Improvement and a restful week

First off, the knee - thank you for the well wishes. J had been massaging the knee for me, but decided that the issue was likely a problem with my hip causing the knee issues. So on Monday she attacked my hip (or at least it felt that way) and in fact, worked on both sides. The muscles extending from the hip on down the left leg were incredibly tight and she located several balls of muscle that were worked out. On my right side, she also worked on the sciatic area. After the first massage I was walking with my knee brace and barely a limp. After a second massage, the improvement was even more noticeable. 

I still can't walk long distances (wandering the grocery store) or sit in the same position for prolonged periods as these activities tend to cause the knee to feel as if it has locked up. Besides icing the knee and hip, I have started doing light exercises to help improve the strength of my knee, both at home and at the clubhouse. We do chair exercises three times a week; they are helping too.

I did my laundry on the weekend as you could see by Wednesday's photo. S and L have been kind in letting me use their washing machine every week. Sometimes I hang the clothing on their umbrella rack at the back of their unit, but most times I bring it back and put it on the rack here.  With warm temperatures and a bit of wind, it usually only takes a couple of hours to dry. My neighbour H has given me permission to use her lines out back to hang sheets as my rack would not work well. 

Most units, especially those in the M section (I'm in R) have space for sheds. The washing machines are plumbed into the shed with cold water only and hooked up to power. My lot doesn't have the space for a shed, nor do I have ample power. Out back I don't have the space for a folding rack to be mounted on the RV. So everyone who passes by gets to see my clean laundry (at least it's not dirty, right?) It's been years since I line dried clothing and I should, but haven't yet, bring out the iron and ironing board as some things are pretty darned wrinkled!

I missed the snow moon at its fullest on Sunday evening but managed to get a decent photo of the sunset and the moon on Monday evening. One of my neighbours, who visits for about a week every month, mentioned that he and his wife appreciate the photos I've posted on FB, especially of the sunset. So these were for them.

The darn power and internet lines made it a bit difficult to capture a decent photo.

The park held it's annual general meeting of the shareholders on Tuesday. I was warned it could be a noisy affair, and it was, especially towards the end of the meeting. It was clear that some participants had not read the reports that were mailed out, or were making assumptions about certain things. I won't go into details - that wouldn't be fair to the residents but I will say it reminded me a bit of a reality television program with some clear alliances. :)

Wednesday, I went to the clubhouse for the morning chair exercises. In the afternoon, I played Canasta with our group of six. The guys beat the gals again, I think we're up the best of nine now, hoping to make a comeback. We'll have to win out the rest of the season at this rate. :)

On Thursday, J and her husband G put on a pancake breakfast for the park. In addition to pancakes, there was eggs, sausage, toast and fruit. The cost was $5 per person, with the proceeds going to the social club. We had a good crowd of 25 or so people, and the food was fresh and terrific! After breakfast I headed back to my unit to count the cash. I updated our spreadsheet and then settled in to watch the Olympics. I was able to catch a bit of the mixed doubles curling, as the Canada-Finland women's hockey game was postponed as several members of Finland's team have come down with norovirus. Finland is expected to play the USA on Saturday, assuming they can field enough players.

My brother and I were chatting one day and he mentioned a salad his daughter has introduced to them. It included roasted chickpeas, along with a variety of vegetables, feta, and tzatziki sauce. It sounded delicious, but I had no feta or tzatziki, and no way to roast the chickpeas.

This is my version. I put a little oil in a fry pan, added the chickpeas, paprika, onion and garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and black pepper. I cooked them until the outside was slightly crispy (they tasted good right out of the pan!). I added them to a chopped salad of lettuce, cucumber, tomato, yellow pepper, red onion, and cheddar cheese, with a drizzle of Italian salad dressing. I didn't need all of the chickpeas for the meal, so I'll be enjoying the salad again later this week. 

I've been knitting lots too, and one of the residents has asked if I can teach them. Not sure I can teach but I can show him the basics. I throw my yarn; while I know the continental knitting technique I've never been able to consistently use it. My plan is to show him how to cast on, demonstrate the knit and purl stitches and tell him to watch some videos. He can decide which method he likes best. 

Today I plan to watch more of the Olympics and continue knitting on my project. I will do some light exercises for my legs as well. Gotta keep moving!

Have a great week ahead everyone.

Friday Funny

 

Wordless Wednesday

 

Sidelined

I'm going to start this post with a whine...you can choose to stop reading now, or not. 

For those who have been reading for a number of years, you'll know that I don't do "sick" well. While I'm not sick, I did injure myself at some point and now I'm sitting on the sidelines. Let me explain:

We painted several days last week, and I spent a good deal of that time either bending over to paint the lower blocks, kneeling or sitting on the ground to do the same. For a good part of one day I was working on gravel. It wasn't comfortable but other than a bit of muscle soreness in my thighs I didn't feel too bad.

However, I woke up Saturday and found my left knee was swollen and very tender. When I attempted to walk I discovered I couldn't even bear weight on my foot. What I could do was walk on the ball of the foot though my knee was still angry with me.

I took a couple of painkillers, dressed and drove down to Walmart to pick up a knee brace and lidocaine cream. When we'd wrapped up on Friday I'd told everyone we'd take the weekend off - there was curling to be watched! So I figured I'd stay home, watch curling and rest my knee, and things would be better by Monday. 

That wasn't the case, though I felt I'd improved enough to go help with the painting. I did tell the others that I wouldn't be kneeling though, so two others took care of the lower blocks while I used the roller to prime the upper blocks. We finished priming about 12:30 and I went home feeling exhausted. 

I guess I overdid it, and after talking to our resident L, a former nurse and J, who has experience in physical therapy, I agreed to let others finish the job. And a great job they did! Here are photos of the before and after:

I've had a couple of nights where I wake up in significant pain. I get up, take a pain killer, and use the lidocaine cream to get back to sleep. Mornings tend to be good, and I am improving but any extended period of walking (grocery shopping) or sitting (playing Canasta on Wednesday) has me hobbling around again. We did got thrifting on Tuesday, but I spent more time sitting in the thrift stores than perusing the racks/aisles. I did find a lovely vintage piece, a platter made in Japan at one store for $3.

Thank goodness for the Canadian women's curling (Scotties). I've had three draws a day, until Friday, to watch, I've been knitting, and finished a book in between games. The book, "Before I Wake" by Robert J. Wiersema is interesting and weird at the same time. A three year old, out with her mother on a walk to the local mall is hit in the crosswalk by a speeding vehicle. There is little hope for recovery and the family agrees to take her off the equipment keeping her alive...but she doesn't die. The driver of the speeding vehicle realizes what he has done and makes an attempt to take his own life by throwing himself off a cliff, only to find himself pulled back by some force into a strange other world. This is when the book gets weird, with characters dating back to the time of Jesus, forces of good and evil, harm and miraculous healing, and a family in turmoil. The writer brings it all together in the end, but while a generally easy read, it isn't a book I'd look to read again.

Oh, and a short explanation about Wednesday's photo. This is my friend L, holding up an apple fritter from Arizona Donuts. Those things are massive, cost $3, and taste absolutely delicious! Easily shared by 3-6 people too. If you are ever in Yuma and have the need for a sweet treat, check them out. 

L is a retired nurse and has warned me I can expect it to take up to six weeks for my knee to be fully healed. Can I be patient that long? Doubtful, but I'll try.

Have a great week ahead everyone!

Friday Funny

 

Wordless Wednesday

 

A quiet week for me, not so in Minneapolis

 It was a slow start to the week, and much appreciated after last week's schedule. I did go thrift shopping with my friend L on Monday and Tuesday. We didn't spend a lot of money, but we had a good visit and a lot of fun looking. My favorite find of the two days were several tiles - two of the smaller ones already have the cork backing and I may just use the others as is until I get home. I know I have cork in my craft stash there. They make great coffee coasters and these are pretty to boot. The larger tile, I want to add a hanger to and will hang on the wall in my bathroom.

The steamer trunk (Wednesday's photo) was at the Humane Society's thrift store. Originally marked at $400, it has been reduced to $350. I certainly don't have the space and although very interesting it did not come home with me. Frankly, I would much prefer to see it in a museum where it could be appreciated by many people. One of the volunteers said these items are often purchased to be used as clothing storage for babies. This particular was in great shape, all the drawers worked and the hanging rod was solid. Sadly, there were no stickers to indicate where it had been. If only it could tell its story. 

I started the painting project on Wednesday morning, along with three others. We started our prep using wire brushes to clean off some chipping paint. I thought the exterior west wall would be the worst as it is most exposed to the weather, and it needed quite a bit of work. However, the east wall was even worse as the lowest level of concrete blocks had not been primed the last time it was painted, and only had, what appeared to be, one coat of paint. The paint on those blocks peeled off in large pieces. We made a plan to prime on Thursday and paint on Friday, though if we had enough volunteers we could start painting the interior on Thursday.

After coffee hour, I went home and changed clothes, then back to the pool area to start the priming. Only one other person showed up and she cleared rocks away from the walls so I get down on the ground to prime the lower blocks. When she finished she left to get cleaned as D volunteers at the Hospice thrift store Thursday afternoons. I continued to work on the painting until noon, finishing the two rows of lower blocks and the top block on one wall, and partially on a second. This way we can roll the paint on the remainder of the wall.

We managed to finish the primer coat on the exterior walls on Friday morning and got started on the interior. J did a bit of repair to a few of the blocks, while the rest of us painted. The repairs need to be left for at least 24 hours. So I decided we'd take a break over the weekend and plan to be back at it Monday.  The fact that the Scotties Tournament of Hearts (women's curling) started Friday evening may have had something to do with it too.

This next few paragraphs are a change from my normal blog post. But it is something I feel strongly about. I don't expect all of my readers to agree with my comments but it is something I feel the need to address.

The news this week that a five year old child was used by ICE in Minneapolis to entrap his father horrified me, and the fact they have detained the child as well as the father is even worse. 

Reports indicate the child was being driven home from school, was removed from the vehicle by ICE, taken to door of a home and told to knock and ask for his father, using him as bait to lure his family outside. The family currently has an asylum claim and no deportation orders. Both the father and the child were detained and whisked away to Texas. While there is a suggestion that the child would have been left alone, reports indicate his mother was in the home and the school was also able to take him to safety.

Some of you may be asking why I care - the father was apparently in the United States illegally, however it is one thing to arrest someone for a crime, it is quite another to take an innocent child. The trauma the little boy has experienced should never have happened and will, most likely, have long term impacts on his mental, physical and emotional health. As a grandmother I cannot fathom how anyone could support this situation.

But that's not the only reason I care. I care because the lack of humanity and disregard for the rule of law displayed in the case and so many other incidents across the country is extremely disturbing. The number of these events is rising exponentially, with ICE officers acting as judge, jury and even executioner on occasion. For a country who has enshrined the right to due process in its Constitution, that right is being ignored and eroded. It's easy to say that it doesn't matter because it doesn't affect us personally. However, I fear it is only a matter of time before the current administration turns their focus to other marginalized groups, people of colour, LGBTQIA2S+, neuro-divergent people, and the disabled.

Thus I feel, even as a Canadian, I need to speak up. My words will not change anything, but at least I can demonstrate my support for those who are in the line of fire. I will not forget Liam Conego Ramos and the other innocents who have been targeted by the men in masks who are willing to break the law every day they go out on the streets. 

For now, I look to Mother Nature to provide some calm at the end of the day. I am reminded She is constant in our lives, while I have hope one day, there will be an end to the madness.