July 31 2014 Still Making Discoveries... Reminding Myself that Both Sides still Need Equal Attention

Here I am, and in 21 days, it will be one year since my first hip replacement surgery, August 20, 2013.
Mine were pretty extreme (See ***this post*** to see how grateful I am and how relatively easy it still was!), so my healing has been slow and steady.
Of course, I discover that if I slow down on my exercise  (Walking and recumbent exercise bike) and physical therapy (Stretches, strengthening exercises), it becomes immediately apparent. Boy is THAT motivation!
It gets REALLY hot here in Northern California, and with the heat can come really terrible air quality (We're in a valley and the heat seals in the pollution). Walking is not so easy on those days,. But most days, if I can't go walking, I sit my butt on that 'bike and I work hard for 20-30 minutes. More days than not, it is now 30!! Go, me!
I can't wait for the cooler evenings. I love walking, and I took the summer off the stage to take the time to really get my strength up.

I remind myself constantly (and have a one or two near and very dear ones who remind me, too) that this is THE chance I get to recover from this as well as I possibly can. Not just "I'm better". But "I'm better than I have ever been." I don't want to settle. I am grateful that my surgeon understands that, and agreed to as much physical therapy as I needed. Some brush it off. But, just "better" and settling is NOT good enough! I have my life back. Now is the time for strengthening, increasing my stamina and endurance. It doesn't mean I'll choose to be a marathon runner. I abhor running (Everyone seems to think that that is the end result!) but I will be starting back to Yoga, and I'll find some dance classes and increase my ability and knowledge of dance.
I am an actress, one who does a lot of musical theatre. The characters I play are rarely dancing roles, but it would be nice to be able to tell the director, finally, "Oh, yes! You need me to be in the group number in the party scene? Yep! No problem!" this increases my ability and knowledge, and I am living up to more of my personal potential!

So - I have noticed some things lately as I have been re-focusing on the strength of my thigh/glut/ab muscles ( the main groups of muscles affected in this situation, though it all radiates and effects everything).
I think they have to do with the fact that there were 3.5 months between my surgeries, and I have been sort of gauging my progress/strength, etc. by the FIRST hip (and the one which was originally the worst).
I was taught a method of focusing on individual muscles and their components, moving/flexing them, almost giving yourself an internal "mini-massage". It is so true that the more attention and mindfulness you devote to them - the more attention you pay, the better they will heal.
Sometimes, you just want to go "normal" - just do what you're doing, not have to "think" about it.
The truth is - and I have been taught by the best - the more mindful you are, for the rest of your life - the more healthy and less accident or injury-prone you will be! It takes concentration, and practice, but as you learn - even if you increase it SOME - you will get better. Even if you did NOT have any injuries!

Anyway - back to the thighs.
I noticed a couple of things. My left is REALLY flexible - almost fully,  and always improving! I can easily step in the tub, put on pants, anything that required side-to-side flexibility or rotation, it's just about there! I can cross my legs pretty easily from the left - all of this was impossible for years.
But hey... my right ... it just doesn't move as high, as smoothly, can't *(quite* cross it without lifting it with my hands and it's too stiff to cross far or for long... hmmm... OK - well it IS three months newer...

Then, I was checking in with myself, and working on those small muscles.. I noticed something (which probably should have been obvious). Putting my hands on the tops of my thighs (lying on my back with my feet pulled in, knees up) when I flexed the muscles near my surgery incision scar on the left, I could feel a certain kind of muscle movement and strength from the surface  with my hand.
But trying the same movements on the more recently repaired right-hand thigh, those same muscles were not firing them same! I couldn't feel them from the outside with my hand!
I had NO idea that, gearing toward the progress of the first hip, I had neglected to let the second one go fully through the same healing process! I was unwittingly skipping part of its needs!!
I realized that on the right side, trying to move the anterior (front) muscles, my posterior muscles were covering and doing some of the work for them!!!
So I started REALLY concentrating - flexing first the left, seeing what it was doing, and then the right, working on duplicating that movement.. and with a little effort and concentration, I could re-train the anterior muscles to do their OWN work... not depend on the butt to compensate for it - a very old and bad habit, from pre-surgery when the hip could do nothing, and the posterior muscles and knee were doing all the work for it!!! I have learned that physical therapy on one side of the body is enhanced by doing the same movement on both sides - the brain mirrors it better. And so it was.

Now, I am back on track. Thank goodness, the right is catching up with its own progress! And I am remembering that it IS 3.5 months behind the left - plus having had to hold up the whole operation of my frame for that much longer. Flexibility is growing, control is better, and those muscles are getting their sense memory back! "Oh!! THIS Is how we are supposed to work with all our buddies, the other muscles!!"

This is cool. Given tools by an extremely knowledgeable friend,  excellent physical therapists, a Pilates instructor and yoga teachers, I am stepping it up. This is pretty wonderful.
It makes me happy on levels I can barely even explain.

I hope you are inspired. You can get better, and THEN even BETTER than that!!!

July 30 2014 - Happiness in Spite of the World's Trouble is OK... And Lessons Taught and Learned by Fellow Hip Replacement Recipients

Sorry - it's been a bit... I've been alternately busy and pretty whupped - I chose several nights to sleep instead of putting it off to write my usually late-night posts.

Good things have been afoot - lots of general happiness. I know the world is a bleeding wreck.
I am not indifferent, not by a LONG shot.
But it is not a crime to know those things, be aware of them, and still chose to be happy in one's own daily life.
I actually feel that, if we chose personal misery in the name of solidarity with the world's misery, we are really missing the point. If things are well with you, gratitude seems to me the fair choice. If I have a home and food,  even though times are very tight, and love in my life, and I can walk with the help of medical miracles, I think I am being deeply selfish if I do NOT acknowledge my fortune and allow myself to function at my best potential - happiness.
It does NO ONE any good for me to be guilty about it. And when I am functioning at my best, it means I am functioning for *others* at my best, and can help them in any way available to me. A kind word, a bit of advice, support in a painful or difficult situation, and when and if there are a few dollars to spare, a contribution to a needful person, an arts organization, a good idea that need funding...
And walking the world in happiness raises the happiness level around you. It just does.

I am not silly enough to think these are original ideas. I think the Buddha might have put them into words earliest, perhaps? But it is always good when you make the discovery on your own.
Choosing happiness is possible, and a very Good Idea.

Yesterday evening, I met my new friend Caryn face to face for the first time. We were introduced on Facebook by a mutual friend - a strong, kind Poet, Alice. She knew Caryn was about to undergo hip replacement, and might benefit from a bit of moral support.
iI was delighted! Caryn is a great lady - a teacher of children, and was really having a rough go. It's that time when you think, "I cannot really *walk* any more. this has to change". Her doctor didn't think it was quite necessary - and had weight concerns. Thank goodness she got a second opinion, and a terrific surgeon! The idea of sticking someone with agony and condemning them to losing many of their basic life functions, forcing them into a wheel chair is abhorrent to me - just because of a doctor's considerations regarding "obesity".
I am grateful to my surgeon for giving me his actual concerns about how my weight might affect my surgery (They were few), so I could know what to expect, but then NEVER MENTIONING IT AGAIN.
I am also grateful for Caryn's surgeon for not even worrying about it. He did a great job on her surgery, I think I was able to help her out a bit, and yesterday - 15 days after her replacement surgery!! - she strolled into Whole Foods to meet for dinner, and we sashayed over to the cafe bars, got some good food and sat down for a good chat!
She had forgotten her cane at home (Her son drove her over) - the first sign that you aren't really in much need of it any more. Afterward, she stayed to do some grocery shipping! Her first since...
I was so happy to see this!

And she taught me more about this Hip Replacement thing, too - Every person I encounter does!
It reminds me that 1 - it is really a very good procedure, and comes with a pretty low risk IF you follow your surgeon's advice and take really good care of yourself (Good diet, diligent Physical Therapy, listen to them re: your care after surgery, etc.), and educate yourself as well as possible. Also  - find your support crew, and really depend on them. Ask for help, accept it, and then later, pass it on.

I also learn every day that, as often as they tell you, Everyone really IS different!
And that my hips were REALLY bad - worse that I even knew... and the surgery was pretty extreme - very long, and a LOT more work than most people - by far! - need.. and still - I have always felt through the whole process that it was amazing and much easier that I could have imagined!
After discovering severe hip dysplasia, both surgeries needing a LOT of re-sculpting, and screws to hold the hardware into place, and the surgeries be 3.5 and 5 hours long (Average is 2.5 hours - Debbie was 1 hour and Caryn about 2)... slower recovery than most... I STILL am totally happy with my results!!
Every SECOND of it is worth it!!

The world is full of magic of all sorts, and the amazing magic that is contained in the ability for a skilled, educated and compassionate person to remove defective, diseased bone and replace it with efficient, strong and resilient metal pieces which work smoothly and give your life back?

Wow.

7/22/2014 Away for the Weekend, and Oh, Momma is Tired.

It was a long, fun weekend, and it kicked my butt. Really my first over-nighter in ages, aside from the two surgeries! But it was worth it. Everything is physical therapy! 

I drove up to Murphys, CA in the Sierra Gold Country, where there is a theatre I work with. I saw them perform Twelfth Night out doors - a new venue for us, as we lost the winery and amphitheater that had been the company's home for about 15 years last year. 

Brice Station Winery is beautiful ad they are *very* friendly and welcome us as family! The owner of the winery was even in a small role in the show! 

The show was delightful, and it's hard to beat theatre under the Stars. The winery even threw a post-show barbecue party for the cast and crew for closing night! 

It was wonderful getting all around the winery - uneven terrain, from lawn to gravel to blacktop to forest floor - all just absolutely fine. A whole group of friends who have not seen me sure-footed - it was nice. :) 

I stayed at my good friend Graham's place (the artistic director) on his narrow couch. 

The good news is, my hips didn't hurt a bit - not one bit! But my upper body wasn't very happy trying to get comfortable - and I slept about 2 hours total, fitfully. I've never been very good at sleeping away from my own bed, but ver the years I have spent my summers there every weekend from May to September - I got used to adapting to different beds, according to where I was housed, as an out-of-town actor/costumer/props master, etc. 

but it's been a couple of summers since I was able to work up there, due to the hips and all... and ui, the loss of sleep!!! 

I came home, unpcked, fed the cats and took a five hour nap - yay!!!! Good to go!! 

Got a ffew things done, took a LOVELY walk! The weather, usually in the high 90's - low 100's here in July, has been amaizngly cool - even some rain! The sunset in Murphys was utterly breathtaking!! 

And then a dear friend called - he is the best conversationist I know... and we talked until 2:30. AM. Which is *great*!! Because talking with him is so energizing and enjoyable... but you know... work night. 

I'm a grownup (For some intents and purposes) - I coudl absolutely sign off... but I value the time and conversation more. And of course I wasn't able to sleep until after 4. Que sera!! 

I had a rehearsal last night for a fundraiser benefit for the Sacramento Shakespeare Festival  - it's going to be a HOOT! It's songs of Shakespeare and Love - I'll be singing one of each! 

Some lovely and some hilarious! a great lineup of 20 singers. 

I really am still so beat - I think it's the whole weekend getaway... I treated it like the old days, a litle bit but it was nice to walk the two blocks or so up the hill to the Hotel restaurant for breakfast! Fo so long, I was forced to drive... it was beautiful.

I just have to remember that I'm still getting my stamina back. 

I didn't walk tonight, but I did do 20 minutes on the exec-cycle.

I need to turn in. two nights in a row in bed by midnight - I hope this one helps. 

7/18/2014 Proceeding apace, Rubbing Shoulders with the Glitterati, Planning a Short Jaunt Away

Yesterday was such a beautiful, cool day I was able to get out in it and take a good walk... it had been a week, but I was not interested in backsliding.
I matched my previous/best so far and made the 8 blocks. It was a little tough toward the end - I amstill pretty tired  - I don't know if that is lack of sleep (Night person with a day job :/) or somethign else - I am beginning to wonder of that is not from my blood pressure medicine.

Tonight I did a full 35 minutes on the 'cycle.

I seem to be *gaining* a little weight - and that is NOT amusing to me - I cut back on sugar, I eat well, and  I'm increasing my exercise. And no - its not muscle. This annoys me. I want and need to get some of the weight and stress off of my beautiful shiny new hips so they last their longest.
I am not a believer in the calorie count... it is crazy.
Sure - You can just eat 300 calories for a meal if you can sustain yourself - but are we talking about
300 calories of potato chips? of steamed veggies? of meat protien? Tofu? Jelly beans?!? It DOES make a difference!!!
And so the quest for balance continues.

I took myself out to see a friend's production of his one-man show last night - it was lovely, and one of our local celebrities was there! Actually, she is at least a national theatre celebrity, who moved here to Sacramento with her husband a few years ago. Faith Prince... a respected and supremely talented Broadway actress. SHe has won Tony Awards... and I normally don't like to drop names - but FAITH PRINCE was standing there after the show complimenting my blouse and asking me where I might have gotten it?!?!? It was delightful, and she is a peach. I am proud to say I comported myself in a friendly way, and remained down to earth. It was fun - and the show was wonderful.

Tomorrow I will take my first solo trip out of town in almost a year! I'm going up to Murphys in the historic Gold Rush country, an hour and 40 minutes from here, to see one of my favorite theatre companies I work with perform Twelfth Night under the stars. Last time I went up, I was on the walker - it wasn't easy. I'm just thrilled to have the independence to up and GO overnight! It will once again be a situation where I'll do my  nice, smooth"Runway model" walk and everyone will ooh and aahhh - it makes me smile - and I get a little tired of it - I am ready to be just normal healthy walking ME again - but - I also appreciated the intention behind it, and they are only encouraging me! I have quite a few friends who had not met me before my hips started to go south, and have never seen me without a limp!
It is nice that they care.

I'll need to pack in the (lateish) morning - it's odd to think that, after years of packing up every weekend from May to September, all my gear at hand and ready to go, I'm going to have to hunt down my overnight bag and overnight toiletries/gear again - the last 2 times I packed to stay away were for surgery!! I have no clue, after performing a perfunctory inspection, where either of my two overnight bags are! Well, I know they somewhere here in the apartment.

Looking forward to my little adventure! I have missed the Mountains!!!

7/16/2014 A good day!

I haven't gone walking in about a week - best laid plans, too much hot hot heat, not enough sleep and getting home exhausted, etc., etc., etc... 

But this evening is so cool and stunning, there was no NOT walking. Unloaded groceries, put 'em away, fed them kitties and put on my walkin' shoes... And danged if I was going to backslide, so, even after a week - I matched my last 8 block walk. It kicked my butt a little - those last 2 blocks were a little leaden, but I did it and stormed on up the steps. Ahhhhhh!!!  it feels good and accomplished...

And still time to make dinner and do my nightly "apartment purge challenge" session.

 Every day for a month, you toss out as many things as the date - today, 16 thangs. I also make myself a rule that the keeper things in that pile or box or stack also have to get put away. So far I've thrown out 7 bags of STUFF. Mostly papers. 

If it's keep-able and I don't want it, I give it away, but so much of this is just paper, paper and more paper - old files of all kinds - a two inch thick folder of headshots from an audition I monitored for my theatre company at least ten years ago!!!! 
I also came across a very sweet little cache of cards and notes and a few printed-out emails from two of my dearest friends... Deb, who is gone, and Christian, who is in SF now and a dear loved one - it prompted me to call him. We had a WONDERFUL three hour talk - laughed 'n' cried and caught up on lots of good things happening for both of us!

It's amazing, this project - it paces you and prevents getting overwhelmed - long, long overdue, but I CAN lift and move boxes and books and stuff now - and even get it down the stairs.  Nice hips, if I do say so myself! 

My new friend Caryn is doing well two days after her hip replacement - right on track! She'll spend a week in a rehab facility, since she lives alone, but then she'll be home and resting and healing up. I look forward to seeing her progress! 

I was able to give her a bit more advice oh getting food delivered to the house, and to remind her - you NEED TO MAKE YOURSELF ASK FOR HELP (dear Readers!)  when it is needed! It can be a hard thing to do, but it's got to be done. Taking hte stress off and not over-doing, which she is getting the hang of! 

7/14/2014 Kicking Fears to the Curb... Apartment Purge '14 Continues... Hot Potluck in the Park... Cooking... and Caryn is Now Among the Bionic!

Oh my - so much has been happening this week! 

I participated in a wonderful Photo project called Dysphoria - it is aimed at changing things - the idea that we can - and MUST - learn to stop judging each other's bodies, and that there is amazing beauty in every human. The is NO GOOD REASON to say cruel things about ANYONE for their physicality. NONE. you don't need to be "concerned for my health" because I am round. That guy doesn't need to yell out to my friend, 'Move your fat ass!" as he crosses the street. No one needs to comment on woman's big - or small - or WHATEVER - breasts, butt, or ANYTHING. Let's just move on, forgive all that and be kind. 

There are so far 40 of us who have participated  - from 8 to 56 so far as I know - and every body type, height, weight, etc. it was an amazing experience. Very freeing. there is a whole chapters-worth to write about it - but suffice to say, it was a great, powerful and moving experience. I love that I'm knocking down fears and inhibitions like a Highlander, here in my maturity! I can't wait to see the final resulting book and gallery showing. 

What else? The apartment purge project is coming right along! Many things put away - about 6 times that much (about 6 grocery bags full) THROWN away! Hurrah! 

Yesterday was a going-away potluck picnic I organized for friends who are moving back east - about 25 people came - even though it was over a hundred degrees in the park!!! Of course all of the park benches were in full, blazing sun - in a park FULL of great big trees! A good friend or two helped get it all together. So, a few of us did a last minute save and dashed home for tables and chairs to set up under one of those big old trees! 

Lots of *wonderful* food, and one intrepid friend brought burgers and sausages to barbecue - in the full sun!! 

It was a little hurly=burly, but turned out great. I made deviled eggs and a Plum/Apricot  Crumble - it feels so good to get in there and work in my kitchen! 

AND - I carried all of my food and contributions down those stairs and packed my car up all by myself - got chairs and a folding table down with the helps a friends granddaughter... and none of it was a problem, or a pain!!! 

I was VERY grateful for the friend who lives nearby and volunteered to follow me home and help carry them upstairs, though. It was HOT! I was feeling woozy after four hours in the heat, even having drunk more than half a gallon of water through the day... it has been years since I spent any length of time in THAT intense heat. I actually like warmer weather now more than I used to, but 100+ is a little spicy. 

A couple of friends have brought me beautiful organic vegetables from their gardens - i miss having a yard to grow produce in, and thank goodness they are so generous with their extra veggies! I made a gorgeous ratatouille tonight with a nice lamb shop,and all flavored with beautiful fresh herbs! It sure helps with the grocery bill, too. 

Cooking so much good, wholesome food - having a fridge full of fresh produce and actually keeping up with it - cooking and eating it, and not letting it spoil because It's too hard to get around the kitchen? 

HURRAH!!!  Every single aspect of my life is better. 

Another friend - actually a new one, with whom I was connected on Facebook by a mutual friend - had her hip replaced this afternoon - she's settled into her room, they're adjusting her meds - as happens on that first evening after surgery - and she has a good roomie! Hurrah, and welcome to the Other Side of it, Caryn!! Here you are, safely in the land of "It only gets better from here!" I am so excited for you! 

That's the main gist for now! more soon! 

7/7/2014 The Apartment Purge Challenge Continues

This morning,  I got up and out earlier than usual - meaning I could go home earlier! yay! 

Gave my friend Mariam a ride home from work, and we made a couple of grocery stops - lots of grocery store walking - a little tired today, but not bad! 

I have still to do my "Purge" for the day - 7 items for the 7th days of the months - and a turn on the exer-bike - so off I go! 

a few hour later... 

I did get the purge done for the day -  what was originally a dining room became storage and it has become a terrible jumble over time, due to my physical inability to deal with any of it for so long - bags of things pulled from my old car when it died last year (after having been the workshop/theatre shuttle for my life every summer and become embarrassingly full of props, costumes, tools, etc... ); bags of papers, yarn, books, music, etc.  hastily packed up in order to get the living room prepped for my post surgery recovery, boxes of props and costumes and more craft tools... things that cameto me as we were cleaning out the home of a deceased friend in 2010, and i never had the heart or time to really go through... I have been ACHING to get that stuff out of there and either put away in a proper place, goven or thrown away. 

It can be overwhelming - what first? how long will it take? There's SO MUCH! 

This purge project has been absolutely perfect to get me started at a pace that wasn't overwhelming, and on a 5 item day, five items are easy to deal with! 

Well... as I was pulling things from the storage/dining room, I found a fishing tackle box. Theatre people often use tackle boxes for their mkeup kits - very handy, all the compartments, just the right size, etc. 

This is an old, green metal one, well-used and well loved. It belonged to one of my former college professors and subsequently dear friend, Charlotte Starbird, She was a curmudgeon, and didn't suffer fools gladly, and occasionally I was that fool - but we had an abiding friendship over 30+ years. When she died in 2010, I was among the friends who cleared out her home. Her family swept in from Los Angeles the day before she died, their first visit in those almost 40 years she had lived and taught theatre here. THey clered out the valuable pieces, checking the bottoms of things for signatures... and left the rest that they considered trash to us. 

I orchestrated her memorial celebration, and many mementos were shown there, and then ended up in my car, and then just hastily packed up, and then eventually brought into the apartment with the help of friends on the rainy day my car broke down. 

There they have stayed in a jumbled pile through two surgeries and recoveries, as I became srong enough to lift and move all of those things out into the living room to see what they actually were. 

I knew the tackle box was there and it had been her theatre kit. And tonight I was ready to purge it. 

Then, I opened it. And I saw the reflection of what I, as an actress and theatre practitioner  also have, and probably every actor in the world after a fashion.  box with practical things - cauze and cotton and tiny glass bottle of mercurachrome, a sewing kit, and a few tiny bottles of perfume... all the makeup had long gone as she stopped doing theatre. It was a time capsule. It reminded me of the cigar box full of keepsakes seen in the opening credits of "To Kill a Mockingbird." Memories, gifts, well wishes - cards for opening nights, a 3x5 card inviting her to the opening night party of a show... a tiny, decrepit  2" long Surrey with the Fringe on Top drawn by a tiny horse, precariously glued to a small card that said, "Oklamoha".

A wee book 1/2 " high, with "How to Succeed" written on the front... a tiny metal figurine glued to a card with "Camelot" printed on it... a very small, fancy pin cushion, and a little troll doll pin... two plastic music box ballerinas (She had studied ballet before early arthritis ground away her hip).  

A small pocket size edition of The Rubayat by Omar Khayyam with a lovely Art Noveau design on the cover. 

I tried to throw several things out, determined to be practical and carry on with the purge... but they had lived so long together in that box - some of the things dated 1964... So, I opened the box and arranged all of the things so they could be seen, and I took careful, loving portraits of them. Once I was satisfied that they were preserved in photography, I kept the gauze and mercurachrome (cool Vintage packaging), the troll doll for luck, the tiny pin cushion and a comb, arranged them neatly and latched the box. Then, I was able to toss the other items - the perfume bottles now so old, but still extremely - erm - fragrant... and have a good conscience about it. They may be "just things" - but they are imbued with a life and a history, and love. I needed to give them respect for that. 

And that 's how I met my purge quota of 7 items today. 

As it continues, I feel lighter and happier (As always happens with a good purge of "stuff"), and so pleased that there's nothing I can't physically do in this project! I don't need any help at all - there's no shame in help, I certainly know THAT - but it feels brilliant to be independent!!

Of course. I also missed getting on my exercycle. Tomorrow, and tomorrow... I will be very stiff tomorrow - and looking at the clock now, even more tired. That's life! 

7/6/2014 Activities and Abilities... Fresh Summer Produce... Getting Things Done! ... The Kindness of Others

11:30 am

Oh, today began so nicely! I got up in time to get coffee and dress and take a jaunt to the Farmer's Market just up the street about 20 blocks. 

Being able to hop in the car with a few bucks cash in my pocket, stroll around the place smelling the sweet ftuity and herbaceous summer smells and pick up fresh organic produce is a thing I have missed for SO long! Sunday Mornings are special again! 

I love that crowd, and waiting until a little later in the morning to get deals on organic produce - "mix and match stone fruits - $1 a pound!" "Bags of basil - $1!" "Hierloom Tomatoes - $3 a pound!" and the chance to get a few green tomatoes and fry them up - a summertime delicacy! 

I spent $9 for - tomatoes, apricots, white nectarines (One of my favorite foods on this earth!) with a juicy purple plum thrown in by the vendor to even out a pound, fresh basil, and crook-neck squash. deilcious, fresh-picked this morning, and so much less expensive than at any market in town, even if I weren't buying organic. 

Breakfasts and lunches will be full of ripe, juicy fruit this week, and dinner will be full of gorgeous veggies! Steamed, stir-fied, raw in a salad... 

Having this ability back in my life is one of the best things, and I have missed it terribly. Occasionally good friends would bring me something I asked for, but it is not anywhere the same as strolling among the crowds, smelling the scents, and looking for what is the best, nicest deal and suits my palate, and bringing home a big, beautiful bag of delights! 

Then, the ability to be in the kitchen and prepare them into gorgeous, nutritious meals to just keep my health continuing up and up, healing and getting stronger all the time - this is one of the fine blessings of life. 

**********************************

3:00 pm

A lovely brunch of sauteed veggies scrambled with eggs and a bit of cheese and a couple of thoses apricots and toast has been made and eaten 

Then, as I listened to The Splendid Table on NPR, I put in 20 minutes on the exercycle! 

THEN - pushed my sewing table (which has sat in the livingroom for about a year and a half, making the room smaller and more cluttered!) into the spare room.  Hurrah! Instantly roomier and tidier. Even tossed the first two of the 6 items of six today for my unclutter challenge! 

I like the way this day is going! :) 

***********************************

Bedtime

I didn't get my walk, but things got done! dinner for the next three days is cooked and in the fridge, I made absolutely perfect fried green tomatoes with tonight's dinner! It's about a once- a year thing for me, when tomatoes are coming ripe so quickly that the farmers pick some green ones to bring to the market. egg wash, seasoned cornmeal / flour mixture, fry 'em up - eat 'em while they're still crisp and warm. THe tang of the tomato is bright and delicious. 

I found a lovely little video online tonight about a gentleman who has Leukemia. He walks his dogs every day with his wife in their neighborhood. As his health has weakened him, his neighbors noticed him staying behind as his wife went off with the dogs - so, they put a chair in the yard, "For Charlie, or anyone else who might need a rest. Others saw the chairs, and added more all around the neighborhood. Now he can take his dogs for a walk again. 

I remember a time when I spend every moment on my feet just desperate for the next chair to "perch" and "recharge'.  Standing and walking were so painful. It was the worst in Spring of '13 when I was rehearsing  the world premier of a new musical version of the story, "A Little Princess" at one of our professional theatres. Rehearsals involve a lot of standing and waiting. I would grab a chair for the at-rest moments, but then we'd start moving, and there it was, across the stage, and in everyone's way. It was embarrassing and so tough, 

But none of those actors or stage crew - professionals - ever once behaved in any but the most kind and supportive way. So, I know what Charlie in the video felt like.  All the kindnesses along the way were what held me up - sometimes literally, in the case of the aactors and crew who would help me up backstage, every singe time I needed to stand up and make an entrance, and onstage in the scenes with one beautiful young woman, Tyler. each time we were in close proximity, she would work in an appropriate reason to take my hands - and then she would LIFT up to give me physical support and take a little of the weight off of my dying hip joints. Amazing. 

I would never have known about this kind of help if I had never had this experience. It wasn't fun. Oooh boy it was AWFUL. But the things I learned about love, kindness, patience and generosity in people actually made it worth it. 

Plus - NEW HIPS. 

I think I was a couple of items low ion the total Toss It list for 6... though I just tossed  a couple more small things, so, between beating the quota in the first several days and today's count, i think I made it! 

Late shower - it's been a hot, busy day, and I just couldn't wait til morning. 

7/6/2014 Catching Up On the Week... and Another Good Weekend!

It's been days since I posted - 

A combination of alternate busy-ness and fatigue. All self-induced. 

I've slacked on PT and exercise - not a good thing... but 1 - i feel it! And 2 - I also feel it immediately when I get back to it. 

I was a bit sore and hobbly until I got on the exercycle for 20 minutes today - immediate improvement.  

Monday and Tuesday were pretty uneventful. I walked some, cycled some... not enough sleep this week. 

Still trying to work on that. 

A friend sent out a challenge - to go through one's things and give away or throw out as many items as the date number... ie - 1 thing on the first, 2 on the second, etc. 

I am not great at doing this sort of thing - I lose track, etc. I do things at my own pace. 

However, my friend and I, in our conversation this week, talked about waiting to do things until you're ready... get ready sooner, or just do them, ready or not! Move along in life! A fine idea and suggestion! Sometimes I find that I am taking time off to de-stress, but sort of sinking  into ennui, a bit. Rest is great, but rest should I think, include activity - enjoyable, but some kind of being productive or even more, creative. 

Sometimes I just want to rest my brain, but it shouldn't be for too long. 

So, along with that, I decided to to accept that Toss Out A Day challenge, as well as a photo-a-day challenge. We have a group who became friends through a mutual friend's Photo challenge two years ago - neat people, totally different from my mostly-theatre (and Wonderful!) circle. any from the Deaf Community - ann eclectic, fun, and interesting! 

One of them missed us and revived the Challenge for July, so I'm doing what I can to keep up! It's fun and creative. 

So - so-far, I have tossed out more than the required number of items - you get started, and want to keep going - but I also want to pace myself so that by the time the end of the month comes, I will have 29, the 30, then 31 things to toss out each day!! (I'm sure I will - I have SO much "stuff! The result of being an actress/ DIrector and Props master all these years - things will always serve as a prop or costume or set piece later! - but plenty of it's gotta go. And it feels SO good when it does!) 

And so far, I have kept up pretty well with the photos - I need to post yesterday's and take and post todays... but that's not too bad. 

Wednesday was a fun evening - Friends Jess and Seth have an English friend visiting from Beijing (where she teaches). They invited me for a movie and wine/cheese party - it was wonderful! She is gluten-free (Coeliac) same as me, and she did the food. many amazing cheese, roasted figs, almonds, honey, gluten free crackers - and she made a GF Tiramisu! First tiramisu I've tasted in  -12? 13? years! delicious - and she sent me home with some. We watched the Grand Budapest Hotel - a Marvelous film! Loved it! 

And - I sat on the floor through half of the movie!!! it was wonderful - i've always been a floor-sitter and was quite limber well into my 40's (Before the hip-dysplasia reared it's ugly head and this started freezing up). 

I had to shift a bit, and the right isn't quite as flexible yet as the left (which is another reason I need to keep it up - to make sure it catches up!!) 

but it was great - such a simple thing, but I have always like sitting on the floor! It is no longer painful or impossible - Hallelujah!! :) 

Thursday it was a little going-away dinner with a friend - Moroccan food - delicious! - and theatre. "Maple and Vine" at one of our best lovel professional theatres, Capital Stage. with my friend Graham. Excellent work, a good night. 

Graham is one of my friends from Murphys, Ca, and a former roomie  -he was one of the people who stayed with me after my surgeries, and hasn't seen me in quite a few months - he was just grinning with delight to see me just zoom about! Not having to worry about how far we had to park, being able to carry my own things, etc. This never gets old! 

Yesterday was the 4th of July - as a single woman, I don't always have a place to celebrate it - I have an open invitation to any number of places for the holidays, and had a specific invitation to one - but this holiday isn't that big a thing to me... though I meant to see some friend's show about the Constitution, and got lost on the way - never did find it - but we connected for a wonderful indian/Tibetan meal at a favorite restaurant, making it a fine evening! 

I was thinking about strolling down the block to the annual open block party, but stayed in - it seems every year, as people think they have something to prove, more and more illegal fireworks are used, and later and later...   Very loud noise has always bothered me - so I was really relieved when the last series of either gunshots or Roman Candles went off at about 1:30 a.m.

  I am so happy that my kitties, feral-born and still fairly skittish, have no problem with fireworks!! They run ot the window to check it out and watch the excitement, Unless it's the M80s - that crap makes ME jump - I don't blame them for getting startled. 

No walks or bike for the last couple of days - but I DID finally get on the 'cycle for that 20 minutes this morning! The plan is to study some Portuguese and Poetry today, and also to get out for a walk in the cool of the early evening - I am so grateful that Sacramento, however hot it gets ( and it gets HOT- 106 on Tuesday this week) we get Delta Breezes - direct off the hundreds of miles of River Delta we have between here and the Coastal mountain range. It is heavenly. That's when I open up the windows and the kitties and I sit and enjoy. 

Right then... off to more adventures of the Day! (And delighted that tomorrow is another day off - three-day weekends are a lovely thing. ) 

*****************************

Well, I definitely met my Purge Challenge  items of the day for five (and more!) 

And I took a most lovely walk at dusk! A record - arounf four full blocks, so eight sides of a block - 2?3 of a mile!! I kept thinking I might cut it a bit shorter - it's always ok to do that if I feel I need to - it was still a little warm out - but nope! I stuck it out! my hips were a little tired, but the  knees were A-Ok and my feet were a little tired -- but it was terrific! 

I edited a lot of photographs (I am woefully behind) watched some TV, and now, bedtime!