A Rare Day Out

Aside from trips to hospitals or doctor appointments, for the past seven months, Mr. Ginley has been stuck indoors.

That changed last Saturday, when we ventured out to the neighborhood Hooley.

We were both a little nervous. We hadn't tackled the local terrain. Ours being an old neighborhood with iffy sidewalks, we weren't sure if he was in for a bumpety-bump ride. But we took Mark's advice and stuck to the roadway, at least on our street. Once we got to the corner, it was a matter of navigating a block and a half of commercial sidewalk, which was thankfully smooth sailing.

Once we got to the Hooley, we were able to cruise up the street, past various vendors. There was live entertainment at each end. We headed to the far sound stage, where Cats on Holiday were setting up. 

Mr. Ginley brought his own seat, and I stood behind him, marveling at how surprisingly normal it felt to be out on a beautiful June Saturday afternoon, taking in the sights of a neighborhood shindig, and grooving along to live tunes. The sun was out and the breezes were lovely. And there I was with my honey.

After awhile, Mr. Ginley professed that he was parched and reminded me I promised him lemonade. So we strolled and rolled our way first to the lemonade stand, then secured a bucket of fries and found a place where I could sit, too.

There we partook of our treats while taking in the last few songs from the Cats and observing the crowd passing us by.

The only trouble we had was navigating around the crowd gathered to see the Irish dancers. The way we'd come in was blocked, so we had to "serpentine" our way through the audience to the other side of the street and cross behind the stage to get to a curbless entry to the sidewalk.

It was quite the adventure for us, and we were both exhausted at the end.

But I wouldn't have traded our outing for anything.

A Work in Progress

It was a quiet week, thankfully.

Ancient selfie from the beforetimes

Mr. got 2 PT sessions, took many steps with the upright walker and practiced getting into and out of the Cloud (aka his fancy-schmancy recliner). 

We continued using the massager on his hand and shoulder. 

The stent comes out Monday. We can't wait, although his nurse, Serena, cautions it will take a week or two for his body to adjust to not having a foreign object mucking up the works. Lots of fingers crossed.

And, in an act of defiance, Mr. picked up a book and worked at reading. No, there weren't any miracles, and he's going at it a page a day, but he is reading. It helps that it's a small size book, the type isn't tiny, and the leading (aka, the space between the lines) facilitates his ability to read. At the end of the day, it's about his attitude. He can't control when his brain decides to get on board, but he can make the most of what he's got now and hope the rest comes along for the ride.  

Meanwhile, I want to help him figure out how to engage the reader on the computer and the iPad so they will read to him. Baby steps.

In other news, the painters came back this week and took care of the two issues I had, so that's done. 

Next on the docket is cleaning up what used to be the office and has become a storage area for all of Mr. Ginley's supplies. I'm going to pack up the post-op stuff they gave me in the hopes I'll never need it again. 

The plan is to put in the screens in the office and open things up so I can work downstairs in the afternoon. This involves taking down the heavy drapes and the Capitals flag, and maybe getting a new office chair. (The current one is stuck in a position that suited Mr. Ginley but is too low for me.)

Today, we're hoping to walk up to the Hooley, a yearly neighborhood event. This will be our first outing that doesn't require special transport. Just Mr. Ginley, me, and his wheels. We hope to see some old friends there. It will be good to get Mr. some fresh air and sunshine, and I'll get a good workout pushing him along.

We'll let all y'all know how it goes.

Onward on, as the Blue Streaks say! 

Third Time's a Charm

When the doctor came out of surgery looking all cocky, I knew the kidney stone odyssey was finally over.

"I'll make you pay (attention to me)."

Or...mostly over. Mr. still has a stent in place, and although the doctor said it could come out after a week, due to his schedule, we have to wait almost two weeks for it to be removed.

In the meantime, we got through the last of the antibiotics (to prevent infection), and are counting down the days until the stent is gone, gone, gone.

PT picked up again yesterday, and Mr. did well. More steps plus practice getting seated in the cloud. 

The massager (don't call it a vibrator, please) that Mark gave Stroky McStrokerson is helping to relieve the stiffness in his afflicted hand and shoulder. And he continues to work hard at building up strength in his abs and his fully-functioning leg.

In other news, we had lots of company yesterday. The physical therapist, Mark, Diane and Mr. K., and a bonus visit with Joe and our beautiful granddaughter. It was a busy day, but wonderful to see everyone. Diane added a handle to the kitchen door, so it's easier to open now. (If you know, you know.)

We also got the back of the house and the porch painted this week. Huzzah! Aside from a couple of snafus that will be cleared up soon, it went well. 

Pro Tip: Don't paint triple-track window frames because the homeowner won't be able to put the screen down and get cross-ventilation. 

I'm afraid to say that things should settle down this week. Don't want to jinx ourselves.

I keep telling Mr. Ginley to stop looking for the other shoe to drop, but somehow, it always does. 

Even when he's only wearing one shoe.