Still celebrating!

 

This morning we woke up to our first snowfall of the season, and it suddenly felt much colder than what it really is.  But we have a nice toasty warm house to stay in, so I can't complain.  In fact, it's something to celebrate-yes, even though I haven't been posting daily, I have found reason to celebrate everyday.  Have you?  In fact, we even picked up more candles, this is fun!  And if you have no clue what I'm talking about, you'll need to scroll down & read the previous post.  Done reading?  OK, then on to more celerating!  Gary had a follow up post op appointment last week, and is now the proud owner of a leg without a cast, still on crutches for another month, but the cast is gone & he can ditch the sweatpants & go back to wearing jeans-that's the part that he's celebrating:)   

Yesterday we made a quick stop at Kele Alpaca for the artists reception held for those participating in the Holiday Sale.   It always feels good to walk in and see my mixed media collages hanging on the wall, wierd, but good.  The place was packed, I mean seriously packed with a line you wouldn't believe waiting to check out.  Crowded to the point that we didn't stay long (we'll go back maybe tomorrow) and headed up to the Flying Pig for a cup of coffee before going home.  Robyn & Susan are back from vacation looking well rested, and gearing up for the holiday season.  Welcome home-that was worth a candle or 2!  Hanging from the cupola above the 2nd floor of the gallery was this sculpture of 2 boys climbing a ladder, it's made from packing tape with the willing models being 2 little boys that frequent the place with their parents.  Isn't it cool?  Directly beneath them is the ground floor and the tables where we sit for coffee, what you're seeing behind them is the 2nd floor.  If you want directions how to do that packing tape thing, you'll have to email them!   

You can sure tell that Gary's more mobile these days, I have pictures to post again:)  I'm so bad at that, just can't seem to take a decent photo to save my soul, but Gary does have an eye for it-light a candle for that one because this blog would be awfully boring without his pictures!  Now if I could only get him to take it more seriously, just enough to even just enter a few local photography contests or something.  But maybe he wouldn't enjoy it then, so it's up to him.  Last week I had my annual physical and came out of there with a clean bill of health.  While there, I noticed that my ortho doctor's name was on their board-what the heck??  This man is the best, seriously!  He replaced a hip over 8 years ago, did some repair on my knee once, but he'd been out of network on our insurance for a few years, so even though I knew I had a bad hip I was toughing it out (after a bad, horrible experience with another ortho) as long as I could stand it.  Turns out he's been back in network for about a year (why don't insurance companies keep us better informed?) and he was coming to the clinic the following day.  And---they got me in-yay!!  I've never been so happy to see a doctor in my life!  As I suspected, the other hip is bone on bone and needs to be replaced-but he can do it & get it done this year before our insurance coverage changes on the first of January when it would cost us a chunk of change.  So on Dec. 17 I'm going in for a hip replacement with a doctor that I trust, and I'll have a matched set of metal hips:)  Lots & lots of candles for all that!  Between getting that hip fixed, and the magic that the pain clinic is working on me, I'll be a new woman by spring!  The last few years I've dropped the ball more often than I care to admit, and haven't been myself at all, constant pain will do that to you.  But there's a light at the end of the tunnel, and it appears that Murphy's Law has quit circling overhead & has moved on. 

It's deer season here, I hate the thought of deer being shot, but after hitting a few with a car over the years, I do understand the need to keep the numbers under control-I think.  As a kid, we were raised on venison, but with Gary not being a hunter, I haven't eaten any in years.  A friend was telling me yesterday that her husband had gotten his deer & she was cooking up steaks for dinner, and I told her much I used to love a good venison steak.  About 1/2 or so later, she comes in the front door with a steak for me (she lives across the street) wrpped in foil, still warm & ready to eat.  What a treat!  It was delicious, but I have to admit that I had to make a conscious effort to not picture a deer in our yard while I was eating it.  But I do the same thing whenever I eat meat, I just can't think about it.  And it doesn't stop me from eating a good steak!  To change the subject, did you read this post on Tammy Vitale's blog?  it's a great one, well they all are, but I particularly enjoyed this one where she shared an article by Christine Kane, well worth reading.  So much so that I ran right over & signed up for Christine's weekly e-zine called "Live Creative".  Somewhere along the line I'd lost the link to her blog, so thanks, Tammy, for bringing it back to my attention!  And if you aren't already signed up to recieve Alyson Stanfield's Art Biz Blog, give yourself an early Christmas gift & go sign up.  Today it was about showing gratitude, not just showing it but really feeling it.  She's right, and it seems to fit in with our 37 days of celebrating, we're all trying to live better lives, right?  And on that note, it's time to go watch the Packer game, but not before I share my steak with you:)

Comments

[Tammy Vitale]

Hi - thanks for the shout out! And yes you have been celebrating! It's so good to have a doctor you trust! While I don't eat land animals, I do eat water animals...crabs alot. I have to do the same thing when I eat them - not think too hard about it. 'Cause here in Maryland you just have to eat crabs and I've done it my whole life except for about 1 year when I managed to forgo.

[Dieverdog]

Good to hear you are getting about again (or Gary is) and getting back to "normal" whatever that may be. Flying Pig-normal! Maybe someday I'll take a long road trip to see it!

I feel the same as you about the meat-eating thing - I feel a bit guilty about it, but it doesn't stop me from having a really delicious steak now and again. And other meat on a daily basis... If I had to catch and kill or even watch the process, I know I'd never be able to do it. The fact that I'm so removed from the process is what enables my denial I guess. I try to give thanks for the animal like the indians did, but that sometimes gets me thinking too much!

Love that link about "who do you think you are?" I don't do that a lot, but I think we all do it sometimes. I enjoyed that a lot.

Hope you and your family have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

[Kathleen]

Enjoyed your blog and art work... Sounds like you are having a great time. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

[Alyson Stanfield]

Sue: Thank you for the mention! I've never before been mentioned in a post with deer hunting. :)

I hope you'll get your name much bigger on the blog. I had to search for it for some time. All about branding, you know?

Happy Thanksgiving!

[Debi]

Hey sweetie!
Glad to hear all is going better and thanks so much for the loverrly email!

Your room awaits you! So continue picturing us sitting on the porch listening to the waves hit the shore and the eagles above--- as we sip on our "hot totties"! (is that how that is spelled? :)

So hurry up and get that new hip and then get your "...." to Texas! xo...deb

[Stephanie St. John]

The 37 days of celebrating seems to be having a great effect on you. Your post is full of energy, positivity and excitement. I'm happy that you are feeling good. Hope we can get together soon. Happy Thanksgiving

[somepinkflowers]

i have been so busy living
Life As A Verb,
if you know what i mean...

:-)

but here
i am ...doing a pop~in
to see what ideas you have been growing...

will be back soon
to explore more...

keep celebrating EVERYTHING
you can thinK of---> over here
we are celebrating this--->
Spike the Cat
Did Not Eat the Little Pine*Cone After All Day.

yippeee!
to you and yours..............

[Linda Warlyn]

Great news about Gary being mobile and clad in his beloved jeans again! And....SO happy to hear that the pain clinic has made your life much sweeter and that the good doc will have that other hip good as new soon! Watch out world, Sue and Gary are getting ready to take you by storm! Happy Thanksgiving and a thousand more candles! xox

[Laurel]

Congratulations to Gary. Love that black and white picture. Hope you and yours had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

[Amanda]

Love the celebratory candles...as soon as things slow down, I am going to get back into that book...don't feel bad about the venison, I had duck the other day...something I swore off many, many years ago. And damn it was good too...hope to see you soon, and that we can visit for a bit! hugs-amanda...ps you look great! Hope things keep moving in the right direction for you (and Gary!)