Back in Missouri and finishing up February

 I am back in Saint Louis.  My time in Arizona was very well spent and it benefitted both Juli and me tremendously.  Juli got the help and support she needed and I got an eleven-day vacation.....not that my life here in Saint Louis is packed with work.  On Monday, our last full day together, I drove Juli down to Phoenix for an early afternoon appointment with her back surgeon.  He was very informative and answered all of her questions.  (we were worried we would drive ninety minutes for a five minute visit - happily, that was not the case).  Amy Ellsworth came up to Payson that evening for dinner and a lovely visit before she headed up to their home in Strawberry to sleep.  She was my ride back to the airport on Tuesday morning and we almost didn't make it!  She had some laundry issues at the house which caused her to leave a little later than planned.  And, then she encountered stoppage on the highway between Strawberry and Payson!  So, we left an hour later than hoped and that meant we could not stop by Jerri's care facility to see her before I left.  Jerri is 87 years old and who knows how many more years we will still have her?  So, I am sad I didn't get to visit with her.  I managed to get a window seat flying home and I had some great views of the Superstition mountain wilderness, the snow in the White Mountains of eastern Arizona, the snow in the New Mexico mountains, and then Missouri with the Lake of the Ozarks, Jefferson City, and coming into Saint Louis.  Steve and the dogs met me at the airport and we had a lovely Tuesday evening together.  Then, in the middle of the night, I awoke to severe vertigo!  For about three hours I couldn't open my eyes (because the room would be spinning), it was worse lying down, and I had constant waves of nausea.  Thankfully, the vertigo and nausea was gone by the morning but I had no appetite and I pretty much stayed in bed all day Wednesday.  Thursday morning, I went to be tested for Covid as vertigo and nausea are peripheral and less common symptoms of the coronavirus.  It came back negative.  Yay.  But, it wasn't until yesterday, Saturday, that I felt like eating normally and doing regular activities.  And, then, last night, I was hit with lower intestinal cramping and basically emptied my gut by midnight.  So, I guess I am not all better.  So annoying!  

Even though I wasn't feeling 100%, we did manage to do a few activities.  We had bought a larger television the first part of February and it is too big for the piece of furniture that was designated for holding our old television.  We pulled in a cedar chest from our bedroom to temporarily  hold the larger TV and, on Friday, we went to a thrift store and found a lovely narrow table in excellent condition for just $20.  On Saturday, we visited our local mulch site and hauled some free wood chips to our backyard vehicle turn-around that was getting kind of muddy.  I taught a Zoom bass lesson and Southerland piano lessons yesterday.  We watched "Greenland" Friday night and I have discovered I cannot view intense movies just before bed because they keep my mind from shutting down!  It happened earlier in January with "The Midnight Sky".  We watched episode 8 of WandaVision last night and, while I had dreams of it, at least I was able to fall asleep fairly quickly.  

Our weather has turned spring-like and I am happy to say hello to March and good-bye to February!

Greetings from Payson, Arizona

 

It has been a quiet week here in Payson.....my sister Juli continues to get a little better each day.  And, I have just played the supportive role - doing laundry, cleaning, fixing meals, washing dishes, running errands.  We have watched a movie each day.  And, I have had plenty of time of my own to work on the sewing projects I brought  to work on.  I went through two sewing machines in the process!  Juli's machine, a solid Kenmore she got as a high school graduation present, served me well all week until Friday morning when it just stopped.  Probably a broken belt but not something I can fix.  So, I decided to try out the very old sewing machine that belonged to my mom and on where I learned to sew.  It is a Domestic and does just a simple straight stitch.  And, once I finally remembered how to thread it, it worked!!! For about thirty minutes.  And, then it just froze up.  

Happily, there was a spare machine in the Relief Society closet (a Husqvarna Viking - LOVE those machines!!!) and Ruth, the R.S. President and a very good friend of Juli's, brought it by Friday afternoon and I was able to finish all my projects last night. 

Speaking of vintage machines - I made waffles Thursday morning on the waffle iron that belonged to my parents.  Juli had it stored in the top of a kitchen cupboard, she had never used it since she acquired it after mom died, and we weren't sure it was even viable. But, it still works!  

Thanks to technology, I was able to keep up with email, with my ward missionary calling, with the family via Marco Polo, with nightly scripture study with Steve.  I was able to watch a webinar by the Shaw Nature Reserve one afternoon.  

So, Juli and I watched the rest of the All Creatures Great and Small season on PBS.  It was just lovely!  I even had to watch the last episode a second time, it was so good.  We also watched "The Ultimate Gift" (Juli had never seen it - it is always worth a watch), "Maleficent: Mistress of Evil" (kind of meh), "Sabrina" (the Harrison Ford one - so good), and "The Secret- Dare to Dream" (quite good- I recommend it) .  I personally watched "The Dig" (interesting but I was not thrilled by the little romantic sub-plot) , "Love Guaranteed"(really liked it), and the newest WandaVision (whoa!!). 

I go back to Saint Louis on Tuesday.... 

 

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine’s Day!  Happy Arizona statehood day and, funny enough, that is where I am right now - Payson, Arizona - to care for my sister Juli who had back surgery almost two weeks ago.  Payson had 29 inches of snow the end of January and, on the 30th, Juli was trying to remove a broken pine branch from her porch room and she fell, breaking her back.  Thankfully, it didn’t paralyze her (or kill her!!!)but she ended up in an ICU in Mesa that night and ultimately had two rods placed in her back February 2nd.  After her discharge from the hospital, she spent about five days in a Mesa rehabilitation facility and I flew in on Friday to be with her at her home.  A very nice couple, the Swansens, from her ward, drove down to pick us both up and drive us back up the mountain.  Juli is SOOO happy to be back in her own place.  I will be here until Tuesday, February 23rd and will do whatever Juli needs as she recuperates....laundry, cleaning, driving, meals (although ward members are bringing in dinner through Tuesday night), and just keeping her company as she deals with forced inactivity - something that is rather foreign to both of us.  As for me, I brought along sewing projects to fill the hours.  And, I loaded Disney+, Prime Video, and Netflix onto Juli’s Roku.  Right now, Juli’s pain management is also one of my duties.  She is still needing the high powered pain meds, especially at night.  I am encouraging her to start her exercises because I am a devout convert to them.  Three months ago, when I was having so much back pain, I would never have dreamed I would be pain free again.  And, yet, here I am.  I feel great.  I can stand, I can walk, I can sleep pain free.  And this is also without Naproxin.  I attributed it completely to the core strengthening exercises I have been doing every day.  

Juli’s house is full of flowers and it smells so good!  It is also colder here than I thought it would be based upon my pre-flight research, and I should have packed more extra warm clothes.  But, it is not nearly as cold as it is in Saint Louis right now.  Poor Steve and the dogs!  We got a bit of rain last night but it wasn’t cold enough to snow.  And, happily, by the end of my stay, temperatures are supposed to be in the low 60’s.  

The drive up to Payson was beautiful - as always.  It was sad to see, though, all the damage from last summer’s fire that closed down the Beeline highway for days.  My flight was full - no empty middle seats.  

Nothing much to write about the week leading up to my coming to Payson.  Larkin came to preschool on Thursday (roads were rather icy on Tuesday) and we made “love bugs” and ate Valentine cupcakes that I made.  

Steve and I watched two library DVDs - "The Devil Wears Prada" and "The Man From U.N.C.L.E" earlier in the week.  We also watched "The Ultimate Gift" on Prime on our new 50" television we bought with our second stimulus check that finally arrived this month.  (I guess changing banks and mailing address posed a problem for our government)

I close with a chilly photograph of Steve and Fred (with his dog Stacy) on our Monday morning walk.  Even with temperatures in the single digits, Fred doesn't wear head gear.  He says it impedes his ability to hear (he is blind).  Brrrrr!

It's COLD out there

We had a very quiet, average week.  We didn't go outside much because it was really cold.  However, there were two days that were not as cold so we took the dogs on a walk through the graveyard across the street on Tuesday and we rode our bikes on Wednesday.  I developed a urinary tract infection early on so I am now on antibiotics.  The Carondelet string quartet rehearsed on Friday - that was enjoyable.  While I was sawing away on my cello, Steve drove our blind neighbor, Fred, to be tested for Covid at a nearby Walgreens.  Unlike the testing Steve and I experienced, they just handed him a kit and said "go ahead and do it yourself"!!!  A blind man.  So, Steve had to help and it was kind of a wonky process.  After dropping Fred back at home, Steve wiped down the car with disinfectant.  Fred has been sick since January 26th but I guess since he is a single guy, he just thought he could soldier on?  We haven't heard the results yet and maybe it isn't Covid.  I just wonder why he didn't call his doctor early on who could have sent someone to his house to test him (since he can't drive himself) or why his twenty-something daughter couldn't have taken him?  And, I just hope Steve doesn't get Covid for his kindly act of service....

I had both cello students this week, the Phoenix one is always virtual but Ethan came in person on Saturday.  His parents got to attend the temple so he was with us for about five and a half hours.  After lessons, Ethan and I spent the rest of the time glutting on Disney+

I tried two new gluten free baking recipes...the cinnamon swirl bread is delicious.  The coconut flour cake has yet to be tried since it is tonight's dessert.  Steve and I continue to transcribe his father's life history.  We have just finished his time in England where he was stationed as a bombardier in a B17 crew.  Wow, harrowing experiences!  

Steve and I watched a lot of movies through the week:  Groundhog Day (of course), Iron Man, Pajama Game, Mirror Mirror, and Mulan.  Pajama Game came from the library and it was because Steve had made up some silly lyrics to a tune (Hernando's Hideaway) that came from the movie (and Broadway musical).  After some Wikipedia research, we decided to try to watch it as neither of us had ever seen it.   Hooray for the public library.  It was kind of silly but we enjoyed watching it.  Mirror Mirror is the quirky twist on Snow White from 2012.  Back then, Steve was very involved with being in the stake presidency so I watched a lot of movies on my own.  This was one that I liked enough that I bought it.  Steve had never seen it until this week.  Mulan was watched over a few days and I just love it.