It's company time!

We just ended two weeks of constant company...The kind where one group leaves and two hours later the next arrives.  It was a whirlwind two weeks and time that we thoroughly enjoyed.  It is genuinely so nice to be able to share with family and friends the warmth of Florida and the fun of the Villages.  And while company can disrupt schedules and play with the consistency of one's life, it is great to enjoy the company of others.
Our favorite guest, of course, was dear old DAD.  Show of hands please....how many "Daddy's girls" out there?  Well, I am!  I was always close to my father.  Some of my happiest childhood memories are the evenings playing catch in the backyard until the daylight disappeared.  The nights that he came home with two tickets to a White Sox game were special.  We would sit in the auxiliary press box at old Comiskey Park watching the game amidst the reporters while he taught be to score the game.
Dad spent a week with us.  He has slowed down a bit over the past couple of years, but he has also been invigorated by opportunities that are available to him now that he is no longer a care giver.  His friend Nancy who joined him on the trip is a nice companion and someone who's company he clearly enjoys.
We played two rounds of golf together.  Playing with borrowed clubs, the old guy is pretty amazing-- 150 yards at a time he makes his way around the course--never in trouble, not knowing what a hazard is.  (What a boring way to play golf!!)  He didn't balk at a single suggestion for the days' activity and rolled with whatever we were doing.
He had the chance to visit with former colleagues and he so loved that.  Telling old stories, catching up on family and eating our way through the afternoon was very enjoyable for him. The meet-up was at Universal's CityWalk and our hosts had connections to the park which got us passes in.  And while I am sure that wandering Universal Studios was not high on his list of favorites, he did enjoy people watching.  We traveled the park, bench to bench, got drenched by an afternoon Florida rainstorm, and in short enjoyed the time together.
Time to leave came way too soon, and I worried about the two of them navigating the Orlando airport.  I went as far as I could with them before bidding them safe travels.  He recognized my anxiety and called when they got to the gate to say " Stop worrying-We made it".
The longer I live, the more I realize that time well spent is one of our greatest assets.  Rushing through our day simply gets us to the end of the day....Taking time to enjoy our own and others' company makes for time well used.

HIP HIP HOORAY!!

Joy on a raining day!

It seems that a BLOG entitled HIP HIP HOORAY should be about happy things and happy times--
So that's what this will be... HIP HIP HOORAY-happy times, places, things.  Here goes......

Do you have one of those friends who, though you see them infrequently, when you DO see them, you ALWAYS have fun? Someone who you feel like no time has passed since the last time you were together? I have a couple of these friends and had the opportunity last week to reconnect with one of them.
Our friend, we'll call her Cap, sent a message that her father had a stroke and she was making her way to Florida.  You see, she spends winters in Bonaire, which made an emergency trip all the more difficult.  Knowing that she has no siblings, and her mother has passed, we knew that she was all alone on this journey.  No, the story isn't about sadness and difficult times with a parent... It is about good times, reconnecting and finding strength in difficult times.

Our place in Florida, it turns out, is only 2 hours away from where her father was "wintering", so a two hour drive on a rainy day seemed a no-brainer.  The reunion in the hospital parking lot was epic!  She had told her dad that we were coming and explained to us that the stoke had left him with no communication skills.  If you know me well, you know that undaunted, we went into his hospital rooms and greeted him as we would any other time.  He knows Koz and I as "the girls".  At 92 he doesn't know who is who(we all look alike anyway!), but every time that we see him in his New Buffalo home, we enjoy a visit and the stories that he tells.  Upon our arrival and greeting, we got a smile from him--apparently the first since the stroke-- A breakthrough!!  Cap was so happy that we got a reaction - We all cried.

But again, this isn't about the sadness of a parent struggling with illness.  It is about enduring friendships that last across time and space.  As luck would have it we were in a "waterfront town"  At home, it is New Buffalo Michigan and the shores of Lake Michigan.  Here, it was Englewood Florida and the shores of the Gulf of Mexico.  As we always do, we walked the beach, the 3 of us, just like  always--drizzle and wind weren't going to stop us!  As always, we talked and walked, walked and talked.  And we ate.

Friendship is a responsibility, not just an opportunity to get together.  We take it seriously.  And we reap the benefits of that responsibility-Laughter in the face of sadness and love amidst difficult times.

There will will be difficult times ahead, but for that one day that began sadly, the promise of support, encouragement, and LOVE made it a GREAT DAY.

HIP HIP HOORAY!!!

I'm BACK!!!!!!

Sometimes others give us a well needed kick in the behind.  My lovely and talented niece recently started a blog(http://teachinginmytennies.blogspot.com/)  and to my surprise listed HIP HIP HOORAY as one of the bogs that she follows.   I'm sure that she is being loyal and probably didn't notice how out-dated my blog is.  Nonetheless, it seems a good reason and a good time to start writing again.

I started the blog as a way for people to follow the progress of the " competition of the set"- the final part in " 2 hips, 2 knees" and the journey through surgery and recovery.  Remarkably people followed me and offered comments, suggestions and encouragement.  So let's see what happens this time.

I am a walking science project-Modern medicine and science has been very very good to me-As I sit here on my Florida lanai having just completed a morning bike ride, preparing to play 18 holes of golf, I marvel that I am able to do all of this as well as I can with joints created by geniuses.
That aside, what will I blog about?-- I guess we will see where that takes me.
I'm still a geek, I enjoy the time that retirement affords me and have been blessed with friends and family that always make life interesting
2014 will be an exciting year personally and professionally- Lots of surprises and joy.  Share the ride with me-At least it will be interesting!

Hip Hip Hooray!
cf

July 30

6 week surgeon appointment....

Everything is great- Xrays are perfect-flexibility is remarkably good.

Had questions( of course)-- Can I....

travel-specifically:Fly to LA- YES!

bike ride?-- Sure

golf?---why not?

help with housework- Absolutely( that makes Koz happy)

Only real restriction- no heavy lifting-

Still need the raised toilet seat in the house-but don't need to go crazy when out or traveling

Still sleeping with pillow between my legs and no crossing over the mid line with the repaired leg.

When checking the flexibility and strength of my leg-Doc proclaimed- I think out patient therapy would be a waste of your time and theirs-You can do it on your own!

C Diff is mostly under control- still on antibiotics for another 3 weeks--But a least I am eating regular foods!

Everything is good just in time for school to start--- no, wait.................... just in time for the fun to begin!!!!

July 21

Funny how second-nature takes over....

I was coming downstairs yesterday and realised that I was taking the stairs normally--alternating steps instead of "one-stepping". Not sure when this started, but this is nice progress. When I got to the bottom of the stairs, I turned around and went back up realizing that I could do the same going up.

Stairs are a challenge - so this is a great breakthrough. Walking up and the down the stairs normally is great progress! Also, my victories over "c.diff" continue- had bread yesterday=finally starting to eat regular foods( This soft food diet is pretty boring). Feeling stronger everyday--went for a walk yesterday---even in the heat, it felt good to be back on my feet and moving!

July 19

Just when I thought that I was well on the way to complete recovery, I got knocked down last week and ended up back in the hospital....Short version of the story...........

1. When one has majorly invasive surgery, it it protocol to be on antibiotics to fight infection.

2. Antibiotics kill the bacteria in one's body- good and bad(who knew that we had good bacteria).

3. Hospitals are germy places

4. Meet my new friend- "c.diff"(Clostridium difficile).

"C.diff" is a colon affliction that is really, really nasty- suffice it to say that puking and pooping nearly every hour is difficult at best under normal situations, but combined with not quite walking well( and quickly) enough makes for a difficult situation. By the time I was diagnosed, my blood pressure was dangerously low due to de-hydration. 3 and 1/2 bags of saline and an overnight stay in the hospital later, I am back on my feet and on the mend. I will be on a set of antibiotics for a month to kill this infection--but this time( NOTE TO SELF) also am taking a Probiotic to get natural beneficial bacteria into my system.

In the meantime, we had major bleaching of our home to take care of--- Have I said that Koz is a saint? Having to take care of me isn't difficult enough, combine that with a bad Cub season and now this.... suffice it to say that I owe her big time. This bacteria can live on in spore form for a long time -- and re-occurrence is common-so cleaning is key.---Let's just say that we threw a lot of things away!

While this has had no effect on my hip--thankfully--- it has set my rehab back. But, now that I am back on my feel walking can resume. I have graduated to almost no assistance- I really only use a cane because I am weak from the illness. And boy am I weak!! Little by little, I can add solid foods back to my diet and move forward.

A very interesting lesson in body functions learned.

July 7

YIPEE!!

Crutches- gone.....Transition to cane

Driving-OK

Pool Therapy- Good

Cumadin- DONE

Compression socks-"prefer you to wear for 6 weeks--but ok to take off for a day or two-put back on if there is swelling"

All precautions still in place for 3 months( that's not a surprise) total

Saw X-ray of both hips- clearly they are two manufacturers-both were "installed" without cement- the prosthetic is inserted into the femur and the bone is allowed to grow around it. Interesting how 11 years ago, I was not allowed full weight bearing for 6 weeks and this time it was immediate full weight bearing.

I really got everything that I wanted today. Last date with in home physical therapy- will do some measuring in terms of range of motion. No formal therapy for three weeks- then more intensive out patient range of motion and strengthing.