Nature Songs ~~~~
September 7, 2000 - Morning brought a somber thought to mind. Four of us sat in the steam room after our water workout with a whole different attitude than most days. We joined hands and prayed a very simple, but heartfelt prayer for the safe return of a twelve year old girl. She is the daughter of one that has become our friend during our time at Quest. Tuesday after supper she left her home to walk on a walking trail close to her school and near her home. This is a trip she has made many evenings to get exercise. This time she did not return home. She has disappeared without a trace. There are no clues.
We read of these things happening. We know that they can happen close to us. Yet, it is always a surprise and shock to learn that a tragic event occurs in our own little piece of the world. Hopefully, this will be an episode with a happy ending.
On another note, this morning I took part in one more class at Quest. (I’ve only signed up for six or seven recently.) Today’s session was Exercise, Fitness and Aging - staying younger ... living longer. Our scheduled one hour session ran over an extra half hour with all sorts of tidbits of information and helpful tips. We were all reluctant to leave as we discussed some facts and future ideas. I found that I am taking three medications that make an impact on how I may react to working out and heartrate. Two of them keep my heart rate at a more regular pace and would explain why I haven’t gotten out of breathe and such.... I want to get with the instructor and discuss some prospects of me working out on the floor again. I think she would be able to work with me in getting a workable plan of action. Of course when she sees the long list of meds I take, she may change my mind on some things.
September 8, 2000 - Such a day! The simple fact that I was so rudely awakened from a deep sleep at 3 a.m. didn’t pave the way for what would unfold in the hours to follow. Being that Charlie is so used to me responding to his movements, it appears he got a little aggravated with me this morning. He was cold and wanted under the cover. I didn’t respond to his pawing the blanket as I usually do. What does he do? He proceeds to jump up on top of me! He jumps on me from side to side until I respond. Silly, but smart, dog! One would have thought I was playing with him the way he was jumping.
I threw the blanket on top of him and groped my way to the bathroom while I was awake. When I returned, where would His Majesty, Sir Charlie be found? He had plopped himself right in the center of the bed with his head on the pillow - no less! He gave me one of his Garfield the Cat looks and I knew better than to try to move him over. He must have become very comfortable, because that is where he remained for the next four hours. Once he got warm he was not about to move from his warm spot. I never did get back to that deep sleep he brought me away from.
Good news on the missing girl. She was found safe and sound. Seems for some reason she had left home. I suspect it may have had something to do with school. Still it is wonderful news that all the prayers were answered and she was found safe and unhurt. I know her Mother is relieved and happy.
The Morganton Festival began today. Ms. Jay and I went over to take our money for the ticket sales on the donation quilt project. I always buy the tickets I am responsible for myself. I’m not good at getting out and asking others for money. We stayed in the Gallery and helped out some with the quilt show before exploring some of the crafts for sell. It was quite an experience seeing all the great work and creative abilities displayed this year with the UFO projects finished in time to show and be judged. With all the upheaval here with my supplies, I decided not to even bother again this year with taking part in the showing of any of my talents.
There was much for me to take care of this afternoon, so we decided to try a blackened chicken gyro before heading back to the car and begin an afternoon of running from point A to point B and back to point A before heading home. I thought I would pick up Little Miss Giggles since she was not far from where we were there in Morganton. Wrong idea! Dad forgot to leave the carseat for her. Thank goodness she was asleep when I got there and was not upset with me having to leave her there a while longer. Two beeper calls to Mom and then I head out of the town to the country school to pick up the boys.(Of course the Festival is between points A and B, and that means slower moving in more traffic.) They have Mom’s carseat for Giggles where I get there. We backtrack to Morganton to pick her up and then are able to head back home in time for Ms. Jay to cook supper at her house.
Dad comes by to pick up Giggles and the boys are to stay with me for the night. We opt for a pizza supper since that is a favorite of the boys. I even surprised the boys and gave each of them a quarter to try and win an order of crazy bread. NascarKid won his game and came out sporting his reward. Fifty cents for an order worth three times that amount wasn’t too bad a deal.
I am more than ready to rest for the rest of the evening. It has been a much too long day for me. Enjoyable? Yes. Tiring? Yes. But well worth the time and effort.
September 9, 2000 - It didn’t take the boys long to zonk out along with me last night. By 10:30 they were both sound asleep. I was so tired I didn’t check the dogs’ water bowl last night. That led to Charlie doing his infamous water dance routine this morning. He had his water bowl in the bedroom to let me know what it was that he was wanting. No need to ever worry about him getting what he needs or wants. He has his ways of getting his messages across.
The week in review brings to attention one major fact that I should seriously consider. It all comes down to a battle of pride against common sense. The one point that was brought out in the Senior Fitness session that keeps popping into my mind was the statement: ”Of all the broken bones (especially, hips) in people 65 and over, there is a 50% mortality rate due to complications that occur along with the break and healing process.” Another fact brought out was that most all falls are due to lost of balance.
Whoa! That’s referring to me. I’m the one that has always been loosing my balance. For a while there, I was falling on the average of once every three months. My balance is improving with the exercise regime, but that does not remove a lot of the stumbling about I do. True! I am not falling like I was. True, also, I am far from being the most confident and agile person to attempt to walk across an open space. At the same time, the last thing I want to do is let others know that I am less than perfect. I yearn to be the ever confident, ballet dancer and acrobat that is so graceful and sure-footed. Oh yeah, I know! Dream on! But, also wake up and be smart; don’t take needless chances. This is the only life I will have.
That brings me to a reality and fact of life that I like to escape from. I am going and doing a lot without the aid of my canes. The canes are stuck here, there and over yon way, but seldom at hand and in use. I keep one in each vehicle just in case I need to work on uneven terrain at times. Yesterday, I was able to compare walking with and without a cane. I chose to take my cane to the Festival in Morganton since I had to park away from the Museum I was headed to. Thank goodness, I had it. I would have had to walk much further to get into the building had it not been for the cane. There were steps to climb - steep, old-timey type steps. Only with the use of the cane, was I able to conquer the climb upward.
We walked around on the grass looking at the craft tents set up around the old Court House. I had no problems because I had the cane to help keep me stable. It was good for resting along the way as well. Over all, the cane was a definite help and enabled me to go further and stay longer for the afternoon outing. Now the question, am I able to forgo any stigma attached to having to use a cane in daily life? I would not have to use it constantly, but it could prevent an accident waiting to happen. It most certainly can give me more options for taking part in daily living Wake up Stormy Jeanne! Heed the warnings! Play it safe.
September 10, 2000 - This was the Sunday for me to dress up for a change; earrings, rings, watch and all. The one person to mention that I looked nice was not anyone one would have thought of coming up with a comment of that sort. You would think that it would be someone that knows you well and is observant of changes you make. The secret formula must be in the word observant. My Aunt commented at McD’s that I let her down by wearing a jumper instead of dress pants. Truth is that at church about as many wear pants to church as those that still opt wearing dresses. Mother’s new roommate that is 98 years old was the only one to notice that I looked “real nice” in my outfit of the day. She said that my dress was pretty and looked so good. She really liked it.
Tbird brought over her brood later on in the afternoon for me to keep for a few hours while she and hubby attended a meeting at church. After they left, Wes and his crew came by. I was surprised. I had forgotten that today was Grandparents Day. BingoKid brought me a neat little paper box. When it opened up some flowers pop up and a tune is played. BusyKid brought me a true child’s card wishing me a Happy Grandparents’ Day. Somewhere in the middle of all that Allan and his family came by, too. They had been to Grandfather Mountain this afternoon and walked on the new suspension bridge that replaces the swinging mile-high bridge of old and saw all the animals.
I spent the evening trying to figure out how to get my computer and scanner to work together. I found another site which I can leave messages and receive help. I could call the company, but with my knowledge of computer terms, I would waste a lot of money of long distance fees just sorting out the terminology . I’ll give the email a try first. Maybe I’ll learn a little more about what’s what or with any luck at all my son will happen by and have time to work on it.
September 11, 2000 - All I want to do today is stay in bed and do nothing. I have to drag myself out barely in time to carry out the trash before leaving for Quest. My hip and leg is bothering me some, so I spend about twenty minutes in the steam room before I go into the pool. Thank goodness I do! The water was on the cool side this morning. I got loosened up some before the class began.
After the water today, I had another class I had signed up for. This class was on Cholesterol and lasted for an hour and a half. Because of the length of this class we had to pay a ten dollar fee. As it turned out, I think I did better with some of the free classes than the one today. There were some good pointers given, but all-in-all most of the information was things I already knew. For the money, I just didn’t feel that I got that much out of the overall class experience.
In a nutshell, I actually didn’t learn anything new. There are good guys and bad guys in the world of Cholesterol. The good guys you want to build up and have more of. The bad guys you want less of. There are two types of fat. There is the animal fat and then there is the plant fat. Plant fat is sort of good for you. Animal fat is a no-no. Keep it to a minimum. We used a cute little wheel to calculate the amount of actual fat in a variety of items. We had to turn the wheel back in after learning how to use it. The statements on the outside of the packages were not necessarily so. Many, rather most, all the packages had more fat in the contents than the label led us to believe. All of this I had learned years back when I was on the Optifast program.
From fats and calories naturally the class turned to the great benefits of fiber in the daily diet plan. One would get the impression that living on a fiber diet would make one healthy and wise. The final diet plan was a daily guide for meals containing lots of fiber and little animal fat.
Back home, it seemed all I could do was head for my bed and rest. I go tomorrow for another series of shots on my back. One part of me wants to forget it and not go. The other part of me says that maybe this is the next step that will give me a new and improved quality of life. I’m concerned mainly because I don’t know that much about the laser and its effects and long term results. Guess I’ll be finding out tomorrow. Meanwhile, I drag out of bed long enough to visit with Mother.
I know that Mother has not been eating well, so I run by Wendy’s and get her some chili which she usually enjoys along with a Wendy’s frosty dessert. I’m glad I did because when I got to the nursing center, Mother had only eaten the creamed potatoes off her plate and left the rest. She ate all the chili and most of the frosty. I left her with the assurance that I would let her know how things go tomorrow.
September 12, 2000 - To begin with this morning, I get my medicine list updated and ready to take with me this afternoon to HealthSouth. Each time I have to fill out a questionnaire and list my medicines before signing the authorization for the work to begin on my back. Then comes the IV in my hand (I hope not my arm, again) for the happy juice that is injected before the procedure. Allan is taking me this time and will be my designated driver for the afternoon. He is concerned about how much time he will have to sit around and wait. He is not a good sitter-down and waiter-type of being. But, since I may have the laser done instead of the regular injections, I’m glad to have him there with me if I should need more help on decisions and stuff like that.
I’ll be off to Q4L first thing this morning for my regular session. I’m still tired, but when I am in the water and its buoyancy takes away some of my weight, it is easier to move and do things. It’s when the gravity takes over as I climb the steps coming out of the water that the heavy, tired, painful feelings return. Perhaps this afternoon will be able to change some of that for me.
It’s off to Hickory for my procedure and then back home to sleep off the joy juice for the rest of the afternoon and evening. Wonder how I’ll be motivating tomorrow?
September 13, 2000 - Today’s moving about is not as good as one would like to be experiencing. There is noticeably less pain on the right side where the shots were done this trip. The doctor does two blocks to make sure that is what works best before going to the laser work. There was trouble finding a vein that would accommodate the IV prep. After the nurses trying three times the doctor comes along and pops a needle in place on the side of the left wrist in a matter of seconds. I have no bruising today to show off the places stuck yesterday.
We worked a little on the spa this morning and turned up the heater and added more water. I was ready for a rest spell after only a little work on my part. That’s when I realized how weak my back was feeling and how low my energy level was. Other than a little time at the computer, the rest of the day was spent resting and being lazy.
Wes came by after work and was able to get my computer fixed, finally. Now I can do scanning on the computer as well as use my digital camera. He ended up reinstalling the printer in order to get it to work. He called the company and found that not only do you make the long distant call and pay for the time, but thez charge a $25 fee for help. While waiting, he decided to try the reinstalling and, voila! It worked. Now it appears that I owe him the fee.
Now I can add the picture we had in the local newspaper of our water exercise group sporting our Catalina suits and hoping to find more of them before too long. The Q4L Water Group.
One year ago Hurricane Floyd hit the coast of North Carolina. There are still over three thousand families living in the temporary trailers provided for them shortly after the waters subsided. Many whole communities are still left deserted and unfixed even yet. Much is yet to be done. Hurricane Florence had to come and tease the coast line this week, but is beginning to move out to sea and away from the coast. It has brought dangerous riptides and caused several deaths. There is still a chance of more dangerous storms to form along the coast.
September 14, 2000 - Keeping to the deeper water this morning made my regular regime a wee bit easier for me. There is a sort of a kind of “quickie-like” feeling across the middle of my lower back. That’s much better than having stabbing pain shooting around and migrating down the leg. Wonder what the affect would be if both sides of the back were done at the same time? I’m happy for what I get and will practice being able to await the other side’s turn for relief.
My past caught up with me this morning. It was a good review of past working days. A parent of two girls I taught many years ago was in the water with us. She has Fibro and has a lot of pain and difficulties to contend with, and is joining us seeking help in the water. She was commenting on how much her girls enjoyed their time with me in school and how they both loved me as their teacher. I had to confess that, yes, I do miss working with children now. A lot of the hassle and to-do that accompanies the classroom environment is not missed, but children are so special. Each one unique in his/her own way.
A late evening phone call from Tbird brought that fact to mind again. Seems that DynoKid did the one mile run at school today and broke a record for speed at the school. He ran it in less than eight minutes which qualifies him for the President’s List on Physical Fitness. Big Brother, NascarKid, took the feat as a wake up call. It made him realize that DynoKid can do something better than he can. He is not just a little kid, but is capable of doing big things. The report came to me that Big Brother has spent all evening at home running and trying to improve his own skills. He has made the National List, but not the President’s! His soccer game tonight was played with a lot more gusto as well. All of a sudden, the world has taken on a different look.
Our cable company does some strange things at times. I listen to the music on TV a lot at night to help the hours pass quicker. The company has a service that it offers where locals can advertise while music plays in the background. Talking is at a minimum. Strangely, some nights it is on channel ten and offers more classic country type music throughout the early hours of the new day. At other times, it is found on channel three which is a government channel throughout the day. When it is on channel three, there is always classical music only playing out of Tennessee. It is always a toss-up as to where you are going to find it on any given night. The station on channel 35 does advertising around the clock of cars and houses for sale as the music department of Davidson College plays music. I love their music, but the flashing pictures are a bother during the darkness and I am trying to relax. Oh, I know I should be sleeping, but at times sleep is impossible. Tonight is one of those times.
~continued ~ Page three
©2000 by Stormy Jeanne
