June 20 - “Patient Patient”

Yard work is back. And it is hot. Still has to get done. I went out with a very specific task in mind. But as I opened the shed, it became painfully obvious that I would need to trim some branches from the MeeMaw Tree. Not difficult. Just cut into my hours of cloud cover. 

Next I moved to part one of my actual goal for the day. I pulled up the remaining sunflowers and hauled them to the street. That one was kind of tough. Those roots didn’t want to let go. But I got it done. 

Then my supervisor tacked on an additional chore of her own. Trim the wisteria bush. Yep. I had to concur. That bush needed some serious chopping. I could have done more, but my actual number one job was calling my name, warning me to save some energy.  Here we go. 

Finally I turned my attention torward MY project: Digging up the dirt and rotting tree particles in the round mound of dirt in the yard. Oh, and that by all means included digging out the tiny little shoots of the supposedly dead, chopped-down palm tree sprouting all over in the back yard. Also put down that we raked the mysteriously dead grass around the hump. 

Today the plan is to redistribute the dirt under the hump and dead grass to begin the process of leveling the yard. That will probably entail a massive number of bags of dirt, too. I finally was able to convince myself that it is OK if I don’t get it all finished in one day. (Wait a minute! Where did THAT comment come from??).  

I guess that last statement was aptly enacted. See … Chris was sitting outside in a patio chair … supervising. I think she’s enjoying this a little too much. 

After a much-needed shower, I headed up to Seaside for a Zoom meeting. The architect presented plans for our massive worship center renovation. It’s gonna look really different. Hope everybody gets excited about it. 

I got home in time to eat a bite of lunch. Then it was on to Walmart for a banana run. I grabbed some oranges as well. And some Miracle Grow for these house plants. 

And to top it all off, I decided to reward my patient’s patience. I got her a watermelon and a tiny bouquet of flowers in a honey jar. Love you, Babe. 

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭3‬:‭17‬ says, Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

Father, help Chris maintain her patience in dealing with the pain and the medicine schedule. Aaaand … with me. Amen. 

June 19 - “A certain arm-in-a-sling cooking supervisor”

We had some pleasant visitors yesterday. No. I’m not talking about the rat I saw on the Critter Highway out back. Two of our grandsons, Jachin and Micah came over to hang out until they had to be at work. And they brought lunch. At least it was the fixin’s for lunch. 

Jachin had to leave fairly quickly, but Micah took over and between him and the instructions given to me by Micah and a certain arm-in-a-sling cooking supervisor, we got the spaghetti all cooked up and tossed together (there was a salad, too). Thanks for the food and the company, guys. 

In spite of the indefinite suspension of our home group, as soon as Chris realized it was Thursday, she had a proclamation to make. Thursday is still house cleaning day. And even made noise like SHE was going to start with sweeping, because it hurts my back. Yeah, right. So this old boy grabbed the broom and went to town. She slept through most of it. I’m sure it’s not nearly as clean as when she does it, but I did get up a bucketful of dog hair. 

‭‭1 John‬ ‭2‬:‭6‬ says, The one who says he remains in Him should walk just as He walked.

Father, bless Jachin and Micah (and their Mom) for checking in on us and bringing us some food. Amen. 

June 18 - “Crisis - times five”

I officiated at a funeral yesterday. Our friend Sarah’s grandmother. And yes, it was right in the middle of the little Tropical Storm that just happened to be passing by. 

Other than the rain, I didn’t have any problems getting to the funeral home. It was up in Texas, though, so I had to cross the causeway. Didn’t look forward to that. 

The service got started right on time. I even found an appropriate place to include my favorite quote from Grandma Jean, as recorded in the obituary that Sarah wrote: “If people would only use their damn common sense.”  

So … during the service all was going smoothly … until … the wind started picking up (the rain was gone). The door to the outside nearest the hearse started opening. Just a tad, then closed again. The first time I just acknowledged it as the affirmation of the wind, an “Amen,” if you will, and kept going. After the second and third times,  a guy on the front row (one of the family) finally got up and pulled it to. Whew. Crisis averted. Well, crisis one, anyway. 

On the way to the cemetery, we had to travel on the freeway for a time. As we began a lane change, I noticed out of the corner of my eye a car coming up behind us - quickly. The police escorts had stopped traffic in front of him, but he apparently missed the memo communicated with blinking lights and headlights and three separate police vehicles with lights flashing. 

Just as I began to ease over, he whipped around the stopped vehicle, briefly entered our lane, then swerved back to the fast lane - just in time to see the police vehicle looming ahead of him. He managed to get stopped, but I think he might need to check his brakes soon. Crisis two - check. 

Once at the gravesite, things really picked up. Well, the wind did, anyway. You know those big tents-on-wheels they place over the casket and chairs? Just as the pall bearers reached to pull the casket from the hearse, a gust of wind swirled through and actually moved the tent about six feet, leaving the table for the casket uncovered. 

You never saw four suit-and-tie-clad cemetery and funeral home guys leap into action so quickly. They stabilized the tent before it could move any further. We just left it there and continued with the graveside service before anything else could fly by (there was another tent - unsupervised - about a hundred yards away). Crisis three - check. 

If this were my grandmother’s funeral, I wouldn’t be surprised if she was looking down on old Tropical Storm Arthur and laughing uproariously. What do you think, Sarah?

Now, TS Arthur didn’t stop there. On the way home I had to ease over to the one lane open. Seems one of the overhead traffic signs was in the process of falling over. Emergency vehicles were on site, preparing to enact repairs. Crisis four - check. 

That should have been enough for the approaching storm. (Yes, it hadn’t even arrived yet. These were just the outer bands). But when I got home (By the way, thanks,Lauren, for the barbecue and frozen meals and cookies), I was greeted by an array of downed sycamore tree branches. I did my best to stack them at the street. And once inside, Chris pointed my attention to the backyard. 

Yep. The barbecue grill was on its side, teetering on the arm of one of the patio chairs, which had also been blown to its side. The patio cushions were askew, tossed about the yard. And one of the really heavy plants in a big ol’ pot full of dirt on top of one of those roller pot holders had made its way across the deck landing. At least it was still upright. Also, the sunflowers that loomed taller than the roof were now looking up at us from about six inches off the ground. 

I managed to upright all the furniture and recover the cushions. Left that big pot and the sunflowers alone, though. Crisis five - check. 

That all you got, TS Arthur?

‭‭John‬ ‭15‬:‭12‬ ‭ says, This is My command: Love one another as I have loved you.

Father, walk with Sarah and her family through this tough time. Thanks for the break in the wet weather for the graveside. And bless Lauren for thinking of us with some food. Amen. 

June 17 - “but still … there”

The not-a-hurricane is still on its way. Maybe later today. Tonight for sure.  Meanwhile, the front arrived. Freddy was first to welcome it around here. 

Around 4 a.m. she jumped up on the couch with me and snuggled as close as she could get. And not long thereafter, the thunder started, followed by the very loud rain. She eventually transferred herself into the recliner with Chris. No small feat, what with the massive sling around Chris’ neck. 

She finally joined me in the office around six. Just in time for her morning meds … and a treat. I was able to get the trash bin out to the street and the mail to be picked up out on the mailbox in between rain bands. 

In the midst of all the rain, we had to get out in it. Chris managed to score an ER follow-up appointment with her PCP team at 9 a.m.  And boy, did she have a few biggies to bring up. Of course there was the actual reason for the visit - the near-pass out event that required a fire department assist. The ER doc changed some meds, so the PCP had to review that decision. 

But the rest of her list? Well … there was still the matter of her injured knee - the other half of those Spain falls injuries. And the errant hip, the apparent “injury zero” that started this whole thing. 

But a new wrinkle has appeared. It showed up in the chest x-ray they did as part of the routine battery of tests in the ER. Seems the radiologist noticed a suspicious area on one of her lungs. Only 8 millimeters, but still … there. 

Here are the doc’s conclusions:

1. Continue the med changes made in the ER
2. Ultrasound of the Carotid arteries in the neck 
3. We call orthopedics to request MRI of her knee
4. CT the right lung to check out the suspicious node
5. Return visit in two weeks

Phew! Wild ride. 

‭‭Micah‬ ‭6‬:‭8‬ days, Mankind, He has told you what is good and what it is the Lord requires of you: to act justly, to love faithfulness, and to walk humbly with your God.

Father, thanks for that doctor. She really seems to care. Amen. 

June 16 - “Not-a-hurricane from Mexico”

We ate breakfast in the presence of a rain squall. The not-a-hurricane from Mexico is approaching here now, catching up with a weak cold front. It’s supposed to rain all week. Bring it on. 

Speaking of rain, yesterday was shower day number two for the patient. Not number two of all time, of course, just since she’s had the four holes poked into her shoulder. It’s a tiring experience for all concerned. She handled it like a trooper (of course). She did decide that it would be appropriate to take a dose of the pain meds and/or muscle relaxers before the cleansing procedure rather than after. Check. 

Helen from home group brought over some Olive Garden spaghetti and meat sauce for dinner. Always a treat to get anything from there. Thanks, Helen!

‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭4‬:‭8‬ says, Above all, maintain an intense love for each other, since love covers a multitude of sins.

Father, bless Helen for thinking of us up at Olive Garden. Amen. 

June 15 - “Can you say … stir crazy?”

Watered the backyard. Chris supervised … closely. 60 seconds here. 45 seconds there. Nope. Just 30 there. Stop. That’s enough. I do it like this. Phew. That green thumb of hers takes work!

Next we got Chris all prepped and ready for church … online. We started with Columbus Avenue in Waco. Saw a video of what Caleb and the rest of the mission team are doing in Del Rio. Then we listened to Josh preach. Chris dozed on and off. Hey. That’s the same as a lot of folks do every Sunday. 

When that ended we switched over to Facebook for Seaside’s live stream of the service there. Chris was in and out on that one as well. She got pretty frustrated that she wasn’t her former self. Gotta give it time and have some patience. 

Kel and Christina and the kids (sans Jachin bur plus Kaylee) stopped by after church. They couldn’t stay long, though. In fact they didn’t even sit down. But … company! Whee!  Oh, and they left us some cookies. Can’t beat the cookies. 

I must confess … we spent the rest of the day watching baseball and a Hallmark movie. Chris is trying to do more and more - really testing her limits. But I don’t blame her. Can you say … stir crazy?

‭‭Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭31‬ says, What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us?

Father, please give Chris patience. Amen. 

June 14 - “Way to go, Southpaw”

Well, I guess I can expand my repertoire of possible job prospects for if I ever get tired of being retired. What’s that, you may ask? Why, home health care specialist and hair stylist extraordinaire. 

Yep. This guy helped Chris with her very first post-op and post ER visit. Even washed her hair. She was, in her words, “full of hospital funk.” OK. OK. She did aide the aide considerably with her one good hand. But I gave it my best shot. 

Then I found her hairbrush (Hmm. There’s a song in there somewhere. “Where is my hairbrush …”). In fact she has two of those things. One is just for when she breaks out the hair dryer. Kinda round. The other one looks like a human being hairbrush. Only used after the round one or if the hair has not been washed. Phew! So many rules. She taught me how to work both of them, though. Now I’m a pro, and she feels … well … clean. 

Oh, and I failed to mention … we took off her big shoulder-pad looking bandage. Now she just has four taped X’s and the magic marker arrow indicating which was the right/correct shoulder surgery site. 

Janell came over for a while so I could have an outing. And how dare I leave my patient? Where could I possibly be going that would warrant such a breach of protocol? Well, Walmart, of course. We were out of bananas. We also needed some chocolate milk. Key items, you know. As a plus, I was able to sneak in some people watching. Gotta feed that habit … so, thanks, Janell. 

That bath really rejuvenated Chris. She read through all the surgeon’s notes from the operation (on MyChart). Even copied them for easier future reference. 

She moved around a lot more, squeezing her stress/ therapy ball and taking laps around the house. She did have to crash every so often to take her meds and ice the arm, though. It was kind of fun to watch her try to do more and more by herself ..  left-handed. Way to go, Southpaw. 

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭43‬:‭2‬ says, I will be with you when you pass through the waters, and when you pass through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you. You will not be scorched when you walk through the fire, and the flame will not burn you.

Father, thanks for Chris’ efforts to return to self-sustainability. Amen.