How I Spent My Summer Vacation

Thief! Quick, call the police! It's gone! Where in the world did this summer get to? Lincoln Public Schools has started already! I was terribly busy all summer (I didn't even get out cards for birthdays and graduations from May through August 16) but can't really give you an indication of any actual progress in getting the house in order, quilting projects done, or my photo albums put in order. But here's a quick review of the highlights of my speed-of-light summer.

Garden Party
Deb H. and I hosted the 2nd Annual Garden Party at her house for Quilt Group June 22. Members of quilt group take turns hosting group for our monthly get-togethers to sew. But Deb and I each own cats (can you ever REALLY own a cat?) and several members are allergic so we don’t have to clean house and, um…I mean, um, SADLY we miss out on the joy of taking our turn having our buds over. But Deb wants to share her garden so she and I put up a giant tent in her backyard and treat the crew to a picnic luncheon in her backyard surrounded by the flora. They enter her house only to fill their plates from the spread on the buffet table. The theme this year was Shabby Chic and we served chicken salad and cucumber sandwiches, fresh fruit, deviled eggs, and strawberry cream cheese pie on mismatched china, with vintage tablecloths and napkins. We gave everyone a floral fat quarter as a party favor.

Courtyard Book Chats...In the Garden
Tuesday, June 24, 2008 I had the opportunity to participate in the downtown library's book talk series held over the noon hour during the summer. Usually they are held in the courtyard at Bennett Martin, but this year we rolled our book carts across the street to the Lincoln Foundation Garden and held the book talks there. They ran 12:15-12:45pm, and participants ate their lunches while listening to staff discuss their latest reads. My topic was Cooking Adoptive Royal Killers." Intrigued? That's what Book Chats Organizer Scott C. was hoping when he acquiesced to my choice of title.

Workman’s Comp
I injured my right shoulder at work on June 26. I tried lifting a box filled with bound periodicals and the box won. I had a sling for my arm for the first month but it was darn hard to type and use a mouse when I was hog-tied like that. I go to Physical Therapy twice a week and do exercises 3x/day. I finally have full-range of motion but it’s painful and I have no strength when I do manage to fully extend that arm. Drat, my Major League pitching career is over (no wait, I’m a southpaw). Cassie enjoys doing my exercises with me. Who knew I did so much with my right arm? Showering is difficult. Cassie likes to carry the laundry basket for me. I can’t iron. I drag a grocery cart behind me with my left arm. I easily lose my balance now that my right wing is unable to help stabilize me. All my household projects are still waiting for me.

I’m surprised at the number of library patrons who ask about my arm and inquire as to how I’m doing. Even the cranky, rude ones who barely grunt at me when I inform them we’re closing in 5 min, or the ones I'm always kicking out, and even the ones I REALLY wish to avoid. The days I go without my sling they notice and ask if that’s a sign that I’m getting better. I work in a fish bowl.

FAMILY GATHERINGS
Father’s Day
I was too busy to pull together the 20th annual Father’s Day Picnic held at our place, so I initially postponed it, then just flat-out cancelled the affair for this year. But we did gather at Mom’s and gave Mark, and brother Scott, some gifts.

July 4 was held at Mom’s. I took over the hamburger (but Scott mixed up the burgers so I didn’t have to do that), the dogs, the buns, pickles, taco chips, Fritos, and Pringle’s Salt & Vinegar potato chips (Cassie loves those. Bleah.). I made a taco dip, deviled eggs and a pasta salad, and we used my colorful July 4 paperplates, cups, napkins, and tablecover. Mom made her yummy potato salad, and Scott and Cassie made the ice cream. Scott also grilled kabobs and chicken pieces in his special breading. We didn’t suffer for lack of food.

Earlier in the day, Cassie and I took Mom to the cemetery. We arranged a patriotic spray of flowers, and we shot off a few fireworks at Dad’s grave – July 4 was one of his favorite holidays. We picked up after ourselves but deliberately left a few smoke bombs on the headstone.

Back at Mom’s we shot off a ton of snakes, parachutes, tanks, and fountains. Cassie still doesn’t like loud noises and kept her hands over her ears but she did much better this year. Cassie spent the night at Grma’s for her first sleepover. I don’t know which of them was more excited. Grma got ready for bed while I helped Cassie shower, then I tucked them both into bed. I peeked in on them a few min later after I got the picnic paraphernalia packed in the van and found Cassie reading to Grma. Home was too quiet without her around.

Health Issues

I finally got around to scheduling my annual doctor appointment. You know you've hit 50 when you have to schedule a colonoscopy and bone density scan along with the usual blood work-up and squishing (mammogram). And while I liked hearing "your hips are thinning" it turns out my doc had a completely different opinion than I of what that meant. Drat. So I'm taking a calcium supplement and we're discussing HRT.

Then I had a root canal. My dentist sent me to the UNL Dental College and it turned out to be an easy procedure. Textbook. I was surprised. He drilled a narrow opening through the crown of the tooth, did what he needed to, and resealed the opening. The crown didn't break, I had no subsequent infection or swelling, and no pain - just tenderness for a couple of days while eating.

Cassie turned up with Strep Throat. She had a fever for three days that ran between 99 and 103 but otherwise no other symptoms. I averaged three hours of sleep a night while sponging her down with a cool cloth - of course her fever topped out during the night - but the upside was we had some interesting conversations (more on that another time). Doc prescribed amoxicillin and two days later she returned to daycare.

A week later Cassie awoke with what looked like little spider bites. I wasn't concerned since it's the season for spiders to get inside a house, so we headed out to First-Plymouth for Vacation Church School (I was volunteering with the Second-Graders and she was with the First-Graders). By the time VCS ended three hours later she was covered with hives. The doc wanted to see her and in the end he determined her strep was gone, she's allergic to penicillin, and we were to treat the hives. Poor kid, it took another two days for the hives to peak and the Benadryl to kick in, and she was miserable. (Her poor mother got no sleep either...)

Mark's mom had a stroke. Or rather, a series of strokes before she finally got to the hospital. Three Saturday's ago she felt weak, even lost conciousness, but stayed home thinking that if she took it easy she'd feel better. By Tuesday when her card group met, they recognized that she needed medical aid and called the ambulance. She continued to have several small strokes (as if any kind of stroke can be considered inconsequential) while in the hospital and they warned a Big One was on its way. So coworkers rearranged schedules so I could leave town and we headed up to Creighton. The Big One hasn't occurred and the smaller strokes have stopped. The docs say the longer between each episode the better her chances. She can't move her left leg, has partial movement of the left arm though her grip is firm, and she has difficulty speaking - she can get out only three or four words at a time and you can see she's working hard to form the words. But she has all her faculties. She's currently undergoing physical therapy and has been moved to the nursing home while undergoing treatment.

Well, this is just the tip of the iceberg but you get the idea that this summer has been jam-packed with activities, occasions, and drama. No wonder I'm so tired.