Progress in baby steps

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Ah, the canes. The candy canes are gone, the cookies (almost) eaten, the candy cane infused peppermint ice cream is history. The only canes remaining are the ones in the corner.

cane collection in a corner

Amigo’s is the long white cane with a red tip. Mine is the shorter support cane. It may look black, but it’s actually a dark green that suits my personality. I use the cane almost any time I leave the house — work, shopping (not often), appointments, etc. It’s good for me in many ways.

The news, if it’s news, is that my left side is showing signs of recovery. The neurologist (with the cool shoe wardrobe) checked my reflexes, and my left leg actually kicked. It didn’t move as much as the right does, but it moved. The last time she checked my reflexes, the left leg didn’t move at all. It just sat. This is improvement – significant improvement.

Doctor Shoes reminded me that recovery from an episode like mine, similar to stroke, can take a while. Healing a broken bone may be measured in weeks, but when nerves are healing, it’s more likely to take months. I think she saw my deep sigh at this one, because she told me to keep up PT and hang in there.

The deep sigh, however, wasn’t one of disappointment. Resignation, maybe, but also relief. Slight recovery means progress, and progress leads to more progress. Her tests confirmed what I was feeling; I feel a little stronger now than I did two weeks ago, when I felt stronger than I had two weeks before.

The cane is still my accessory, my tool for getting around. It will remain by my side and in my cubicle and in my corner. Add that to the medical pros in my corner, and I think I stand a good chance of walking to work again – sooner or later.

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More reasons to enjoy teaching fifth grade

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My students send me work in envelopes decorated with stickers.

Who can resist getting the mail when the mail looks like this?

They are old enough to create detailed work that demonstrates their learning.

The assignment called for an “appropriate image”.

The written portion was detailed and accurate, too. I sincerely enjoy grading fifth grade work. These students are awesome.

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Do you feel a draft?

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Working in an old building has its perks. High ceilings, big windows, wood floors, lots of wood overall. The beauty of the aged building balances the cubicles and the computers. As a group, we like our office. We’re happy to be located where we are.

Old buildings have a down side, though. When winter arrives, those lovely big windows are drafty. The under-insulated walls around those windows let in the cold air more than they would in a brand new, tightly closed and insulated office.

We like our location, though. We groan a little on the coldest Wisconsin days, and then we open up our desks and get out the tools for working in the cold. Coffee cups with covers, blankets and snuggies for our laps, scarves around our chilly necks, and our favorite accessory: gloves. We can handle just about any part of our work while wearing fingerless gloves. In fact, some of us own more than one pair.

Daisy’s collection – next to a cup made for hot cocoa!

Typing with gloves on – simple.

Keeping warm while answering email or grading papers

Using the phone, making curriculum based assessment calls

or simply staying warm and fuzzy.

Now that “texting” gloves are popular, there’s a much greater variety on the market. Bring on the wind chills; we’re ready!

 

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RIP, refrigerator

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Maybe you’ve seen – or maybe you haven’t – this simple Haiku.

Refrigerator. Of course.

Our refrigerator stopped making sense, too. Thanksgiving weekend the freezer continued freezing while the refrigerator quit refrigerating. Thanks to the Internet, we found and implemented a fix. As we got closer to Christmas, the freezer started warming up. Losing cold? Whatever. The ice cubes were still ice, but the ice cream was getting softer. Chuck asked (rhetorically, of course) “Why do our appliances taunt us whenever it’s a major holiday?”

Don’t answer that, people. Just don’t.

This time, at least, we had two advantages. 1: Chuck and I did the homework at Thanksgiving in case we needed to buy a new refrigerator. We knew what we needed. 2: This month, Mother Nature gave us an alternate storage place called Snow on the Deck. Storing the frozen food was easy. Some went in a cooler, and a few of my frozen market goodies went right in the light and powdery snow.

Getting it out was another story.

But wait – there’s more! I used a broom to brush away the layers that had accumulated overnight and found strawberries and blueberries, also frozen last summer.

Not stepping stones: tops of coffee “cans” full of frozen berries.

All is calm, and all is cool, at least for now. If I forgot anything, it’ll show up in the next thaw. Next: clean the oven.

 

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And so it goes – a review of the First Days of 2012

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2012 was an incredibly eventful year. For better or for worse, here are the first posts from each month on Compost Happens.

January 1st: Last year’s retrospective, looking back at a very eventful 2011. Read ahead for links to the first of each month in 2012. One year from now, you’ll be reviewing 2013. That thought is both frightening and exciting.

February 1st: In a year fraught with conflict, I wrote many letters. Some were real and landed on desks in Madison and Washington, D.C., and others landed in cyberspace on Compost Happens.

March 1st: Writing is therapeutic. Blogging and email fit the category, too. Last March I reminisced and quietly rejoiced in my new-found state of normal.

April 1st: I didn’t post on April 1st, and April 2nd featured pictures of my cubicle (cute, but not exactly thrilling content). Instead, I give you March 30: the power of refusal and the word No.

May 1st: The strength of grass-roots organizing – the 4 by 10 method.

June 1st: 2012 was an eventful year in the political realm. As we geared up for a gubernatorial recall election in Wisconsin, I spent a little volunteer time as a Holder of the Lights on a local overpass.

July 1st: Why my life would make a lousy reality show.

August 1st: Perspectives on trees and pondering fortune cookies; the two are related. Trust me.

September 1st: What does a progressive blogger post during the Republican National Convention? Analysis, that’s what. Here’s a brief analysis of some of the worst prime time moments of the RNC’s gathering.

October 1st: Busy? Did I say busy? October is typically a wild month here at the O.K. Chorale, and this year was busier than most.

November 1st: Encore posts can come in handy. On November 1st of 2012, I was experiencing scary symptoms of a possible stroke. I set this encore to post so the blog wouldn’t be empty. November 2nd explained what happened at the hospital as I lay on the gurney hooked up to all kinds of beeping machines thinking “Thank goodness I voted early!”

December 1st: Sandwiched between a rant about the Clinic That Shall Not Be Named and pictures of construction vehicles in the front yard, I pulled up an encore post to remember how much my young ones have grown and matured.

Here’s hoping 2013 has more achievements and happy occasions and fewer tragedies than 2012.

 

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Cookies! It’s a family affair.

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Winter break at the O.K. Chorale includes a few major traditions. One of those is the annual Baking and Decorating of Christmas Cookies. We use my mother’s recipe (Thanks, Petunia!) for the cookie dough. Next, we use some of my collection of cookie cutters to get the shapes we want.

from left to right: La Petite and Amigo

This year, La Petite and Amigo did most of the rolling and cutting of dough. I made several trefoils (Girl Scout symbol) in memory of the young Scouts who died at Sandy Hook School in Newtown, Connecticut.

Trefoils and more

Amigo made sure we used all the shapes. Angels, gingerbread boys and girls, Christmas trees, eight notes — see below for a sample.

Guitar on the right; trefoils on the left

But what’s in the middle? One guitar is a little ragged and resembles a tulip. Above it – what’s that?

Eighth note or Ate note?

Finally, the entire family decorates. I make the frosting, Chuck frosts the cookies, and La Petite and Amigo decorate with sprinkles and sugars. The table is a mess, and it’s worth it.

Decorating!

And since we’ve all contributed, the cookies taste better than any others. It’s a sweet and tasty time of family togetherness.

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Captured talk – and Acts of Kindness

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Captured Talk: a collection of statements, overheard or quoted from sources in random fashion.

Sometimes, captured talk makes no sense at all. Sometimes, it actually makes more sense out of context. Once in a while, I can pull together a few lines of captured talk and fill in with connections of my own, and the end result – well, you be the judge. Readers, if I borrowed one of your lines in my Captured Talk, feel free to comment. Just remember, they’re all quoted in random fashion, out of context. 

It’s very hard for me to be patient about this. We’re stunned, sickened, and angry. The second amendment was written in the days of muzzle loaders and not stealth, automatic killing machines. Obviously, a wacko with a semiautomatic rifle is a far more effective killing machine than someone with a knife. (Wacko? Is this word appropriate from a syndicated columnist?) 

I agree that we also need to address mental illness, but let’s not oversimplify the situation. Panaceas don’t exist, and it’s lying to claim otherwise. 

No matter what, better access to mental health care is crucial…as well as providing resources and being more effective in identifying those with violent backgrounds and tendencies. At this time, many struggle against a court system that makes it almost impossible to make someone get help until it’s too late.  

Much like the heated discussions over gun control, any change in our existing mental health system must make sure our efforts don’t serve to further stigmatize mental illness. Both sides need to lay down their swords. 

Meanwhile, if your way of grieving is giving, consider donating to others in memory of the Sandy Hook victims. Pay it forward. Work toward change for the better whether in Connecticut or closer to home.

My words or captured talk? Can you tell? Whether or not you can distinguish Daisy’s own words from those of others, the last piece is that most important. Let’s work toward change, positive change.

One way to make a positive impact is to participate in the 26 Acts of Kindness started by Ann Curry of NBC. 

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Flu – You can prevent this misery.

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My dear friend’s husband is sick: sicker than ever, it seems. He suffered through a cold followed by a sinus infection and now is down for the count with (did you guess?) influenza. He’s not a complainer. He’s more likely to take care of himself and tough his way through these things. But this time, his wife is out of town, his kiddo is a teenager – a good, responsible teenager, but still a teen – and the man is miserably ill. A few of his updates will help describe the situation:

OK, a month of cold/sinus infection, just think I am over it and BOOM!!! hit with a full body aching influenza! Shoot me now. That might hurt less.

Been up four times last night. Muscles ache, head hurts feverish….. yep, still have the flu! Booooo!!!

Auughhhh! So tired of….(cough cough) being sick….<Achoo>. Sigh.

I have fought the good fight today but the plague is winning. Time for at least a two hour nap!

We offered the poor guy some help because we only live a few blocks away. He told me he’s well stocked with juice, soup, white soda, NyQuil, and pain meds. I hope he can rest enough to recover.

I don’t know, however, if he had a chance to get the flu shot. If he had, he might have had a less serious case of influenza or even fought it off completely. I know, I know, I hear you — “Time! No one has time!” Folks, it takes less time to get immunized than it does to be sick, and it’s a lot less painful.

The Center for Disease Control asked me to publicize this one more time: flu shots are still available! It’s not too late! Seasonal flu is off to an early start. With the exception of H1N1, which hit throughout the summer and fall, this is the earliest start to the annual spread of influenza since 2002.

If you, like me, are a reader and a researcher, you can visit the flu page published by the CDC. They have basic information and links to more specific subtopics. But first, I mean it. Get the influenza vaccine. I got mine at a local pharmacy. So did my adult children, with almost no prompting from me. Get the flu shot, and then you can stock up on white soda, soup, juice, and anti-inflammatory meds. You can always share your supplies with those who do get sick.

This is not a sponsored post. A representative from the CDC contacted me and asked if I would post a reminder that it’s not too late to get the vaccine. If you have any doubts, readers, call your doctor. Between the two of you, you’ll be able to make an educated decision and get the shot quickly and efficiently. 

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Leftovers

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I woke up to a dishwasher full of clean dishes and kitchen counters still piled high with the dirty dishes from last night’s dinner. The leftover food got stored in the refrigerator right away last night, but the leftover clean-up took longer.

So I did what I do: I made coffee.

While the coffee dripped, I unloaded the clean dishes and put them away. Next, the dirty stacks found their way into the dishwasher, filling it almost to overflowing. I added detergent, pushed Play (our family’s way of saying “turning it on”) and filled the sink to finish the rest.

With the kitchen counters now piled high with clean dishes, it was time to have breakfast. The last piece of leftover homemade bread in the toaster with Nutella: perfect with fresh coffee. Leftover monkey bread was nearby, too, if I wanted dessert.

The next leftover wasn’t edible, but related to edibles. The freezer was slowly failing. It still made ice cubes, but ice cream was soft and squishy. This was not a good sign.  The refrigerator portion still kept food cold, though. What now? Or, as Chuck put it, why must this appliance choose to taunt us on holidays? You see, readers, we spent Thanksgiving weekend with a working freezer and a non-working refrigerator. With help from our good friend Google, we tried a few fixes and got it working again.

Now, Christmas time, the leftover part of the essential kitchen appliance was reaching its end. Google wasn’t helpful this time – at least it wasn’t helpful in providing a fix. The results of our research convinced us that we couldn’t make the leftover work any longer; we needed to buy fresh and new. Since we did the shopping type of research at Thanksgiving, Chuck was ready to buy. He didn’t even need me along, thank goodness.

The next project: empty the fridge before taking delivery of the new one on Friday. Deep breath: we can do this. Family, get ready to eat leftovers at every meal. Bunnies, your food will have its own cooler. La Petite, take home a cooler full of leftovers for your own dining pleasure.

Meanwhile, I’ll attack the most difficult project: emptying the refrigerator doors of leftover magnets and messages and art work. I sense a somewhat emotional post coming up – with pictures.

See you later, readers. I’m off to work on leftovers.

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Quotes from Christmas Day

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“Is the monkey bread done?” “How can I tell?” “If it looks goopy, it needs another ten minutes.” “Goopy? Is that the technical baking term?” Daisy does a Swagbucks search for the term goopy and wins 11 swagbucks. “Yep. It’s a word.”

La Petite: Cool wrapping paper, Mom. What’s this on the back – your latest EKG?

Daisy: No, this is reclaimed paper I rescued from being recycled by a science teacher. I think it’s seismograph readings.

Amigo: Moans. Mom, you take this green wrapping thing too far.

“Remember when…” “No.” “Okay. Never mind.”

“Christmas commercials are getting up there with the Super Bowl.” “True, I don’t even know what’s on, but I’m enjoying the commercials.”

Daisy: Look; my online friend got a super-nice gift from his kid and his kid’s friends. They made him a Wikipedia page. 

La Petite: That’s adorable.

“It’s impossible to be a Grinch on Christmas with Amigo around. He loves Christmas, the whole Christmas season.”

Readers, here’s hoping your Christmas season was and continues to be as festive as the holiday in Whoville.

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