Fall, Somersault, and Trip

I don't know if anyone else has frequent power outages, but I sure
do.  This recent one lasted overnight and caused a fall.  No, not again.  I
was looking for the matches to light my candles and to find my flashlights.
And I tumbled in the process--couldn't catch myself with my right hand, I
caught myself with my head, seriously!  Turned a partial somersault.  Now
that hurt!  Hurt badly enough for me go to ER--They deemed me alive, but
bruised--in my back and my right shoulder.

Meanwhile I had a trip planned to my favorite cousin's house.  So went
anyway.  We had  (my daughter and I) a reservation at Comfort Suites--was
a large room--but I wouldn't call it a suite. But it was very clean,  had quite
comfortable beds, and was very quiet!  We left on Monday morning,
and arrived around lunch time.  We got lost about the last 5 minutes of trip.
I told my daughter to go to where we knew where we were and we'd
find the street she missed.  She wouldn't, but I didn't blame her--I have
zero sense of direction.  But I was correct this time--she heard about all
way to my cousin's house!

It was great to see him and his wife.  It had been over 30 years since I'd
seen him.  With both of us getting older, It seemed the right decision, even
if I was in a lot of pain from the fall.  The visit was wonderful!  We are
so much alike--both has a strong streak of stubbornness due to the Melton
bloodline we share. He was In Vietnam--and has PTSD, like so many that
served in that war.  I had learned not to even say the word Vietnam, war,
or anything similar.

He brought me a box of pictures--old ones--and we looked at them and
talked about them.  My favorite picture that I would dearly love to have
a 5x7 of--was a picture of him, his brother, and his sister when they were kids.
He was saluting.  A very poignant picture.

Mollie dog missed us while we were gone.  First time I'd left her overnight.  I did
hire someone to feed and water the chickens and the dog.  So they were not left
to fend for themselves.

All for now--

Kate Thorn

Back Story

Most of you realize that I sort of dropped off the edge of the earth,
so to speak.  I don't want to dramatize all that happened, but Mr. Natural
and I are no longer together.  I was nearly at the decision before I
broke my shoulder.  My shoulder being broken was painful--but my
arm was completely immobilized for 1 month and I was completely helpless.
Mr. Natural was unavailable to help me for reasons of his own.  My daughter
took a week off from work to help me.

I have polymyocitis--it's an autoimmune disease that causes muscle weakness,
so I had been using both arms to get me upright, standing.  I couldn't even
get out of chair without help.  She found a used recliner that would stand me up--
that was embarrassing, but I didn't have to ask for help.  I also couldn't recline
the chair or sleep in a bed.  I had to sleep sitting straight up.  I wasn't allowed
change my tee shirt for 2 weeks at a time.  And I was learning to eat with my
left hand.  You can imagine how messy that teeshirt was after a week of using
my left hand. I could bathe the rest of me--that was good, but only if my daughter
was here to help.  I couldn't wash my left arm.  That, she had to do.

The used chair was hard as a rock--and I tried one in Sam's that is heavenly--
even has a heat and massage function.  I have fallen in love with that chair.
And now I can recline!  I had to sit up for a solid month and try to sleep.

Finally I get to wait 2 months before I see my doc.  I was seeing her every 2
weeks.  If you are local, her name is Suzanne Hall--and she is fabulous.
She only does shoulders.

When the two of us went our separate ways, I was able to get the chicken
house built.  It's the Taj Mahal of Chicken Houses.  The coop is very
generously sized for only 5 chickens  and the outside part,
isn't  on dirt, it's built up off the ground.  And that outer screened in part of
the chicken house is even bigger than the coop portion.  And they
are such happy chickens!  They have gotten loose once or twice,
but never left the immediate vicinity.  I think they were scared of being
loose.  Three had died, and they grieved each time.  They would
huddle together, I think out of fear.

My daughter is a saint--she not only has looked after me, but
chickens, the dog, and the cat.  And no one likes looking after
Miss Daisy Cat.  She will scratch--and not when you expect
it.

My greenhouse is 2/3 completed--it had over 1000 pieces.
I put the finishing off, because there were more pressing matters.
My roof was shot.  I went with a sort of rusty red architectural
shingles and as close the color as I could get for gutters and trim
paint.  I have new steel back door and a new screen, and Mollie
no longer has run off the entire porch.  I had another inner railing with
a gate; this prevented her jumping on me and knocking me down.
Losing the use of one's dominant hand and arm alters one's
balance.  I also had a dog run put in--originally 96 feet long
and 12 feet wide--that is already a bit small--so this weekend I am
extending it to the edge of the yard.  And after the roof was done,
I got them to build a new front porch--I had so many people
stop and complement my new porch, with its fancy ramp and steps,
a concrete area for the grill.

They had to stop there due to dire repairs needed on the house
I bought in Asheville.  It only needed everything.  So now it has new
gutters, roof, new plumbing, new wiring throughout.  And isn't
all. But it will be totally done by the middle of August.  I will
attempt to sell before I rent it.

That sorta brings me to the present.  More or less anyway.

All for now.

Kate Thorn