Farmerjan's journal - Weather

[Mini Horses]

I use a heated mattress pad, also. Love it! I believe Farmerjan does.....but, if heat helps her legs??? You better believe I love getting between warm sheets in winter.

Got milk? Well that seems to mean you're driving and getting around more. That's good to hear and a relief for you, I'm sure!

 

[farmerjan]

Yes, I have a heated mattress pad but the plug in controls are MIA. Not in any of the boxes marked for the bedroom... I was sure they were in with the clock radio and lamps and all from the other bedroom but cannot find them anywhere. I LOVE it so am getting really aggravated trying to figure out where they got "misplaced". Yes, getting into a warm bed really helps the falling off to sleep and the room can be cooler.
Cold this morning.... 24* overnight. Hard white frost covering the windshields of everything. Going to possibly have a small front but down to 20% chance now for tomorrow then p sun for the week 50 and 30's.....DS will cut the rest of the field he started the other day and it should bale by Thursday or Friday when we might get another front.

Zip-ties came off the knees last night. One had come off about half, right in the middle of the left knee, and the right one had started to come off from the bottom up... so in the shower I finished working them off. Now I have 2 very red angry looking strips where the "glue" was.... have never had such reactions to stuff on the skin before. Incisions are completely sealed... but itching terrible now along the sides.... at least they are not catching on the flannel sheets anymore. Be 4 weeks on Monday.
Did find out some interesting info from DS yesterday. He stopped by on a trip to the office to just check on me, and we got talking about the muscle spasms and cramps and such; he said that the surgeon told him that he worked a little bit longer on the right knee to get it straighter ( it was more bow legged)..... so it makes sense that the ham strings and all are pulling more because they are in essence being stretched more... all the muscles in that leg are being pulled more... that is why it feels like they are "too short"... because they are a little short. So, it might take longer and might never get perfectly straight since it is like stretching an elastic band and it reaches it's limit.... my muscles, ligaments. tendons etc., have been shortened over time and it might be impossible to fully get them to stretch out more than they can... and it might just take more time and be more painful but might be doable. I intend to talk to PT about it on Monday.

Got plans to do the big 500+ cow herd the week after Thanksgiving if possible. Will have both DS and Geneva to do it, with me only doing the computer stuff as I don't think I will be up to 4-5 hours of work . Like I did with the ankle surgery. Then start to ease back into things... all according to how the DR appt on the 29th goes. It will do me good to get out and going. A couple of farms have said they will take samples if I need help in the parlor. I have a couple that will not require me to set up that I will probably start with. But that is another 3 weeks off and I hope to be getting around and building up more energy and strength by then. The big farm I will just supervise mostly... and can sit alot of it doing nothing while they take the samples. Luckily the milk weights are on the computer and all so it is not hard. The one farm that I might try on my own called to see how I was getting along and said that they would be glad to take the samples if I wanted to try to test them in early Dec.... they have weigh jars in the parlor so no set up or anything.... They are really great people. We'll see what the dr has to say on the 29th; that won't affect me doing the big herd because I will basically not be doing anything except sitting around.... and then the 1/2 hour computer stuff after milking....

I need to do something to start getting my body more tired so I can sleep at night. I must be caught up on the physically tired part because I cannot go to sleep at night with all the sitting around during the day.

Looking at the calendar... my parents would have been married 69 years tomorrow.... I just hope that they are celebrating it together " upstairs" and both are happy and in good health there......

Happy COLD FALL Day to all.... good for hunting here so not going to be too unhappy. Did dishes and going to pour milk into smaller jars to put back in fridge..... eat something since I haven't yet....do something productive. Maybe tear into a few other boxes to find the stupid electric controls for the mattress pad.....

 

[Mini Horses]

I think you're doing great!! Knew you would.

 

[Baymule]

Hope you find the controls to the heated mattress pad.

Getting back to work will be good for you, just be careful and don't overdo it.

 

[farmerjan]

Sunday. It was down to 29 last night and is cloudy and drab/dreary out there. Not supposed to get to 50. Possible front coming through with maybe a 1/4 inch rain in spots... think it will be more cloudy and a few sprinkles. DS did finish cutting the one field and if we do get a little rain it won't hurt it much. He said it is pretty nice looking so hopefully will make some decent hay. He is hoping to make most of it in sq bales except the outside rows where there are trees and such as it won't dry as good....hold more of the dampness. That usually gets rolled because there will be alot of leaves and such in it too and cannot sell it for "good " hay.

Got rice pudding in the oven and got the dishes all washed. Got the milk into jars and the bucket and all washed too. Been working on a jigsaw puzzle off and on but the sitting is tough. I have been using the magnesium foam (Theraworx) in the morning and at night... and in the middle of the day if I haven't gotten dressed early that day... but today I got up and got dressed pretty soon after the first application was dry so I could get on the rice pudding. Can't find my usual cookbook that I use, so got a couple recipes off the internet and they were so similar so I think it will all be good. Smelling good anyway.

Going to go in and make a sandwich for lunch. When I went to Walmart the other day, I got some fresh sliced lunch meat so I could have some sandwiches. I may make a bowl of soup since it is so dreary and chilly out and then eat a sandwich later. I have the rest of the ham steak and some corn to have later for supper. I think I am going to make an effort to make some mashed potatoes one of the next couple days too. Maybe with the chicken that I want to make stuffing for for "my" Thanksgiving dinner. I do not intend to go to GF or her parents house for the meal....DS was asking if I thought I would feel up to doing something for Thanksgiving and I said no. Not going to any other friends' houses either. So I might just cook for myself and some future meals. I do have to find some cranberry sauce since I cannot find any in the canned goods I have stockpiled here. Some may not like it, but I LOVE cranberry sauce.... jellied or whole berries. And eggnog. I might get some eggs and make "Momma Wall's" eggnog from @Baymule ...... or just doctor up some from the store. I do make it a point to try to find eggnog that is made with sugar not high fructose stuff.... Most have the artificial sweetners or the high fructose stuff. I will pick up a few and then they will last until after the holidays.

I do need to make a stop at the Va ABC store, and get some good Amaretto... for my hot chocolate. Might help with the going to sleep thing too. I have several other bottles of stuff here.... have had some for who knows how long. About the only thing I drink is amaretto and kahlua....once or twice a year a good pina colada with rum.... I have a bottle of rum my sister brought home from her high school graduation trip to the caribbean.....she is now 57... tells you what an alcoholic I am...... Maybe a good stiff drink would help me to go to sleep or lessen the muscle tightness so when I do exercise it doesn't hurt quite so much and might then help with the stretching?

Well. about time to take the rice pudding out of the oven and I will make something for lunch. Need to get up off the chair and move again. Took a couple Tylenol because I was really aching... sure the weather is not helping either.

 

[Bruce]

I have several other bottles of stuff here.... have had some for who knows how long.

So do we, well actually I know how long WE'VE had some of it, given to us by DW's Uncle and Aunt when they moved to the retirement community 20ish years ago. Had one bottle of bourbon that my sister finished off when she was here. I had thought it was from WWII given the neck label apologizing for the cork, metal being needed for the European war. Did some Googling, that bottle was filled during WWI I guess Uncle Charles got it from his father since he was only about 6 or 7 when the bottle was new.

I know I have a bottle of Galliano that I originally got when I was in college. Lots of booze, not lots of drinking in the family.

 

[Mini Horses]

I have part of a bottle of amaretto...left from some pound cakes at least 20 yr ago...may have it in some hot choc tonight. Along with FJ ?

 

[Baymule]

I have some amaretto, it’s good in hot chocolate? Might have to try that. Might make a 3-egg Mama Wall’s eggnog, I don’t need much, but it sure is good.

 

[Margali]

My mom has an excelent reciepe for chocolate amarreto cheesecake, mmm. Not had amaretto in hot cocoa before but I bet it's good.

 

[farmerjan]

Tuesday afternoon. I had PT yesterday and had my "regular" guy.... showed him the 2 incisions and the irritation and all... he said that it was a CLEAR case of a severe allergic reaction to the glue that they used to adhere the "zip-line" that held the 2 sides of the incision together. Both sides are really red, scaly, sore, and not much is helping. I have been using the Schreibers (sp?) natural spray that @Mini Horses says is so good for healing.... yep, designed for horses. But it has lots of healing stuff, and is supposed to be so good for healing skin. However, it has aloe and other type stuff, but also has capsacian or some type of pepper extract and it burns..... If I can deal with it on this so terribly red tender skin, it does feel better after it dries.... but I have to take a few very deep breaths and hold them to get past the initial spray on. It takes next to nothing to get it sprayed though;.... so hoping that it will get better soon. The incisions are healed... the red sections down each side where the glue had the zip things looks really really bad.
I have never had such reactions to anything like this on my skin before in my life.
PT also said that he thinks I am overdoing the exercises and that I could actually be irritating the ham string and soft tissue muscles and ligaments in the right leg to the point of it being worse for it. He said to not do any of the stretches just some of the bending that does not make it hurt and give it a break for a day or 2. I go back tomorrow... then next Monday to the Dr for the 1st post surgery appt. It will be interesting to see what they say about the irritated skin. It hurts to touch it... it is so dry and scaly feeling that about the only real relief is when I am in the shower and softly using the soap that helps to moisturize it. Tried an aloe lotion and that hurt too....it is pretty raw.

Started out at 24 this morning...up to 44 and it was sunny but cold.

DS came by last night with some venison; GF got a couple of does and they cut them up and he brought me tenderloin and hindquarters to work up. His neighbor, that took me to the first couple of PT appts, helped him cut them up. They were both fairly small he said and they both had a fair amount of damage in the front shoulders.....I think that between the 3 or 4 hunting there, they have gotten about 10 total so far. It will help with fewer next spring to eat everything. DS said there were over 20 in the field he was cutting a couple days ago. He told them only does now..... for every one they get there is at least 1-2 less fawns next year. Saw a deer that got hit right down the road in the last 2 days too.... grrrr.

Not much going on here since I can't really do much. Get tired of watching movies and knees/legs hurt if I stay in one position too long.
Definitely have a recliner if you get knee replacement... it would have helped a bit with the ankle too, but at least it didn't hurt so much.