GeorgeLesley

As those of you who are regular readers of my ocassional blogs know, I don't talk about my medical situation often. But I think this important enough to try and get the word out. About six months ago I was diagnosed with arterial fibrillation (a-fib). I found that pedalling my exercise bike at any heart rate above 115 to 120 caused me to go into a-fib. I saw a cardioligist and was put on a beta blocker. No improvement. The next alternatives were not attractive to me. One day while on webmd.com, I saw an ad for a "cure" for a-fib. I'll make a long story short: It worked for me, at least so far. It is a herbal concoction from New Zealand called Flemeton. After taking it for about three weeks, I can now get my heart rate up to 135 which is my therectical max, and keep it there for as long as I wish without triggering an attack of a-fib. The product claims most a-fib will be cleared up in two months or less of daily dosing of the product, severe cases may take three months. It is not expected that taking the med for more than three months will be necessary, thus it is sold as a 90 day supply. It has worked for me. It costs about $1 a day for a 90 day supply. Money well spent in my mind. I plan to take the entire 90 day supply and then hopefully taper off the beta blocker and see what happens. Another bit of medical news. I have lost the weight I spoke of in my last entry, and have now been able to go off the diruertic I have been on since my stroke. Lesley has also been able to go off hers as well, now that she is exercising daily and we are both eating a very healthy diet. Enough medical stuff, Lesley and I have added four new raised beds to our garden this spring and I have put a soaker hose watering system in all the beds. The entire garden area is fenced in as well. We have also moved a pile of crushed rock around to various places near the house to take care of some settling. In amongst all of this I have managed to get my fishing gear ready for the fast approaching season. We are also preparing for the upcoming season of baking bread and selling it at the local Farmer's Market. Now that Lesley is retired, I will not have to pile rocks in the front of my canoe for ballast, she will do nicely and paddles much better than rocks. More conversation too. Anyway, enough for now. Please, if you know anyone who suffers from a-fib, encourage them to try this stuff.

Well it is time for some catch up on our lives here. It has been warmer than usual, little snow, and try as I might not to, thoughts of spring abound. I know it could be fooling us like it did last year and give us a foot of snow in April, but the bright sun is irrestible. Lesley is trying out new breads for the market this year. Now that she is retired she has the time for it. I don't mind, someone has to test these new breads and I don't mind being a guinea pig. Now that Lesley is back, life has gotten much busier. We went ice fishing for a few days at Lake of the Woods on the Canadian border. We did it in complete comfort. Stayed in a cabin, Transported to a heated ice house in the morning, all meals provided, even lunch on the ice! Also we went on a dog sled ride a few weeks ago. This spring we are planning a houseboat for four days on Rainy Lake on the Canadian border. In between all of this we have been clearing snow, planning the summer garden, dreaming of the camping and fishing trips on the schedule, and getting the fishing tackle ready for another year of chasing "the big one". Now that Lesley is retired, she is loving sleeping in and having the freedom to do whatever she wants. She is going to all sorts of seminars and classes on gardening, cooking (yum), and whatever else strikes her fancy. We have been adopting a family that lives near us. They have a 2 year old boy and a four year old girl, and we have become their adopted grandparents, a task we don't mind doing. I figure that by the time the boy is old enough to carry a canoe, I won't be able to, so it should all work out for both of us. Economic times seem to still be not so good. The above mentioned family is struggling with unemployment, and some other good friends are at the point of foreclosure on their home. We may have them living in the basement we finished last year. My friend Mike has recovered from his last stroke, but is not as active as he was. He now exercises only a bit and is not so happy anymore. The Dr. told him to not get his BP up at all, so his life has become rather mundane. I told him he is 73 for crying out loud, be happy. Lesley and I have both started a diet. I put on about 15 lbs after the stroke, was starting to lose it when I had the shoulder surgery a few years ago and have never taken it off. It is coming off now and I WILL have it off by May when fishing season opens! That will be 15 lbs more fishing and camping gear I will be able to carry. We have both been exercising daily. I am very proud of Lesley, she is doing an hour a day on the treadmill and Bowflex machine. I do whatever my shoulder allows me to, about 30 minutes or a bit more. Most of the winter honeydo projects scheduled were not done because of my sore shoulder. Assuming it stays as good as it feels now, they will be done next winter. I had an MRI on it a while back and the report was no muscle tears, just severe inflammation. The Dr says to ease off the exercise and let it heal. Oh well. Well, the day awaits, so off I go.

Well a happy holiday season to all! My good news is that Lesley is coming back Jan 1. The family has all settled down in New Zealand, The son and granddaughters have a place of their own again living their own life, and Lesley has come to be of the opinion that it makes no sense for her to work in New Zealand to support herself when she could be here in Minnesota retired. She has resigned from the hospital here and is now officially retired. So, the first flight she can get out is Dec 24th, then a week in California with an aunt, then HOME! Mum has decided to stay in NZ afterall. She initially said she would come back with Lesley, but in the end just couldn't bring herself to leave her country of 87 years. Can't say as I blame her. Unfortunately this means that if she becomes incapable of self care, the only option is a government nursing home since there is nobody else to look after her. She says she understands that possibility, but that is the way she wants it. My friend Mike was officially diagnosed as having had another stroke, a hemmoragic one. The good news is that he seems to be fully recovered, and no new deficits. Is riding his bike again, and seems to be back to his old self. I have been trying not to put on weight since Lesley has been gone, but with all the invites by friends to come over and eat, it has been a challenge. Over Thanksgiving I was invited out Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. I was about turkeyed out by Saturday. Christmas looks as though it will be equally challenging as I have three invites I will be trying to juggle. Don't know what it is, sure can't be the good looks. I have sorted out the problems with my left (stroke side) shoulder. The doc sent me to PT, thinking it was a frozen shoulder. Turns out it was just muscle tone in the upper chest and arm itself. Three weeks of pt and it is now better that it has ever been since my stroke. The pt thinks I had just gotten too aggressive with the strengthening exercises with the Bowflex and triggered spasticity again. So I am doing EXACTLY what he says now, no more, no less. He released me yesterday from further therapy with a promise that I will continue with his slow plan to keep it getting better. Three years now post stroke, and just now figuring it out. I always said I am a slow learner. It takes time, but NEVER give up. It can keep getting better. No problem carrying the canoe this coming summer! A good thing because now that Lesley is retired she and I plan several camping trips into the wilderness with tents, canoe and such. I think I now have a good idea what caused my stroke. It was never diagnosed at the time. All the usual things were checked and were good. But since then I have found out I get A-fibularation when I get the heart beating too fast. I wne thru a full stress test and it was diagnosed. I have since found out an effect of it can be a clot forming in one of the heart chambers and having a clear path to the brain. Well, three days before my stroke I helped a friend cut and pull a Christmas tree out of the woods. It was a huge tree and we had to pull it out thru deep snow. I had to stop every 100 feet or so to catch my breath, heart racing. I now think that I was in A-fib then but didn't know it, and likely formed a clot unknowingly, and stroked three days later. Now I am on a beta blocker to slow the heart down, and plavix of course. Now that I know about the problem, I keep the heart rate down, and have slowed my exercise biking to keep the rate below 100, instead of the 130+ I used to get it up to. I now wonder if I could go off the Plavix, since I am aware of the problem and just don't get the rate that high anymore.. My doc says NO. So I am not being bull headed about it and am still on the plavix. Anyway, my coffee cup is empty, and longtime readers know what that means.

Wes, I have noticed the same thing even with those that have had some medical problems. When I found things that worked for me in my stroke rehab, some with similar events in their life were too full of excuses as to why it would not work for them to give some things a try. I am not a Chargers fan normally, but I am a fan of whomever is playing the Cowboys, so I agree, go Chargers! George

Sue, Great blog. I am sure we all have some selfishness in a deep, small corner of our brain. It is what we do about it that counts. You prove everyday you have yours not only under control, but conquered. I salute you and the courage and selflessness you display everyday.

Well am I ever happily embarrassed!. The report I wrote on my last blog about my friend Mike was premature! I had gotten bad info, made an assumption, all proved to not be true. I got a call from Mike a week ago, just about knocked me over, and it turns out he was incommunicado for a time, and those that were supposd to let me know did not. Anyway, he is in the rehab hospital that we originally met in, says he should be back home in the near future, and is expected to recover almost fully. Not a happy camper, but it sure was good to hear from him. Lesley is working part time in New Zealand as an RN, but is learning some lessons about life she really didn't want to learn. During her absence the grand gilrs have begun to grow up, are now living a busy life, piano, soccer, drama, etc, etc, and don't have the time to spend with her she expected them to. We have always wanted our divorced son Stefan to find someone to help him raise the girls and spend his life with. Well, guess what, Stefan has found a lady also divorced with two girls about the same age as his, and they all get along famously. The result? The two nanna's (mum and Lesley) are not as needed as they used to be, and see a lot less of the family. Good for the family, but not so good for Lesley and mum. It sort of brings out the truth to the old saying "be careful what you wish for, you might just get it". The result is that mum is talking about coming back with Lesley to stay with us, as she realizes that once Lesley leaves, she will be lonely. We'll see how that all works out over the winter. Much to be done if that is to happen. Here back in Minnesota, I have pretty much got everything ready for winter around here. The ATV is ready for plowing snow, which has already made small appearances. I plan to do some serious ice fishing this year and have already gotten the winter parkas and such out. Just waiting for the lakes to freeze, probably about six weeks away yet. Seems funny not having bread to bake now, we had a super successful summer what with making about sixty loaves of bread, 20 pies, and thirty scones every week, plus having 20 to 40 people over for outdoor pizza parties. I have already cut up, split, and stacked the wood we will need for next year. The honeydo list is still there, but waiting mostly till I feel motivated to do it. Finishing the ceiling tile in the basement is the major remaining project, but my left (stroke side) shoulder has been giving me some problems, and the thought of working over my head on a ladder does not appeal at the moment. Living as a batchelor has taken a bit of getting used to Eating has been a bit of a challenge, but I have developed a "heat and eat" strategy. I reach into the freezer, grab something, if it fits into the microwave, I just keep pushing number one until it is done and then eat. I have lost a few pounds doing this, and that is not a bad thing! I did talk to the doc about cutting some meds because I bleed and bruise so easily with the plavix. We did agree to eliminate the fish oil and motrin as they both thin the blood, but she would not budge on the plavix for now. The reason for my stroke was never diagnosed, but I now have a pretty good idea what caused it, but this entry has gone on long enough, so I'll save that thought for another day during the winter inbetween ice fishing days. Bye for now, all

Some sad news today to report. Regular readers will recall me mentioning my friend "Mike" I met while in rehab. We stroked about the same time, and our recoveries were similar. Mike rode his bike up to 20 miles a day after his stroke and was never satisfied with his progress, always striving for more. Mike has passed away unexpectedly. He developed a bleed in his brain, not a stroke, but the result was terminal. I went and saw him in Duluth hosp (125 miles away) while he was there I'm glad I did. I feel lost not having my buddy to talk to every week about health matters, get encouragement from him, and discuss the world in general. Only readers of this blog will understand the bond that formed between us. I'll miss him. Anyway life goes on. Lesley is in New Zealand probably for the winter 6 months or so. The summmer was so busy here and after her mum left Lesley crashed mentally and physically. It was obvious to me she needed to spend some serious time with her family in New Zealand. She said she needed to go for the month of October. I told her to go for the winter she would not accomplish much in a month, and that she needed to be there for an extended time, the dogs and I would be OK alone. Her mum is 87 and we could see a decline in her health, so now is the time to be with her. Lesley is working as an RN parttime in NZ as I told her I could manage with the money I get each month, but could not send her money. So, she is living with mum, driving her car, and spoiling the grandkids. She wondered if she should save some money for her return and I told her absolutely not, do what grandmothers do and spoil her family while she has the chance. We have two grandgirls, one 13 and one 11. She is showing them how to knit, etc, before they get to be older and forget her name as teenagers often do. Around here fall is upon us, and I am going thru some adjustment myself, from a busy summer of not enough hours in a day to do everything to now not having alot to do. By the time she returns I should have the "Honeydo" list completed. Long term readers of this blog know that I can sometimes wax on in a philisophical mode. Today is just such a day. I have always saved every penny I could, and put off things I would like to do for another day. My friends sudden passing has made me rethink that strategy, There are a few things I still would like to do, and I think I will get on with doing them. One is a fly in camping and fishing trip to a very remote place in Canada. Fewer than 1,000 people go there every year, and the place is over 1,000,000 acres in size. I'll probably have to help pay for any buddy I take along as it is more than I could do on my own, but that is OK. There are no facilities, communications, canoe paddling only, and you have only what you bring with you. I am 64 now, it is probably time to get on with it and not put it off for a better day. I have been exercising alot the past six months, and it is really helping. Still know I had a stroke, but don't talk about it anymore except here. Anyway, my coffee cup is empty, must fill it and then get busy living life.

To understand the title of this entry you will have to read the end (don't cheat). Summer is fast slipping away and it has been a busy one. So far it is the coolest summer on record here. Anyway, the bread business has exploded into other items. We now make about 20 pies each week for sale to individuals and one lodge in the area, (Lesley assembles the pies, yours truely does the actual baking), about 60-75 loaves of bread each week, scones, and the latest idea of Lesley's is pizza parties on Thursday and Saturday nites. That idea has taken off as of late. For $10 you build your own pizza (all toppings and base provided), get a salad from our garden, and a sip of Lesley's liquors served at the end. Kids do smores, etc around the campfire. She is presently working on a wedding party on Labor Day weekend as well. I have been forced to start cutting wood again as we now go thru quite a bit. The best part of all this activity around the house is all the neat people we meet. It is facinating to watch total strangers mix and mingle making pizza and sitting around a campfire. We have met folks from around the country, all walks of life, each with their own stories to tell. We have had up to 14 people at a time for the parties. The success of these parties has been a total surprise. Many are tipping generously, saying our price is too low. Someone dropped off a tip in our mailbox the other day thanking us for a great night. Another dropped off some scrap wood for the fire yesterday. The deck screening in project has been completed and there are no other major projects planned until winter, then it gets busy again. Lesley's "honeydo" list never gets shorter, just what is on it changes as I complete projects, new ones appear on the bottom. We have three bathrooms in a house with two people, but we seem to need an outhouse. Also a root cellar is being talked about and a sauna. Did I mention paneling the upstairs? All of this has cut into my fishing time, but I still find time for some each week. I bought a smaller boat with an electric start motor which will be nice for the day when I can no longer pull it. The cool summer has led to some great fishing. I love it. Lesley's mum from New Zealand is here until the end of the month and has had little time to rest. She will go home to rest. Lesley, mum, the dogs, and a neighbor lady and her kids have gone blueberry picking today, I must get the fire ready for pizza tonight, stack wood, etc. It is also an exercise bike riding day which I now do everyday getting my pulse to around 120 and holding it there for 20 minutes. I had to change my HBP meds because I was getting A fib in the heart, so now on a beta blocker (whatever that is), and I have slowed the exercise down a bit to keep myself out of A fib. I do the Bowflex exercise maching three times a week for about 45 minutes. I must admit I feel more fit than I have for some time. I still wear my AFO in the woods, and still know I had a stroke, but life goes on. One final story I must tell. At one of our pizza parties a doctor and her husband came. One thing led to another and she complained about working out all winter and still being unable to lift their canoe alone. I took her over to our canoes, gave her the kevlar (the lightest I have) and asked her to show me how she was lifting it. As she started, I immediately saw the problem, had her put it down and showed her the proper technique. She then lifted it on the first try. I then said let's try the aluminum which is much heavier. She was able to lift it also. The smile on her face as she proudly showed off to her husband her new found skill was, as the saying goes, "priceless". I shared her joy with an understanding only those of us who have overcome adversity know. They left a generous tip, even though we told them "no charge", seeing her smile of achievement was enough payment. Now it is time to get busy, the coffee cup is empty, but the fire and woodpile await as does the exercise bike.

Sue, You may remember my blog about "comet dust" a year or so ago.I think we must have passed thru a cloud of it recently as I wake up stiffer and sorer everyday. I use my projects as a therapy just as you are using your outside interests. Good luck and keep up the good work!

We are patiently waiting for spring ( and hopefully summer) to arrive someday. We had a snowy, cold winter that just won't leave. In March we had a warm spell, temps in the forties. I started to think we would have an early spring. A friend of mine told me not to be fooled, it was just teasing us. Man was he right! May 31st we had snow flurries! This morning it is a beautiful day, I plan to go fishing, but when I looked in my boat the bit of water in it was now ice. Anyway, enough about the weather. If we didn't like it we wouldn't live here. I thought about titling this entry "squirrels are smart too". The latest project is putting a roof on and screening in the deck. The project is nearly done now, just a bit of screening to be done. I did need some help with the roof, I am just not as stable as I used to be and didn't feel comfortable trying it alone. Good neighbors took care of the problem. But on to the squirrels. As part of the project I decided to "squirrel proof" a bird feeder we hang from the deck rail. Thus I joined the legion of people that think they are smarter than squirrels. It has been like a chess match. As soon as I put another barrier to the feeder in the way, a few minutes later the little devils come back and find a new way to the feeder. It is now a standoff. I have made it difficult enough for them that they don't come nearly as often, and when they do they are not always successful. It was my pleasure to watch yesterday as they missed two jumps and fell (unharmed) about 12 feet to the ground. They ran up the nearest pine tree and chattered fiercely at me. The up side of all of this has been a tremendous increase in bird activity. We are seeing types we rarely see around here, and having a lot of fun watching all of this. Hopefully I have it hung high enough to be out of the bears reach. Time will tell. Anyway, we are now selling bread and assorted goodies at the local farmer's market again. Lesley's name is spreading in the local area, and new opportunities to sell and display her wares come often now. We have tinkered with the bread lineup this year, dropping the slow selling whole wheat and adding a Cinnamon raisin breakfast bread and fresh fruit pies, all fast sellers so far. I have taste tested all of course. Lesley has not had much luck with the garden this year, frost keeps killing her plants. Looks like a slim produce harvest this year. A note on stroke recovery, I now wear the new ultra lite AFO I got last summer when I carry my canoe, or walk in the woods. It really helps keep the foot from tripping (and me falling). Lesley's mum is coming from New Zealand in a month or so, her help baking will be appreciated. She is amazing, 87 this year and still going strong. A real blessing to all of us. Well, my coffee cup is empty, got to go fill it.

Lot's to catch up on so here goes, Lesley recently spent four days in hosp, some intestinal bug really got hold of her. Home now and much better but still recovering her strength. Other news, well winter has arrived! We wanted snow, we got snow, and along with it real cold. We have had -50 wind chills, very brisk indeed. I have FINALLY finished rehabbing from the shoulder surgery and can now start on the backlogged list of honey do's on Lesley's list. It feels good to finally be doing something useful again. What I thought would take six weeks of rehab has taken four months. In addition, I shared some of Lesley's stomach problems although not as severe. The blood pressure has also been a problem, but better now since I have cut back on the meds a bit. All in all, a rough start for the new year. A quick update on the final results of the acupuncture. First the bad news: The earlier reported improvement in left hand and foot temperature has reverted to what is used to be since the stroke. The improvement lasted about two weeks. The good news is that the improvement in the stroke side leg and foot seem to have become permanent. No more leg twitches, can still run and lift leg as it should be, virtually no foot drop anymore. I no longer wear the new ultra lite AFO I got a few months ago, very little toe drag anymore, walk in a straight line without thinking about every step. Real improvements. Since I got the new AFO about the time I started the acupuncture, I cannot be sure if all the improvement is due to the acupuncture or the new AFO woke up the leg and ankle muscles, but who cares which it was! Some other minor points, the acupuncture helped upper back and shoulder tightness and seemed to improve the range of motion somewhat. During the treatment however, I did have a major muscle spasm on the left (stroke) shoulder and upper arm, very painful and the left arm was essentially useless for a few days and painful for a week. What caused it I do not know. A few last odd bits, our last renter moved out. We have given up on the renting idea. We have recovered much of the construction costs of finishing the basement and do not plan on renting again. A movie we highly recommend to all: "Outsourced". It is based in India, one of the main characters is a beautiful lady called "Asha", we really enjoyed it, makes you want to go to India and see the country. A bit about my friend "Mike" As you may remember we stroked about the same time and met in rehab and still talk every week. Mike has decided to visit us next summer and plans to ride his bike up all the way from his house to here, a distance of about two hundred miles. This trip will be in preparation for what he plans in 2010. That summer he plans to ride from Wisconsin all the way to Seattle, Washington and back to see his brother! Mike is 70 and had a stroke. He used to be suicidal after his stroke, I considered it my mission to keep him wanting to live, mission accomplished. Well, my coffee cup is empty, Lesley just woke up you'all know what that means.

Well here we are still waiting for snow. We have the cold, but little snow. Supposed to be some on the way, hope so. We need it. I did go ice fishing with a friend yesterday. No fish, but saw two moose, and sat with my friend fixing all the worlds problems in 8 degree (F) temps with a 20MPH wind. Cool, but not too cold. I realized I did not have the right fishing gear, so we came in. It took me two hours of sitting in the cold wind to figure this out, but I finally did. No one ever accused me of being a fast learner. The good news of all of this is that about three days ago I tried acupuncture for the first time. I filled out the long questionnaire, and discussed what I hoped the treatment could do for me. The therapist and I discussed what, in her experience she might be able to help me with. As I left after a 1 1/2 hour session, I didn't feel anything different until I got home and had a nap. When I awoke, I noticed my left hand and left foot (stroke side) were not cold feeling for the first time since I stroked two years ago. That was three days ago, and both hand and foot have been warm ever since, even thru the ice fishing in -20F wind chills. The hand seems to feel like there is more blood in it, a feeling that I can't really describe, but I like it. Immediately after I stroked I took my laser thermometer (every gadget guy has one) and checked the actual temps of the skin on both hands. It confirmed the stroke sided hand was about 2-3 deg cooler than the other side. I did a similar check yesterday and today, and both are the same temp. I may have a bit more dexterity in the stroke hand as well, but minor improvement, it was pretty good as it was, thanks to the Saeboflex. I had previously mentioned the cool extremities to every dr. I see, and got no real response or suggestion about anything they could do about it. The surprising part about it is that problem is not what I went to her for. The bicep ache on my non-stroke side I had hoped the shoulder surgery would fix is still with me, a work in progress. I made the same deal with her I made with the Active Release guy in Canada: 4 treatments to show improvement, if none I won't be back, improvement and I will. She agreed, and I am scheduled for another next week. She told me I will likely see some improvement after the first treatment, and I have, as documented above. How long this improvement in circulation will last, I do not know. I do not know if the explanation she gave me as to what the problem was and how acupuncture fixes it is correct. Doesn't matter. Whatever she did worked after I had given Western medicine every opportunity to do it's best and fix the problem, all to no avail. I tried running this morning, chasing my dog, and I can now run 100 ft or so, a big improvement over the 10 ft I could do previously. Still not a pretty thing to see, and it really tires me out, but it is progress. This improvement may be due as much to the new AFO (carbon fiber, super lite) as anything else, I don't know. All I know is that progress is progress. Well, Lesley is sleeping after 3 nite shifts, now on a long break. We can hardly wait until she cuts her hours back in the spring. The bread business continues to grow, we now have enough regular customers to keep us baking thru the winter a few times a month. Firing the outside oven is a challenging job for me in the winter, but the results are worth it. Got to go now, the washing I put on earlier is ready for the dryer, a man's work is never done........

Well the forced vacation from the shoulder surgery is over, now time to get back to work on Lesley's "honey do" list. (gulp). The shoulder has full range of motion back, lacking some strength due to inactivity, but next week I will force myself to exercise again. Alas, I fear that my excuse for "can't do housekeeping" is gone as well. I must admit it is good to be past all the "couch" time, but it could become habit forming! Working to finish the inside of the garage is next on the list. I managed to get it insulated before my surgery and we heat it now, which is very nice, with winter setting in. We have nearly completed our "pay off the bills" campaign, and Lesley will be cutting back her hours substantially in the spring after we build up a rainy day cushion. With all the turmoil in the financial markets today I still firmly believe that reducing debt anyway you can is the best strategy. I did get a new AFO thanks to the good folks on this forum. I had not been wearing the big, clunky think I got in rehab, because it did not fit into most of my shoes or boots, but Lesley has always been fearful of me going out into the woods alone as I often do. Trips and falls are a fact of life for me now, and I finally decided perhaps one of the new carbon fiber super lite afo's that fit into nearly any shoe might be the best answer. After doing much reading on this site on the subject, I called my insurance, eureka it is covered! The company that handles the afo I wanted (Otto Bock sold by Hanger, among others) had a therapist coming to our area the next day, so a trial fitting was arranged. Turns out it was the same therapist I saw after my stroke for a Walk-Aide trial. She had one of the new afo's with her, fitted me, and I now wear it everyday with all my shoes. It has eliminated nearly all the tripping due to foot drop, hip pain due to improper gait and greatly improved my walking balance and endurance. I can even run a few short steps now when playing with my dog Tippy. We are ready for and looking forward to winter coming soon, no snow yet but plenty of cool temps. The trees are bare, the bears sleeping, hummingbirds, ducks, loons, and geese gone, moose and deer have finished the business they do in the fall, the results of which will be seen next spring. Now that the bears are sleeping I put up the bird feeder for the Chickadees, nuthatches and other feathered friends that winter over with us. The chipmunks like it as well, but hey, everyone has to eat. Our little nearby town has gone into sleep mode, finding parking is no problem. You know, if thought about it awhile I could probably think of something to gripe about, but it just isn't worth the effort. Good bye for now, I have a football game to watch and two dogs to pet.

Sue, We also have a lot of clover and other "Natural" growth (read weeds), but who cares? Lesley and I decided when we moved here not to ever mow a yard again, and we don't. I use a weed eater around the flower beds Lesley maintains, that's it. I am sure our "yard" would look beautiful if mowed, but we have grown used to the natural look of it, and the bees, deer, etc seem to love it as well. Enjoy the yard for what it is and what nature has provided, save the effort yard maintenance would require for the things that really matter, like another cup of coffee with your friend.

I am now half way thru my forced vacation. The doc said last week all is well, just don't lift anything with the repaired arm for three more weeks. Ugh! Boring! He even said no to my desire to walk in the woods with my dogs, because I might trip and undo all the surgery. I have regained most of my range of motion already, no longer wear a sling (to Lesley's chagrin), and no longer have pain. Next month the real rehab starts, I will start lifting weights again, will probably start the exercise bike in a few days. Something more important to talk about than me. Some of you may remember my friend "Mike" I met while we both were in rehab. Mike has been up and down emotionally since we both returned home, him to Wisconsin, me to Minnesota. His recovery has been similar to mine, but he has not accepted very well his limitations now. Mike is a bike rider, used to 100 mile rides. Since his stroke he has only done 10-20 miles, no more. I say great going Mike, he says life may not be worth living much longer. This summer he traveled to Indiana to ride over 50 miles in two days. After the first day he was unable to continue. He came home very discouraged. A few days ago on our weekly call, he told me a story. While in a restraurant he saw an obvious stroke survivor enter, walking with a cane and needing assistance from a waitress to be seated and cut up his food. Mike helped him get up to leave and asked him how long ago he stroked. "11 1/2 years ago" he said. Mike then went home and evaluated how far he has come from the days we were both in wheelchairs a year and 9 months ago, to what he can do now. He is now riding his exercise bike again which he had given up, and has already noticed improvement. I hear a real change in his attitude, and have hope we can do the fishing together next year that excaped us this year. I am reminded of what Asha tells us about there being a real life after stroke, we just have to go get it. I think my friend Mike has finally turned the corner on the rest of his life, and I look forward to hearing of his riding next summer, just as he will hear about my fishing and the "honey do" projects I do around our home. His story has remotivated me to get on with my exercise program as soon as Lesley will let me off the couch. Mike and I will both do much more next year than we have since our strokes. Never give up!

Well my surgery on the right shoulder (good side) is complete. The rotator cuff tear has been repaired, other junk removed. I am in a sling and will be for several weeks. I feel good now, just bored not being able to do what I want to. Sitting around watching TV and reading is not my thing. Attached are some pic's of Lesley baking bread and us selling it at the local market. We have stopped that for the season since I can't help anymore and the tourists have mostly left town, making things quiet around here. Now that the basement is finished, we have rented part of it to a single lady. Hopefully it will help pay for some of the cost of finishing it. Just a serious note, my gut tells me we as a country are in for some very rough economic times. I strongly encourage all of you to do whatever you can to reduce debt, avoid major purchases, tighten the belt. It is not something either party has a clue about how to fix, prepare for the worst. Hope I am wrong. Good luck to all.

Summer here is starting to wind down, night time temps are bouncing all over the place and sometimes nearing frost levels. Daytime temps are still very nice, but wind is becoming more pronounced. The leaves are starting to show some color, and the raspberries are plentiful. Tippy and I pick whatever is left from the bear's rummaging thru the night. Fishing is also winding down, but has been good this year and still some to come (hopefully). Attached are some pic's of the basement finishing project I have been doing since last winter. All done now except for the ceiling in some areas, that will wait until next winter. It took several boxes of band aids to cover the many cuts and scrapes incurred thanks to the blood thinner I am on, but am healing up now. When I started this project the basement was just four bare walls, with and open stair with no walls or rails. I just insulated the garage and put up some wall covering so we can heat the garage some this winter. We have the heater installed, and I hired a young lad to help me insulate the ceiling. The project will get finished one of the upcoming winters, but it is to the point where we can heat it now. The rush is on to finish the necessary things before winter sets in and I have my surgery on my right shoulder next month. After that surgery, I should have a few months of rest and healing from my many cuts and scrapes. Then more rehab so I can regain my strength to finish the ceiling in the basement and get ready for next summers projects and more fishing. Lesley already has some projects lined up for me next summer, covering and screening in the deck, expanding the raised bed garden, and moving some gravel. I have noticed that to Lesley the words "he" and "we" seem to have the same meaning when used in reference to work projects, and "want" and "need" also seem to have the same meaning. I joke about it, but really don't mind, it keeps me active and off the couch. Tippy and I went fishing the other day, and it proved to be one of those days when everything that could go wrong did. After both batteries for my electric motor quit, as did the depth finder, one reel, and several other problems arose like the wind blowing the boat into a reef which proved to be a problem getting out of, I told Tippy it was time to go home, which we did. The good news was we had several fish on the stringer, which are now in our freezer for winter consumption. Lesley has just awakened from a good sleep after the very successful block party we had last night. A good time was had by all, and we will likely do it again next year. The next blog I will try to post some pic's of Lesley in the garden and also making bread, don't know how to reference two albums in the same entry and this one has gone on long enough anyway.