Fire and ice

After what feels like A-G-E-S on some fronts, things are starting to happen.

I now have a surgery date, April 9, along with assorted pre- and post-op appointments on my calendar. A week after my ortho appointment I had a pre-op appointment with one of the anesthesiologists at Salem Hospital. The good news is that he, too, thinks I am an optimal candidate for a bi-lateral knee replacement surgery based on my labs and EKG. The not-so-good news is that my BMI limits the total amount of anesthesia that can be administered; since the spinal and sedation are non-negotiable, that means that the nerve blocks needed for two legs will have to be carefully calibrated and I can't get as much as a heavier person would. Cue a tougher recovery – but hey, it's still only one recovery.  (I'm trying to focus on the positive but yes, I'm a little nervous about the surgery and recovery.) 

We have finally secured a new location for the clinic. After looking for months, DH and I happened to drive past an small office building a week ago tonight and I spied a sign. I told Rick to turn around, I noted the broker's name and number, and sent her a text. Late Monday afternoon she sent me some information which sounded promising, and we went to look at it. Before we left, she had talked with the owner and we made a verbal commitment to a three-year lease. My boss at my part-time job is going to sublet from us as her current space is both bigger and harder to access (stairs) than she needs, which will make it more affordable for us. We already have keys, although some work (replace flooring, build a dividing wall) has to be done before we can all move in.

The "For Lease" sign is now gone!

No replacement secretary/receptionist yet, but we have interviewed several. In looking over my recent posts, I don't think I mentioned that Rick's secretary went from halftime on January 1 to, rather abruptly, full retirement at the end of January. So I have been 'as busy as ten things' as my mom used to say, doing twice-daily barn chores and what house chores I can squeeze in while working two jobs and trying to become more proficient at ALL the tasks at the clinic. It's enough to make me almost look forward to the enforced downtime after surgery!

an increasingly rare ride

In the meantime, we have run the full gamut of PNW winter weather. January was cold and mostly dry, while February brought first a dusting and then a blanket of snow that lasted three days. Now we're back to typical rain and above freezing temperatures. The hens and Stella are responding to the lengthening daylight with more eggs and shedding hair (Lance holds on to his winter coat far longer).

I'm still posting to IG/FB as I can. Here is what I've posted since I last blogged.

"Lance enjoying a sloppy-good roll after the arena footing thawed."

"From awkward (Lance yesterday) to elegant (Poppy today). We have all kinds here!"

"I love public art! (Taken at Salem Hospital after pre-op appointment.)"

"If you are looking for the beauty, it's easy to ignore the power lines."

"Fire in the hole!" (two photos)

"Leo's morning bliss: warm hearth, full tummy, and LOVES."

"Well-camouflaged visitor this morning."

"Full moon in a clear sky. Not a common winter occurrence here!"

"Preparing for even colder weather (the barn cat wants to prepare by becoming a house cat)."

"The hot-rodder and the plodder. Lance, born and raised in Lincoln City, hated the wind and snow in his face; Stella, born and raised in southern Oregon, wasn't at all fazed."

"Good morning! A winter parfait of snow/ice/snow here."

"I hadn't filled our feeder in a year, but in the recent snow, birds showed up looking for fuel. Of course I obliged (with black oil sunflower seeds). A little bird must have told this hungry soul." 

"Today's neighborhood entertainment–a training burn. The fire crews were gathering when we left this morning; an inferno was raging when we returned three hours later."

That's the latest update from . . .