jul002

Nature Songs ~~~~

~ JULY continues ~ ~

July 5,2000 - The conga line dance in water should be tried by all. That’s how we did most of our exercise this morning; sort of a follow the leader and keep in the beat of one-two-three-kick and all kinds of arm movements. Someone with a hidden camera would have had a hay-day recording us, I’m sure. In reality there were two lines. One line was in the water where everyone walked and another line in the deeper water where those who have problems with back and legs work with flotation belts. I started out with the walking group, but before long I had migrated to the deeper water and actually got more of a workout with that group

All fun over for the day, I came home and collapsed for a short time. Then it was time to go by to visit with Mother before heading down to Hickory to see what the doctor thinks about my knee. He had x-rays taken of both knees with me standing and they turned out very good. It’s surprising how identical they look. Two more pictures were taken of the right knee. One was done with my knee bent and I held the plate with the machine angled up at the knee. That was a first for me. It showed the kneecap and space between the knee and kneecap.

The final verdict: the knee is still healing. There are some signs of calcium building up where the bruising has been for so long and where there has been a lot of swelling! The joint itself looks great with no sign of any infection. Ligaments and muscles don’t show up, so it is a guess about them. I am to continue the leg lifts, but add a little weight to the ankle, no bicycle yet, and if no noticeable improvement in the next six weeks there will be a shot of cortisone into the knee to try and jump start the healing process. Time has not been exactly on my side so far. No complaints, but I told the doctor I figured by now I would be doing cross-country running. He still feels that I will conquer the steps ... I trail off wondering ...

Knowing that Lady would be here to help with the groceries, I stopped by the store and bought some things on special. Allan was here when I got home, so I had him to carry in the groceries for me, plus some paper towels that had been in the back of the truck for several weeks. Lady stored them in the new closet for me later in the evening. I ate part of a sesame chicken plate of food I had picked up at the Japanese place with plenty to spare for tomorrow.

July 6,2000 - We were all there pulling at the reins as we pranced around in the water waiting for our fearless leader to come and instruct us for the morning. Force of habit has each of us doing things to warm-up in readiness for the exercise to follow. No instructor shows up this morning and Ms. Jay graciously steps in as leader of the day and guides us through our usual and routine maneuvers. Thirteen of us in the water ready to work and turns out that our instructor for the day has been scheduled for two different classes at the same time. She does the floor routine and we work on our own. We had large beach balls flying across the pool for part of the time, our dumbbells were put to work for upper body strength building and of course our noodles turned into ponies for oodles of fun and movement took front stage. At the end of the hour we knew we had given ourselves a great workout. As a group we are invincible; alone, we would have done nothing.

I was ready to flop and drop when I got back home. The doctor has said no bicycle yet for working out. It could cause some irritation to the knee and slow down healing. I’m sure it got a good workout this morning along with all the rest of me. (Strange fact: not once has a doctor bothered to question me about the types of exercises I gyrate through during a water session. Do they have any idea of how much one can do in the water?)

I need to see Mother this afternoon. I have some candy for her to replace her stash for the staff. Tomorrow I get the block in my right side of the lower back. That means I’ll be off in La-la-land for much of the day tomorrow, and will not be out running races as I dash from place to place.

Once back from visiting with Mother I take time to look through the mail. Yes! There is the brochure for upcoming events at CCC&TI’s Broyhill Civic Center 2000-2001 Season

August 25	Emile Pandolfi - known for his brilliant interpretation of popular music, has accompanied rock artists, opera singers and pop singers. He has played classical music, popular music and jazz. This sounds like a performance of his classical works we will enjoy.
No dates are listed for the whole month of September.
October 10	Don McLean with special guest Janis Ian. Both are singers/ songwriters.
October 19	NC Touring Theatre: Poetry on Tour, “This is the Place Where I Live,” which is based on poetry created by artists who call North Carolina home.
October 28	Showboat. I look forward to this special production which is one of the highlights of the year.
November 9	Highlanders/Cloggers from Lees-McRae College.
December 9	Judy Collins - A Christmas program which includes many of the songs presented at her Biltmore Estate appearance and filming.
December 14	A Caldwell Christmas will include the Caldwell Men’s Chorus, Puddingstone, the Lenoir Saxophone Ensemble and Acapella fellas.
The month of January there are no programs.
February 6	Dr. Elliott Engel on Winston Churchill
February 21	Godspell - A contemporary approach to a famous Biblical Story.
March 10	Caldwell County Musician’s Showcase will include a wide variety of music from bluegrass to blues, rock to country, pop to folk.
April 28	B.J. Thomas with Lacy J. Dalton - country, gospel, rock and roll known the world over

Ten Thirty p.m. and a thunderstorm is brewing outside. Guess it is time to stop writing for the evening and leave electric things alone for this day. I learned not long ago that my three grandsons will escort me to Hickory for my surgical procedure in the morning. My daughter-in-law will have her hands full while I am having my thing done.

July 7,2000 - Turns out as luck would have it, Wes was the one with the worse pain from back problems. He had called me last night to see if I thought the antibiotic he is taking for a sore throat would bother his back and bad knee. Not much chance the medicine would be the culprit; more likely the inflammation would be at the root of the problem. Any way, he was unable to go to work this morning and agreed to allow the boys to stay home with him instead of making the trip to Hickory with us.

All went well for me once again, and I was back home before noon to snooze out the rest of the day. If this right side block works as well as the left seems to be doing, then I am a candidate for going a step further and having laser done on my back to hopefully make it a permanent solution to much of the pain I have endured for so many, many years to no avail. The doctor said it would improve my level of life, but I would still have to be careful and would not be able to do things like back when I was a teenager. Gee, I was so hopeful I would be able to dive off a high diving board once again and do long distant cycling on a motorcycle here in my old age.

If I can play some with my grandchildren and go places with them, I shall be happy. There are other hurdles I would like to conquer, but I shall wait and not set my expectations too high. There is still the problem of surmounting the steps to contend with. Then I could go back into New York City to ride the subways once again, and maybe have a Sunday morning sidewalk cafe brunch.

July 8,2000 - So far, so good. There is some swelling and soreness where the injections went in. I removed the Band-Aids this morning denoting where they entered my back. After snoozing off and on most of yesterday, I still rested fairly well throughout the night. Now it is my son’s time to deal with his own back problem. Who knows what he did to hurt it, but he is giving in this morning and going to the doctor for some hopeful relief. From experience, I know: maybe yes; maybe no.

BingoKid will come stay with me while they make the trip to the doctor’s office. He most likely will end up going home with Uncle Allan and help pick green beans. Allan was asking if he would be around today when he came by to get the Kabota to do some yardwork. No doubt, BingoKid will be drawn to the creekbank beside the garden instead of the beanstalks. His main interest this summer has been insects and other crawly things. I need to take him to the Science Museum in Hickory to see the program on butterflies that is being presented now. He would enjoy all the different types of butterflies in the exhibit.

Rodin caught my eye this afternoon on the PBS channel on television. A special program on his works quickly took my attention as the narrator explained about getting together the largest collection ever of his works in one place. That place is the North Carolina Art Museum in Raleigh, North Carolina, the state capitol. It took two and a half million dollars to get the program together. Wish I would be able to make the trip to see it in the remaining time it is on display until August 13, 2000. It sounds like a wonderful time to be able to see up close the intensity of his creations. Strange that the very last model he did was a month before he died. It was a cast of his own hand in which he placed a model of a person he was working on. The Thinker was only a small contribution he made to our world.

July 9,2000 - The week in review:
I chose to sit inside the car with windows rolled up tightly, air-conditioner on high and radio playing music to watch the fireworks on the Fourth. Why? Because BusyKid does not like loud noises and being at the fireworks was not his favorite place to be. He latched himself securely into his carseat and announced it was time to go home and go to bed with the very first explosive display! I had an excellent view of the skies and saw no need to get out into the hot, humid, heavy evening air to stand and have to strain my neck looking up to watch. As of yesterday, BusyKid avidly agrees, “Yes, the colors are pretty. The fireworks go up in the air and go boom! No, I don’t want to see them again.” He is animated with excitement as he describes with his arms how they go but, end of discussion for him.

Lady looked out to see what in the world Elsie Dawg was barking about the other day. She noted that it was a different sound from what Elsie usually barks. The neighbor’s puppy had taken the tie-down Allan uses on his trailer when hauling the Kabota around doing lawns. He was dragging it off down the middle of the driveway running as hard as he could. She chased him down and retrieved the cord, placing it inside the truck bed for safety.

Mother’s youngest sister got a new cellular phone company so she could call the two sisters that live out of town at a lower price. The one in Highpoint is still recuperating in a Catholic Rehab Center from her broken hip. She isn’t happy where she is, but that is understandable. Neither is Mother happy being where she has to be. Thursday, the sister in Alabama was put in a hospital an hour’s drive away in Florida because of problems with her bones. This is the closest hospital to where they live. She will be there for at least two weeks and hopefully be able to have some physical therapy to help her get around a little by herself. Lately, her daughter has been having to take total care of her.
I must be feeling a little better myself since “the procedure” Friday morning. From some hidden source of energy deep within my inner self, enough strength and desire was found to tackle doing some straightening and cleaning in the kitchen. I made space in the refrigerator for juices I bought for the Grandkids, and freed up my office chair to sit down and empty the dishwasher.

At the bottom of the washer I found a piece of rubber. My better sense tells me that something about the washer must be broken inasmuch as I have not washed anything like that. The optimist in me said go ahead and fill the washer and give it a try. The least that could happen would be that I would have to wash the dishes by hand later. The dishwasher didn’t leak and the dishes look clean, so I guess all is well so far. Maybe the strip of rubber belongs somewhere else. I was also able to wash some other things by hand and surprisingly enough, I didn’t have to stop and wait for the pain to ease up to finish up what I started. Perchance, the doctor is on the right track with my back.
Today I have fresh green beans to string and break before cooking up for one of the joy’s of having a summer garden. As much as I love fresh vegetables, I’m glad I am not the one having to can or freeze the rest of the mess of beans he and BingoKid picked yesterday. BingoKid dropped off some veggies for his other grandmother to fix for his lunch today.

I’m off to Allan’s for supper while Wes looks for some back relief in the Jacuzzi.

July 10,2000 - Supper doesn’t get any better than last night. Except for the steak and toast, it all came fresh from the garden. The green beans were crispy fried with Olive Oil and herbs. Zucchini, yellow squash, onions, tomatoes and green peppers were wrapped in foil and steamed over the coals as the steak was grilled to perfection. After supper, I had squashes, cucumbers and cabbage to bring home with me for good eating during the week. The bean-picking totaled up to forty-four quarts canned for days to come. With the pump placed in the creek close-by for a good water supply, the garden has thrived in spite of the dry conditions around here.

The pool was overly full this morning. We had twenty-one for our session of exercise and had to side-step a time or two to avoid running into others during the hour. I wasn’t the only one to yawn trying to awaken fully while stretching. Water didn’t help all that much with putting away the feeling of sleepiness.

Tbird brings by the kids to stay with me until later in the afternoon. Of course, BingoKid had to be here waiting for them when they arrived so he and the boys could play together. His Mom came by after her college class to pick him up along with Little Miss Giggles and all her necessities for the rest of the week. They had the joy of keeping her this week. The boys will spend most of the time with me. Mom and Dad? They are off to Las Vegas to meet with some friends for four days of exploration and fun. A rental car awaits them upon arrival and they plan to do some all day excursions. Sounds as if they don’t plan to do much in the casinos other than look around and take in the sights.

This being Monday, I treated each of the boys to his very own pizza. We picked them up and stopped by to visit a little with Mother. I took her a bowl of hot beans, freshly cooked which she promptly ate along with a piece of NascarKid’s pizza. I think the pizza won out over the fresh green beans with her enjoyment of the two foods.

July 11,2000 - With Charlie’s help, both boys were pried out of bed so we could leave in time for my class at Quest this morning. Breakfast was easy to prepare for them since all they wanted was toasted bagel with peanut butter. I gathered up my tax stuff as we headed out the door to only discover I left my swimming gear behind. OOPS! Another trip inside the house before our trek can begin for the day.

Being a few minutes late heading through the locker to the pool, I meet Allie in her robe heading out the other direction. We have no leader once again. She reports to the front desk and comes back to report to the dozen of us waiting in the water that help is on the way. The director comes in to tell us that the leader for the day is on the way and she graciously agrees to take over and get all of us to working out until her re-enforcement arrives about fifteen minutes later. It’s interesting to have different ones to work with us. Each one has her own unique style and focal point. And, yes perhaps, we do have favorites.

After the hour is up and all is collected and together in the truck, I make a call on the cellular phone to my tax lady to see if I can run by and leave my papers for her to work on. Then being quite different from many people, instead of heading into town to take care of business, I head out of town. Up the road to Patterson, two rights and several miles later, we arrive at her house to drop off my tax work ... She promises to call when she has it ready for me.

BingoKid comes in to play for a short while with the boys. He was at Quest this morning with Mom touring the building. I got to wave at them when they came through the pool area. Their family is now an official member of Quest 4 Life, and BingoKid goes on Thursday for his assessment and to learn how to use the equipment. They don’t stay too long here until they go to pick up the two little ones at Day Care. Little Miss Giggles got to visit with Little Master Busy Kid for a few hours today. She will spend the day with him tomorrow. I’m sure that will be one tired Day Care Director after keeping up with the two of them.

It was very late in the evening till we got over to see Mother. I think she had given up on us coming because she was already in her gown for the night. (The nurse asked me what in the world I was doing out so late!) We stopped at Bi-Lo to pick up a few things and get Mother some more candy since she is already out again. While in the grocery store, an unexpected storm decided to burst overhead. Where it came from none of us were sure. None of us were expecting rain, much less a cloudburst. It took a while to check out since the computer kept shutting down with the claps of thunder and lightening, but once through the checkout line, there was still close to a thirty minutes wait before we could leave the store. We made it to the truck, but much too wet for the efforts.

Sopping wet or not, I had promised the boys supper at the Sonic. Since they bring the food out to the vehicles for you, getting wet was no problem this time. NascarKid did have to reach out the window to see if he could touch the water falling from the overhang. Only then, were we ready to stop by to see Mother. Our intentions were good, but nature intervened on the timing just a little. Any way, we got the candy to Mother, got some cokes in the room for her and got the birdfeeders filled before ushering out two very active boys before they caused someone to have a conniption having to keep them in line. Oh, they were only being boys, but there are some that still believe that children are to be seen and not heard ...
We all collapsed a little earlier this evening than last.

July 12,2000 - Wes has a birthday today. y brother has a birthday today. I have an appointment for lunch today. This will be another busy day ...
The pool was FULL again today with twenty-one of us bobbing around searching for that fateful place of claiming for ourselves to stretch and tone without bopping into others. There is a need for a change whether it be a larger pool, or a split class. I‘m not sure I would be one willing to change my own time, but something could be done to give us more space. I might be tempted to go an hour earlier. I would have to think about it.

A quick call from the phone in the locker room and arrangements are completed for me to drop off the boys at Wes’ house before heading to the restaurant for lunch. Our friend at Quest that has been visiting here from Budapest will be going back home the end of this month. A group of us got together to have lunch with her and give her a few gifts to take home with her. Along with pictures taken with each of us, we also signed a Quest4Life tee-shirt to remember us with once she gets back to Hungary.

I was pleasantly surprised when Wendy said she would bring home the boys around four or so this afternoon. I got to go home and rest for a while. She called and instead of bringing the boys home, I was invited to come over for supper for Wes’ birthday and then bring home the boys after that. It turned out to be a nice relaxed afternoon for me. My son, the one ever looking for more money, was happy with my choice of a present for him. It was all green. He had some doubts about the card that accompanied the money, even though I had cautioned him before he opened it that his nephew had picked it out.

continue topage three.