THAT ROAD GRADER CAME BACK IN THE NIGHT

 GOLDFINCH

That road grader came back in the night and drove over me again.  But, this time it was totally my fault.  I am to take a Percocet pain-killing pill every six hours and I had obviously forgotten to take the last 6-hour pill before going to bed.  I woke up with a noticeably sore and painful leg this morning.  Not just at the surgery site but the whole leg.  And, the leg had stiffened up as well.  I quickly downed a pain pill and within an hour or so I was feeling much better and clomping up and down our hall with my walker again.  Some exercises today too.  A commenter had suggested a walker with wheels but I am not ready for that type of walker yet.  When I am able to put full weight on my leg I will switch to the four-wheel walker type, which incidentally we have.  At the time of posting this tonight, I am feeling okay and making progress.  

 PURPLE FINCH.....I CALLS EM 'KETCHUP HEADS'

 DARK-EYED JUNCO

With snowy cold weather outside, it could not have been a better time for my hip surgery.  I have had no urge to go outside even if I could.  But, I am keeping a close eye on the 14-day weather forecast watching for any kind of warming trend which I am beginning to see for the end of the month.  We hit a high of 32F today and looking forward, that is a good sign.

Kelly had brought a movie home from the library called Yesterday and we watched it this afternoon.  Kelly liked the movie better than I did.  But then again, when it comes to movies these days, I am a hard one to please.  And, as I have said before, I much prefer watching a movie in a big theater, with big sound, and a big screen.  I prefer the whole movie theater experience.  I will never understand why anyone would watch a movie on their cell phone.  Yes, they may have watched the movie but they certainly did not experience the movie.  

Al's Music Box:)) Carefree Highway is a song written by Gordon Lightfoot and was the second single release from his 1974 album, Sundown. The title comes from a section of Arizona State Route 74 in north Phoenix. Said Lightfoot, "I thought it would make a good title for a song. I wrote it down, put it in my suitcase and it stayed there for eight months." The song employs "Carefree Highway" as a metaphor for the state of mind where the singer seeks escape from his ruminations over a long-ago failed affair with a woman named Ann. Lightfoot has stated that Ann actually was the name of a woman Lightfoot romanced when he was age 22: "It [was] one of those situations where you meet that one woman who knocks you out and then leaves you standing there and says she's on her way."

GROANER'S CORNER:((  Wife texts husband on a cold winter morning: "Windows frozen, won't open."  Husband texts back: "Gently pour some lukewarm water over it and then gently tap the edges with a hammer."  Wife texts back 10 minutes later: "Computer really messed up now."

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The new Ensign was assigned to submarines, where he'd dreamed of working since a young boy.  He was trying to impress the Master Chief with his expertise learned in Submarine School.  The Master Chief cut him off quickly and said, "Listen, it's real simple. Add the number of times we dive to the number of times we surface. Divide that number by two. If the result doesn't come out even, don't open the hatch."

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An enormously wealthy 65-year-old man falls in love with a young woman in her twenties and is contemplating proposing.  "Do you think she'd marry me if I tell her I'm 45?" he asked a friend.  "Your chances are better," said the friend, "if you tell her you're 90."

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ALL DID NOT GO WELL FRIDAY EVENING

 MOURNING DOVE

So, let me get the unsavory part of today's post out of the way before I continue with Saturday's happenings.  I'm not going to go into detail but I will give you the basics and if you care to fill in the blanks, it's up to you because I'm sure we all have some stories to tell.  Before the operation Tuesday morning my last bowel movement was Monday morning.  Due to the pain meds, the natural flow of food through my body stopped working early on, and here it was Friday night five days later.....and I was plugged up.  Several commenters had warned about this and by Friday evening I was bunged up tighter than a shrunken lemon at a Rolling Stones rock concert.  So much so that an increasing level of painful cramps in my abdomen continued to ramp up.  At its most unbearable time, I seriously considered having Kelly call an ambulance.  I had taken stool softeners and a powerful laxative but no relief was coming my way.  And then at 11:25 Friday night, on the verge of a phone call, with another painful cramp stampeding through my lower gut I became aware of a slight movement in my abdomen.  Now, keep in mind, I can't travel too fast with my walker yet but amazingly, I did make it to the washroom in time and hurriedly fastened our toilet's seat belt in case I was blown off the toilet seat.  And then, just in the nick of time, it was as if the Hoover Dam slowly broke!! ---- You can fill in your own blanks here.  Through the night this was to happen three more times and this morning sitting here typing this I am feeling like I have been run over by a road grader.  All my muscles are so sore from straining and it's a miracle that I never popped any of my surgical stitches and staples.  But no matter, much to my relief right now I am feeling much better and functioning normally again......... So, why write about this unsavory subject you ask??  Well, because just as a few readers had cautioned me I feel it important to pass this same caution along to other readers who have had to take certain pain pills, etc. before and after surgery.  Be aware, and take whatever precautions you have to take to prevent this from happening to you.  You do not want to ever get yourself into this severe constipation situation.  Not ever, not never, and not even once!!!!!!

 WE HAD NEARLY A FOOT OF SNOW OVERNIGHT

Okay, it's Saturday morning, it's cold, and we got a dump of snow overnight. (funny how I used the word 'dump' eh) So much snow in fact that our driveway snowplow guy (Roland) was on the job shortly after 9 a.m.  Under our present circumstances, we sure did make the right decision to have our driveway plowed this year.

 ROLAND OUR SNOWPLOW GUY

Working as a team this morning Kelly, Pheebs, and I managed to get our front yard critters fed.  Kelly had the tough end of the job having to slog through the nearly foot-deep snow to retrieve a couple almost empty bird feeders.  Handing them back through the door to me and my walker on the inside, I quickly re-filled them and passed them back out the door again and Kelly re-hung them.  Of course, Pheebs was right out there with Mom chiding ....'that's not the way Dad does it,' and 'you don't have enough seeds on that stump,' or 'don't forget to put out some corn for the squirrels'!!

 THIS BLUEJAY CAN'T GET AT THE BIRDSEED UNDER ALL THE SNOW

 AND THERE COMES KELLY TO THE RESCUE AS SHE SWEEPS OFF THE BIRD STATION

 YOU CAN SEE HOW MUCH IT IS SNOWING AND BLOWING HERE AND NOTICE THE EMPTY BIRDFEEDER ON THE RIGHT

 THE BLUEJAYS WERE ABLE TO GET THEIR SEEDS AGAIN

 PHEEBER TRACKS ACROSS OUR SNOWY FRONT DECK TODAY

Happy that my weight has been steadily dropping over the past month or so, imagine my disappointment when I stepped on the scale this morning and my weight had suddenly jumped up six pounds in just a few days.  I figure it must have been a six-pound iron and steel hip joint device they put in.  It's the only plausible answer, right??  Good thing I didn't weigh myself Friday night before my impending constipation explosion or I might have been tipping the scales around the two hundred pound mark.

 IN MY SUNROOM RECLINER SNAPPING A FEW BLUEJAY PHOTOS TODAY

 I LIKED THE COLOR OF MY MORNING SMOOTHIE AFTER KELLY THREW A HANDFUL OF BLACKBERRIES INTO IT

MY TEMPORARILY RE-RIGGED 'NO WHEELS' COMPUTER DESK CHAIR

I walk like a duck and anyone walking behind me knows I walk like a duck,  I have been walking like a duck for nearly 80 years.  Even the Physio people at the Sarnia hospital could see I was walking like a duck.  Duck walking is when you walk with your feet pointed markedly out to the side.  That's okay if you are standing on the deck of a rolling ship in heavy seas but it's not so good if one has just had a hip transplant.  The Physio lady kept telling me to turn my foot inwards.  Easy for her to say....but this may become an issue for me.  We'll see how it goes.     

Al's Music Box:)) Perhaps Love is a song that John Denver wrote and recorded as a duet with Placido Domingo. "Perhaps Love" was addressed to Denver's wife Annie Martell (the eponym of his #1 hit "Annie's Song") while they were separated and moving towards a divorce. In an interview the day after Denver's death in 1997, Annie said that this was her favorite song of his,  Milt Okun, the album's producer, first suggested that Domingo, an opera singer, pair with the famous folk singer on the song. The producer worked hard to promote the song after its release.  An independent radio promoter told Okun at the time, "It's very beautiful, but there's no chance at all of this getting on the air." To both men's surprise, one of the top five radio stations in the United States in Philadelphia began playing the song every hour on the hour, greatly contributing to its success and the willingness of other stations to play it. 

GROANER'S CORNER:(( Three priests died and came up to St. Peter at the Pearly Gates. St. Peter looked up the priests and informed them there had been a mistake; they were not supposed to die for another 10 years or so. The priests were upset about this and asked St. Peter what could be done. St. Peter said that he would send them back to earth in any form they wanted until the problem was fixed.St Peter asks the first priest, " What do you want to become?" and the first priest replies," I always wanted to be an eagle and see all of God's creation from above." "Done." St. Peter snaps his fingers and the first priest disappears. St. Peter asks the second priest, "What do you want to become?" and the second priest replies, "I always wanted to be a dolphin and see all of God's creation from under the sea.""Done." St Peter snaps his fingers and the second priest disappears like the first. St. Peter asks the third priest, "What do you want to become?"" and the third priest shyly says, ""Well... my wish is kind of sinful." "No matter. You can choose any form you want." St. Peter says and the third priest replies, "Well, I always wanted to be a...stud, you know?" St .Peter replies, "I don't see a problem with that." St. Peter snaps his fingers and the third priest disappears. Later, Jesus asked St. Peter, " I heard there was a problem with three priests being here before their time. Where are they?" St. Peter explained, "One is soaring high above the Grand Canyon. The second is swimming in the North Atlantic. The third is on the left rear tire of a Chevy Blazer."

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Did you hear about the old man whose birthday one year lasted only one minute?
It was his sixty-second birthday.

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An incompetent counterfeiter spent all day making his funny money. At the end of the day, he realizes he spent all his time making $15 bills.  He figures that the only way he will get anything from this batch of money is to find a place where the people aren't too bright and change his phony money for real cash.  He travels to a small town and walks into a small Mom and Pop grocery store. He asks the old man behind the counter "Do you have change for a $15 bill?"  The old man replies, "I sure do...How would you like that? An eight and a seven or two sixes and a three?"

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THE BOTTOM LINE FOUR DAYS OUT FROM MY HIP SURGERY

 A FILE PHOTO FROM LAST WEEK

Upon reading over my Thursday post I felt the first paragraph was a bit strong and I could and should have worded it better.  But, it was how I felt at the time I wrote it.  I have to keep foremost in mind that everybody's experience with this kind of thing is going to be different.  Some will have more difficulty than others.  Different people, different methods, different hospitals, different personnel, different Doctors, and different circumstances all make for different results.  And, I think there is a difference between a total hip replacement and some kind of hip injury whether it be major or minor.

Okay, so how did Thursday go you might ask.  One word.....Good:))  Some soreness which is to be expected but no sharp shooting pains at any time.  Of course, I am taking things very slow and carefully.  

 KELLY CHECKED MY SURGERY SITE THIS MORNING AND WITH NO GREEN BLOOD OOZING OUT I GUESS MY MARTIAN SECRET IS STILL SAFE

Being the type of person who prefers to do as much as I can by myself I come at this whole thing from that perspective.  If I drop something on the floor I will go find my 'Grabber Stick' and pick it up rather than have somebody pick it up for me.  I also see that sort of thing as a necessary and welcome snippet of extra exercise.

 PUTTING ON CLEAN UNDERWEAR THIS MORNING AND NOTICE HOW SWOLLEN MY LEG IS

 NEXT COMES MY JAMMY BOTTOMS

My biggest post-operation fear is of carelessly falling so I am extremely cautious in every move I make.  I well remember the terrible pain in the recovery room and at my first physio and I don't want to ever have to experience anything like that again.  A painful fall would result in an emergency ambulance ride and a grinding hospital stay with more surgery likely.  There is no way I want that to happen.

My sturdy walker at the moment is my best friend followed closely by my 'Grabber Pick-Up Stick'.  When moving around I try to think two or three moves ahead to where I'm going and things to do along the way.   I find it kind of a fun challenge to figure out different ways of having to do things.  

 BESIDES PHEEBS, HERE ARE TWO OF MY BEST PALS AT THE MOMENT.....MY WALKER AND MY GRABBER PICK-UP STICK WHICH BY THE WAYS HAS TWO TINY MAGNATES FOR PICKING UP DROPPED SCREWS AND NAILS

I concentrated most of my efforts Thursday on simply walking, and today I began concentrating on my exercises.  I was able to get my leg up onto and off the bed with no pain and I was able to work my way through my exercises with no short sharp pains.  I have some slight soreness but keep in mind I  am still taking a pain pill (percocet) every 6 hours.  Thursday night I had a good sleep with minimal discomfort. 

ON MY BED WORKING ON MY EXERCISES AND YES THOSE ARE PRESSURE STOCKINGS I HAVE TO WEAR FOR TWO WEEKS TO PREVENT BLOOD CLOTTING IN THE LEGS

 PHEEB WANTED SO MUCH TO GET UP ON THE BED WITH ME BUT SHE DOESN'T HAVE THE STRENGTH TO JUMP THAT HIGH ANYMORE

Before surgery, it was hard to know where I would be sleeping or sitting when I got home after surgery.  It has been trial and error seeing what fits and feels right.  What's good and not so good quickly made themselves evident so here is what we have come up with.  With the aid of strategically placed pillows, I am happy to say I am still sleeping quite comfortably in my good old living room recliner.  With pillows built up, I can also sit in my sunroom recliner to read as well.  We temporarily replaced our desktop computer chair on wheels with a steadier 'no wheels' chair and that is working well too.  And it goes without saying that a raised toilet seat has made things much easier in the washroom.

I KNOW MY LIVING ROOM RECLINER LOOKS WONKY BUT IT WORKS

One thing that has been a bit of an unexpected challenge has been to keep all the new meds straight.  When to take what pill and trying to remember what pill to take when.  It was Kelly to the rescue on this one as she soon organized all that.  And, speaking of Kelly, she has been doing a superb job despite the inclement weather of keeping all the birds, squirrels, and bunnies in our front yard fed.  I had worried about that. And today in this stone cold weather she even managed a trip to Goderich for prescriptions and blood work.  

 KELLY'S PILL MANAGEMENT FOR ME

Pheebs has been sticking to me like glue.  She was so happy to see me when I came home Wednesday afternoon and I was so happy to see her as well.  We are a pair of inseparable best Pals.  The only problem we are having is that I am unable to bend over and rub her tummy every day or give her her daily scruffles, squiggles, smooches, and hugs.  She's trying her best to understand why I am clomping around the house with a big aluminum tube Mossmagator in front of me. 

 PHEEBS LIKES TO STAY BY MY SIDE

Now, a question was posed to me a couple days ago that went something like this, "if you had to do this painful hip surgery all over again, would you do it?"  I had to hesitate for a few seconds with my answer.  There was no resounding yes or no but comparing my pre-op condition and future to my post-op condition and future there is no doubt I made the right decision.  Pre-operation, my future mobility was grim.  Post-operation, my future mobility has a bright outlook again.  So, the bottom line as of right now four days out from my hip surgery is, I'm doing fine:))))) 

KELLY TOOK THIS PHOTO AND MADE ME PUT IT INTO THE BLOG

Al's Music Box:)) Wagon Wheels The Sons of the Pioneers are one of the United States' earliest Western singing groups. Known for their vocal performances, their musicianship, and their songwriting, they produced innovative recordings that have inspired many Western music performers and remained popular through the years. Since 1933, through many changes in membership, the Sons of the Pioneers have remained one of the longest-surviving country music vocal groups.

GROANER'S CORNER:((  A journalist assigned to the Jerusalem bureau takes an apartment overlooking the Wailing Wall. Every day when she looks out, she sees an old Jewish man praying vigorously. So, the journalist goes down and introduces herself to the old man.  She asks, "You come every day to the wall. How long have you done that and what are you praying for?" The old man replies, "I have come here to pray every day for 25 years. In the morning I pray for world peace and then for the brotherhood of man. I go home have a cup of tea and I come back and pray for the eradication of illness and disease from the earth."  The journalist is amazed. "How does it make you feel to come here every day for 25 years and pray for these things?" she asks.  The old man looks at her sadly. "Like I'm talking to a wall".

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- My wife said she wanted to see "Fifty Shades Of Grey".  So I showed her a picture of her hair.

- What's the difference between toilet paper and curtains?  I don't know.  So it was YOU!

- What's the difference between roast beef and pea soup?  Anyone can roast beef.

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A woman phoned her dentist when she received a huge bill.  "I'm shocked!" she complained.  "This is three times what you normally charge."  "Yes, I know," said the dentist. "But you screamed so loudly, you scared away two other patients."

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