Medical innovations

All three of us have been embarking on medical innovations. At a quarterly visit with one of Vincent’s doctors, the doctor heard more stories about Vincent’s long sleeping and sometimes sleepless nights and laid out a path for Vincent to take a waking-up medication that might require a sleep apnea diagnosis – so off Vincent is to a sleep specialist later this month. Although Vincent’s got less than a month to finish his English class, he’s been periodically energetic, apparently writing down ideas for novels, scripts, or video game storyline ideas. Vincent apparently came back from a counseling session with this idea – ostensibly to do research for Asian-themed story lines – by going back – 2 ½ years after quitting – to St. Matthews Martial Arts, where teachers all seemed to remember him.

As I continue to go to physical therapy to work on my knee, I’ve gone back also for an aspect of the shoulder-neck-back problem that began during a June 2006 visit to Michigan. I had hoped to combine knee and shoulder visits – but I’m having to separate them , for reasons of time – and so I’m going not only for essentially do-it-yourself work on my knee, but also work on my shoulder, for which I need more help. On my first visit my PT found evidence of shoulder problems and gave me a chiropractic-style intervention that I’ve only gotten for this injury (not for the knee injury). We also took about her idea (an epidural) and my idea (acupuncture?). PT for two different injuries for a while.

Stephanie’s forays into sewing classes helped her realize that it’s not easy to find patterns that fit her, and some patterns may produce clothes that need to be altered. That – and a return to Weight Watchers, with its new Points Plus system – got her not only to count points (plus) again but to use our gym membership regularly. After going to the Breckinridge Inn gym/pool twice in one year (for some $600 – that’s $300 per family visit), we’ve gone five times in the past month – including three times in the past week. Now, in turns out that some of the knee weight machines actually bother my knee. But between swimming and weight machines and the stationary bike/”elliptical” machine – both of us have been losing weight.

-- Perry

New ventures

Only one of three new endeavors for us today panned out. After a 2 ½-year absence, Vincent went back to martial arts classes – Kenpo – down the street, and that seemed to go well, although he said he was a little sore. Although Stephanie and I going back to the gym for the second time in a month (after an eight-month-plus absence) went OK, my effort to shift from physical therapy for my knee to PT for my shoulder, etc. failed, as I miscomunicated in appointment-making with the staff (and I stuck with my knee instead). I’ll try again next week. After sewing lessons with her colleague and twice at Joann Fabrics, Stephanie was excited to go to a two-hour in-home class, with someone she had found on the Internet. But the woman was skeptical about whether Stephanie would be able to alter dresses that Stephanie had found patterns for – patterns that it turns out weren’t exactly Stephanie’s size – and so Stephanie mainly went back to making pajama pants something she had learned and mastered at JoAnn’s last week. Bummer. Now Stephanie’s back to the drawing board, trying to find patterns for clothes that will fit better.

-- Perry

Emergencies

Last week we faced a number of emergencies:

- We discovered that all of Vincent’s three online dual-enrollment high school/college classes had “timed out,” after four months and lost the money invested in them. We were able to get Vincent signed up again for one of the classes, at the same reduced rate, although incompletes will now show up on a community college transcript for him. As he tries a third time to complete this class, it’s more clear he will have until the end of February only.

- Contractors for the gas company came to our house to dig up our lawn and upgrade our natural gas links and they decided our natural gas hook-up to our dryer was outdated and shut it off, pending replacement. (The picture above shows the bulldozer they left in front of our house for a couple of days.) We were eventually able to reach our landlord and persuade him to consider covering this, and a plumber was out to our house today to do so. Our dryer should now run after being out of commission for nearly a week.

- Taking some of my stuff up to file in my boxes in the second-floor alcove, I made what may have been a mistake of peeking into Vincent’s room (which takes up most of the second floor and has no door). His room was a disaster area and this eventually led to our first post-Vincent returning argument. We seem to have made up – although I promptly left for a long weekend for work – even though Sunday night (by days of the week) was the one-year anniversary of the big argument we had that triggered Vincent’s ten-month stay with his father in Ohio. Stay tuned.

In the midst of the construction and dryer problems last week, bad weather – including two tornadoes – struck Kentuckiana. Vincent and the dog had to go into the basement, my colleagues with windows had to leave their offices, and Stephanie’s school lost power and then had to spend an hour on the floor in the hallways. Some of the kids were upset, and the events threw the whole week off.

- This past week Grandpa Beck, Uncle Don, Aunt Sandy, and her sisters helped arrange for him to shift from regular home health care, with extra therapy, to hospice care. This should give Don, Sandy, and June extra help but will mean that there are limits to what health-care workers are to do to keep Grandpa alive if he goes to the hospital. More on this later.

P.S. During my last few minutes at the sociology of religion conference my colleagues and I went to last weekend, I managed to inadvertently humiliate my manager, in a way that I imagine he’s still annoyed about. Although I’m relieved the conference – including my presentation and several other projects I was trying to get done by the end of the month – is over, as well as the election (in 20 hours), November brings the final few weeks for me to get things done before my Annual Review – probably at the end of the month – including two Panel reports, a Panel reestablishment time line, and so on. Already my manager seems annoyed that the November Panel survey is obviously going to go out late. And another mediocre Annual Review would not be a good way to go into the next round of layoffs in a year or two.

In up and down health news, Mom tried a new machine that assesses balance this week, and came through with flying colors, impressing her former physical therapists and not appearing to be the resident most likely to fall. On the other hand, I left a drawer open in the bathroom and Stephanie’s foot was injured – and bloodied – in an incident shortly thereafter.

- Perry

Other health

Aunt June and Aunt Sandy called us Tuesday to tell us that Grandpa Beck, 97, is in the hospital, facing undetermined ailments. His blood county and kidney count are low, he has bronchitis, and it's possible he had some mini-strokes. We may visit this weekend. We feel bad that we didn't spend time with him this summer, as we did last summer. This is complex, since Vincent has talked about returning to Ohio this weekend, but we don't necessarily want to encourage that (and all of us going to Ohio would certainly encourage that). I may go alone. This may impact Mom's visit, slated to start in eight days, since we may want to include an Ohio visit, which wasn't originally planned.

This week Mom is taking a two-morning AARP driving class, which hopefully is giving her tips on how to perfect her driving strategies and assess her driving abilities. After trying and failing at participating in a swim class several months ago, Mom engaged in regular one-on-one swim lessons. Her mixed feelings about water, being out of the water for 30 years, and Parkinson's made the in-class experience scary and humiliating. But her general work on stretching, strengthening, and balancing - and her specific work in the pool - made her return to the swim class a success. She's still better at some things than others, but no panic in the pool this time. Good work, Mom!

Our doctor said Tuesday that I have an infection in my inner ear - my stubborn than the more run-of-the-mill infections Vincent and I had last month - and so he put me on a new round of medication. If that doesn't work, I may head off to an ear, nose, and throat specialist, potentially to have the fluid in my inner ear drained though a tube (through my ear drum!). To try to prevent the need for this, I'm also supposed to do things like I do in an ascending or descending plane to clear my ears.

No luck feeding the turtles. We are buying a new heating element to try to get the terrarium at a better temperature (instead of only 77 degrees or 107 degrees). We tried hand feeding Monday and Big Mac tried to bite Stephanie (hope that's a good sign, that he's trying to eat)! It's very hard to get the pieces of food small enough (especially cutting up live worms into small pieces). We were also told we could try fruit.

Heard from Penny Tuesday on how Serge and Jacob's birthday parties went last week. It turns out that she and I will both be in the D.C./Baltimore area - me for a conference for work, her for another round of movement classes - so she may stay with me in Baltimore one night.

P.S. Our Weight Watchers leader and meeting were in the Louisville paper today. Check the article and accompanying pictures out at: http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2010309220035

-- Perry

More health

Friday I took Vincent for his follow-up visit to the oral surgeon did removed his wisdom teeth. Vincent’s mouth had been bothering him all week, but when we got there the doctor removed Vincent’s stitches (I missed it – I was out with the dog – in a couple of minutes. Vincent has used up almost a whole bottle of Advil, but is getting better. I’ve faced health issues as I re-re-injured my right knee (on my way to the doctor three weeks ago) and have started going back irregularly to physical therapy. Fall allergies – worsened by dust in Nancy and Bob’s basement and Nancy’s things now in our house. When I went to the doctor, I got some antibiotics for among other things an ear infection. Replacing it was a weirder ear condition that has made my hearing a little worse and has lately mimicked tennitis. Tuesday I go back to the doctor – but no running to the bus this time. In between, I’ll hope that my allergies and sneezing don’t wake me up in the middle of the night again. We’re also fighting health problems with our baby turtles, who haven’t eaten after three and a half weeks (despite one and a half reptile vet visits). This week we’re going to try to a different heat lamp.

-- Perry

Health issues

Vincent and I continue to battle colds and ear aches we picked up in recent weeks, even after we’ve run through a whole series of antibiotics. Fall allergies – plus suffering from all of the dust we’ve tracked into the house with the dozens and dozens of receptacles of fabric, etc. we brought from Nancy and Bob’s – also plague and this may be behind some of both Vincent and my symptoms. Ironically – on the way to the doctor – I ran to the bus last Monday and my knee is as bad as it’s been since I reinjured it in June. I’m behind enough at work that it’s hard to know how I’d go back to physical therapy regularly. I’m trying to do some stuff at home. Vincent has picked up a Perry-like illness – athletes’ foot, for which it’s possible we’ll try to take him to the doctor early this week. Vincent is already slated to go Tuesday to the dentist and to the psychiatrist and Wednesday to the oral surgeon to have his wisdom teeth pulled. I will take him to the Tuesday appointments and Stephanie will take him to the Wednesday appointment (her taking a day off of work, even though Tuesday will be her first day for bringing students to her new classroom, even though not everything in the classroom is ready), while getting to the doctor herself that day. After doing a lot of yard work and playing Wii Sports Resort Saturday, Stephanie’s back has been bothering her. We both hope to get back to Weight Watchers Tuesday also.

-- Perry

Baby turtles

For years one of our adult turtles, Speckles, has been laying eggs once or twice a year. In recent years, we've adopted an elaborate incubation system for the eggs, but grew pessimistic about them hatching (We knew they could be fertilized.). Imagine Stephane's surprise two weeks ago when she noticed something moving in the incubation chamber, and found not one but two apparently less than one-day-old baby turtles. We've done lots of research since, but haven't got them to eat, which we are very concerned about. We've created a somewhat different kind of habitat for them than for their parents, tried different foods, and tried fiddling with the temperature and lighting (and tried taking them outside). Their father (Greenville) went on a five-month hunger strike when he first connected with us, but the vet we took them to last week said the babies definitely wouldn't last that long. Wish for patience and ingenuity for us and energy, healing, and (eating) inquisitiveness on the part of the babies, who Stephanie have dubbed Big Mac and Filet of Fish.

-- Perry

Challenges

Tough couple of days coming up: stressful encounteres anticipated, with a church meeting Friday and then spending time with Stephanie's stepfather and stepsiblings. We'll hope to see Vincent during this.) Also Friday: Mom shifts the stuff she couldn't fit in her apartment from a storage space a couple of miles away to a space within her retirement center complex. Keep all of us in mind as we make our way through these days.

-- Perry

First day

First day of school for Stephanie, and first day back for both of us. It's the first day for teachers in her school district (with no big district-wide meeting this year), but no doubt there will be some meetings today and Tuesday at her school. Students arrive Wednesday; Stephanie is supposed to not have students until later, but she now has a classroommate, and her students, and her classroommate spent all last week what Stephanie had planned to do: set up the classroom ("volunteering"), them having both moved over the summer and now sharing a classroom. We'll see what kind of negotiation there is with her (Tiffany) and with their principal (Susie Gahan). Stephanie also doesn't know what she's teaching exactly, who she's teaching, whether she's doing after school activities (she didn't sign up for this), let alone do any lesson planning. You'll recall that the school lost the 5th grade, which Stephanie used to teach, but gained 100 extra students, plus the usual new students, with all of the district-wide school closings. Also, last year, Stephanie started teaching the READ 180 intervention program and sometimes math, in addition to teaching English as a new language, and we'll see what happens with that. You'll also recall that a district-wide ENL administrator got promoted.

(Also: As part of the reorganization, the school district switched the middle school and elementary school times, and now elementary schools start earlier, and so Stephanie must be there at 7:40 a.m., instead of at 8:15 a.m. We both got up at 5 a.m., and I may start coming in to work at 7:30 a.m. instead of more like 8:15 a.m. myself. Even if we're not carpooling, things work better if we leave at around the same time.)

Things are also a little different at my work, where I've also been gone for a week. I had to clear out much of my office before I left (when I thought I was going to meeting in Chicago), for recarpeting and refinishing the desks, etc. This is done, but now I must move back in. I've lost my telephone, which I'll probably have to pay to replace. I have behind with a range of projects and am slated to go to a couple of conferences in Atlanta for five days, starting this Thursday PM, and must prepare a Friday AM presentation for that (plus church meetings this Wednesday). Lots to do while we also try to follow up on this past week's events.

P.S. I did get some good health news for me over the weekend, although some follow-up is needed.

-- Perry

Remembering Nancy

When I think of Nancy, I think of falafel: three Fs and one L. She was Fun, Listening, Family-oriented, and Faithful.

I’ve never seen someone so determined to have fun. I’ve known Nancy for about 14 years. For a majority of that time she was injured or sick. But she didn’t let a serious car accident or late-diagnosed illness stop her from having fun. The example par excellence of this for me came Memorial Day weekend this year, when Nancy came down to Louisville to see some of the sights with us. We had a great time. Nancy went with us for 2 ½ hours to a mostly outdoors Beatles festival, even though it was very hot. The next day she watched 10 races with us at Churchill Downs. This was only two months ago, and Nancy must have already been getting sicker. But I don’t think she was faking it. She was determined to have fun, and we all did. (The picture of Nancy and Stephanie above is from the last couple of hours of that visit.)

Something else that surprised me a little about that visit was – as busy as we were – Nancy wanted to go to church with us Sunday morning. After worship she got to meet some of our church friends and our pastor. This past Sunday during worship I passed a note to our pastor about Nancy’s death. Our pastor said a prayer of thanksgiving for Nancy’s life and a prayer of concern and hope for Stephanie and our family. Then she said just seven or eight words about Nancy, talking about Nancy’s optimism and zest for life. This is someone who had talked with Nancy at most for about two minutes. Nancy’s determination to have fun was very obvious even to virtual strangers.

Nancy was also a great listener (and a good viewer and reader). Stephanie and I are both big talkers. And Nancy was so patient, attentive, and enthusiastic as we told our stories and talked about challenges we faced. Stephanie called and talked with her mother about every day, and she is never going to find someone who listened to her like Nancy did. My own mother is a very good listener too, but she is no Nancy. Nancy also viewed (and also) kept hard-copy photographs when we generated them and gave them to her and - more recently - read our blog entries and Facebook status updates and looked through our Facebook photo albums - then and now, religiously. Since we stopped blogging as regularly, I usually e-mail a few regular readers a link when we've done a few new entries. After blogging obliquely about Nancy's death a couple of days ago, I habitually typed in her e-mail address as one of the few people I was notifying about the entry before I realized that didn't make sense. Sadly, I deleted her e-mail address. No one will follow us and interact with us on Facebook like Nancy did.

Most people know how close Nancy was with her family. An interesting thing was how expansive her vision of who her family was. It certainly included all of her stepchildren, their spouses and partners and widows, and their kids – all the way down to the daughter of her recently newfound youngest stepson, who she helped show around when the granddaughter visited the United States. It certainly included all of her brothers and their kids and grandkids. And it even included people on my side of the family, including my (step) grandfather. I wasn’t there, but I’ve heard this story: One day Nancy and Stephanie were driving near Westerville and they decided to stop by my grandparents’ house, where I also lived. It turns out only my Grandpa was home, but Nancy said she wanted to meet my Grandpa. Nancy bounded in there and gave Grandpa a big hug. This was perfectly natural, as far as she was concerned: She’d heard a lot about Grandpa, felt like she knew him, and – even though Stephanie and I weren’t married yet – as far as Nancy was concerned, he was family. Grandpa, who was in his 80s then and is somewhat reserved, was a little flabbergasted. But you couldn’t help but like and love Nancy, and soon Grandpa did: Now, every time I see him, he asks about her.

A lot of us – after a bad car accident and after being diagnosed with cancer – might say: God, why did I get stuck with all of this? Why me? It’s not fair. We might doubt there is anyone up there at all. Nancy may have asked herself these questions. But she certainly didn’t talk about it. In fact, Nancy’s faith seemed to grow stronger, deeper, and richer during the last few difficult years. She was ever more faithful in her final months and years. I don't know if I could have done that.

God: We don’t know why you took Nancy from us, and we don’t know why you took her when you did and how you did. There’s a big hole here that it’s going to be awfully hard for us to fill, no matter how hard we try. But, God, I believe you have a plan for every single one of us. I can’t know this, but it seems obvious to me that part of your plan for Nancy was that she would be an example for all of us, that she would demonstrate to us how to have fun, how to listen, how to be family-oriented, and how to be faithful. Maybe just maybe Nancy had done all of this that she could, and you called her home. We miss her terribly, and I have feeling that folks there with you are getting the better end of the deal. If it wasn’t already like this, I have a feeling there is starting to be a lot of laughter, a lot of smiles, and a lot of hugs up in Heaven right now, among all kinds of folks, many of whom Nancy already regards as family. May it be so.

-- Perry

Missing Nancy

Stephanie called me at 3:45 a.m., after texting Vincent, to tell me the news. Hard to believe that just two months ago Nancy (pictured above during Night 1 of that long weekend) joined us for a marathon weekend that included 2 1/2 hours at a largely outdoor Beatles festival and 10 races at Churchill Downs and two weeks ago Stephanie and Nancy went shopping for a wedding present for Dustin and Jamie at Kohl's in Pickerington. Nancy went through an awful in the last eight years - with her car accident, Bobby's illness, and her own illness - and she remained determined and in good spirits - and deepened her faith - during almost all of it. But we so wish we had even a few more months with you.

- Perry

First of the week

Leading into an unnerving Thursday Mid-Year Review - in the wake of a mediocre January review and May's layoffs - as well as an unnerving now-annual review of my student loan restructuring - are three medical appointments for me: follow-up to Friday's colonscopy (pictured above) which what Stephanie figured out was partly a test for prostate cancer; an follow-up to my knee reinjury with an orthopedist; and our first appointment with Vincent's/our counselor since Vincent's blow-up there earlier this summer (and our first appointment with her without Vincent since last winter).

Stephanie's Mother continues to be in the hospital - with some visitors. They've ruled out kidney problems, but she is still having bladdar problems.

Mom's realtor called to say that the closing Friday is apparently on, and so, by this weekend, Mom may no longer be a homeowner.

Stephanie was back to school for the first time in seven or so weeks, at a paid week-long district-wide curriculum planning activity. Next week she'll probably "volunteer" setting up her new half classroom.

After helping entertain houseguests this weekend, I'll be traveling a lot for work-related meetings/conference in the next couple of weeks: first to Chicago and then to Atlanta.

-- Perry

Back in the saddle

Thursday, after a six-week gap, we coughed up the money (with some help) to reestablish our hotel gym/pool membership, paying the extra $20 for a family membership, so Vincent is still on our membership. We hadn't been there for quite a while.

-- Perry

Thursday

We made it three for three today, as - having gotten a new furnace and new A/C unit during the past year or so - today we got a new water heater. I left work early today as I prepared for my first colonoscopy (Friday AM) - inspired by me going with Mom to get one in December. Nancy, Stephanie's Mom, got a blood transfusion earlier this week, as she fights side effects of cancer treatment. Frisco got dental work done Tuesday, and Vincent decided his breathing problems had subsided enough that he doesn't need to go to the doctor. Vincent said Wednesday he would go today in Columbus to take the written test for his learner's permit driver's license. And Stephanie tried enjoying her next-to-last free day of the summer (now interrupted by me). Next week she will be paid to go 8-4 to continuing education activities, and the week after - her last official week - while I'll be in Chicago, part of the time - she'll probably go ahead and "volunteer" and set up her classroom, which - for the first time in New Albany - she'll be sharing, and - for the first time in four years - will be a classroom that is new to her. Custodians, Stephanie, and Vincent already moved her paced boxes to the new classroom, but the room isn't really set up. We're also planning for Vincent's next visit here, an early-September visit that will combine routine health care check-ups with the removal of two of his wisdom teeth.

-- Perry

Housing and health

My Mother spent a nervous weekend waiting to hear whether the would-be buyer of her house would go ahead and buy. He had been trying to get Mom to pay to fix some additional wood rot that was found. But no final phone call came him and the drama will apparently go on until the end of the month, when the closing is scheduled. The buyer will lose some money if he does not go ahead with it. He's buying it for his daughter, a Florida State student, to live in (and probably housemates). Mom also reached a couple of milestones: she turned in the last work product for work - a short narrative describing and analyzing some data she had put into tables - and marked her fourth week of one-on-one swimming exercise activities.

Health problems also abounded in Central Ohio, where both Stephanie's Mother and Vincent have been having trouble breathing. The guess is that Nancy's problems stem from her cancer treatment and Vincent's from smoking and asthma. Nancy was slated to go to the doctor Tuesday to find out more. Vincent and his father - having left their apartment - somewhat near Vincent's work - are now staying very near the motel we sometimes stay at when we visit Ohio - and not too, too far from Stephanie's Mom. The two also had a short drive Saturday to Canal Winchester, scene of cousin Dustin and Jamie's wedding. Vincent and his father are currently staiying in an RV - apparently Vincent's grandparents' old RV - parked in the yard of a friend of Vincent's father. (They are quite far now from Vincent's job, at the North High Street Bob Evans.)

I'm wrapping up physical therapy this week (as my knee continues to feel better - the PT said I had gone from 45% to 85%), starting taking antibiotric for stomach problems I picked up in Guatemala, and start the prerlude Thursday for a Friday AM colonoscopy. i hope my current stomach problems do not jeopardize my colonoscopy.

-- Perry

Health and housing

Frisco spent a day at the vet, with vomiting, but was back Monday night, seemingly as good as ever (see above)– though he vomited again Thursday night. The half a dozen eggs Speckles laid late Saturday night continue not to look good, and the one good one she laid earlier this spring has done nothing. The Nissan is still in the shop, undergoing rear axle work. I completed my second week of physical therapy on my right knee. At some points during the day it feels great; other times it does not. I plan to bring my cane to Minnesota and Guatemala. Stephanie (pictured below) came home Tuesday night via the Cincinnati airport (without luggage - it arrived the next day) after a challenging nine days away (in China and elsewhere), jet lagged, exhausted, and with swollen ankles and a bad cold (probably due to exhaustion, too much salt and MSG, and lots of air pollution), but no blood clots. After working on the yard all day Wednesday, she slept all day Thursday. She took something like 1,300 photos while she was away and had an mediocre-to-OK excuse for not calling me from the LA airport and not contacting me by computer once she got to China. Although she did miss having dinner with my father in Koreatown, she did not miss having Peking duck in Peking. My Mother also started one-on-one water exercise classes this week. Although the water is still cold, she's done better at this than she did with the group class, although she may re-join that as she gets used to the water. The exercises she are doing are similar to what she does every morning in the gym, but these under water. She also continues a group exercise class also at the gym, I think twice a week.

Vincent and his father are awaiting the clean-up of their place-to-be in metro Columbus, while Mother awaits word Friday on the possible sale of her house after three months on the market (including one month - May - which was the worst market for U.S. home sales in years and years).

- Perry

Exercise

It’s easy to blame Mom for some of the physical problems she’s facing, although we also profited from her working many extra years for the Department of Education. Sitting behind a desk all day and being physically active only sporadically in recent years contributed to her physical problems today. One of those problems goes at least back to her knee replacement surgery, when she was not able to do some of the exercises to get back her range of motion and make it easier for her to get up off a chair.

Tuesday I got some of this medicine myself, however. Ten days ago I reinjured an old knee injury – that goes back to running in high school and then a 1994 NYC car accident – when I slammed my knee into a metal barrier I was trying to climb over (something I’ve done several dozen times there) while walking the dog. Not only did the circumstances seem freak/stupid, but – when I got to physical therapy – one thing the therapist asked me to do that I couldn’t do was lower my foot slower from one step to another – and it was clear this was not just due to my injury but due to my failure to work out my leg muscles, as I was to do at home after my 18 months of post-car accident PT. In other words, my recovery from this latest incident might have gone more quickly if I had only exercised my leg muscles more (Mom would be too nice to say: take that, son!).

My knee really hurt after I slammed it into the barrier. Unfortunately, I had a whole long list of activities planned for the rest of the day – including door-to-door canvassing in the mid 90s in New Albany between 2 and 4 in the afternoon – and I did them all. Very late in the weekend I iced my knee and elevated it, and I have taken some somewhat hat baths since then too. Gradually, I’ve gone to some of my whole post-injury routine: using a cane (sometimes) (I didn’t find it until Friday, after we had gotten the trunk fixed), not running at all, wrapping my knee in a Ace bandage, avoiding stairs or going very slowly up and down them, driving with my left foot, etc.

I did 18 months of PT back in 1994-95 partly because I loved it, and I loved going to my physical therapist in Louisville for my neck/back/shoulder injury. So, ten days after the accident, I was finally back up at KORT Spine and Sport (inside pictured above), a few blocks from our house, being diagnosed and then – the next morning – doing an hour of exercises and icing/electrical stimulation. Some of the exercises were surprisingly hard. Periodically after walking the dog in the morning I do about 5-10 minutes worth of exercises: including some I picked up from past yoga classes, some from 1994-95 PT, and some from Louisville PT a couple of years ago. However, I have never been good about using light weights to do leg lifts, which is the kind of exercise I needed so that I could step down from that stair slowly (instead of going . . . plunk!). I also have some electric stimulation device my Dad got me, that I haven’t gotten out for years. I may have to use all of these, as I try to figure out how to do PT for at least a few weeks while I try to negotiate my PT being gone next week and then me being gone to Minneapolis and then Guatemala after that. The big question: will they allow me to take a cane on the plane? It’s going to be an interesting – but sometimes painful – few weeks. And who knows whether Stephanie dodged the blood clot bullet on her elongated (but also spread out) transcontinental flight? She won’t tell.

P.S. Two more Mom connections: Mom and I may even be doing some of the same exercises (she formerly in physical therapy and now at home or at the gym; me in physical therapy). Also, I plan to check with the physical therapist/gym staff about whether Mom could use the facility to do some exercises if she were to visit us for a week or two at some point (so she wouldn't get too far behind with that).

-- Perry

Busy week

Last Friday was the last day at work for Mom and the last day of the school year (without kids) for Stephanie. Mom’s colleagues had a modest-sized good-bye party for her, and she went through some more files. She still has a work laptop at home and a very complex table of numbers she’s trying to finish working out.

Monday morning Mom lost the close-to-the-building handicapped parking space she had informally used since she moved to the retirement center and will have to use a space she now has at an outlying parking lot. Along with not having to drive to work, this will encourage her to drive even less frequently. Mom has consoled herself about her retirement by continuing to tackle a host of transition business she’s got to take care of. She’s also begun visiting and participating several different above-ground and in-the-pool exercise classes at the retirement center. Mom hasn’t been swimming since the early 1970s, and so we’ll see how that goes. Mom concedes that she has gotten out of shape and hopes to remedy some of that without straining too much. (Her initial swim class and riding the center shuttle to a shopping mall Thursday didn’t go great.) Mom also faces challenges settling into a dining routine she likes (as practices at the retirement center continue to change) and finding people she enjoys eating with.

Stephanie ended up going back to school every day during the first four days of the week (volunteering all but one of the days). She finished packing up – or bringing home – the stuff in her old classroom and helped the custodians move some of it to the much smaller new classroom she’ll be sharing with another teacher. Tuesday Vincent and the dog went to help her. Vincent has been here for most of the week.

While I was away for the weekend, Vincent’s father – on a moving job to a nearby town – essentially brought Vincent here. Vincent – who still has a job as a Bob Evans dishwasher up in Columbus - was here ostensibly for an informal one-year class reunion of his old high school and a doctor’s appointment. As usual, Vincent spent the first couple of days here out with friends – although this with a friend we approve of - and then was tired and somewhat grouchy much of the rest of the time. Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday were all eventful. The two kids Vincent hung out with most of the time he was here back in April – who soon thereafter got arrested – had tried to be in touch with him, and stopped by several times. Vincent finally visited with one of them, but apparently told this kid – who is probably headed to prison – that he wanted to take a break.

Then Monday, when Vincent went to counseling – in the end, with Stephanie and Frisco – Vincent, apparently tiring of counseling – brought up stuff from the long past. He’s apparently been going through some of his father’s court records and started a debate with his mother about who was right in the expensive trial we were in vs. his father some 10 years ago. Tuesday and Wednesday Vincent went to the doctor and then an oral surgeon and then set up an early September for having two of his wisdom teeth out (an experience, Vincent recalls, that was particularly painful some 14 years ago for his mother). Thursday Vincent’s father called to explain that the child support enforcement office in Ohio had finally gotten on him, threatening his driver’s license if he didn’t start paying child support, and he enlisted Stephanie’s aid in lowering the monthly amount due (never mind that the final amount to be paid is shrinking in real terms, due to interest and inflation). Stephanie also got out of Vincent that – being kicked out of their apartment for having two extra people (Vincent’s grandparents) for the past few months – they kicked out the grandparents but are now having to look for a new place to live. (The child support enforcement effort may put a crimp in their plan to buy a fancy house in Upper Arlington.)

(Vincent also reprised his knife incident in a very small way by knocking over and braking a glass jar with marbles in it but also surprised us by going to church for the first time in months, for a Wednesday night dinner designed partly to help out people in the congregation – like us – having trouble making ends meet, with a free meal.)

Unsure about how to afford the time and money to driving Vincent all the way to Ohio Thursday (Vincent pitched that we shouldn’t do the usual meeting his father in Covington (KY) just south of Cincinnati), instead, for the first time, we drove him to the Cincinnati bus station and but him on a Greyhound bus for Columbus. This was a trial run and he should be able to do the whole bus route between Louisville and Columbus at some point (but not if he has a lot of stuff). With a driver’s license or not, his father picked him up last night and they got home safely last night. Vincent was to work this morning.

(In the past, Vincent’s father has gotten out of the driver’s license penalty by saying he can’t work – driving a moving truck – without a license and therefore wouldn’t be able to pay child support anyway. But it’s a vicious circle, because when he gets his license back and works, he doesn’t pay any child support either.)

(Because Vincent’s relationship with his friends here has dwindled – except for the friends in trouble who he broke it up with – and I guess except for the guy he hung out with this past weekend – having Vincent home this week – when he wasn’t asleep – especially since Stephanie was home some of the time – was a bit like back when Vincent was on house arrest, in that he was willing to hang out with us and do stuff with us. Vincent and Stephanie watched “Ghost Hunters” and a PBS show about ferrets and their people on TV together Wednesday night.)

-- Perry

Family news

Friday is the big day at my job. Earlier this week Mom got the go ahead to work at home, up until her retirement date (June 4). She went in for several days and got some important work done that she could have only done in the office. She met with a fitness center staff and was a little surprised that she can only mainly do what she’s been doing at the gym (she missed a couple of days when she was at the office most of the day) – She may have to consider breaking down and do exercises in the pool. Hasn’t gone swimming for 32 years.

I called Mom’s realtor’s office about whether we could get in to see Mom’s house during our brief visit next week, and she said that prospective landlords – attracted by the four bedrooms – have been the biggest draw to see the house so far. One person who visited didn’t like the house backing onto the apartment complex (over the fence). The pictures on the realtor’s website certainly don’t show the complex behind the house (though it peaks out behind the fence in the picture above). The bigger recent challenge as been the now student rentals on both sides of Mom’s house, and we probably won’t feel great about contributing to that.

(Mom will also be headed to the doctor's office Friday for a routine visit.)

Stephanie’s had a crazy week, staying at school to work late every night, five nights in a row. Tuesday afternoon was the probably the last district-wide English as a new language teaching staff meeting with the long-time leader, who will probably have different responsibilities next year (and Stephanie’s Camry may get fixed as a follow-up to that meeting). Tuesday night brought a very modest-sized group of parents and children coming mainly from the school whose families tried to hard to keep it from getting closed (the school that President Bush visited several years ago). But one Silver Street parent said he opposed the closing but was excited about Fairmont’s diversity (including many of Stephanie’s students). Wednesday afternoon brought some annoyances but bottom line a visit by a group of district staff, local academics, and state staff eager to let the IN education officials how Stephanie’s ENL program could be a model for others around the state.

(Earlier Thursday Stephanie also took her fifth-grade ENL students - and this year the fourth-graders too - in an annual field trip to see the middle school where most of them will be attending and to meet some of the staff. The regular ENL teacher - the one injured in a bad car accident this winter - is of course still out. But they met the long-term sub who Stephanie met last week, as she's a student in one of the Indiana University Southeast teaching ENL classes.)

Undergoing new treatment, Stephanie’s mother is already seeing some new side effects (without the old side effects all going away). Earlier this month Nancy and Bob had their swimming pool filled in with a dirt – a pool that Vincent, Stephanie, and I enjoyed regularly – and that dates back almost to when Stephanie, Nancy, and Bob first lived there. Maintenance is a challenge, and neither Nancy nor Bob ought to be outside in the sun.

-- Perry

New Albany night

Stephanie, Frisco, and I were all in New Albany until late Thursday. I planned to take Frisco with me to an “Organizing for America” phone bank making calls to Southern Indiana Democrats to urge them to call U.S. Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN) to urge him to vote for financial industry regulatory reform. First time I’d phone banked for several weeks, and the first time not for health care reform. Frisco came along with me. Stephanie stayed late for a “family literacy” program put on by Indiana University Southeast for her English as a New Language students and their parents. Stephanie was kind of a star, as the MC essentially interviewed her, asked her questions about the families. Plus there were two IUS ENL education grad students who said they had heard of Stephanie , were excited to meet her, and hoped to follow up. A new READ 180 coach also appeared during the day to offer Stephanie feedback.

Things weren’t so great back on the other side of the Ohio River. Thanks to me leaving Frisco in the back yard during the afternoon (and taking him to New Albany with me), he had no accidents for the first time in three days. Back at work, however, things did not go so well. Some long, closed-door meetings, and rumors from other sources, suggest that the cuts – in general and in our offices – may be quite severe, which leads me to believe the Presbyterian Panel, which I’ve administered in 14 months in my new position, may be on the chopping block. Hard to see how they could justify keeping me – instead of some of my colleagues – if they got rid of my research program. Mid-week next week will find at least three people from my office headed to a de facto job search workshop at work (why before the layoffs? Asked my colleagues; I answered: because if they do it afterwards, the laid off people will all be gone – it will be too late). There are other interpretations out there. This may not be by accident – we may all three be on our way out. Thursday I came closer to finishing a draft of another report and signed up for the new jobs e-mail distribution list at church.

Mom went into work for the first time in months and found that her new medication doesn’t seem to work as well as her old medication. She was sleepy at work, but – more importantly – she found some of her Parkinson’s symptoms – ones she may or may not have missed in recent days – were more in evidence – which made it tougher for her to walk. She’s going through her files electronic and hard-copy and logging more hours in so she doesn’t use up all her vacation.

-- Perry