Our Journey: A Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY

Outside my window...

the sky is slightly overcast and gray. The birds aren't singing as they were earlier. Still, it is a beautiful day!

I am thinking...

about my right shoulder. I thought I had arthritis in a new joint. Not a big deal as I age, just a new ache to handle. The medicos at Duke, after extensive testing (Xrays, an MRI and painful twisting and pulling by sadistic residents) have determined that I have a torn rotor cuff. They advise surgery. I'm thinking about that. Are there alternatives? Investigation needed.

I am thankful...

for my husband, family and friends. They are so wonderful! I am particularly thankful that last week's cold seems to be over and done. I am such a wimp when I have a cold. Oh, I am also thankful that Boo shows no signs of a cold. Maybe all the hand washing, sterilizing and extra vitamin C paid off.

In the kitchen...

is enough beignet dough from yesterday to make another batch of beignets. Boo will really enjoy that! Maybe the neighbors will too. Tonight I must make vanilla yogurt in anticipation of tomorrow's ice cream making. OK, not exactly ice cream. We're actually having Reduced Sugar Butter Pecan Frozen Yogurt. A friend requested it when he saw the ice cream maker. I've made butter pecan ice cream and I've made various frozen yogurts, but never this combination. I'm cobbling two recipes together. We'll see how this turns out.

I am wearing...

old jeans, an old gray tee shirt of Boo's, frosted green anklets (When did I buy these socks and why?) and my favorite white tennis shoes. Comfort clothes. Pajamas are what I want to wear today because I still feel a little run down and because my arm hurts. Dressing is important. Life must go on.

I am creating...

nothing this past week. I have managed to learn a little more about the Paint Shop program we have. It's far more user friendly that I originally thought and I really like it. Now, if I could only figure out how to add color to text in that program... I know we'll be crafting something this week. Boo has determined that it's time to finish the Marion tiles we began earlier this month. So, I guess that's our project this week.

I am going...

to make an appointment for a second opinion before I allow surgery to be scheduled to repair my rotor cuff.

I am wondering...

Are there any osteopaths around here? Maybe I should ask at Whole Foods. They seem to be a good source of information on alternative medical treatment in the area. If there are viable options to surgery, I definitely want to investigate them.

I am reading...

several books. That I could do even feeling icky last week. I am still reading The Stolen Crown and A Right to Be Merry. I completed several novels this past week: A Time to Heal by Barbara Cameron and Dance Upon the Air, Heaven and Earth and Face the Fire by Nora Roberts. Boo and I listened to two audio books: Treasure Island by R. L. Stephenson and Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis.

I am hoping...

to get Boo outside for a walk today. He's not interested right now. Maybe if we put Boudreaux's “guide cat” harness on, Boo will be more interested. Boudreaux is still getting used to wearing a harness and is not happy when I put it on him. He does like being able to go outside with Boo however.

Around the house...

all is quiet. Boudreaux and Boo are napping.

I am pondering...

whether to take Boo with me when I get a second opinion on my shoulder or whether to get someone to stay with him. Logistically both are difficult. If I take him with me, I need to pack a backpack of necessities, maneuver him and his rolling walker and be prepared for meltdowns. If I get someone to stay with him, I have to be sure they understand how to reorient him, when to give him medication, when and what to feed him, etc.

A favorite quote for today...

“The first thing that a person finds in life and the last to which he holds out his hand, and the most precious that he possess, even if he does not realize it, is family life.” Blessed Adolph Kolping

A peek into my day...

Here's what Boudreaux is doing. Boo doesn't want to have his picture taken right now. Maybe later...