Pain or Relief that is the Question

 David and I were out and about and found this huge field of blue bonnets. We were thinking they were starting to die off but not here. 

My week started off with David officially retiring. Yahoo! And then the began the fun.  Continue to go to Physical Therapy. Doing gym work instead of aquatic since for almost 2 weeks the pool heater was broken and the water was really cold. And surprising enough doing the actual gym did not cause any extra pain. And after Friday I won't be allowed to do aquatic therapy anyway.

Friday (4/16) arrived. My knee procedure was supposed to be at 1:30pm and then it was move to 10am and the day before it was moved to 7am at a different location because the one in the Woodlands became unsterile.  What 7am!?? Umm can I have one at a different later time. Holy crap that means we have to leave our house by 4:30am to get to Humble by 7am. So much fun. NOT! We got there at with 12 minutes to spare. The next 40 minutes was spent filling out papers and then they took me back and David stayed in the waiting area. The next hour was not fun. My veins said nope you're not touching me and disappeared.  They poked me several times and slapped my arms trying to get my veins to pop up. All this left me bruised.

More bruising showed after these pictures. Not that I was surprised.  After they finally found a tiny vein and it held the IV I was wheeled back to the surgery room. Where I gave the doctor a bad time about lying to me... telling the prior injections would only be a pinch and burn. So I asked about the procedure and he said I shouldn't feel anything. Of course I said I don't think I believe you.  They gave me the injections to start deadening the area which hurt like HELL! 

Finally some relief and I only felt uncomfortable pressures. Then it was over and I had a new piece of leg jewelry but my leg wouldn't keep bleeding. Great. Took a while but it finally stopped. This whole time poor David was sitting out in the waiting room wondering why a 30 minute procedure was lasting 2 hours. No one had gone out to tell him the first hours was spent trying to a vein for the IV and the 30 was spent getting the bleed under control before they could release me. When the surgery center called for a brief survey I let them know how unfair it was to keep a loved one in the dark and letting their imagination go on it's own.

Walked from the wheel chair to the car wasn't bad at all but I couldn't walk totally normal. 

On Wednesday 4/21 I headed to PT and about half way there I got so sick. I felt like I was almost high but every time I breathed I wanted to barf. The only thing I did different was take 2 new pills from the nutritionist.  It was horrible. I refuse to take them again. I suffered through the PT and then..... I got my 2nd Covid vaccine.  I kinda slept the rest of the day after that.  On Thursday we met the Sprint PNS rep in Brenham so she could show David how to change the bandage on wire insert over the nerve.. There is a wire inserted in my knee to block the nerve sending the message to my brain that I'm in pain. The pack on the right side of the picture is a battery that sends electric impulses continuously to the area. Crazy huh? I have to really concentrate on my walking to walk normal without a limp or wobble. I haven't had the pain when I walk so that's a win but the swelling makes uncomfortable/weird. But hopefully with time that will all ease up. We'll see. I felt fine most of the day so I suggested we take a drive.

We left the rep and took a drive towards Warrenton. We drove by an area we seriously considering buying to build house and checked out all the new build on our drive. We were driving along and I was about to say what kind of cow is that and stopped.  It wasn't a cow! It was zebra's and one was a a baby zebra. This was so crazy to see Zebra's in there with these cows.  And then I saw the baby calf. 

It would never turned around because he/she was a hungry little guy or gal. It was so little up against these big ole cows.  And this big gal was very interested in what I was doing.  

And we drove on down the road and found the field of blue bonnets.

On Friday I spent the day down and out. I think the covid shot did me in. I was worthless but by Saturday I was finally feeling better Thank Goodness!

I go back for a follow up visit this Thursday the 29th with the Pain Management Doctor in the Woodlands which is about 1 3/4 hours from my house but I have plans for the day and it all works.

So that's it for now...

Until next blog...§  “Remember that happiness is a way of travel, not a destination.” ~Roy Goodman

Saved Wine 1 bottle at a time but It's time to Cork it.

 

Saturday (4/10) We started off our wine day at Kerrville Hills Winery. We hadn't been in a couple years and decided we needed to go see what they had new. Pamela found a wine she liked and grabbed a glass and I got water to go sit outside. They had a food truck there so we got a snack of dumplings. It was gonna be a while before we had lunch since we hadn't decided yet where to go. Saturday was a beautiful day. Friday it go fairly warm but the wind made it bearable. We had thought about going to our favorite place Alamo Springs Cafe but I asked about taking our favorite drive up Hwy 16 to Bandera and have lunch at the OST Restaurant. Pamela had never been there so it was time to try something different.

Our thought was to take a picture of our tattoo's in the bluebonnets that proved to be an issue this trip since I had a bad knee. If I got down on the ground I might never have gotten up. That wouldn't have been good so sitting at the table I got a picture of our arms together. 

Shirley I know you're reading this blog. I bet you can tell which is my arm. ... The old one. LOL

We drove the twisting winding Hwy 16 to Bandera. It's such a pretty drive. There was some new sights and the little town of Medina seems to be growing. Had a couple of restaurants I don't remember from prior years. We didn't stop at the Apple Pie place and passed on going into a quilt shop that is there. It's not big but it's a quilt shop.. And I had to pass it up. It was getting late and we were getting hungry.  As we pulled into Bandera I noticed a few new eating places there too but our stop was the OST. 

I've ate here 2-3 times with David and it was delicious and this time was not a disappointment. Pamela got a cheese burger and I got their luncheon special of Chicken fried steak, mashed tators with gravy, toast and a salad. The chicken fried steak batter was just right and the steak wasn't mushy inside. It also wasn't greasy. Pamela said she go back to try something different.  After we finished eating we did go around the corner to the quilt shop in Bandera called Gone Quilting. Pamela was to help me pick out fabric for a quilt. With all that fabric we didn't find anything that fit what we wanted so I'll have to look elsewhere. From here we took a different route to get to Comfort Texas. 

Once in Comfort we headed to Singing Water Winery for a quick stop.  We've always liked their seating area.  They've done some work out there.  The creek is usually empty when it's so dry out but there was water standing and they're planting more trees along that creek.  Pamela grabbed a wine and I opted for water again.

The music was pretty nice too. Didn't know the singer but he had a good voice.

Our next stop was Hill Country Distillers. I had been waiting for this stop.  They make a Bloody Mary with Jalapeno moonshiner and zing zang. And I might add 5 dashes of tabasco sauce.  Soooo good.

We really love the bartenders too. Esma and her son Avery. They're friendly and fun.  April is Esma's birthday so it's fun to wish her happy birthday.  This year I bought her a shot. And share another with us. And before I knew my drinking was over for me but not for Pamela.  She was enjoying me as her true designated driver. LOL  We actually closed the place down. A first for us.  We ate lunch so late that dinner wasn't on the books again. We found a snack and headed back to the hotel.

Sunday (4/11) Time to pack up and head home. Boo. It' was a great Mother Daughter Trip but all good things must come to an end. For lunch we ran to Cafe on the Ridge. Great Prices, great quality and quantity. I ordered the garden salad with chicken salad.  This picture doesn't show it but that pile of chicken salad was huge. I couldn't finish it. But it was all sooo good.

When you eat in the cafe you can use your receipt and get 10% off your purchase in the nursery and gift shop. This time we didn't walk around and see what they had. It was packed with people shopping.

We were ready to head home.  We've found going home through Marble Falls and Georgetown is faster and a nice drive. We've been wanting to go to Flat Creek winery in Marble Falls but it either hasn't been open or we haven't had the time.  But this time they were open and we had the time. It's out in the country for sure but we found it and were lucky enough to stop for a tasting. 

                            

 We gave David a call to let him know where we were and asked if he wanted to me us in Rockdale for dinner. He did but he wasn't ready to leave yet so we had to find something to do for another hour so we stopped in Taylor at the Texas Beer Company. Pamela picked out a beer and again I a cider. We wasted some time there talking and it was time to meet David only he asked if we could pick him up and we'd go to Cameron for dinner. No Problem. 

Then on Monday at 7:44am it was official. David called in to work to see what was on the books and they gave him the all clear. David was done and he was retired. Yahoo! He came into my room, sat down and announced to me He was a retired man. Oh but don't worry he won't be bored. He isn't without projects. He's been planning for this day. He's got critters to take care of, landscaping projects, garden, organize his barn and garage. Oh and his newest project is a white 2003 mustang that will become his street race car. He has got the bug to race again. All these projects will be ongoing and keep him plenty busy plus he and I get to go out riding whenever we want and don't have to wait for the weekend. 

That's it for now.

Until next blog...“This above all: To your own self, be true”  ~  William Shakespeare

A Little bit of Wine

 Our first wine stop Friday (4/9) was at Safari Winery. I had never been and Pamela wanted to make sure I did a tasting here and so I did. Found several wines we really liked. The folks here  were very friendly and down to earth. There's a couple of the wineries we've gone to that act kinda snooty. I mean they're nice but they think they're better than the others. And maybe they are but I like friendly and good wine. Safari is in the process of vamping up their back patio. It will be really nice when all finished.

We left here to go to lunch at Grape Creek Winery. They had a nice menu selection and it was really good. Pamela and I have both been members of their wine club. She picked up her last wine club selection. Pamela had a couple of wineries she wanted to get a bottle from or try. At Barron's Creek they had their Rose' on sale so she grabbed a bottle while I waited in the car and I stopped at Los Pinos' for her to do a tasting. Again I waited in the car. Easier than getting in and out and walking in.

We found a new place to try called Southold Farm & Cellar. The views from this place was spectacular. Wow. My picture doesn't do it justice.

      

While relaxing and enjoying our tastings in a swing this big girl came up and laid down on me.  Of course Pamela and I didn't mind giving her (Mitzie) attention. She's part Pyrenees and border collier. She was super loveable.

When we stopped petting her, she would place her paw on Pamela's leg.

That's it for my drinking for the day. Wasn't been a big deal at all. 

Next on our agenda was go down Willow City Loop. This is supposed to be the most scenic drive with wildflowers in Fredericksburg area.  There was plenty of pretty views for the first several hours until we finally found the bluebonnets and poppies. Pamela was the photographer since it was too hard for me to get around on the uneven ground. I actually think she does a better job these days. She has an eye for it.

     

We were still full from our lunch and our wine that we skipped a late dinner. Going on the Willow City Loop and back into Fredericksburg was about a 2 hour drive with stopping for pictures and all. We might have stopped a dessert at Dairy Queen and we were done. 

I'm gonna make our trip a multi-post. So I don't overload you with pictures and wine.

So that's it for now.

Until next blog post...

Eat, Sleep, Repeat

 I thought it was just me but David says his sleep pattern is messed up too. Anyone else? Is it because of daylight saving time? Well if it is I'm not impressed.

March went out with a pop. I had aquatic therapy on the 31st then drove  David to get his 2nd Covid shot. YAY. I have a few more days before I get my 2nd shot..

L-R: Brianna  Lilley  Sophie

 Good Friday we met up with the other Kennedy's in Gause. Recently I found out there's a 3 family of Kennedy's that live in the area. Anyway we went to the 4C Brew Barn to hang out. David, John and Kelli all tried and drank the craft beer that Vernon (owner) made. I drank a frozen wine sangria. My first frozen drink since the margarita in October that sent me to the hospital. I still blame the margarita. LOL. As we were driving over David says he didn't plan on spending the day there. To which I said we can leave whenever you're ready to. Well we got there at 2ish and we left around 6:50.  We got to having to much fun with the owners Vernon and Melissa and our friends that time just slipped away. The Brew Barn is also a member of Harvest Host. Harvest Host is a full time RV'er club. You may a membership then you can stay at one of their host for a nominal fee for electricity if you need it and support the Host like the 4C Brew Barn.  They have homemade goodies and food, fresh meat, eggs, milk, etc. That day Melissa cooked up Crawfish etouffee wish sides. Very yummy. Click on their name to go see what's on the menu this weekend. 

My favorite nurse was working back to back shifts on Easter and was getting tired. They had lots of Momma's and Babies to tend to.                   What a goober!

Aquatic PT went by the wayside after the pool heater broke and the water kept getting colder and colder so I took my chances and went to the gym side for PT. As of today I'm surviving.  A few of the exercises are uncomfortable but I push through. As of this past Monday the heater part still hadn't arrived. Glad I went dressed for the gym on (4/7)Wednesday.

Woke up Thursday ready for our Annual Mother-Daughter trip to the hill country. It was going to be interesting since my knee wasn't happy walking. Well I didn't walk, it was more like a hobble with the cane. Thank goodness for the Handicap parking tag or some of the hobbling would have been a hike. Plus now that I'm on a new medication prescribed because of my pacemaker the doctor told me on certain occasions I could have 2 glasses of adult beverages. I did good and behave and of course Nurse Pamela kept me in line. I had to be strategic and decide before each day where I would have my tasting or glass of adult beverage.

Our first stop was Drift wood Estates Winery in Driftwood. They have a really pretty view of the area below and around them. I had my first glass of wine. Since this is usually one of our stops each year I knew what wine I would drink. 

From here we went to Duchman Winery.  I chose to drink water this time. I knew I would want my 2nd glass of the day at Wimberly. I did take a sip of Pamela's choice here and it was very tasty. This winery was a challenge for me since they didn't have handicap parking and the ground was uneven. It had a restaurant next door but it wasn't open yet but we may check it out next year if possible.  

Of course trying to get a serious picture Pamela isn't always easy. She can be a brat.....

To end our day of wine we headed to Wimberly Winery. I got my 2nd glass of wine here. mmmm. One day they'll open they're brewery in the back of the property. The grounds here are really nice. 

The whole day was windy as heck but even with the temps being in the high 80's it was nice sitting outside.

Our final stop before heading to the hotel was at a restaurant we wanted to try called La Tequila Jalisco..  We've always stopped at Mammasito's but we were ready for something different. We weren't disappointed. Food was good.

Stay tuned for the rest of the trip in my next post. Lots of bluebonnets.

Until next blog post.. “We wander for distraction, but we travel for fulfilment.” ~Hilaire Belloc

 

Happy Easter from us at the Rock'n K 

Lilley

How was your week?

 

On my way home Thursday (3/18) from quilt retreat I mailed off a quilt that I boxed up and finished right before retreat but just got into the mail.  All the way across the pond. London.  Not sure how long it will take to get there.

Baby Elisabeth May Cliver was born in January but hopefully she doesn't mind the wait for very own quilt made with love and hugs.  Her Momma Hailey was Pam's roommate for year and a half in college and they have remained friends ever since.  Isn't she a beauty?!

I collect Kaffe Fassett fabric it seems and I was able to make this scrappy quilt. 

And with my new Baby Lock Flourish II embroidery machine I was able to make a label for the quilt that won't wash off after multiply washings. And I do hope Elisabeth uses the quilt often. That's what it's made for. Too use and enjoy.

Friday night (3/19) after the retreat David and I had date night.  We met our friends the Prudhommes @ BT Longhorn Saloon in Brehnan and we were joined by more friends, the Porters. Fun Fun.  The Prudhommes were so thoughtful. They gave me birthday gifts and David retirement gifts.   They shouldn't have but they did because their friendship is enough. Couldn't appreciate them more.  Good Food and friends. I even enjoyed a glass of wine.

Monday started off calmly. Finished my blogging about my 16th quilt retreat. Can't believe I've been organizing 2 retreats a year since 2013. It's always so much fun and productive. I see a few of the girls in between retreats but we are all spread out all over Texas.... Houston, Cypress, East Bernard, Clute, Little River,  Chappell Hill, Mauriceville, Clute, Cameron, Caldwell, Temple, Gause. and even Albuquerque, New Mexico. So it's great when retreat time comes around. Some us do talk on the phone and FB but in person at retreat is the best.

David is winding down. He's working a couple more weeks until his replacement can move to the project he is working on. But March 31st he will be officially retired.  YAHOO! No more electronic alarms! LOL I say electronic because we both know Lilley will be his alarm clock. Her tummy says feed me. Of course after she gets her tummy full and potty time she's ready to come back to bed. LOL

This is her nightly ritual when David fixes her supper. She goes round and round.

The morning ritual is nosier. She barks at David to hurry up. She's the boss and she let's him know she's hungry. LOL

Tuesday ( 3/23) was real busy. First on my agenda was getting my 1st Covid shot. Finally. Both appointments they gave me prior were before my 14 days were up after getting the Shingles vaccine. My arm hurt and was tender for a couple days but not bad and I didn't fall on the floor doing the worm so I'm good. Now to wait for #2.  After my shot I went to pick up my prescriptions that Walgreens had called to tell me were ready and if I didn't pick up by Tuesday they would put them back on the shelf. Well guess what they put them back already and I told them I would be there so they regenerated the 4 prescriptions and I could pick them up Wednesday. So I went to pick up Pamela and we headed to my Mom and Joe's for a visit before my appointment to the pain management doctor to schedule a procedure on my knee that has been giving me issues since November.

Now I've never came right out and said much about my mom's health issues because I guess in some ways I don't want to admit it and it hurts.  It's getting more and more clear that the dementia is taking over. It's hard and it's sad. She does not always remember who Pamela and I are when we visit and she gets frustrated. I miss the momma that I could call on the phone to share with and laugh with on all subject matter. Now our conversations might last a minute or 30 seconds on the phone. She may make sense or she may not. A few weeks ago she knew us and gave us big hugs when we arrived. Almost like normal but not. She did seem to recognize us this day. She greeted us at the door with hugs. Her laugh can come easy and she tries to follow the conversation but this last visit she'd smile and suddenly throw her hands in the air and go "I guess y'all know what's going on and what you're talking about". She also gets tired really fast which makes the confusion worse for her. At one point she just laid her head on Pam's shoulder. Didn't get a good picture to share but it was a sweet moment.  I'll take all the smiles and laughter from her I can get and store them. Thanks to Joe she's at home. He's her full time care giver and I know it can't be easy, so lots of hugs to him for keeping her home.

Okay moving on. We left my parents home and to the Pain Management Doctor's office to schedule what I thought was going to be a Nerve Ablation to get me some pain relief for my right knee. Well apparently he and my orthopedic decided to go a different route.  They were worried about the ablation heating up the tissue and bone around the nerve they were trying burn. In the next 20 days I'll be getting something called a Sprint PNS system. I'll wear a patch on the outside of my knee with a fine line inserted in my knee. The line looks like nylon thread. It will send electrical pulses to the nerve that's sending the pain message to my brain. I'll wear it for 2 months and it'll be removed and I should be pain free hopefully for up to 2 years.  A bit Skeptical here but if it works okay. It's an outpatient procedure in the Woodlands.  All scheduled so Pamela and I headed to grab a bite to eat at the Gringo's near by before heading back to College Station. I stayed the night with her since I had PT Wednesday morning.

Wednesday (3/24) first thing that happened was taking our girls to have a spa day. It was time to get groomed.. Then I went to Aquatic PT and Pamela headed to a workout. The day was a light day thank goodness after that. I took her to a couple of stops and we went back to her house until our grocery pick up we scheduled close to the time we estimate the girls would be ready to avoid driving back and forth.  Groceries picked up and the girls were ready. Picked them up, dropped Pamela back off at her house with her 2 fur babies and I headed back to the Rock'n K.

Thursday, Friday, and Saturday were uneventful I think. I don't remember. LOL  Friday I did have aquatic PT in the morning and that evening we went to the Knights of Columbus Hall and got fried fish dinners. Yum. 

After dinner we actually sat out on the patio for a while. The wind got to be too much and even David got chilly so we went inside. Lilley was a happy girl though.. she got lovin from her furless Dad.

Sunday (3/28) was a fun day. We had a light breakfast so that we could go out for lunch. David's brother Gary and his wife Lynn were in Caldwell which is only 15 miles away from us at an RV rally. They are full time RV'ers. 

So we met up with them on Sunday at their beautiful Motorhome. Pamela and I had stopped by after one of my doctor appointments while they were parked in Tomball down the road from appointment and got a tour, but this was the first time David had seen it and he got the full tour.  It's an impressive tour. After the tour we rode together to a local eating spot. This is one time I won't mention the name because while the food was okay the service sucked. There was only one other couple in the place besides us.. and it took over an hour to get food. They didn't mind rushing us to get the ticket paid. This is strike 2 for this place. They had messed up a reservation a few months back. Anyway don't know that I'll be eating there again for sure.  After our okay lunch we drove out to see 4C Brew Barn that just opened the past week and is part of Harvest Host. The best I can explain Harvest Host is that it's like a club, you pay annual fee and they help provide Rv'ers a place to stay for and they just ask you support the Host like 4C Brew Barn by buying groceries, drinks, novelities, etc from them. 4C is still in develop mode. They're brew barn is full of fresh meat, homemade items, drinks, and craft beer.  It was a cool little place. David and Gary tasted the beer and had a glass. The owners Vernon and Melissa Lange are really nice.  

It was a great day visiting and hanging out with Gary and Lynn. Hope to do it again.  See what happens when I let Gary take pictures with my phone... He takes a selfie and I now share it in my blog.  HA HA HA 

David and I will be going back to 4C Brew Barn with our friends Kelli and John this Friday (4/2). The Kennedy's from another momma.    LOL

That's it for now.

Until next blog..You don't choose your family. They are God's gift to you, as you are to them.   ~ Desmond Tutu