Hi Baby!
What an unbelievable day! I went to see my surgeon today for my two week post-surgical appointment, and the impossible happened. He gave me a full discharge!! No more appointments, no more PT, I was free to go and do whatever I can handle, including riding! After 15 days! Unbelievable! When they took the bandage off, I couldn't believe it. I had teased him a little on the morning of my surgery about making sure the scar was just as good or better than the one the "boys" down at Cleveland Clinic had done on my right leg, and believe me, he took that gauntlet and ran with it. This is one beautiful seam. No puckering, no scabbing, it was lined up perfectly. It will be almost invisible in a year. Gorgeous! I left there a very happy camper indeed! Stopped at Walmart on the way home and picked up a few things, then managed to get them put away before Darlene, my night nurse from West Marion Hospital arrive with her daughter, and we proceeded to move the horses over from Chelle's back home. Great to have them back, and I can't wait to try to ride! They groomed and spoiled them for over an hour before they had to leave. Now that I'm free of PT, which I thought would keep me here until at least June 16, I can look at my schedule and see how much sooner I can get out of here. The temps are in the 90's now, definitely time to head north!! I managed to make a vet appointment for tomorrow to get updated Coggins and health papers, and glad I could get it because she's going on vacation all next week and it would be June before I could get them. Don't want to stay here any longer than necessary! Tried to do a little planning but ran out of time. Had a pleasant evening, and was thrilled to take a shower where I didn't have to wrap my leg up with cling wrap. It looked so much better when I finished my shower than it even does in the picture. SO HAPPY! Can't wait to get back on the road again! I have a bunch of stuff to do next week, but I could easily get out of here by the following week, maybe earlier. I have a few things to check on first, but it's all happening so quickly, which is just the way I like it! Finishing my tea and cookies and heading to bed forthwith! Good night, sweetheart! Love you!

Hi Sweetie!
Another good night sleep, all systems getting back to normal! Had Troy show up to do PT and he worked me pretty hard, telling me to ice down right after our session, but I had a job to do first. Because there was rain in the forecast, I knew I had to finish resealing it, and considering it was supposed to be over 90 today, I immediately climbed up to the roof, swept it, wiped all the sealant with alcohol and proceeded to put a nice thick layer of new sealant on. Good thing I ordered eight tubes of lap sealant, because I used all of them plus two others I still had and just managed to finish the job before running out. SO GLAD to have that job finally done. Hopefully,
I won't have any more leaks! Just as I was finishing the job, my friend and neighbor Helen dropped in for a visit, and we chatted for over an hour, so it was after 1:00 before I was finally able to start icing my leg. Because the sealant takes four hours to become water repellent, I couldn't put on my AC because that runs all over the roof, and even with all the fans on, it was pretty toasty in the trailer, so I was pretty happy when I actually dozed off very quickly after sitting in my recliner. Woke up about 3:30, managed to hold out for another fifteen minutes or so before finally switching on the AC, and was thrilled when the trailer started cooling down. Way too hot down here already! Anyway, spent some time starting to plan my exodus, with an emphasis on speed to get as far north as fast as possible! I don't typically stay at the horse motel listings, but because they're generally pretty close to the highway, I'm seriously considering it for this trip, running up to NY asap, then hanging out until it's time to go to Maine. June 16th is my anticipated departure date, if all goes well with PT. Looking forward to my appointment with the surgeon tomorrow, and getting this bandage off. Can't wait to take a shower without having to wrap up my leg like leftovers! Also want to see if the red light treatment has helped heal it faster. Finally settled down for the evening, feeling like I had a productive day. Love you, darlin'! Good night!

Hiya Darlin!
Having started my acetaminophen only regime, I still had no trouble sleeping, and woke up bright and early to meet with Tim B., a resident of nearby Steeplechase, who has come to drive my tractor and do some trail work. He showed up early for his 8:30 start time, having checked all the fluids on the tractor. I had just finished giving him his orientation when DeDe arrived in her UTV (also early), so he ran around the back yard a bit to get the feel of it, then we all headed up the trail to do the long overdue trail cleanup of the trail along E. Levy St. and between the Equestrian Center and the trailhead. It felt so good to be back out in the woods doing something constructive! I mostly helped move limbs, and we got the job done in short order. We were back in camp by about 11:00. We chatted for a minute, then went our separate ways. I then climbed into my truck and drove over to Chelle's to pick her up. So good to be back behind the wheel! From there we drove up to Bailey Mine and Watermelon Pond to put plaques on the mounting blocks we had put in, but I had forgotten my drill bits, so we only did it with construction glue, which I think will be enough, but we'll have to check on that later. Then we went up to Trenton so I could pick up some more hay, hopefully enough to last me until I head north, with enough to put into storage for the trip. Chelle helped load that up, then we tied it down well before heading back down to camp where we unloaded most of it. We took two of the bales back over to her place because my horses were running low. The plan is to bring them back over on Thursday after my surgeon appointment. That all took most of the afternoon. It felt so good to have a normal day! I forgot to do my PT this morning, but I did take my walk and worked at all my "stations," so at least I did most of them once today. Settled down for a dinner and a movie, back to my normal evening. And even with all that exercise and activity, I never felt any pain today, so the acetaminophen is doing the trick! Yay! Heading to bed shortly, my love! Good night!

Hey Sweetie,
Started the day with PT again from Home Health, with the addition of a few more exercises, spent the day icing and the usual read/TV/game schedule. Finished my oxy this morning, so it will be straight acetaminophen from now on, or at least until I change to ibuprofen for the inflammation, after doctor's approval on Thursday, though it may not even be necessary. Rick brought me another bunch of ice, and a guy named Tim came by in response to getting help with the tractor. More on this later. My movie of the day was the sequel to Hawaii, called the Hawaiians starring Charlton Heston, so that killed a good part of the day. Otherwise, same old, same old. Ready for bed! Good night, baby! Love you!

Hi Babe,
Another day of recovery with some regular chores mixed in. Walking, doing my PT exercises, icing, etc. Reading a good book, watched a nice long movie, Hawaii, based on Michener's book from 1966, did a couple of loads of laundry and even managed to get some housekeeping done, dusting and vacuuming. So all in all, progress is getting made. It will be all about pain management from now on, I think, balancing between exertion and painkillers, because I seem able to do most things, though a bit slower and more carefully so I don't lost my balance. Was just reading on Facebook that they had a terrible tornado go right through the Horsemen's campground at Brown County, Indiana, actually flipped four or five trucks and trailers on their sides! One horse and a couple of dogs were apparently killed, but no humans had fatal injuries, though there was an unbelievable amount of damage. That's one of the things I never liked about Brown County, there is zero cell phone signal at that campground, so there was no warning. I also don't like that horses have to be tied to an immovable hitching rail, rather than a more flexible highline, which would have given the horses a better change of getting out of the way without breaking their neck, which is apparently how this one horse died. So sad. Anyway, just finishing off the evening with my usual tea, some Oreo crumbs, and will soon be heading to bed. Good night, my darlin'! Love you!

Hey Darlin',
Lather, rinse, repeat! Pretty much just another day of monotonous recovery, with the exception that I gave Lola a long overdue bath. Otherwise, pretty much the same. I had a bit more pain today, because I didn't take a midday oxy, but I'm beginning to think I really need to, because I was pretty achy today, and it made my loop walking tough by the end of the day. Iced a lot though, and did one red light treatment in the morning. I really ached last night after doing the red light treatment before going to bed, so I'm thinking icing it last before bed might be a better idea, so I'm tryiing that tonight. I'm almost tempted to go back to icing all night, but that just seems like overkill, though maybe not! No one really gave me any instructions on how long I'm supposed to do it, though in my discharge papers it mentions several times a day for 20 minutes each, but I've been leaving it on much longer, just because it feels more comfortable. Sure hoping the pain level starts to drop soon! The bandage is really starting to bug me, it feels the it's restricting me, and now it feels like it's rubbing on the stitches, though that could be my imagination. Anyway, looking forward to getting it off. I did spend a little time trying to find someone to train on my tractor and do Yvette's pastures during the summer. Otherwise, just another day of reading, TV, games and soon, bed! Good night, sweetie! Love you!

Hiya Darlin',
Slept well, no doubt because of the oxy, woke up to the alarm and was ready to go when my PT guy showed up just after 8:00. After blood pressure checks and five minutes on his little portable pedal bike, we walked around the loop, stopping along the way to do the stand up exercises I've been working on. Nice to have "stations" along the way to break up the walk. I had done most of my laying down exercises before I got out of bed, and did the rest through the course of the day. Again, reading, TV, computer games, culminating in a Zoom meeting with some folks that want to revive the OTL, rebranding it as the LTO, which is a better description anyway. I told them I'd be happy to consult with them, but I wouldn't be there to help with the event. No way I'm going back down to South Florida, too many bad memories down there. Wouldn't want to leave my post up here anyway! At least here, I'm surrounded by people who appreciate me, and are willing to help me (as I would help them!) without strings attached or debts being owed. So now the day is done, I'm heading to bed. Good night, babe! Love you!

Hey Babe,
Had to take an oxy last night, my knee was keeping me away, but I had a good night sleep and was able to sleep in a bit since I didn't have the PT guy coming today. I felt pretty good in the morning, so naturally, I overdid it today. In addition to doing all my exercises at one time, and taking my walk, I drained and refilled the horse trough. During my walk, I did all the standing exercises, so essentially I did all my exercises in a short period of time, which was probably a mistake. I had learned last time I was better off spreading them out through the day, but ignored that advice and overdid it. I ended up having to take an oxy in the afternoon. It's definitely a tradeoff. If I want to keep working on the exercises,which I know will advance my recovery, I have to take the pain pills to be able to do that. If I don't take the pain pills, it's very hard to give the exercises justice, because it's too painful. I know that the pain will only diminish as time goes on, but I also know it will take a long time. But overall, it was still a good day, even though it ended up a little painful, and as they say, no pain, no gain! Looking forward to it diminishing, and eventually heading north again! Good night, sweetie! Love you!

Hiya Sweetie,
Took an oxy last night just to be able to sleep through the night, though I'm not really in too much pain, though when I'm on my side, the side of my knee hurts a bit, even with a pillow to support it. Got up bright and early again today, was just about to take my first walk when Troy arrived. I had already done most of my exercises in bed, he introduced me to one more, and we did a couple while he was here, but it seems he's relying on me to do them on my own, which is fine with me, but not what I expected would happen. Kind of miss having someone work me, like a personal trainer, so we'll see what next week brings. Spent the day doing the same routine, icing, walking, red lighting, reading, watching TV, etc. I did spend a little time looking at the AERC schedule to try to figure out where to go and how and when I can get there. It's going to be an interesting summer, albeit a bit shorter, it would seem. Anyway, had my shower, having tea, getting ready for bed! Good night, my darlin'! Love you!

Hey Darlin',
Was up a bit earlier for my Home Health PT, and even before that, Chelle and Eric came by to pick up hay while I was still in bed. I had woken up in some pain around 4:30 and took an oxy, which turned out to be the last oxy I took all day, though I might take one when I get to bed if my leg hurts. My new PT therapist, Troy, arrived a little after 8:00, and we went through some additional exercises he wanted me to do, though in the book, they seemed to be in the hip chapter rather than the knee chapter, which I'm going to ask him about tomorrow. It was a pretty tame session compared to what I did four years ago, and I may opt to go to the place in Dunellon because they have all the equipment, but it is kind of convenient to have them come to me. I walked around four or five times again today, plus did all the exercises a second time in the afternoon. It's all feeling pretty good! The only excitement today was a camper from NY (near Ithaca), who has overstayed his limit, but I'm not worried (we're otherwise empty), was set to leave today, but his bus wouldn't start. I used my BeatIt to get him going, and we thought that was it, but then he accidentally turned it off and couldn't restart it, and it wouldn't start with either my jumper or my truck, so we ended up putting my battery charger on it, and they're spending another night while it charges. I'm pretty sure the batteries are bad, he said they were five or six years old, and that he had bought them used just to get down here. I'd say he needs a couple of new batteries! Anyway, the rest of the day was my usual icing, red lighting, resting, elevating kind of day! Not much else to tell you! Good night, babe! Love you!