Getting bored and getting out

I am more a woman of action than a woman of leisure. The forced downtime of stroke, sciatica, and then angry toe has me going a bit stir-crazy, but I'm reluctant to aggravate the former or latter (the drugs I'm on seem to have kicked sciatica's butt – yay!). I did go to two doctor's appointments prior to this week thanks to friends who drove me, and was ready for a good nap after each. Because of that, I decided to stay home from church again last Sabbath because there was a memorial service at 3:00 we needed to attend, and spending basically all day away was just too much. As it was, after the memorial service I rode with Rick to treat a patient; I fell asleep on the drive home and went to bed to sleep some more once we got home. On Sunday afternoon Rick had to check on the same patient, and I agreed to ride with him again. Afterwards we stopped at Costco, then the Italian deli where he has bought the heavenly cannoli; they didn't have cannoli but we got delicious paninis and even more heavenly tiramisu that we ate in the truck. I got home without needing to crash, probably because there was little human interaction (besides my husband) or other activity that took much brain power.

After taking it easy on Monday, I tackled working a few hours at the office on Tuesday. I rode in with Rick, then my boss gave me a ride home when I was done. There was work I could have done on the clinic side, but that had to wait for another day; it amazes me how fast my brain tires post-stroke!

Wednesday was sunny and dry, so I decided to walk down to the barn and turn the horses out in the arena. I don't know if/when the guys have turned them out since my stroke, so I decided to lead them out one at a time. Lance and Stella were both very well-mannered on lead, but clearly needed to let off steam once released. By the time I decided to pull out my camera, Lance – turned out first – had mostly settled down to grub any green stuff.

I've been enjoying some "dessert spinning," luscious Inglenook Fibers “Frost Moon” sticklebatts made up of all kinds of fibers + glitter. After spinning nearly a pound of black wool last year plus eight ounces of dark navy last year and this, I needed something light and bright and fun! The December fiber snacks were a daily diversion, but I also put pressure on myself to keep up; there is no pressure but pleasure with the sticklebatts.

The pressure comes from other responsibilities. I need to do the clinic payroll tomorrow, but first I must bring my payroll ledger up to date after talking my husband through the bare bones for January's payroll. While in town tomorrow I'll do whatever office work I can, so I need to vacuum today while I have time and energy. Boring stuff, I know, so here are some pretty pictures made this week to end on more interesting notes:

Poppy, standing alert on my chest

Even the best nursemaids need a break

My first time cooking since the stroke, a well-received curry

A lovely view from the deck

That's it for now from . . .

Fair September

The first day of September was the last day of the Oregon State Fair. I drove down Thursday, August 28, but when I arrived Rick was in the middle of treating a horse who had gotten loose, slipped and fallen on the pavement, so the majority of my time there was assisting him with vet work. Afterwards we dashed over to catch the end of the Battle Between the Breeds competition, got falafel and salad for supper, walked through my favorite building, and just started taking in the photography exhibition when that building closed. I hoped to go back to the Fair one more time, but it didn't work out. So the following are my last photos from this year's Fair.

The Battle Between the Breeds competition. I was too overcommitted to volunteer.

The Morgan team, which won the class. Stella would have been black horse #3!

The Mustang team, some of whom are my riding buddies. The person at left works for Rick.

We sat and watched this entertaining mix of skills while we ate.

And on to my favorite building! Entries were down this year.

Loved this representation of how many people each farmer feeds, and the quilts in the background.

Artistic, all-edible cake decorating

"The Beat Goes On" marching band, always a favorite feature.

With September has come a shift in the weather. Not every day is relentlessly sunny and hot now; summer is faltering and fall is summoning change. That makes September fair as well! Yes, the days are getting shorter – and I am running out of time to find and freeze some peaches. I also need to continue making applesauce and start dehydrating our prunes. Our older tree lost two big branches this year due to heavy fruiting. We're working on firewood; Brian has cut and brought home two loads, and Rick has been dropping dead firs in our lower pasture. It's hard work putting up our abundant blessings for winter, but it is also satisfying.

The first load on the ground and split; the second load was removed and split Monday.

This morning's sunrise shining through the gaps from removing dead firs.

Chuckie says, "Take time to pet the barn cat."

My sister texted me the following photo and daycare note, perhaps from among the things the neighbors found and sent after my mom moved. There are more photos she wants me to help sort through when I visit and more daycare notes; what 'treasures' await? 😉

I was not a comely child!

Hilarious last sentence! Mom thinks I was not yet 2 1/2 at this time.

That's it for now from . . .

Proof of life

After my dad died (dad #2, that is), I tried to call my mom daily to make sure she was doing okay. She didn't always hear her phone (or didn't know where it was, or had inadvertently silenced it) so after asking the neighbors to check on her at various times, I finally asked her to check in with me instead, even if it was just to text "POL" (for Proof Of Life).

I have been trying for awhile now to post here, but between a lack of discretionary time and physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion, I just couldn't get 'er done. Then yesterday I got a sweet PM from a Rav-pal, checking in to see how life was going since I have so much on my plate these days and wanting me to know she is thinking of me. I took time this morning to respond to her, and decided my response, below, could be used to give my blogpals POL.

"Thanks for checking in. I'm keeping my head – well, at least my nostrils – above water and that's about it.

“My surgery date is April  9 – if I don't have to delay it. We are still in the process of moving my husband's vet clinic into the new space, and yesterday I started training a new hire in the chaos of boxes and supplies everywhere and no phone service. I have some concerns about her and if she doesn't work out, I'll have to continue covering the office until someone else can be found and trained.

“My sister and I were going to converge on my mom in TX next week to help her get ready to move from a 5-bedroom, 2-car garage house into a 2-bedroom apartment near my sister's in NE, but she adamantly refused our help so I cancelled my ticket this morning. That takes one thing off my plate but we know she is NOT going to be able to do this without our help whether she likes it or not. Since her move-in date is May 1, I won't be able to BE any help if I don't change my surgery date. But the thought of postponing makes me cry; I'm taking two Aleve twice a day and am still barely functioning at times.

“The other thing that MUST be done before surgery is getting my flock of 15 sheared. Doing it myself in my usual time- and labor-intensive way isn't physically possible; getting on a  professional's schedule is iffy. But another Shetland breeder has agreed to come help me, so I think we'll get them sheared at least. Most of the skirting will probably have to wait, but I have a few fleeces already reserved that I will do my best to skirt and ship off before surgery/recovery.

“At least my son is working again!"

I have photos on my iPhone to share but not enough time to download and save them, so I'll just add one more piece of farm news. Bridget miscarried a dead lamb, so provided none of the little escape artist ewe lambs got bred through the fence, I don't have to worry about a lambing season. A blessing in a bane, I guess.

That's it for now from . . .

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 . . .