Tall Tales from Kansas

2 nurses who stood out in a sea of stars

Good morning from Tall Tales Headquarters where I am beginning day 5 of post-op recovery. At this exact second I am sitting on the couch, ice packs in place, afghan covering my legs, cup of coffee in hand, relishing this moment of feeling things are healing in my body.

Thank each of you for all the good vibes you sent out into the universe for me. I have felt each one nudge me from the place you sent it from. Such comfort. How to fully explain the immensity of the loving kindness and concern I have felt surrounded by? The closest I can come is a feeling of light and protection enveloping me, Like I am moving through the world sheltered from any possible harm.  What a feeling. It makes my cry.

My hospital experience was top notch. I was at the KU campus at Indian Creek in Kansas City and the attention to my safety, comfort, and well being was amazing. Emma and Martha were 2 nurses who stood out in a sea of stars. How good it feels to be on the receiving end of such excellent care.

I am up, walking, have started therapy, am giving up the walker for the cane today. Chris has been on duty non-stop at home. Cooking wonderful meals and making sure I have every little thing I need. 

Please know that every single e-mail, text, call, Marco-polo, FaceTime, card, flower, book, and good wish have been, and continue to be appreciated. I shall be posting updates as “007” and I complete our bonding and prepare for all our future adventures together.

P. S.  Sister suggested the name 007 for my titanium/ceramic hip and as soon as she said it I knew it was right.

 

showered with all the goodness in the universe

In the run up to tomorrows' surgery, here is what I have to report: 

I have enjoyed thoroughly ALL the messages and blessings from dear ones. Tonight I feel very loved and showered with all the goodness in the universe as I head into tomorrow.
Extra banana pudding has been consumed in the name of carb loading for maximum healing after surgery. Still have some saved for post-op though I might have to throw it away if they are starting to "turn". 
Re-watched all the videos about what I am supposed to do/know/be ready for, with surgery. I was thinking about practicing how to get in and out of bed with the aid of my walker using proper body mechanics, but decided that was going too far. 
Written a list of all the catastrophic events that may happen (but probably won't) in my journal. This was in the name of getting those thoughts off the hamster wheel in my head and into a book that can be closed.
Packed a small bag of essential items I will need at the hospital. Including the special tube of hand cream that Dottie sent me along with a Nancy Drew book that we loved when we were kids. 
Labeled the walker Joan lent me so it won't get lost in the jumble of walkers at the hospital. I know assistive devices sometimes get up and walk around of their own accord and wind up in strange places in health care settings.
Printed off my advanced directive and put brackets around the most important stuff, and reviewed EXACTLY what that means with Chris. 
Changed the sheets on the bed. Started the cleansing regimen that includes multiple showers, special wipes, and absolutely NO lotions. Sheesh. My old skin is used to LOTS of lubricating balms after a shower. 
Drank special carb/protein drinks that will put my body in its best possible position for optimal healing.
Figured out a name for my new hip. More on that later. 

Catch you all again in a few days, when I will fill you in on all you may (and may not) want to know about joint replacement surgery in the era of ultra modern medicine. In the meantime, I am keeping my eyes on the prize - the delight of all the walks I will be taking in the coming months.

a movie with 2 men who are comfortable talking about the hard stuff

Tonight I'm coming at you with a film recommendation.  Chris and I watched Stutz the other night after hearing about it from a friend.  It's a documentary about the relationship between Jonah Hill and his therapist. Trailer below. Jonah felt like his life was really turned around by the conversation, advice, tips, he received from him and felt the need to share it with others who may benefit as well.

The relationship between them is clearly important to both Jonah and Stutz, and it was just excellent to see a movie with 2 men who are comfortable talking about the hard stuff AND so open and honest with each other. We both enjoyed it immensely. Highly recommended. 

finding joy in the midst of unpleasantness

Today I want to go back to yesterday's post for a minute. To the part where I said I was making pudding as part of my "living my best life" plan....

Peggy said the other day in a Marco Polo - how do we know if we are living our best life right now? What does that even mean, and how do we do it?  

Living MY best life has to include some moments of joy, some times when I am taken out of this self, when I see, hear, taste, smell, read, imagine, something that captivates me. Experiences that make me look around and be glad to be alive. 

This has been trickier for me lately because I have been a bit "hobbled" by a bad hip.  The good news is a replacement hip is in the works. BUT as hard as this has been, what an excellent lesson it is about having an alternate plan for finding joy in the midst of unpleasantness. Because surely, there will be more hardships as life unfolds.   

Living my best life also includes the ability to have meaningful interactions with people, be that at work, in my personal life, and nowadays in this great big world where we connect through the internet. I mentioned my friend Peggy earlier and Marco Polo. Since she and Annette and I got together in Omaha in November we have been doing this regularly. Oh what a delight it has been. I love being able to see their faces and hear their voices when we chat. We refer to it as our endless dangling conversation that can be picked up and dropped off at will. I love that Peggy's comment about "living our best lives" triggered in me the need to do something FUN. Even if it was making banana pudding.  Which by the way, Peggy in Omaha, and Annette in New Jersey, also made. Because that just extended the hilarity of the whole thing. 

P.S. gratuitous photos of grocery store flowers don't have much to do with this post except for the fact that they bring me joy every time I look at them.  Thanks Loooo!

light, creamy, cool, sweet, without the heavy "thickness" of a pudding alone

In the name of "living my best life", today I made some "nanner" pudding. That's what Dad called it anyway. It was one of his very favorite desserts. When we were kids, mom used to make it on a semi-regular basis, and we all LOVED it. These days it doesn't come up often in the rotation of desserts. 

When mom made it, it was in a glass square pyrex dish as I recall, we would not have considered using individual jars. No one did that back then. But for a family of 2 with only 1 that loves sweets, this is a good way to go. 

So my friend Annette started this last week when she said she was going to make some. Then we talked recipes and she told me she was using the one from the NYT cooking section - which is from Magnolia Bakery with a few twists. 

I turned off the part of my brain that questions why I would do something that way (when it wasn't what mom did) and followed the recipe as written. 

While I waited for the pudding to get firm, I rummaged around for the jars. The vanilla wafers were also opened to be sure they were crisp. 

Heavy cream was whipped. Pudding was folded in.

Layering began.

Until at last there was no more room.

Lids were placed on top. In the refrigerator they went, where at this moment all the layers are getting to know each other, turning into one glorious taste treat.  Individually, the combination of the whipped heavy cream and the pudding together was delicious. Light, creamy, cool, sweet, without the heavy "thickness" of a pudding alone. 

P.S. I would like to report that after 5 hours of chilling, these layers melded together into one blissful dessert experience. One that our father would most certainly approve of.  If he was spending the night here tonight, I would know if I heard anyone scurrying around in the kitchen during the night, it would be him, just getting another taste or two to "tide him over" until morning.

If only. 

shall we say smoother

I am surrounded by triangles. Sewing them into great long lines. Attaching each line to the next. 

I used a ruler to cut my triangles, but other than that I am making this up as I go, sort of. 

I mean how many ways can there be to do this? What is really fabulous is how I keep making note of all these color combinations that seem to work well together. 

There wasn't a lot of thought put into exactly what went next to what because, well because I liked all the combinations. There was a bit of moving, not much.

Probably a really good quilter would be more precise about lining up things. Points would be sharp and match up. I do my best. 

In the end, I will be happy with it. 

Next up is figuring out the backing material.  Generally I piece together bigger remnant scraps. I might go a different direction this time. Or not.  

I saw a great video on instagram showing a woman who taped her backing fabric to the floor, then she used basting spray on her batting and quilt top as she laid them down to make the quilt sandwich. I am going to try that instead of big safety pins this time to see if things come out a bit, shall we say "smoother"? I learn something new with each project. Step by step. I am on my quilting journey. 

finding your way to hang in there

Happy Valentines day friends.   You will forgive my lapses in posting as I struggle to think of things to say. How does one acknowledge all the hard stuff and keep moving forward. 

Looking at this old photo of Lewis on the table with conversation hearts, from way back in 2012... oh yes, that helps. Thinking about good things, trying not to ruminate too much on the bad, doing something to help where I can. 

Along those lines, there was an Art Zoom on Sunday. I was going to paint a whole page of cacti, but instead painted these stickers from my everyday journal. 

That Rebecca Ringquist had to go and post a photo of her Love Sampler on instagram which I of course had to get.  When will I stitch it? Sometime. How completely darling is that envelope with a heart painted on it that she sent it in? Love x's a billion!

McClain's had special cookies for the superbowl which were soothing in a slightly crunchy vanilla, with a hint of lemon, sugary way. 

Hope you all are finding your way to hang in there, however it works for you.

 

infinitely delicious and inspiring

This weekend, for inspiration, Chris and I went up to the Spencer Museum. It's a lovely spot to spend however long you like to spend at a museum. Which for me is no more than an hour, sometimes just 30 minutes.  We're lucky to have it right here, in our own town. My favorite things on this visit, are below. 

Stone wall reliefs from a Buddhist temple, from Switzerland, and one from Greece. Fascinating - that they were preserved, removed, and are here in Kansas where I can appreciate them. It all seems amazing to me. 

I do wish I had gotten the name of this artist below. I love the limited use of color and the richness of the face. 

There were a couple of Ansel Adam photographs on display as well.  I told Chris we must get to Canyon de Chelly National Monument after seeing them. There was also a 6 legged wolf from an ancient Japanese forest, covered in a mosaic of small bits of mirror. Yes, I was caught up in the middle of a fairy tale as I sat at looked at it. Ancient wolf saves lost child... you get the picture.  

This latte with a warmed strawberry pop tart was also infinitely delicious and inspiring on a whole different level. From a local coffee shop in KC - Urban Prairie Coffee. Nice seating, good light, comfortable chairs. I will be back. 

Tonight it's layers upon layers of color in the sky that a excite me. Glorious.

Chris yells up the stairs "are you looking at the sunset", I run for the camera. He continues working on the meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and succotash for dinner. It's a winter Sunday dinner in Kansas. Pure comfort. 

The end. 

time to breathe, reflect, and just plain enjoy

Today I said goodbye again, for a time, to Lucy Barton. In Anything is Possible, we get to know her brother Pete, sister Vickie, and cousins Abel and Dottie. The thing about Elizabeth Strout is she has created this wonderful cast of characters, centered around Lucy Barton, but I as the reader, never feel out of sorts for dwelling on someone else who somehow has a connection to Lucy. I actually feel I know Lucy better for having met the other characters and read about their circumstances. 

It all leaves me wanting to go back and read My Name is Lucy Barton again, as well as anticipating diving into Lucy by the Sea. Anything is Possible, like all the novels I have read by Elizabeth Strout, was a sheer pleasure to read. The characters, the setting, the way she puts words together... all so comforting. When I am reading her books I feel like they are always at the perfect pace. There is time to breathe, reflect, and just plain enjoy. The pure pleasure of being engrossed in the whole experience. It takes me back to why I fell in love with reading long ago. 

Very highly recommended.