I Love To Go A Gardening
Growing Our Life in Northern Michigan
The Billing Lady
I spent much of the morning doing laundry, washing dishes, and paying bills so we don’t have to bother with any of it right after my surgery. As directed, I called the surgical center early this afternoon to learn the time my surgery is scheduled for. I was told that I need to arrive at the surgical center at 9:45 am. The surgery will begin an hour later. Yes, it’s outpatient surgery. It seems as if every surgery is these days.
JJ had offered to take me tomorrow but the time of the surgery conflicts with his class. I believed he would have skipped class except he said that tomorrow is a presentation day and he will lose 15% of his final grade if he misses it. So I texted EJ at work and he was able to get the day off to take me. Whew!
JJ did well taking me to the specialist yesterday and he will take me to followup appointments in the coming weeks, but I am relieved that EJ will be with me for the surgery. He is my rock who makes me feel secure and he will be able to handle any problems or decisions that may arise.
I was even more relieved that EJ will be with me after the woman called from the billing department at the surgery center to discuss payment. Our medical insurance deductible has not yet been met for the year so we will need to pay for just about everything out-of-pocket. They want half paid tomorrow and the remainder paid within a year. And we will have medical bills from the emergency visit and who knows who else–it feels as if every doctor, appointment, test, and procedure is an additional separate expense. Of course, after the bill from the surgical center, the deductible will have been reached so the insurance company will pay 80% of future bills but the surgical center payment will be difficult in itself without anything extra added on. We are frugal, but medical bills have sucked us dry over the last few years. We had really good insurance when JJ had cancer, which paid for most of his treatment, but we still had to pay thousands in medical bills. We sold our RV and EJ sold some of his prize collections to help pay the bills.We were just getting to a place where we had a little extra money to pay down some other debt and maybe build up a little savings and now here we are again with more medical bills to pay.
I actually felt quite upbeat today until the billing lady called. She really sucked away my calm. I felt like telling her, “My arm is all messed up. I am in pain, I haven’t slept well, surgery is stressful…and you think that I need to worry about finances now on top of all that???” I realize that they do have to discuss payment but this doesn’t help me feel less stressed.
We will probably be ok. I just wish we could have some time to breathe without worries. I really, really, really wish I hadn’t fallen on the stupid ice. Sigh.
Surgical Plans
JJ drove me to the hand surgeon today. It was actually a consultation, not the surgery. EJ had been sick when he called to set up the appointment with the surgeon so I think he misunderstood. Sickness can sort of make the brain a bit fuzzy.
The hand surgery office was very pretty. I liked the exam room I was taken to. It had artistic photos of hands on the wall. They weren’t medical ones like in most doctor offices.
The surgeon was very friendly and comforting. She explained that I actually have THREE breaks, the knobby bone in my wrist was sheared off a bit, and my hand is bent backwards a little. Because of this, I need surgery to fix it. She will put a metal plate in my arm, which will be permanent. The surgery will be scheduled for Thursday–the day after tomorrow. I have to call tomorrow to find out the time. The surgeon said that I will have to arrive one hour before the surgery, the surgery will take about an hour, and then I’ll be in recovery for an hour before going home. If I understood correctly, my arm will be in a splint for two weeks, then I will have a cast for two weeks, and if the weather is still wintry, I will probably get another splint to provide protection. She said the cast/splint will not cover my fingers like my current splint so I will have more finger movement. I will have to have some physical therapy. The surgeon said that I will lose about 20 percent mobility. If my injury had been higher on the wrist I probably would have lost 50 percent.
The surgeon mentioned pain medication after surgery. I told her I’m in a lot of pain now, I’m out of the meds prescribed at the hospital, and I asked what meds I can take now to help. She wrote me the prescription today rather than wait until after the surgery so I can take some now. That was helpful because we will have the meds at home and won’t have to worry about getting to the pharmacy after the surgery–and maybe not having pain meds if we don’t get there in time. EJ went to pick up the meds this evening and I went with him. These pain meds are the same drug but twice as strong as those the ER doctor prescribed.
When EJ took me to the Emergency Room the day I fell–January 30–we were told that half of the people who had been coming to the hospital had fallen on the ice and broken bones. The hand surgeon said today that the number of people coming to them with injuries from falling on the ice on January 29-30 is more than they usually get in a three-month period. We told this to the pharmacist when we were paying for the meds and she rolled up her sleeve to show us her elbow that was badly bruised when she fell on the ice. Fortunately she didn’t break any bones. Those were two days of very treacherous ice.
JJ’s schedule is a bit more flexible than his Dad’s so offered to take me to get my surgery done as well as mt appointment two weeks later to get my cast. I thought that was sweet of him.
As soon as we can, we will let you know how the surgery went. I might not feel up to posting and EJ is not familiar with blogging so it might take a day or two. We will do our best.
Low Day
This afternoon my best friend called me to tell me that she and her husband had bought me an Amazon gift card to cheer me. She knows I love Amazon gift cards.
While we talked my friend asked me questions such as if I had to fast for the surgery, how long would the surgery take, and so on. I told her that I had no idea. She told me that was odd and I really needed to call to find out this information. I also thought it was strange that they hadn’t call to tell me these things, but this is the first broken bone I’ve ever had so how do I know what is “normal”? I thought that maybe surgery for broken bones needs to be done quickly before the bones begin to heal wrong. Mostly, though, I have been so nervous about the surgery and nauseous whenever I thought about it. I didn’t want to ask questions and be told very scary details. I still remember when I had to have sinus surgery years ago. The ENT described the surgery in great detail including everything that could go wrong. I was horrified and told him that I would rather not know and could he just tell EJ. The ENT had said he had to inform me of the risks.
So, seriously, I was scared to ask questions. But I called the hand specialist’s office this afternoon and told the receptionist that I have an appointment tomorrow but I don’t know what to expect. She said that there was nothing about surgery so it was probably just a consultation.
After we finished our conversation, I sat and cried. Because although I really dread the surgery, i had hope that the pain would begin to decrease afterwards and I could begin counting off 6-8 weeks to complete healing. To just have tomorrow be a consultation means the start of the countdown is delayed. The splint is uncomfortable, my pain is constant, even the smallest task takes exhausting effort, and I hate EJ having to do my chores when he has enough to do. Any delay feels like an eternity has been added to my sentence.
Today is a low day.
Blissful Ignorance
At the same time I am both eager and dreading the surgery on Tuesday. I am eager because my bones can really begin to heal once the pin is in, and I have hope that the pain will lessen. I dread it because I don’t know what the procedure will involve. I don’t actually want to know too much.
All my life I have always been so empathetic that seeing, reading, hearing about, or experiencing suffering has been problematic for me. I’ve fainted–or come close to it–when given details of medical procedures, visiting people in the hospital, watching medical or violent movies, watching/reading the news, and sitting in science classes in school. I remember being required to read All Quiet on the Western Front in high school and struggling not to faint in class. I actually went to a behavioral specialist in my early 20s to learn techniques for handling this and did quite well through a number of years and surgeries, but when JJ was diagnosed with cancer, my sensitivity to suffering resurged. During JJ’s first visit with the oncologist, I became faint when we were told how bad his cancer was. The oncologist actually made JJ get off the exam table so I could lie down, which was extremely embarrassing. After that, we used to bet each other about whether I would faint or not at various stages of his treatment.
So while the unknown causes some anxiety, knowing too much detail is worse. I wouldn’t mind learning that the surgery wouldn’t hurt but I don’t want to hear that it will. I don’t know if I will be cut open, but don’t want to know ahead of time that I will. I don’t know if I will be completely under anesthesia or only have local anesthesia but even the thought of being awake and aware makes me nauseous. I don’t know how a pin is put in, but I don’t want to know. Sometimes ignorance really is bliss. So if you know any details, don’t tell me, I DON’T WANT TO KNOW. I prefer to find out when I get there.
I received pages of forms in the mail from the hand surgeon. I filled the out the forms this morning. I laughed a bit about how a person with a hand injury–requiring treatment from a hand surgeon–is supposed to fill out forms, but I used my left hand as a paper weight while I wrote with my right hand. Of course, EJ would have filled out the forms if I needed him to, but I was able to do it.
While filling out the forms, I read the info I received from the hospital the other day more closely. It was very general–not too much information. The summary said :You have a break or fracture in both bones in the forearm. The bones are not out of place and do not need to be set. This fracture usually takes 6 to 8 weeks to heal completely…” That was interesting because we had thought that I had only fractured one bone in my arm. I was glad that I will not need the bones to be set. I think that would be painful. I thought the simple diagram showing where the fractures are is interesting. I’m dismayed that it will take 6 to 8 weeks to heal. That might be considered a short time medically but it feels like a long time to be injured and unable to do my own tasks.
The Bathroom Blessing
My friend and I have been studying Hebrew together for a number of years. We had to stop when JJ was diagnosed with cancer a few years ago and we are just now getting back into it. After the long delay, we are doing a lot of review and relearning, but we love Hebrew and are very motivated to learn it. Hebrew is a very unique language. I think it is impossible to learn Hebrew grammar, pronunciation, and vocabulary without also learning its historical and cultural context as well as lessons of faith and life which is built into the very letters themselves.
In our studies, we have been exposed to Jewish prayers and blessings. There is a blessing for everything, including coffee and seeing rainbows. I laughed when I first learned that there is even a blessing said after using the bathroom known as Asher Yatzar. It loosely translates as: “Thank You, God, who formed human beings with wisdom and created them with openings and orifices. If one of these orifices were ruptured or one of them blocked, whoa – it would be impossible to stand before You and survive. Blessed are You, God who heals all flesh and acts wondrously.”
A bathroom blessing sounds ridiculous until a person encounters health problems. Then being thankful for working “plumbing” is completely understandable. I have been thinking about this blessing a lot over the last few days as my fractured wrist causes me all sorts of pain, challenges, and frustrations. I don’t really think all that much about how wonderful it is when my body is healthy and works well until it doesn’t.
My hand throbs all the time and any/all movement is even more painful. I am not looking forward to the surgery, but I wish it could have been scheduled sooner so I can begin healing and get back to my life sooner. I am a little concerned about my bones beginning to heal wrong and needing to be rebroken. Besides pain, I struggle if my arm itches, I can’t scratch my right arm with my useless left hand at all, which is extremely aggravating. My left arm really itches under the splint, but although I cannot crochet, the crochet hooks are useful in reaching under the splint to scratch itches.
I have been sleeping in my recliner–but I have trouble sleeping more than a couple of hours at a time. Last night after I struggled to get comfortable, I decided to try to sleep in our bed but EJ was already asleep with the blankets wrapped around him. So I decided instead to try the couch but my arm throbbed worse with nothing to support it so I went back to my chair.
I know it’s difficult for the guys to take on extra tasks so I am trying to do everything I am able to do to not add to their load. With time and effort, I can do some simple tasks one-handed but it is surprising how many tasks require two hands. For example,
- I can wash my hair in the kitchen sink, but it’s difficult to towel dry my hair.
- I cannot get my splint wet so I cannot shower. However, with EJ’s help, I was able to take a bath this morning. EJ covered my arm in a plastic grocery bag and taped it on with packing tap, and helped me in and out of the tub. Easy peasy….uh, not…but being clean made me feel human.
- I was planning to make chili the other day–an easy meal to put together–but despite my best efforts, I was unable to use the can opener to open the cans of chili beans. That evening EJ put together the chili ingredients, and I took the pot out of the fridge and heated it up for supper the next day.
- I baked a venison potpie I had made and frozen a few weeks ago. I was able to get the potpie in the oven, but had to be creative to get the hot pie in its flexible disposable pie plate out of the oven.
- I can’t carry heavy or multiple items.
- I can do laundry. I can transfer clothes from baskets or machines with one hand. I can move baskets of clothes by scooching them across the floor with my foot. However, it takes two hands to fold the clothes and put them away.
- I am sure I can vacuum, although I haven’t tried yet, but I can’t take out the trash.
- I can’t make the bed.
- I can clean the litter boxes in the house, but not the litter box in the garage.
- Washing dishes is difficult, and impossible if they require scrubbing. EJ bought paper plates this morning to cut down on dirty dishes.
- With difficulty I can take Hannah outside if the guys are gone and I have to, but I am very afraid of falling and often envision myself lying helplessly in the snow with TWO broken arms.
- I can’t care for the poultry. The hens stopped laying a couple months ago, but EJ found 4-5 eggs this morning. YAY!
- With enough time and effort I can write a blog post one-handed, but I cannot crochet.
- I can binge-watch Netflix.
- I can’t go get the mail. I can’t drive. I can’t snowblow the driveway. We haven’t had much snow accumulation in January so I haven’t had to snowblow for weeks but we are currently getting a winter storm with lots of snow expected. That’s a bit frustrating.
So, yeah, this difficult painful time makes me think of the Bathroom Blessing and how wonderful it is when our bodies work.
In other news, JJ’s promotion to SGT is permanent. The guy he is replacing has been fired because of a sexual harassment complaint from a non-employee woman–I’m not sure if she was a mall vendor or a customer. JJ also has become a Field Training Officer responsible for training new security guards. Not bad for only working as a security guard for two months.
I have been following the sentencing of Dr. Larry Nassar, the MSU and Olympic sports doctor who molested more than 200 girls for several decades. I was unfamiliar with him–I have never been athletic–but I am very familiar with the area in which he practiced because I have lived most of my life in that area. I used to work in Lansing and also in East Lansing not far from MSU. EJ and I also attended a church in Lansing before we were married. In fact, Nassar’s last sentencing trial–where a father lunged at Nassar for molesting his three daughters–is taking place in the very town where I grew up. My passion about abuse/victims and the area in which this is happening makes me very interested in this. I’m glad Nassar is being brought to justice and the victims are being given an opportunity to speak. I would like to say more, but it takes too much effort to type. If you are interested in this case you can learn more on-line and watch victim statements at Youtube. Here is one victim’s statement that I thought was exceptional. Rachel was the first victim to go public about Nassar.
The Week So Far
The week is slowly passing. My fractured left arm feels as lifeless and useless as a block of wood–only unlike wood, the smallest movement is excruciatingly painful. My hand feels swollen and my fingers sticking out of the bandages look like fat sausages. I can’t bear any weight on my arm and in order to move my arm, I have to pick it up with my right hand. EJ made a sling out of an elastic wrap bandage last night to support my arm so I don’t have to carry it when I get up.
I have been sleeping–uh, dozing–in my recliner because I wasn’t sure if I would be able to get out of bed, especially with the pets sleeping on or near me. Hannah and the cats still like to sleep on me in the chair, but it is easier to shift them or push them off me and to protect my hand when I’m in the chair.
I was particularly worried about how I would manage with Hannah who usually wants outside frequently, often likes to play, and her movements are puppyishly enthusiastic. However, she’s actually doing very well. She’s not asking to go out or play much when I’m alone with her. She insists on sleeping on me most of the time, but I’m able to protect my arm from her movements.
I’m trying to do whatever tasks I can. I can manage to dress myself, and wash my hair one-handed at the kitchen sink in the morning. Stuff like that. There are a lot of things I can’t do. Some of the smallest things are the most frustrating–like being unable to scratch my right arm when it itches because my left hand is useless. It is amazing how many big and small tasks require two hands. The guys tell me to let them care for me, but it’s very difficult for me because EJ’s back always hurts, and he is really tired when he gets home from work at night, and he is still not totally recovered from being sick. And JJ is busy with school, work, and his girlfriend. I hate telling them to do more than they absolutely need to do. I really feel like a burden.
EJ and JJ are doing great though. EJ feeds me and the pets, takes Hannah outside, and lets the ducks out in the mornings before he goes to work. JJ gave the poultry fresh water and took Hannah outside in the afternoon, and also helped me with supper and dishes. JJ won’t be able to do much on days he works (Friday through Monday) but EJ will be home on weekends. Oh, JJ is getting promoted to SGT at work. The current SGT is being suspended because of sexual harassment complaints. This is the same guy who said inappropriate things to JJ when he (the guy) first got hired. This guy had been fired from other jobs and charged with sexual assault a few years ago.Those charges were dropped when the victim didn’t show up at the arraignment. JJ’s promotion might be only temporary if the guy returns to work after the suspension period is over.
JJ said this morning that he felt very nauseous. He went to school anyway. I’m hoping he isn’t getting the flu. The flu would REALLY complicate our lives. I hope none of us get sick until after my surgery at least.
A Patch of Ice
First, JJ had his oncology appointment today and he is doing great. All the medical test results are wonderful.
Me? I’m not doing so well.
It snowed overnight. We got just enough snow to hide the ice. This afternoon I took Hannah with me to walk to the mailbox to get the mail. About halfway down the driveway I slipped on a hidden patch of ice. One moment I was on my feet and the next I was on the ground in excruciating pain with a useless left hand. I felt as if I had broken my wrist. It took me forever to get to my feet because I had to keep hold of Hannah’s leash–she got excited when I fell–but I couldn’t use my left hand at all. I got to my feet and all the way up the hill I felt like fainting and vomiting. I finally made it into the house.
Fortunately, EJ has been home sick this week. I don’t know what I would have done if I had been alone. As soon as I got into the house I yelled to him for help. He grabbed a bag of frozen okra to Ice my wrist. He had bought it several years to try it, but we had never eaten it before and never actually had the courage to try it. He got me into the suburban–not easy because I still felt as if I was going to faint or vomit. He rushed me to the hospital.
I had four x-rays. The technician had to re-position my hand for each x-ray because I couldn’t move my hand. Later the radiologist told us that I had fractured the radius bone in my wrist and jammed the bone forward. He said that I would need to have a pin put in. He contacted a specialist, sent her my x-rays, and I have an appointment next Tuesday to put the pin in. Meanwhile I have a split on my arm. I have to keep my hand elevated and iced, and I have drugs for the pain, which isn’t bad unless I move my hand.
Everyone laughed at our bag of okra but they all said that, hey, it works. EJ told them we were going to take the okra home and feed it to our chickens.
We were told that half the people who have been coming to the hospital have the flu and half are coming with broken bones because they fell on the ice.
So now I am at home. The guys will have to do a lot of my chores. I went out with them this evening to direct them on how to care for the poultry.
I want to share this with you all so you know why I am not going to be posting as frequently as usual. I will try to keep you updated but can only type one-handed.
I told EJ that after I get the pin in, I will practically be a cyborg. He said that that wasn’t true but I think it would be cool to be a cyborg.
Weather, Propane, and Stuff
Sunny, Rain, Snow, Sunny, Rain, Snow. Warm, Cold, Warm, Cold. Melt, Freeze, Melt, Freeze.
Our weather has been up and down and very changeable throughout January. We’ve had such warm temperatures that the snow melted and the chickens even came out of their coop one day–for the first time since the snow began to fall at the beginning of winter. Then it changes back to cold again and everything re-freezes. Last Sunday night it rained, but by Monday morning the rain had turned to snow. Everything refroze and area schools were canceled. Even JJ’s college cancelled classes, which doesn’t happen very often. Deep snow can be dealt with but ice is another matter. We’ve gotten less snow this month since the Great Lakes have mostly frozen and no moisture can be picked up from them and dumped on us as lake effect snow. Today the skies are blue and the snow is melting again.
EJ checked our propane levels last Saturday, which he does faithfully, and we were at only 7% full. We have a geo-thermal system, which draws from the earth itself to warm or cool our house. Our heating system doesn’t use propane until temperatures drop below 20 degrees. We’ve had a lot of cold temperatures during the last month, so our propane was depleted more quickly. I never had propane until we moved to this house and I don’t really like it because we have to worry about our usage. Also, the prices vary from one refilling to the next so I’m never sure exactly how much it’s going to cost, which means I don’t know how much to plan for. Last time it cost less to refill our tank then I thought and this time it was much more. I much prefer heating our house with gas–with a consistent monthly bill and no worries about running out.
EJ called the propane company on Monday morning and the delivery truck arrive the next day to fill our tank. I was concerned that our driveway would be too icy for the truck to make it up the hill. I could imagine the propane truck sliding over the edge of the driveway and overturning into our little valley, spilling hundreds of gallons of propane. What an ecological mess that would be! I could also imagine the delivery guy taking one look at our steep slippery driveway and deciding not to attempt it. These concerns are not unfounded. USPS, UPS, FedEX, and other delivery people refuse to come up the driveway in the winter, which is why we have the Magic Box at the bottom of the driveway for them to put our packages in. What would we do if we ran out and the propane guy refused to drive up our hill? So I’m metaphorically biting my nails when our propane levels get low in the winter.
At the top of the hill, the propane truck turned into the place we keep cleared of snow so we can turn around, and as it turned, it began to slide a bit. Yikes! The truck spun its wheels. I began praying, “Please don’t slide, please don’t slide.” The truck stopped, the driver got out and sprayed something on the tires, and then he was able to pull in and back into place beside the tank to refill it. When the tank was filled, the truck lumbered back down the hill. I watched it go, hoping it would make it safely to the bottom. It did. Whew.
Wednesday afternoon I went to the hospital with JJ so he could get his blood work and an x-ray done in preparation for his appointment with his oncologist next week. JJ always gets very stressed when he has to have medical tests and appointments, but I thought he handled it very well this time. We all get a bit anxious as JJ’s oncology visit nears. We only breathe again when/if the results show that he is safe from cancer for another year.
I have put aside the dragon shawl I have been working on. I love the look of it, but I’m afraid that it will be too heavy for a shawl so I’m wondering if I should redesign it. My friend thinks it is beautiful and the heaviness will just make it wonderfully warm and cozy on a cold day. She might be right. I wished she lived close enough pick it up and tell me if it’s too heavy or just right. While I consider it, I’m working on a swan shawl. I have looked at many, many patterns for both the dragon and swan shawls–and have even begun a few of them–but none of them end up being exactly what I have in mind. Some of them look good on paper, but the intricacies of the designs get lost in the yarn that I want to use. So I’m working on designing my own shawl and combining elements of several different stitches I’ve found. I know the “feel” that I want the shawl to have, but don’t yet have a clear design in my mind.
It takes a lot of thought, effort, and trial and error to create a pattern. Years ago I designed some cool crocheted superhero dolls. It often took me hours and hours to create one small element–like fingers on a hand–that I saw in my mind. One (smallish) problem I’m running into is that when Hannah Joy wants something, she wants it NOW–whether it’s wanting outside, or to crawl in my lap, or to play. She doesn’t take “No” for an answer. She’s very much like a toddler. Earlier this week I was trying out an intricate pattern that required a lot of concentration and Hannah kept wanting attention of one sort or another, and wanting it NOW. I was constantly losing count of stitches or which row of the pattern I was on so I’d set aside my crocheting, interact with Hannah for a bit, and then recount or tear out rows and start over–only to have Hannah want attention again. As it was, when I finally had a few rows finished, I decided the pattern wouldn’t work and I discarded it.
Oh, well. I don’t have a deadline and I’ll figure it out eventually. I do love my animals. Although I did wonder if Snow White ever felt a wee bit of a longing for a moment or two without all those adorable birds and animals scampering about her?
Hannah is a joy, though, and she often makes me laugh. She has such an expressive face. When she wants something she makes her self look very small and pathetic–like a starving child with huge eyes–so it’s hard to deny her. And when she’s waiting for a me to do something–such as give her a command to eat or throw her the ball, her intense expectation is visible. Hannah is also very clever. She makes up and changes her own games. For example, she pretends to give me her ball but then grabs it back when I start to reach for it. And instead of merely chasing her ball when I throw it, she now tries to catch it in the air before it bounces. I think she’ll be a great frisbee-catching dog. Yesterday morning she went round and round chasing her tail–which she actually did catch.
The Dragon Shawl
JJ has been battling a bad cold for about two weeks. It has been bad enough to make him feel bad, but not bad enough to prevent him from working, going to school, and hanging out with his girlfriend. I have finally succumbed to it. Like JJ, I am sneezing, coughing, and tired; my ears hurt and I can feel it settling into my sinuses. I am taking it easy this weekend and doing what I can to rid myself of this cold. I’m hoping I don’t have to battle it for as long as JJ. EJ might be coming down with it.
The weather has really been up and down. It’s been sunny and warm for a couple days, but will begin to get gradually cooler again. The warm temperatures are melting the snow again, making everything icy when it refreezes at night. There are a few patches of bare ground.
I threw Miss Madeline Meadows’ dead squirrel out for the second time–or is it the third?–and once again she brought it back into the garage. There’s less and less of it each time she brings it back. Usually Madeline doesn’t bring the critters back when I throw them out. I think she must consider the squirrel to be a real prize. It’s kind of creepy to keep finding the dead squirrel lying next to their food bowl. Sweet Madeline is a bit scary.
The other day I walked Hannah Joy to the mailbox and I found some unfamiliar tracks in the snow. The paw prints were small with a line connecting them, which I assumed was its tail dragging in the snow. I took photos of it so I could try to identify what critter made them. My best guess is that it’s a deer mouse. It better beware of the serial killer in the forest.
I’ve been trying to teach Hannah to walk by my side. I’m teaching her a Hebrew word that means “with me.” She’s doing quite well. In fact, sometimes I notice her walking “with me” even though I didn’t command her to. She has a real desire to please.
I’ve been working on crocheting a dragon shawl to match the fingerless dragon gloves I sell at my Etsy Store. It could also be considered a mermaid shawl. I think it’s very pretty. It’s also going to be very warm. It will be available at Teric’s Treasures when I finish it.
Next I would like to make a Swan Princess Shawl. I’ve been searching for a pattern that will look like feathers. I’ve tried a couple of patterns but didn’t like how they looked. I think I have finally found a pattern–or rather, I will combine elements of several patterns/stitches. We will see how it works.
#Meteor
Yesterday EJ and I were enjoying a quiet, peaceful evening at home. Luke was in EJ’s lap and Hannah was on mine. Suddenly, EJ pointed at the window and shouted, “Whoa! What is THAT?” I quickly looked out the window as Hannah leaped off my lap barking in excitement. We saw a huge fireball streaking south across the sky. It was blue with a fiery red tail. EJ said he saw it spiraling. We’ve never before seen anything like it.
A few minutes later, news and weather pages and sites lit up with people’s stories and videos of sightings. Some people said that they heard a boom and their houses shook. ABC News posted:
The sparkling display sent social media users into a frenzy, making “#meteor” a top 5 trending topic in the U.S. on Twitter.
Michigan Weather Authority posted on their Facebook page:
This was meteor entering our atmosphere flashing over into a meteorite as it passed through our atmosphere creating that tail flash and sonic rumble. It was heard, felt and seen in several states including Michigan, Ohio, Indiana as well as in Canada. It appears as though most of it burned up upon reentry and there are reports that what was left may have landed within Lake Michigan and St Clair Shores causing at least a 2.0 quake.
Here is an article (with videos) about the meteor from MLive.
EJ stayed up late because of the meteor excitement. Hannah wanted outside just before EJ went to bed so he came out with us. The stars appeared extremely bright in the dark cloudless sky. We saw light pillars on the horizon. One reached high into the sky. They weren’t as strong as have been seen elsewhere, but they were noticeable.
We were really glad that we saw these awesome sights. They were very cool. I don’t have photos because the meteor went too fast and I don’t know how to take good night-time photos. The photo at the top of this page is not mine. It is a royalty free photo by Alexander Andrews which I got from Unsplash.
Hannah always watches me from the window when I go out to care for the ducks and chickens in the early morning. This morning I was able to get a photo of her at the window. EJ says that Hannah cries whenever I go outside without her. When I am with Hannah, she stays very close to me. She follows me and either lays at my feet or on my lap. I think she is glad to be loved.
The animal shelter where we adopted Hannah posted a photo of another dog needing a home at their Facebook page. The dog is a male that looks just like Hannah. EJ is tempted…but one dog at a time is enough for us.
This afternoon when I went out to the garage to clean out the litter boxes, I found that Miss Madeline Meadows, our serial killer cat, had put the remains of her squirrel in their food dish. There’s not much left. Yuck. I got a shovel and–trying not to look at the remains too closely because it grosses me out–I picked it up and carried it to the edge of the forest. I’m really hoping that Madeline won’t bring it back. It’s beginning to have a horror movie-ish sort of feel to it.
Magical Diamond Dust
The sunrise this morning was gorgeous. The skies were mostly blue all day and the sunlight made the ground sparkle, as if the snow had been replaced with diamond dust. It was absolutely magical and I truly felt as if I live in an Enchanted Forest. I took many photographs, with different settings, but I don’t really know how to photograph magical diamond dust–or maybe magical things can’t be photographed. I was only able to capture a few specks of light instead of the whole glittery landscape.
People are always complaining about the cold, Northern winters or bragging about their tropical weather. I have nothing against people who love the warmth of the South, but I’m glad that I live in the wintry North where the air is brisk and the snow sparkles in the sunlight. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
Hannah’s new coat arrived in the mail today. I haven’t gotten a coat for a dog since I was a child (and my dog immediately escaped and “lost” it) but I bought this for Hannah because she had been starved by her previous owners and had no fat to keep her warm. It took several weeks for the coat to arrive because it came all the way from China. I didn’t realize that when I ordered it. I was a bit concerned that it wouldn’t fit her, but it fits just fine and is actually of better quality than I thought it would be, especially since I paid less than $20 for it.
Hannah didn’t seem quite sure of it when I first put it on her, but she’s getting used to it. I think she looks like a proper Michigan dog in her Nordic coat–and I hope it will keep her warm on our cold winter days.
Eight deer came to our feeders today. They always arrive in the late afternoon when I’m busy making supper so I can’t sit and enjoy them as much as I would like. They usually get spooked by my movement, but I got to observe them for a few minutes.
Early this morning I finally brought myself to get rid of Miss Madeline Meadow’s dead squirrel. It was gross because she had been eating it. I tried not to look too closely at it when I scooped it up with a shovel and threw it out near the edge of the forest. This afternoon when I walked through the garage to go out and shut the poultry in the coop for the night, I saw that Madeline had brought the tail back inside. She was gnawing on a bit of flesh that was still attached to the tail. Yuck.
Madeline’s Surprise
I had an interrupted night of sleep.
First, I heard Hannah jump off the bed to welcome JJ home from work. I often wait up for JJ, but not if he gets home too late. Last night he didn’t get home until midnight. I’m rather glad that Hannah disturbs me when JJ gets home so that I know that he arrived safely.
I fell back to sleep and then woke when the fan suddenly shut off. We always have a fan on at night because EJ suffers from tinnitus and he can’t sleep when there is complete silence. He was awakened by the silencing of the fan as well. My first thought was “Oh, crap! We’ve lost our power!” But the clock was still on so I figured that a cat must have unplugged the fan–and I was correct. We got the fan plugged back in and the went back to sleep.
I woke a few more times when I tried to shift my position. It’s not easy shifting positions at night because we are wedged in with animals. Hannah sleeps near the foot of the bed. Kee-Kee sleeps on the pillow above my head. Often Timmy sleeps on top of me. I was aware that Little Bear was sleeping between EJ and me. The only inside animal that was not in bed with us was Luke, who still does not like Hannah. I often exclaim that Luke has gone over to the Dark Side of the Force. He doesn’t just hiss and occasionally swat at Hannah. He seems to delight in positioning himself where near Hannah and then hissing and swatting her. I tell Luke that we aren’t getting rid of him and we aren’t getting rid of Hannah so he is just going to have to adjust to her.
This afternoon Hannah wanted outside–for the millionth time. Sometimes I suspect that she wants out only so she can get a treat. I’m trying to teach her to walk with me and to go to the porch on command, and she gets treats for doing so. If Hannah wants out too many times, I start telling her “No, no, I’m not taking you outside!” but she can be very insistent. She starts by sitting next to my floor staring at me and make low grunts, and eventually gets into my lap where I can’t ignore her.
Hannah got so insistent that I finally sighed, got up, and put my winter coat, hat, boots, and mittens on. I was putting the leash on Hannah when I noticed that Josette was outside on the porch. I thought, “This is not going to go well…” because they haven’t encountered each other before. I wasn’t sure how Josette would react. I shortened Hannah’s leash and opened the door. Josette was right outside the door, but she wasn’t scared of Hannah at all. She just greeted Hannah as if they were old friends, and Hannah happily greeted her, and everything was fine. Josette could teach Luke a thing or two about making friends.
Every afternoon I clean out the litter boxes–both in the house and in the garage. I swear that half of my day is spent caring for animals. Not that I mind. Yesterday I took my bucket out to the garage, scooped out the clumps in the litter box, turned around, and was scared half to death by the sight of Miss Madeline Meadows’ latest kill. She always brings her kills into the garage and puts them on the mat near her food bowl. I’m getting used to the various mice, voles, and shrews that she leaves there, but I was completely startled to find a large Fox Squirrel. Squirrels are quick and I’ve heard that they can be vicious fighters so I have no idea how Madeline managed to kill one. And it must have been quite a feat carrying the body into the garage when it’s almost as large as she is.
I like that Madeline is a good mouser, but I hate it when she kills squirrels or birds. Fortunately, she doesn’t kill many of them. Although I hate it, I figure that she’s doing what a cat naturally does–just as any predator does. I remember watching documentaries about various animals, and I always rooted for the animal being featured. If it was a mouse, I was glad that it had gotten away from the fox, or wolf, or hawk. If a fox (or wolf or hawk) was featured, I felt bad when its meal escaped and it went hungry. It’s a harsh world out there and everyone’s got to eat. Madeline doesn’t go hungry if she doesn’t catch her prey, but she is still a predator with a hunter’s instinct. And she does keep the population of rodents down. I’ve read that chickens sleep so soundly at night that mice in the coop will sometimes chew off their toes. That’s not good.
The Day of the Squirrels
Our weather has turned cold again. I was worried about the roads and our driveway becoming super slippery when all the slush froze, but it hasn’t been that bad. Whew.
We adopted Hannah Joy from the county animal control shelter two days before Christmas. The shelter had just enough microchips for the dog adopted before us, but not enough for us, so we weren’t able to get Hannah microchipped. The shelter called EJ on Thursday to tell him that they had gotten more so on Friday JJ drove us to the animal shelter. Fortunately, JJ didn’t have to work that day, and his new college semester doesn’t begin until this Tuesday, so he was free to take us. Hannah has not yet learned to sit quietly in the car so I didn’t want to have to try taking her by myself. The people at the shelter were all very glad to see Hannah. They exclaimed at how good she’s looking, and they gave her lots of lovings, and they also gave her a treat, which she loved.
JJ had to work today–as he does every weekend. EJ and I spent a quiet day at home. We especially enjoyed watching all the activity at the birdfeeder.
First, we had an invasion of squirrels. I counted nine of them at the birdfeeder! That is the most squirrels that I’ve ever seen at one time. They were scampering all over the place, eating the seeds from the feeders and ground. I know that a lot of people hate the squirrels coming to their feeders, but I figure that, hey, all the critters need to eat, and I enjoy seeing the different animals that visit. One little squirrel found his (or her?) way into the lantern feeder, which I thought was very cute.
In addition to the squirrels, three deer showed up. These three are our most frequent visitors. By the time they showed up, there were only two squirrels at the feeder. They didn’t seem spooked by the deer. Sometimes the deer stay for quite a while, but this afternoon they didn’t stay long. I think it was probably because EJ was trying to see if one deer was a male who had lost his antlers. If we move too much in the house, we make the deer nervous.
Finally, Miss Madeline Meadows, our sweet serial killer cat, showed up at the feeders. She lurked under the feeder for a while, chittered at the birds, and even climbed the post. However, she was unsuccessful at catching any of them and she finally wandered off. I am glad when she kills a mouse, shrew, or vole, but don’t want her killing birds. Fortunately, she’s more successful at killing the rodents than the birds.
I have watched for the possum, but I only saw it that one day. After we saw the possum, I emailed the Opossum Society of the United States asking whether they were a threat to my poultry. They replied that “It could grab a chicken or duck and it would eat the whole thing, bones and all. They don’t ‘live’ anywhere, they are transient creatures and crash in the same spot 2-4 days in a row, then move on. They may repeat the cycle, staying at your house in another couple of weeks or so. In a large area, I have recommended deploying either human male or coyote urine on the perimeter to discourage ALL wildlife of a size to grab your chickens. Wouldn’t work on anything bigger than a coyote, though.” I think coyotes and raccoons are a greater threat, and my poultry is safe in their coop at night, so I’m not all that worried if I see a possum.
The R.O.U.S.
The temperatures have risen into the mid-40s. It’s so warm that I’m tempted to wear a jacket instead of a coat. The snow is melting rapidly and I can see patches of bare ground in places–mostly where we’ve snowblowed or walked paths in the snow. When I was a child, we called this warmup “The January Thaw” because it usually happened every mid-January. The snow would melt, forming large puddles and small ponds. Our large side yard always flooded. When the weather turned cold again and froze the water, we had a nice little ice rink. I don’t remember having actual skates, but we’d go “skating” on the ice by sliding in our boots. It was fun.
On our hilltop house in Northern Michigan, I view the thaw with a bit more dread. It’s better if the weather remains cold and snowy until Spring because when the melted snow re-freezes, our steep, winding driveway becomes treacherously slippery–as do the roads. In fact, even though it’s in the upper 40s and the snow is melting, I had to walk carefully to get the mail because the slush was slippery. The US National Weather Service says that we will get rain today and then temperatures will drop significantly tonight and dangerously cold wind chills will be back for Saturday morning. EJ is at work and JJ is spending the day with his girlfriend. I’ve reminded both of them that they might want to park at the bottom of the driveway when they get home this evening.
Late yesterday afternoon–I think at about 5 p.m., more or less–I happened to glance out the living room window and saw a large possum eating the vegetable peelings I had thrown out there for the deer. It probably wasn’t a good idea to throw the veggies out there since it could attract critters like possums, raccoons, and skunks, but I thought the deer would eat them. They didn’t. Oh, well, live and learn. Besides, it was also eating the seeds that had fallen from the birdfeeder. The possum went under the deck but we saw it periodically throughout the evening.
I called to JJ to come and look and he said that the possum could be a threat to the poultry. EJ said the same thing when he got home, adding that it might hurt the cats as well. EJ began to make plans to get rid of the possum.
I follow a blog called “The Backyard Birdlady.” Amazingly, I found an email in my inbox last night notifying me that she had written a new post. That’s not amazing part. What is amazing is that her post was called Fall in Love with a Possum | Nature’s Clean Up Crew. Within her post was a link to the Opossum Society of the United States. I don’t know much about possums, so I ready the Backyard Birdlady’s post and the Opossum Society’s website to learn about them.
JJ called the possum a “huge rat.” I laughed that, no, it’s not a rat, it’s actually a R.O.U.S.–or Rodent of Unusual Size–which is a reference to the huge rats in the fire swamp in the movie The Princess Bride. Actually, the possum is neither a rat nor a R.O.U.S. The Birdlady wrote that “They are North Americas only marsupial, meaning they have a pouch to carry their babies in after they are born. When baby possums are born, they are only about the size of a bee; they crawl up into their mother’s pouch, live and nurse in her warmth for about two months. Kangaroos and Wallabies, Koala Bears, Wombats and Tasmanian Devils are also marsupials, however, these guys live mostly in Austrailia and the surrounding islands. Once they are about two months old, they ride on Mom’s back as she travels around in search of food.” The Birdlady also wrote that “They eat both plants and animals. Their diet consists of mice, lizards, earthworms, snails, spiders, snakes, fruit, nuts, seeds, and carrion (dead animals or roadkill). They are considered a ‘gardeners friend’ as they eat the fallen, rotting fruit from the trees in your yard and the unwanted pests in our yard. Just one possum can eat up to 5000 ticks a year, helping to protect humans from Lyme disease. They are quite literally Nature’s Little Clean-up Crew!”
At the Opossum Society of the United States website, I read:
By nature opossums are non-aggressive, non-destructive and do not pose a threat to humans. However, when threatened they will attempt to defend themselves. Our best advice is to enjoy watching the opossums, but leave them alone.
LEAVE THE OPOSSUMS ALONE
Opossums should be allowed to live in their natural habitat. They are opportunistic animals and will often move into an area that has been damaged and then vacated by another animal. Unfortunately, the opossum is usually blamed for the damage.
DO NOT TRAP
Opossums are transient animals, staying only 2-3 days in an area before moving on. Removal is neither necessary nor desirable. Wildlife experts agree that if opossums were eliminated from an area, the population of roof rats and other pests would proliferate.
OTHER OPTIONS
If you find an opossum continues to return to your area, try eliminating the things that are attracting it. Clear away bushes, woodpiles and other hiding places, pick up fallen fruit from trees, and do not leave pet food out over night. Try leaving an outdoor light on at night.
I also learned that while possums might go after eggs or young chickens, they seem to not be as much of a threat to poultry as coyotes, raccoons, and other predators. They seem to co-exist peacefully with cats. I like the fact that they go after spiders, rats, and ticks, none of which I like.
After I read this information, my concerns dissipated and I was able to enjoy observing the possum when it returned later in the evening. When I shared the information with EJ, he also changed his mind about the possum being a threat. However, JJ was unconvinced and even after I told him what I had learned, he said we should kill “the huge rat.” I said “Absolutely not. Look at it. It’s interesting and rather cute.” Then I exclaimed, “Hey! You stopped me when I wanted to smash the huge, utterly scary-looking wolf spiders, telling me that they were outside in their territory and deserved to live. Yet you want to kill the possum, which is very beneficial and far cuter than a wolf spider?? You, my dear, are a hypocrite!”
Thanks to the Backyard Birdlady and the Opossum Society of the United States, the possum will live and we get to enjoy another fascinating creature at our bird feeders.
Hannah Joy makes me laugh. She is so different from Danny was. But that’s ok. I mean, one of the reasons I was able to get a new dog so soon after losing my beloved Danny is that I don’t expect a new dog to be the same as the old one. I miss Danny terribly–my heart squeezes every time I think of him or see a photo of him–and yet I enjoy Hannah at the same time. I appreciate that when Hannah goes outside to “do her business,” she’s quick and we are back in the house within minutes. I used to have to wait for a long time in freezing cold for Danny. It wasn’t his fault. When he was younger, he escaped his fence and got hit by a van. The van actually ran over his tail, but it stretched out his spine so he had trouble going poop. Sometimes it got messy back there and I’d have to wash his behind–something we both hated, but which I did because I loved Danny. Danny used to wait very, very patiently for me and only asked to go outside when he saw I wasn’t busy. I thought that was extremely considerate of him. When Hannah wants something, she wants it NOW, and she lets me know it quite clearly and insistently. In this video, she has been trying for several minutes to get my attention. I’ve ignored her so she’s getting a little bit more impatient.
The Snow Dragon
JJ arrived home from work last night at almost 11 p.m. I had waited up for him, and the first thing he said to me when he came in the door was, “Wow, Mom, what happened in the driveway? It’s all tore up and the snow fence is torn to pieces.”
This is what happened:
EJ was driving up the driveway after a long day of work. He was almost at the top when suddenly a fierce northern Snow Dragon descended upon him from where it had been lurking in the Enchanted Forest. I think the warmer temperatures woke it. It grabbed the suburban, with EJ inside, in its powerful jaws and pulled him back down the driveway. EJ tried with all his skill to escape–and he almost made it!–but the Snow Dragon grabbed him again and pulled him even further back down the driveway. The Snow Dragon shook the suburban from side to side, plowing deep furrows in the snow, and flung it into the snow fence, breaking the fence and bending the posts. The suburban finally came to a stop sideways across the driveway, not far from the sign I made which says “No Ogres, Orcs, Goblins” but which does NOT say “No Dragons”–because, you know, not all dragons are bad. I would welcome a good dragon.
I saw EJ’s epic battle with the Snow Dragon from the kitchen window so I bundled up and bravely went out to help. We fought with various weapons, some of which I had brought down with me on the toboggan. We slipped several times, fell a couple of times, but we finally freed the Suburban. EJ didn’t attempt to drive back up the driveway. We didn’t want to attract the attention of the Snow Dragon again, so he parked at the bottom of the driveway not far from the Magic Box, and then we trudged in weary triumph up to the house and enjoyed a homemade venison pie and some ale.
I didn’t think that JJ would believe that this is what really happened, so instead I told him a boring tale about yesterday’s warm temperatures melting the snow just enough to make the driveway very slick. His Dad almost made it up to the house, but he suddenly lost traction and the suburban slid down the driveway. He almost freed himself, but slid again, and the suburban finally ended up sideways across the driveway near my Enchanted Forest sign. Together, EJ and I dug out the suburban from the snow with shovels, kitty litter, boards, and the snowblower. Rather than try to make another attempt to drive up to the house, EJ parked at the bottom of the driveway. When we got back to the house, we enjoyed the venison pie I had made with some ginger ale. We texted JJ warning him to park at the bottom of the driveway and walk up to the house. I waited up for JJ to make sure he made it safely into the house.
This is the first year that we’ve tried to put up a snow fence. We are finding it to be quite useless to do anything except get in our way. We are thinking that maybe next year we will just put up wooden posts with reflective tape or paint on them to mark the sides of our driveway. When we get heavy snow, it’s actually kind of difficult to find the edges of the driveway.
This morning JJ sledded down the driveway to where he had parked the Buggy and drove off to spend the day with his girlfriend. After he left, I snowblowed the driveway. There really wasn’t much snow–except for the deep furrows EJ made trying to escape the Snow Dragon–but we are expecting even warmer temperatures for the next few days, and as much as possible I want to prevent slushy furrows from freezing into icy ruts when the cold temperature returns.
When I finished snowblowing the driveway, I put the snowblower away and then walked Hannah down to the bottom of the driveway to retrieve the sled that JJ had left near the sign. I was surveying the good job I had done clearing the driveway when a county snow plow went by, flooding the end of the driveway with a huge tsunami wave of snow. I yelled an agonizing “NOOOOOOOO! Curse you, you Terrible Snow Beast!” Ok, I didn’t really yell or curse them (although I might have whimpered) because they were only doing their job, and I’m thankful that they keep the roads cleared, but for the briefest moment I was a trifle horrified that they had messed up my work. I went and looked at the end of the driveway and it’s not really all that bad, even though the snow plow really did make an impressive tsunami wave of snow as it went by.
JJ’s sled probably has bite marks on it now. Hannah either really liked JJ’s sled or she hated it, she was either trying to be helpful or she was trying to defeat the sled–I’m not quite sure which. As I dragged the sled up the driveway, she kept grabbing in her mouth and trying to pull it. I couldn’t keep it away from her. Of course, it’s also possible that I had a tug of war with a werewolf–perhaps even Northern Michigan’s famous Dogman. But no one would believe that story.
Eventually I’d like to see if I can teach Hannah to go sledding with me and maybe I can even teach her to take the sled back up to the house.
We might be parking at the bottom of the driveway until the weather turns colder this weekend. It’s so much better for us if we don’t get winter thaws. We can deal with snow, but ice makes our driveway monstrously slippery.
