Year One total hip replacement checkup

Yesterday was my one year checkup for my total hip replacement. Dr. Schall (Bone & Joint Clinic - Grand Forks, ND) also checked out my total knee replacement, my back (I have some arthritis deterioration in my spine), my other hip and knee. The prognosis was excellent, I do not have to see him for another year. Woo Hoo!

The probably reason for having this good report was due to following his instructions and doing many exercises. Over the past few weeks these are the changes I have become aware of:
1. less stiffness
2. more range of motion, dropping the level of the seat on my stationary bike by 1/4 inch increments when able to rotate easily.
3. walking 2 miles without pain or icing
4. no noticeable limp
5. sleeping through the night without a pillow between knees without pain
6. swimming 10-12 laps of all strokes consistently
7. more energy

I do not do the exercises recommended following surgery more than once or twice a week now and focus more on swimming, riding the stationary bike, and walking. Cross-training has helped increase my endurance and muscle tone.

If you are considering thr or tkr, follow through, it has been the best thing I have done for myself in many years. I had considerable back pain prior to my hip replacement which was relieved following my thr. In fact, I woke up from surgery without any back pain and have had very little since.

On to other areas.

Ardmore is definitely thinking spring. He has taken several trips to the Valley looking at grain trucks. Our old Ford needs to be replaced. He is thinking of a tag-axle, I want a tandem axle. He will make that decision and I will just go along with whatever he does.

We are worried about a wet spring. Last falls harvest was pretty wet and March has ended as a lion not a lamb. The beginning of April looks like it is going to be a lion also. After the beautiful weather prior to the snow on March 25 and some after that, it looks like Christmas not April. With only one month until we should be well into seeding, it looks like it isn't going too well. Farming is certainly at the mercy of the weather and northwest Minnesota is in the clutches of winter still.

The roads yesterday during the trip to and from Grand Forks left a lot to be desired. On the way, the roads were good to Thief River Falls then the predicted snow began and the roads became miserable in places, lots of drifting. On the way back the roads were not bad until after Thief River Falls. The wind had switched to the east and was drifting heavily on the east side of the road and I was driving north. At one time a semi had some problems on the west lane and the traffic from both north and south had come to a complete stop. A sheriff and a MN highway patrol car were preventing traffic from going in either direction. Finally we were given the go ahead but the driving was not fun. Roseau County had plowed though and from Strathcona on the road was pretty good until I reached highway 3 north of Badger. That was the worst road I had traveled on all day! I am home without incident though.

I did take some time to go to the mall in GF. Forgot to go to Bath and Body which was one of my main stops. Such in life, now I have to go back again or order online. I didn't even stop for lunch, just went straight home.

Today our granddaughter and husband begin the move into their new home. I am excited for them. I think they will find the home will bring them great satisfaction. I am excited to have Damen have a room of his own. That is so important. She now will be able to put him to bed and let him cry when she needs to. She can have a room for her exercise equipment, plus having a swimming pool and jacuzzi will be a benefit for them all.

The Roseau County Historical Society final Woman's History Month event went very well. I will do an update on the Red Hat and the Quilt event tomorrow.

Thought for the day: See this special spiritual thought Here

Veteran's Day

I always think of my dad when Memorial or Veteran's Days roll around. My dad served during WWII and although he never spoke very much about his service time, the few times he did, left an impression. One of the times he would talk about was when he was in France on the front lines. One dark night, they were in their fox holes waiting out the night when one of the soldiers behind him lit a cigarette. This was like a flare going off for the enemy and suddenly they were under fire. My dad told of how he lost some of his best buddies that night. All because one person decided he had to have that crazy cigarette! Often in our lives, it is the things that we do without thinking of the consequences or outcome that are our downfall. That circumstance was one of those times.
Our prayers must be for the leaders of our young men and women who are serving in areas of dispute now, such as Iraq and Afghanistan. I was listening to a former military Lieutenant on CSPAN tell of his time serving in Iraq. He spoke of how they were unsure of how to handle Iraq following the initial attack and what looked like an immediate win and how it has taken years to get to the situation where we can actually now see some progress. I feel that we are progressing only because they are hoping to have us leave their country. Now that Obama is in what will the result be? How long will be remain and what will the end result really be like.
Shopping
Today I went to Grand Forks to look for a winter coat. I wanted a coat that would be long enough so that if I wanted to walk when it was 10 - 20 below F I wouldn't feeze too much. I found a down coat at Eddie Bauer. That of course, didn't end the shopping day. I went to Target and Bath and Body and stocked up on toiletries. Picked up some winter gloves and a head cover that will keep me warm during the walks I plan to take. Then I headed for the Jelly Belly section and stocked up on about 15 different flavors. Ardmore and I are going to the temple in Bismarck this week so I thought it would be fun to have a treat for the road.
Tomorrow
Busy day at the museum again tomorrow. The art class is coming in to check the painting job I hope they will do. We also need to paint a couple of the other display areas and get the bunk stained. We have taken several of the exhibits apart so now need to get them together again. I called a noted military artifact collector in hopes he would exhibit some of his wonderful collection. He has collected WWII items for many years and has a fine collection. We don't have long to get our act together so we best get hopping!
Total Hip and Knee Replacement
I was thinking of the many things that have improved since I have had the two surgeries 9 and 4 months ago.
1. It is much easier to climb in and out of the car.
2. My back pain is not as bad as it was, although now I seem to have more pain on the opposite side.
3. My stamina is improving daily.
4. I can sleep without the awful pain I had before the hip surgery.
5. The trip to Grand Forks went well. I was able to walk for about two and a half hours back and forth across the mall, many times as I went to at least 10 stores for one reason or another. Super Target, I decided, was too much for my knee to handle as I didn't know where things were and knew I would give up before I got everything I needed.
6. Driving long distances don't bother me as much as they did before, Bismarck will be a real trial run though.
7. Exercising gets easier each day.

Soybean harvest

On Friday, Ardmore decided to try to combine the soybeans. He always asks me to come and get him when he takes a truck out, and it is invariably just before I am leaving for work, which always makes me late. This time was no different only... He took the truck out and drove it into the wet field and with mud flying behind the back wheels, pulled it right back out and took it home. End of trying to harvest. Saturday he asked me to drive the truck across the chisel plowed field to where he was going to try to harvest. I thought it would be better to fill the combine and drive it home and empty it in the yard for the first trip. He only combined about a 100 bushels and decided the call it quits. It is still too wet and it is scheduled to rain again tomorrow! The question is, will we ever get the soybeans off?

We had stake conference in Winnipeg this weekend. We did not go. Ardmore does not like to stay over night and we can't go through the border before 9 unless we go through the Roseau crossing which adds an additional 45 minutes to our trip making it a 3 hour trip. He and I both had meetings on Saturday but I can't take the long trip two days in a row. I think about how it would have been to cross into Canada if 9/11 hadn't happened. We live only about 5 miles from the border. It is a small crossing and the plans were to make it accessible with an id card similar to a credit card. The cameras and the machine were all in place, then September 11 happened and all that changed. Now we need to have id and a birth certificate or a passport. Hours at our crossing have changed from 8am to 10pm to 9am to 5pm. It has made things so much more complicated. Government intervention in the way of making our country safer.

Now a little update on my thr and tkr:
The swimming definitely has helped as had the rocking chair and riding the bike. There is still considerable stiffness and I have problems with range of motion. I like to go on the computer when I am in bed just before I go to sleep. My knee does not cooperate with the bend I want and then it swells and gives me pain off and on all night.

Harvest with the family

With our two younger men home, one would think the wheat would be all off, right? Wrong! Dad does not like to combine in the dark and would quit even if there was a hot wind and the wheat was dry as popcorn. Needless to say Brian, James and Mom were not happy. Brian had work starting on Tuesday. On Sunday evening, about 9 pm, Brian and I were on our way to Winnipeg where we spent the night so he could catch a plane to LA. Ardmore and James continued to combine until dark. After dropping Brian off at the awful hour of 5, I went back to the motel to sleep and when I awoke it was raining. Discouraged because no stores were open, I headed back home immediately. When I arrived, the sun was shining and James and Ardmore were combining. That was the last day we hit the fields, it rained great drops of rain that night, 1.25 inches. It put an instant stall on the harvest. We did have about 115 acres off and have about another 95 of wheat to go. The canola is laying and probably shelling out. At least the wheat isn't laying, it is still standing. I hope we have enough warm weather for the soybeans to ripen.

I did get a couple of good photos of the men on the combine and will place one here one.

James heads back to LA tomorrow and then we are left to pray for better, warmer weather so we can get the rest of the crop off.

As for my knee and hip, it does seem to be getting better each day. I have done some heat, massaging, and icing to keep the hip from spasming again. I had pt this afternoon. I need to work on getting my knee to reach its maximum movement and that is very hard. Today I had a different pt and she gave me some new exercises. one for the hip and some for the knee. I will be trying them out tonight.

So what have we eaten when the guys were home? Lots of blueberries. This has been the year for good blueberries and I have purchased more than our share. We had a blueberry pie and an apple pie. I still can't top the Twin's apple pie so don't even try, I just order one instead. We had cheese burgers, Brian's fabulous spinach scrambled eggs, lots of fresh fruit mixes, lemon chicken, and of course, potato salad. No, I didn't bake any cookies this time, bought some instead. I figured if I baked, I would eat more than anyone else. Its a good thing it is coming to a halt, I have gained three pounds and need to take it off pronto!

Tomorrow will bring a state of quiet to our home and the lack of family will haunt the house.

Charleen

Hip and Knee Replacements

I can see that my hip and knee replacements are going to improve my life tremendously. Today at pt my knee flexibility ratio was 113. PT will be having me climb down stairs this week so I decided to try it on my own this weekend. I found it went better than anticipated. I need more to do it comfortably, but I was able to do it easily without much pain.

Beautiful day again so I mowed the lawn late this evening. It seems our grass doesn't know when to slow down this late summer. Usually by now we are turning brown, not this year. Just when it looks like the weather is going to be too dry, we get a shower to keep it growing. The hot weather we have been having this past week has really helped our crop to work toward maturity. Hopefully when the guys come home we will be able to combine something. Yesterday when we took the truck south we drove past our canola field, that is turning also and will be ready to be swathed soon.

I added a new page to our Roseau Co. Historical Society website. What Minnesota Means to Me. It will probably keep me busy if it catches on.

5:00am and in pain again

I have to say this first month (Monday I passed the month mark) following knee replacement has not been easy. Now, I wake up about every 2.5 hours in pain on both the hip and knee sides. I know I am improving but being the impatient person that I am, this is getting to be too much! So much for what I commented on following my hip replacement on April 20th.

I will say I tend to overdo. I have spend an average of 2 - 4 hours a day at work during the past 2 weeks. Yesterday, I decided to stay home and mow the lawn. I started at 11:30 and took a break at 1:30. After eating some lunch and taking a rest I heading into town to see what was up with Crazy Days.

Crazy Days was rather disappointing. The streets didn't have their usual tables setup from one corner to the next corner and I didn't find anything to add to my clutter. I was the last of the big spenders. I did stop and have cake at the new Wild 102 Radio Station.

The historical society will begin the annual scavenger hunt for children next Monday. Dairy Queen is a sponsor with us and each Friday we will draw for a Blizzard. We didn't do as much advertising this year, so I hope it is successful.

Stitches and stuff

Yesterday was "feel sorry for myself day". I had been to PT on Friday and it was very hard, in fact so hard she told me to take it easy. That put me in a down mood, pain and depression. I had been there with my hip. I remember feeling that I was worthless and would not be able to do anything again. I know we must work hard at pt but we almost must understand that there are sometimes two steps backwards and one step forward.

Tuesday the stitches will be removed. Hurrah! I am having a hard time at night and some other times because they are irritating. When I try to get comfortable in bed now they are in the way. Laying on my stomach feels like I have a metal zipper on my knee with teeth that stick out. Even now, I am sitting in my recliner typing with the laptop on my lap and I had to put a newspaper between the laptop and my stitches.

I spent several hours preparing for a program at a local state park as part of the Minnesota Sesquicentennial. Yesterday was presentation day. Total disappointment, only about eight people were present. We did a general examination of the people who lived in the park boundaries prior to them donating or being bought out. I had photos and stories of the people who settle the region in the early part of the twentieth century. I found it interesting but apparently others found the day too warm and beautiful to sit in a picnic shelter and step back into the past. They wanted to swim, fish, and sun bath. It was actually more than I could handle and when I arrived home I was exhausted. something like that is too much three weeks out after two major surgeries. I even ended up requesting someone else do opening exercises in Primary. I didn't get up until 9 am so it was a good thing I had found someone.

Today, I have focused on doing some stretching exercises so when I go to pt tomorrow I will not be so stiff. Knee stiffness has been a real problem as well as feeling like I have a a 2-3 inch elastic band around my lower thigh just above my knee following exercising or walking. I walked about 1/3 mile today and was very sore after that. I iced it but it didn't seem to help the pain. I am trying to ween myself off of the Vikaden. I'm not sure but perhaps this is causing me to have some nausea. I think I need to learn what the word Patience means!

I just put my head back for a minute and fell asleep, then woke myself snorting! I wonder how many other people do the same thing.

Here in northern Minnesota summer has reached the midpoint. The Roseau Co. Fair ended on Friday with the demolition derby and fire works. I would not be surprised if Polaris Industries provided the fire works. I was too tired to even consider attending the evening fireworks. I did go out to lunch with a friend at one of the food stands at noon though. I always get a little nostalgic at this time of year, realizing that soon we will be harvesting wheat, then canola, and finally soybeans. The mad rush to get the crop off will cause us to lose the final days of summer as we rush from field to bin getting in the harvest before a rain storm. The wheat definitely looks like a beautiful wave of grain, although not totally amber yet.

More on Polaris...Polaris was first developed in our little town of 2,800, although the population was probably more like 1,500 when David Johnson, Paul Knochenmus, and Orlen Johnson developed their first snowmobile in the mid 1950s. Although this wasn't what Polaris Industry founder Edgar Hetteen had in mind for his company, they were making farm machinery at the time, the Polaris snowmobile is a common word in the homes of moat families where there is snow. But that is a story for another time as we lived In Hoyt Lakes Minnesota when we owned our first snowmobiles. Today we do own a Polaris snowmobile and a Polaris six-wheeler with pride. My husband couldn't live without his six-wheeler on our farm. He checks fields, hauls small loads of dirt and gravel, uses it as a ladder sometimes when he is working in an area that is easier to access with the bed of the dump in the back, hauls tools, a small portable air compressor, etc. across our farmstead when working on machinery. The six-wheeler is his portable workhorse.

Time to rest again!

Bin Hopper

Ardmore's bin hopper arrived this week so today he went to Steinbach to pick up the crane to so he could set the bin on the hopper. When I came home, he had already taken the bin off the and put the hopper in place. Tomorrow we will be busy putting the bin on top of the hopper. That takes more than two people but we will have to do the best we can as he is too stubborn to ask any one at church to help. He has been through this two other times so it should be alright.

My daily walk took me to the end of Johnson's dike south of the bridge tonight.about 1.25 miles from home. I find walking is theraputic as well as good exercise. I took the cane in case I get tired but walking with it is actually harder work, besides I can walk faster without it.

While walking I listened to Creedence Clearwater Revival's CD Chronicle, Vol. 1 with Proud Mary, Green River, Lodi, Down on the Corner and every good song they ever recorded. They have to be one of my all-time favorite singing groups. They just make one want to move! I love the mp3 player, it is so easy to handle. I sure needed the fan when got home and a cool shower!

The mosquitoes weren't the worse once I sprayed this evening. They are like vultures waiting for something to die so they can get their fill if one doesn't have any deet on.

Brian has of his products now for his new business. The website http://www.makeoverworkshop.com/ is up and running. He is about ready to roll with this new business. He talked to Ardmore last night about it. It is exciting for him to set out to do something like this.

Mosquitoes

I just finished updating my Sparkpeople page and swatting mosquitoes. I must have brought them in on my clothes when I mowed the rest of the back yard as there are a lot in here. When I washed off the mower they were terrible! I think I must have been surrounded by at least 200. I, at least, could spray with deet and keep them at bay but when i think of what it must have been like before spray was invented, yikes! No wonder smudges pots and piles were so popular.

5 days until TKR surgery. I am nervous about the ability to climb stairs well enough. it seems my right leg just doesn't want to climb the stair very well following the hip replacement. All the walking and exercises haven't seemed to help that enough. I have even taken to climbing the stairs using the right side with hopes it would strengthen it. It has, but not enough for my desire.

The School Year and Spring Wind-down

This is the last week of student tours. We had forty first grade students from the Greenbush/Middle River Schools in today. Tomorrow we will have one third grade class from Roseau. Although we invited the rest of the third grade classes to come in, they decided not to and asked if they could come in and do the scavenger hunt in the fall. Hopefully by then we will have finished the new exhibit designs and will be on our way to the Minnesota Sesquicentennial exhibits. Last week was so busy, it is good to see it wind down.

I always worry about funding, especially for exhibit designing. The Key Ingredients exhibits really caught people's attention and we were fortunate to be able to find funders that covered all of our expenses. I guess it just takes faith and if we do it the way we did last year, funding shouldn't be a problem.

I have had some pain in my hip these past couple of days. I think I over did on Saturday! We had six to seven acres to mow and I started mowing at about 9 am and finished around 11:30, except for an area where Ardmore had the truck that holds our drill hoppers. Once he moved the truck, he decided to mow there, which was a nice relief. I fixed us some lunch. He had used the neighbor's roller packer to pack the soybean field in the early morning, about 6 so was quite hungry when he came in. Tired too, he headed to bed for a nap right after he ate. I went to town and picked up some more flowers for my container gardens. I also did a little grocery shopping. Arriving home meant more work, I wanted to get those plants into the pots TODAY, all 19 pots and I did! By the time I finished, the sky looked like it might rain and the grass clippings were in rows that didn't look too pretty so those had to be swept off too. It is so great to have a lawn sweep, it takes so little effort to pick up the grass and make the yard look better. By that time I needed to go for a walk and stretch out the muscles that I had cramped up sitting on the lawn mower. It sure was nice to enjoy the deck and the flower pots and drink some cold water after the walk.

Yesterday dawned cool and rainy. Memorial Day services were held in the high school auditorium/gym and a nice crowd was in attendance. The Roseau High School Advanced History class of Aaron Nelson's had spent much time video taping and documenting about 12 WWII veterans. They compiled a documentary called "A Soldier's Song" from the interviews. It was very moving. The class had put together binders with all of the soldier's taped interviews and presented them to each vet and also presented one to me for the historical society. This will be a lasting tribute to these veterans who served in WWII. I can see family's coming in to see the video in the mini theater. Aaron also said that they planned to record several DVDs for the historical society to sell as several people were interested in obtaining a copy - a very nice gesture on the part of the students and Aaron. They will sell for $10 each.

Ardmore went into the doctor today for his stuffy nose. He thinks he has a sinus infection which is causing terrible headaches. About three weeks ago he saw an ear, nose, and throat specialist; the same one who had removed polyps from his nose several years ago. He says Ardmore has polyps again. Ardmore doesn't want surgery so decided to ask for some prednisone and antibiotics. The doctor gave him some today. I hope they help.

My surgery recovery is basically going very well even with a little pain. Yesterday at the Memorial Day service , I walked off without my cane a couple of times, including when I went to receive the WWII veteran binder. I felt I walked fairly well. My left knee caused me to have a painful walk sometimes. It was not too good this morning but is better after I worked out tonight. Interesting. I can't extend my knee back flat anymore. I think it is a spur on the tibia. I hope Dr. Schall looks at my xrays and can tell if that is the case. My knee clicks and catches, probably on the cartilage. Such is the part of wearing out as one gets older.

Our children spent the weekend off in all different directions, except for Michelle and her family. Brian text me from New York City where he went for 8 days of vacation. James and another fellow rented two sail boats and headed for Catalina Island with friends. Michelle had Breanne and Josh's baby for a couple of days while they did some things alone and she was going to do some gardening. After Breanne picked up Damen yesterday, Michelle , Leah and Bryce went to see the new Indiana Jones movie. I told them to use my credit card and enjoy everything, popcorn, pop and the whole ball of wax. I just wish I was there to go with them.

"I am still determined to be cheerful and happy, in whatever situation I may be; for I have also learned from experience that the greater part of our happiness or misery depends upon our dispositions, and not upon our circumstances."- Martha Washington

Minnesota weather is so unpredictable

Ardmore's moving around the bedroom upstairs woke me at 5 this morning. I sleep in the bedroom below him. It has a shorter bed in it so it is easier for me to get in and out of with my hip replacement. Needless to say, whenever he wakes up, he wakes me up. He decided to share the snowstorm with me, so came traipsing down the stairs to inform me that we had about 4 plus inches of snow. Ouch! I knew snow was coming but didn't think it would be that much. This snow is up on the office window in the lower level of the house, so much for spring. It is like a full-blown blizzard out, with the wind howling and making drifts. The snow is still coming down.

Our deck at 7 am this morning

I knew I should have taken in that deck chair!

I feel for the birds that have arrived. Some of my friends have had to put out their humming bird feeders already. What happens to a humming bird when we have this much snow? We had several robins pecking in the back yard yesterday they too must look long and hard for a meal now. I hope this snow disappears fast!

This ends my walking outside for a few days, thank goodness for PT. Yesterday at PT, it did three-quarter of a mile on the step abductor. It wasn't difficult and didn't take long. Going to PT now will set a precedent for the future; it will have become a habit. Each day, I feel stronger and more fit.

Pam gave me a massage yesterday. She has magic hands and arms! I went right home afterward completely relaxed and rested the rest of the day. An hour massage is the best medicine.

James called last evening. He was driving to pick up a date for a LDS Young Adult Conference. He is so busy he needs to begin to say no to some things. Take this week as an example. Sunday he had guests over for supper. On Tuesday, he had an Elder's Quorum presidency meeting. He is President. Wednesday he went sailing, he had committed to this a while back He has lofty goals and sometimes over extends himself. Humm, that sounds so familar. I think I tend to do that too.

A mother's thought.

It is difficult to see your children become unhappy about something in their life, life is not usually fair. I have seen so many things in our lives and our children that I would like to see more successful, but life is not controlled by us. Then again, we also make choices that limit our ability to succeed.

Today is good example of how life is uncontrollable. We are involved in agriculture. We seed about 400 acres, not much but many in our area see thousands and we are all receiving this snow. This much snow right now will interfere with seeding, and can be devastating. It is possible that it will snow and rain off and on all spring and we won't get a crop seeded. We have crop insurance but we would sooner seed and harvest the crops than take an insurance payment for not being able to. There are no guarantees in life.

Thought for the day
"Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it."
Henry David Thoreau

1:30 pm

Ardmore is out snowblowing. I hope this is the last time; we have at least ten inces of heavy wet snow!

Snow blowing the last of April!

Thoughts on hip replacement exercises

I have about 15 exercises I do two to three times a day. Most are very easy but a few I find give me some discomfort. Those are the ones I am going to focus on and see if I receive any comments from anyone about their discomfort also.

The first exercise I seem to have pain with is the back leg raise while laying on one's stomach. This exercise causes pain at the top of my inner thigh. The second exercise to cause pain is the side leg raises. These also cause pain in the inner thigh. I can do these better than when I first started and it seems the pain is not as bad but they are still very hard to do. The pain for each of these exercises lasts for a while following my exercise program. I know it is not uncommon for women to experience inner thigh pain up to two years following hip replacement and wonder if these exercises help or hinder the recovery effort.

Recovery equals having staples removed and going to PT

We took the Volkswagen to my doctor appointment in Grand Forks on Monday. Not a good thing to do. The VW has bucket seats with wings that are pretty high and small. I am use to driving a Mercury Grand Marquis with comfy leather seats. The VW also had cloth seats. When one has hip surgery it is nice to be able to slide on the seats, couldn't do that in the VW. The wings were very uncomfortable and by the time we got home after the two hour drive to GF and the two hour return trip, I was sore! All in all, it was a good trip though, my staples were removed and I can drive. I return to work on April 29 for half days. My next doctor appointment is on May 20.

Today is my first time at physical therapy. I am a bit apprehensive as I don't know what they will expect me to do. Dr. Schall told me not to overdo in PT, to watch my pain level. Mickie and I are going to lunch before PT and then I'm meeting some friends for ice cream at DQ after that. I hope it isn't too much.

I have been working on the historical society annual report this week. I am glad I have an outline. It makes it easier as add the information. Our staff is a wonderful help. She emails me all the info I need, such as the statistics.

The Minnesota 150 Northwest MN Consortium project is coming right along. They do need teh RCHS photos and information for the book. I will need to stop at the museum today and see that that is taken care of also. We have made many changes and additions as we have organized the exhibit. Tamara has set it up and is very excited about it. I can hardly wait to see it. She sail in an email today, that she had ideas for the next exhibit. Whoopee! We have had a great time putting it together. It has been a wonderful opportunity for us all.

I'm also very excited about our Women's History Month for 2009. This will be the first year that we have tackled that program. I was so fortunate to find a wonderful person to volunteer to Chair the program. She has organized a committee of great women who I have such admiration for. They will do a wonderful job.

10:30 pm

This day has gone by way too fast. PT was good, I know more about the 50% weight rule and how to use it correctly. I received several new exercises to do each day. It will now take about a 1/2 hour for each set and she wants me to do at least three sets a day. Not bad, especially if I am able to see progress. She felt that a month of PT would probably be enough.

I went back to the museum after meeting with my friends and checked out our exhibit photos for the 150 project. Britt will put them on a disk tomorrow along with the write ups. I need to contact the hockey hall of fame in Eveleth to get the rest of the info that I need on one of the photos. Seems like we are always busy with something!

A short walk to the end of the driveway

We spent most of the day listening to general conference. It was inspiring to listen to so many testimonies of our Savior bore by our general authorities.

This afternoon I decided to try to walk out to the end of the driveway with my cane. It was a bit windy coming back, but I did it. My left knee gave me the most problems. When that knee is replaced I should be able to move better and without pain there also. My next surgery will be on that knee when I am recovered enough to handle it.

More cabin fever, so we decided to go for a drive and ended up at DQ where I had my favorite sundae, a caramel, hot fudge with pecans. Yumm...

15 days Since Surgery

15 days since surgery! Today was my first excursion day out of the house since I came home. Ardmore was going to go to the store and I had our taxes ready to file so we headed to H & R Block. Farm taxes are always a lot of work to prepare for. One needs car mileage and then the sales of commodities, government payments, etc. plus all of the expenses accrued during the year, such as seed, fertilizer, chemicals, fuel, insurance, machinery purchased, hired, or rented, etc. I use Excel to track our input and output, as we are not big farmers and own only about 800 acres. We do not need to hire an accountant to keep track of our expenses, we can do it ourselves. Thus said, today was file day. It is always a relief to be done but frustrating to see how much we usually end up paying. Then it was off to Nelson's Cafe for a dinner of hot pork sandwiches and a salad.

Another thing that is hard is that one can't lay on their side at first. One must have pillows between your legs so you maintain a separation between your hips. You then roll onto your side and make sure the knees are in a safe position. One night I was extremely tired and fell asleep on my side, waking up two hours later very stiff and with a sore back. I don't do that any more.

Little things are really a nuisance. I love dark chocolate chips and keep a Ziploc bag of chips with a half package of graham crackers in a cotton carry all by the bed. It is amazing how satisfying a few chips are because one can savor a couple for quite a while, and the calories are not out of sight. I have dropped the bag so many times, it has driven me insane. Thank goodness for the reacher. Then tonight after I went to bed and started watching a movie I reached for the back and it was upside down. The chips had fallen out, and the bag was not zipped shut. I don't think the reacher was designed to pick up individual chocolate chips! I will have to get the vacuum and clean them up sometime tomorrow. I also think I will put them in the bag that zips so if it falls again I won't have that problem.

James called tonight. James is our youngest. A 2nd Lieutenant in the Air Force stationed at the LA Air Force base. He had so much news. He had broke up with his latest girl friend, again. Usually, he just wants me to listen, so I do. Tonight was no different. He is also discouraged with his job, it is not what he really wanted to do in the Air Force. He has wanted to fly in the Air Force since he was 6 or 7 and has not been able to do that. He presently works with the satellite systems. Well, this coming Friday, he begins working on his master's degree in Space Systems. He was very excited about this. We talked for about an hour about all sorts of things. One's children and grandchildren are such a source of joy.

Friends can make the time so much easier to bear. On the second day of my being home, my visiting teachers came over with a strawberry-hot fudge sundae. Yum! Our visit went by way to fast but I tired quickly also, which they recognized. Then on Sunday, my friend, Roxann brought dinner while Ardmore was gone doing some church service. She and I enjoyed her delicious lasagna, salad and rice krispie bars. We have so many memories as her son and James were best friends along with two other neighbor boys. These four boys fished, hunted, snowmobiled and four-wheeled their years through school. A inseperable quartet of wonderful young boys and great men now that they have grown.

Enough!

Various problems and successes

I have had some problems off and on the last couple of days with my right tush and right groin and thigh area. Then at night, if I wake up, I sometimes find my body doesn't want to cooperate. It is stiff and feels heavy. Perhaps it is the meds. I am taking Hydrocodol every three hours when needed and especially at night. I am not taking any anti-inflammatory medication for my arthritis and wonder if that may not be contributing to it also. I woke up tonight at about 3:30 pm and wasn't as bad. I had cut back to half of a dose of the Vicadin. Hope that helps. I also find I have had some "Stephen King" type of dreams and attribute that to the meds. None tonight though.

Ardmore and I redid my dressing again today. I look almost healed, have had no discharge since the beginning to speak of. I also took a shower and we washed my bedding. Just climbing into a clean bed felt wonderful.

The exercises are a going fairly well, with the exception of some of the groin and tush pain. I am looking forward to physical therapy and wonder when that will start. I notice some people go to rehab straight from the hospital, not I. I was handed a set of exercises to do at home. I am going to ask when I will start physical therapy.

Michelle called this evening. She has an audition for the California State University-Stanislaus' music school next week and had the opportunity to practice for 3 hours in the afternoon. I think she says she has three years left. She has also applied at Sacramento State.

I think I will see if sleep is still evasive.

If the time on your watch stops does that mean that time is standing still?

9:00 am - We set the clocks ahead on Sunday am so yesterday my watch was losing time during the day, it stopped working at 3:15 this morning. If the clocks all stopped would we be on hold during that time? Don't you feel like there at times when you would just like to see the perfect day go into a hold cycle and stay there? (Well not indefinitely but for a reasonable period.)

The museum staff is busy working on labels for a traveling exhibit for the Minnesota’s Historic Northwest consortium. The consortium received a $5,000 grant to put together a historical exhibit of 150 photographs that tell the story of NW Minnesota from past to present. We are also going to produce a photo book. It has taken way more time than I thought it would. Then we decided to change the large label format. I have only a few days to completed my part as much as possible.

11:00 pm - What a wild day. I decided to go in late because I had a historical society board meeting this evening. At 10:00 this morning, my reminder alarm went off on my cell phone. I had an appointment in 5 minutes with the orthopedic surgeon and I was 20 minutes away from the clinic! Of course, I called and told them I was going to be late. I ended up only about 15 minutes late and then waited for the doctor for at least a half hour, thank goodness there were others who arrived early.

I felt very good about the surgery after talking to my doctor. Dr. Schall works out of the Bone and Joint Clinic in Grand Forks, North Dakota. His training is what first impressed me (I always look at the doctor’s certificates when I visit their offices). His residency was at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN for 5 years in the orthopedic department before coming back to his home town of Grand Forks. The next thing that impressed me was his “bedside manner”. He took all the time necessary to answer any of my questions. Then I went home and looked up everything I could and studied hip replacement. Today, he answered the final questions I had. I guess I am as ready as possible to have hip replacement. Ardmore is more worried than I am. He is a pessimist by nature, although he calls himself a realist. If anyone wants worry about something, talk to him, he will help you worry!

At 11:45, I finally got to work and started on the consortium posters. When I finally think I like something and then change my mind, someone else changes their mind about something. I had about 22 messages on my email this morning and at least 15 were from the group. Boy was I ready for my massage at 1:15! Picked up some lunch after the massage and headed back to the museum.

At 4:30, I had a newsletter or program meeting, depending on who showed up. We did the program committee. Our board meeting started five and ended at about 6:45. I worked until 8 on some business the board had passed so it wouldn’t be hanging over me in the morning. The consortium group is coming at 10 and I knew I wouldn’t get it done if I waited. Working in a museum is never boring, there is just not enough time in a day to get it all done.

I forgot to mention that last week Lakeland Public Television was in and filmed our recovery from the 2006 flood. It was shown on the news last night. I missed it but saw it on their website. We have had lots of coverage these past few day, tv and radio both!

Oh, oh, it is 11:30, time for some shuteye.

It's getting warmer!

We set a record for cold weather this past week. I drove to work in 30 below F on Friday, absolutely unheard of for March. Today was much better, warmed up to 21 above. Tomorrow is going to be in the upper 30s, like Frog told Toad “Spring just Around the Corner.”

Hockey didn’t go so well at the state for the Roseau Rams. Seems like they just weren’t able to get past goalies in the games on Friday and Saturday and lost both games. The wonderful part about the Rams going to state is that they play in the Class AA section against the larger schools. Last year, they were state champions. The Warroad Warriors also were at the state in the Class A section and took third place. We are so fortunate in our area to have the wonderful background of pro hockey with the Brotens, the Christians, and so many other players who put on the jerseys of professional hockey teams. So many of these men come back and coach the high school teams.

I have been reading up on hip replacement from a blog by Francine Hardaway. It has given best in-depth coverage on a personal level I have found. It took me about 3 weeks to find it but it was worth searching for. She presents a straightforward story of her recover including the medical and physical therapy she under went. I hope I can be a fortunate as she has been in my recovery.

I spoke with Brian today. He quit working for Nordstrom’s and is focusing on his hair and makeup profession. He sounds so much happier and is doing very well. He is a very talented person and has a dynamic personality. He said he would be assisting another stylest the middle of the week. I believe we will see his name in a magazine one of these days. I feel his name is going to be out into the public soon.

Well I need to head to bed, I am going to be a guest on Wild 102 radio at 7:15 tomorrow morning so I need to be rested with my wits about me. Jeff Fraiser is interviewing me about the museum and he will ask pointed questions!