19 years ago today I took my first prosthetic steps. My journey to limb loss has been riddled with so many anniversaries and reminders. This is an occasion I embrace and celebrate as the moment I took my first steps into my new life.
Happy Walking Day to me!
Tuesday ended up being quite eventful. In addition to voting and honoring my Dad on what would have been his 75th birthday, I was provided with the opportunity to hone my appliance repair skills. (Spoiler alert: they are very limited.)
I woke up on Tuesday and noticed that the creamer bottle felt warm when I grabbed it from the fridge. After checking, it was clear it froze up (again.) Since this isn't my first rodeo with a frozen refrigerator, I quickly cleared the shelf and positioned the hair dryer onto the fan in the back of the appliance. I drank my coffee while the hair dryer was running in the fridge, providing a good 30 minutes for the ice to fully melt.
I poured another mug of coffee, turned off the hair dryer and mopped up the mess. After I closed the refrigerator and taped it shut, I turned on the turbo cool button and walked away. I was confident that the issue had resolved, just as it had only a few weeks ago.
I checked the temperature later in the afternoon and became alarmed when I realized that it wasn't cooling quickly. After monitoring the temperature throughout the evening, it became clear that the appliance was broken beyond my defrosting abilities. After researching our options, we purchased a new refrigerator.
Yesterday our new refrigerator was delivered. Although it is always frustrating changing out a fridge, I love our new appliance. We weren't planning on having to change refrigerators, and while I'm frustrated with the situation, I am delighted with the result. I love my new fridge!
I have been dreading today for months. Am I the only person who is in anxious knots this Election Day? I'm already looking forward to tomorrow, then the hate filled candidate commercials are automatically replaced with ads selling coffee, candy and cookie dough mix. Holiday commercials are far more palatable to digest.
In addition to Election Day, I am also honoring what would have been my Dad's 75th birthday. Sigh. I miss him but today the loss feels especially profound. I am sure that I would have planned something memorable for his birthday.
I can't help but find my mind wandering, contemplating what life would be like for him if he had survived. One thing is certain- I know he would be so proud of all of his grandchildren. Happy Birthday Dad!
And don't forget to vote!
We had a fantastic, albeit quiet, weekend at home. On Saturday I alternated between playing outside with the kids and working on some lingering work projects. After dinner Robby got ready for his dance while Scott and I devised a plan for the evening because we wanted to minimize driving. We settled on dropping Robby off at the dance and heading to the mall to window shop and get ice cream. Killing time until the dance was over felt like a better option than driving back and forth all night.
It has been a long time since Scott and I leisurely walked a mall. I am fairly sure we haven't done it since the pandemic. It was surprisingly fun just walking around and watching people. Timmy seemed to enjoy himself as much as us as he made a lengthy Christmas wish list in the toy store.
Yesterday we worked in the yard, clearing the leaves and trying to prepare for the winter. We finished the yard work approximately 5 minutes before the storms rolled into the area. The heavy rain and winds scattered more leaves all over our yard. Sigh. The annual leaf battle is officially in full swing.
TGIF!
Yesterday morning, as a special treat, I allowed Timmy to take my new water bottle to school. Clutching the oversized iridescent bottle, he was over-the-moon skipping into his classroom. When I picked him up that afternoon, his teacher met me at the door with a smirk.
Timmy, very proud of the new bottle, excitedly shared it with his classmates and teachers. After showing his teacher, he confided in her about the contents. "Don't worry. I didn't put vodka in it. It is filled with plain water today."
Just to clarify, we are not vodka drinkers. I don't have anything against vodka, it is just not something we enjoy. We have never had vodka in the house, nor have we ever consumed it in front of Hamlet. Of course, trying to explain our innocence was only going to contribute to my looking guilty.
Today is a virtual school day, so hopefully I won't have to explain something else to the teacher. I'm looking forward to the next few days. Another beautiful autumn weekend is on the horizon and I plan on making the most of it.
We have made family plans to spend a significant amount of time outside this weekend, cleaning up the yard and preparing for winter. With crisp temperatures and bright skies in the forecast, I think I chose the perfect weekend for our Fall Clean-Up. (Of course, I'm sure that my plan will be met with complaints and groans.)
Things are starting to settle down after an exciting Halloween. Timmy is extremely proud of his obscenely large bowl of candy on the kitchen counter, often taking it down to sort and organize his treasures. Over the next few days the spooky decorations will be removed and replaced by turkeys and Santa. After all, we only have 51 days until Christmas!
A lot of you have reached out to ask for an update, so I thought I would take this opportunity to fill you all in on my brother. He is in a long term nursing facility because he is battling a wound infection. He has had the wound vacuum attached on and off for nearly a month but the infection is stubborn. His pain continues but I'm sure the infection is contributing. At this point, he is in a waiting and healing pattern. Until the limb heals, there isn't a lot we can do to help him.
Thank you for your caring and your prayers. Both are much appreciated.
My little Hamlet was so excited for his Historical Figures presentation at school. He worked throughout the month on his report. His costume was on point and he was ready to represent Vincent Van Gogh. After a month of preparation and planning, yesterday morning was go time for the presentation.
My little Van Gogh stood up, cleared his throat and stood like a deer staring into car headlights. After what felt like an eternity, he began to hum the theme to Ghostbusters. He shuffled his feet to his tune and finally began to speak. Unfortunately he was mumbling so much it was nearly nonsensical. His eyes began to swell with tears as he battled nearly paralyzing stage fright.
He could have run out of the room, but he stayed planted. I could tell that he was melting, but he never gave up. His teacher was able to get a conversation started and, eventually, Timmy was sharing his information about Vincent Van Gogh. He finished his presentation with his trademark flourish.
"Van Gogh tried to do a lot of things to be happy. None of them worked. So he shot himself in the stomach and died. Because of my presentation I kinda understand how he was feeling. I really suck at this. Anyways, he didn't die right away though. It would have been better if he had shot himself in the head because it would have been right away. Instead, he had to lay around for a few days while his organs rotted away. That's all. Thank you and Happy Halloween."
After school was over our family switched from Van Gogh to trick-or-treating. The boys carved pumpkins and readied themselves for the evening. Timmy and Scott headed out trick-or-treating on the scooter while Robby and I headed out for hibachi. Thankfully the raindrops, although present, were not heavy or disastrous. They had a fantastic time and brought home quite a haul of candy!
