Points To Ponder

Our pastor has started a new series titled " If You Want To Enjoy Life", a fresh look at the Ten Commandments. Quotes from this week's bulletin:

I have wondered what the Ten Commandments would have looked like if Moses had run them through the US congress. Ronald Reagan

The Ten Commandments contain 297 words. The Bill of Rights is stated in 463 words. Lincoln's Gettysburg Address contains 266 words. A recent federal directive to regulate the price of cabbage contains 26,911 words. Unknown source.

Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away. Philip K. Dick, science fiction writer.

God went to the Jews and said, "I have Commandments." "Commandments? How much are they?" "They're free." "Good then, we'll take 10!". Author unknown

They Mean Well...But

Have you ever noticed that when you have a physical problem there's always someone who feels compelled to tell you about their own horror story...such as, "yeah I broke my shoulder many years ago and cut the nerve and it took 15 years before I got feeling back"....or "where did you go for your surgery"...and when they are told...."oh, you should have gone to Seattle." Huh?? That's like saying I shouldn't have fallen in the first place. This injury is teaching me a lot about compassion and what empathy means...in other words if you can't say something positive, supportive or encouraging go find someone else to talk to. OK, now I feel better.

Calling All Gardeners

If you need some gardening inspiration get yourself a copy of the movie, A Man Named Pearl. This is a wonderful documentary about a black man in South Carolina who taught himself the amazing art of topiary, you know, those amazing plant sculptures. This man's work ethic would challenge the busiest person and his legacy for the small town he lives in is positive in every way. You will definitely want to get yourself a good hedge trimmer after watching this one.

Two Steps Back

Yesterday's visit with the surgeon was a bit disappointing. Injury to the median nerve was found near the fracture line with it cut through nearly 50%. Sutures the width of a hair strand were used to repair it and as you can probably imagine I'm not advised at this time to do handstands....or much of anything else. My hand is in a splint in a flexed forward position, the idea is that there should be no pressure or strain on that repaired nerve. The splint will need to be worn for "several" weeks and I am to see the hand therapist next week so he can create a splint and the flexion will gradually be increased as it heals. I can move all my fingers, (the surgeon was thrilled about that) but I have numbness in the thumb, index and middle. That will take some "time" to resolve...I didn't inquire how much time, I'll save that question for another day when I'm more psychologically prepared. In the meantime it's hard to go back to a dependent state so I am doing everything I can to do what I can. My right hand has become incredibly talented and even performed the one handed bra attachment and I now hook the hairdryer on BJ's towel rack and just bend down to dry my hair. To get ready for the day without assistance is HUGE. I don't think I'm ready for "cookie therapy" yet but maybe I can pick up one of those little scooper thingies that scoop the dough and release it onto the cookie sheet. Someone must have invented that thing for a reason.

On another note, yesterday was BJ's 71st birthday. I think he looks pretty hot for 71. After my appointment yesterday I hurried from the clinic to the ferry to try to catch the 3:35. BJ and I planned to go out to dinner to celebrate and I said a small prayer asking God to try and get me on that boat. I think a lot of prayers are said in ferry lines! The next ferry was at 6 pm. When I got to the ferry line I was on standby (worse than a 4 letter word). I watched as the four cars in front of me had their standby tickets removed from their windshield and thought, "this doesn't look good." After some nailbiting time the attendant came and took my ticket off and ushered me on. One more car boarded after me and we were tucked in as tight as could be. I called BJ and said, "Happy Birthday this is your gift today" and we were both grateful!!

Avatar X2

Last week we took our boat to Victoria on Vancouver Island for "Victoria Days." It's our 4th year to participate and always a fun time to be "parked" in front of the Empress Hotel. The weather was chilly but sunny, always nice not to have it raining when on a boat. We reminisced again that it was 21 years ago when we first went to Victoria to celebrate BJ's 50th birthday during which it rained the whole time.

You can just see "little" Kaviar sandwiched in between two bigger boats.

These following two characters were new this year...part of the street entertainment. This "statue" who really did make me do a double take was amazing...but wouldn't it just be a whole lot easier to just go look for a real job instead of the work of dressing up like this every day???

This guy who played the violin badly, posed for me but when he wasn't playing he was either smoking (who knows what?) or talking to himself. I did give him an "A" for costume however.

So why the blog title "Avatar X2"? Victoria has this amazing museum and Imax theatre which was showing Avatar. So BJ and I went to see it and loved it so much we went back a second time. We are not science fiction fans but this movie just fascinated us and we kept saying, "how do they DO that???????? We did not see it in 3D but Imax was the next best thing.

Immobile Again

Yesterday I had additional surgery on my hand. Although several fingers are still numb and I have some swelling, I'm in a whole lot better shape than after the fracture surgery. But I must admit this saga is really getting old. The most I could get out of the surgeon in my groggy state was that there was some median nerve damage and that it was repaired with an outcome unknown at this time. Hopefully I will get more questions answered when I see him next. In the meantime I'm in a splint and BJ is back to hooking bras.

Turn On The Lights

From this week's church bulletin insert: It spoke to me.

Darkness is a breeding ground of fear. When we are in the dark, we can't see anyone or anything. We feel panicky, helpless, isolated, vulnerable, lost, confused, frightened. Most of all, what we feel is alone. Darkness isolates us; it disorients us and causes us to exaggerate and distort reality. The disciples were desperate in their boat. They were overcome with panic and confusion. The darkness made Jesus hard to see.

In C.S. Lewis's The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, the Dawn Treader has sailed into Dark Island and everyone on the boat is terrified (much like the disciples in their boat were), except for a lone courageous mouse named Reepicheept. At one point in their journey, when it looks as though they'll never get out of Dark Island, Lucy, one of the visitors to Narnia, whispers "Aslan, Aslan, if ever you loved us at all, send us help now." Lewis writes, "The darkness did not grow any less, but she began to feel a little-a very, very little-better." Almost immediately one of the crew spots a tiny speck of light ahead, which, again, "did not alter the surrounding darkness but did light up the ship." Notice that the darkness did not diminish. God does not always rid us of the darkness; He joins us in the darkness. Michael Yaconelli (Dangerous Wonder)

A True Sailor

Some of you may have been following the journey of Jessica Watson, who has become the youngest person at age 16 to sail solo around the world non stop and unassisted. We heard about her before we left on our cruise and we were about two weeks behind her rounding Cape Horn. I checked her blog frequently during her journey and was always glad I was cozy and dry on a large ship with someone else doing the navigation. I have a certain amount...ok, a LOT of admiration for this young woman. Having done a little bit of sailing I am familiar enough with what it takes to handle a boat and it's a lot for one person. To even begin to think of some of the weather she has been in and especially at night...I have never sailed at night...and don't wish to...well you do have to take your hat off to her. She is indeed one amazing woman (girl) and it will be interesting to see what she goes on to do with her life. She makes me think of the early explorers who ventured out at very young ages and accomplished great things. But to be alone on a 34 foot sailboat from Oct. 18 until May 15, well that takes some inner fortitude.

The Mom Song, It's The Best

Tuesday at Morning Break, our weekly women's Bible study at church, someone brought their laptop and played the "Mom" song. The Go Fish guys sing it and it's great. To see it, go to www.gofishguys.com and click on the "Mom" song. It will definitely put a smile on your face and moms of all ages need that!

RSD Confirmed

Today I visited a certified hand therapist in Anacortes. As soon as he saw my arm he said "oh, yes, you have RSD." Fortunately it's not the worst case he has seen and feels it will resolve in a year's time. This is someone the surgeon had originally recommended but I had balked at because he is off island. Well, today I realized I had made a mistake and have sacrificed convenience for expertise. I came home with specific exercises, hand putty and a stretch fabric for exercising my wrist. He understands the hassle of the ferry and suggests coming once a week but I think I will gain as much from once a week with this guy as I would get with my current therapy twice a week on island. He only treats hands so has a very good understanding of my current lack of mobility. He will also speak with the doctor to discuss the upcoming surgery and try to give his opinion of what may be the problem. I go back again Monday so am resigned to spending "quality" time on the water transportation system.

Relaxing Mother's Day

We had another beautiful day here so after church and a brunch at home, yours truly took some time for some R&R on the deck sitting in the sunshine reading a book. Snoozing soon followed as I enjoyed the sun's rays and the sound of BJ's rythmic swish, swish of the ax as he chopped wood. No rest for the weary there. Great chats with both of the girls almost made up for our lack of spending the day together...but not quite. I so remember all the mother's days we have spent together when my mother was living and realize how much I miss that. But hearing the voices of your kids is the next best thing and BJ and I later sat out on the deck enjoying the beautiful evening and being grateful for springtime.

Testing The First Mate

Today was a spectacularly beautiful day...and, of course, I left the camera at home. But we headed to the boat for a short outing to see how everything worked since BJ has to take the boat by himself on Monday to have the bottom waxed. It was also a good day to test the first mate to see if she could handle the lines. All seemed to go fairly well although no sound skipper would sign her up anytime soon as a serious deck hand. But wearing a brace gives extra support and I think I'm ready for Victoria Days in about another week and a half when we will join other yacht clubs for a few days tied up in front of the Empress Hotel.

...And The Good News Is...

...that there is only so much bad news. A visit to the surgeon today to check my progress was not surprisingly disappointing. I have known my wrist has not been making normal progress and today the surgeon confirmed that he has concerns regarding possible RSD, or reflex sympathetic dystrophy...I won't go into detail, you can Google it if interested. My ongoing swelling, ultra sensitive skin to touch and stiffness are symptoms. Also, my thumb still refuses to bend and my sensory issues in the thumb and palm remain unimproved. So, he thinks it is advisable to explore surgically the nerve issue to my thumb to see if it's impinged, damaged etc. and this has been set for May 24. I also learned that my fracture was an intra articular fracture which means that it went into the joint...not good news since it disrupts the cartilage. Barb, you're really a pro at falling. OK...that's enough bad news for one day...it WAS sunny today, so that was nice.

Typing With Two Hands...YEA!

Well, another milestone today. Today after therapy I discovered I can now type with two hands and use all the right keys! It was an amazing discovery for me!!! My left hand is not completely in the right position and it's a somewhat uncomfortable stretch to type but, hey, it's progress and at this point I'll celebrate anything. My biggest obstacle continues to be the swelling that makes mobility difficult. No wonder "they" say it can take a year or two to recover from this kind of fracture. I'm just 6 weeks tomorrow since surgery and I am discovering I'm not the most patient patient. I miss my old hand, how it looked, how it felt but as the therapist said today, I have this year to focus and make my hand the priority if I want to have many years of good function ahead. He's always so darn practical.

Worthwhile Movie

Last night we watched Something The Lord Made. It's based on a true story of a surgeon at Johns Hopkins who was trying to find a cure for the birth defect called "blue babies" during the 40's. We were very moved by the story, definitely worth your time. It's a tribute to the perseverence of someone who struggled unnecessarily because of not having the "right" skin color.

First Class

What makes a boat first class???...a toilet paper holder, of course! We have not had one on our boat but this year thanks to BJ's workshop, the toilet paper will be properly dispensed. You have to admit it's the little things in life that make the day!