Friday, April 19, 2013

DOCTOR PHONED THIS MORNING WITH MY HIP X-RAY RESULTS:((

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With all this rain upon us I think we are soon going to have to load up all our front yard animals two by two & ready our house for a turbulent voyage upon rain drenched stormy waters. No further chest pains for Kelly last night & no hip pain for me on our morning walk which we managed to take between rain showers. Water levels are rising in the pond & are now only inches away from Mama Goose's nest. We feel sad for the Goose family if the rain continues.

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ABOUT 5 HOURS AFTER TAKING THIS PHOTO THE WATER WAS UP TO & TOUCHING THE NEST BUT MAMA GOOSE WAS SITTING TIGHT…AND THE RAIN HAD STOPPED

Did manage to get our outside water turned on a few days ago & washed both the Jeep & Sunseeker before our weather turned sour again. They were both still wearing their dusty Arizona coats plus road grime from our long journey home a few weeks ago. If ever we get some warm sunny days again I will clean up the interiors next. Only thing doable outside today was to take advantage of the milder temps in the morning & work away at cleaning up & re-organizing our 2 garden sheds & carport storage area. Seems like they are always in need of cleaning & re-organizing.

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EVEN THESE YOUNG DAFFODILS WERE HAVING A HARD TIME OPENING IN THIS AFTERNOON’S COLD

My Doctor phoned late this morning with my hip X-ray results. She said the X-rays revealed a moderate to severe hip joint problem.  She explained why the pain is sporadic & what is likely causing that pain. A narrowing of the space between the ball joint & outer bone resulting in bone on bone & also a possible bone spur. We discussed options & both agreed it was time to consider some kind of hip surgery before deterioration escalates to a point where I can't get around anymore. The pain from here on in will only get more frequent with time.  I have been getting in the habit of carrying my cane around with me now because I never know when that socket will shift bringing me to an abrupt halt in my walking.  My Doctor/Nurse Practitioner is going to set me up with an appointment in London Ontario with a Doctor/Surgeon person to discuss my options. It will be that Surgeon’s decision as to what needs to be done. My Doctor also told me the waiting period for hip surgery is about 9 months. As great as our health program is here in Canada……………there definitely is a 'waiting time' problem:((

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GOT DAD’S OLD HAT ON

Our day didn’t really consist of too much. Temperatures plummeted through the afternoon so we stayed in.  When I look back at my photos a year ago I see green leaves on shrubs & trees.  Flowers are up & some blooms are opening.  Birds are in the air & people are out bustling about in their yards.  This year it looks more like cold gray winter days without snow on the ground.  Not nice, not nice at all.  Pheebs & I haven’t even got out for a Jeep tour yet:((

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MY CAMERA SET UP FOR BIRD & CRITTER PHOTOS IN OUR FRONT YARD

Kelly just did an amazing job in bringing our 7 year old totally crashed Toshiba lap top back to life.  It had crashed a month or so ago with the infamous blue screen of death & would not even boot up again.  Kelly does not have a computer background & had no knowledge of computers until we bought our first desk top back in the late 90’s.  We both started out knowing absolutely nothing about computers.  Only thing we had going for us was our high school typing skills.  We both kept up with things reasonably well until about 3 years ago when my short term memory began to stumble.  That led to a huge drop in my patience & my ability to problem solve & stick with things.  But not so Kelly.  Her knowledge & expertise with the computer just continued to grow.  Her patience & problem solving abilities are truly amazing & it’s easy for me to say that if it were not for her computer smarts I probably would have thrown my hands up in defeat a long time ago.  Using her newer Acer Netbook she went on-line researching information pertaining to our crashed Toshiba.  It took her a few days & I heard many sighs of frustration at the kitchen counter but by golly she did it.  She resurrected that old dead computer back to life.  I have never met anyone in my entire life with the patience & determination this Gal has.  What she gets accomplished in a single day can truly be amazing.  I think there are probably a lot of fellers out here like myself in the same boat.  If it were not for the smarts & caring ways of our Spouses many of us would be struggling & down for the count.  Took me 4 tries over the years to meet that one special person & by golly I sure got it right on that 4th try………….:))

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PUFFED UP TRYING TO STAY WARM

I think in the back of every Blogger's mind is the question, 'When is enough, enough. When is it time to push away from the keyboard & turn off the computer? When is it time to re-evaluate one's interests & priorities. When is it time wrap up the Blog & be done with it.  I think of past fellow Bloggers Wandering Willy, Laurie, Chinle Miller,  Mke McFall, & others for example. They all reached a point where a decision was made to discontinue their blogs. They are all out there still traveling, RVing, camping & living their lives but at some point their priorities changed & they each decided to pack it in.

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DSC_3599I am in that yearly time frame once again.  The one that besets me upon returning from the southwest each Spring. Been home nearly 2 weeks & I am once again asking myself, 'what the heck am I gonna write about now that will not only be interesting to me but to readers as well'.  For some reason the South-West just seems more inspirational for writing.  My first few blogging years were OK because my blogging was more of a part time effort. I would blog about our travels & then kind of pack it in for the summer only writing a few scattered posts here & there. By the time Spring rolled around in 2009 I decided to see if I could continue the blog through the Summer because I enjoyed writing. A struggle at first but I did manage to gather a few readers amazingly enough & with that new found confidence I somehow slipped into the routine of a daily Blogger. And it has been a daily routine I have enjoyed ever since. But, I do have my doubts at times & it's not unusual for me to think to myself, 'that's it, no more, it's time to end this blog & move on to other things.' First question that follows that thought is, 'Ok Al, what other things?? What other hobbies do I have going on right now that interest me as much as my traveling/photography/blogging hobby. I don't have an answer for that question simply because I don't really have anything else going on at this point which interests me or holds my attention as much as my blogging hobby does.  So, with my usual self doubts & moaning groaning complaints I will just keep on trying to come up with something remotely interesting to write about each night & something refreshingly interesting to photograph each day…………one post at a time:))

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NOT ALL OUR FROGS ARE IN THE POND

GROANER'S CORNER:(( Two young men are speculating on how long they might live, and one says he thinks he has a long life ahead of him. "After all," he says, "my grandfather lived to be 96."
"Ninety-six? What finally got him?" the other man asks.
"Liquor and women."
"Well, that just goes to show you," snickers the friend, "both will get you in the end."
"Well actually, no, it's not what you think," says the first man. "Toward the end, Grandpa couldn't get either one, so he just laid down and died."

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- Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.
- Home is where your pet is:))
- "If having a soul means being able to feel
love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals
are better off than a lot of humans."
(James Herriot)
- The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails -William Arthur Ward
- The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...AL.
- It is not so much having nothing to do as it is not having the interest to do something....AL.

27 comments:

  1. Al, I frequently ask myself the same questions you posted. I have a full-time job, 2 grandkids, and a husband who likes to travel. I have 3 active blogs which I TRY to update at least every other day! :-) That's a lot! But, I've been at it since 2009 and, like you, I LOVE to write and take photographs!!!
    ~~Cheryl Ann~~

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  2. As a daily blogger it is sometimes difficult to write interesting things, but I still do something, if for nobody else but myself.
    Good luck with your hip problems and Kelly's issues too.
    Just keep doing what you enjoy and have fun with it.
    Four tries for you too eh? Kinda the same with me I finally got it right!

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  3. And u do find something interesting to take pictures of every day!! LOVE the puffed up bird and squirrel today!

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  4. Al, your blog is far above most out there and the blog world would be greatly lessened by your absence. I would encourage you to carry on, and if it gets too onerous, maybe just blog every couple of days or so. Chinle

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  5. You could just post pictures on the days you do not feel like writing.

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  6. Oh dear, so sorry to hear of your health issues and sending you and Kelly best wishes for speedy recoveries and more great blogging!

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  7. You might want to try blogging a couple or three times a week. You can take up dancing after your hip is repaired. ;-) And yes, you got it right with your Kelly...she's a keeper!!

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  8. Wow. I was holding my breath. Finally could let it out---whew!!---sure did hope you weren't gonna say you are quitting blogging.

    Too bad about that wait time for the hip surgery. I guess there's always a down-side, no matter what your medical plan. At least you did get an explanation for what's going on with that hip. My "old man" is scheduled for his back surgery on May 1st. I hope both of you come out good as new....

    Agree about Kelly. Glad you have each other.

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  9. Love your blog, have been following it for the past few months. Perhaps on those days that you don't want to say much, just throw one of your jokes out there....you don't know how precious many of them are, sure brightens up our day(s).

    Dave (and Marcia and Bubba and Skruffy)
    GoingRvWay.com

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  10. The wait time sucks, but at least now you know what is wrong. Hope Kelly gets some answers too.

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  11. Sorry to hear about your hip x-ray results. I'm not sure how Canadian insurance but could you have the hip surgery in the Arizona? At least you wouldn't have to wait 9 months.

    I enjoy your writing and photos but everyday is a lot for any blogger. Relax and write when you have something to share. May not be every day. We'll wait.

    Hope your weather improves soon.

    You and Kelly take care of yourselves.

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  12. My hip problems seemed to come on much more suddenly, and the wait for surgery, though less than nine months, seemed never ending. With 100% bone on bone, I was barely walking with a cane. You won't believe the difference afterwards. No pain! You have to push yourself with the physical therapy, but it's worth it. "Damn the torpedoes, full steam ahead!"

    Why not post perhaps less often, but when it isn't a struggle, but easy?

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  13. Al- we read your blog every evening or morning and look forward to it, period! I (Janna) usually save it to read in the morning with my coffee but have been reading it at night lately to see what's up with Kelly. It is hard to think of something to write but you do seem to carry on and we all love the photos! So sorry to hear about your hip!

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  14. Al I love your blog and your photos and YOUR DOG, but you do what's best for Al. Even if you just put up a couple of photos, I would visit your blog!

    You hip xray sounds like the one I had done a couple of weeks ago. Seeing a surgeon next week but I am not ready to go under the knife just yet. Hoping it's not as bad as my other doctor wants me to believe. Good luck with yours.

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  15. Every night before I start to write my blog, I go look for yours.. I wonder what Al was doing today...?

    So it doesn't matter what you write about, just that my friend is there! Moving forward with things..

    I cringe with pain when you tell me of your hip, and wonder about the wait.. Worry for you about Kelly and a blood clot..

    And admire the photos you manage to take of ordinary things.... Things that I didn't have the ability to see with my camera's lens..

    So thanks for blogging most days old friend!! Rod

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  16. I'm sure that your 564 followers would forgive you if you just keep logging on daily with a photo or two and a few words. As long as you keep on blogging!!
    Good luck with both your health situations...we've all been there!!

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  17. Sorry to hear you and Kelly are facing medical/health problems. Hope the predicted 9 month waiting time for can be reduced. That would seriously interfere with going south next winter.

    I have a suggestion for Kelly .... If the medical tests keep coming back negative intracostal, (between the ribs), cramp can feel like a heart attack. Very painful. Kelly will know if this might be the problem. A simple solution is to take a magnesium supplement which also does no harm to you circulation.

    Meantime have some fun. Spring in Bayfield has to improve.

    blessings

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  18. I know you need to do what's best for you, but for me, I love the pictures, the groaners corner and never having been to Canada before, I like what ever you post, around your house, Kelly's work, a trip to a local town, but most of all I love the Pheebs. :)

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  19. With a nine month waiTing period, I would push for authorization even if I wasn't sure I was ready or wanting surgery. You could always change your mind, but if the pain qcontinues to get worse, the closer the time of surgery was the etter.

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  20. I think that's why we keep on looking and trying to find that just right person. What a wonderful feeling. I know several people that have gone through hip surgery and been better than new. Hope you both continue to feel healthy, and keep on blogging.

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  21. Sometimes, when blogging daily is done more out of obligation than joy, and nothing is going on outside except "The Weather," it's easy to think about throwing in the Towel. You put a lot of time and effort into your blog and lovely photos...and it shows in how popular it has grown to be. I believe you can attribute that to your writing style, one of grace and humility, and your exquisite photographs. It just wouldn't be the same without The Bayfield Bunch, so take a night off once in a while if need be, and leave that "towel" on the rack, please :)
    Box Canyon Mark

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  22. Most pain is caused by inflamation or infection.Go to Ed McCabes website and listen and learn what most doctors don,t know.No drugs no knife in many cases.My 2 bits and great to see you folks back but not nice weather! It has to change.Stay healthy and good luck.Ken

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  23. So sorry your Canadian system has such a waiting problem. So sorry you're going to have to have hip surgery, but at least you don't have to have it soon! Take care of yourselves, guys, and post a blog when you want to post a blog.

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  24. Love that "Puffed Up" shot!

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  25. Anyone that says blogging is easy must be a superhuman! You are an inspiration to blogland. Whatever you say is worth reading. Keep it up, our friend!~keep it up.

    So glad that Kelly has not had pain lately and so sad that you must wait nine months for hip surgery. Good grief, that puts you to January! How inconvenient is that for you.

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  26. I suggest you listen to our "Birdlady of Blogland", Judy..on both scores...Get that surgery..and...just cut the blog to every 2-3 days..I tried that, in fact sometimes it turns into one week, but I enjoy it more..I also agree with YOU and your homage to women...WE GIRLS CAN ROCK IT OUT!!

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  27. Al, that's one smart frog you got a photo of there! Sitting in the sunshine, while staying warm and cozy inside the Jeep...can't beat that when the weather is like it is right now, eh?

    Hugs and prayers for you and Kelly as you grapple with the health issues.

    Pheebs looks good in your old hat. Did she keep it on for long?

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