"It Will Be Virtually Dust-free"

This is the state of our home currently. We've been through similar situations twice last year; first there was the "flood" and later, last summer, there was the interior house painting. I believe I have reached my limit, from a living-in-chaos standpoint. This is worse than, or at least as bad as, moving (the single thing that I detest the most in the whole wide world). Groan. So, why have the contents of three bedrooms and two baths all been emptied into the family room?

We're having some of the floors in our home refinished! 😣

 And so it goes. This is being done because of that afore-mentioned flooding. Almost a year ago, when the hot water came streaming from our finished second-story media room through the recessed lighting in the master bedroom and adjoining spaces, enough landed on the floors to cause the oak boards to cup and warp. We have been patiently waiting for a sufficiently long-enough drying period that they can be refinished without fear of them cupping back in the opposite direction. The time is now. The best benefit (I'm seaching for the silver lining here!) of all this are the new flush-mount oak floor-vent covers. 

Nice, huh? 

This almost makes all the pain of sleeping on a mattress on the floor in my sewing room worth it. My sense of adventure is seriously being tested, it is a scavenger hunt right now to find what I need, somewhere in that BIG PILE, just to get dressed and ready for the day.  The first finish coat was applied today. Friday and Saturday will each see an additional coat. Then it all needs to dry. Sometime next week the rooms can be reloaded. Not everything is going back in either; closets harboring unused and forgotten items will be neatly reorganized, some trips to the dump and to charitable organizations are already being planned. Now, that makes me happy! It will all be worth it. I remember when the floor guy came out after the flood, all those many months ago; he told us that there was nothing to worry about, they could take care of all the damage that had been done. Then he spoke the five words that I wanted to believe, with all my heart and mind: "it will be virtually dust-free". Suffice it to say his idea of virtual reality and mine are worlds galaxies apart. It's okay. I have some really good dusting tools! 

Life is Good!

Stay tuned for a quilty post tomorrow... it's about time, right?

Melting...

The frozen shoulder has melted, for the most part; I graduated from PT today and have been released to do the exercise regimen at home from now on. It's all good. This morning I returned to putting on my jacket the same way I have for my entire life (until this occurrence) right arm in first and then reach around with the left arm to find that left sleeve; for me that was a huge milestone! I had to reteach myself to put on a coat, jacket, blouse, whatever by placing my left arm in first... or rather it was the pain and mobility limitation that drove that learning curve. It is extremely difficult to retrain the brain to perform an automatic, ingrained motion. Try it. Something as simple as slipping on a coat is nothing you ever even think about... until you can't do it! I am grateful today for Othopedic medicine, cortisone and a very skilled physical therapist. Frozen is nothing I want to repeat, unless it's a Disney movie; melting is better.

Life is Good!

It's Frozen!

So, after suffering with a painful left shoulder since October I decided, at long last, to go to the doctor. Yeah, I know... but, I thought I could treat this myself! To begin with I did away with the heavy handbag swinging off that shoulder; I used moist heat, I used ice packs, I used a sling, I strapped it up, I wore a compression sleeve, I took ibuprofen... nothing worked. Finally, on Tuesday, I cried "uncle". After a quick trip to my PCP's office yesterday morning and an even faster referral to an Orthopedic Specialist I was diagnosed with a frozen shoulder yesterday afternoon. Well, all things considered, (it was 2 degrees outside our back door when I got up today) what isn't frozen? I received a cortisone shot in the shoulder which immediately freed up the movements within; that, in itself, was next to miraculous. I had my first PT session this morning; all went well, the therapist is great and I have a printout of exercises to do at home as a supplement to my workouts there. This is going to take time... but it will get better. The Ortho doc prescribed some high-powered pain meds and suggested taking those prior to each session with the physical therapist; I did that, the session went just fine... but, it didn't sit very well with my stomach and I was sick as a dog (sorry, Hannes!) after returning back home. I believe I'll cut that dose in half for next time. It's onward and upward from here. The best news? If it doesn't hurt, keep on doing it, that includes longarm quilting! The puzzled look on the therapist's face when I explained what a longarm machine is, and asked if it would do any harm, was priceless... he hadn't a clue.

Life is Good!

What's Weighing You Down?

I've been plagued with a fair amount of shoulder pain lately; nothing severe, but it's enough to be an annoyance. I've been babying it, treating it with ibuprofen and heat. Yesterday I was ready to leave the house for a scheduled haircut, I grabbed my purse... and the pain came shooting back! Small wonder. My purse and its contents weighed in at 5+ pounds. What was in there? Nothing that I considered to be excessive, but it all adds up: a wallet, keys, tissues, teabags, cell phone, tape measure, sun glasses  (and case) eyeglasses case, notebook, checkbooks, sanitizing wipes, a pocket calendar, eyeglasses cleaners, two ball point pens, throat lozenges, a bottle of ibuprofen, a lipstick and a baby flashlight.  I need to rethink what I carry around on my shoulder and the toll that all that weight is taking. How can I pare down this load? This won't be easy for me. For starters, I know that I only need one ball point pen! What's weighing YOU down?

Life is Good!