Warm weather arrived today. The sun shone brightly and snow has begun to melt. The bad news is, it’s Groundhog Day, and shadows thrown by the balmy sunshine portend six more weeks of winter. I am not superstitious, but I really hope this one is wrong, and winter will end sooner than later.

Meanwhile, no rest for Harry. Devan arrived early and put the patient to work. Harry is making remarkable progress.

Once Devan had worn Harry out, the dogs and I went to Wentzville. There was great enthusiasm for getting in the car and seeing the sights. Not so much for nail trims, but both boys were very good.

It was a beautiful day, and I took the camera out to see the horses.

Eddy had a great time in the nice weather. He is constantly on the run, checking in from time to time, contained by his Freedom Collar.

Weedy looked very handsome at table, hoping for some scraps.

As for Roscoe, he slept in and waited until the sun was high before he ventured outside.

Harry was able to sit in Eddy’s favorite chair, which is lower than the recliner, so requires leg strength to stand. He had no problem, and enjoyed the comfy chair while watching television.

The moon was bright tonight, as I took some trash to the dumpster for Harlan tomorrow.

Be safe, be kind, be grateful. Slava Ukraini! Peace…

Harry fell on the morning of the Full Wolf Moon. Here we are at the next full moon, the Snow Moon. So, four weeks tomorrow since the surgery, and Harry is hard at work recovering.

It is appropriate that I have officially finished shoveling snow on the morning of the Full Snow Moon. It was 3 degrees F again overnight, so I used Harry’s battery operated gloves, which worked well. The path to the dumpster is clear, so I am hoping Harlan will empty it on Tuesday.

Exhaustion prohibits a long blog post, but the day warmed up and we had a nice afternoon, with laughter, which is very therapeutic. The mockingbird has been staying around, and I got an almost great picture of it. I love the sword of a tail and the expressive, yellowish brown eyes.

I got a few pictures of Jane with her equine charges. They are very happy with their new lifestyle. We are so fortunate to have Jane in our life!

Snow horses are out there tonight under the Snow Moon, but with a blanket of clouds.

Be safe, be well, be kind, laugh often, and be grateful. Slava Ukraini! Peace…

At last this awful January is finished. The final day of a horrible month was very cold, but sunny. Even though I am not outside working in the cold – thanks to Jane – (apart from shoveling snow endlessly) I have become accustomed to the colder weather.

It was 3 degrees F (-16 C) this morning here, but my little brother, Michael, who lives in Concord, Massachusetts, near Boston, awoke to MINUS 3 degrees F (-19 C). Undeterred, he dressed warmly and went to protest. Harry and I wish we could participate, but not this year, alas. I am very proud of Michael, and enjoyed the pictures he sent, especially on his way home, when he took selfies near two of Harry’s sculptures.

Here, Harry is getting around quite well, and keeping the dogs well trained.

Jane picked up bedding and I helped her unload it, which gave a sense of normalcy returning. The horses are happy in their new, retired lifestyle. Their manes are getting quite disreputable, but they are keeping all their hair this winter.

Eddy doesn’t mind the cold. He spends his time patrolling his territory, and he just adores Jane!

Just before dark, a varmint came out from under the porch, hungry and searching for spilled bird seed. I felt very sorry for it in such cold weather, so I provided some sustenance. I just hope he and Eddy don’t meet! Eddy would be on the losing end of a contest with a raccoon. They can be fierce! I may have to relocate the varmint, but not until the weather moderates.

Be well, be safe, be warm and grateful. Be kind. Slava Ukraini !! Peace…

The road to recovery is a crooked path, not a straight line. Life is a confusion of good days and bad. Today was not a great day. For one thing, it was very cold.

Harry had Physical Therapy first thing today, with Devan, and that went well. Harry was able to stand without touching the walker. While they worked, I tried to get some projects done, but always got sidetracked and never quite finished anything.

Harry had time for a short rest, and then Patrick arrived for Occupational Therapy. I forgot to get a picture of Patrick, but, like Devan, he is coaching Harry toward a return to the studio.

Lunch was delayed by the arrival of an enormous vehicle from Lowe’s that had delivered something to a neighbor, then drove in here looking for a way to turn around. Bill, the driver, was very apologetic and got very stuck. I should not judge, but he was very stupid. I managed to free him by blading lots of snow with the tractor, and eventually he did escape. That used up more than an hour.

The most frightening thing that happened today illustrates my stupidity. I had assembled the raised, comfortable seat for the toilet that Harry uses. He is able to get out of the chair and go to the bathroom without my help. Well, I had failed to realize that one leg of the seat had not locked properly into place. For three weeks, we never noticed it, and today, the toilet seat collapsed with Harry on it! He called to me, and I did not hear him, so he managed to extricate himself from the predicament. Then he called me, and I did hear him, and was mortified at both my bad assemblage and my poor hearing. The disaster had a happy ending, at least, in that Harry was not hurt. I am immensely grateful to the therapists for the strengthening that they have given Harry in just three weeks, so that he could survive my ineptitude!

Jane came over and we moved more hay from the shed to the barn. The horses are happy and healthy, staying warm by devouring lots of lovely hay. I have not had much time for pictures, but I snapped one of hard working Jane and her greatest admirer.

Roscoe and Weedy have no interest in going outside in frigid weather.

Here are a few bird pictures…

Be safe, be well, be warm (physically and temperamentally). Life is crazy, hang on, and hope for the best! Slava Ukraini!! Peace…

As Harry improves, I can spend more time away. Much of that is time for shoveling snow, but I also went out today for the first time and ran some errands.

Harry is becoming stronger, thanks to Devon, the taskmaster Physical Therapist who comes twice weekly, and Patrick, the Occupational Therapist. Today was a rest and recovery day for Harry. The boys will return tomorrow to work him toward returning to the studio eventually.

The snow has been more difficult than beautiful, and we are having a long week of very cold temperatures, meaning the snow is not melting as well as we would like. But, realistically, conditions are improving. We have a bunny barometer recording the snow melt in the front garden…

The birds are surviving, I cannot imagine how. They are feeding voraciously, and are very grateful for water bowls. We have three heated bowls available now. There are many juncos, more than I have ever seen, earning their nickname of “snow birds” this week. For the first time this year, we have a mockingbird visiting. More bird pictures will be forthcoming.

Exhaustion is setting in, so I will leave it at that.

Be safe, be well, stay warm. Be kind. Slava Ukraini!! Peace.

The New Year began, filled with promise of better days. Harry was looking better, and he was enjoying working on Jackie Joyner Kersee in the studio.

On January 3, a Saturday morning, daughter Anne came out for a visit. We enjoyed coffee and pastries, and Anne was pleased to see how well her father was looking.

Harry got up to walk to the bathroom. As he crossed the kitchen, he tripped on the foot of a chair that he has walked past for 20 years without ever touching it. He fell onto the hardwood floor. To avoid hitting his head, he twisted to the side, and catastrophically broke his left hip. It was dreadful.

Anne was a big help, comforting Harry on the floor. I called 911 and an ambulance was dispatched. The dogs were locked into the bedroom, cars were moved, and I called Jane to wait near the mailboxes and direct the ambulance to the house. Harry’s pain was almost unbearable, and the three paramedics dealt with a difficult carry out of the house, with great compassion and expertise.

I followed the ambulance. Harry’s condition was so dire, that it was decided to take him to a closer hospital than our usual St. Luke’s. He was taken to Progress West, which is a BJC hospital in St. Charles County.

The Emergency Room waiting area was like something out of The Pitt. It was a Full Moon, which often portends trouble, and it looked like there were many troubles at hand.

After a while, I was allowed back to the room where Harry had been taken. A day of very bad luck, shifted to a few bits of better luck. On the way to the hospital, I had called Brett, who made some calls to his medical contacts. He sent me a list of four surgeons, and advised we use one of them.

The PA on Harry’s case turned out to be Kelley Dufour, a horse person with whom I had worked at The Tack Trunk. We both showed pinto horses years ago, until Kelley became a medical professional. A familiar face was a huge reassurance in a terrible time. Also, Dr. McLaughlin was on the list, and on call. He stopped in and confirmed that Harry’s hip was badly broken. I will not publish a picture, since some people do not like medical photos, but the head of the femur was dislocated, and the bone was snapped raggedly in two, below the joint.

The best luck of all, as everyone who knows us will understand, is Jane, who lives next door, and who immediately stepped in to look after the animals while I stayed with Harry. I decided the horses could just live outside for the winter. They have a shed, and thick winter coats.

After what seemed an eternity, Harry was moved to a room in the hospital. The pain was unspeakable. Because he was on blood thinners, there was little relief they could give him. His blood pressure was very low after three doses of fentanyl in the ambulance. Other pain meds at the hospital complicated his precarious condition.

On Saturday night, Harry was moved to ICU. To my astonishment, I was allowed to stay with him. Every bed in the hospital, including ICU, was equipped with a couch that became a bed for family wanting to stay. Thanks to Jane, I could stay for the duration.

Sunday morning, Harry was able to get a nerve block in the hip, which gave him some relief. Several doctors convened at the bedside to explain to Harry that his case was too much for this small hospital. He needed a hospital with more resources. They were putting in a transfer to MOBap, or Big Barnes. Two things stood in the way of that.

As I mentioned, it was a Full Moon weekend. Both of those bigger hospitals had no ICU beds available. Brett had warned me that his contacts told him the “health census” was very high, making a move problematic. Additionally, Harry did not want to be moved. The big hospitals are farther from home, and Harry wanted to die at home with his dog if things didn’t work out.

Then, Dr. McLaughlin, the young surgeon (who was on Brett’s list) showed up. He admitted that Harry was a complicated case, because of his heart and lung issues. But he said he could do the surgery in 15 minutes, which would mean only one hour of general anesthesia. Harry chose to cancel the request for transport, stay at Progress West, and take his chances. In addition to the compassion and confidence of Dr. McLaughlin, there was the fact that he would be able to do the surgery Monday morning, whereas Tuesday would be the earliest possibility if Harry was moved. Every 24 hours elapsing after a hip fracture before repair, increases the odds of mortality significantly.

Monday morning, Harry went to surgery. I waited anxiously in the high tech surgery waiting room, with electronic displays revealing each patient’s progress through the procedures.

Dr. McLaughlin came out and told me that all had gone well, and someone would come and get me when Harry was conscious again. The display read “Phase 1”. I asked the lady at the desk what that meant, and she told me it meant that he was in recovery.

Time proceeded very slowly. After an hour, I asked the lady at the desk if there was a “Phase 2”. No, she said, someone will come and get you.

I was filled with dread and waiting in a chair near the elevators, directly ahead of the doors to surgery. Two hours had gone by. The doors opened, and I saw Dr. McLaughlin coming toward me. I feared the worst news. Then, he saw me, and said “What are you doing here?”.

“Waiting to be called back to Harry”, I replied. Dr. McLaughlin told me the patient had been back in his room for over an hour. I was so relieved, I did not mind at all that I had been overlooked. I rushed back to ICU, where Harry was awake and alert, and had assumed I was talking to someone, and had forgotten about him!

Jane brought the dogs to the hospital, and Weedy, who is support dog trained, was allowed to visit Harry in the ICU room! That certainly contributed to Harry’s recovery. Eddy enjoyed the trip, but his enthusiasm is beyond therapeutic, so he waited outside.

On Thursday, Harry was removed from Intensive Care, and suddenly, on Friday, January 9, we were discharged from the hospital. We hired a wheelchair van to transport Harry home. Jane helped me move all the furniture to accommodate the patient’s needs. Jane had also gone to Walgreen’s for a commode and had seen a “Transport Chair”, and purchased it. It’s like a wheel chair, but lighter and has no large wheels – a VERY handy piece of equipment I would never have even known about, if not for Jane!

So, now Harry is home and recovering. Why have I not posted sooner? Well, being a full time caregiver is a lot of work, and I am exhausted most of the time. Meanwhile, Jane is doing all of the outdoor work, feeding and caring for the horses and barn cats, and doing all of our shopping.

Amongst all the misery and bad luck that started this New Year, we are astounded by the good fortune we have had at every turn. Our greatest good fortune is, obviously, Jane’s friendship and heroic work ethic. She is right next door and all the animals know and love her, so it was an easy (for us) transition to her care.

Brett was a hero in medical guidance, and being a surgeon himself, came here to check Harry’s site and dressing when Dr. McLaughlin was called out of town on a family emergency. A doctor’s house call, which included all sorts of delicious food, is legendary good luck these days!

Dr. McLaughlin being on the list and on call, was auspicious. All of the medical professionals at Progress West were kind and capable. We will always be grateful to the skilled Warren County Ambulance crew for guiding us to that closer hospital, this side of the river.

Which is not to discount our doctors at St. Luke’s, who kept in touch and monitored Harry’s situation throughout the ordeal. Medically, we are holding aces, as the saying goes.

We are here, in this beautiful place, where we can see birds, and horses and even coyotes. Every day is a blessing, despite the news of the outside world that makes us weep.

Anyway, this post is to bring readers up to speed. My aim is to return to daily blogging. In the meantime, here are some pictures…

Be safe (don’t trip), be well, be grateful. Sometimes, even a disaster brings serendipity. Slava Ukraine! Peace…

As the November days get shorter, this week has been filled with medical matters and not many adventures to relate.

On Monday, Harry was scheduled for a cardioversion the following day. He has been through a lot since September 15, when his health took a bad turn. The cardioversion was to correct atrial fibrillation that has been going on for some time, so it took longer for Harry to bounce back than he has done in the past. But he is very gradually getting better, and has even managed some work in the studio.

Today, I was honored (and very apprehensive) to actually help in the studio. It fell to me to remove Jackie Joyner Kersee’s head! Harry guided me (and took a couple of pictures), and I am relieved to say I did not ruin the sculpture.

Now, the head will be sculpted on a table and reattached at a future date. It is a great honor to be involved in the project!

We have had some dreary November weather, but also some warm temperatures, and I have managed a little bit of time outside, which is always good for my soul. At long last, there is moisture in the ground, enough to plant some very late Fall bulbs.

Yesterday, I spent the morning getting a haircut and running some errands, which included a stop at The Tack Trunk. Eddy was delighted to join me. He loves visiting The Tack Trunk, as do I.

Weedy, meanwhile, looked after Harry while Eddy and I were gallivanting.

Bart came in from a damp day, ate his dinner, then had a good roll and a laugh.

Marmalade awaits me every afternoon to remind me to open a can of food for the barn cats.

It is time for Project Feederwatch – the counting of birds. It is more difficult than counting foxhounds from horseback.

We are enjoying a quiet weekend, with another medical visit in store next Tuesday. This evening, there was a sliver of moon rising at evening. We are surrounded by beauty here, and grateful for every day.

Be safe, be well, be strong. Be grateful and kind. Slava Ukraini!!! Peace.

Friday was an exhausting day at Pulmonary Rehab, along with frustrating efforts to get accustomed to new equipment. Every day seems to lack enough hours to get everything done, but the weather has been warm and beautiful, windows open at night.

Today we had visits from two nephews! First, nephew Luke stopped on his way back to Kansas City for a visit, with his new dog, Caly. She is a lovely dog, reminiscent of Mona, and Eddy was smitten. They had a blast playing together, while we enjoyed catching up with Luke.

Luke has very long hair!

Shortly after that nephew departed, nephew Scott arrived. He joined us for lunch and we had nice reminiscences about Harry’s mother, Edna. Scott has much family history knowledge, which I find fascinating. Before he left, I enlisted his help to get the mower into the horse trailer, which involves removing partitions, a difficult job for a tired old lady! Scott sent some nice pictures.

I have not had much time for bird photos lately, but here are a couple.

Eddy provides many photo opportunities throughout the day. Yesterday morning started with this…

Harry tried to teach Eddy to use a smartphone.

Eddy loves his chew bone.

Harry loves Weedy… and Roscoe.

Eddy loves everyone!

Be safe, be well, rest and recover. Be grateful and kind. Slava Ukraini! Peace…

A sad anniversary today. Thirty-seven years ago, in 1988, November 13 was a Sunday. Harry and I were driving home from Galena, Illinois, where we had been fox hunting. I was a professional huntsman in those long ago days. Unknown to us, as we were driving south to Missouri, my friend Ann Miller Roth and her husband, Jerry, were killed instantly in Florida that evening in a dreadful automobile accident. I learned of it on Thursday, I think. My life has felt Ann’s absence ever since. Now that I am old, I often muse about Ann and Jack always being young in memories, and departing together, albeit early. And now, on we go… carrying fewer memories than we had hoped for.

Well, from that gloomy reminiscence let’s focus on yesterday, which was a glorious Fall day. My brother, Michael, came for a visit, which gladdened us immensely. We had a nice visit, a meager lunch, and Michael and I took a postprandial walk through the woods, shin deep in dry leaves. It was great fun.

On our walk, I took a picture of the new electric lines that have gone up (and I do mean UP) to our south. A data center is likely coming to our county. More electricity is called for, and a dreaded use of water, apparently, which is worrisome, as we continue with drought conditions here.

Yesterday evening, there was a chance of another view of the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis), but we only had a faint glimpse, not the wild red glow from Tuesday.

There is much to celebrate here, of course. The witch hazel is positively luminous this year.

And the animals, wild and tame, are treasures.

Too many pictures tonight, perhaps, with not much news. Better times will come, and this evening provided a beautiful sunset…

Be safe, be well, laugh often. Be grateful and kind. Slava Ukraini! Peace…