What Is This?

Does anyone care to guess what this hairy rock really is? You have to have a good eye or a good imagination, but it's actually a moose next to a boulder! We drove up to the house in Ticonderoga and were coming down the Rt. 8 mountain into Hague when we saw this moose in a marsh right next to the road. I yelled, "STOP, I have my camera with me!" and Dave backed up to see if it was still there. Unfortunately it was heading into the woods and this was the only shot I could take.Too bad, because we have always wanted to see a wild moose, but never thought it would be on a road we travel quite often.

Once we got to Ti, we started charging up batteries and I mowed the lawn. Our flowers were in full bloom and the lilac bush was spectacular.

Even my favorite bleeding heart plant had grown larger than the planter.

 We haven't turned on the water or put anything into service yet, but everything is ready and waiting for us, when the weather and Dave's recovery allow. BTW, Dave is doing awesome with his cane and even went down our cellar stairs today! More monumental moments happen every day.

Home Sweet Home

Sorry it has taken so long to write a post since leaving Daytona, but I have been quite busy since our arrival back north. We are finally starting to get settled in now.

Our plane trip on Delta was uneventful, and Dave did well in the wheelchairs provided by the airline for transport to and from the different gates. There was always someone to push him and that was especially helpful in Atlanta when we had to change planes and gates, and also in Albany when we had to get luggage too. Thanks to Jim, John, and Karl, our water and heating systems were up and running....not that we even needed the heat! It has been in the 70-80 degree range for the past week. What a nice surprise welcome! And welcomed we have been with so many friends stopping in to see us and to help out where ever needed. Kerstin and Kenny even collected the goldfish from their winter tanks at Jim's house and are back in the pond.

 

Vehicles are back running and on the road, and they have all had their turns at getting inspected and checked out. I mowed the lawn around the property for the first time today, after Paul and Greg fixed the starter motor that was seized up from mice that were living under the hood, using it has their toilet facilities! 

Stocking up on food is always a challenge when we return, because I have to start from scratch every year, with bare cupboards and fridge. Luckily, our friends have been bringing over food and it was four days before I needed to head to the store to stock up. Then it all ended up being free...sort of. With Dave's medical bills being paid with our Visa card, we have accumulated many points that I traded in for gift cards and that's how I paid for the food and consumables.

Dave is really happy to be back and just about lives on our golf cart. With the cushy seat and the ability to prop up his leg on the dash, he is all set for anything. He feels so helpless though, when problems such as the tractor not starting, happen. He alternates between using his crutches, a walker with a seat, his wheelchair (when he has to sit for any length of time), and today for the first time, he graduated to a cane. He hasn't felt steady or stable enough to use the cane until now. This was literally a monumental step! He has a doctor's appointment on the 23rd, so we'll see when the arm surgery can take place. Until then he'll keep improving his walking ability, rest up, visit, and patrol the property on the golf cart (the cane is good for picking up and throwing small branches too!). I still have lots of yard work to do, but it's great to be able to do it with the weather so nice. It's good to be home...

One Small Step For Man...

Good News, Bad News

Today was Dave's ortho doctor's appointment. The good news is that his bones are healing nicely, and in the words of the doctor, he's healing like gangbusters!  Must be all the calcium, yogurt, and ice cream I have been pushing on him. Dave's knee is starting to bend more when the swelling is down and he has special exercises to do to keep it bending. Plus the words he really wanted to hear were said..."You can start to bear weight on your leg and begin to learn to walk again!" However in the next sentence, the doctor told him the bad news that one of the screws in his arm is starting to back out, so he will need to have more surgery. He should not do any weight bearing on the arm until it is healed (about a month) and then the plate and screws will be removed. He has to be very careful because it can cause nerve and tendon damage, and he has already been experiencing some pain recently. We do have the go-ahead to head back home, but we will really miss Dr. Martin and his staff.

So we will forge ahead with our plans to fly north on Friday. It's been a godsend to be able to recuperate here in Daytona and we can't thank my family enough, along with all our friends that stopped on their way through. Our friends up north are already rallying and have our house ready to move back into, with heat and water on and food in the fridge. We're ready for new challenges and anxious to get settled in and see everyone!

Rest and Heal

I think that Dave is getting tired of hearing "rest and heal." We haven't been in the pool as much as we would have liked, because the weather has been cooler than normal. On nice days like yesterday the pool water temperature struggles to reach 75 degrees. It's good to keep the swelling down in his leg though.

We have had several cruising friends northbound from the Bahamas stop at the marina to visit and see how Dave is progressing. It has been wonderful for us both to see you all!

Tuesday is the day we find out from the doctor, what the next plan of action is. Hopefully he will be healed enough to start physical therapy and begin to walk again. Today is the six week anniversary of the fateful accident day, and even though recovery seems to be going slowly, he certainly has come a long way since his fall.

One week from today we will be traveling back home. In a way it will be great to be back, but then again we will have many new challenges to overcome. Until that time though, we will continue having some excursions (I should rename them exertions) and water therapy when possible. Then when he's resting with his leg elevated, he's not napping, he's healing!

The Excursion

I dropped my two patients off at the grocery store while I did a bit of clothes window shopping. I couldn't resist taking a photo of them. Dave with his injuries and Mom with her leg cellulitis made me lovingly think, "the lame leading the lame."

Two Good Sports



One Stroke At A Time

The pool water is warming up and Dave had a very successful and encouraging SWIM yesterday! It was hard to coordinate his strokes because of his injuries being on opposite sides, but he did it! A bit sore today, but he's ready to do this therapy daily now. Being in the water is where he thrives.

" Look Ma, no crutches!" Temporarily though.

Now these are definitely smiles of accomplishment!