I am on the front lines now! I've already hadmy spong bath and the PT had me walking down the hall. MY right knee is stronger than it was yesterday and it was stronger today.

Trudy is making cards on my bed. I have to sit up in a chair for as long as I CAN ( I'm not used to this machine and I making mistakes.)

The food isn't anything to write home about but it keeps me alive! I had , I forgot what i was going to say!

Myday revolves around meals and PT. Tomorrow, I believe I'll be going home instead of going to a rehab place. I'll get Home Health to come in and help me with my exercizes.

Ill write later.

"Twas the Night Before....

I called the nursing home and asked how many clothes I should bring and she said 7 changes of clothes! I got three or four days and Trudy can bring me more if I need them. Mary Kate said Richard said I would stay there all 20 days! I don't know how long I'll take to heal but It's good that I have the opportunity for the rehab.

I've packed my bag to the max. Its mostly undies and PJ's. If I need anything else, Trudy can bring them to me. It's nothing like not knowing what's going to happen to you. Was that a double negative? Sorry!

Afraid?

I hope I'm not afraid of the operation. I's been on my mind for a long time. Getting it over will be a new start. I don't know what I'll do about blogging. I can take a notebook and pen and try to write at the hospital. I can see it now, "ah--h-h, oh-o-o, ee-e-e-ouch", move? Surely not!

Yesterday was a good day. Didn't do much, but had a good frame of mind all day. Today was good too. Church was good. The third hour we had a VT conference and it was good! Good, good, good. I almost got a good nap in, but our Home Teachers came and we always enjoy their visits, plus we both got blessings.

I feel like I'm ready for the final count down. I keep adding "stuff" to my hospital bag. It looks like I going away for a long time! I guess I am since I'll be going to a rehab place.

Friday Before Tuesday

This is the last Friday I'll have with my old knee! I can't imagine how the pain will be, but there will be plenty of pain meds.

I went to Walmart and got some food and travel sized shampoo and lotion. I got a big bag to put my clothes in and I have another large bag to put stuff in. This was my first day without any Arthrotec for pain and I really felt it. Tomorrow I'll cook some beans and some Pizza in a Bowl and try to get some food ready for next week.

We're having spring-like weather. I wonder if we are out of the woods for cold weather. I took the electric blanket off of my bed so I hope we're in for mild weather.

Trash Day

Just got through with taking the trash out. I hope the boys remember to take it out. It's their spring break and they might be gone somewhere. I have to go off one of my pain medicines because it is an inflammatory and I have to stop it 5 days before the surgery. That will mean more pain and I hate pain! I feel like I'm getting ready to fly to the moon and the countdown has started! I need to do something each day to get ready so I won't have everything to do just before I blast off.

I took the 4" foam topper off my bead. It's comfortable but it makes it harder to move around in the bed. The bed is 4" shorter now and I like that.

Gert's light had burned out and Dad spent a while deciding if the light fixture was good. He had his meter out and was checking the different parts of the fixture. Turned out, it needed a new bulb! Any way, Gertie now has light like the rest of the birds. The lights give them some heat too.

My Forteo is going to give me worry. I'll have to bring the injection pen with me. It needs to be in the refrigerator all the time and I have to take it once a day. It'll have to go to the rehab place with me too. I worry that someone might put it in the freezer and that would ruin it. I'll have to put a piece of tape with, "do not freeze", on the pen. The hospital will give me the rest of my medicines.

Wednesday's Trip

We met last night to have scripture study since I was so tired after Monday's activities. The computer wouldn't work so we just discussed the parts we had underlined. It was a good night.

Today, I had to go to H'ville to get Dad's prescriptions. The Pain Clinic had moved to it's new building but Dad remembered to tell me before I left or I would have gone to the old office!

Before I left Athens, I stopped by the optical store and got new nose pieces for my glasses and then stopped by the bank and got a check cashed. Then I headed for H'ville. I found the new office without any trouble. I went and returned by Hy 72. I don't enjoy driving 70 mph on the interstate.

At lot is riding on this knee replacement. I have high hopes for it making my life better, especially after I get the left knee done too. Being without pain will lighten me up, I hope. When it's a drag to do every day things, my attitude hasn't been too good. I want to be light hearted again. I know I'll have to work on it, but no matter how hard it is, this is what I want.

Pre-registering Day

I left at 10:00 AM to get to Crestwood hospital to pre-register. I didn't have to wait too long. I had a joint class to attend and that was when Trudy caught up with me. It was nice having her there. She took several pages of good notes and gave them to me. The purpose was to acquaint us with what was going on or what will be going on the day of our surgery and afterwards. There were 5-6 other knee patients there. After the class, Trudy and I ate at the hospital on a free meal ticket! If I had paid, it would have cost me $24.00! Trudy took home some left overs home to her family, so it was a good deal.

Dad didn't have any fever today. Saturday and Sunday were really bad with him running a 103 fever all day. Now he's got fever blisters in his eyes, nose and mouth. Not good. But he did feel better today.

I need to get serious with getting groceries for when I'll be gone. I want Trudy to just have to warm up stuff and not have to cook from scratch. She'll probably do some of that anyway.

Another PJ Day

Haven't done much today. We did have a nice lunch because I cooked yesterday. I read some from Bill O'Reilly's book Culture Warrior. Don't have much more to go and would like to finish it so I can go back and underline important things. Then, I can better explain it to Dad.

I bought a ring from Danbury Mint and paid for it in full. Now, I find out that they are taking money out of my account for it! Monday, I'll have to call them and see if I can't get things straightened out.

Talked to Frankie today. His foot has two or three big screws in the heal bone and screwed into a couple of bones in his foot. He's in pain now. I hope he will stay off his crutches and just rest his foot. That alone will help the pain. He goes back for his post op check-up the day I have my knee surgery. I'm just glad that we live in a time where the Doctors can do operations like we need.

Past Two Days

Was tired last night and had done nothing to write home about so I didn't blog. Today, Frank woke up with a fever of 103 and he was out of his head. After I got his pills down him and fed him some oatmeal, he went to sleep and slept all day.

I thought Sadie was coming over so I thawed some pork chops and cooked them and cooked beans for Frank and lentils for me. Sadie couldn't come over for she had an ear ache. We had a good meal anyway.

Bubba and Ruth came up and brought a chair for me to use after my operation. It's a glider and will cause me knee to bend as I rock. It was good to see them. They took away an old computer monitor for me. It was the large kind and everyone uses the flat screen now. My house is closing in on me. It has way too much "stuff" in it. It needs help, bad!

Finding Prospect

Karen came over and we headed up Hy 127 to Prospect, TN. I wasn't prepared for what we found. It was a one street, 4,5, store strip of old highway. We stopped at a house that was converted into a flea market. There, a man smoking a cigar, showed us what he had. For $8.00, I bought a tin man, like the one in the wizard of Oz, but smaller. I'll hang it outside. Karen bought some pulley-type things and some colored binders. Then we came home. I wished we had stayed out longer. In Athens, a place called Cricket By the Creek, is now a consignment shop. We now have 4 consignment stores in town.

I filed the bills, which didn't take very long. Now I have the rest of the day with nothing much to do. I've tried twice to pre-register for the hospital stay, but my name hasn't been in the computer. My Dr's office hasn't sent in my name and won't until next week. I want to check this one thing off my list and I can't right now. It grinds my gears. I have to go to two clinics, one on the knee replacement and one is for the anesthesia, plus I have some blood work to get done. I'm impatient to get it all started. March 24th is the date of the operation.

Bird Day

I just got back from taking Rosko and Rikki to Hartselle to the vet. They were just in for trims and both were in good health. Dr. Jan said Rikki had better color and she was better than the last time she saw her. I've been giving her the medicine Doc Jan gave me and I guess she is eating it like she should.

The temperature got up to 85 degrees today. It's supposed to rain tonight and tomorrow and get down into the 50's. My neighbors are mowing their grass already! We have a beautiful blanket of purple henbit (a weed) all over the yard. It's too pretty to mow. Maybe we'll need to mow in April. I have Glen Beck on the TV. I like to watch him.

Beautiful March Day

March is supposed to come in like a lion and go out like a lamb but it got mixed up. The weather has been beautiful here for a week or more.

Mary Lou Hill and I went visiting teaching this morning. We saw Antha Jo Perry and that was all. We have Brenda Calvert and Amy Boston and they haven't returned my call. I guess I'll have to call again.

I take the birds down for trims, all except Gert. This was on the schedule of things to do before I have the surgery.

Dad's setting the temperature down on the heat pump so the air conditioner will come on for a while. It was 81 degrees in his room and 78 in the kitchen. That's a bit warm for comfort.

Sunday the 8th

It was in the high 70's again, with a light wind blowing. All the pear trees have white blooms on them and all sorts of vegetation is blooming. It's too early but who knows what the weather will do.

The meetings were good. Next week all the sisters are supposed to go to a special Visiting Teaching meeting the 3rd hour and the men are to substitute in Primary. Sis. Decker was upset for we don't have enough time to teach the music as it is. Maybe we can skip the V.T. meeting and go back to Primary for the music time.

I've been having trouble with my mind (what mind, you say?). Saturday was especially bad. My mind is like an empty white board. No thoughts, no anything. I think it's the Effexor that I'm taking. I'll have to talk with Dr. Sharp about it. Surely there is some other antidepressant I can take beside Effexor.

Toward the End of the Week

I didn't write yesterday for I hadn't done anything and I have nothing to say when I haven't done anything..Duh or no duh.

I went to exercise class today but they didn't have it. The room was set up of the Poke Sallet Revival. They have it each year and it's a fund raiser for one of the organizations in town. I've never seen it but I bet it's good.

I went to Walmart after my failed exercise class. I bought 4 boxes of milk and some other things. I should have gotten some toilet paper but I forgot since I didn't have a list.

Trudy seems to be getting over her bout with pneumonia. She gets run down and gets pneumonia pretty easily. Mary Kate and family are still wondering what to do with Pongo. He's a sweet dog but likes to bite small children. Not a good thing for a mother who runs a preschool!

It was 75 degrees today. The forsythia is blooming and the Bradford pears are budding out as well. Nature seems to think it's spring. It's going to be 75 degrees tomorrow too. Maybe I'll do some pruning tomorrow. I like to prune, but don't like to clean up after myself!

Choppers Day!

Karen came over at 11:00 AM and we left for H'ville. I had to stop to get gas but we were at Dr. Knight's office by 12:00 PM. He had to grind the teeth down some to get them to fit but I did go home with the teeth. Yeah! WE then went to the Mall and went into Penny's to look for some shoes. They were busy and I didn't have any hose so we just walked around the Mall and then went to Hobby Lobby. We looked around there but didn't find anything to buy-a first-and we had the 40% off coupon to boot! Then we went to Tuesday Morning in Madison. We took the back roads home and ended up at Tanner cross roads. It was 56-8 degrees and very lovely.

I had to wave my special wand to create supper. We had black eyed peas and they were good. They have more protein than the pinto beans I was going to fix. It was a strange mix but it was tasty.

Mary Kate called to say that Pongo had almost bitten another child. She was really upset. This means Pongo has to go and she was going to call the lady she got him from. He'll end up in a good home. But it will be sad at the Villamor's for a while.

Trudy is sick with pneumonia I think. I haven't talked to her yet but she had gotten run down and she gets pneumonia easily. I've got to be thinking about how to use my time before the operation is here. I'm not good at planning ahead.

New Week

Yesterday, I went to H'ville to get my teeth. After four days without them, I was ready to get them back. I wore them home but they hurt so I went back to H'ville and Dr. Knight worked on them for an hour and sent them back to the lab. So, tomorrow I'll have new teeth! It's another trip to H'ville, but Karen is going with me and after I get my choppers, we can go shopping. I would like to get a pair of shoes for Sundays. I have one pair that look good and one pair that are comfortable but don't look so good. Maybe I can find another pair to suite my vanity.

We didn't have scripture study because my mouth hurt, so we had it tonight. I went even though I didn't have any teeth. It was a good meeting with a good friend. Frank was home working on the bills. He's always been good about getting the bill out as soon as we have the money in the bank. There was vestiges of snow in front of the front porch and there was still some ice on the steps, but the rest of the snow was gone. Snow is for young people!

Snow

Sophia's wish did come through. We woke up this morning to snow on the ground and a small blizzard going by! By the afternoon it was melting but I bet it gave a lot of kids joy this early morning. I have to go to H'ville tomorrow and I'm glad the snow will be gone.

Church was called off. Mary Kate said they had Sacrament meeting and then went home. Richard and the kids were excited about the snow. Nate got his feet wet and called it a day! Sophia said she was fine when Mary Kate asked her if her feet were wet. Richard was going somewhere to borrow a sled. Their front lawn slopes down to the street and they will have a good time sledding.

I made one card today. I'm just not in the card making mood. Trudy has been making a lot of cards lately. I'll have to look at her cards and maybe get some ideas from her.