THE END! Holidays, puzzle, blog.

The Hip Joint continues without a hitch, so far anyway.

Lots of quiet time. Have been walking and driving in small doses, gradually increasing the duration.

Completing the jigsaw puzzle seems like a good time to complete this blog. The (frustrating) site didn't allow most people to add comments, which eliminated some of the fun and also the potential for branching out with other dialogs.

So this is farewell. Thank you again for your concern and support. It has meant a lot. Hope you are enjoying a blessed holiday season. Happy New Year!
xoxo

ORDINARY STUFF THESE DAYS

Rain…fireplace…watching movies…looking forward to many of these winter evenings.
The walker has been replaced by a cane and/or no assistance inside the house.
Have started to walk outdoors in small increments to build up endurance.
(Sh-h-h-h-h: here's a secret - I drove my car 3 times this week to see how the legs are working. So far, so good! But will not drive anywhere soon unless chauffeured.)
It's not lost on me that this opportunity to decompress while required to be "in the moment" is pretty rare. Abandoning 'multi-tasking' is a huge adjustment that is really just fine, for now.
Enjoying classical and holiday music when not watching movies. A nice soundtrack to the season, while treasuring friends and family whose love and support are priceless.

ADDICTED

Melissa's fault!
We have a history of spending w-a-y too many hours on these things. Lots of snow and tree branches remaining, and "they all look alike" in many ways.

Good way to slowly engage the brain, however. But when in motion, must only focus on movements and no distractions. Can't be having an accident after all these achievements!

PS: Thank you for messages, cards, and emails, since responding on this blog is pretty darn near impossible.

NEW NURSE ON DUTY

Well, no such thing as "home alone" after all.
Melissa arranged with Mrs. Fields for coverage while she was at Disneyland.
Here's the new staff member, who arrived with a package overflowing with bribes goodies to motivate me to behave.
Triple chocolate does get my attention...

HOME ALONE

We're Melissa's going to Disneyland! Washing windows lost out to the Happiest Place on Earth. Go figure.
Marcia gets to practice being unchaperoned and do things like bring in the mail all by herself. The "TO DO" list is getting more complex - woo hoo!

OMG - IRONING!!!!

Look at Melissa!!! A forgotten wardrobe just emerged from the "to do" closet.
Made me wonder about washing windows next…but suddenly she had to leave and run some errands.

FIRST OUTING

Trader Joe's, Friday afternoon. Supposed to walk as much as possible, so this fit the bill. Pushing a wheeled device, it was intuitive to grab an item and toss it in front of me. Fortunately cheese isn't breakable.

Therapists and nurses are pleased with my progress but remind me that internally there has been a lot of trauma that will take months to heal. Sort of feels like this at times.