We had fun plans made for the fall, but they changed in an instant when I (Margie) lost my balance when getting up from my colonoscopy and hit my shoulder on a metal chair. The center’s Covid-19 policy had kept Barney in the waiting room, and the nurse had already left the recovery room so I could get dressed. Needless to say, once I started screaming, the nurses came running. The pain was horrible, and I still had to get my clothes on.
The result of the fall was 3 fractures (in red) and months of pain.
The hospital’s ER was about a block away, so Barney drove me instead of waiting for an ambulance. But even in the ER Barney couldn’t stay with me in the waiting room because of their Covid-19 restrictions. So for an hour I had to sit in a wheelchair in the waiting room all by myself, without anyone to talk to me or tell me it would be okay. Shock took over, and I was shaking and cold (and hungry). Once I was wheeled back to a treatment room, however, the care given and the staff were wonderful (Emory Johns Creek for those of you who live in our area).
Barney did capture a picture of my shoulder before he was kicked out of the waiting room. No, I’m not really that buff.
When we got home, Barney captured this look at my bruises.
During the first 3 weeks, Barney had to do almost everything for me. I’ve never been more thankful for another human being that I was for my husband in his caregiver mode. Most of the time I spent sitting up in bed watching TV and popping pain pills. My mind was so foggy that I couldn’t even read. About once a day, I’d venture downstairs just to see something different.
For 3 weeks I had to wear this brace full-time, even when I slept sitting up in bed. Luckily I had put up our fall decorations before “the fall.”
So much I couldn’t do for myself with only one hand available, and I’m right-hand dominant. Barney had to cut my my pumpkin pancakes for me at J. Christopher’s.
A couple of weeks after the fall, I had a re-do surgery on my right eye (after the cataract surgery in the summer) so a different type of lens could be put in. So much better.
The lens in the left eye will get changed in January, and then Barney will let me give away all of the frames I’ve kept over the years.
Barney had to take over the ironing (as well as cooking, cleaning, and grocery shopping) for a couple of months. Using my arm for anything was painful. We iron in the bedroom so we can watch a movie.
One of my treats during my days at home was having Megan and her mother, Beth, bring dinner for us. Loved having her kids in our living room.
Eventually the bones healed, and I could start driving. Physical therapy with my favorite therapist, Kara, started getting me out of the house a couple of times a week. Let me tell you, PT on a shoulder is so much more painful than on an ankle or wrist. Eventually I got a cortisone shot in my shoulder to loosen the inflammation. I’ll probably be seeing Kara for the next couple of months.
broken cars
One rainy afternoon our son, Jason, called to tell us he had been in an accident. No one was hurt, but his older car was declared totaled.
Jason’s last good-bye to his car.
A couple of weeks later he borrowed our CRV to go to the grocery store and then stop for an ice cream treat at the McDonald’s next to the Publix. As he was in the turning lane to get back on the main road, the driver in the car in front of him backed up into our car. Not fair to have both accidents happen to him within weeks of each other.
The teenage driver’s insurance took care of our deductible, so our CRV looks as good as new.
life with friends and family
In August we said good-bye to our good friends Mike and Sherry as they move to Charlotte, NC, to be closer to Mike’s kids and grandson.
In late-October we drove to Cashiers, NC, to have lunch at our favorite spot. We take the drive because of the fall colors we get to see as we drive along in the mountains. But we were too early this year.
Also in October we met Peggy (daughter-in-law) and Montana in Newberry, SC. The college had invited her to come for an informal visit in case she would want to play soccer for them during her college years. Such a fun get-away to see family in our part of the country and watch a soccer game with them.
Our California grandson, Tucker, played basketball this year at his middle school. Wish we could have visited to watch him. He’s in the middle of the picture looking at us.
In early November, our community joined together to celebrate the veterans who live here. More than 200 names were on the list of Windward veterans.
Barney and Jason are in front of the flag and its stand with Barney’s name on it. Such a cold day, but it was fun to celebrate with neighbors we didn’t know.
Then on the Marine Corps’ birthday, we celebrated! (Yes, Cool Whip; Barney is lactose-intolerant.)
Just had to include this picture of Barney to show off his 40-pound weight loss. We don’t know what caused it (he thinks it’s the 2nd Covid-19 vaccine shot), but I think he looks great, and he feels a lot better. Completely cutting out gluten helped alleviate some of his new intestinal problems.
We spent Thanksgiving with our friends Tom and Sintya, their daughter Liliana, and Sintya’s mother from Brazil. We got to bring the turkey, which is one of our favorite items to cook. This year we tried making stuffing for the turkey using gluten-free bread and our own seasonings; it was good.
After dinner, Liliana serenaded us on her violin. She’s 7 now and has been playing since she was 4. The violin gets bigger as she grows.
Liliana was baptized at church right around Thanksgiving time, and her parents were able to officiate. All of the 20-some children baptized that day had recorded a video about what this event meant to them.
In the fall, Barney and Jason spend hours blowing leaves to the driveway to put them in the electric mulcher. This mulch gives us a clean look when we put it back underneath the trees and around the plants. If we had to put pine straw underneath all of our hardwood trees, we’d go broke.
And here’s a look at the new mulch that’s just been spread. Jason said they emptied about 50 bags of shredded leaves today from work they’ve done the last month. So much work.
Winter weather is starting to come our way, which helps us look forward to our family coming for Christmas this year.
