Mama’s homecoming, non-storms

Mama made good time getting home yesterday. She walked into the house a little after 6 pm. Both of us were hoping she would get to the farm before the weather turned bad, and she did. I was too sweaty to give her a proper hug so we had to defer that until later. I had been out getting the animals fed and watered in the very hot afternoon temperatures. It had been several days since I had given the cows any grain or cubes so I spent some time in the barn getting them taken care of – out of the wind but not out of the heat. Again, thinking that we were due to have storms moving in at any moment I wanted to get that feeding done in order to avoid going over in the rain.

I had also taken the blower and cleared the sidewalks on my way out to feed. I had to get the leaves and dirt blown out of the garage. I had let it go too long and it was bothering me. While I had the blower out I used it to clear all the feathers and accumulated leaved from under the chicken coop and got pretty dirty doing so because the winds were blowing at 30-40 mph; mostly in the direction that I needed for the chore I was doing – but not totally. The dirt and dust I stirred came around the east side of the coop in a cloud and covered me up. Since I was sweaty, it stuck to me really well. Knowing that Mama was on her way and due to arrive before I would have the chance to get cleaned up, I used the hose to rinse my head and face; another reason I was so wet when Mama did get there. At least, I was a “clean” wet…mostly

Many of the predicted severe weather predictions in the past few weeks have turned out to be non-storms. There have been high winds and some lightening but precious little rain. With the dry conditions, our garden has been looking puny – especially the potatoes. I think Mama and I have figured out that the row of potatoes that is not doing well is a different kind of potato than the one that is doing well. They were also planted a couple weeks earlier that the second row. I am hoping to baby them along for another week or two hoping they will give us some larger potatoes than we have right now. If not we will have to can up what we have. Grandpa has always called the small potatoes “new potatoes” – particularly the red ones. I think we still have some from last year’s crop of red potatoes. The biggest problem is that Mama does not really like the canned potatoes. So, they sit until I make a soup or stew with them.

Back to the non-storms. There are a series of storms predicted to move through our area this weekend but I am not holding out much hope for rain. I will need to water tonight if the winds die down enough to let the water fall where I need it. If not, I will have to wait. The plants are screaming for water now so I hope the forecasts are nearer the mark than in the recent past. And, yes. The plants do communicate with me and right now they are unhappy with the care I am providing them. However, on the bright side. Mama and I picked our first blueberries last night. We will have to keep a sharp eye out and pick them as they ripen. All three bushed are loaded but they are small immature bushes so we will only get enough for a couple small jars of jam – if we get all of them as they ripen and save them for the jam. So far, Mama has eaten the entire ripened crop; all four blueberries.

There is not as much going on this weekend as the last three or four weekends which will give Mama and I time to finish a couple clean-up projects. We are not able to do anything big because I am still stiff and in a good deal of pain in my lower back and Mama’s knees continue to limit her involvement in longer projects, but we can do something.

Results, Mama and Brittany

I visited with the chiropractor yesterday and got the low down on my MRI results. All in all, it was not a good report. There seems to be a trifecta of issues I will have to deal with. First, there is a herniation in the disk between L7 and the sacrum vertebrae. In and of itself that would not be an issue. The bulge is listed as 3-5 millimeters. If that were the only problem it would be very easy to deal with. Second, since I am a little older now the disk is somewhat dehydrated – meaning it has shrunk. What used to be a12 mm cushion had now regressed to only 9 mm. Thirdly, and probably the real cause of the impingement is a “significant” arthritic damage. It was measured to be between 7 and 9 mm. Adding those numbers up, I have a nerve squeezing through an opening that is, at best, only slightly smaller than the nerve itself. There are several options but none of them deal with all three of the causal agents simultaneously.

Most significantly, I can change my diet, lose weight and add the herbs to my daily routine that help the body deal with arthritis. Additionally, I can exercise and strengthen my lower back to increase flexibility and limit further damage to the area. On the non-medical treatment side, I can go through spinal decompression to ease the disk injury and open the passage through which the nerve passes. That is probably a given at this point. On the medical side, I can go through pain management and treat the injured area with steroids injected directly into the offended area, via epidural IV. That would ease the swelling and give a temporary relief but is not a real solution unless it significantly reduces the herniation. Last, and least favorable, is to go through surgery to either fuse the vertebrae or clean out the damage I have done to myself over the years. I have an appointment with the medical doctor some time either Friday next week or Monday of the week following. I will get her opinion then. For now, I will take the long road of diet and exercise – which is something I need to do regardless.

I was at the chiropractor’s office for an hour and a half yesterday evening. Between the time we spent talking about the prognosis, the time I spent on the decompression table and the time I spent with a cold pack and the TINS unit, I got home just in time to get cleaned up and changed for church. I thought I was going to have to feed the animals after church but I met Victoria as I was leaving and she said she would take care of the feeding chores. The animals miss Mama when she is gone.

Mama comes home today. She is not thrilled about the drive in either direction but I like to think it is more enjoyable for her coming towards home – and me. She and Brittany got out of the hospital early yesterday morning. Brittany is doing well and seems to be in good spirits. The twins were doing very well last night as I talked with Mama after I got home from church. They were kicking up a storm in Brittany’s belly. Mama was enjoying that immensely. The two of them, Mama and Britany that is, were out in the back yard trying to repair a wind-damaged fence. They borrowed a screw gun from a neighbor and were repositioning fencing boards that had been blown off in a recent storm. With the weather predictions for today I would have waited to see if that was the only section in need of repair. But the fence separates the house from a busy thoroughfare and Brittany does not like the thought of easy access to the property form a public road; not that I disagree with that apprehension on her part. I would love to have witnessed the remodeling project as the two of them tackled it.

Mama told me that when she was in the house alone – Brittany was in the hospital overnight – the back door blew open in the middle of the night. That was as near terrifying an event as she has been through recently. Mama checked out the house and secured the door with every available lock, deadbolt and latch. Fortunately, Lucy (Brittany’s Chi-weenie) was on high alert so I know Mama would have been protected by fierce canine furor.

Continue to pray for Brittany and the twins. We need as many weeks as the Lord will give us in utero.

Brittany’s call, evening busy-ness

Brittany got the news yesterday morning at her appointment with the gynecologist that she would need to be hospitalized overnight for some prescriptive treatments for the twins because of the doctor’s concerns that the cervix was showing signs that the body could go into labor too early. Since she is there basically alone, she asked Mama to come up and help. So, Mama left yesterday in the early afternoon. I am still unclear as to the urgency of the matter and how the condition of her body at present will affect the overall health of the twins or the length of the pregnancy, but in high risk pregnancies - Brittany would be considered so even with a single child – there is not much discretion other than to follow the doctor’s orders. Steroids were given to help promote lung development and a magnesium supplement via IV was given to reduce the risk of one or another brain development issue. If all goes well she should be discharged today. From here on out it is a waiting game and a matter of constant prayer. The longer the twins wait to introduce themselves, the better.

I had a busy evening yesterday. Of course, I had to get all the feeding and evening chores done at the farm but I also had to get a bale of hay set out for the cows. With my back hurting the way it is it was a bigger challenge than I thought it might be. Most disappointing was the fact that I could not remember the combination to the lock on our neighbor’s gate so that I could get to the hay. I do not have his number so I had to call Mama to see if she could get it for me when she got the chance – which she did. Getting on and off the tractor is a challenge at the moment. The trip to get the hay requires that I get on and off the tractor a total of twelve times because of opening and closing gates. So, the routine is to get on the tractor and drive to the gate, get off and open the gate. Get back on the tractor and drive through the gate. Get off the tractor and close the gate. Get on the tractor and drive to the next gate. Repeat as needed. Setting the bale out takes an additional four mounts and dismounts before heading to the gate to get out of the lot. By the time I parked the tractor I just sat in the seat for a few minutes before I finally got off. But the cows are happy for the moment.

I generally take time Tuesday evening to do the music for the following Sunday and last night was no exception. I try to have it done in advance to avoid any surprises and to allow the musicians time to either practice or alert me to the need to change a selection. It is best to avoid doing it Sunday morning if possible. So far, that has worked out well. I also took time to get some chicken broth made for my evening meals. I actually cooked the chicken Saturday but I had not taken the time to process everything so that it would be ready to eat. By the time I got everything cooked up, packed up and cleaned up, it was time to get ready to go for my appointment with the giant magnet.

I left early on purpose even though I was pretty sure where the facility was located. It was not hard to find and it was not busy. I was the only one in the office as I waited. I got there early enough that the lady manning the desk was worried that I did not know that I was forty-five minutes early. I was hoping to get in before 9 pm so I could get home before 11 pm. Fortunately, it did work out that way. The MRI took about 45 minutes total and I was able to get started a little before 9 pm. I was home at about 10:40. I did not waste any time getting into bed.

I should hear the results this afternoon when I see the chiropractor.

Done, on the way, diagnostics

Last night Mama, Victoria and I finished our third of three tests to complete this semester of FBI. The test was over very familiar material so it was not too difficult and I am sure that all three of us did well. It is a relief to have a few weeks of Monday evenings free. Classes will resume in late August or early September. That will be the last semester required to complete the program. I am not sure how God will use the certificate in our lives but I am sure He will use the increased knowledge of the Bible over and over again. I am always amazed by the breadth of what we are able to learn in the short weeks of each semester.

I was up this morning at about the time Maggie and Aaron and the kids should have been getting on the ferry in Juneau. I was up for completely unrelated reasons but it was in an unusually opportune timeframe to really pray for them all…especially Aaron. He will have his hands full as they make the 3,000 mile trek to Wilmington from Seattle. They will be on the ferry until sometime on Friday. I am not sure of the distance but it has to be over 800 miles down the inland passage from Juneau to Seattle. Hopefully, they will have time to stop and see the sights along the way. It is difficult to imagine they will ever make the trip again, though it is impossible to say for sure. So, I hope they make the best of it as they go. Maggie has plenty of experience in traveling by car. Not that she always enjoyed it, but she has plenty of experience.

I am scheduled for an MRI at 9:15 tonight. Fortunately, the imaging lab is not too far from us and is in an area that is familiar to us. Mama and I should have no trouble getting there and back. Since it is so late in the evening, we will go early and do some shopping at a couple of local stores while we wait for my turn to get magnified and resonated. The timing is good, because I have an appointment with the chiropractor Wednesday afternoon after work and the receptionist in that office is confident that the images will be available at that appointment. That way, we will know what the path forward will be and I will know how careful I must be in the coming weeks as we implement a strategy for recovery.

Pray for Mama. Between her bad knees and my injured back, she is under quite a load keeping the farm running. The most difficult task is getting the feed to the proper place for dispensing to the animals. Right now, we have feed in several locations being stored for later use. As Mama uses the feed in each barrel it must be refilled. To get the 50# bags of feed to refill the barrels is a chore that I have largely done for her but she is hesitant to have me do it right now – I am not sure why – but it still needs to get done. I know we will be able to work it out and when needed, the Lord will supply the help, but she is stressing over it none-the-less.

I have hurt this badly in the past and a time or two, much worse. I think, from Mama’s perspective, it is different because the cause has been roughly diagnosed. From my perspective, it is a little different because I am not only dealing with the constant pain (nothing new) but also with the neural impingement issues – and the light headedness; which is still undiagnosed. When I am not paying close attention, I find myself stumbling like a ninety-year-old. So, I pay attention and hope the recovery is not long.

I need to get together with an instructor and learn Thai chi. If I start now and continue for the next thirty years or so, maybe I can get some of my flexibility back…maybe.

Medical visits, moving

I had not intended to spend half the day at the doctor’s office Friday but that is the way it turned out. I did request that Mama schedule an appointment with a medical doctor so we could try to pin down the issues I am having with my back as well as the dizziness I am battling. That appointment took until almost 2 pm. I did not know that she had also scheduled me a chiropractor visit for 2 pm until we were having lunch. That additional visit took until a little after 4 pm. Both doctors agreed that I am in pretty bad shape. The dizziness and the difficulty I am having breathing are still in question because my aching back stole the show. I will have to get those questions answered at some later time.

During the medial visit the doctor did an EKG which showed the same anomalies that have always been there – no surprises. It was during the time we talked that I told her that I have had to make a conscious effort to lift my feet up lately, especially when walking on uneven surfaces – like our back yard. That one issue finally prompted me to seek help. That sent off the alarms in her head which told her that the nerve impingement from the herniated disk has gone on long enough to begin causing the muscles in my lower right leg to be affected. I thought I was just not paying enough attention. But, I must admit that it did hurt every time I stumbled. Anyway, she wrote out several prescriptions and ordered some blood work – which I will get done today – from which she will determine a more defined diagnosis. I should be scheduled for an MRI this week to see the extent of the herniation but both doctors feel that I have let this go on too long. Perhaps they are right, but it is only at this point that Mama and I have the insurance needed to afford the medical treatments that may be required.

At the chiropractor’s office, we spent a good deal of time talking about the other doctor’s visit and when I related the foot drop issue the chiropractor had me sit on the edge of the table and raise each leg as high as possible. The left leg was not a problem to elevate. The right leg did not do so well. I was only able to lift it a little before the pain was too intense. He elected to do a cold therapy on me – which was quite painful for a few minutes it took my body to adjust to the cold pack placed on my bare skin. He did not adjust me because he does not know the extent of the damage to the offended disk in my back. I thought that a wise decision. So, this week, hopefully, both doctors will get a look at my spine via the MRI and see what the damage is. For my part, I do not expect it to be too bad. In other words, I would be very surprised if surgery is required. Since the chiropractor has a spinal decompression apparatus, I believe that is the route we will go. More updates soon.

Maggie, Aaron, Cathryn and Walter will begin the long southern migration to the lower 48 early tomorrow morning. Really it will be tonight at 1 a.m. which really is tomorrow technically but it will not seem like it to the weary travelers as they board the ferry to come south along the inland passage. Not only do they have a four-day ferry ride but they have to drive across the continental US from Seattle, Washington to the eastern side of the Carolina’s to take up residence in Wilmington. It will be a long process for the family so say a prayer for them for safety and strength – and finances to meet the needs at hand.

I will be in the office all week this week. The traveling starts again next week.

While I was away

I left with Mama from the church Monday afternoon after we had lunch to travel to Birmingham, AL to give two days of training to a client in that area. Fortunately, the weather was not bad on the day we flew out. All the storms were south and west of us. It was only a two hour flight. We were put on one of the very small jets so you either had a window or an aisle seat regardless of the row assignment. I have not traveled by plane for a while but as flights go it was not bad – cramped and a little too warm, but not too bad. The two days of class were easy and mostly fun since we were in a training center for a major company in the Bessemer area. On the second day, I had to catch a ride back to the hotel from the safety supervisor of the site because the team I had been traveling around with did not get back from their site and client tours until about 7 pm.

The last day (Thursday) we were all up and out the door by 6 a.m. so we could meet a client about two hours away. The intent was  for me to get a tour of their facility – where I will be instructing three days of classes over the period of the week-long safety seminar. That left us about two hours to tour the facility and visit with the client in preparation for the week being planned for late September and still make it back to the airport in Birmingham to catch our flight home – which we did. However, the flight home was delayed about an hour due to weather over Dallas, diverted in route due to weather over Dallas, and delayed prior to approach due to heavy traffic coming into Dallas because of the other delayed and diverted flights. The pilot explained the we “were in a very long line of traffic.” Not too upsetting, but it took us four hours to make a two hour flight. It is a good thing I did not have Mama waiting on me at the airport. She was not feeling well to begin with; having her wait an extra two hour at the airport would not have made it a pleasant homecoming for me or her.

While I was away, Mama and Norman loaded the feeder pig for her trip to the meat market. Mama was a little hesitant to take the pig because she was a really good pig to work with; calm, laid back and safe to work around. Nevertheless, we needed to have her processed so she could begin to feed us instead of us feeding her. Her weight was about 440 pounds. Mama did well getting her ready. It took them over an hour to get her loaded because Mama and Norman did not know the process of getting the pen ready for loading. I normally block off the back of the pen, both sleeping areas and as much as I can of the interior area so there is a natural tendency for the pig to look out at the loading chute into the trailer as the widest space available to run to. They eventually got there, but they were not able to start there. I guess Mama never noticed what I had done before we started to load a pig out of that pen.

Mama also informed me that the live trap I had set in the garden had finally trapped a squirrel. I was not sure if it was ever going to work but it did. The only disadvantage was that I was 1200 miles away. As far as I know the squirrel is still caught in the trap awaiting my final sentencing. At least he has something to eat during his capture – even though it is his last meal. The squirrels have multiplied this year and I have had to lower the head could on our little property. So far, I have culled eleven or twelve and it does not have seemed to affect the impact on the overall population. Eventually it will, but for now they are still thriving and eating our garden, dumping the bird feeders and getting into places that they should not get into, like our car engine compartments.

So, the hunt continues.

While I was away

I left with Mama from the church Monday afternoon after we had lunch to travel to Birmingham, AL to give two days of training to a client in that area. Fortunately, the weather was not bad on the day we flew out. All the storms were south and west of us. It was only a two hour flight. We were put on one of the very small jets so you either had a window or an aisle seat regardless of the row assignment. I have not traveled by plane for a while but as flights go it was not bad – cramped and a little too warm, but not too bad. The two days of class were easy and mostly fun since we were in a training center for a major company in the Bessemer area. On the second day, I had to catch a ride back to the hotel from the safety supervisor of the site because the team I had been traveling around with did not get back from their site and client tours until about 7 pm.

The last day we were all up and out the door by 6 a.m. so we could meet a client about two hours away for me to get a tour of their facility – where I will be instructing three days of classes over the period of the week-long safety seminar. That left us about two hours to tour the facility and visit with the client in preparation for the week being planned for late September and still make it back to the airport in Birmingham to catch our flight home – which we did. However, the flight home was delayed about an hour due to weather over Dallas, diverted in route due to weather over Dallas, and delayed prior to approach due to heavy traffic coming into Dallas because of the other delayed and diverted flights. The pilot explained the we “were in a very long line of traffic.” Not upsetting but it took us four hours to make a two hour flight. It is a good thing I did not have Mama waiting on me at the airport. She was not feeling well to begin with; having her wait an extra two hour at the airport would not have made it a pleasant homecoming for me or her.

While I was away, Mama and Norman loaded the feeder pig for her trip to the meat market. Mama was a little hesitant to take the pig because she was a really good pig to work with; calm, laid back and safe to work around. Nevertheless, we needed to have her processed so she could begin to feed us instead of us feeding her. Her weight was about 440 pounds. Mama did well getting her ready. It took them over an hour to get her loaded because Mama and Norman did not know the process of getting the pen ready for loading. I normally block off the back of the pen, both sleeping areas and as much as I can of the interior area so there is a natural tendency for the pig to look out at the loading chute into the trailer as the widest space available to run to. They eventually got there, but they were not able to start there. I guess Mama never noticed what I had done before we started to load a pig out of that pen.

Mama also informed me that the live trap I had set in the garden had finally trapped a squirrel. I was not sure if it was ever going to work but it did. The only disadvantage was that I was 1200 miles away. As far as I know the squirrel is still caught in the trap awaiting my final sentencing. At least he has something to eat during his capture – even though it is his last meal. The squirrels have multiplied this year and I have had to lower the head could on our little property. So far, I have culled eleven or twelve and it does not have seemed to affect the impact on the overall population. Eventually it will, but for now they are still thriving and eating our garden, dumping the bird feeders and getting into places that they should not get into, like our car engine compartments.

So, the hunt continues.