monday, Nan marshaled her troops and they blitzed the lawn and the gardens for me. She cut back all the oregano and lemon balm, and dug out a stand of weeds that was encroaching on the herb garden. I REALLY wish I had before and after pictures! She potted the last of the plants that we bought for the sidewalk container garden, and planted the buddleia, a shrub rose, and pots of phlox and petunias. We saw the itty bitty re-start on one of the morning glory plants, and she found a cage to go around it so it didn’t become another bunny salad.
The Tall Lanky One (TLO) mowed until the walk-behind mower ran out of gas, and then set up hoses for the gardens. Nan asked if she could have some oregano to take home. I have an overabundance and joyfully agreed that she should take as much as she wanted. She potted up two pots of oregano. Sis ended her outdoor work by mowing more of the lawn until the rider mower ran out of gas, too.
Meanwhile, the Shorter Super Thin One (SSTO) was helping inside. She vacuumed the carpets and swept the hardwood and kitchen floors, watered the container garden, and a hanging bag of petunias in the driveway garden. She finished my ironing, and made the guest room bed, and started organizing some of their belongings which were to be packed in the car for the trip home.
While all the garden work was going on, I was washing. I got up early and stripped my bed down to the mattress. I ran the pillows through the drier, and washed all the bedding. I washed the sheets and towels our guests had used, and the mats and napkins from the table. I kept the washer going all morning. What’s so amazing about that is that Nan must have done 20 loads of laundry in the five days she was here! We are either incredibly clean or incredibly dirty.
I know this entire post has been a laundry list, but I wanted you to have some idea of all the work my amazing sister accomplished while she was here. I forgot to tell you that she worked on lesson plans the evening of July 3rd, while the kids were off watching fireworks with Dear Husband. His boat is moored right under where they set off the fireworks each year, so they had a front row seat.
She also found time to make a return visit to the mall for a little shopping. AND she made the time to sit and chat with Elegante Mother in the very early mornings.
I know that I’ve called her “amazing.” There have to be hundreds of other adjectives I could add to that. I envy her stamina, and her generosity with her time and talents. Most of all, I’m thankful that she’s my sister.
Nan, thank you, so very much, for all you did for us this week. Words are just not enough.

My plan for the day is to work in the office, with the knee immobilizer on, and my leg elevated. It’s amazing what adding three bodies to your house does to the level of activity and sound! I’m not complaining. Not one whit! I appreciate everything that was done for me, and I hated to see my sister, and her daughter, and her daughter’s boyfriend, leave. But now that it’s just Elegante Mother, the cat and me…the pace seems a little slower. The house is quieter, and I can hibernate here in my office. It’s time to get more work done. I’ve been eying a stack of filing that has grown, and I need to request waivers.
So….I’ll just be over here, playing with paper this morning. I hope y’all have a nice day!