Another Day, Another Year – August 4
Editor’s Note: I wrote a draft of this entry last week. I didn’t know if I was going to publish. I guess you know my answer.
Well, it is another day; another year has passed. A lot has happened in the past year.
First on everyone’s mind is the Covid-19 virus pandemic. Between the epidemic and being retired, I spend more time at home. When I do go out, I often combine trips. For example, on my way home from my weekly golf league (the one time I leave the house so I can play golf), I often stop at the grocery store and pick up our weeks’ worth of food.
For the past two years, since I retired, my number one job is taking care of Linda and her long term illness. That part of my life has not changed much. Thank god for the PWC Rescue Squad (18 & 26). They have been to our house too many times in the past year (once is too many). Every time they have been professional and accommodating. I can’t thank them enough.
One good point is the Life Alert procedures I have put in place are working. The few times I have been out of the house when she has fallen, Linda has pressed her button, and Life Alert and PWC Rescue Squad have responded with incredible speed. A couple of times, they have come and gone before I can get home.
Summary of the Past Year
That our neighbors Dan and Kathy, along with Miguel and Elvan, John, and Madison, have all been wonderful, assisting in different ways. They keep me informed of situations the few times I have left the house.
Knee Replacement Update – The left knee is stable and great weather forecaster. Because I know its stable, I feel confident swinging the golf club. That means the power is returning to my game. The only challenge is I know when my left knee gets stiff, it’s going to rain.
Hip Replacement has been a success story for Dr. Albrigo of the Anderson Clinic. With the help (once again) from the PT people at NOVA Physical Therapy, I came back faster. Still have stiffness with my hip flexor ligament when I bring up my right leg very high, but it not as bad as before. I can live with that – although you don’t want to watch me get into our SUV J
Driveway Maintenance Project
Phase 2 of the driveway “maintenance” project is almost complete. Eric and Ian Tisler worked last Saturday, putting up the borders on the bottom side. With the extra wood, I decided to add additional borders on the upper side of the driveway.
In the middle, we had a visit from PWC Rescue (Station 18). It appears while I was outside working on the driveway, Linda fell. Using her Life Alert button, they contacted PWC Rescue, who took Linda to Sentara Hospital with a bruised shoulder. Thankfully, she is home and getting better.
Since I had extra wood, I decided to build up other parts of the borders. When that part of the project is complete, and I return the extra timber to Lowes for a credit (schedule pick-up is late next week) Phase 3 getting the gravel delivered.
The best diversion from taking care of Linda is playing golf. Overall, my golf game is going well. The lack of practice time has made for some inconsistent play, but I feel great hitting the golf ball. My knee feels sturdy and I can turn my right hip to get leg power.
Otherwise, I’ve been keeping busy this summer. While Linda rests, I have been writing (or trying to write) articles. I enrolled in a Copywriting, Content, Case Study, SEO on-line course presented by American Writers & Artists Institute (AWAI). I’m in the middle of their Copywriting course and have read many of the Barefoot Writer special reports. I hope to expand my writing skills to include Case Studies for companies.
Last but not least, the City of Manassas turned two of my digital photo-paintings into banners that fly high over the streets of Manassas (Battle and Center Streets) have been the highlight of my year in painting.
During the virus, I have (and look forward to) weekly FaceTime video calls with my family. Being spread all across the country, we use video we have been able to see each other during this pandemic.
In closing, overall, this past year has been ok. I have not found my name in the obit column (yet). I’m able to take care of Linda. I think we’ve grown closer to the challenges we’ve been facing these past few years. I get to play a bit of golf and still try to write articles that editors and companies find interesting.