Happy 4th, 2011

Have a happy holiday, everyone!

Doppelganger

I'm still off work for about 2 more weeks before surgery.  I'm going to have to find some more time-fillers to make the days go by quicker.  As much as my job sucks, like most everyone's job, I would much rather be at work feeling healthy and normal.  Soon enough, I suppose.


We could hear the Rhythm and Booms fireworks clearly last night but we can't see them from our house, though.  No matter, we were in bed before they were done even.  I'm not sure how many people were there last night, over 100,000* is the norm, I think.  I'm still trying my best to be able to run errands and go out to eat, you know, normal things.  The reality is that most stores are too much walking and not enough chairs for me.  I can only stand for a short period of time then must sit, I can't even lay down.  If I didn't happen to have this cane from my leg injury I would barely be able to get around.


There I go, complaining again, but I do have kind of a funny story from yesterday for you!


A friend of mine stopped over yesterday just to kill some time.  I updated him on my next surgery and he mowed my lawn!  Kate is capable, but I know it would be much easier on her if she didn't have that to add to her list while I am once again warming the bench.  He's been a casual friend for a long, long time, but I thought that was a hell of a nice thing to do and I appreciated it very much.  He might keep doing it for me until I can do it myself again, and that would be even better.  After he mowed and just before he left, Kate noticed something interesting about us.  First of all, we have the same name, Scott.  And, in general, we were both wearing black and gray camouflage print shorts, red t-shirts, shades (mine-prescription, his-sunglasses), and black caps.  We got a good laugh out of that.  I brought it up then, but I should have insisted on a picture!


*It was 250,000 people.  I don't know what I was thinking - I blame the drugs!

Neck X-Ray and Back MRI Pics

Yes, it is yet another medical update - but this time I have pictures!  (Instead of taking pictures of their computer screen like I usually do they printed out some of the images for me.  Of course, I have never tried to scan anything with our printer before and it wasn't happening easily so I took pictures of my printouts to post here.  If you look close, you can see the crease where I folded the papers.)  Yesterday I had a follow up appointment for my neck surgery of March 30.  It seems to be healing well, which is good and means I don't have to wait longer to have my back surgery.  What is noteworthy of this neck x-ray is that you can see the screw that broke through the bone of the upper vertebrae and is hanging down into the area where they removed the disc.  There is still one screw holding on top and both below, so as long as it continues to fill in with bone and actually fuse I should have no problems.  I have no pain or discomfort in my neck or arm at all anymore.

My back is a different story.  Even my untrained eye can spot the disc herniation in the MRI pics below, it's that obvious.  (The disc below the bulging one is the one I had fixed 11 years ago.)  But, of course, no one had to tell me that - I have been feeling it get steadily worse for almost 3 months now.   So after a brief discussion of my neck, they moved on to my back.  I was very thankful for this, I thought they may make me wait until my scheduled back consultation on July 12.  They pshawed that notion quickly and said that they had all the information they need and didn't see the point in making me wait painfully for a couple more weeks.  I wholeheartedly agreed!  Still, with scheduling, my back surgery - lumbar spine microdiscectomy - will not take place for about 3 more weeks.  I've been taken off work until healed and I'm on oxycontin now, with percoset on top of that for the bad times, so if I post anything goofy in the next couple weeks - I blame it on the drugs!

U.D.O. - Leatherhead

I tried to post this when it was released, but Blogger changed their rules on how to post videos. So, while I experiment in how to post a video correctly and get the results I want, Here is U.D.O.'s first single off their new album, Rev-Raptor.

Garden Gate Project

Yesterday I managed to cross several things off my to-do list.  I feel like if I don't get things done now it may be fall before I get the chance, after my back is fixed and healed (hopefully).  So I popped some extra pills and I did several small things with my wife's help,  but the main project I accomplished was adding a front rail and gate to the gardens.

 It may not look like much, but I took the time to get all the measurements correct and keep everything square and plumbed up.  Slowed by my back, I spent much of the day on this project while my wife went out on the lake with friends.  (I haven't been on the boat yet this year, and probably won't be until I'm fixed.)  While I had all the stuff out I also replaced a rail that was rotted by the side door.  The new wood doesn't match the old over there, but we hardly use that door anymore and it's not very visible from the front of the house so we're not too worried about it.  I think I'm done now, the pain is winning.  Today is a rest day.

More pictures after the break:

Right L5 Disc Compression

Well, I figured out that now Blogger wants us to add Youtube videos directly by url instead of copying the embed html.  The only problem is I can only get this size, not bigger.  Oh well, I'll have to make do for now and look into it further later.

I received news yesterday that the MRI showed I have a right L5 disc compression, exactly what you see in this short video.  Certainly not good news, but it is exactly what I expected.  I have to wait almost 3 weeks for my consultation even though I will be in the same office of the same neurosurgeon on Tuesday for a follow up about my neck surgery.  Sigh.  Well I made it this long, I hope I have a few more weeks left in me.  Also, that other thing I was worried about turned out to be nothing,  I had 2 tests and both came back negative.  Very good news, indeed.

Cottonwood, Strawberries and... Summer!

Happy first day of Summer!  The cottonwood trees are sending their fluffy white nuisance crap everywhere again.  They fly in the air looking like snow, get into the garage and create what look like huge dust bunnies, cover every inch of the lawn and stick in every cobweb.  At least it only lasts a couple weeks.  I hear they are illegal to plant in Madison anymore because of all the mess they make.

Here, Kate is picking more strawberries.  This has become a daily job, as new berries are ripening constantly.  Unfortunately many of them are small, probably due to the weather and rainfall though we do try to water them on days that no rain is expected.  These are June-bearing strawberries, so there may only be a week or so more of picking to do.  Just as well.  If they were ever-bearing then I'm sure we would tire of them by late July or August!

One of my next projects, as long as my back allows, is to add a rail and gate to the front of the gardens.  The ones that are on the sides were an afterthought that I added basically just to help hold up the chicken wire (remember, I was kind of making it up as I went along).  A rail in front will do the same, and a proper gate will make it so much easier to enter the path in between the raised beds.  Last weekend I bought all the lumber and hardware to do this, so maybe this weekend if I have a chance.

Happy Fathers Day 2011

Yes, it's a repost from the last Pic Dump.  I meant to save it for today, so here it is.  Yes, I have father issues.  We are having my wife's family over today and grilling out.  I hope you're doing what you like today.  Have fun!

More Percocet, Please

And again, it has been days since I posted.  There must be something about the month of June.  Anyway, it has been a pretty normal week.  All I have to report is just medical stuff again, so brace yourself!

I had an appointment with my regular doctor yesterday.  The purpose of this visit was to get the ball rolling on my possible next back surgery because I just can't take the pain anymore, even with all the percocet I've been taking.  Physical therapy exercises have not worked and are now too painful to do effectively.  I await the hospital to call me to schedule an MRI soon, and the sooner the better.  Those results will most likely send me to see a surgeon, possibly the same one who operated on my neck at the end of March.  I fully expect to have to have the surgery again in the same spot as I did in 2000.  They did a partial discectomy then and now I may have to have the rest removed and have a fusion.  Back then it was my left leg that was getting the pain, now it is my right leg, the same leg I broke last August.  I still use the cane regularly, more when I'm out than when I'm at home, all because of the pain and tingling in that leg from the affected nerve in my lower back.  This would be the third surgery for me in less than a year.  Yippee Skippee.

I also got some news that could make my back seem trivial.  I'm not ready to mention that problem to anyone yet, but I will find out more next week.  I'm agnostic so I won't ask for your prayers, but I could use some good luck thrown my way for a change!

Things Done... Today!

While we did get some things done yesterday, it was more the usual domestic chores that we did.  Today, with nicer weather, we knocked out some of the projects I listed.  It seemed a bit breezy so I won't get to spray painting the front handrails, but we weeded, removed grass, and added mulch to the area back by the lilac bush.  It actually looks better than I thought it would, it really makes the plants we have back there stand out more.  On the back side of the lilac is the corner we call the 'compost corner,' where we throw plant clippings, weeds, and other compostable  yard waste.  Eventually when we get or build an actual composter, I think we may move the compost corner to the other side of the back yard where it is less noticeable and plant other things behind the lilac.

We also added more mulch to the corner of the tree area where we replanted the peony from where our new back steps are.  It has grown well but will not bloom this year due to the Spring replanting we did.  In the Fall I think we will replant it again so it is more centered between the two hostas you see here.  When we did it earlier the hostas had barely started to come up so we didn't realize how close it actually was.  Besides that, we also water sealed the new back steps today.  It took probably an hour with the two of us working on it.  They aren't big steps but there was a lot of surface area to cover.  Depending on if it needs it, we may do that again in the Fall, before the inevitable snow and ice of Winter.

Aside from all that, we did some more planting in the garden so, again, I'll have another update over at our Garden Blog.  We tasted our first home grown strawberries today!  And before I forget, congrats to the Brewers who finished a sweep of the Cardinals today to take over first place in the NL Central!

Things To Do... Later

Historically - all 2 years of it - June has been a pretty light posting month for me and this year seems to be no different.  In this case, no news is good news.  The week started with temps in the upper 90F's and ended with temps in the 50's and 60's, supposedly good, cool weather this weekend to help get some outside projects done.  We need to wash and water seal the new back steps soon.  I need to take a wire brush to the front railings and paint.  And lastly, we need to dig out some sod and put in mulch in the corner of the back yard by the lilac.

Today, the overcast skies seems to be affecting our energy and none of those are getting done.  After I slept in late, we have shopped, cleaned the house and mowed instead.  Kate also did some weeding in the garden.  There has been progress in that area so I will be posting over at our Garden Blog later (check out the strawberries!).  In this picture, note the light pink peonies are in bloom and also take another peek at our neighbor Jane's sun and moon collection on her garage.  I think they look pretty dang neat!

There Is No 'Other'

'My Other Favorites' list in the right column is now 'My Favorite Sites'.  Just having the word 'other' in there seemed to diminish them somehow, other favorites, which just never quite sounded right.  I guess I only called it that because it followed the blogs list and the podcast list.  And all of them are exactly what it says: I listen to all those podcasts, read all those blogs and visit my favorite sites as daily as I can manage.

I haven't been writing much lately, but there hasn't been much to write about.  Nothing out of the ordinary has been happening other than I took a 4 day weekend to try and settle down my sciatica (I hate that word but it conveys my meaning in a concise way).  I have been making myself get on the exercise bike more and do more physical therapy exercises for my back, mainly different stretches and planks to get those muscles back into form.  If I saw the doc, therapy is the first thing he will recommend, so I want to be able to say I've been doing it already when I see him for my physical at the end of July.  Hopefully, if I maintain it, this will be a much smaller issue for me then.  Pain is very good motivation.

Pic Dump 31

Already another Pic Dump, which means I've spent too much time surfing lately.  Same as usual, click the pic for original size, some may be NSFW, etc etc.  Enjoy!

As always, thanks to the fine sites on 'My Other Favorites' list on the right!  More after the break!

A Look At The Yard

I have taken a day off from work today to try and get my back to settle down a bit, so - inspired by Delcatto's post this morning - and as I get ready to watch The Mike O'meara Show live - I thought I would limp out and get a couple pics of how our yard is shaping up this Spring.  The sun is not out, but it had to be now before the rain comes later.*

The irises outside the back porch are starting to bloom.  I know they are mostly yellow, but I thought there should be more purple and pink than this.

The Hostas have filled out around the Silver Maple in the back yard.  If you look beyond the tree on the right you'll see the Bleeding Heart plant is still flowering.  And in the top right corner, the lilac bush just finished for the year.

After starting with just a few plants last year, and adding a few early this year, the Lily Of The Valley is starting to fill out nicely.  Hopefully even more next year.  As you can see, they are just done flowering.

At the bottom of our new back stairs one of our Peonies is getting ready to burst forth in large blooms!

If you're interested in the gardens, I updated that site just the other day.  Other than that, blogger still won't let me post videos and I have no idea why.  Probably something stupid I'm doing or not doing.  Maybe I'll look into it later...

*Update: 2:00pm - Of course it is no longer cloudy and no rain materialized.  The sun has been shining for quite some time now.  Meteorologists are well paid hypothesizers.

Happy Memorial Day 2011

Happy Memorial Day to all.  Be thankful for the freedoms you have and the people who fought for your right to enjoy them.  I want to thank everybody who responded to my last post, I've left a response to everyone in that comments section. 

As for us, we have had a pretty low-key weekend so far, filled mostly with domestic chores and relaxation.  Both Saturday and Sunday were cool, wet and dreary and unfortunately our energy levels matched the weather.  Today, though, is supposed to be very hot, sunny and windy.  We're going to go out for breakfast this morning.  Then Kate wants to plant some things in the garden.  And about noon we will have just a few friends over for grilled burgers and drinks.  Nothing terribly special, but then again, we really needed the rest.  Tomorrow is back to the daily grind, but at least we can now dress casual at work every day until Labor Day at the end of Summer!  Cheers, all!

No, What Are YOU Doing?

I just looked up and it was Thursday.  It has been a pretty normal week, which is nice.  I tried to post the new U.D.O. videos earlier this week but blogger wouldn't let me embed them for some reason.  Maybe I'll try again later.  So, sorry, no real updates this week yet except for over at my garden blog.  That will be all for now.

I have an idea!  Why don't you tell me how your going to spend this upcoming long holiday weekend?  Taking the kids anywhere?  Kev, Kel?   Maybe a road trip to Madison?   Anyone else?  Tell us all how you plan on spending Memorial Day weekend in the comments!

Hmm, asking for outside input on my site.  Someone please respond?

Sunday Catch-Up Notes

Happy Sunday morning!  While I wait for the dew on the grass to dry so I can mow (for only the second time so far), I may as well update a few medical things.  Thankfully these updates are becoming smaller and fewer.

~ I had my last physical therapy appointment for my leg last Thursday.  It was time.  I've been going since last fall and I feel like I've gotten all I can from it, now I just have to continue to concentrate on walking better and exercise - something I have been slacking off on of late.  The final knee bend was 125 degrees.  Only one degree better than 2 weeks ago, but a whole lot better than the 40 degrees when I started.  Of course, that may continue to improve without PT, but I have to face the fact that it may not.

~ Monday of last week I got the follow up call about the screw that broke loose in my neck.  It should not affect my healing, which is coming along normally, but they want me to wear a bone stimulating collar for four hours a day just in case.  They said a rep would be in touch and even come to my home to fit me with the collar but I haven't heard from anyone yet so I may have to call the doctor's office tomorrow.

~ My lower back sciatica has improved yet is still affecting me every waking moment, every step I take.  Still, as long as it is going in the right direction I can't complain - much.

Well, I hear someone else has started their mower so I think I'll go get started on the lawn before it gets too warm or stormy out there.  My Mom is stopping in for a visit early this afternoon, too, so there may be some last minute cleaning to do.

A Bill Here, A Bill There

I didn't notice at the time, but about a week ago Blogger was down for about a day.  Posts and comments vanished and have been being restored since.  Although I was barely affected, other more prolific bloggers were not amused, to say the least.  I had only one comment disappear, and that has since been restored.

One of the bloggers I have followed for a long time, Bill Sticker,  is moving from Uncle Bill's Canadian Blog on Blogger to The Bill Sticker Alternative on Wordpress.  That change will be updated in the right column shortly.  I have asked him for a spot on his new blogroll.  I'm sure it would be a courtesy to me if he did, my blog is just the silly stuff of an american idiot, not the intelligent, informed musings of anything of importance.  Still, I hope, I do get hits from his site now and again.

Pic Dump 30: All Cats!

Number 30 is dedicated to all things cat.  Cats are easily two thirds of the interwebs and here I am perpetuating that with a dedicated pic dump with all those cat pics that I come across in my internet travels.  Same as always; click the pic for original size, some may be nsfw and more after the break.  Meow! - er, Enjoy!

Our 10th Anniversary Party

While Wednesday is our 10th wedding anniversary, we had our party last Saturday.  The weather was not as agreeable as last year, but the few that showed up seemed to have a good time.  The temperature only got up to the mid 50s and, while it did not rain all day leading up to the 3 o'clock party, it had been sprinkling on and off by 5, followed by a pretty steady soft, cold rain after that.  While we may have had up to 20 people overall, the most at any one time was, I think, 14 people.  All huddled up in the garage, eating, drinking and talking while the rain continued outside.  Eventually we moved into the porch for warmth when we were down to a half dozen or so guests.  I had tried to clear as much space as possible and cover up as much of my junk as possible in the garage for the party but the porch was our backup space and as it got colder after dark more time was spent there.

We found it perfectly understandable that most of the neighbors did not come out this year, and we were thankful for our friends that did.  We missed Bridget, she's having her own fun in New Orleans (lucky her!).  She and Zuben will be leaving our side of town to move in to their own new house on the west side in about a month.  Also, I've just about had it with Terry's sister, Becky.  Every time she comes over she has something negative to say about our home.  Nothing big, just a good little jab here or there, and I'm sick of it.  Next time it happens I plan on calling her on it.  I finally met our new neighbors from 2 doors down, Jason and Erin if I remember right.  I think they're from England.  Or rather, I'm assuming from their accents and the fact that we saw that they held a royal wedding party a few weeks ago.  I talked to them each quite a bit at the party but I never got around to asking them about that.  I found each to be very nice and I hope we get to visit with them again soon, though.  Perhaps we'll invite them up for a cookout some time this summer. 

I don't want to continue and forget anybody so let me say a blanket Thank You to all who came over and helped celebrate our anniversary.  This was the second in two years, perhaps next year will be a 3rd Annual!  Anyway, we had a whole lot of fun and hope you did, too, thank you!  And to my wife, Kate, Happy Anniversary and I love you!

All the party pics after the break.  Again, I'm not in them, I'm taking them!

Just Some Medical Updates

A good Monday morning to you!  I haven't been posting much the past few days, we have been preparing for - and recovering from - our anniversary party on Saturday.  That deserves it's own post later so now I just want to play catch-up and get my latest medical update on the record here.

On Thursday last week I had my first follow up appointment for my neck fusion.  Unfortunately I forgot to take my camera so I have no x-ray pic to share.  The implant was clearly visible in the x-rays taken that day, but it was troubling to see that one of the screws in the top vertebrae seemed to have broken loose and is now poking down into the area that was vacated by the disc.  Overall it should not be an issue, that disc space is already growing bone, but I am supposed to get a call from the neurosurgeon today with further explanation.  Plus, I got 90 more Percocet to help me with my back neck pain since I still can't take any NSAIDs.

Speaking of back pain, kinda, well it still lingers.  About six weeks now, since right after my neck surgery.  It has improved from its worst a couple weeks ago, but it just has not gone away yet.  I have not been doing as many exercises for it as I could be doing, but getting on and off the floor is pretty tough on my aching bones.  Still, if I can keep improving maybe I can convince myself that I won't need surgery on it this year.  Here's to hoping.

While I'm speaking medically, my leg has been still healing under me.  I rarely use the cane at home anymore, just when I go out and about.  Even then I should scale back on using it and practice walking without a limp or lurch.  Exercise will help that, too.  My last physical therapy appointment is this week, and it is time.  I've been seeing this therapist since last fall, it will be 21 visits overall, and I finally feel it is time to move on.  I've accomplished just about all I can in physical therapy for my leg, I'll just get some last advice and continue to exercise on my own.

That's all - isn't that enough?  I feel a need to chronicle the medical stuff in case I need to look back later, thank you for indulging me.

Hail Home Video

We've had our 'new' camera for quite some time now and the thought hit me this afternoon to try the video for the first time.

*I figured out that I felt poor due to a mild withdrawal from a certain medication (no narcotics or any fun stuff).  Knowing what it is and that I'm not going to come down with a severe cold or flu makes it easier to deal with.

Aaron Rodgers

Super Bowl MVP, dating SI swimsuit model Marisa Miller and hanging out at the Kentucky Derby.

Life must be good as the leader of the Pack...

Pic Dump 29

Well, we're off to the local pub for happy hour and I won't be writing anything else tonight, so now is a good time to post another Pic Dump!  Here's all the pics that caught my eye/ tickled my funny bone/ gave me pause for one reason or another since the last Pic Dump.  Some you may have seen, some may be nsfw, click the pic for original size and just... enjoy!

This means a lot.  More after the break!

A Weekend Full Of Projects

We got a ton of stuff done this weekend.  Nothing terribly major, just a bunch of smaller, detailed things like planting, assembling, painting, staining and repairing that just took some time and attention.  My wife did more than I, she did all the cleaning and laundry, too.  I'm pretty lucky to have her, our house that we keep improving and the stability that we enjoy in these wacky times.  Anyway, I did what I could and grunted and moaned my way through several projects.  I'm loving this time of Spring when plants are just coming up and the yard starts to come alive.  And there's nothing like the look of new mulch in Spring - too bad it only lasts a season.

Happy Mothers Day 2011

From The Mike O'Meara Show, Robb Spewak presents his Mama Montage.



Love you, Mom.  Hope you have a great day and you will see me soon!

Late Night Back Yard

I hate to disappoint anybody, but even though I officially quit smoking in late January 2010, I have been having about 1 or so a week for a month or two now.  What can I say?  I've been under much stress, my wife still smokes (not a lot, but still), and because I don't normally smoke I can catch a helluva buzz.  Anyway, tonight I stepped out on our new back steps for one and turned on the outside lights and really enjoyed the view so I wanted to share. --This is our back yard and we love it.

Happy Cinco De Mayo And Notes

Happy Cinco De Mayonnaise!  First off let me say that I'm surprised I didn't get any smart-ass comments to my smart-ass last post.  Oh well, I thought it was funny and we all know it's all about me around here.  I just have a couple things to say today, a little of this, a little of that....

~My wife got an iPhone yesterday.  Her other cell phone was through her sister's family plan and they wanted to change so she had to get a phone of her own.  It is one of the older 3G models, whatever that's supposed to mean, and one of the lightest plans for it since she doesn't use it a whole bunch.  There's a lot an iPhone can do, though, so I hope she doesn't outgrow her plan anytime soon.  And no, I still don't want one yet.

~Our friend Lisa is having a birthday party tomorrow night.  Unfortunately it doesn't even start until 8 or 9, about the time we are getting ready for bed- even on Friday.  Yes, I am getting older, but now when we go out it usually starts around happy hour and we're home by 10 or so at the very latest.  When I was younger I used to be able to wait until later to go out and stay out but now, well, let's say I can't even remember when I was out even close to bartime.  So, sorry Lisa, I hope you have a great birthday!  We may not be the 'early bird special' type yet, but we're not twenty-somethings anymore either!

~If your sick of my medical woes then skip this paragraph.  I had a modified physical therapy appointment this afternoon.  I say modified because it is supposed to be for my leg but we spent a lot of time working on my back.  I can't take any anti-inflammatory medicines or steroids because it interferes with my bones healing, leg and neck.  So it lingers, for about 4 weeks now, since right after my neck surgery.  Every waking moment I am aware of the pain originating in my lower back and running down my healing right leg.  Eventually I will have enough and go to see my doctor, he'll refer me to another orthopaedist, I'll have another MRI followed by another surgery.  Sad to say, but that is how I see it playing out.  I'm just trying to put it off as long as I can.  Sucks to be me.  Btw, my knee bend increased from 122 degrees to 124 degrees.  Whoopee.

~Mother's Day is Sunday.  My mom and her newlywed husband, Dan, live about 90 minutes from us and I don't think I can handle the car ride so we will not be going this time.  We love you, Mom, but you know how I am when I'm ailing - I wouldn't be any fun at all after that car ride.  We do have much to do around here, anyway, with our own anniversary party coming up quick.  It's still a big list and there's only about a week left to try and get to everything.

That's about it until this weekend's Pic Dump.  Be good, everybody, and don't click anything that says it is pictures of a dead Osama!  Ta.

Here's Me

For those of you who don't know what I look like, here's this little news thingy I did.  Probably NSFW.

via

What A Nice Weekend!

Even though Kate had to work yesterday morning she still managed to accomplish a whole lot this weekend, I got one or two things done as well.  Much of yesterday was her planting in the garden and yard while I got several small things done in the garage and basement.

Last night we had friends over, Jerome and Lisa plus Trisha and Adam. Two couples that for various reasons we had not seen socially in quite some time.  We started out with a few drinks here, then went out for steaks at a nearby family-owned restaurant, Brothers Three.  Kate and I have been there for lunch many times, even breakfast a few times, but we had never been there for dinner and wanted to try their steaks so we made a night of it.  Their steaks did not disappoint and I think everyone had a good time at the restaurant.  When we got back to our house after dinner I was pleased that we all sat in the porch and talked for a couple more hours.  No one seemed to want to rush off so I take that as they were having as much fun as us!

Today has been more of the same - planting, transplanting and doing small projects.  Nothing really big enough to discuss here but it feels nice to improve our home in any way we can.  As for the yardwork, planting and transplanting, well, most of the plants are not near fully in so there's not much to take photos of yet.  Hopefully we will have nice weather and the plants will look nice for our anniversary party in a couple of weeks.  There is still much we want to get done before we have all those friends and neighbors over.

Medical Gripes And Blogging

I know I haven't been writing a lot lately except for the back door thing, but I feel like I've mostly written about my medical woes for so long and I don't want to continuously gripe about my busted up body and alienate the readers I still have (even though no one comments much, I can see you're there.  Commenting is easy, just say hi!). Yet this place is my blog, my journal, where I give commentary on my life as it passes by and I will record my life's events here, good and bad, and lately it is my back that has been bad.  Actually, I kind of like baring all here for the world to see.  I have no major secrets and nobody can accuse me of otherwise.  I guess my point is that I haven't been writing much because I don't want to bitch and moan - you don't want to hear that, but I will mention it every so often when it warrants just so it is on record. Good news is I think I'm starting to finally feel slightly better and I can get back to having fun writing and sharing.

Today, Saturday, my wife had to go in to work.  She was just thrilled, as you can imagine.  That doesn't get me off the hook, though, there is much to do around here that I can get done.  Our anniversary is coming up and we will be having a party like we did last year so there is a deadline.  I went grocery shopping this morning, I have new smoke detectors to install, we must stain the inside of the new door frame and trim, I have a new shop light to put up in the garage, and there are just piles here and there to go through and put stuff away.  And we still have touch-up painting to do in the bathroom.  Hmm, maybe I should have kept that handyman around a few more days...

The Back Door Project: Part Two

It is finally done!  Actually it only took a little over a week and it would have been less if we had perfect weather.  Mark came by last evening to wrap up a couple loose ends and collect the check.  On Saturday he was here to work on the hand rails and almost got them done.  He came back on Monday afternoon to finish the handrails and do the interior trim around the door.  So, what do you think?  I think it will get lots of use, even more if it ever warms up around here!

See the whole progression in bigger pics after the break.  All pics were taken after the work for the day was completed.

The Back Door Project: Part One

Ever since we moved in to our house we have thought about putting a door in the three season porch in back for easier access to the garage and back yard and this Spring we finally are having it done.  We took in 7 or 8 bids and after looking them over and discussing the contractors I had talked to we decided on a nice guy named Mark to help us make our idea into reality.  Work started last Monday and has been a bit sporadic over the week due to the weather, but it's not a huge project so should be completed very soon - in plenty of time for our Spring anniversary party.

~There is a corner between the house and the porch that just has flowerbeds, the air conditioner and the telephone line with the driveway on a third side.  This is the area we chose to put the stairs, they will use up a small corner of the lawn and help hide the air conditioner but still give us access to it and the flowerbeds. 

~On Monday work started with the support posts.  He had another guy to help with this part, they had an auger for the two holes away from the porch but had to dig the closer holes by hand.  Four 4x4's four feet in the ground below the frost line with three bags of cement holding each.  The dirt you see here my wife and I moved to various parts of the yard to fill in areas and just to get rid of it.  Doing this work convinced me that I'm not healed enough yet to remove the sod in this area and put in the rock, so I talked with Mark and added this to the project for him to do.

~Tuesday was an off day.  It snowed, rained, then sleeted all day

actually leaving quite a bit of accumulation that stuck around for another day and a half.  It was quite a mess.  On Wednesday he removed the (muddy) sod and put the decking on the landing area.  It was a cold, wet day.

~Thursday he had help again and they made a lot of progress on a nice day.  They put the plastic down and added  the river rock I wanted and finished the stairs.  They also removed the window and got the door installed.  I was very pleased with the progress when I got home from work.  It was finally taking shape!

~Friday was Good Friday, my wife and I had a half day at work.  I only saw Mark briefly in the afternoon, he just stopped by to add the final bags of rock and was on his way, so essentially another off day.  Today, Saturday, Mark showed up ready to work on the hand rails.  After that there's the trim to do around the door inside and other small odds and ends before it is finished. 

This is going to make the whole house feel bigger.  We will have such easier access to the backyard and garage that we will be much more likely to wander out to the garden or grill out in the evenings and it will give the porch more of a purpose and I'm sure we will be using it much more.  So, that's where it stands now.  I'll update more soon!

Bigger pictures after the break:

Leg Appointments This Week

Boy, it's Thursday already. This week it has sure seemed like my world has been just a bit off kilter. There's a lot to tell you about the back door project but I think I will post on that this weekend. In the meantime, let me get on record my medical stuff for this past week.

On Tuesday morning I had my last follow up appointment with the orthopaedic surgeon for my leg. The bone seems to have healed well on the back and sides, but the front still has a ways to go to fill in the gap. He said it may take several months up to a year for it to fully fill in. He also noticed I had a bit of a 'hip limp' and gave me an exercise to help strengthen my hip. To tell you the truth, I'm not sure it was a hip limp or just the sciatica pain in my back right hip/upper butt.

Today after work I had my first physical therapy appointment in about 4 weeks, my 19th overall, I believe. I have only 2 visits left that are approved and paid for by insurance and I scheduled those out 2 and 4 weeks. I need to get back into a rhythm of getting on the bike and doing all my exercises every day again. Neck surgery and recovery, followed by a general malaise this past week got me off track. Anyhow, my therapist worked me over pretty good today which made it clear to me that I have to get to working on it again. The highlight of the session was at the end when we measured the degrees of knee bend. When I had last seen him I was stuck at about the 114 degree mark. This time I had made it up to 122 degrees, which made me happy but I'm still not satisfied. I want more!  But, for a little perspective, it has been almost 8 months now to get this far so, realistically, it may not get much better than this.

Monday Notes

Hello everyone, happy Monday.  I don't really have time or feel like writing, I just wanted to post a quick note today since I haven't written much lately.  There will be a short post at the garden blog tonight as well.

The work started today on the back door project.  I have been taking pictures but I think I will wait until later to post them, either when the project is done so I can show the before and after or maybe this weekend when I have time.  They got a good start on it today but there may be more off days than on for the next week or more due to rainy weather.  It was even snowing when I left for work early this morning!  It may be tomorrow morning, too.  I think that 80 degree day last week was just a hallucination...

That's about it.  After staying well all winter I've been slightly under the weather the last few days, I hope I can shake it before I actually come down with something.  Now, off to do the garden blog!

Umshini Wam

...Whatever that means*.  Die Antwoord are back with an interesting short film.  I've come to like the characters Ninja and Yolandi Visser and here they are with a different artsy project.  They are pretty off the wall, so you'll have to make up your own mind.


*Umshini Wam in english means 'Bring me my machine gun.'

Packers Draft Poetry And Rainbows

The new NFL draft commercial is a testament to the Packers' way of building their team throught the draft:


I have had a couple successful days back at work now since the time off after the surgery.  I feel fine, still tentative in my neck movements - at this point still tentative at just about any movements.  The serious arm pain improved immediately, now it's just the same multiple superficial price-of-living-in-my-body pains.  *Sigh*
Well, nobody's accused me of spitting poetry and shitting rainbows this week.  Sorry.

Pic Dump 28

With more recuperation time off (I'm cleared to go back tomorrow, with restrictions) I have had more time to surf the interwebs and thus now we have number 28 Pic Dump ready to go! Wait, did that make sense? Oh well, you know the drill... click the pics for full size (if different), some may be nsfw and more after the break. Enjoy!

As always, thanks to the fine sites on 'My Other Favorites' list in the right column!

A Better Outlook And More House Projects

I hope everyone out there is enjoying a fine Sunday - the nicest so far this year!  It is around 80F outside right now, by far the warmest day of the year so far.  And with the nicer weather my outlook has improved as well.  I've just had so many aches and pains lately, well, you know how it goes.  I don't want to be more of a whiner than I already am so suffice it to say that I'm feeling better today, physically and mentally.  I still have a ways to go to be where I want to be, but that will just take time.  In the meantime, plans and projects move forward!

My wife had the great idea a while ago to get a window film to let light in but still keep our privacy since our house is literally feet away from neighbor Dave's house.  She brought this up over winter and ordered the film, but we had to wait until it was warmer to apply the film to the windows.  That wasn't specifically laid out in the directions for this particular product, but we did see that in some places online and thought it best to wait until it was warmer.   So, yesterday morning she did the kitchen window and there was enough left to do the bottom half of the window in the back bedroom by the computer desk today.  I think it looks great and now we will be much more inclined to open the blinds and let more natural light in the house!

Today, we did the caulking around the tile and countertop in the kitchen.  Not a big job, it was just a matter of doing it.  I think we can finally call this project done....for now.... There's always something next and in the kitchen that might be either a dishwasher or a different set-up for the garbage and recyclables. But for now we can turn our attention elsewhere...

This is a view out the porch into the back yard.  The sun was of course behind clouds when I took these pics just a bit ago!  You can see the grass is just starting to turn green again.  As I write this Kate is outside weeding and then will be washing her car (which we need to get into the shop as soon as I'm cleared to drive again).  In this picture, the window you see on the right wall will be gone soon and a doorway put in.  The custom door (mostly glass)was delivered a few days ago and sits in the garage right now.   We hired a contractor to put in the door, plus a little wooden landing and steps going down to the driveway.  This is going to make our backyard access so much easier for us.  We will be much more inclined to grill, for instance, and eat out on the porch than have to carry food halfway around the house.  This way will be just sooo much more convenient!  Work begins in a little over a week and should be done in plenty of time for our Spring Anniversary Party.  This will be our third party for friends and neighbors since we moved in 2 years ago May, and I hope we can pull it off again as good as, if not better than, last year.  But more on that later...

I'm off to enjoy the rest of the day before the storms move in!  Ta!

Happy 2nd Blogday To Me

It was 2 years ago today I got drunk and started this blog.  It's gone by quick!  I haven't gotten worldwide acclaim, stopped any wars or made the world much of a better place at all.  But I have given myself a kind of outlet for what goes on in my head and in my life while allowing others to look if they want -or not.  I choose not to do the facebook thing, although I may be more 'popular' if I did, I hear of too many bad things that have come from there.  It sucks out peoples souls!  Seriously, I enjoy doing what I do here and here's to many more years!

I still feel like I should be cleared on Wednesday to return to work on Thursday.  I hope I'm feeling better then, physically and emotionally.  My neck gives me no pain anymore, just some discomfort.  I haven't spent any time this past week on the exercise bike or doing anything for my leg.  The day after my surgery I was convinced that when I go back to work it will be sans cane.  Now, since I've had to sleep on my back so much the past couple weeks, my lower back is giving me trouble again making walking that much harder.  It also has had an effect on my psyche.  It seems as soon as one source of pain shows signs of getting better another steps in to knock me back down.  The only reason I got out of bed this morning is because I really needed a shower.  I stunk myself out of bed or else I would probably still be there.

Well, life is like a roller coaster.  It has it's ups and downs and sometimes the track fails and you go flying out into space before crashing to the ground.  Yes, I'm a bit depressed but this too shall pass...

On All Fours

444th post on 4/4 at 4:44!

(Call me a fool, but I thought it was neat.)

My Comfy New Chair

Last weekend I finally bought (with my wife's permission) a new chair for in front of the computer and I love it!  The old chair was getting pretty creaky and would make my butt sore if I sat in it too long.  The new chair has a nice cushy leather seat, great lumbar support and a taller back to support my taller back.  The old chair will be relegated to downstairs for projects like putting together another shelf kit.  Since I can't really crawl around on my knees anymore the plan is to wheel around it in my chair to put it together.  I hope it works!

I just wanted to mention this before I forgot and it got lost in the shuffle of all my medical stuff.  Plus, I needed one more post posted.  Why?  Well, you'll see me waving my geek flag early tomorrow.

Post-Surgery Notes



Me during surgery

 I survived!  The surgery seems to have been a success.  We had to be at the hospital by 5am to check in for the 8am surgery on Wednesday morning.  All went as expected beforehand, and probably as should be expected afterward.  I see a trend after surgery as me being one grumpy old cuss!  I hear the surgery took almost 3 hours.  The doctor told my wife that the disc herniation was much worse than the previous MRIs had shown, which doesn't surprise me.  In fact, it would explain the sudden recurrence of symptoms last week.  They took 3 x-rays during the surgery and they showed me them yesterday.  Unfortunately you can't see much of anything because my shoulder is in the way so it may be until my next x-rays for this (I think in 12 weeks) before I can actually see the implant.



Mom, putting up with me.

 My first memories after surgery are at about 1:00 in the afternoon but all I did was listen to my ipod and snooze as best I could until about 4:00.  Then when I saw a nurse I asked her to show in my mother.  I knew she was there, but I still don't really understand why.  All I hear is that it's a 'mom' thing.  She drove 2 hours to wait 8 hours, see me at my worst briefly, then was on her way.  When I'm in pain I'm ugly and when my Mom is around I can turn back into that angry, rude teenager that I hate, not a good combination.  I'm not proud of my behavior at those times yet it still happens.



Kate, doing the same.

 My wife stayed with me until about 7pm, then she went home while I ate jello, watched crappy television and wished I could sleep until it was time to leave.  She managed to get a few hours of work in on Wednesday afternoon after the surgery, but on Thursday she had just gotten to work when I called her to pick me up.  That may have been a bit premature since the hospital has their own pace, but we did get out of there eventually then she had to go back to work after dropping me at home.  I was an impatient bear trying to get out of there.  Looking back, I last had pain pills at 4:45 that morning so that may explain some of my anxiousness, even rudeness, while awaiting discharge.  Sorry I can be an ass, everybody, but I do thank you for your well wishes!

I'm just glad it is done.  No more constant pain, it really does mess with your head.  I hope I'm done with all this medical stuff for a while now and can just live, be happy and not have to worry about meds and appointments and all that jazz.  That time may come around by July.  Cross your fingers for me!

Now, to end on an up-note, here's my view from the hospital room window.  (There's no snow but no green yet, either.)  On the left is Lake Wingra and to the right is Henry Vilas Zoo, one of Madison's treasures that we take for granted.  We'll have to try and take some nieces and nephews there for a day this summer!



There's Nothing Like The Smell Of Surgery In The Morning

If you were paying attention, I referred to myself as 'broken' the other day.  Well - surprise! -  tomorrow morning at 8am I will have surgery on my neck.  My main symptom I can only describe as the same pain you get from hitting your 'funny bone',  from my neck to my fingers except it never goes away.  It is better some times and worse at other times, but it is constant.  Though my shoulder and arm feel most of the pain, there is nothing wrong with them physically.  The nerve is being pinched in my neck by a herniated disc between c6 and c7.  That disc will be removed and an implant will fuse those two vertebrae together - and they go in through the front and push my throat and soft tissue aside!

The pic above I found on google images and it looks almost exactly like what I will go through tomorrow, as I understand it.  Click on it for a slightly larger version.  I called the office on Friday, because of my pain and knowing the next step was surgery I want to get that process started as soon as possible, and I was given an appointment for this morning.  So today I spent 2 1/2 hours sitting in the doctor's office hoping they could throw this together for me.  See, turns out my surgeon is going on vacation, so if not tomorrow then April 11 is the next date available to have this done - so this means about 2 weeks of pain that I won't have to endure.  Thankfully, I think they saw the pain I was in and they didn't want me to have to wait.  Maybe my doctor would have felt guilty going on vacation knowing I was in pain, waiting for his return.  Maybe.  I'm just thankful they were able to pull it off.  I think they needed to secure the operating room first, then they had to pull some strings to secure an anesthesiologist.  That's just the gist I got, but no matter what I'm thankful to my neurosurgeon, his physicians assistant, and their hardworking nurse who I have talked to the most these last few months.  She's the one who has the huge job dealing with my insurance company and coordinating the scheduling of everything.

Unfortunately, and this speaks to the whole system, one of my biggest worries is not having any sick or vacation time to use for almost a whole year after I return to work. I had everything wiped out when I was out with my leg last fall, now I'm just about to get all my sick and vacation time back and I'm afraid they'll take it all away over the next few weeks. That reminds me of this pic.  Anyway, I'll see how that unfolds after the surgery.  The faster I get back to work the less I have to worry about that.

Hopefully I will sleep away most of the day tomorrow after the surgery, have an uneventful night, and be discharged by noon, I expect, on Thursday.  Due to the late notice my wife will have to work part of the day at least tomorrow.  All she has to do is drop me off in the morning and pick me up on Thursday morning, but I'm sure she will worry and come back to the hospital as soon as she can.  In those situations I always want her there with me but then I feel guilty because there is nothing she can really do but hold my hand and I know she is needed at work right now.  Everyone else, please don't worry about me, it is a pretty routine surgery I'm told, but I may not be blogging or talking to anyone for a few days.  I know I will feel better eventually but, man, surgery always sucks.

Kate's Paint And Tile - Part II

Today my handy wife did the grouting on the tile under the cabinets.  I'm proud of how she just took it upon herself to research how to do it right and then get in there and get her hands dirty.  I've been broken again lately so my role has been more to shop, advise and reassure her that she's doing a great job.  It wasn't a very large space and the float trowel was pretty big so a kitchen spatula was sacrificed to help in the smaller areas and around the edges.  In a couple hours we can sponge off the tile, then the next step is to get caulk and run a bead along the lower edge of the tile and perhaps the ends of the counter.

Below is what my wife did to our kitchen - I think it looks a hundred times better than when we moved in!

Of course, this is only one view in the kitchen, but I looked through some old pics and found similar views so go ahead and click read more below to see somewhat of the progression.