Seeking Comfort

52°f, raining, overcast. This may be as warm as it gets today.

 

This is my couch, and also where I have been sleeping thr past two weeks. What a welter of pillows-- and that is not all of them, as the three larger ones are on my recliner, where I vacated to this morning,  trying to get comfortable. 

That's the icing machine on the floor. It's basically a small cooler with a recirculating pump.  The blue hose attaches to an ice pack kind of thing that straps over my knee, and the ice water runs through it. It helps, some.

But sleep is elusive, because pain of one sort or another has me awake and trying to find a comfortable position over and over, all night. I can't get up in our bed yet, and honestly, sleeping with my bad knee next to my husband isn't an attractive option. So the couch it is. I move pillows here and there, prop up or don't prop, sit up, walk around...you get the idea.  Absolutely zero fun, and I have come to dread nights.

At least part of the problem was identified at physical therapy yesterday: the sciatic nerve in that leg. It is causing a lot of the pain I am having, especially during pt or when trying to sleep. Knowing the cause of the burning pain and muscle spasms helps because now I use ice packs on my leg and hip too. A regular Ice Woman! I go for my follow-up appointment today, so I will have questions for her about what else I can do to be able to do the therapy with less pain.

Still, the knee itself is moving right along and I would be almost pain- free if not for the sciatica. So that is encouraging.  

Yesterday after my 8:15am pt session, we stopped at our friend Shari's new business location for her Grand Opening. The mayor was there along with TV and the newspaper. She was surprised to see us, and gave me the biggest hug. I do hope she does well. We were regulars at her old place, often meeting up with friends for happy hour and relaxing conversation.  The happy hour will have to be alcohol free for us in future.  Wobdering how Larry will like that. Not much is my guess.

We only stayed a few minutes, then drove into town for breakfast at a small local restaurant called Tudor's Biscuit World.  Until recently the biscuits were made by a 93-year-old woman who arrived to make them at 4:00am every day. She retired last month, but trained her replacement well, because the biscuits are still perfect. And they are the perfect comfort food.

I was surprised and delighted to find my son Derek, his 3 daughters and 2 grandchildren there. Totally unplanned! Nothing like good hugs from family for comfort. 

Larry ordered me biscuits and gravy (an Appalachian staple), 2 eggs and bacon. It was the most i have eaten since my surgery and was delicious. 

We came home and drove upbto Sarah's cabin to see the progress made during her visit this time. It looks great; all windows and doors in and weather-tight, spray insulation done, solar lights and power working well, and she has done a lot of outside cleanup too. Next on her agenda is plumbing.

Then finally we were back to the house and my ice machine. I have to admit,  I did little else the rest of the day. I did make a cherrynpie from my canned filling and a pre-made crust, and finished another Maisie Dobbs book, but that was about it. Then another restless, sleepless night. Now it is time for the hour drive to my appointment,  but after Sarah and Tommy come down to make breakfast! 

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Granddaughters in the Kitchen

Didn't check the temperature this morning, but think it was around 50°f. Breezy all day, thin clouds but sunny. Changing weather on the way?

I admit, I love it when another woman makes herself at home in my kitchen. Perhaps it is because I had no daughters to cook with me. I did have granddaughters (eleven, I think,  and counting) and we would often be in the kitchen when they visited, making cakes and cookies, or canning in the summer months. But they all grew up and moved on. Over the years I had a few womanfriends who cooked with me but they too have moved on, so now it is rare to have another woman in my kitchen.

Which is why it feels like such a treat when Sarah comes to her cabin for a few weeks. We are very alike, and she moves with ease in the old-fashioned--some would say out of date-- kitchen, comfortable with my vintage stove and utensils. 

I enjoy just sitting and watching, answering her questions as needed. What bliss. 

Yesterday Sarah whipped up two big pans of brownies from scratch before all our company arrived. Last week she made salsa from veggies she brought with her from Colorado that needed to be used up, and canned it. Now that sure pleased my old heart! 

Granddaughter Grace is very much the same, so when she comes, first we put on the kettle for tea, which she drinks English style with milk and sugar, in one if my pretty cups. Then if there is cooking to be done, she's right there to help as needed.  The photo below is from 2011, when Grace and I made a pineapple upside down cake for her Dad's birthday, using my antique cake mixer. Today, Grace is 26! How the years fly by.

Grace will be here for a few days at the end of the month, so once again I will be enjoying watching another woman, at home in my kitchen.

Writing this post made me journey back through years of posts about cooking with granddaughters. Hannah and Haley were here almost every weekend when their Dad was deployed, and they loved to bake. We made Wacky Cake, cookies, redbud jelly and grape juice, among other things. 

They were so little then! Now Haley (right) is in the Army National Guard full-time, and Hannah is the single working mom of two little ones. When they come to Granny's these days, they want tea, and relax time!

And Michaela: another little baker, now a senior in forensic chemistry at WVU. She and I made cakes together too, but I doubt she has much time for baking right now.

Sisters Kate, Cassie, and Ally loved to cook too, and I know I have photos of them in the kitchen but my internet is being wonky with these stiff winds today. I well remember one time the three of them stayed for a week or two , and we canned tomatoes. The three of them sitting around the table,  laughing and singing as they peeled the red fruit is a vivid and treasured memory. 

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

What a Day

43°f this morning, leading into a clear, sunny, breezy day with a high about 70. 

This knee recovery is an up and down thing, I am finding. But each day gets a little better. I seem to be trading surgical pain for muscle and nerve pain, although the bruises from the tourniquet they put around my thigh are still painful to the touch. (About that tourniquet: a nurse told me they put a band around the thigh, then use a ratchet to get it as tight as possible.  No wonder there are some stellar bruises!)

Current condition,  not too bad for 9 days after surgery! The bandage is pink so my leg really isn't inflamed.

Thankfully I am off the strong, addictive pain meds, and back to my usual Meloxicam. I have meds for the muscle spasms and nerve pain, so definitely making progress. I slept for 2 1/2  hours straight last night, which was wonderful and a big change from the one-hour stints. It's another thing no one tells you: normal sleep won't return for weeks in most cases. Muscle pain, muscle spasms, and nerve pain will be my companion for a while.

My husband stayed in bed a lot for the first 2 weeks after his surgeries, getting up to do his PT, and sometimes walking around inside. I am up almost all day, stopping to do the icing and compression several times a day, and getting my leg elevated. I think the new devises have made recovery faster. I am able to do small tasks like folding laundry, washing dishes, some dusting, cleaning up clutter, making coffee and tea, and this evening I am making a simple dinner of beans and potatoes cooked in venison broth, ham, and salad. I also cut up and froze a big bag of peppers before company arrived.

The company was something I have been looking forward to for a month: another granddaughter I had never met or even knew existed. This young lady did her DNA test after her older sister did one and found that the man she thought was her father was not. A, who is 24, discovered that the man she thought was her dad also was not. Her father was one of my sons, who dated her mother when in the Army in the 90s. He got deployed somewhere, I can't remember where,  and she was gone when he returned, because she was also deployed. He had no idea where she went, and she didn't know she was expecting for several months--and in that time had dated a couple other guys. Pretty common story in military life i guess.

The upshot is that A contacted my son, and they have talked daily since then. She is here to visit and to meet her 2 sisters and some of this (huge) family. She is lovely,  and I am so thrilled she found us.

So today we had 2 sons, one daughter-in-law,  4 granddaughters, two granddaughters' significant others, and 2 great-grands here. My ex is also here, but has stayed up at Sarah's cabin as he is not welcome in my home (still makes snarky, derogatory comments after 39 years of divorce).

It has been hectic and busy, but now everyone has left and it is so quiet. But I am more than ready for a little rest. Maybe even a nap!

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.