Baby Steps and Facing the Unknown

Well, the patient is losing patience. Thanks to the generosity of several friends, Margaret has received some gift cards to Borders and Amazon, so she's enhancing her book collection and getting several new things to read while she convalesces. She is more comfortable day by day; the muscles are healing. But we still have to remind her and ourselves that she has a fracture and has to take it easy when she move. Although the fracture is stable, they told us it can be made less so by certain activity and movement.

We have the appointment Sept. 1 with the specialist, and I keep hoping we'll get in earlier on the cancellation list. But until we see the specialist, I still have a list of unanswered questions. The girls don't start school until Sept. 9, which is good. But what it will mean for Margaret as she tries to negotiate the busy hallways and do something with that 80-pound backpack, I don't know.

She has been able to increase the time between doses of percocet, which is a good start to weaning herself off them and onto something less potent. Ultimately, I'd like to see her being able to manage pain on Tylenol. They don't want her taking NSAIDs because of their penchant for causing bleeding. And a bleed in her spinal cord would be disastrous.

Patricia has been stellar as a helpmate and companion. She and I are going garage-sale shopping tomorrow, just the two of us. It's kind of a birthday gift for her -- having mom-time doing what she and I both love. But it's also a reward to get her out of the house for a while. I can't wait.

At some point, we're going to have to consider back-to-school shopping, but again, I won't even attempt to take Margaret somewhere she might get jostled or have to endure any long car trips until I know what we're supposed to do or not supposed to do. It's also hard for her to dress because it hurts to bend over, and she's not supposed to be bending over. What a handicap!

And on a sad note, our beloved dance teacher, Miss Nancy, is being treated for uterine cancer and won't be teaching in the foreseeable future. Susan is taking over the classes but for how long, we don't know. Both Margaret and I will be sidelined at the start -- My surgery is Sept. 3 and I don't know how long I'll be out with a cast on my left wrist. But I don't know when Margaret will be cleared for the pounding and shifting in tap and hip-hop. We'll see. And we send our love and best wishes out to Miss Nancy. Her students will miss her terribly.

Vacation Caught on Digital

As promised, some photos from the summer, beginning with our day in Old Montreal while Margaret and Patricia practiced for their Andre Rieu concert.



We tried to take a photo at most places we dined this summer. The first is Cooks in Orleans where we've eaten our inaugural lunch the last two summers. The photo of Patricia on the car is when we first arrived at the cottage. She reminded us of Granny in the Beverly Hillbillies -- about the only thing we didn't bring down was the rocking chair.




We ate at our favorite "see 'em swim" lobster places, Lobster Shanty, in Eastham across from the National Seashore headquarters.




After dinner at the Shanty, we had a campfire on the beach at Marconi -- Oh those stairs and that walk! Patricia was happy building a sand castle while Margaret was happy reading -- everywhere we went.




A day spent in Provinctown included our usual lunch at Gov. Bradford's on Commercial Street. We had iced tea and drinks at our favorite little sidewalk place and took a tourist shot at the big anchor by the wharf.





Our last day was spent at Skaket Beach under a hot sun. Our last night was spent at a favorite ice cream place in Orleans, the Ice Cream Cafe.





And the last leg of our journey was the night spent in Boston where we visited the Science Museum, our favorite Boston spot, Durgin Park, and Quincy Market, where we met a creepy (and not altogether nice) clown who made Brigid a balloon hat.





Those are but a few of the images caught on camera of our exploits. There are plenty more where they came from, and if I'm in a mood to upload further, I might just do that ;)

Enjoy.

From the Great Cape to the Not-So-Great

Before I get into our August drama, I'll recap the Cape Cod vacation, which was fabulous in all ways. We had picture-perfect weather each day. We arrived in Hyannis as expected in time for bed, having left later in the afternoon to beat the Boston traffic. We then got up early enough to beat the traffic into Orleans. We don't get the keys until about 2:30, so we went to the beach for a while, then to Cook's for lunch. We ran some errands and then got the keys to set up house. Our cottage is perfectly situated close to Skaket Beach and far enough away from the commercial side of Orleans. We love Wellfleet, but this has turned into a good alternative.

We spent the majority of our days at the beach -- either the bay or the ocean side. Jack got some kayaking in. He and Patricia took bike rides most mornings. We got to the drive-in to see a double feature (our first): "Despicable Me," and "Toy Story III." The first was better than I expected; the second was as good as I expected. Maybe even better. We got to the flea market (not so great this year) and Provincetown. Margaret got a new charm for her bracelet at the Silver Unicorn in Yarmouth. We managed to get to the Wellfleet Library for a visit and to a couple kettle ponds. We also had our annual dinner at the Lobster Shanty. But then this year, instead of going out for a final dinner, we brought lobsters home to eat. It was fun, but I got way too much food -- between the lobsters and steamers. Next year we vow to make it two weeks because one week just isn't long enough.

We had only been home a week when we had disaster strike. Margaret was on a trail ride with Grandma Downs and was thrown from her horse. She landed hard, was out for a short time (doesn't remember what happened) and broke her back. She is on the mend -- the spinal cord thank God wasn't involved -- but she's in tremendous pain. We will take her to the spinal institute in Burlington Sept. 1 (or sooner if we can get her in on the cancellation list). She must remain as quiet as she can and pretty much goes from the bed to the couch. Activity is strictly limited. It's been scary, but we've received best wishes and prayers from so many people. That part has been very uplifting. At least school doesn't start until Sept. 8. Dance doesn't start until the week of Sept. 27. Although she won't be able to take dance right away, we'll see what the doctor says about October or November. Susan said she can observe for as long as she needs to.

My friend, Kathleen, and her daughter, Sydney, are set to visit tomorrow, so that's good, and that will raise Margaret's spirits as well.

I go in for my wrist surgery Sept. 3, so we're going to be quite a pair. But in the meantime, we're trying to enjoy the rest of August while we can. This summer has been glorious weather-wise, and I'd hate to lose what little summer we have left. It's only the 12th. Brigid has one more full week in the pre-school room; then they take a week off, and the week students return to college (Aug. 30) is the week she starts pre-K. Jack begins his full-time teaching gig that week as well and bids farewell to (full-time) work at the Press. It's a huge step for him, so all you readers out there (all three of you) please keep us all in your thoughts and prayers as we navigate the rest of this mine field of a month.

Photos will be posted soon, including one of Margaret in the ER at Fletcher Allen. (I'm a scrapbooker, after all.)