What’s a Joint Like You Doing in a Nice Girl Like Me?

I saw the ortho doctor this morning. That’s why this is late. I know I need to get a right knee replacement, but didn’t know just how soon I needed it. Pain-wise, I need it now, but $$$ is a huge consideration.

Good news is that even though I’m “at the end of the road” with the arthritis, it’s not urgent. Sooner is better than later, so there isn’t too much more damage done, but I can certainly wait for a while. I did NOT want to be recovering from surgery while Lia was here at Christmas.

When I had my left knee replaced 12 years ago, it was a real shock at how much pain was there in the recovery. I had never experienced pain like that in my life. And I did natural birth with two breech babies!! I had never cried so much from pain. Emotion, yes. Pain, no. I’m a pretty tough gal as far as that goes.

All in all, I am truly dreading getting this one done. Not only will I have the same type pain in recovery, I will be pretty much alone. Paul was still here 12 years ago, and was a tremendous help. I know I have friends I can count on, but I’ve still got enough of that stubborn pride thing going on. I did have a couple friends come in the first couple of days to get me breakfast, but Paul was the one who emptied the bedside commode. He was the one on the floor helping me with the PT.

The biggest concern I have is that I won’t be able to safely drive for some time. It was no problem when I had the left knee done, because I only used the right foot for driving. But I’m going to try to NOT anticipate trouble before I have to. I know I have at least until after Christmas. And I got a shot today that is really helping. Don’t know how long it will last me, but right now I’m doing OK.

“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”  Matthew 6:34

October Ramble

It’s been awhile since I did a ramble. Coming up with a cohesive topic every week is difficult sometimes. Back when I was doing my posts on Myspace alone, I was yammering every other day or so, with just a paragraph or two. Or less. I started there on May 23, 2006. I moved over to Facebook August 1, 2009. That’s over 11 years! And I’ve been pretty faithful in keeping this up every week. I try to be as amusing or interesting as possible.

And speaking of lots of words…I have always been intrigued by NaNoWriMo. National Novel Writing Month. It starts on November 1 and ends at 11:59pm November 30. The object is to write a 50,000 word novel in one month. That comes out to roughly 1,666.7 words a day. Yow! I doubt that even as gabby as I can be, I would not be able to crank out that number of words and have it even remotely resemble a novel. The goal is not necessarily to have something that is publish-ready, but to stretch yourself personally in your writing. As much as I love Jack Kerouac and Rod McKuen, I don’t think I could do it even emulating their style. I wish I could.

I read an article about the various ways of keeping in touch with folks. It used to be by snail-mail letters or telephone. Greeting cards for birthdays and holidays. Sometimes you’d get a picture Christmas card or postcard as a sort of “Proof of Life” thing. Our Christmas card list gets shorter each year. I’ve said that I usually send Christmas cards out to people who otherwise would think we’d died. And I LOVE getting Christmas cards! I love making them and sending them, but when it’s to someone we really don’t see or touch base with that often, there is that pressure to “write a note” to go with the card. Which brings us to…

The Annual Christmas Letter!! We are ALL familiar with that one. And I will admit something that may make you shake your head: I LOVE Christmas letters. I don’t care how fake they may sound, I truly enjoy them. I even enjoy ones from people I don’t know. Sarah used to share a couple of the Christmas letters she would get each year. And I absolutely adore the one that our mailman leaves in our box each year. I figure since my life is out in the open on Facebook and in my blog, most of my peeps know what’s going on and a letter isn’t necessary. I’ve seen comic ones that spoof the annual letter, and have thought about writing something like it, but never have. So, peeps, what are YOUR feelings about it? Yea or Nay?

October 2017 Book Report

The Outlaws of Ravenhurst (1923) by L.M. Wallace

L.M. Wallace was a nun and I could find very little bio info on her. She wrote this book mainly for Catholic children, but it’s a great read for everyone. In 17^th Century Scotland, there was war between Catholic and Protestant. The Catholic heir to the Gordon of Ravenhurst was spirited away to colonial America and raised until he could be returned to his rightful place. Absolutely a great adventure!

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The Marriage of Opposites (2015) by Alice Hoffman

Outstanding book of historical fiction regarding the great painter Camille Pissaro and the life of French-speaking Jews in 1800s St. Thomas. Pissaro’s parents defy their entire Jewish community when they marry and are outcasts for most of their lives.

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On Thin Ice (2017) by Anne Marie Rodgers

Jan and Elaine get their tea shop ready for the Valentine’s Day celebrations. One of the young men of their community appears to have been kidnapped and the cousins try to solve that mystery.

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Ross Poldark (1945) by Winston Graham

I was a bit dismayed when a friend at church recommended this series of books, and lent me the box of 12 volumes! TWELVE! I thought I would look through the first one and then give them all back saying it wasn’t my particular taste. Boy, was I wrong! They are addictive!! I gobbled this one down and am now working on the second one. It starts out just after the American Revolution when Ross Poldark returns to England, expecting to marry his childhood sweetheart. He discovers she is about to marry his cousin and things go downhill from there for awhile.

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A Light in the Window (1995) by Jan Karon

2^nd book in the Mitford series. Father Tim returns from his sabbatical in Ireland and is still waffling about the possibility of romance with his neighbor, Cynthia. Dooley is offered the chance to go away to a really good school. The Widow Mallory sets her sites on Father Tim and Percy’s Grill has to close. Great series.