This is the snowman I used for my bird post last Saturday. A lot of people still have their decorations up. I think the snow has hampered people taking them in.
Hello Family and Friends, here is my latest weekly missive. Thank you for continually letting me know you enjoy these. They are full of the mundane I realize, but fun for our family to look back even at the mundane. At the same time, hoping it won’t be too boring for you. Definitely feel free to skip. No one is taking notes, ha!
The above shows our weather forecast for the week beginning 1/20/25. I also left in Sunday (19th) to show the snow.
Monday, January 13th, 2025: not much going on today except that I did find an old sketch pad with colored pencils. I have been inspired by some of you talented artists out there. Anne, Sandra (MadSnapper) and Christine.
I am having a hard time finding the right colored pencils as the names are not just black, brown, white, yellow. How about, “Water You Up To?”, “Into The Woods”, “It’s getting S’late”. What the Howdy Doodee is that??? Howdy Doody is my question but come to think of it, that would make a good name for something, or not.
Gregg treated me to the above. I complained that after looking through all those colors, I couldn't find black which I must have misplaced way back, just before I tucked them into a storage box. All forgotten until coming across them recently. Lots of black pencils here in my new set.
Tuesday, January 14th, 2025: I went to my second physiotherapy appointment. We arrived at 3:20 p.m. for a 3:30 session. This young man walked in - he looked like a teenager but people seem to be getting younger to me these days. He took me in the back room, which resembles a mini gym.
There were two others being seen to. Young man showed me to a recumbent exercise bicycle, where I was told to do a certain amount of rotations. The next one had me standing on tip-toes, a few wall exercises, one with me holding a medium-sized ball behind my knee and when finished with those, my regular physiotherapist directed me to a table which can be automatically lowered, which she did for me to scoot on the thing.
I had to lie down while she manipulated my knee/leg in different directions and then she gave my knee the most wonderful massage with warm oils. I don't like being touched by strangers, but this was the most soothing massage and really eased my sore knee. Gregg was at my side the whole time and I turned and told him quite seriously he would have loved this.
There was a very cute toddler brought in by his grandmother. She was the receptionist and maybe not a regular thing, but she was looking after her grandson that day. I thought it was rather nice that they let her do that. He was good soul therapy. His job was to bring lollypops around which were accepted with thank you’s. We, staff and patients, thought he was a little darling. Not a bother at all and everyone worked around him, everyone smiled.
The place was actually very quiet. There was a lady about my age who had broken her wrist, and she got a workout finishing off with a wrist massage. There was also a young man whose finger had grown back in on itself at a 90 degree angle after a sports injury. He had had it operated on but the therapist told him he needed to go back to his doctor. She implied that she didn't think it was healing as fast as it should. He was 16 years old. Gregg told me all this later as even though we were not very far away, I am getting as deaf as a doorpost and he still has ears like a hawk. Something else I have to get checked out soon.
Just as a matter of interesting this place has a very good reputation. Our local professional football team send their injured here. Also, I have seen a few high schoolers who have had sports injuries hobbling around while waiting in the foyer for Gregg to fetch the car.
It was an interesting time, one that I wasn't looking forward to but came out feeling like I was heading in the right direction. My knee and leg were a bit sore the next day (15th). To be expected I suppose but the therapist said that would get better as my knee strengthened. My session was about 45 minutes and I was out the door.
We went to McDonald’s on the way home. I forgot to take my water so had a Sprite. Usual burger and fries. I told Gregg I was getting tired of fast food. He looked shocked (fake tease shock). He will readily admit that he can eat fast food until the cows come home.
What I don’t get tired of is my stop at the coffee shop for a latte and a new addition, “way-to-go-girl-pat-on-the-back-for-going” chocolate brownie, so it's all relative. Paired with my coffee, a brownie is a great treat and not one I get all the time but after my therapy sessions, what can I say? Last Friday I did the same. I am having a talking to myself for my next session at the end of the week. My other self will probably tell me to stop kidding yourself, go for it.
I went to bed at 10:00 p.m. but looked outside first. It was snowing, not hard but enough for it to start sticking on the deck. It wasn't even in our forecast. (The next morning it was negligible.) We still have a lot of snow left from last week.
Wedesday, January 15th, 2025: Gregg cooked a great breakfast this morning. We had leftover cubed boiled potatoes which he sautéed, along with a sautéed egg and a brioche bun. He was looking for hamburger rolls yesterday and they were sold out. The only buns available were these brioche ones, four to a pack. We had one each for our cheeseburger and then today with breakfast. We will get them again sometime.
For dinner we're having the slow-cooker meal I shared from Pinterest here. You can scroll down on that page for a refresh if needed. I put yeast on the shopping list to make rolls, but I'll leave that for now. It's our "trying-not-to-add-to-the-carbs-meal-we're-cooking-today" day. Nice thing about this is that as soon as I got up, I put the ingredients into the slow cooker. It will be very nice having a hot meal to put on the table with very little fuss later on. My dear other half says we should use the slow cooker more often and I agreed. For a snack earlier I had a handful of dried edamame beans, with a couple of dates.
My exercise odds and bods arrived. I ordered a 6" pilates(?) ball. This is what I used during my session (You may notice in this picture our Christmas tree is still in the family room. I will have to start taking the ornaments off soon. It is normally taken down on 12th Night.)
Next item, a stretch band to wrap around my foot and I told Gregg I'll take the body and he can toss the band thank you very much...
and eureka...walking shoes that actually fit!
I had never heard of this brand before - Fitville. I looked on my laptop and in the subject line put “walking shoes for people who need extra support”. I was very happy that they fit, and had ordered a size bigger as I also wear thick socks in the wintertime.
A far cry from my 5-inch heel green satin pointy shoes it took me five months to save up for when I was 21. I needed them for a local Christmas ball I had been invited to. It was a very big deal to me. I had already bought myself a green halter-style satin evening dress, an almost perfect match in color, and I could actually dance in high heels back in those days.
Sensible shoes, that's what I'm into these days!
And still on the subject of knees and such, I had the most interesting conversation with my dear other half this morning. He was asking how my knee was feeling, I told him it was sore but we both agreed, understandable after my work-out session yesterday.
We were talking about how people developed knee issues. I have had several friends over the years with the same thing. Word for word: The man stopped me in my tracks as he suddenly said, "I wonder if it's because you are slightly knock-kneed?" “What?” I said, "What???" To which he replied, "The surgeon told you that and so did the therapist." "What????"
"You didn't hear that?" he said. "No, I didn't hear that!" I said. Flabbergasted, that's what I was. Not surprising that I didn't hear these two professionals as not only am I a bit hard of hearing, I also have white-coat syndrome. I can literally close down and may have missed a word or two or three. That's why I'm glad Gregg has always gone in with me for my evaluations. He has a great memory and misses nothing.
"Knock-kneed?" I said again, at which he replied, "You didn't know? I've known it ever since we met!" "What??????? And you didn't think to mention this to me before? It's been flipping 49 years!" Admiral Akbar turned up at this point. I saw him whispering in Gregg's ear. "It's a trap!"
Hubs continued, "Well, I thought you knew, and I never thought about it again until the doctor and therapist mentioned it. I don't look down at your knees too much." Akbar is rolling his eyes to the ceiling. I told him, "No doctor throughout my childhood ever mentioned it to me. I know my parents never said anything. I am not even sure they knew." Again, flabbergasted! Maybe it was those 5-inch heeled green satin pointy shoes you think? No, I don't think so either. I was born this way.
So, apparently, I'm knock-kneed and it may or may not be partly why I have knee issues now. Who knew? Not me! You live and learn every day about yourself. At 74, soon to be 75, I'm learning this and that's the end of that subject.
I may have given Gregg the side-eye a few times that evening, as Admiral Akbar wrapped one arm protectively around his shoulders, this as I rolled my eyes to the ceiling. I may have shaken my head a few times but am now resigned to the fact. And away the Admiral went, happy that all was well in our Star Wars Universe. And when I read this to Gregg I got the desired effect, he laughed out loud. I hope our son will too when he reads it. (He did!) We all have our funny conversations at times and never take ourselves too seriously. And yes, two in our family are Star Wars fans, and the third knows who Admiral Akbar is.
Thursday, January 16th, 2025 - 3:03 p.m: Gregg is out of the house with son. I told them both to go enjoy themselves. I am very happy with my own company for a few hours. They will probably be having Mexican food for lunch, generally having a chit chat and looking around for a bit. (They had pizza for a change.)
So far today, at breakfast I had my Weetabix with a few almonds, a tablespoon of pumpkin seeds and three dates, same-oh, same-oh but always enjoyed.
Lunch was a Trader Joe's Scallion Pancake topped with mashed avocado, and on top of that half a cup of mashed sweet potato.
For dinner I had a bowl of tortellini, spinach and tomatoes made the day before. This is another dish that could benefit from more broth as I think the tortellini absorbs whatever liquid there is. I couldn’t be bothered to add any more however and just ate it as is.
Adding one more thing about this dish to remind me when I make it again, I noticed when I spooned it into our bowls the first day, there was plenty of broth, but it seemed to me the liquid had curdled somewhat. I am thinking this may have been because of adding the diced tomatoes and not draining the can first. I thought the extra liquid would only add flavor to the meal. Did this make it too acidic? Not sure! I attempted to stir it in without too much success, but it didn’t detract from the taste. It was still yummy even with everything I mentioned.
Fun looking at the birds. The Northern Flicker turned up unexpectedly and a yay from me. He was trying to shoo off the Mourning Dove who was already at one of the feeders, but the dove stood its ground. I was quite proud of the dove, but glad the flicker got a feed later.
Friday, January 17th, 2025 - 8:23 p.m: I came back to continue what I had written - one very long page and must have accidentally deleted it. So, after taking a long break I am starting again:
My second appointment of the week with the physiotherapist was at 1.00 p.m. We are asked to turn up ten minutes early, but we arrived with 20 minutes to spare. It allowed us to have a nice chat with the receptionist. This is the lady who brought in her grandson last time.
She is a big football fan and mentioned the upcoming game. I'm lost on these things, but I try to keep up. My dear other half 's mom enjoyed all sports as her dad used to take her to games. My dad, as I have mentioned before, believed young ladies should not involve themselves in sports, perish the thought. Mother was not into sports either and Dad was a complete love but still had one foot in Victoriana, and I say this while blessing his cotton socks.
My other half knows all about individual players. The lady and he went on at some length, and knew all the statistics on each player. I just said, oh, that's interesting. I wish I was more enthusiastic, but I see a ball and I glaze over. Except golf. I enjoyed watching golf but not for a long time. As mentioned in another post a while back, we got rid of our TV and don't regret it, yet. Our iPads have replaced our need for television. I had stopped watching for about a year before Gregg said we should get rid of it. We kept the internet and that was it.
Anyhow, getting back to my physiotherapy session, a young lady came to get me this time. Gregg always likes to come in with me, and I noticed a couple of husbands with their wives who were getting work done this time. The place was busier. One man but mostly women, I found that interesting. There were knees, ankles and hips being dealt with, and all walking around with canes, including me to start, and I am getting used to it.
My therapist is warming to us I think. She was more chatty but still had a job to do and was very professional. The massage on my knee was my most favorite of all. Manipulations and movement not so much. I winced several times with one out-loud "ouch" and I apologized. (I found the exercises before I started with the main therapist more difficult also, especially the tippy-toe one.)
I wore my new shoes and she noticed them straight away. I felt like a student with her teacher. She approved! Have to say though, that after wearing my light flatties all this time, I felt like I was walking around in a pair of gum boots.
It was a tougher session that usual, even more than last time, but I suppose this is the way it is. I was glad it was over with, and I appreciate her help with my recovery process, but if I could have done cartwheels out of that place, I would have.
Strangely, the car pointed its way back to the Golden Arches, and then to the coffee drive-thru, coffee plus brownie on the way back. My sensible personality who was still wagging her finger at me, didn't get much of a say today either. Gregg pointed the car’s nose to Mickey D's, and I pointed its nose to the coffee drive-thru.
On the way home my phone rang and it was my niece in Germany on FaceTime. We had a problem with voices cutting in and out but I'm thinking it was because we were going by all the electric lines. Okay, not an expert but we decided to call back when we got home 20 minutes later, as it is electric lines all the way home.
Everything was back to normal once we were home, no static and no cutting in and out. We had a super chat with niece, her boyfriend and his daughter. Great news, all three are coming to visit us in April! As you can guess I am very, very, very happy. My niece mentioned this a couple of weeks ago, and then recently the daughter asked if she could come too. We were delighted at the idea and told them so. I have always been very close to my niece since she was a wee one and seeing her for the first time. I have loved her dearly ever since. We were on the phone for about an hour, all five of us chatting away. The time went quickly and all we need now is the exact date of their arrival.
The rest of the day I had my knee up on cushions and didn't do a lot else other than read. I did get up to try and get a bit of movement going. I always remember an old friend a little older than me wincing at her aches and pains as I expressed concern. She told me not to worry, that when we get to this age, we come with sound effects. Oh how right she was!
Saturday, January 18th, 2025 - 12:44 p.m: Gregg went to our supermarket to get our weekly breakfast donut, and my coffee a couple of doors up. A very welcome start to the morning.
There is still snow on the ground, but I can see a lot has melted.
I have started taking the ornaments off the tree :(
I figured I had to make a start. I dragged the kitchen chair over and will do it in bits and dabs during the day. Son will be here tomorrow and we will ask him to take the tree down to the basement for us. I always miss that tree for a while.
Nothing else going on today, just pottering. Nothing too exciting for lunch or dinner. Same-oh, same-oh.
Sunday, January 19th, 2025: it has been raining this morning. We seem to be on the edge of the snow line, so we are wondering if we will get any (we did).
Son came over for his usual couple of hours or so. He drops off our daughter-in-law and picks her up when she's finished a few hours later. Gregg cooked us breakfast: a slice of sourdough toast, bacon and egg. It was excellent! While he was here and the three of us were chatting in the family room later, I took several ornaments off the tree but not all. I am going to finish up tomorrow.
Not long after son left, we had a lovely chat with brother-in-law in Germany. Only half an hour chat today. We had gotten through all the news the last time we talked a few days ago.
It also started snowing, rain at first, then sleet and then larger flakes. The juncos are stalwarts, all the other birds disappeared but several of these little ones were at the feeders, or hopping around underneath.
A few hours after that, son and daughter-in-law sent us great photos from their walk in the snow. They have nice trails around their place. I admire them for getting out in it. Everywhere looked beautiful!
Very nice people had attached these to trees along their walk. How kind of them to surprise unsuspecting walkers along the trail.
Thank you nice people! When I saw these photos I had a big one on my face, I hope they give you one too.
And a big thank you to our sweeties for sending their photos to us.
That's all for this week's missive.
Thanks for looking.
Stay warm, stay happy and always know someone out there loves you.
