All posts in category Aging

What’s wrong with this picture?

When I was 13, I wanted brand new skis for Christmas. I discovered freestyle ballet the year before and wanted shorter skis. My brother discovered moguls and wanted skis for that. We both got new skis. The day after Christmas the family went sledding. We had steel runner sleds on a closed road. There was an S curve in the road following the steepest hill. I made the first curve and hit a tree when I didn’t make the second turn. The tree was actually a good thing since it kept me from going over a precipice into a creek. I ended up with a fractured tibia, fibula, displaced kneecap, and spiral fracture of the femur. The femur fracture resulted in the placement of 3 screws (with washers). I never did use the new skis. My brother became an alternate for the US Olympic Freestyle team going to Calgary when freestyle was an exhibition sport.

Fast forward 7 years, and I’ve got a lump in my knee that really hurts when it gets bumped. Turns out one of the screws is working its way out of the bone. I schedule surgery between Spring and Summer semesters. They remove the screws but leave the washers. It’s supposed to be an outpatient surgery on Thursday. Friday afternoon when I finally wake up in the hospital, the anesthesiologist tells me to warn future anesthesiologists that I’m a redhead. As for recovery, Sunday after surgery I drove 45 minutes from Holladay to Provo so I could start classes on Monday. I vaguely remember being on crutches for 3 weeks and I don’t remember any physical therapy.

So here we are many years later and one of the washers has broken loose and has moved to where it jammed my knee open at least twice. Tomorrow I go in for surgery to remove all three washers (maybe) depending on how deep in the bone they are buried.

This leads me to some side behaviors that have come to light because of this event. When I was given the choice of surgery dates I took the day before Thanksgiving since it was the least disruptive. However, this meant I was not going to be able to cook Thanksgiving dinner. I asked my husband to cook Thanksgiving. He’s a chef. I was thinking something really cool would be on the menu, instead he started talking about open face turkey sandwiches and I unconsciously started wanting to do things my way. Without thinking, I kept making remarks which showed I wanted control of dinner. As many times as I preach delegation without micromanagement to my coaching clients, I was failing miserably. I apologized to my husband and I have stepped back.

The other thing was a challenge I gave another coaching client. She has so much going on and I challenged her to say yes to the next three people who offered her help. My sister called tonight and asked if she could help me with anything post surgery. My first inclination was to say no, but then I remembered the challenge I gave. I accepted not only dinner but asked if she could find the water chestnuts that seem to be sold out at the stores around me.

It was fun to have what I share with others apply to me. I’m glad I recognized it though.

3 Comments

by shondratasha on November 22, 2017 • Permalink

Posted in Aging, family

Tagged knee injury, memories, surgery

Posted by shondratasha on November 22, 2017

https://shondratasha.wordpress.com/2017/11/22/whats-wrong-with-this-picture-2/

Have you thought about a personal history?

I’ve been feeling like I should write more. I used to write quite frequently (according to my archives). In an attempt to find more topics, I found a great little books of writing prompts. Looking through them, not only may they be interesting but they could provide a way to leave a personal history for my children and grandchildren.
I know that many of my ancestors kept journals and I’m not sure what happened to them but sometimes I wish I had access to them just to know what life was like in that day. What did they think about? I have a few stories that I asked my grandmother and great grandmother but as I get older, the questions change and they aren’t around to ask.

I’ve been told that one of my great grandmothers journals was mainly to do lists and grocery lists and budgets. That still would be an interesting look at her life and a historical record. So often we think that what the future wants to know about is the exciting things that happen but not all of life is exciting. So much of life is what happens between adventures.

So how do you live between the adventures and with whom do you share that information?

2 Comments

by shondratasha on February 11, 2015 • Permalink

Posted in Aging, books, family, life, random thoughts

Tagged genealogy, personal history

Posted by shondratasha on February 11, 2015

https://shondratasha.wordpress.com/2015/02/11/have-you-thought-about-a-personal-history/

Wednesday WIP update

So I finished up the 10 hour slot on Fall Carousel horse which is nice because I’m so ready to work on larger count. My TW Carousel horses are done on 40 ct linen over 2 so working on them for more than a 10 hour slot is hard on the eyes.

At thirty hours, 33% of the squares on the graph are completed and a few more could be if I put in just a few hours more of backstitching.
Then there is the Dr. Who SAL – the final block was released today and I’ve already transferred it to the fabric ready to stitch. Of course that doesn’t mean much since 11 was traced a week ago and still hasn’t been stitched.

Which leads us to the next issue, now that the rotation slot for Fall Carousel Horse is complete, what comes next, finishing the warp on the loom or working on Fire and Ice?

Here is the loom with only about 40 strands left to put in before I can start weaving. Except I’ve misplaced the pattern but I know which book it’s in so it should be easy to find.

This is Kustom Krafts Fire and Ice which I started in Jan 2003 and have finished the first page but still have 85% of the pattern to stitch. The nice thing is it’s on 28 count fabric which looks huge after the 40 count I’ve been working on. I’ve only put 20 hours into this piece and I haven’t touched it since July of 2004 so it may take a bit to remember where I am and get into the pattern again. It’s a good thing that I have a list of Hitchcock movies I want to see and stitch too.

Should be Happy Dancing but not sure I can find the path…

So this year I’ve been stitching on some of my older pieces. You know the kind, WIPS who have become teenagers and lay around the house moaning about how hard it is not to be an adult (completed). I have finished 10 pieces so far and framed several. You would think that having finished some of my older pieces; things I’ve been working on for so long, would be a relief and a cause for much rejoicing. I’m finding, however, that I miss them. I’ve become accustomed to having the unfinished pieces around the house and it’s not as much fun trying to figure out where I’m going to hang finished pieces or how I’m going to finish them if I don’t frame them.

I had planned to start some of my fully kitted projects this year (one start for every 2 finishes) but I’ve had absolutely no desire to do that. I keep wondering if the lack of desire to start anything new has to do with my deteriorating eyesight. My favorite fabric was 36ct linen, now I have trouble seeing anything over a 28ct and I have to wear reading glasses to do that. So part of me wonders, are my days of “fine” handiwork over without ever having done a sampler or something on 50+ count linen like the children in the past did? How huge will some of my large pieces be if I start them on 28 ct? What do I do with the pieces I have fully kitted with 32ct and 36ct fabrics? I could bypass all of these questions by starting to work on my Needlepoint and counted canvas pieces. After all, I can still see the holes in an 18 count canvas without any glasses on at all.

Just So you Know