GeorgeLesley

Sue reminded me a few days ago that I hadn't blogged in some time, so here goes. I sometimes wonder if I have much to contribute to this forum anymore since I don't talk much about stroke related issues here. We were reminded this week how blessed we have been. A friend of a friend of ours had a stroke and died within a week. I count my blessings everyday, especially after a hard day of work or play and I am sore the next day. I'll try to give you a bit of an update of our summer so far, in a word---busy! As you know, summers are short up here, so we pack as much as we can into them. After Lesley's return from New Zealand, the bread business got going in earnest. We now sell about 50 loaves every Saturday at the local farmers market. She has expanded into scones, cookies, and some fresh garden produce as available. Last week all was gone in 1 1/2 hours. One lady bought 10 loaves! My job in all of this is to get the oven ready, a two day job. I fire the oven on Thursday for six hours, then on Friday for an hour or so just before she bakes. She has even got me helping put seeds on the bread and some other chores just before baking. The results of all this effort are truly worth it, the bread is yummy. We have experimented with several different types, but now seem to have settled on a seven grain, whole wheat with and without wild rice, buckweat with wild rice, and a Swedish rye. Up here the wild rice is a big deal, the locals use it in everything. We now get calls on Fridays reserving some for Saturday pickup as the locals know we sell out fast. Other than the bread, it has been a good summer of fishing. Wind has been more of a problem this year than usual, but the fishing has been good. I am a bit sore today, I took a vacationing cousin to my favorite lake and showed him some very good fishing. It is too much of a trip for me to do on my own now days, so promising him a great day of fishing was a great excuse for me to see the lake again. I had not been there since before my stroke. We paddled about 10 miles and carried our gear over a 1000 ft portage thru the woods to get there (and back). I phone call this morning confirms he is as sore as I am, very satisfying to me that I was able to stay up with him. My new light weight kevlar canoe is wonderful and has really extended the fishing I can do. I am the envy of all my friends. The basement finishing project has also gone forward on windy, non-fishing (or bread) days, and is nearly done. I am putting the ceiling in as the last part. Then comes finishing the garage before winter sets in, we have decided to heat in this winter, so insulating it is a must. Probably the insulation is all that will get done this year, my plate is pretty full now. I am having arthroscopic surgery on my right non-stroke side shoulder in September. We scheduled it then so I could rehab over the winter (something I am used to), and hopefully be able to run the snow blower before we get any heavy snow. Our dogs Jasmine the Bichon and Tippy the Springer Spaniel have been swimming several times this year and love it. Tippy just jumps in and away she goes. She has also become my fishing partner in the boat and also the canoe. We walk in the woods together, swim together. She knows the signs of me getting ready to go fishing, and hops into her place in the SUV ready to go. She has become my mate. Now that the raspberries are ripening, she has also learned how good they are, and helps herself to the ones she can reach. Lesley took her blueberry picking yesterday, apparently she likes them too. We had a bear walk thru the front yard, around the house and down the driveway a few weeks ago. fortunately I saw it before Tippy did, she would have probably have treed it as it was a small one probably a three year old, first year away from momma. I grabbed Tippy and carried her into the house, and got Lesley to see it. Lesley and a neighbor lady have decided to have a "block" party in a few weeks. But since so few people live on our road, we had to expand it a bit to include friends, etc. Other than that, we have had a quiet summer. P.S. I rarely talk about my medical condition anymore. I don't want to be one of those crotchety old men that people don't want to be around because all he talks about is his medical problems. If asked, I give a brief update, otherwise I just get on with it. I would much rather be known as the guy that "you know he had a stroke, but you would never know it". Believe me, I know it everyday. My coffee cup is empty, you know what that means.

Just a quick note today. I am off to Duluth to get another key made for the new car. These days you don't just get a key made at the local hardware store for cars with all of this security. The Kiwi Bird will fly again soon and bring you all up to date on the trip to New Zealand, probably a week or so. Tomorrow is the big bread day at the market, so today she will be baking. I fired the oven yesterday so that she will not need much of a fire today to bring it up to the proper heat. It was still about 400 degrees F inside this morning. I carried the canoe into the woods a few days ago, no fish but had the lake to myself except for the eagles, etc. I have decided that I will have to give into age and get a lighter, shorter canoe. The one we have is a bit much for me to handle alone, too long in the wind, and putting rocks in the front the other day for ballast I fell into the water. Only about a foot dxeep, but also about 55 degrees! Cold and wet! Lesley just got home, so off I go!

Finally Lesley has returned! The dogs and I went and got her in Duluth (125 miles away) Tuesday night. All went well, she arrived on schedule and the dogs went crazy. We got home about 2:20AM wednesday happy indeed. Fortunately she liked the new car (whew) and she was thrilled and shocked at the progress in the basement project. The only remaining work is to panel the new bedroom, all else is done. We had to go to the grocery yesterday to restock produce, as her idea of a well stocked refer is a bit different than mine. Ahhh, salads again. Some freinds sent over some lasana to welcome her back, several welcome back phone calls, but otherwise a few quiet, slow days. I really battled the last week before she returned to get done what I wanted to do. It just happened that I had a problem with my blood pressure acting up, and I just generally felt poorly. Forcing myself to finish the work I wanted to get done was very difficult indeed. I even have had to stop my daily exercise for a bit. I just didn't have the energy for it and a day of work in the basement. My right (non-stroke) shoulder has something wrong in it and really hurts at times. I think an MRI will be done soon to see what is going on, but any surgery will have to wait till next fall. Summers here are short and I will not give one up with a shoulder in rehab. I can still carry the canoe, that is all that really matters. I actually had to drink my coffee with my left (stroke side) hand for a few days. Talk about constraint therapy! I think the adrenalin has left me and the last few days since she returned all I can do is relax. Fishing season is now open and I have not even been yet. I did load the canoe on the new suv yesterday, it went much easier then last year. It appears the winter of exercising has paid off. Speaking of exercise, the therapist in Canada I went to for Active Release called yesterday just to have a social call and see how I am doing. We invited him and his wife to come spend a weekend with us sometime, I might even show him some of my fishing holes. Needless to say I have not had any followup from any therapists in this country. The ice has finally left the lakes here, on opening day (last Saturday) some still had ice on and were unfishable. We are about two weeks behind weatherwise this spring. I had hoped to go out today or this evening, but it is quite windy, unsafe for a canoe, so another relaxing day at home. Lesley worked last night, and the dogs have quickly returned to the routine of watching out the window and welcoming her home. The greenhouse is very green inside and the flowers along the driveway Lesley lovingly cares for are coming back to life. We still use the heater at night in the greenhouse, but should be able to get the outside garden going in a few weeks. We are going to keep the tomatoes in the greenhouse this year otherwise all we wind up with is a lot of green tomatoes that never ripen because of our cool summer nights. Well, the neighbor lady just called and is donating some wood scraps to me so I need to help unload them, more later!

Thanks for the kind comments all. As far as walking in the woods in a confused state, well that is my normal state (just ask Lesley). Donna, I am really trying not to nick myself, so far today, so good. Thanks for the encouragement.

Still a bachelor until May 13. Lesley is having a great time in New Zealand, all there is well apparently. Here, well the dogs still look out the window every morning expecting her to drive up. Soon Tippy, soon. Some good news. Since the snow has melted, Tippy has become quite difficult to control outside. There is a winters worth of stuff to sniff and chase, minding me was not her priority. I have gotten an electronic collar for her and it has worked wonders. After just a day of use she usually only needs the tone stimulus, not the electrical tingle. Many times I now take her outside without the collar and she minds wonderfully. She even minds now if I call her in mid chase of a rabbit or something. I have used it for about a week now, and she even sits by the door waiting for me to put it on her when it is time for outside. What a joy to be able to walk outside with my dog without fear of losing control of her and her being attacked by something in our woods here. I bought the expensive variety, but so far money well spent. The basement finishing goes on, major construction is nearly done, should be completed within the next few days if I can find the energy to get off the couch. Wiring and plumbing are done. The last major part for now is the knotty pine paneling in what will become a bedroom and the adjoining hallway. As spring comes, the draw of the outdoors increases. A few days ago we had a beautiful warm, sunny, spring day. I spent the day outside with the dogs burning a winters accumulation of construction debris. Fishing begins in a few weeks, also Lesley and I will be involved in much bread baking in the outside oven, The Farmers Market will be opening here in a few weeks and we will be selling bread there. I moved up to a newer, smaller SUV a few weeks ago for my fishing needs. The old one had over 150,000 miles and was 13 years old. Lesley has become increasingly concerned that I might become stranded in some of the remote areas I go to alone, and has been pushing me to get something newer. So, when this 2006 Ford Escape came along with everything I wanted on it and low miles to boot, I got it. I probably don't need the moon roof but I guess I can open it and look at the bottom of my canoe when I am carrying it! I don't talk much about my stroke anymore. I still have "deficits", but have pretty much just figured out how to get on with what I want to do. I still have aches and pains, but I have noticed they usually go away when I get active. Taking a day off sitting on the couch seems to make them worse. I guess one of the worst problems I have is that I bleed at the drop of a hat because of the blood thinners I am on. With all the construction I have been doing there are many nicks and cuts all the time. I had to go to the Dr. yesterday for antibiotics because one cut had become infected. I wear gloves, knee pads, long sleeves, etc, to protect myself, but stuff happens. I always have band aids close at hand. Anyway, as much as I am enjoying writing this, I am not getting my exercise done sitting here on the couch, or finishing the basement. So, off to work I go!

Home alone in a blizzard. That is my plight. Lesley is somewhere in transit to New Zealand. The last I heard from her she was heading for Denver, Co, then to California for a day, then on to New Zealand. Meanwhile, the dogs and I sit here in a real blizzard. 50 MPH winds, and several inches of snow so far,and more coming all day. The driveway is impassable and will remain so. It is supposed to warm up next week, hopefully enough to melt this stuff. It is a good day to read a book and watch the Masters golf on TV. That is if the power doesn't go off, it frequently does in these high winds. Well, just heard from Lesley. She is in Denver, on standby for an earlier than previously scheduled flight to Calif. If I don't hear from her within the next 1 1/2 hours that means she is on the plane. Whether it is in the air or not I won't know for awhile. Such are the vagaries of air travel these days. I guess I can try to figure out how to track the flight on the internet. Sigh. Sometimes not having a cell phone is inconvenient. The dogs made very short work of their morning outside business today. It was less than pleasant weather for them. Hopefully attached are pics of them dressed for action. They were disappointed this morning when Lesley never drove up the driveway. Alas, we won't see that for a month. Lesley put over 30 meals in the freezer for me and has all her girlfriends calling to see if I am allright. So far, so good. I will not be working on the basement finishing today. As you all know by now, I can be quite lazy when it suits me. Today is such a day. About 3/4 of the basement is done, hope to have the rest by the time she returns. My coffee cup is empty, you all know what that means.

I don't have any more solutions for problems at the moment, just waiting for some of my previous ideas to be implemented. I did receive a most uplifting letter a few days ago. During my investigation of Saeboflex as a treatment after my stroke, I contacted a referral they gave me. He stroked about four years ago. He spoke highly of the Saeboflex. During our ensuing conversations, I recommended Active Release Therapy (ART) to him. I just got a letter telling me in much detail how much ART had helped him, and thanking me for telling him about it. He told me he had given up ever getting better as he had seen no improvement in the past year. Since starting ART he has gained significant range of motion, strength, ability to walk better, and now even drives their motor home. It turns out he lives close to where ART was developed and has had seven sessions to date. He has been able to rejoin a health club and now uses it regularly, all thanks to ART! He sounded like a kid with a new toy, he was so excited. I wrote back to him and shared the joy. Never give up and don't be afraid to try new things. On another front, the basement finishing goes on. The stairwell is done except for the carpet. A large storeroom has been completed and paneled, complete with lights. It has been a lot of fun doing it, I work anywhere from 0 to 6 hours a day, depending how I feel, and quit when I become tired or am no longer having fun. Next week I will be starting the bedroom you folks will sleep in should you come our way. I have already done most of the wiring in that room and built the walls, now for the finishing. A plumber is coming to install the bathroom fixtures next week as well. In years past I would have done it myself, now I only do the things I really enjoy. Plumbing is not my thing. I have decided to farm out the finishing of the garage as well, putting panels on the ceiling is just a bit past me now. Lesley continues to prepare for her trip to New Zealand next month, putting meals in the freezer for me and lining up friends to make sure I do not starve while she is gone. I plan to make much progress in the basement while she is gone, and will hopefully surprise her when she returns. When she returns it will only be a week until fishing season opens, then work on the basement stops until next fall. Still winter here, we are seeing overnight lows around zero still, but are getting into the thirty's some days. We have had some snow a week ago, I got to use the ATV and clear it from our driveway and did the neighbors as well. Looking forward to fishing soon, should be able to carry the canoe better this year. I have been working out all winter to make myself stronger and have more endurance, we'll soon see if it pays off.

Today is another day of hard work. Watching two young lads paint the stairwell and then carry material to the basement. I have already gone thru two cups of coffee watching them work. Lesley stayed at the hospital to avoid the noise. Anyway, it is time to solve some more problems, so here goes. Men cause most of the problems of this world. Women don't start usually wars, commit violence, commit sexual harrassment, be homeless, etc. So I propose we attack the problem at the roots. I propose we invent a implant to be placed in the brain (or skull in case of some men without brains). This implant would register the thoughts of the implanted man. Should he think a bad thought, such as sexual harrassment, etc, a signal would be sent out to a homeless person equipped with a receiver pointing out the location of the offending male. The homeless person would then locate the offending male, and charge him a fine on the spot. For convenience, this fine could be charged to a credit card. The homeless person would get a cut of the money, thus making them diligent in collecting as much as possible. Different offenses could carry different fines, and be adjusted to whatever is politically correct at the moment. Incorrigible men could be charged extra heavy fines for their evil ways. The money would go to a fund to be paid out to women. We all know women are paid less than men for the same work. We could call this fund the "gender equality tax". We could put all our young people to work inventing and making these implants. They could be made with an American flag on them and could only be "made in America", thus helping the trade imbalance with China. We could use illegal immigrants working in outpatient clinics in Walmarts to do the implanting. Since most men have little for brains, this need not be a complex operation. This would give illegal immigrants meaningful work and add to the tax base. These implants could be powered by something most men have too much of: testosterone. To keep the illegal immigrants busy and gainfully employed, men would be required to regularly buy supplements at the clinics to insure they have enough testosterone in their systems to power the implants. Think of all the problems this would solve. Sexual harrassment would be solved along with any other politically correct cause of the moment. Homelessness. Illegal immigrants not working. Pay equity between the sexes. Any other politically correct evil of the day like drinking too much, overeating, etc. Between these implants and solving the comet dust problem, I think we can solve most of the world's problems.

Just a short entry to catch up on some comments kindly made on previous entries. Fred, that seems a bit high a quote for just a room, but if it is being added on to the outside it would cost more I guess, still seems high to me. Maria, sounds like your husband and I would get along very well. I can sit right down next to work being done and not be bothered by it. Watching the two lads moving all that material from the garage to the basement last week was a joy to see. Now lets see, the comet dust questions. I agree with Bstockman, it likely aids gravity in the "sagging" process. I think it weakens the tissue fibers that are supposed to hold things up. As far as overcoming the cumulative effects of gravity, well that will require some more thought. Dust devils, well it would seem like comet dust probably adds to them. good observation Kathy..... If we think about it, I am sure there are many things we can attribute to comet dust. If we note when these things occur most often, we can probably determine when we are passing thru some and maybe take shelter in a lead lined room or something. Soon I will discuss how we can solve some more problems, but enough for now. Time for a mind refreshing thought provoking nap.

A few days ago I had one of those days the readers of this know all too well. I woke up feeling very tired and just generally punky. I struggled thru the daily hour of exercise and that was it for the day. No explaining it, just a bad day. No work got done. Only rest and channel surfing. The next day I awoke refreshed and promtly over did work in the basement and felt tired all the next day. I still have a few lessons to learn in the "what I can do" category. Today two young fellas are coming over to move all the material from the garage to the basement. I am getting smarter. Goodness knows there is plenty of empty space between my ears for new intelligence to grow (now more space than there was). If I can just live long enough I will become a genius. Now to that darn comet dust. I have developed a theory that since we all feel a bit stiffer and slower moving as we age, the earth must pass thru a cloud of comet dust or some other unknown stuff in space each year that makes us all feel a bit older. The effect must be cumulative as we age because it does not seem to affect young people. Rather than send more people to the moon to hit golf balls and collect rocks, our scientists should investigate this stuff and either find a way to neutralize it or alter the earth's orbit around the sun to avoid the comet dust. I think this would be a great project for the younger generation and would get them away from their video games for awhile and into something productive. Altering the earth's orbit might just solve global warming as well in the process if they move us just a bit further away from the sun. I just hope they get on with it and someone takes me seriously before I pass thru any more comet dust. I hope this brought a smile to some of your faces, writing it did to mine. Someday I may share my thoughts on how to solve the homeless problem, sexual harassment. and several other of life's maladies.

We are finishing the basement now, and I am doing most of the work. Lesley, bless her, has insisted that I sub out some work, like the electrical, plumbing, and hiring help to carry the plywood panels and bathroom fixtures from the garage to the basement. I am still doing all of the construction work, and some of the wiring (the simple stuff, I am a simple guy). Saturday I worked all day and am paying for it today (super bowl sunday), a bit sore. Today I am relaxing, reading the paper, playing with Tippy, and generally goofing off. Just a few years ago I would have worked 10 hours everyday on a project like this until finished, and never would have considered hiring help for any part of it. Ahhhh, the joys of getting older and smarter.

Just a short true story I must share with you all. I had the SUV parked outside for a week or so, and the doors froze shut. Fortunately, the drivers side door opened with difficulty. Yesterday it warmed near freezing, so I drove the car awhile and really warmed it up. I then tried all the doors, no luck. I then clicked the door lock button, and the "frozen" doors instantly opened. Sometimes the simple things are too obvious......

Donna, I have to agree with the others, don't let them move in!! Enabling behavior on your part will not teach them to learn to stand up on their own two feet. At this point in your life you must be concerned with your health. Period. If against all advice you cave in, you MUST have written rules signed in advance and an "exit" date. Some of the rules mentioned by others are an excellent place to start. No matter how much they promise to not increase your stress level, it WILL go up. Guaranteed!! DON'T DO IT!!

Another lesson on wishing for things. Around here we all were praying for snow and a normal cold winter. Well.... we got it. What was predicted to be 1 to 3 inches of snow Friday turned into 2 feet! It started snowing lightly Friday, and just didn't stop until Sunday noon. Fortunately our young neighbor (new father 2 weeks ago) returned my favor of clearing their driveway while they were in Duluth having the baby. With his snow blower and mine going at the same time, then me and the ATV plowing, we made short work of it. All 800' and the 50' turnaround were clear in only 4 hours. I am glad we kept the snow blower, the ATV can only handle a foot or so by itself at one time. I came in soaked in sweat, snow and ice. Tippy enjoyed licking the ice off of my beard. Then a shower, put all the clothes in the dryer, and watched football the rest of the afternoon, happy with a job well done. Lesley had to stay at the hospital, travel was impossible for a day, and is finally on the way home as I write this. She called and said she would be late, it was going to take awhile to shovel out the car. Another nurse came over and shoveled to the car door so she could get the shovel out of ours to finish the job. She told me she will take the shovel and windshield scraper inside the hospital with her from now on. Now the forecast is for below zero temps for the next week, maybe a bit more snow, winter is really here. Unfortunately there probably will not be any ice fishing this year (by me anyway). Before this big snow we had lake ice with several inches of watery slush on top of it. With all of this new snow on it, it will not freeze solid now. Walking thru two feet of snow on top of several inches of slush does not sound like fun, even to me. Lesley is home now, taking a warm whirlpool bath. She said something about being tired. People up here tend to be "loners", not particularly sociable. I have always told Lesley that if they wanted to be around people they would live in the big city, not here. The other side of that is that when you really need help, you don't even have to ask, help just shows up. Well, Lesley has finished her bath, now breakfast, then some shoveling (still 2 feet on the deck). My coffee cup is empty again, must fill it.

Sue, I can relate to your so called "friends" fading away after Ray's condition. I experienced the same after the death of my first wife. It seemed as though my phone became disconnected and the doorbell no longer worked. Just last evening I went to a meeting with a friend who is going through a very bad medical problem with his wife. He thanked me for the way Lesley and I have remained friends with them. He said everyone else has faded away. It just seems to be the way most folks react to difficult situations.

I have been reading with interest the 100 things lists some are doing, and have decided to do one with a bit different focus. Looking back on my first "survivor" year, the negatives are obvious and don't need repeating here. I have decided to start the new year concentrating on the things I am thankful for, so here goes. I am not going to set any particular number to it, we'll just see where it goes. Rather than retyping "I am thankful for" each entry, I will use " as ditto marks, please be sure to read it as such. Thanks for reading! I am thankful for my Lord and God and how he helps me everyday " the fresh, crisp, Northern Minnesota air I breath everyday " having a wife that makes sure I have a good meal in the refrig to eat while she is sleeping after a night shift " having had two good marriages in this life " having had 28 great years with my late wife " having had 6 years with Lesley so far, looking forward to many more " the snow that is gently falling as I write this " having a new ATV to plow aforementioned snow " mosquito nets and repellant " two great dogs and companions " a great family in New Zealand, mum, son, two lovely grand daughters " the ability to usually put back together what I take apart just to see how it works " 4 wheel drive vehicles " 62 trips around the sun " homemade bread anytime I want it " a brain. The stroke proved I have one, abeit a bit less than I had " Saeboflex " Active Release therapy " Dr Shane McCormick in Thunder Bay, Canada " this forum to express myself " the ability to do so " friends that showed up unexpectedly before Christmas with pizza and a real Christmas tree for us " the same friends that then proceeded to decorate said tree " the local Dr that lives nearby and unexpectedly showed up Christmas Eve night with his John Deere tractor and cleared our driveway of fresh fallen snow " sudoku " football " netflix movies " airplanes " the opportunity to serve my country for 20 years in war and peace " the miracle of three babies born in the past three months on our short road here in the country. Only 8 families live on this road. Must be the well water " growing up in the country as a boy with my springer spaniel companion helping deliver the newspapers " going to a small country school without all the programs and "advantages" of a big city school " my next cup of coffee " my life getting better as I make it simpler " telephones " I can still carry my canoe " I can still fish alone " there will probably not be anyone else in sight on the lake " the lakes are frozen and I will be ice fishing soon " there are fish in the lakes foolish enough to bite on my feeble lure presentations " I have a wife that likes to fish, still working on the football " there are less than 5,000 people living in our county, which is the size of the state of Rhode Island " we are too remote for more people to come here to live " we have one stoplite in the entire county " the days are getting longer " I can watch the Northern Lights " I graduated from high school " the teachers were kind " I have been in 30 countries " I have been in 49 states " I am living exactly where I want to be " I have everything I need, almost everything I want (still want a snowmobile) " a wife that has stuck by me thru thick and thin " a three month old baby boy to babysit for our neighbor " if I play my cards right, he will be able to carry my canoe for me when I no longer can do it myself " on the 5 mile trip to town I am more likely to see wildlife than another car " snow sticks to pine trees " I know a God that loves me " I sleep well at night " our dog "Tippy" has grown from a tiny puppy to a 40lb companion in just 10 months " Dickons for naming our dog "Tippy" " that Tippy is housebroken " I see miracles around me everyday " our freezer and cubbords are full " I am still eating the Christmas ham " there was a Christmas ham to eat " the sun will rise in the East tomorrow morning and I have good reason to believe I will be able to watch it " the bills are paid " I wouldn't trade my life experiences for anything on this earth " I have to opportunity to hopefully give some others a bit of joy and something to think about reading this

Am pleased to say I have survived one year from my stroke as of yesterday. Looking back on it, an experience I don't want to repeat, but I did learn some things about myself and Lesley. I am thankful that a few more neurons did not die, it could have been much worse, as many of you surely know. I still have deficits I would prefer not to have, but have learned to adapt and appreciate every day of life to the fullest. Had I been told a year ago that I would be where I am now as far as being able to do the things I want to do, I probably would not have believed it. No more snow as of yet, but cold! We have not been above 15 degrees in over a week, most days (including today) we have not gotten to 10 degrees, saw -21 last night. Normal temps for late January, but early this year. We did order an new ATV for snow plowing the driveway, it should be here next week. Lesley and I decided we needed one, the last snow took me 10 hours and two days of work to clear, a twisted left knee, sore arms and shoulders, dr says I will be OK. but time to ease off the heavy work a bit. He said the good (right) knee is loose, and at risk of easy damage. I have also noticed the bad hand and foot (left side) get cold fairly easily. We wanted an ATV anyway, this gives us a great excuse to get it. We got a two rider model so we can ride together. Hope it comes in soon, more snow is coming. We will likely make bread next week sometime, Lesley spent two hours shoveling snow around the oven and made paths around the house while I was clearing the driveway. She also raked the snow off the roof of the house and shoveled the deck. A worker she is indeed. Time to go now, y'all come on up (in the summer!) for some fresh bread!

Well winter has arrived. We had -20 below zero two nights ago, it warmed up the next day to 20 above, but with that came 18" of snow. I have been clearing the driveway ever since. 800' driveway is a long drive to clear with a snow thrower. Lesley and I are going to look for an ATV with a plow today. More snow is forecast today and this week. Fun is fun, but enough is enough. We have been wanting an ATV for ice fishing anyway, so a great excuse to get one now. Lesley had to stay at the hospital yesterday, I had taken her to work for the night shift supposed to pick her up the next morning. Ha! Travel was impossible, and she had to work the next night anyway, so she just stayed, yesterday I was clearing the driveway all day. More still to do today, but mostly done. The dogs love the snow, run and play with their coats and booties on, dig in the snow, and just have fun. When Jasmine (a white Bichon) jumps from a cleared area into the snow she completely disappears. I told Lesley we need to tie an orange flag on her tail so we can see her. All we can see now is the black nose. Tippy is bigger and a Springer Spaniel, and has never seen snow until now. She lives up to her breed and "springs" right thru it. Until I cleared a spot for them, potty was interesting to watch! The left knee and right shoulder seem to be protesting all the work, the ATV sounds like a great idea at the moment! Well, time to go get Lesley, then go look at ATVs!

Ah, snow! Just a few inches so far, but more forecast. Cool and windy also, 1 degree this AM, wind up to 30MPH today. Winter is here! The main purpose of writing today is exercise and recovery. I am firmly convinced that muscle stretching is vital, especially early on. After my stroke spacisity in the left arm and shoulder was a real problem. I asked my stroke rehab Dr. what to do about it. His answer was "if I knew what to do about spacisity I would be retired in the Bahamas". He prescribed more pills which I took for a few weeks and then quit. His attempt at humor was not well received here. I then asked my PT when we were going to work on left arm strength. His reply was "shoulder first, then we'll see about the arm". My arm continued to curl up and become more useless as did the hand. I told Lesley that I was losing my left arm day by day. Then came Saeboflex. Regular readers here know the result. After much other PT/OT, then came active release. Eureka! I found it!. The arm straightened out and became functional again. Cortisone shots in both shoulders at the same time took away most shoulder pain, making aggressive exercise possible. I still get shots every 3-4 months. Before the active release, Lesley helped me stretch the arm. Stretching muscles that want to curl up is vital! I do a shoulder stretching exercise everyday still, along with a few others. Nothing exotic, just the shoulder back pinch, then a roll forward as far as possible, pulling the left shoulder forward with the right hand and bending to the right pulling the left side tight. I was scheduled for Botox treatment at one time, but canceled it at the last moment as I seemed to be improving thru other efforts. I no longer take muscle relaxers at all. It seems to be a cascading effect, as one thing improves, it allows me to work on the remaining problems, and all continues to get better. The Saeboflex got the hand moving and helped the arm, the Cortisone shots allowed the active release to work, etc. The best I can tell others is that early efforts are tough and painful, but the results can be dramatic. Unfortunately, without work early on and a variety of treatments, the results are predictable. I am firmly convinced that my left arm and hand would be curled up against my chest today, useless, without the muscle stretching Lesley and I did early on. Every stroke and situation is different. Some may need Botox to get past severe spacisity and make exercise possible. I understand that. But once the Botox is done, don't sit around and let things return to where they were! Do whatever you can to work what you have left as much as possible! The one area I have not been able to solve is the wrist. It still feels like a steel band is around it. Less now than before, but still there. The good news is that finger and hand dexterity are nearly back to normal. Swelling has gone away, I recently was able to put my wedding ring back on, much to Lesley's relief. Activity is the vital key to all of this, Doctors, PT/OT's, pills, etc, all play a useful part in recovery, but the real and final key is inside you. I have gone on long enough, don't give up!!!!

Feels like Christmas in November. This old body is coming around more everyday. I have started my winter exercise program now, and am amazed how much better things are. I am now trying to remember just how I "used" to do things so I can do them that way again. Still have a tiny bit of spacisity in the scapula area, but a quick call to my active release therapist resulted in some great advice and now it is less everyday. I am zooming in on the areas that still need improvement, and the results are gratifying. Too bad there is nothing for the hair I used to have! Sorta stuck with what I see in the mirror also, but at least the image is standing up straight and smiling more now. I could still gripe about a cold hand & foot, hand dexterity, arm strength, endurance, occasional speech slip-up, etc, but why? I can now do most of what I want to, so life is good! Mum is gone now sadly. Bread. Have I mentioned bread? We have it everywhere. The outdoor brick oven is working fine. Lesley and I made about 15 loaves yesterday and a few dozen dinner rolls for Thanksgiving. Yum!! I am the "fire-maker". It takes about 5 to 6 hours of constant attention to get the oven to the proper temperature. While I was doing that, Lesley was making the actual bread, all from scratch. I helped her put it into and get it out of the oven, and have certainly given it a taste test. We made a basic white, a 7 grain, a whole wheat, and a "rustic" which is a white with buckwheat in it. My personal favorite. We also experimented with baking it in clay flower pots, tin cans, and other shapes. Neat stuff. We are practicing for the farmers market next year, and on friends. By the way, kneading bread is great therapy for the fingers! We have always wanted something we could do together at home and I believe we have found it. Big thanks for the comments on the last blog. I have gotten a bit discouraged and gun shy about trying to help others. A few such efforts around here were not well received. Seems to me like some don't really want to get better, nor do they want any advice or help. Probably my fault, I can get evangelistic in my fervor about something I find that works (like active release and Saeboflex). I would be happy to speak in front of any group should the opportunity arise, public speaking does not bother me. I was asked by a stroke PA specialist several months ago if I would speak at an annual stroke survivors conference in October. Never heard from her again, although I said yes. Still have a real hard time with people that won't be all they can be. Life can be hard, but it does not have a rewind button, only a play it forward button. What is, is. Get on with it. Just a word on exercise. I am finding now that I am focusing purely on those areas that need improvement to do the exact things I want to do. I call it "laser beaming exercise". I don't waste time or energy on things I don't really need to improve. You have to decide what is really important to you, forget the rest. I can't run yet, so what. I don't spend time working on that. I never was a runner anyway. I can carry my canoe and fish. All that matters. Keeps it simple! Snow is supposed to be coming next week. Yippee!

Several things to talk about, first back to what this blog started out to be about. Two new gizmo's to talk about. We found a battery operated can opener and a battery operated jar opener. Both were in a Dr. Leonard's junk catalog, cost $30 each, use two AA batteries and really work well. We got them both for mum (she is 85) for her use in New Zealand. We opened everything from a coffee can to a bottle of salad dressing, both worked as advertised. I couldn't help but think about those that may only have one hand to work with. I would love to post pic's, but am currently relegated to the old computer, the "new" one is in the shop. We finally got about six inches of snow a few days ago, most welcome here. We are ready for winter. Mum will be leaving us at the end of the week unfortunately. A bit on stroke rehab. I don't talk about it much anymore, it has been almost a year now, but in the past month or so, it seems I have hit another gear. It is a real joy to put on a shirt or coat with either arm in first, walk walk up or down stairs without using the hand rail, and wash my back easily. Foot drop is a thing of the past, I even can run a bit, not a thing of beauty but getting better all the time. As you can see I am a simple guy, easily pleased. Simple things are exciting to me! A tip on arm rehab, at least it has worked for me, my active release therapist in Canada said for me to stop heavy weight lifting with my affected arm. He felt it was causing my scapula and upper back to be spastic and tighten up because other muscles were helping lift. He was right. Now I am concentrating on strengthening my bicep only with small weights. The rest is getting stronger with normal activity. I am also doing some ankle strengthening, really has cleared up the foot drop. I hope this does not sound like bragging, it is not intended as such. I tell it only to hopefully inspire anyone else that may need it. Don't ever give up. The body seems to keep improving as long as the mind continues to challenge it. I got a call from our family doctor a few days ago. She asked my if she could give our number to to a 54 year old male patient in her office that just completed the stroke rehab program I went thru. I assured her I would help anyway I could. Some good friends of ours visited last evening. A joint camping/canoeing trip was dicussed for next summer. We have camped with them before, hope it comes to pass. Anyway, enough for now, keep on keepin' on, I feel very blessed, the glass is getting more than half full.