Posts tagged ‘PG’
Someone’s Got a Screw Loose…
I promised you a less-than-perfect-day and we certainly had one this week. I’ll return to the travelogue soon, but first, a real-time update on the Saga of The Foot.
Faithful readers will recall that just a little over a year ago, the CE exercised the pain and suffering clause in our marriage by rupturing his posterior tibialis tendon. This is one of those body parts you don’t know exists until something goes wrong; its purpose is to support the arch of the foot. All you flat-footers out there, get thee to a podiatrist forthwith – orthotics as well as other measures can help if the condition is caught early on.
Note the difference: the foot on the left has a normal arch, the foot on the right is flat, indicating a problem with the PT tendon (image from mdmercy.com)
The CE’s condition was so severe that he had to have his entire foot re-built, which is why he chose to have the amazing and esteemed Dr. Ferkel (who literally wrote the book on this surgery) at Southern California Orthopedic Institute (SCOI) perform the surgery.
Dr. Ferkel, baseball nut and surgeon extraordinaire (image from scoi.com)
This involved cutting into the heel, removing a piece of it and re-fashioning it to stabilize the foot. The tendon was completely ruptured, which means that it basically rolled up like a windowshade and had to be teased out and looped together with another tendon in order to restore function to the foot. (Sorry, I should have mentioned you might need a barf bag before you read this paragraph.) Every physician, nurse, x-ray tech and other human being who has looked at the CE’s scar gets very wide eyes and says “Wow! You had a BIG surgery!” Very reassuring…
Post-surgery last year
The foot is now almost fully functional, although it does appear that the CE has some residual sensory nerve damage. This could have resulted from the original condition, the surgery or the nerve block that was done pre-surgery. He can walk, but he does have significant pain in the foot. He has also had pain from the ginormous screws they put in his heel to hold things together, and he jumped (okay, truth be told, he’s not jumping all that well these days…) at the chance to have them removed.
Yes, THOSE screws!
Last time around, he was in the hospital for two nights, in a cast for a few months and in a boot for what seemed like a lifetime. We knew this time around would be less of an ordeal – for one thing, it’s an out-patient procedure, but we didn’t know much else.
The CE and Natalie, Dr. Ferkel's assistant at the pre-op appointment: WHY is this man laughing?
So it was a relief to learn that although the procedure required general anesthesia, there was the possibility that the CE could bypass having a cast and go straight to wearing that familiar old boot. I never thought I’d be happy to see the boot again, but it’s much better than a cast!
And I was amazed to see how quickly he rallied after the surgery. Here he is just a few hours later:
A few hours post-surgery: they gave him the screws as a souvenir (yes I know there's a bad joke here, but I'm not going there)
Another bonus, since we spent the night in the Los Angeles area, was that Victoria took a break from her studies at USC to come visit!
Victoria just aced a big test! Congratulations!
He’s in considerable pain, but hopefully the heel, at least, will hurt less now that the screws are out. Since he’s on crutches for the next week or two, the CE is staying down in the poolhouse with Chloe, Rosie and Birdie for roommates, but he’s already feeling well enough to hobble around. PG brought lunch yesterday and we had a picnic with the chickens.
Is it wrong to eat chicken salad in front of the chickens?
"I hope he gets well soon so he can throw the tennis ball for me!"
Thanks to everyone for the calls and well wishes, to Victoria for the fruit and the visit, to PG for lunch and to Ashleigh for keeping us afloat until the CE is back to his usual superhuman self.
Polloplayer edit: a fair amount of traffic arrives here via searches for “posterior tibialis”. For related posts on this subject, see “Break a Leg?”, “Getting a Leg Up”, “Cast and Characters”, “Ups, Downs” and “Das Boot and Das Molt”
A Hui Hou, Happy Birthday, and Bawk Bawk Bawk
It is not easy to leave Hawaii. I’m not saying I want to live there, because living there would imply going to the grocery store, making the obligatory run to Costco and doing battle with bugs the size of a shovel head. No, I don’t want to live there. I just want to be on permanent vacation there or someplace very much like it.
As I looked out at the beautiful view one last time, one of the cabana staff members came over to remind me that one never says goodbye to Hawaii, but, rather “A hui hou”; see you later. If I have my way, Hawaii will be seeing me much sooner than later. Here are a few last pix from Maui 2011:
My favorite morning walk
Taylor and Easton at dinner
Wailea at sunset
Taylor flew with us to LA, then boarded a red-eye flight to WDC and went straight from the airport to work on Tuesday morning. Kind of the ultimate vacation buzzkill, that’s for sure. Of course, the magic was pretty much gone by the time we reached LA, anyway:
McDonalds for dinner at LAX. A far cry from Spago at the Maui Four Seasons!
It is, however, good to be home. We got here just in time to wish Phyllis a belated 89th birthday:
Ashleigh made a very special blueberry cobbler for dessert
A very young 89!
Ashleigh, the CE and the birthday girl
We were amazed at how much the little ladies (can’t really call them chicks anymore) grew while we were away. They are almost three months old now! They’re testing their wings more, starting to work out the pecking order and making a big mess in the coop. Let’s just say our compost pile is growing by leaps and bounds.
Luna, Coco and Pippa
Lucy, looking every inch a Speckled Sussex
You can't really tell here, but Tulip's feathers are a gorgeous shiny greenish black color
Coco
Pippa and her snowshoe feet
Sweet Luna
San Diego Salute
Nick and PG at meal #1: Sat am breakfast
This particular weekend, however, was dedicated, more than less, to the art of fine dining. It was impressive to see a trained military professional do battle with a knife and fork. I am here to tell you he took no prisoners!
Meal #2: At Cowboy Steak in downtown San Diego, you can order a side scallop or two to top your side of beef
I know, you’re thinking we did nothing but eat. That’s almost true. But we did manage to sneak in a trip to the San Diego Zoo, where instead we watched a young Giant Panda eat. That little guy – 23 months old, they told us, has grown rather portly on a diet of bamboo. Leads me to believe that vegetables must be caloric and we should strictly limit our choices to steak, lobster and chocolate desserts.
This young Giant Panda was the fifth born at the San Diego Zoo. He loves his bamboo!
Nick with a giraffe in the background. No, he did not eat the giraffe for lunch.
A python skeleton on display at the zoo, which looked positively inviting compared with the ginormous Albino Burmese Python we saw lurking nearby.
An impressive Harpy Eagle. My chickens would have a heart attack at the sight of him!
View from our hotel
By Sunday morning, we worked up quite an appetite from the effort of eating at Cowboy Star on Saturday night, so we went to brunch at the Westgate Hotel for meal #3. Recommended!
At the Westgate Hotel
After brunch, we caught the ferry over to Coronado Island. PG has fond memories of the Hotel Del Coronado, so we stopped there for a glass of iced tea, then headed back to the ferry because, of course, we didn’t want to be late for our dinner reservation.
On the ferry
The venerable "Hotel Del" as PG calls it
Sunday night dinner (meal #4 ) was at Bertrand at Mister A’s. I don’t quite understand why the restaurant needs two names, but we were too busy enjoying the view to ask questions. Perched on the top floor of a bank building in downtown San Diego, the restaurant affords views of just about everything in the area, including the steady stream of airplanes landing at the San Diego airport. The food and service were as top-notch as the view.
image from www.bertrandatmisteras.com
Our midshipman had to be back on base by midnight Sunday, which brought our weekend – and the food binge – to a reluctant close. I would like to know if the Navy has a strategy for fighting the battle of the restaurant-induced bulge for those of us who are not 20 years old and in fighting trim. I could use a little help.
After his summer posting in San Diego and a little R & R back home in Florida, Nick will return for his junior year at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis. We hope to visit him there sometime soon and see how the East Coast restaurateurs measure up.
Best of luck and Godspeed to Nicholas and all the others dedicated to protecting our country!
The CE, PG and Nick
So much to celebrate!
Alexandra may be the only person who can claim her birthday was upstaged by chickens. Her birthday was last week and we celebrated with a lovely lunch:
Chelsea, Claire, Alexandra and Victoria
Pamela and Alexandra
Alexandra drove south to celebrate her birthday with a hot-air balloon ride, but the rest of us gathered here on Saturday afternoon for what turned into a Chick-Naming-Party. I’m going to try to post a poll with the names in contention, but for the moment, you’ll have to be content with pictures from the event:
Ashleigh made some amazing treats for our guests!
Victoria created the chick-naming materials
The Chicken Kingdom is looking good
Hope marched her babies out from the coop right on cue as the guests began to arrive
Pamela visits with the little Black Copper Marans chick
Phyllis enjoys the Silkie
Ashleigh holds the little Easter Egger
Katherine makes sure that Autumn doesn't feel left out
Pamela and Kirk re-define chicken coop attire (they were on their way to another party, actually...one that didn't involve pine shavings)
Soho the scaredy cat: "If I don't look at it will it go away?"
Our neighbor, Jo, dropped by to welcome the baby chicks
So did Chadd and his friend, James
Lori and Victoria
Birdie even joined us for some outdoor time
Julia, Victoria and I enjoyed a little late-afternoon sunshine when the fog finally lifted a bit
Somehow I missed getting a photo of Marie-Christine. Maybe that means we need to name a chick after her…
Yesterday was Father’s Day, and, in addition to being splashed all over the blog (thanks for all the nice comments!) the CE enjoyed a lovely brunch and reveled in the phone calls from all the far-flung kids. Julia brought fresh-baked banana bread and Victoria made a pie and some amazing artwork, so it was a very sweet day.
King for the Day, and Emperor forever!
PG and the CE
Trying our hardest here to make every day a holiday!
Re-wind Pt 3 of 3: They say it’s your birthday!
Just a run-of-the-mill birthday, or so I thought. As they stack up, they seem less like a collection and more like, well, old age, I guess. I was planning to be happy with the gift of tyrannical tv remote appropriation (anyone up for an NCIS marathon?) but someone (not naming names, but Victoria comes to mind…with assistance from Ashleigh and the CE) stopped just a chicken feather short of declaring it a national holiday. And now, with not one, but two, birthday dinners and innumerable gifts later, I stand before you, another year older and woefully behind on writing thank-you notes.
From birthday dinner #1: Alexandra, PG and the Diz
The CE and VIctoria with the best birthday dessert ever: Trifle!
Beautiful flowers from Katherine
Be still my heart! The CE gave me a signed album cover of Joni Mitchell's "Wild Things Run Fast". Best gift ever from the best husband ever!
The table is set for dinner #2
Victoria and Ashleigh worked for hours and hours and hours on the second birthday dinner. The food was so amazing I want to go back and have it all over again!
Ah, popovers and prime rib! Heavenly!
Julia brought these breathtaking peonies
I didn’t know the guest list, so I was holding out a shred of hope that Hugh Laurie might knock on the door, but the next best thing to a House heartthrob has got to be Michael in his dapper James Bondesque jacket:
Michael and an admiring Birdie
Karen and Julia
Pamela, Soho and moi
The one, the only, CE!
PG, the ubiquitous Soho, and Dave
Beethoven thoughtfully dressed up for the occasion
The cooks and their muse: Ashleigh, Marie-Christine and Victoria
It’s much easier to age when you’re lucky enough to have such wonderful friends and family around. I think my college roommate, Anne, summed it up best with this card:
Inside it says: "You're no spring chicken, but you're still a tasty dish!"
"Can we move on now? May is SO over. Yawn!"
Re-wind Pt. 1: the Merry, Merry Month of May NYC
Computer glitches and Nyquil fog have conspired to prevent a timely travelogue update. But here, finally, are some pix from our NYC trip:
Daniel and his friend, Nicole, stopped by our apartment after finishing their last final. They look pretty good for having had no sleep.
Only in New York: the CE was hankering for some deli food, so we stopped into Lansky's on the UWS for giant bowls of matzoh ball soup
After lunch, we stopped into the American Folk Art Museum http://www.folkartmuseum.org/ which is a small space with a big quilt exhibit and an eclectic gift shop. I wasn’t prepared for the sight of the quilt that hangs in the lobby: it is a National Tribute Quilt that bears the names of every person who died in the 9/11 attacks on our country. A very emotional experience, and well worth it, but bring kleenex! Here is a detail from the quilt:
3,466 blocks in six panels, the project was created by the Steel Quilters of United States Steel Corporation.
Separate panels commemorate the passengers on each of the downed flights on 9/11. Here is the block in memory of Todd Beamer, hero of Flight 93. The text echoes his brave last words, "Let's Roll!"
On a cheerier note, we were so lucky to spend Mother’s Day with three of the four kids and all four grandkids. Precious memories!
We had such a wonderful Mother's Day! Ang got a reservation for us all at a kid-friendly place on the UWS called the Arte Cafe - it was perfect for our group! All the little ones were on their best behavior and we had a great time.
John was out of town on business, so Tina had her hands full. The CE was happy to have some Grandpa time.
And my baby boy showed up to make the day extra special!
Taylor couldn't join us but he sent these beautiful flowers!
Bobby and James
Thomas
A very happy Mother's Day for me
A walk in the park: Evie with her popsicle in Central Park, where we took a walk and rode the carousel after brunch.
One day we took a cab down to Soho for lunch. We walked around the neighborhood afterwards, and stumbled into a MOST unusual shop called Evolution. http://theevolutionstore.com/ Their Google hit descriptor reads “framed insects, animal and human skulls”. With apologies to Cindy Adams, I just hafta’ say it: Only in New York, kids!
The skeleton crew is definitely on duty at Evolution
Hydrangeas in the West 60's
PG flew into the city after a trip to visit the Siesta Keysters in Sarasota. She and the CE had a nice meal or twelve, and took in a few shows and the ballet.
PG at La Grenouille, where we had an AMAZING dinner
The. Best. Souffle. Ever. La Grenouille is our new favorite restaurant in NYC.
It was another great visit to NYC, and, as always, we can’t wait to return…hopefully soon!
Quality time.
He wasn’t here for very long, but it was oh so nice to have Daniel at home! He headed back to the city today to move into his dorm for summer school, where he will be learning Greek (not the oops-our-country-is-broke contemporary language, but the ancient Greek of Homer and Herodotus.) Hey, why major in Poli Sci or Econ when you can do something REALLY easy like Classics, right? Our sympathies are with you, dear Booookie…
We celebrated his 20th birthday a few weeks early with the traditional family spaghetti dinner. Big gift this year: two tix to Lady Gaga’s Monster Ball Tour concert at Madison Square Garden (thanks, Bobby, for helping out with the broker!) I was hoping he would ask me to be his date, but no such luck. Best gift: Granny bestowed upon Daniel the Steiff bear I gave her as a thank-you gift twenty years ago when she came to help out after Daniel was born. What a special present!
How can my baby be 20?
Granny returned from her trip to Florida in time to join us for spaghetti
As usual, Victoria had to share her seat with Dizzy
Daniel and Dad
Daniel, Granny and the bear
There's still time to invite me, Daniel!
Worth coming all the way home just to wear a Shoo Shoo Shooby Doo
Do not try this at home!
He got in a wee bit of piano time
Headed back to the city
We'll miss you, Daniel!
“Grandpa, do you live in a zoo?”
Hurricane Thomas and Hurricane James spun through last week along with their parents and their dog, Tiny. Thomas tallied up all the animals he saw and seemed to compare it favorably with the Central Park Zoo.
City boy befriends chickens
Thomas was quite the helper in the chicken yard. He tuned into the rhythm of chicken-keeping, dutifully remembering when it was time to let the chickens out in the morning and bring them in at night. And he enjoyed the daily egg hunt, as well.
A two-egg day
That's not a chicken!
We picked oranges and made fresh-squeezed juice
Jamesy!
In the chicken yard
So relaxing with kids, isn't it?
Chloe lifeguards
"We are not water dogs"
Post-swim snuggle
Dueling dictators
Amelia gets a moment of peace
We spent an afternoon going "Sideways"
Victoria makes a new friend
Krista came to visit
Jamesy and Great-Granny
Ah, to be young again!
Dizzy says BTDT
Love the new sign!
The amazing Grandpa!
The family had an early flight on Easter Sunday so they left dark and early. Since we were up and wide-awake, the CE and I decided to go to an Easter sunrise service, which we enjoyed so much it may become a tradition. What a privilege to stand with the sea behind us, the moutains before us and worship our God above us. He is risen indeed!
The moon was setting over the ocean as we arrived
The sky cleared to a beautiful Easter morning
Hope you had a wonderful Easter!
May I have the envelope please…
It is awards season, after all, and I would like to humbly suggest that the statuette for best new comedy act in Las Vegas should go to (drum roll) (sound of tearing envelope) (pan to close-ups of tight-lipped nominees pretending not to care): US! Yes, that would be our family making their way to the stage to accept the honor. For we bravely traveled where (hopefully) no one has gone before and assembled a group like no other in Las Vegas this past week. Too bad the name Motley Crue is already taken, because it’s probably the best descriptor for the collective chaos that swirled around our entourage.
Some of our group, poolside in Vegas. Rare photo in that not everyone is talking at once...
Too bad, also, that someone already made the film “Nine”, because that could have been a fine mockumentary title for our family disunion – I mean, reunion. Yes, there were nine of us. At shows, at the pool, at and, most definitely at the buffet. Where what happens in Las Vegas does not stay there at all, but attaches itself firmly to the hips and jiggles all the way home with you.
Famed Chiluly glass installation in the Bellagio hotel lobby
This was a repeat of a visit we made three years to Las Vegas with very nearly the same group: me and the CE, Granny, sister Gail; Uncle Delbert and his able wrangler, Juanita; my father and his wife, Lois, and this trip the lively addition of brother Mark, who traveled all the way from Florida for his first Vegas visit in decades. “Where are the dancing girls?” he asked, marveling at our G-rated approach to Sin City.
The CE and brother, Mark
Not a dancing girl in sight, but we did take in a number of shows, the far-and-away favorite being the just-opened Cirque du Soleil ”Viva Elvis” at the just-opened Aria hotel in the just-opened City Center complex. The best show of all, however, was probably the nightly spectacle of pulling together our group of nine folks, two wheelchairs, escalators, elevators, multiple taxis and an, um, “interesting” array of personalities and getting them all pointed in more or less the same direction.
Uncle Delbert specifically requested this photo of himself next to the horse's rear. I can't imagine why...
One award-winning-act took place after our group was dead last to exit the “Lion King” theatre and the CE somehow managed to whisk us, wheelchairs and all, to the front of a serpentine line for taxis where all other action ceased until our VIP group was underway. I guess all that chicken-herding practice finally paid off. Other awards go to Juanita, for managing cantankerous Uncle Del and a gold medal to Mike for courage under fire – he managed to enjoy Vegas in full despite being in the midst of a course in chemotherapy.
Headed to a show
Family photo - we all clean up pretty well, don't we?
Satisfied "Viva Elvis" customer
Mark and Gail
Granny, poolside, working on her tan
Mike and Lois
Juanita and Delbert
Granny and her three kids
Granny met her friend, Cleo, for lunch one day
Sports bets were made. Slot machines were ring-a-dinging. Manicures for all the ladies. Poker for the CE. Manhattans, martinis, Chardonnay and Cabernet all flowed like the Bellagio fountains, and that Platinum Amex went swipe swipe swipe. An excellent time was had by all, which should win us at least some kind of award. Tune in for the three-peat in 2013
Thank you, Alexandra, for doing chicken duty while we were away!
The most wonderful time of the year.
Taking a break from cooking
Taylor and Victoria made a lovely dinner for us last night and Granny joined us. We hung a few more ornaments on the tree – very handy to have 6’4″+ Taylor to reach the tall branches! And Granny enjoyed visiting the coop and seeing the chickens’ Christmas decorations.
Autumn is Granny's favorite, too
There are many things to love about this time of year. One of my favorites is the “year-end giving” lunch the CE and I will have today where we write a few annual checks to support organizations that touch our hearts. If you’re doing the same thing this week, you may want to check out Charity Navigator. I have found it to be a helpful resource for making decisions about charitable giving.
Charity Navigator calls itself “America’s premier independent charity evaluator” and ”works to advance a more efficient and responsive philanthropic marketplace by evaluating the financial health of over 5,400 of America’s largest charities.” If you go to their web site at http://www.charitynavigator.org/ you will find information on top-rated charities and guides to choosing charities. Best of all, their “star” system rates charities according to how much or little of your donation bypasses administrative overhead and goes directly to the services you are helping provide.
For example, I got an email the other day notifying me that Angie and Bobby have made a donation of two chickens in my name through WorldVision http://www.worldvision.org/ - what a great gift for me and for the family that will receive the chickens
" Fresh eggs raise the levels of protein and other nutrients in a family’s diet, and the sale of extra eggs provides money for other household needs."
If you go to Charity Navigator and look up WorldVision, you will find that it is a 4-star charity, which is a rating of “Exceptional: exceeds industry standards and outperforms most charities in its cause.” Good to know, and what a great gift to give and to receive!
With so many worthy causes out there, Charity Navigator is a nice way to survey the options. As the saying goes, we can’t help everyone, but we can all help someone. Happy giving to you and yours!
