What's new and exciting?

Well, not too much. It's been a busy week chez nous in preparation and anticipation of the kitchen renovation. We are so excited and anxious and wish that it was done and over now. We are having everything redone - floors, cabinets, appliances, doors, etc. In keeping GE in the family, we have all GE appliances including a convection oven and a beverage fridge. Paul is very excited about the new platforms for cooking, kitchen, cooling and entertaining. Oh yeah.

We have spent an hour or so each night emptying cabinets, sorting through trash, recyclables, and dishes, and trying to figure out what to store where. It takes a creative and strategic mind to figure out how we are going to survive the next couple of weeks. The coffee pot is staying upstairs on a table in our backroom. The temporary fridge is going downstairs; while inconvenient, that it's final destination so we are putting it there now. We have to figure out where Samson's food will go, and being a sweet thing of habit, he will be startled and a little confused.

I don't spend too much time talking about politics. We have enough of that in other media forms so I have nothing much to add. But today was different. Today in reflecting on the mayor of Detroit and his visit to jail, I was just appalled. It is completely ridiculous and absurd. Sort of makes me embarrassed to live in this state. I feel for the people of the city who must tolerate such poor direction and fiscal responsibility, pay for it through taxes and fees, and burden the snide comments, articles and press reports. Jeez.

My foot, post Pin, is continuing to heal quite well. I still limp and gimp, ice at night and have the fashion forward black plastic and Velcro foot-boot as backup. Just in case. But I am improving. Next Friday, more X-rays.

Tonight, Paul is throwing some brats on the grill and taking down some of the shelves. I have some great pictures to post this weekend. But right now, it's the FRIDAY HAPPY DANCE! And it's almost the weekend.

The Friday Happy Dance on Thursday

Why you ask? Because I have Friday off, so Thursday is the *new* Friday, at least this week. ;)

We had an eventful week, including a visit to our dear friends (and vet) Rick Scholfield and Jen, our favorite vet assistant (which I sure isn't her proper title). I try to always visit when it's Jen (and Rick of course). Well, Mr. Handsome has put on a few well deserved pounds and it's our job to cut back the treats. Part of it has been my lack of mobility, and even with our best doggy daycare provider, Catie, we couldn't get all the exercise in that a two year old GSD needs. I am looking forward to getting back to my routine with Paul and Samson. Morning and Night.

I read some blogs pretty regularly, it's how I stay up on the happening world. Currently, if you don't Twitter, you are missing it big time. Twitter people - get those Tweets out there. To see the cool stuff happening, visit Twitter. You can twitter from your phone, crackberry, web and a host of Twitter add-ons. You get 140 words to tell friends what's going on. Brings one a whole new level of conciseness and brevity. You can see my Tweets below.

I also follow the Gmail Blog. Gmail is possibly the best product that Google has EVER launched, even if it IS still in Beta... Google is fabulous but Gmail runs my world. Gmail bloggers recently posted on their top 10 most read tips here. Read it and you will understand what makes Gmail the bomb. And if you don't have a Gmail account, GET ONE. Now.

(weather nerd alert)
And of course, we weather nerds visit the NOAA site. I visit it daily. I love everything about it - a weather nerd's paradise. Oh, and my precipitation collector came! This weekend, I have the assistance of dear Paul to help me put it up. Without mobility, that has been a project unattended and I need to get going on it!

My foot is continuing to heal. I will say that my foot-modeling career is over (before it started). My poor little toe is not very attractive with the big scar and flattened appearance. But I can walk with a little limp and my joints are starting to loosen. I still ice at night and I can easily tell when I have been on my feet too much. So I sit down. ;)

Well, that's all the news fit to print. Enjoy the evening!

Wrapping up the weekend

It's been a busy one. First full weekend without the Pin. SWEET. Seems like it the Pin was there forever and now, well now, it sits in a plastic bag for the world to see. It's not in my foot and that's the best news ever.

We had an amazing weekend full of basement cleaning (TBTB), terrific dinners and fun with friends - 2 and 4 foot.

Sunday was a terrific day. After church, we picked up lunch and headed to Deb's house to have playdate with the pups. Goodness, they had a good time. Samson had his first bath and with a little puppy treat cajoling, did well.

I am tired and icing my foot. Tomorrow, I drive for the first time in six weeks. We have notified the appropriate authorities. Samson has an appointment with our favorite vet for shots and a general checkup. We are getting closer to trying puppy day care and boarding, and this is the first step. He is SUCH a good dog.

So that's a wrap. Tomorrow, it's back to work. First Monday, post Pin. Hooray!

Hip, Hip, Hooray!

Say goodbye to Polly Pin Foot. We are done. It's over. The Pin is history. Well, technically, the Pin-in-my-foot is history; the Pin is actually in a bag in the kitchen right now. So I promised a blow-by-blow of the afternoon and here it is.

Today our office had a professional development day and were out of the office. This started the funny comments and pokes from friends and colleagues about the Pin.

It started with (my boss) Todd, outlining our day and ending the day a little early with this:

....and give Dee time to get to the doctor to have the PIN REMOVED (in case any of you wondered she does in fact have a PIN in her FOOT and has had it there for quite some time).

A Calvin News generated a very funny email from Dr. DeHeer about the reasons for the HR office closing:

...office will be closed on Friday to celebrate the pin removal! How absolutely wonderful. I can just see it now...the assembled HR multitude gathering at the podiatrists office in a festive, pre-removal atmosphere...a nice selection of vine-ripened fruit, both red and green, to provide early-morning energy...a boisterous send-off to that little "removal" room with its temporarily closed door...and then, only a few minutes later, to the sound of a vigorous drum-roll...and a spontaneous receiving line with over-the-top jubilance...the liberated woman emerges! Loud cheers erupt...the entire HR cadre jumps for joy, careful only to protect their own limbs and those of others...and the HR leader with uncharacteristic enthusiasm and animation suggests that the festive group move its celebration to a place where a now fermented form of the early morning nutrition is available. What a day!

Congratulation on losing your pin!
David

And a couple of other fun emails/Facebook posts on being "Pinless":
From Jennifer: Hooray no pin!!!
and Heidi: Good morning! Are you pinless yet? Have a great day!
and Jan: Yay!!! How was it? I'm in awe that you've survived all this misery so well.

So did it hurt? I thought about the question and my answer. I realized that I have a different perspective on "hurt" than perhaps others and in what context - relative to what? When someone says that it won't hurt, I see pain in context of absolutes. Yes or No. One or Zero. I suspect that the good podiatrist probably sees pain on a continuum, like it won't hurt MUCH. Or it will hurt a LITTLE. So did it hurt? I have to say using the continuum scale, not much. It pinched. It was uncomfortable. And I am not standing in line to do this again, friends. But it didn't hurt much and it's over.

My foot is sore and stiff. It will take a couple of weeks for my gate to return to normal. I am to walk around in shoes with good support. Not overdo it and once in a while, I can use the fashion-forward black plastic and Velcro foot boot. Not like I WANT to but sometimes might need it.

So who is the good podiatrist? Dr Brian Buchanan of MMPC. He did a great job, putting up with me and my Pin and my lamentations this whole time. I go back for x-rays in three weeks. And I will take care of my feet for good. Enjoy the weekend all. I know that I will.

End of a long, slow walk

Well, tomorrow is the day. OUT with the Pin. I have a flood of different emotions in anticipation of said event. In all honesty and forthrightness, I am completely, utterly and totally freaked up by this pending pull. And since I can be sort of a 'worst case scenario' kind of gal, what do I do if it's stuck to something? Crap. Now, you who read and are professionals in the medical field, I don't want to hear that 'that can't happen.' I don't believe you. You would also support the notion that this won't hurt. And EVERYONE knows how I feel about that.

Apparently, having done a bit of research, the good podiatrist will twist the Pin to make sure that it's loose, kind of turn it around. That makes me queasy and sick just typing this. But the entire event shouldn't take more than a second. I hope. I pray. Please.

So on the eve of my next great adventure, I am grateful for a couple of things. I am truly grateful for good medicine and wonderful Calvin College benefits. And without Paul who did all the driving, cooking, cleaning and Mr. Handsome care, I wouldn't have made it. Thanks Hon!

Over the hump

I always seem to write that we are busy. And I can't quite figure out how I can be so busy with a Pin in my foot. But I am.

Paul and I are working longer days. My normal hours are 8:00 to 4:30 during the summer but Paul works 8-5. Since I can't drive and we carpool, I am there normally around 7:20 and don't leave until 5:00 or so. Makes for long days with the Pin.

So we have one more day and a wake up. Thursday and then Friday AM. 3:00 pm on Friday, the Pin comes out and we are done with this stage of the repair. I am sure that there are more hoops - like physical therapy and exercises since it is a tendon that I damaged. But I will find out more on Friday. And will share it here.

Work is consuming right now - both with hours and mental energy. It's just that time of the year. The weather has been beautiful - sometimes a little humid but gorgeous skies, gentle breezes and some intermittent rain. It's nice to come home and enjoy our backyard, from inside. The mosquitoes are horrific! But the hawks are out and so beautiful and amazing to watch. We watched one of our hawks go after a squirrel the other morning. So amazing.

So that's all that's fit to type. Enjoy the evening. Next post - Happy Dance, naked foot and NO Pin!

Playdate

We had a really busy weekend, together and individually. Saturday, we ran a ton of errands, I worked on my friend's computer, helped her with a website for some rental property and did a little shopping. Saturday night, Paul had a Dining Out and I hope that he will blog about it. :) With a Pin in my foot, I wasn't going to a party. So I stayed home and took care of Mr. Handsome and Paul got all dressed up in his uniform and went on his merry way. I watched the Tigers lose their game to Baltimore, blowing a 7-0 lead. Jeez.

This morning, Paul and I ran down to the NOSC Grand Rapids, the Center that brought us to western Michigan. This time, we were there for another transitional event, a 'retired' dependent ID card for me. It didn't take too long and Paul got a say hello to a number of old shipmates. It was fun to step back in time for a moment.

After returning from the NOSC, we packed up the LR and headed over to Deb's house for a playdate. Deb has two wonderful dogs (Chelly and Mindy) rescued from Calvin & WMRL too (same place that we got Samson) and they had yet to meet. When calling to confirm, we discovered that Mary was joining us too, with her rescue, Jack. We had no idea what to expect. And were we surprised!

They had a blast - after the initial barking, butt sniffing and some hair up on their backs, they started running around, having a grand time. Aunt Deb also has a pool and we have discovered, though aren't surprised, that Samson LOVES the water. We knew that he was meant to be with us. :) We all were sitting out in the backyard watching the dogs play and catching up on life. Mary's dog Jack is hilarious and hoarded ALL the toys. He was a tad possessive and Samson and Jack would take to toys back and forth, trying to get the toys from the other - it made us ALL laugh. After about 90 minutes of play, all the dogs were tired. We headed home and Samson had to take a nap. He is killed. :)

Tomorrow, it's back to work and the last week with the Pin. HOORAY.

Tuesday is a BIG day

Tuesday is my big day. This morning, I have my x-rays that will provide my favorite podiatrist (pause....note dripping sarcasm) with a status of the Pin. One critical component of having the Pin in my foot is that I don't bend it. Should I inadvertently bend the Pin, I would have to have it surgically removed. Take a moment and think about the statement. A bent Pin in my foot. I shudder. So you bet that I have taken good care to not bend or otherwise compromise the Pin so that it may be removed. The goal for the beginning is to REMOVE the Pin.

Now that brings up an entirely different post, my abject horror at the thought of my favorite podiatrist (pause) simply pulling the Pin right out of my foot. Just sitting in the chair and WHAM out comes the Pin. He has assured me (pause) that this will not hurt. He reports that other patients have reported it feeling "funny" or "odd." Now given our track record together and his complete and total reversal on what hurt and what didn't....I am not convinced that Dr. Understatement has a handle on how I personally will do in this situation. So we wait and I will know in a few hours what next for the my foot and the Pin.

Last night, Paul grilled a couple of steaks on the grill and I made a chopped salad. The chopped salad is my very favorite salad - chopped iceberg lettece, fresh basil, mozzarella cheese and black olives. I use Newman's Own salad dressing and it's the PERFECT summer salad.

While Paul was grilling the corn and steaks, Mr. Samson was playing with a stick. This was after he tried to chase the hawk.. He was really riled up and took it out on a stick. Of course, he kept looking for the hawk. Always the hunter .....

It's off for the day. Enjoy it!

Edging closer to Friday

It's been a nice week but is flying by! What would a blog post be without a Pin update? And if you are tired of the Pin (Lord knows I am), there are a couple of other updates to share.

I am still tired when I come home. Wednesday morning, I had a little liquid incident (and this will surprise NONE of my friends). I got the small foot bootie wet. Since I am supposed to keep the Pin dry at all times (for reasons to gross to post), I didn't want to risk getting it wet with the foot bootie. So ALL DAY, I had to wear wretchedly hot, fashion-forward black plastic and Velcro foot boot. It was hot; it was wretched; and I was tired when I got home. So up on the ice went the foot.

My good friend and colleague, Dr. DeHeer, the chair of the biology department, has extensive experience with orthopedics. He LOVES to talk to me about my foot, my Pin and all the things that are happening internally. He knows exactly what's going on with the foot, all the nerves and tendons and proper names. With clinical expertise, he tells me all the problems, pains and issues that might and probably will occur. For example, my foot is healing and sort of, in a way that I could only describe as fighting back, the foot is feeling good and pushing the Pin. So the Pin sort of moves around. And dang if it doesn't hit nerves and other various sundries. It is the STRANGEST sensation that I have experienced. I really want to tell the Pin - quit moving!

The highlight of the day is dedicated to my friends, the Weather Nerds. You know who you are. I joined an elite group today - a group of back-yard weather watchers. I joined the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network (CoCoRaHS) I get to purchase an official precipitation gauge and will have to measure and report it every morning at 0600. I have an assigned station number and special username and password to log in with my reports. I do not expect many of you to understand this special relationship we weather nerds have with weather and other weather nerds. But if you want to know how much rain falls annually in EGR, you will know just WHO to thank.

Sorry the pictures have been almost non existent. Sort of hard to hold the camera, stay out of the way of the dog and take pictures, all with a Pin in my foot. :) Next post is the Friday Happy Dance.

Peculiarities of Pin Living and other oddities

When people ask me how I am doing, my response is always, "I have a Pin in my foot." I intentionally answer that way, ignoring the social IQ component of the question, people really DON'T care. But if I have a Pin in my foot and by golly, I am going to share it. Period.

I have learned some amazing things in this journey. One important lesson learned is that I stretch my feet at night. They seem to do it all by themselves and until this glorious Pin evolution, I had no idea. And a little Pin geography....the Pin starts at the top of my toe with that attractive green ball and ends well below the toe joint, where it connects to the foot. The purpose of the Pin is to hold the toe straight so it doesn't bend. The foot WANTS to bend; the Pin doesn't want the foot to bend. Ah, the tension and dilemma. On my last visit to my favorite podiatrist (pause ...note sarcasm) I asked for something smaller than the fashion-forward black plastic and Velcro foot boot. Waking up with searing pain from my foot trying to stretch was simply too much for this chick. I got a small, albeit black, sandal with Velcro. (These podiatrists are big on Velcro). I sleep with it on and it all but eliminates the foot stretching tension. Chalk up a victory for the Pin.

I can't get the Pin wet. That creates all kinds of logistical issues. I am a person who does not dally getting ready for work. Shower, dress AND makeup and sometimes I can even beat Paul. Most days, what God gave me is plenty. Not much else is going to make it any better. So having to wrap and tape the foot prior to every spa experience is a real pain. This will be magnified as I return to work and Paul and I carpool in the morning. He is sort of a punctual guy and I just don't know how this is all going to work out. :) Monday, we will see. I do anticipate being the envy of my friends and colleagues with my Boot and Pin.

Our good friend Jan stopped by yesterday with the most amazing Get Well Pie from Grand Traverse Pie Company. Oh, heavenly deliciousness! It is Apple and I am not embarrassed to say that we had it for breakfast. It is fantastic.

For dinner, since we have all this Apple Pie, we invited our good friend Deb for dinner. We are going to throw some steaks on the grill, along with some corn, long grain rice and vinaigrette. (The tomatoes at Horrocks looked amazing)

We also had a successful shopping day. I bought a new flash for my Nikon at Norman's Camera. We have several weddings this next year and I am excited to take pictures. With the new flash, it will really help.

So that's a wrap for Saturday. The weather is beautiful! Enjoy the evening.

Me and my Shadow

My shadow, the Pin. I am fascinated with the Pin. Mostly, I am repulsed by the Pin but there is something bizarrely unique about having a pin stick out of my toe. Mostly I can't look at it. It gives me the willies (now, there is grown-up word). But it's there so I have to acknowledge it and work through this drama.

Sometimes I talk to the Pin, giving direction, cajoling-like thoughts - come on Pin, move over the right, you are hitting a nerve. Surprisingly, perhaps even shocking, sometimes I swear at the Pin. You know some of those words. George Carlin kind of words. That usually occurs when I have hit the Pin on something. I am pretty sure that you might use some of those words too, maybe not out loud but deep in the recesses of your brain if you had a Pin in your foot and you hit it on something. It is a pain that until now, I had not known. And believe me when I tell you that I will do every possible thing to not hit that Pin. Again. On anything. Ever. And not frequently enough, I am at peace with the Pin. It's just us, sharing the body for a couple of weeks. The two of us, hanging out, doing the best we can. The Pin is trying to stay on the straight and narrow (oh I kill myself) keeping my toe straight so it can heal. I am just trying to walk with the Pin and not hit it on anything. That's my goal for the next four weeks.

Do you know that I get to KEEP the Pin when it comes out? That's weird on so many levels, but since I am weird anyway, I think that I am going to have it framed. But that's a whole nother blog. :)

And about the pictures ... I have received a LOT of feedback on the pictures. Yeah that sucker hurts. And no, I don't have a tattoo on my foot. When the doctor did the surgery, both he and I have to 'sign' the foot with the surgery. I marked the toe and he initialed the foot. Someday, maybe even this year, the magic marker will wear off. Maybe. Or perhaps I have an unintentional tattoo. :)

Tonight it's Chicken on the barbie. Paul is making us ribs in the smoker for the 4th. God bless him. Man can he cook.

Wednesday

And since it's a short week, it's the Thursday (but really is Friday for the working stiffs) Happy Dance. I could do a sort of Thursday (but really is Friday for the working stiffs) Happy Gimp. I can move around at an impressive-with-a-pin-in-my-foot gate in my very fashionable black and Velcro Foot Boot. The drawback of the Foot Boot is that it is unbelievably hot. I mean like skin is sweating off hot. Not quite as hot as Lisa at the Hacienda, but pretty dumb hot. Scratchy, itchy hot. Bummer but necessary for some mobility. Of course, it makes me rethink this whole timing thing but can't do a thing about it now. Nope, I have a Pin in my foot and there isn't a darn thing that I can do but wait it out. And I will wait it out.

I work in Human Resources and I am very diligent about making sure that my benefits colleagues have the proper paperwork for FLMA, the sick time that I am out of the office. Now, for the majority of the time that I have been off, I have been working but ssshhhh, don't tell anyone. So I had to ask my podiatrist's office to send in the paperwork telling Calvin that I would be off and could return on 7/7. Well, my doctor's office sent in paperwork that let work know that I would be off for six weeks with an additional 1-3 weeks. I spent the evening contemplating the prospect of having an entire six to nine weeks off, just me and my pin. What would I do with all that time? I could watch the Weather Channel; I could listen to Music on our Music channels on HD; I could play frisbee with Mr. Handsome. Yeah, I could just hang. So I contemplated such nerdness of hanging with the machines, my Weather Channel and Handsome Boy and well, decided to to back to work. Yeah, not sure what I was thinking.

We had stunning storms come through here. While I was working on my work writing projects, I enjoyed the shows provided by Mother Nature. They were magnificant. Sheeting, sheering, driving rain; loud and vivid thunder and lightening; and then woo hoo, hail. Small but hail nonetheless. And we enjoyed the small town feeling of the local news that centered around the storm - uprooted trees, flooded streets and downed power lines. *Giggle* I love living here.

Enjoying the movies . Lots of sun for the 4th of July. Enjoy your evening.

Alternate Universe

Well, today was a good day. Today was the day that my stitches were removed. It was not a day that I anticipated with great joy; rather it was a day of fear and trepidation. My podiatrist recommended that I take a Percocet in anticipation of the pain and discomfort. So dutifully, I got up this morning and with a good breakfast of grapefruit juice, a piece of toast, sausage and coffee, I took my happy drugs.

On the way to the doctor's office, the drug really kicked in and I was feeling quite ....tired. Just tired. It left me wondering if I perhaps had that wrong drugs? No pie in the sky feeling, no woo hoo feeling, nope, just wanted to put my head down on the cement bench outside the doctor's office and take a nap. I was thinking about this experience of being and feeling so disconnected, so out of it. I really felt like I was in some weird universe, not connected to the grind, frankly, not connected to anything. I feel so out of touch. In one of my favorite books The Prophet, he writes about Work:

Then a plowman said, "Speak to us of Work."
And he answered, saying:
You work that you may keep pace with the earth and the soul of the earth.

I miss work. Really. Mostly the people and some of the work.

So he took out the stitches and it was just a non-event. No pain, no discomfort, no blood. I am thinking myself - dude, I think that you have this all backwards - the pin and the surgery, THEY HURT. Stitches removal, well that didn't hurt. Left there shaking my head. Oh well.

The day was shot with the Percocet. Paul brought me home and I promptly went to bed. I slept the entire day. I got up briefly to eat a bit (to try and settle my stomach) and went right back to bed, didn't wake up until 4:30. What a lost day. But I learned something of tremendous value today. I have absolutely no fear of becoming addicted to pain medication. Percocet made me feel so lousy, headache, upset stomach, wooziness and just plain tired that I will, unless absolutely necessary, never take it again. Ever. So that's good news.

And there are the pictures. Fair warning, they are not pretty. Really. But enough have asked so here they are. Enter at your own risk. Paul is making us dinner - a couple of steaks on the barbie and a nice cab in the bottle. I am making progress, one day at a time. :)

And now for something COMPLETELY different

With some urging by friend and blogger Lisa, I am trying NOT to dwell on the toe. It's a tad bit difficult when I have a pin sticking out of it but ya know, it's sort of old news. But if I have to look at it every day, I will probably write about it or at the very least mention it in passing. There were two hilarious conversation exchanges with the doctor on Wednesday. Given my state of mind, and heart, I wasn't on my best banter behavior but two of our exchanges warrant eternal life blogger-style.

The first exchange centered around pain and pain management. He told me about another woman who had the very same surgery, very same pin (well a different pin, same kind though) and imagine this, had absolutely no pain and no problems. And I simply sat there thinking two things. 1. Where's the bitch? and 2. Why in the WORLD are you telling me this? My doctor is SUCH a nice man and perhaps thought that demonstrating that pain affects people differently might help my perspective. Instead, no, it made me feel inferior and like a LOSER. Thanks.

Exchange two centered around the Pin. This is actual content of the PIN conversation. (Paraphrasing for brevity). As your foot heals, the Pin may become loose and will move around. (Holy cow, are you KIDDING ME? Not only do I have a Pin but now will have manage its whereabouts? ) Some people have it fall out in the middle of the night, so be careful. (You didn't really just say this and no, this won't happen to me. This sucker will stay in securely to the bitter end. Trust me). But the best comment that still has me ROTFLMAO was this. Make sure that you don't catch the Pin on anything.... Eight years of medical school and I get -don't catch the Pin? No kidding. NO KIDDING. Now I know that he HAS to provide counsel on topics like this. But for real I am bright enough to know that I NEVER want to catch that damn Pin on ANYTHING. EVER. Unless it is being pulled out the toe.

My sweetness Mr. Handsome, will not leave my side. Wherever I hobble, limp and sit, there he is. He will be sound asleep and even when I start to move, he is awake, ready to accompany me to my next location. So I worked quite a bit on Friday, with my foot elevated on a table and lots of ice and didn't move around. He had a few minutes to catch up on his sleep. And there is nothing in my mind more beautiful than one tired dog enjoying a good stretch.

Truly enjoy the weekend. Even with the Pin, life is good.