Thursday, May 24, 2018

May 24, 2018

This post is just to help me remember.  It's not very interesting.

Last year on this day I woke up in the hospital self aware enough to take a selfie. 

I think that was the day I noticed a phone in my room and dialed the only number I could think of at the time.  I called my office number and talked to Altha.  She said I sounded very weird.  She thought I was joking about the accident - who gets hit by a bus?? Then she noticed the hospital name on the caller id.

It's funny how spotty my memory is of my time in the hospital.  On TV medical shows they always ask people their names in the emergency room.  I only remember when they cut off my dress.  I was annoyed because I made that dress and liked it.

I heard lots of screaming.  It sounded like my mother's night terror screams. I barely moaned during child birth.  My shattered hip was so painful it must have been my voice I heard.

I remember talking to the police and telling them my son Kevin's address.  Around midnight they went to his house pounding on the door and flashing lights.  Kevin thought it was a home invasion and called the police.  Poor Sweetsie had been stuck in the back of the police car for hours.
Kevin came to the hospital while Tomoko took care of my puppy.

I remember seeing Kevin bending over me in the hospital that first night, maybe?  He told me that he and family visited every night.  My poor son had to go to my apartment and find my insurance card, etc.  The next day he had to be there because my stuff was arriving from Houston.  I guess he had to make other medical decisions for me.

There are no nurses in my memory.  I remember being stuck in a dark hallway after being x-rayed.   Legacy Emmanuel Hospital is old and dreary inside.

I don't remember eating any meals until I woke up after being transferred to the skilled nursing home.  I still had a piece of hamburger in my mouth so the hospital must have fed me occasionally.

This photo was taken on May 22, 2018, the one year anniversary of the accident.






Tuesday, May 22, 2018

May 22, 2018: I won Survivor!

It has been one year today since I survived being hit from behind by a metro bus running a stop sign. The impact shattered my hip, threw me to the ground thereby giving me a concussion, multiple bruises and tearing my scalp.

I'm not going to sit around at home and feel sorry for myself.

First,  I'm going to a session with my physical therapist at 11 AM.  Then I'm going to lunch with a friend and to Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden in southeast Portland.  (I could only look at the gardens from above.  The paths were too steep for me to be able to go down.)

Tonight I'm taking my family out to dinner at our favorite restaurant.  I think that my survival is worth a celebration!

Marvel Comics has not yet written me into any of their Avengers' stories.  My super power is stopping buses with my butt.  It definitely beats spinning webs, turning into a giant green man or warping reality - BIG TIME!

Wednesday, May 9, 2018

May 8, 2018: Newport OR

Newport aquarium
I made it off the waiting list for a trip to Newport on a Multnomah County senior trip.  The bus left at 8 AM.  It was a 3 hour drive.  I remembered my travel pillow and snoozed most of the way there.

The bus left us off on the main street in Newport.  We walked around looking for a place for lunch and ended up at The Chowder Bowl.  I had the chowder cannonball - clam chowder in a bread bowl.  It was very tasty.


The beach was a a long walk down a hill, past road construction.  I couldn't walk that far but I could see the ocean from the road.  I ended up walking a short way down the main street and popping into a shop.







At 1:30 the bus took us to the aquarium.  There was no close to the door parking.  I don't understand why Oregon doesn't follow ADA laws.  I'm glad I was able to make the walk to the entrance. The displays inside were interesting but a bit confusing.  The descriptions on the walls didn't always match up with the fish in the tanks.

My favorite tank was the one with the jellyfish.  They are so beautiful in the water.

jellyfish


Moray eel
sea nettle


It started raining hard so I missed seeing the outside displays.

I did a bit of walking with my cane.  That was good exercise for me.

The bus made a pit stop at a Dairy Queen in Salem on the return trip. It was a long day.  We got back at 7:30 PM.  Sweetsie spent the day with Tomoko.  My poor doggie was so exhausted when she came home.

Sunday, May 6, 2018

May 5, 2018


Oregon Convention Center


Last Saturday I went to the "Gathering of the Guilds" at the Oregon Convention Center with Sheila,  a friend I made at an ASG meeting.  It was a big show including the bead, woodcrafting, glass, weaving and metal arts guilds. (I had to use my walker to be able to walk that far.)

One woman made jewelry out of legos.


Here is a sewing basket in the shape of a house at a beader's booth. It was very detailed inside and out.
This was an interesting layering of plastic bags.  No one was available at this booth to talk to me about it.

I put my name on one ticket for the free door prize drawing.  The next day I received a call that I had won second place!  I won a silver, amethyst geode ring with a small diamond that retails for $495.00.
I like big chunky rings so this ring is perfect for me.


I hope winning this drawing signals that my luck has changed. 



Today we went to the Crafty Wonderland show at the convention center.  (I had to use my walker to be able to walk that far.)
 It wasn't as big an affair as the Gathering of the Guilds.  There were t-shirts, jewelry, art and lots of cat-themed things at the show. I did get to catch a glimpse of Mosho the Cat Rapper.  I couldn't see over the heads of people to see his cat DJ.  About 5 minutes of listening to his rap was enough for me.  I've included his link in case anyone wants to hear him.

Spring has come to Portland.  A big park is just around the corner from me.

And the flowering trees are just beautiful.

Last month the cherry tree across the street from my house was gorgeousl.

The dogwood trees are in bloom now. PINK!




Wednesday, April 18, 2018

April 18, 2018: More Sewing


Kenny was sweet and posed for a photo in the outfit that I sewed for him.
I made him a pair of shorts.  I added a pocket to a purchased blue t-shirt.  I thought it would be fun to make a double pocket.  The elephant fabric was a great match and it's a little pocket on top of the big pocket.  He says that he likes the pockets the best.
I didn't have enough fabric suitable for a boy to make him a pair of pants.  The outfit was a present for him (along with a couple toys, of course) on his sister's birthday.




I will be on the lookout for more boy fabric.  I've got tons of girly fabric but I can't sew for one grandchild and not the other.

I was working on a little unicorn doll for Miho's birthday.   I've finished it too late for her birthday but I'll give it to her for another occasion.  But, it's sooo cute that I might just keep it for myself!






Tuesday, April 10, 2018

April 10, 2018: Finally sewing stuff!


Rapunzel

My sweet granddaughter is celebrating her 4th birthday this week.  Now that I have my sewing room set up I've been busily making her some birthday gifts.

First I made 2 princess aprons.  I got the idea from pinterest and etsy.

Belle

Miho loves pretending she's a dog.  I bought a pinkish vest on Amazon, added ears, paws, tail of pink fake fur.  I made a little skirt for her using the best match from my pink poodle fabric collection.  Then she needs a little purse to hold a cabbage page doll wearing a matching skirt.  And she needs a top so I appliqued some of the skirt fabric on a white tshirt.




 I'll try to take some photos of her wearing my gifts but 4 year olds can get feisty so she may not cooperate.

I plan on making a pair of pants and appliqued tshirt for my grandson, too.  I've got to get busy and start working on them.

Thursday, March 1, 2018

March 1, 2018

Yesterday I had an appointment with my trauma surgeon.  He said my current x-rays showed improvement.  My bone has filled in now to about 90%!  That is great news. 

The trauma to my body from the bus colliding with me was so severe that my hip bones (top of my right femur) had been widely displaced.  The trauma also disrupted the blood supply to the area, plus, of course, damaged my muscles.  That is why it has been taking so long for me to recover.

Now I feel like I am on the final leg of the journey to my recovery.  Maybe when the year anniversary of the accident, May 22, 2018, comes around I'll be much closer to feeling as well as I did when I arrived in Portland. (update - 5-28-2018: I still get muscle spasms but they are not as bad now.)

I look forward to being able to explore the city.  I can walk with a cane but not that far.  I have to resort to using a walker if I need to go more than a block or so.  The doctor said that I will get stronger with time.

My grandkids think using a cane is so cool.  They always want to be the ones to use it.  Wish I enjoyed it like they do.

Wednesday, February 21, 2018

February 21, 2018: Snow?!!

This morning I woke up to a beautiful winter wonderland.  I turned on Good Morning America.  The outside audience was in shirt sleeves.  That's just backwards - Portland is supposed to be mild.

The local news reports that this weather is unusual.  It was in the 60's last week.

I've had to cancel my PT yesterday and today.  Since I'm hibernating in the house I've been working on organizing little stuff.  Why do I have all this jewelry?  I had already disposed of tons of it before my move.  Now I'm getting ready to send half of what's left to thredup.com.  At least I'll get a couple dollars for it.  What they don't accept, they donate.

Tomorrow I was scheduled to take a bus trip to Tilamook.  Tilamook is near the coast and there is a big creamery there.  It will most likely be canceled.  The bus is supposed to leave from a community center.  That center is closed until noon today.   It might snow again tonight.

I am almost ready to post pictures of my house.  Every time I work on one room the whole house gets messed up.  Last night I had to throw all my boxes of sorted jewelry into a bin so I could use my bed.

How can I throw away a cup my son, Kevin made me for Christmas ten years ago?   Or the reindeer Andy made from clothespins in preschool?  All the gifts I've received I cherish.  Then, of course, there's the stuff I've collected.  I got rid of most of my once extensive cat collection.  But, I've kept the Catwoman and pink poodle things.  I couldn't give away the dolls I've made and collected.  They're in a clear bin in the garage.

I still hope to make displays with the miniatures I've amassed.  They, too, are in the garage.  I've kept my oil pastels and drawing pencils.  I'd like to take up drawing again someday.

I have gone from 6 large bookcases of fabric to 3.  The sewing group I joined brings in things to share and swap at their meetings.  I can't carry it all at once so I take a bag of it every month.

I went into the local arts and crafts store with virtual blinders on.  I asked the salesman to take me directly to Modpodge and that is all I bought.  The same with the huge Fabric Depot - I bought only belting to make Sweetsie a new harness.

Growing old is tough.  It's the letting go of so much of one's past.  I have my dad's World War II pin, my mom's years of service at Sibley's awards, the baby book my mom made for me.  It's hard to let go of these things.  I am trying to choose just a few select things and discarding the rest.  It's only fair to my sons to minimize my possessions.  I don't want them to have to deal with too much stuff after I die.

Keeping some of my memorabilia is a form of self love.  It's important.


Monday, February 19, 2018

February 19, 2018

Since I stopped pushing myself so hard, I'm feeling much better.  It also helps that the stuff I need inside the house is now out of the garage and even in their proper rooms.

My sewing room is now 98% completed!   My living room is 100% completed.

My daughter in law, Tomoko has been a fantastic help to me.  She hung pictures for me, carried boxes in and out of the house.  I couldn't do all this by myself.  My son helps out when you can.

Yesterday I finished emptying out the closet in my "closet room."  Some things I boxed up  that I don't need now and put them into clear bins in the garage.

I put excess stuff - suitcases, pillows, etc - from my bedroom closet into the closet's closet.  I put my filing cabinet and extra towels in there.  I still need to organize my jewelry.

I had my pictures in the bedroom and living room hung.  The excess (not as nice) pictures in the garage.  I enjoy parking in a decorated garage.  I need to have shelving built in the garage to store all the clear bins.

Now I have my closet room to straighten up.  I need to utilize the space better.

My kitchen needs a pantry.  I found one online at Lowe's.  I'd go look at it today but the roads have ice and snow all over them.  I got up too late to hear the weather forecast.  Maybe I can get there later this week.
Right now I have excess kitchen stuff on a rolling cart in the middle of my small kitchen.  I have to push it aside to get into one of the cabinets.  A pantry could hold all that stuff.

If it stays icy outside tomorrow, I'll cancel my PT appointment.  The PT office is on the other side of town that stays icy longer.

That will give me one more day stuck in the house so I might just get this house finished this month!

My son Kevin says he will work on my yard.  He enjoys yard work.  Plus then he can plant more vegetables over here.  I've got a larger yard.

My poor little Sweetsie is bored today.  I only have the dog walker come over twice a week.  It gets expensive.

It had started to get springlike before yesterday's snow.  But, at least it's not raining!


Thursday, February 1, 2018

February 1, 2018: Giving in

This week I have really slowed myself down.  I'm so wanting to get back to a normal life but I can't yet.  The pain was so bad for most of December and January.  It would feel like I had a charlie horse from my waist to my knee.

One day a couple of weeks ago I used my walker to go to Walgreen's.  It's not far away.  I rested in the pharmacy after I picked up my prescription.  As I started to head back home,  my muscles seized up and I had to limp even with the walker.  I had to call Kevin to pick me up.  Luckily it was a Saturday so he wasn't at work.

I started paying closer attention to when the muscle cramps really got bad.  Now I'll be active for about half an hour then rest for one to two hours.  That has helped a lot - physically anyway.

It bugs me that my house is still disorganized and often messy.  That's just not my style.  Hopefully, this recuperation period will end soon so I can get back to near normal.

I'm almost done unpacking boxes.  I've been unpacking in the garage and bringing things in a little at a time.  I keep an empty box in my car so I can fill it up for charity as I unpack.

I've also started repacking some things into clear bins and labeling them.  Maybe I'll have to donate them later but not just yet.

Having my house interior painted pink has really paid off.  There are lots of dreary days in Portland.  But it's always cheerful inside!

Wednesday, January 24, 2018

January 23, 2018: Portland

Today was a good day.  Tomoko got her driver's license this morning!  I've been practicing with her for the past few weeks.  She made me proud -- she got an A on her first try.  We went to brunch at Elmer's to celebrate.

Now I want to share on the goofiness of Portland:

It rains a lot here, right?  You would think people would park in their garages so they wouldn't have to walk to their cars in the rain.
NO.  The houses are so small that their garages have to hold lots of their possessions.
There was snow and ice on Christmas.  On 12/27 I had to drive to the southeast side of town.  A big piece of snowy ice hit my driver's side window on the freeway.  It blew off a car ahead of me.  That car had a roof full of snow and ice.  The driver cleared his windshield but didn't worry about what would happen to the snow on his roof.  If you're not going to park in your garage, then cover your car with a sheet or be sure to clear the snow before it flies off and hits another car at high rates of speed.  I'm not going to drive on the freeway another time after a freezing spell.

There is a severe lack of parking in Portland.  Cars line both sides of narrow streets.  So many shopping and dining areas have no parking lots.  This impacts where I can go and what I can do in the city.  I have to check google satellite and look at the parking situation before I can decide if I can go somewhere.

The disabled parking places are few and far between.

Giant apartment complexes are built with no parking garages.  Portland wants people to walk, bicycle or take public transportation.  Somebody needs to inform the powers at the bus department of this.  You can't expect to have bad drivers injure pedestrians and then not have the city accessible to those disabled as a result.

It's eight months now since the bus hit me.  The last x-ray showed that my bone has not completely filled in the gaps between the rods holding the bits together.  My surgeon said he'll x-ray me again in 6 weeks.  If the x-ray doesn't look better, I'll have to get another cat scan.  Then maybe have a bone graft.

I'm fighting to get my strength back.  I continue to go to physical therapy twice a week.  I bought my own NuStep machine.  It's a recumbent cross trainer that can only be found in rehab facilities.  So, I can't just go to a gym to work out.

Despite all this I keep busy.  I get to play with my grandchildren.  I go to a book club and a couple meetups that are held in accessible locations.  My sewing room is still not set up so I can't enjoy my hobbies yet.  I left this room last because it's the most complicated one to organize.  I'm still unpacking boxes for that room.  I do too many crafts.  Something will have to go - doll making? miniatures? garment sewing? knitting? drawing & painting? jewelry making? fabric flowers? costume making? locker hooking? flower arranging?  All these activities have tools and supplies that take up space.  I haven't decided yet what to give up.  I keep hoping that somehow I can fit it all into my one hobby room that also houses my NuStep machine.


Tuesday, January 2, 2018

January 2, 2018


Starting the new year right - I got the teeth on the right side of my mouth scaled and cleaned.  In 2 weeks it's the left side's turn.  The hygienist gave me novocaine so I can only have one side done at a time.  I had to find a dentist in Portland.  I went to one about a mile away that had good reviews.  Plus, it was in a cute little house and named Edelweiss Dental.

My last checkup in Houston was great.  Maybe stress caused some gum problems.  Or maybe the dentist just needed more business.  Whatever, I figured it would be a good thing to have done.  Plus my dental insurance ends this month.

This morning I went to another 60+ meetup for coffee.  I wish it started at 10 instead of 9 so traffic wouldn't be a problem.  At least traffic was light this morning.  It's a nice group but the activities seem to be mostly on the southeast side of town. 

So far 2018 is going smoothly - except those yucky ants are making a comeback in my house.