The Middle of July

Should anyone have told me, in the middle of March, that I would break my wrist two times I would have thought they were crazy. Then again, if we could predict the future we would most likely take steps to thwart any disasters, right? When you think about it, that is precisely what is happening all around us now. Far too many people have not taken advantage of the vaccine and more and more people are coming down with Covid. I learned of four new people just yesterday. And while most people do have a mild case, why take the chance? Lisa was telling me about one of her patients who still has a tracheostomy following his bout with Covid months ago.  All he wants to do is go back to his job being a meat cutter at Publix.

Most people go through wrist surgery without complications which is what I was hoping for, but hasn't exactly panned out.  That said, I am further along this time than last. I am super glad that I have a comparison found in this blog post so I don't have to rely on my faulty memory. It was at this appointment that Darlene said that I was on the verge of shoulder problems and boy was she right. I have been going to the pool most days to exercise which is helping a lot.  Because the front pool gets more sun in the early morning I went there, having the place to myself.

My red noodle is visible on the right side of the picture which is what I am mainly using. Basically, anything I can do to keep it moving is good for me.

If you read my last post,  you may recall that Lisa was going to text my doctor about me having a cortisone shot for my shoulder and that it appeared I had an abscess in my incision.  Wednesday afternoon the phone rang and it was Dr. Patel who pretty much flipped out claiming she should not be diagnosing. Mind you, she is who has been watching this happen, but he was undaunted. It's a long story, but the gist is that he ending up prescribing an antibiotic which I've now been taking. Does it look much better? Some. The downside is that this particular pill is making me feel a little crummy. Two more days though, so that is good. In general, I've heard people complain about reacting to antibiotics, but this is the first time I've experienced any difficulty. Anyway, the upshot of this is that we did not go to the office and I did not get a shot. What I couldn't seem to make him understand is that it was really, really sore, seven weeks after surgery, so how could that be normal?  I heard that same line during my first break when I kept hearing that my fat hand was normal. He also told us that he had to re-break my arm to pin it back together properly. No wonder I was hurting! 

So, it is one thing to do exercises, but what I really want is to get back to normal activity incorporating wrist movement. I decided to make some peanut butter cookies which would involve a rolling motion with dough rather than the ball she gives me. 

The sprinkles are kosher salt making the cookies both sweet and salty. It is really nice to have a full cookie jar again. Almost full anyway because I put a few dozen in the freezer for another time. 

I used the hand mixer and a plastic bowl because, for now, the stand mixer is too heavy for me to move. Baby steps my friends!

Bruce took me to the library on Friday where I found all kinds of books that I think I will like. Right now I am reading one called, Sorrow and Bliss from an English author. From this review I see that it has an entirely different cover than the US version.  Interesting because I mainly chose it for the pink and orange cover and that Ann Patchett had a blurb on the back. I am a big proponent of picking a book from the cover. I pretty much know that if the cover font is gigantic, it is not for me. The subject matter is mental illness, so not everyone's cup of tea, but I am enjoying it in spite of the sad story.

Near the library on Rosalind, there is a fairly new French bakery/restaurant that we popped our head into.  What a cute spot! We were asking all kinds of questions about when it opened, (around the time of the shut down) and how they were managing.

Turns out, pretty well. What was a large menu board when we arrived, became this after he slid the doors open tp show it off! It was so pretty it begged to be photographed.

We visited after breakfast and before lunch, so we didn't sit down to eat, instead taking home some goodies for later.

Bruce wanted some more familiar baked goods to take to Denny when he visited him in the hospital later in the day, thus we drove towards Charlies and, of course, did some sightseeing along the way. By that I mean looking for new stuff that had been happening during my "confinement." Well we found it off Washington Street. On the side of Burtons, Andrew Spear and Shepard Fairey painted these murals.

I don't imagine that you recall that Andrew Spear was the artist who painted the giant mural in Earls at Millenia for the restaurant. Bruce was so lucky as he got to see his work come to life. In my opinion, we don't have nearly enough street art in town, so seeing these made me happy.

We did make it to Charlie''s which is always a treat, even though they have been around since we graduated high school. Wow, just typing that seems incredible. Not too much has changed in there over the years, proving that if you have a great product, people will come. 

Speaking of Rosalind we used it while driving to church yesterday, and it is quite the contrast from a weekday. There is definitely more traffic during the week but not nearly up to pre-pandemic levels.

I hate to even mention it, but probably this is something I will want to remember for the future, and that is that the medication is making me nauseous, thus no going out to lunch for us yesterday. Bactrim is the culprit, my first time taking it. Poor Bruce! He hates seeing me struggle. I am still not driving, although I think I could, but we are continuing to be cautious. Perhaps when the incision is completely healed?

I could not wait to talk to Lisa this morning because I wanted to hear her reaction to the freak-out by my doctor. Calling her first, he made a fuss,  which when she was younger might have put her into a funk, but she mostly shook it off. After 30 years in the business, she's pretty much seen it all. She says I'm doing good, measuring my ability to perform different tasks. I did get to use the pegs again today, beginning with having a bunch in my hand and putting them in one by one which was far more difficult than picking them up one by one. While I thought that was an accomplishment, she added in something else. Yup, I had to take them out using this clip.

My goodness that was tricky! 

For some reason I've kept this photo of the first go-round on my desktop.  I can't explain why I have not moved it to the trash.

Maybe I will move the photo to trash when this is all behind me. After all, I have a long standing blog that reminds me I have been through some challenges over the years that as time passes fade from memory. Most especially if you have a memory like mine!

Looks like I won't have any pool time today because it is already raining. Then again, after the workout she gave me, that might not be such a bad thing.

your friend,

Gail