A Whirlwind (and Not Entirely Complete) View of Our World During the Last 5 Months

OK, like “The Complete Works of Shakespeare (Abridged) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Complete_Works_of_William_Shakespeare_(Abridged) here, in a nutshell, is the last five months:

Margaret had her last appointment with Dr. Flimlin in Burlington at the end of October and was given the green light to ease back into her activities. Although the vertebrae will never regenerate, they are healed and stable. She is back to tap and hip-hop and pretty much everything at school has returned to normal for her. Her back still aches at times. I’m afraid she may be plagued by a sore back. She can join the club.


Meanwhile, my wrist went from bad to worse back to bad and then to healing. Visits to Burlington in October, November, December and January mean more radiation than the folks at Cherynobl. In the films, you can clearly see the break under the plate that happened AFTER the surgery Sept. 3. By the Jan. 20, 2011 visit, he said it's healing nicely and I don't have to return until the end of March.
The good news? The original pain I went in to have him treat is gone.


Both Margaret and Patricia received exceptional report cards in November — straight A’s and A+ for Patricia; high 90s and 100s for Margaret. The class we were most concerned about was Margaret’s AP Global, which she is taking as an independent study. But she aced it, and the teacher was very complimentary when we met for parent-teacher conferences just before Thanksgiving.


Brigid, meanwhile, has been entering a phase that may be turning into a character flaw. She has been screaming and yelling and being an overall pain — easily angered, easily frustrated. They said at Sibley that they don’t see much evidence of it, so she’s saving it all for when she gets home.


We went to Buffalo for Thanksgiving break, stopping over in Verona both on the way down and back again. It makes the trip much easier to bear. Had a wonderful visit. Spent time with family members, had a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner with Dave, Connie, Stephanie, Tim and Grandma Wright. Saw Chet and Marilyn for breakfast and stopped by Jan’s house on the way out of town where Brigid was introduced to the Wii. The girls and I even got in some thrift-store shopping. The weather held out long enough for us to get home.


After four years, the family – girls and Jack included – finally wore Santa down and low and behold, along came a Wii under the Christmas tree. Now Brigid can hack and slice her way through “Swordplay” any time she wants. Patricia is addicted to Mario and Jack and Margaret aren’t far behind. Even Brigid wants in on the Mario scene.



The winter finally caught up with us and we’ve been seeing some significant snow fall, much like the rest of the East Coast. Jack got into the not-having-to-work-for-six-weeks-after-the-semester-ended routine with aplomb, taking the opportunity to do some skiing. He said, after all his time in the private sector, it almost felt decadent to have so much time off. But he hit the ground running when the second semester came upon him. After one week, he was on his way to a week-long educational conference at the Poynter Institute in Florida where he learned about teaching multi-media topics to college kids. We endured as a single-parent family for the week with the help of friends, and Margaret and Patricia couldn’t have been more helpful. Jack returned on my 50th birthday just in time for dinner out. We went to Koto’s Japanese Steakhouse for the first time and weren’t disappointed. A low-keyed celebration of a half-century.

We had a surprise open-house party for his mother the next day, who turned 75. Brigid thought the party was all for her, and she ran around the room (the Emmaus Room connected to St. Peter’s) exclaiming it was a party.


Margaret began rehearsals in earnest in January for the Plattsburgh High School performances of “Hairspray,” set to open March 11. This week and next leading up to the performance are the hard ones where the rubber hits the road. But she’s loving it.



We visited the ice palace in Saranac Lake on the opening day of the annual winter carnival. They create this incredible ice palace, designed is based on the carnival’s theme, every year using blocks of ice cut from Lake Flower behind the palace site.
You can walk around, climb various levels, crawl through tunnels and generally mill about. This year’s theme, Medieval Times, had a particularly well-done palace. Mexican food awaited us in Lake Placid afterward as did a bad snowstorm that turned the usually 60-minute trip home into a two-hour trip home.

And we’re gearing up for Brigid’s 5th birthday with a bowling party for her pre-K friends. It will be her first birthday party – planned for her, that is. In her mind, everybody’s birthday party is her party. We’ll get together with family members later in the month.

Whew – I think that’s five months in a nutshell.

Wrist Healing, Back Mending, Homecoming

It's been a month, and I'm finally getting to update this thing. The one-handed typing continues as I recover from my wrist surgery, although I can do a little more hunt-and-pecking with the left hand than before. I go back to the surgeon next week and will possibly get the cast off.

Margaret had a very good doctor's visit Sept 30. She's healing nicely, doing what she's supposed to do. She's doing so well, in fact, that the doctor gave her the green light to "carefully" go to the homecoming dance Oct. 2. She had to promise to be careful, stay on the periphery and have her friends protect her. One of those "friends" is Alex, the boy who's had a crush on her since 7th grade and who went with her to the dance. He's a good kid.

She goes back to the doctor, possibly for the last time, at the end of October. If all looks good, she might be released to normal activity. I don't know exactly what that means, but we're still going to err on the side of caution and try to keep her out of harm's way as much as we can. The bone will not regenerate. It is crushed and will stay that way. But it is stable, which is all we can ask for.

We did manage to get her to a college night last week where 120 reps from colleges all over the country gather to pitch their programs. Although she's only a sophomore, it's not too early to get a taste for what's out there. As we wandered around the field house on campus, her eyes were glazed over at all the reps, all of whom have science and math programs (the two areas she's most interested in). She stopped dead in her tracks, however, when the rep from Embrey-Riddle Aeronautical University caught her attention. They offer space physics and other such science programs that are right up her alley. So, even if she doesn't go to college in Daytona Beach, Florida, she has a clue as to what to look for whereas before she had none.

Patricia won her student council elections again for this year as class rep and is contemplating a run for president. She's doing well in modified cross country, and has come a long way from the first week or so when she thought she might quit. We're really very, very proud of her.

I suppose the prize of the month goes to Brigid, who had two doctor visits within four days of one another. The first was to extract a huge bead out of her nose, which she lodged up there during rest time at day care. They called me to say she had something up there and I'd better come get her. I could barely see the glimmer of something shiny up there, so I got her right into the doctor's office. Brigid doesn't blow out yet, so every time she tried, she just sniffed it up higher. They ended up getting a resuscitation bag and placed it over her mouth with a seal around her lips. A few good puffs sent the bead sailing out of her nose. She was a trooper -- not a word or whimper out of her the whole time. But she did promise not to stick anything up there again.

She was back a few days later for an ear infection. Hmmmm. Nose plugged with foreign body; fluids build up behind it; ear infection follows. So she just finished a 10-day antibiotic regimen. And now several of us have upper-respiratory things going on. Good thing it's Columbus Weekend. I've spent two of the three days in bed.

Jack gets two days off for the holiday -- no classes those days. He's getting into the groove of this teaching thing, and he's liking it more than he thought he would.
I hope the trend continues.

A Crazy Summer Comes to an End

One-handed typing takes some getting used to. Had my ulna shortening osteotomy Sept. 3 and all went as well as can be expected. It's painful, in a cast from elbow to fingertips and itches like crazy. I go back to see the surgeon tomorrow to see how I'm doing and hopefully will get a shorter cast.

Margaret continues to make progress, although she is still in some pain. Last week was the first two days of school, and she weathered them. The first day was actually a half day because the afternoon was more like a carnival, so I brought her home. She was exhausted and very, very sore. Had to take a pill mid-day. The next day was a full day, and she had to take one mid-day as well. She comes home exhausted. Tomorrow starts her first full week. The school made what is called a 504 plan for her to comply with the Disabilities Act -- but they would have done this anyway. They gave her a permanent hall pass so she can change classes when they are empty, she isn't in gym, she has special chairs in each class, etc. She can't be in a situation where she could be jostled or bumped.

Patricia, meanwhile, continues to be a huge support to me by helping her sister as much as she can. She's a great kid. This year, for the first time, she's taken up a sport -- modified cross country. It's hard, and she's been discouraged, but she's doing great and we're very, very proud of her.

Brigid loves being a Pre-K girl. Her class has a few new kids in it, so she has some new stories to tell (apparently Oliver shoots people with whatever he can create to make a gun). She's liking the idea of being a big kid there, and you can almost see her developmental milestones jump out at you. Her vocabulary has increased tenfold; She's grown so much taller. Her conversations are rational and well-thought out. The melt downs have dwindled to a few a week rather than a few a day. Most days, she's a joy to be around.

Jack is entrenched in the world of academia now -- he is officially part of the SUNY Plattsburgh faculty. It was a hard transition to make -- going from a job he could do on auto pilot to one that takes tremendous planning and interaction with so many people, but he's doing well and getting the hang of it. Pretty soon, he'll be talking about writing textbooks and getting his Ph.D. no doubt.

Fall is in the air, and as we roll along into a new school year, it's hard not to look back on this summer without mixed emotions. It was glorious (the weather, Cape Cod); sad (losing John to a new parish); difficult (work frustrations for both Jack and me); fun (going to Montreal for Andre Rieu and an overnight, the beach); and painful (Margaret's fall, my surgery). Here's to falling back, to new challenges, pain-free living and mended bones -- all in the next few weeks.

The End of Summer Has Had its Downfalls, and Benefits

We finally had Margaret's appointment in Burlington with the spine specialist today. They took new X-rays to compare, and the doctor -- whom I liked right away but who was quite curt -- said it was more of a good news/bad news scenario. We were doing the right thing for the last three weeks in keeping her quiet and as still as we could. The bad news was that instead of one fractured vertebra, she has two. We saw it plainly on the X-rays they took today. However, both breaks are stable, so the doctor was confident Margaret would do well.

She was adamant that the healing process takes 12 weeks from the day of the accident. As a result, we won't be in gym for the first quarter or so; she needs to be able to change classes at school when there are no other people in the halls -- can't take a chance and have anyone smack her in the back or bump into her. She can't carry her own books or lift anything heavier than 10 pounds. They will create a plan for her to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act that allows all these things. After 12 weeks, she should be able to resume activities, including her dance class, which I was surprised about.

We return for a follow-up in four weeks at which time, I believe, they'll take more X-rays to see how the fracture is healing. The t-6 disk looks like a marshmallow that has been squished down; the other disk, 5-7, has a crack in it that you can see in the film. The doctor said they will never spring back good as new, but they will heal. She may experience pain up to a year, and she may have other problems down the line like arthritis. But I keep looking back at the what-ifs, and I can't think of a thing to complain of.

Other than that, both girls are truly looking forward to the start of the school year -- Patricia as an 8th grader, Margaret as a sophomore. Patricia has joined the cross country team and has been practicing the last few mornings. So far, so good. We're very proud of her and hope she is happy to keep at it. Brigid, meanwhile, is happy to be back at Sibley. She is now a Pre-K girl -- that's how she describes herself. She's very pleased to be a big kid. There was no transition or hesitation. She just took off down the hall on the first day after a week of vacation and waited at the new door for me to open. Most of the kids she's gone through day care are in her class with the exception of a few who are in the pre-k programs in their own school districts. She does have four new friends who I haven't really gotten to know yet, but there's time for that. But at the end of each day so far she's been very enthusiastic to talk about what she's done and boast about being one of the big kids.

My world will be turned upside down on Friday when I go to Burlington for my ulna shortening osteotomy. They'll shorten the ulna in the hopes that it will give me some pain relieve. If they can do that, I will be forever beholding. The temperature on Friday should be in the high 80s, as it has been all week. Perfect weather to be in a cast. We've had a week of record high temps, which I've loved. But everyone else says it's too hot. By week's end, we'll see a 30-degree drop in temperature if Hurricane Ernie comes up the coast as expected. But I don't care. We've had a glorious summer, horseback accidents and wrist surgeries and all.

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.)