Snow and Grass

How can one have snow and then green grass the next day? Just live in Minnesota. Yesterday we awoke to another light April snow, today we awoke to green grass. As I looked out the window I was reminded that soon the riding lawn mower would be removed from the shed and I would be making the passes, back and forth across our lawn in summer gear. Woo Hoo!

The joy of watching the birds peck and hunt in our front and back yards is a spring time joy. We have a pair of robins that squat under our deck eaves, alternating each year. They use one next one year and the other the next. I wonder which nest it will be this year; the robins have been hunting in the yard a lot lately. I have not seen the flickers yet. They come to our back yard each spring, a sure sign that spring is here and seed time will begin.

The river is finally starting to drop from the high of over 16 and 6/10 feet. It runs wild and free, way out of the backs and onto the fields still. It is receding finally. It is going to be a very late seed time this year and we probably won't be able to see all of our fields. The field north of Badger is the only field that looks even close to getting dry enough to drive a drill onto.

Following the rain and snow we had on the Sunday was the worse driving conditions on our country roads I have ever encountered. The roads are greasy and rutted no matter where I drove. Today is it partly cloudy and I don't think there is any rain in the forecast so hopefully they will dry out; the grader will come by and all will be well again.

Perhaps a little total hip replacement (thr) and total knee replacement (tkr) update should be noted. It is amazing how quickly the body recovers from surgery. Except for periodic stiffness and not always having the range of motion I would like to have, things are wonderful.

At this point, most days I can fairly run up and down stairs, walk a mile or two easily, sleep through the night without any pain, and generally feel better than I have in years. The terrible back pain I experiences prior to my hip replacement is gone, although once in a while I do have some back pain on the other side. This is annoying but livable pain; after all I have arthritis along my lower spine with many spurs to deal with. Would I advise these surgeries? Definitely!

There is lots to do at work, the Minnesota History test to complete, a news article to put together and some research to do. Time to head into work.

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

Walking in the winter

Seeing as how it "looked" like it was much warmer according to http://www.wunderground.com/ I decided to head out for a walk. 7 mile an hour wind at 29 above couldn't be too bad right? Wrong! In our sheltered yard the wind was just a light breeze, by the time I got halfway down the driveway there were thoughts of going in for more clothes. Commitment is tough in the winter but one must endure so endurance it was, a mile and half of endurance in northwest winds. I walked south so first the right side was freezing and coming back the left side froze. Hot chocolate, marshmallows and a cookie in the recliner was a delight!

Last night I finished reading the first of Stephenie Meyers' Twilight Series. Leah finished and had raved about it, plus several of my younger friends had also given it high marks, so I though, why not. It was fun to read, definitely young adult fiction but that didn't keep me from enjoying it. I had read Meyer's science fiction book The Host last fall and thought it was quite thought provoking. I see it is number 4 on the New York Times Best Seller list.

I have also downloaded the audio book Blink by Malcolm Gladwell. Blink is about our immediate reaction to anything and how we are affected by the reaction, i.e. cognitive reaction. I heard him talk on the CBC Radio podcast The Next Chapter and was very impressed by him. (Another plus for my iPod, I would never think of listening to this program due to the time it is on the radio.)

Now it is time to move on to a new book. Hum, do I have time right now with all that is going on at the museum? I do have two on the shelf right now that may be interesting. Full Speed by Janet Evanovich and Charlotte Hughes, plus A Christmas to Remember by Thomas Kinkade and Katherine Spencer.I know that Christmas has come and gone, but I live in Minnesota where right now Christmas doesn't like it was so long ago.

Well it is time to go ride the bike and then ice the knee, it has been quite sore today for some reason.

Exhibits and TKR

Yesterday, the education committee was in and setup the old style turn of the century classroom. It looks very good. I will have to look for a couple of things that I see they didn't have. Somewhere in the museum we have an old flag and the box that the rotating library books came in. Today, several items will be arriving from a local school so the committee can put together the modern class room. We talked about putting black plastic in front of each of exhibit to create more excitement when the exhibit opens March 1.

It is very cold this morning, -24 F. It looks like the rest of the week will be better though, I think it may even be in the thirty above range by Friday. WooHoo!

We have a consortium meeting in Thief River Falls at 10:30 to discuss a new traveling exhibit. I think this one may be on churches in northwest Minnesota. This one should take considerable research but will add much to the research centers in all of our museums.

On a different take today. One my children s favorite desserts when they were growing up was a quick and easy pudding recipe.

Prepare one large box Jell-o chocolate cook and serve pudding according to directions.
Add 1/2 cup chopped walnuts and 1/2 coconut, now I also add 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips. Stir and serve with whipping cream or Cool Whip.

I have started icing my knee following exercises again. I have noticed it increases my range of motion and I have less pain. Exercising is the key to increasing rofm and helping with stiffness. I also find that my strength is vastly improved when I do my floor exercises. Kneeling is not a real problem although getting up is. I have no pain in my knee when I kneel and I can do several exercises on my knees also.

Windy!

Yesterday, hubby and I went to a funeral for a classmate and former neighbor of his. She discovered a return of cancer a short while ago and went very quickly. She had been to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester about six months ago and had been given a clean bill of health. It is serves as a reminder that we never know our future.

The funeral was well attended and the people had spilled over into the dining area with some even standing. The family is quite large and needed all the pews in this small church. Sometime about three-quarter of the way through the funeral service, the wind came up with rain and snow. It was so strong it rattled the windows and howled outside. When we moved out of the dining area so the family could come in, Ardmore and I headed outside. He had a meeting in another hour and although I had planned to stay a while, the conditions made me change my mind and I headed home against the ferocious winds. I was very glad to walk into my warm toasty home and make a taco pizza.

This morning dawned cloudy but warm and no wind. Would have been perfect for a walk but we had to be at church for an early morning meeting. When we returned home it was in the 20s and I decided to go for a walk. We ate and I went down and started puttering; it was almost 5 when I put on the winter gear to go for the walk, iPod in my pocket. About two minutes after I headed out a strong nw wind came up again, 22 miles an hour! I thought it was going to blow me over. I walked about a 1/3 of mile and nearly froze so turned around and walked in the yard where there was hardly any wind, just a lot of tree noise as the wind charged through them. Decided I was ride the stationary bike for a while and then iced the throbbing knee. TKR recovery is much harder than a person realizes, but the results are so much better than the earlier pain.

This week we had one of our favorite meat dishes, which so easy to fix. Years ago I received a Campbell' s Soup cookbook. It has several mum good, mum good recipes. This was one of them:

1 1/2 pounds round steak or tender chucks cut into 4 pieces
1 can French onion soup
1/2 can water
1 can cream of mushroom soup, I prefer the beefy mushroom but regular works well too.

Spray a 2 quart casserole dish and put the meat in, salt and pepper it on both sides and pour the French onion soup and water over the meat, add the mushroom soup and stir a little to combine.

Bake in a 350 oven for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours until tender. Serve over potatoes or rice.
An alternative to this recipe is to use ground beef, fried with 1 stalk celery and 1/4 onion, diced, add the soups plus 1 full can of water, then add 1 can uncooked rice. This can be cooked on top of the stove in an electric skillet and is ready in about 3/4 hour.

I was listening to the Splendid Table today and hear that the bundt cake is making a come back. As a Minnesotan, where the bundt cake originated, my ears perked. A new book has just come out Bundt Cake Bliss by Susanna Short. Most reviews were excellent, sounds like a good book to have on hand. I can even taste a chocolate cherry bundt cake with a drizzle of fudge frosting on the top. Yum!

How is the hip and knee?

Perhaps it is time to put some perspective into having hip (THR) and knee (TKR) replacement for those who are contemplating it or are recovering from both or either surgeries.

It has been ten months since I had thr on my right hip. On a scale of 1 to 10, I would rate my hip at an 8 1/2. It is the best thing I have done for myself in many years. I had suffered with terrible back pain for quite a while and had almost given up on being able to have relief when I had an MRI that gave a diagnosis of severe hip degeneration. Once my hip was replaced, my back pain disappeared! I also didn't realize how out of shape I was. PT was a struggle but it taught me that I needed to get into better physical shape. I began exercising and walking and then decided it was time to have my knee replaced. By the time I had my knee surgery, I was walking about 2 miles and my knee wasn't as bad as it had been even though I knew it needed replacing. I think if I would have known there was going to be so much pain during the recovery and that it was going to take so long, I would not have done the tkr. Would that have been good or bad? I don't know and won't ever know. As it is right now, I can say, it is definitely improving now. my range of motion is still not what I would be happy with but I find I can climb up and down stairs fairly easily, especially after riding the stationary bike. The key to recovery from tkr is riding a stationary bike and rocking in a wooden rocking chair or glider. Bending the foot back as far as can be handled and holding there for as long as possible also increases range of motion. I enjoy walking but lately our weather is just not allowing for that outside, today we had -5F and 15 mile winds bringing the windchill to -29F. Definitely not walking weather. I have gone to Lake Therapy two times this past week and ride the bike daily or at least 5 times a week. Winter is not a good time to have tkr or thr as far as I am concerned. One is too concerned about falling, I have gotten past that point now, and the chances of it happening are greater due to the lack of balance and strength in the leg that you had the surgery in. For my knee, I requested PT for six weeks prior to surgery so I would have an easier recovery. I needed that, the recovery has been difficult. Enough about tkr and thr.

We were able to make some real progress on Friday. STS came in around 1 and spent the rest of the day working. We ran into some road blocks when we called for Masonite, it won't be in until the middle of next week. STS removed several items from exhibits and helped with other things that needed to be done.

Today, I dedicated myself to Primary and designed the calendar and the opening exercise handouts. With that done, I can now focus on work again.I started writing two grants so will try to complete them next.

For pleasure, I am reading The Shack by Wm. Paul Young. It is a poignant story about the death of child and a grieving father's recovery. Even though it is fiction, it reminds one that life it not fair and we live on earth.

I can tell it is cold tonight, the window above my head is cooler than normal. I guess that means it is time to curl under and warm up and sleep.

Very Cold...and Total Knee Replacement Frustration

We woke up to a very cold morning. The temp outside was -42 farenhite, with a wind chill of -55. I often wonder why Ardmore's family decided to stay in this cold climate, but being from Norway they probably didn't think much of the cold.

With weather this cold, one can understand why years ago, people wore night caps. The houses were not as well insulated as today and furnace systems were non-existent. Pioneers relied on wood heat from a fireplace or the Franklin stove, then the space heater came along, which burned kerosene or fuel oil which wasn't the most even heat. If one lived in town, water heat was common. The water would be heated in a central heating plant and pumped to the houses and businesses in the town as steam or hot water heat. I lived on Minnesota Iron Range in my youth and remember that Virgina and Hibbing heated the homes and businesses with steam from a municipal heating plant. Virginia first operated their plant in 1905.

I recall visiting my aunt and uncle in Virginia and hearing the hiss of the radiators when the steam would escape the valve. Our school in Aurora also had radiator steam heat with a boiler in the basement of the school. I often wonder if this isn't a more efficient way of heating homes in town now days. I would think that research would be done on this. If anyone knows of any, please let me know.

I read several blogs regarding Total Knee Replacement - tkr and read so much NOW about the frustration most people have with their recovery. I can definitely go along with their complaints. It is so interesting to remember that my range of motion was 114 when I completed that part of my pt. I am very diligent about doing my exercises, riding the stationary bike, walking, doing everything that I can think of to increase my range of motion so that climbing stairs (I live in a split level home with 14 steps to the main floor from the family room in the lower level) and whatever else is required. I do know that swimming is wonderful, but when it is below zero, I have no desire to go swimming and then get in a cold car to drive home, so I compensate with other exercises. None of these seem to be helping me gain back that range of motion. I can't be much more than about 100 right now. When I climb stairs it can be very uncomfortable, but I know with time this will improve although it may take at year or two. Many people complain of swelling and pain, ice often. I do not ice often. I find that I have just as much pain following icing as I did prior to icing. I do find that rest following extreme workouts and walking helps as well as propping my leg up. It is now time to rock and then ride my stationary bike.

Because it is so cold today, I wanted my thought for the day to be about summer so found a poem that was fitting.

Thought for the day

Summer Interlude

Under the shadow-lace of trees
Spilling gold on the warm green grass,
Lulled by the humming of honey bees,
Long summer interludes come to pass.

Playhouse furnished with make-believe,
Mud pies baked on a sun-hot stove,
Daydreams spun in fanciful weave
And hearts sing music in bright bell tone

Bring on the dishes, small butter chips,
The acorn cups and the cambric tea,
The old rag doll with the bright red lips,
The teddy bear and the lamb, maybe.

Under the poplars' rustling silk,
Pour out the tea in each small cup;
Add plenty of sugar and lots of milk,
Learn well the art of growing up.

Secrets and news and goodness knows
What conversation, the laughter, joy
Where the roses bloom and the clover grows
And life is golden with no alloy.

Ruth B.Field

Think Summer!! You enjoy your winter away from home, Leanne. I will sit and read a bit or watch a movie, but I am not going outside today!

Museum Trips

Britt and I spent an exciting three days going to Brookings South Dakota for some training on the Smithsonian traveling exhibit Between Fences Monday through Wednesday. We managed to squeeze in three museums and besides the South Dakota Agriculture Museum where the Between Fences was displayed.

About 12 of us met for the workshop which was very enlightening. It will be enjoyable to design exhibits to highlight our area and how fences/borders affect our way of life. Living on the Canadian border gives us a way to expand our exhibit.

Snow fences will be added of course! Monday when we left it was 40 below Fahrenheit. That is cold! We never saw anything below -1 F while gone, and I didn't see snow either although there was ground drifting on the way home most of the way.

For several years, I had been wanting to see the King Tut exhibit but it was always too far away. We were driving in Watertown on Tuesday, after going to the Terry Redlin museum, looking for a place to eat when Britt noticed a sign advertising the King Tut museum. It was on display in Watertown! Needless to say, on Wednesday morning we went to the exhibition. We spent about two hours examining this wonderful collection. I was very disappointed to see we were the only ones there.

The Terry Redlin museum is always an enjoyable experience. They have put a cabin in the lower level now which adds a new dimension. I counted the number of art pieces he did in 1980 and came up with 10. It is amazing to think he could do ten in a year with the wonderful details he places in his work. I purchased a puzzle and will have to set it up tonight.

The thing that pleased me most was the fact that I could be on my feet so much without any back or knee pain. I did get a little stiff and sat in the hot tub on Tuesday night but other than that it was a piece of cake. I can see that both the thr and tkr have made a lot of difference in my quality of life. It was nice to be back in my own bed last night though.


Well today will be spend working on a grant, it needs to be sent off.

Range of Motion and Total Knee Replacement

Sometimes I experience groin pain in the leg that I had tkr on. Today is one of those mornings. I always lose my range of motion over night and experience some pain in the knee. The only way to help that is to get into the rocking chair and rock. Monday when working out on the bike I did not have a rocking chair to limber in prior to riding. The experience is always painful at first. I have to do some bike rocking by going back and forth and then coming up as high as I can on the bike with the bionic knee. Finally I go backwards and then can go forward but not without pain for the first 10 to 15 rotations.Once in the swing of the rotation, the pain becomes tolerable, I speed up and my leg limbers up. I am waiting for the day when I have no pain, will it ever come?

We live in a split level home which means we are always climbing stairs. Going up is pretty good, coming down is another story. Once I have rocked for a while and/or rode the bike, climbing is much easier. Most things are better though. Walking is no longer a problem and I don't think I limp any more. Range of motion is a huge problem for me. I believe weight, swelling and varicose veins to be a major problem when it comes to managing pain and range of motion following total knee replacement. The day I can put my leg back and comfortably put my foot on the base of a folding chair at church, I will say, yes, success!

I started reading the book The Shack. It sounds like a compelling book.I asked my librarian friend what he has heard about it. He said people either really like it or don't like it at all. I will have to see what I think. I also order the first book in Stephanie Meyer's Twilight series and American Lion (the Andrew Jackson book), which Ardmore is now reading. I read The Host by Stephanie Meyer about a month ago and would highly recommend it to anyone.

Here's hoping for a warmer night. The temperature fell to -23 last night. It was fascinating to see it change on my way home from Roseau at 7 pm. When I left the museum, my car read -13 by the time I had driven about 8 miles it had fallen to -26. We had -22 when I arrived home.

Dinner on Wednesday

I decided that I was hungry for something good with lots of vegetables tonight. I don't do a lot of cooking any more. When I get home from work, Ardmore tells me he is not hungry because he has been eating all day! Go figure, retired and winter, what does he do?

Well I cut up two chicken breasts into bite size pieces, cubed a green pepper and chopped an onion,and some carrots, added a little OO to the pan and put the vegies on one side and chicken on the other and sauteed them. Seasoned the chicken with stir fry seasoning and Chinese 5 spice and everything with salt and pepper. After they were done, you add about 2 cups of fresh broccoli and cauliflower and cover for about three minutes. Take a can of Swanson's chicken broth, add 2 tbsp corn starch and some soy sauce, blend and add to mixture,continue cooking and stirring frequently until it starts to thicken. Add about a cup of fresh spinach and turn off the skillet. Check and stir every once in a while. I served it over Jasmine rice. One could add celery, garlic, and mushrooms. I was too lazy to go chop more or downstairs to the pantry for mushrooms. It is good and of course, healthy!

I finally got our computer camera to work and was able to visit with James face to face on Skype. I called Ardmore down to talk too. Needless to say, he was impressed. James had just moved to a house and took the camera around and gave us a tour. Fun!

Michelle is in finals week, we have had a couple of short phone visits. So far she said it as gone fairly well. She has quite a bit of things that need to be done during this week so I don't call her, just let her call me.

Little Damen is walking more and more now. Breanne said he is also starting to talk. I can imagine what a talker he is going to be when he starts. He loves to hear his voice and will suddenly start screaming to hear the sound of it. I really feel like I am missing so much by not being there but at least we can call and talk. Now if I could only get them to have a camera for Josh's computer we could talk face to face.:>)

Yesterday I went to see my os. I have been having some problems with my hip on the side that I had the knee replaced. He said it is bursitis. He also felt I was doing too much.I would be so bored if I didn't do the things I do. He then said I had to make a choice, either slow down or accept the pain. Humm. Everything was in good shape otherwise, which was very good to be told. Well not quite true, he did tell me my other knee was bone on bone, but I am not going there as I don't have any pain to speak of.

Sweet, Sweet Success!

After all the hard work designing and installing exhibits this past month or so, then having a resident bring a beautiful restored 1930 Model A Ford in for exhibition, and putting together the traveling exhibit, Traveling Through Time in Minnesota's Historic NW, Britt and I had the joy of seeing others enjoy and comment positively on exhibits. One of the board members had put together a great program for the evening and the potluck dinner was delish. I can't say we feel the exhibits are totally done right now but they will be in a couple of weeks.
One of the trials of putting together the ship immigration exhibit was finding items that the people would have kept with them and not put into storage while on board the steamer. I have search the internet for this info and can't find anything. Tonight I decided to call one of our social study teachers, Arron Nelson, who incidentally is Roseau High School's Teacher of this Year. He and I brainstormed and now have some ideas. Museum staff will need to contact the schools around us and inform them that we have this traveling exhibit and invite them to bring in their students.We never run out of things to do.
Breanne called today and we visited a couple of times. She said Damen is now walking. Well walking about 4 steps just to get to the nearest thing to hang onto and walk around. I wish they had a camera so I could see him and talk to them.
I purchased a camera about a month ago but haven't used it yet. I am not sure how to but will know tomorrow. On Friday I am attending a Minnesota Humanities board of directors meeting via Skype so will need to be familiar enough with using the camera by then to be able to answer a few questions. This is all in conjunction with our last Smithsonian SITES exhibit, Key Ingredients: America by Food. We will be having another SITES exhibit, Between Borders in the spring of 2010. We are excited to be able to have these exhibits.
It seems we have several things coming up in the way of exhibits. Our wonderful volunteer Woman's History Month program committee has been organizing upcoming exhibits and programs for March 2009.
My tkr knee seems to be a little better today. Last night I woke up at 3 with a terrible back ache on that side. After an hour, I went upstairs and did several exercises and ended with about 15 Bridge exercises. That amazingly took care of the back pain and it hasn't bother since. I also had a massage this afternoon and that always helps.

Thought for the Day
The Christmas holidays have this high value:
that they remind Forgetters of the Forgotten,

& repair damaged relationships.
Mark Twain - letter to Carlotte Welles, 30 December 1907