We purchased this home, 1) because it was the only thing in our price range that let us have a home with a yard for the kids and dog, now dogs (our other option was an area of downtown that was not desirable from a safety perspective), 2) because it was very close to the church and community that we are actively involved in, and 3) because it was a fixer-upper and we like a challenge.
Good thing! Because we're challenged now. I have actually dithered over whether or not to do a post like this. I don't want to sound like we're complaining, and I know the written word does not have the same communicative punch that a one-on-one conversation complete with facial expressions has. Quite simply, working on this house will probably be a very large part of our lives for a very long time so I'm going to share what we'll be working on. This blog will, in addition to following A's challenges, also follow our home improvement saga -- if for nothing else then to have something that indicates progress, for those occasions when I want to dash my head against a wall, in tears over the frustration of living in drywall dust, paint spills, and cooking over a hot plate while we re-do the kitchen...whenever that happens. I don't know anyone who has attempted a renovation (large or small) that hasn't wanted to cry or choke something at some point in the process. I'm sure people exist whose renovations went perfectly, but I don't know any of them.
This home has beautiful potential, and we really do love it. The view across the street of the mountains is stellar, we have just over 1/2 acre of land that I can hopefully garden on soon, with room leftover for kids and dogs to play. The bones of the house are good, although there are a few minor cosmetic issues that we thought were just that: cosmetic. We love the space inside, if not the exact layout, and it keeps the rain out. We have been so blessed living here, the kids love the backyard (as do our dogs). It is located conveniently to pretty much any amenity we could wish for, within 10 minutes. This includes our church, friends' houses, movie theatres, the grocery store, and parks and fishing holes. There are some things that we have noticed, though...
In our last year and a half, we have discovered that: we blow through a nearly 300-gallon tank of heating oil in a month -- keeping the temp at 65 degrees or lower. This was confounding to say the least; we could understand if we were trying to simulate the Sahara, but 65 degrees? Z and I couldn't figure out why it was so cold all the time when we were burning through that much heating oil, and then so darned hot once summertime came and soon discovered the reason.
We never did get that second load of insulation, and we can't fit any of it in at the top of the stairs because of the way the wooden beamwork is over the metal acoustic tile grid -- much of our heat still goes right on up and out the roof. We do have the R-19 stuff over the bedrooms, though, which helps a lot. We have discovered that using electric space heaters, we can effectively heat individual rooms OK. The mommy in me cringes to leave one on in either of my kids' (OK, they're still my babies) rooms overnight, though, and we only have two heaters. We usually put one on each floor of the house, and then I cook or bake during the day, adding heat from the kitchen.
This is why the acquisition of a woodstove is such an enormous blessing! We have calculated, based on neighbors' wood consumptions, that we can heat the house the entire winter for a total cost of $330 in logs, give or take a few (and adding the cost of getting the woodstove and accessories needed like stovepipe, etc). $330 sure beats the heck out of over $3,000, especially with our cash flow these days! I know it's "inconvenient", but I'll deal with the ash and constant reloading; besides which, humans have been doing this for thousands of years so I figure I can handle it. Plus, bonus: if the power goes out, we still have heat and I can cook on top of the thing. We won't have running water, but we'll stay warm and be fed while we stink from a lack of showering. : )
We have also discovered that: all the electricity in the house is "slaved" off other appliances and outlets in the room, sometimes multiple rooms. For example, we can not run the overhead light in the living room if the ceiling fan in the kitchen is on. And my son's closet light can only be turned on IF the overhead room light is in the "on" position and you unscrew its bulb before you screw in the closet light to turn it on. The reverse is also true. Also, if you run the microwave in the kitchen off of two particular outlets and the television is on in the living room, you'll blow the fuse. Our electric wiring and box have inspection stickers slapped all over it but no inspector number or name...someone did a "Harry Homejob" (as Z and I are starting to call these things) and got a roll of stickers somehow. As the inspector said, though, "It's not unsafe...just not practical". So, we don't have to deal with potentially lethal consequences, just fuse-blowing irritation. So at some point, you will be regaled with rewiring stories. Yes, "stories", because undoubtedly there will be more than one.
Moving on to the ceilings: the acoustic tile ceilings in a metal grid are purely a cosmetic dislike. Do they stop the room at the top of the walls? Yes. Do they look like the playing field for some sort of space-aged game, or hopelessly outdated relics of the 1960's? Yes to both. So at some point, likely after we get the wiring done, we'll tackle putting up real, live drywall on the ceilings. Of the non-popcorn variety.
We'd also really like to raise the ceiling height upstairs, because my 6'+ (some days he's an inch taller than others, depends on his back) can walk through the doorways with a mere inch or two to spare. All of the upstairs ceilings are between 6' and 6'5". This doesn't particularly bother me, because I'm only 5'4", but it is a little weird to see your otherwise "normally heighthed" (is that a real word?)husband look like the giant from Gulliver's Travels when he enters a room. And he unconsciously ducks through most of the doorways, even though he clears the frame by an inch or so.
All the walls currently end at the upstairs ceiling (natch), so we'll have to completely redo all the walls while we're raising the ceiling to avoid an odd one and a half foot gap if we do standard 8' ceilings.
And while we're tearing down the walls, we'll have to shore up the flooring. We have that lovely "vintage roll" effect right now -- meaning that you can go uphill both ways crossing my daughter's room. The peak is in the middle of the room, so at least it's symmetrical. Apparently in 1960, they had different standards of how far apart your support beams could be, as compared to today's much closer requirements. And we're finding particle board and other, shall we say, inexpensive materials used throughout the house. We're betting on finding more under the carpet, which we haven't had the heart to rip out yet. Mostly because we can't afford to replace it yet. And we're scared to see what's underneath.
Speaking of carpet, our tenants had rabbits and cats who, for all appearances, seemed to have had some directionally challenged issues with regards to litterbox location. Most especially in my daughter's room. Our dog did not decorate in this manner while we lived here before, and the previous owners had no pets (and they're the ones who installed the carpet), so logically the smell must be from the tenants' critters. That all needs some replacing, too, because both of my dogs all of a sudden feel the urge to...ah, relieve their urge in that room since our return from TX. We'll let you know what we find when we replace it all. That will likely have a posting all its own.
Drywall will need to be replaced throughout the house, as we have some...dents...and other places where the seams are not quite lined up right. We're not sure if our tenants were slam-dancing or what, but there are quite a few spots that need a little attention at some point. They're not outright holes, so this is wayyyy down on the repair list.
Paint is easy, we've already managed to cover over the Play-Doh blue color bequeathed to us by our tenants, although that took us until about 3 weeks ago to accomplish. Of course, the tenants had to deal with my fire-engine red hallway, so tit for tat I suppose. (It's now brown).
Bathroom ~ is functional. We do have 2 sinks that sit on top of white laminate cabinetry. Whoever installed the cabinets didn't measure very well because there is a huge gap between the back wall and the cabinets, and several inches of open space in the corner, and the doors won't hang quite right. Just for aesthetic reasons, we'd like to have something a little more ... together. Also, it looks like someone bought a home kit shower replacement dealie and had some interesting caulk technique. Again, cosmetic. The bathroom, as mentioned above, is fully functional so we really don't have anything to complain about. At least we have one, right?
Kitchen -- well. The cabinets hold the dishes, so their function is fine. I do have three different colors of wood, and two different door styles going on, which I'd like to simplify to one color and one style if possible. I could just reface them, probably, the only exception being the section between the refrigerator and the stove. Despite multiple bleach treatments, we have a mold problem under there that just won't go away. I'd take pictures, but it ain't pretty; you could film a horror flick under there without much additional cost for set construction. And if you could find actors small enough to fit in the cabinet. Heh. The kitchen is pretty much all cosmetic issues so it's also way down on the priority list. I use the top of the (rolling) dishwasher or our table to prep food on so I have my "work triangle" going on. For an interesting story about the dishwasher, go here.
The countertops are faux marble in a dark hunter green, and none of them are actually attached to the cabinets underneath. The floor coordinates nicely with peel-and-stick vinyl tiles, also in dark green "marble" -- but the tiles aren't lined up too well and the finish has worn off over time. Again, purely cosmetic; just not my color preference. Still work just fine, and I actually feel a little rotten mentioning it. The floor doesn't have to shine, even if the Mop'N'Glo bottle says it will.
We have a very unfinished addition that someone put on one side of the house, with a concrete subfloor. It works as a kind of "mudroom", a place to unlock the door without getting drowned when it rains, and where we currently are storing cardboard boxes, the recycling bins, and firewood. The walls need finishing because you can see outside between the boards, and the roof is too flat and needs a higher pitch (per the house inspector). The roof does leak, and raising the angle is supposed to fix this issue. We'd love to turn it into a screen porch or even a dining room in the distant future, because we don't have either right now.
Our garage...has a very nice concrete floor, holds two vehicles, and has a work area to one side. The fake brick asbestos siding is coming off, and we're not entirely sure what to do with that. I know asbestos is bad stuff, but not much beyond that, so we have some research to do.
Most recently (and of course having both the highest cost and necessity) is our septic system. We don't have one. What was listed on the deed of the house as a septic system is, in fact, a big concrete pit three feet from our house with a slit in one side. And the rock and clay in the ground just won't hold any more...stuff...after 50 years.
To put in a new (real) system, we have to move it out at least 10 feet from the house. Which puts it too close to our well, which we'll have to subsequently move. We can't put the septic or the well in the side yard, because that will be too close to our neighbors' well. After several visits from the county health department, our ONLY option is to take off the front part of the driveway and install a system in a 10 x 15 spot, using a new biometric system -- and provided they can blast a hole big enough through the rocky ridge we sit on. This ridge goes up into New York and down into the Carolinas. This will be potentially cheaper because it means we don't have to move our existing well, but will also be more expensive than a regular septic system, which could normally be installed for around $5K in these here parts. There's always the possibility that we'll have to move the well anyway, and that's where it gets expensive -- $30K for the whole job is a conservative estimate given by the inspector.
We're not entirely sure how we're going to do this; we're already not taking A to outside OT and speech appointments because we can't afford to, even with insurance. We are barely keeping our heads above water as it is, so this is most unwelcome news. Blessedly, the county is giving us some time to correct the problem and isn't making us get it done NEXT WEEK. We're hoping maybe by spring time to a)win the lottery we don't play, b) have a miracle happen and it fix itself somehow, or c)be able to get a loan to cover it, which is unlikely at this point.
Anyone looking to off-load a year's salary? Just checking.
Compounding all of these issues is my husband's back issues. Z has the back of a 70-yr old man even though he just turned 29. If his time in the Army had not come to the end of his enlistment, he would have had a medical discharge. He can't handle a lot of the DIY stuff we'd intended to do, and neither can I due to a bum hip from a car accident a few years ago.
So, this will be an interesting saga indeed! I am interested to see how things develop, chiefly because it's my house, but also from a detached scientific point of view. This is our Mad Scientist experiment. Let the fun begin! And I promise to share most, if not all, of the gory details.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Monday, November 16, 2009
Ketchup
OK....the long promised catch-up posting is about to commence!
There are so many things that have happened to us since July, it will probably take a few subsequent postings to really flesh things out.
In a (really big, colossal) nutshell:
We moved back from TX to MD, made the trip in TWO DAYS -- in two vehicles (one of which was a small moving van), with two kids and two dogs. Perhaps it was for the best that I didn't have a computer in August; it took me until September to be able to hold a rational line of thinking again! ; )
Z went back to TX; I unpacked the house and got A enrolled in school, got busy with our local church. Our church family helped us unload the truck in a half hour! Plus, some delightful ladies helped us scrub the house out to get the cigarette smoke glaze off our walls, and get some of the unusual odor out. Those lovely acoustic ceiling tiles absorb all sorts of things, not just water from leaky roofs -- but some sprays with hospital grade Odoban did help. **now that we've been heating the house for fall, some smells are coming out again, so we'll have to find a new tactic to deal with it. The church also got our pantry started, the last item of which I used last week! (I love me some Italian cooking, but I can't do 15 boxes of spaghetti all at once -- my thighs need me to space it out some!)
I have been having some weird nerve and muscle issues flaring up in the last year or so, and have been undergoing lots of fun tests while the doctor tries to figure out what in tarnation is going on. Most confusing is the come-and-go nature of the symptoms, a few of which range from extreme fatigue, severe headaches on the left side, electric shocks and numbness, to shaky "Jell-o" muscles that don't want to work. Some days everything's normal, others it's not. They did do an MRI of my ol' noggin back a month and a half ago, proof that I actually do have a brain for those that might wonder, but it was inconclusive other than there is brain matter in the right place. Which is good! That means I likely don't have MS, and I don't have a brain tumor -- which were the two main options that they were looking for.
Z threw what he could into his car and drove up by himself at the beginning of September when the fatigue was at its height. Everything else got chucked into a storage unit in TX. Which we will get some of....at some point. Because Z left so quickly, items that we had intended to sell or give away (shelves, computer desk, etc) wound up being chucked into the storage unit along with my antique theatre seats, our trunk full of games, and the mirror to my dresser. So that will have to be sorted through, whenever we get a chance to get back down there...hopefully in the next couple of years at the rate life keeps happening. I lament, but I realize that it is just "stuff" -- nothing that is essential for life to go on. If we never get it, again, it's just -- STUFF. I might shed a tear over my new winter boots I got for Christmas last year, though -- warmest things my sensitive, formerly frost-bitten toes ever snuggled in.
On the Toilet Bowl drama: K (finally) decided that she's going to be a big girl and just started using the toilet voluntarily one day a little over a couple of weeks ago. I rarely have to prompt her, and she's only had three accidents in as many weeks (two of which were overnight).
And there was great rejoicing in the land.
What makes this the biggest "D'Oh!" moment is why she decided it was time. Z and I have been making all sorts of statements for the last few months to the tune of "you're a big girl now, it's time to start using the toilet like a big girl...diapers are for babies, you're three!" Money is, like it is for most of you right now, a tight commodity for us and we simply can't afford to keep purchasing plastic/vinyl pants to cover her cotton undies as they wear out, nor are disposable ones financially feasible. A couple of weeks ago, we told her again, "you have to start peeing and pooping in the toilet like a big girl." She looked at me for a moment, cocked her head to the side, and said, "OK, mommy!"
And that was it -- she's done it ever since. And stayed dry and clean through 99% of the time. Thrilling, but frustrating all at the same time. Why hadn't that ever worked before? I guess she just had to be ready on her own time to really do it.
*sigh* Stubborn li'l thang. She comes by it honestly, though.
As far as A goes, with prompting he will keep cotton undies dry about 90% of the time now, and that's what he predominantly wears when he's at home. We do still have to put disposables on him when he goes to school or out in public for the protection qualities...A has enough challenges that peeing through his pants in front of the class would really not help things. We're still working on the #2 aspect, so to speak. A has really crappy muscle control (pun intended) and tends to "streak" constantly. Makes for a lot of laundry, but we're getting there....average age for children with autism to be potty-trained is 5 1/2, and A just turned 6 last week, so we're at least close to being on target.
A is having some difficulties in kindergarten this year. Z and I aren't really sure what is going on, because he usually loves school, but he has been severely disruptive and keeps getting yanked out of the classroom. He is smart enough to do the academic work, he is just refusing to do so or take the tests. Frustrating for his teacher, who knows he can do it but is having to fail him for not completing the tests required by the county for assessment purposes, and frustrating for Z and I who don't know how to "light a far" (spelling intended) under the boy's britches. His teacher has made wonderful concessions to the curriculum to match A's IEP (individualized education plan), and I am having some mommy guilt over my son's behavior because Miss M really is going above and beyond the call of duty for our kid.
A is very smart; he taught himself to read (he refused to let me read to him starting about age 2). A can read at least one grade level up if not two. He does love Dr. Seuss, but is also reading Spongebob Squarepants books that are rated for at least 7 years and up. I really don't care what he's reading as long as he enjoys it and is doing so (and as long as the content is appropriate -- no underwear catalogs of course!). Our hope is that he will be able to use the computer to communicate, since he can also spell random words and routinely does so with the refrigerator magnets. (Not just "cat", but things like "dreamworks" and "guitar").
So imagine our frustration when the teacher tells us that he won't read for the test, won't indicate letter sounds or anything else -- until later, when he'll rattle them all off and smile at his teacher. After the testing period is over.
A is having behavioral issues, as I briefly alluded to above. Lots of screaming, tantrums, throwing things, and waving his fist in the air...also a lot of noisy chatter and refusal to quiet down during work time. Z and I are trying to figure out exactly what our options are, because this isn't working right now.
Oh; and our septic system finally died. As in, spilled into our yard, died. More on this later, when we figure out how in the world we're going to get it fixed -- let's just say that what was on the deed to the house ain't what we got in the back yard. And the county health inspectors feel sorry for us. If anyone has an extra, oh, $30K lying around not doing anything useful, feel free to send it my way. We'd appreciate it; I'll even let you use the toilet first after the new system is installed! ; )
On the upside -- (yes, here's the Little Susie Sunshine portion of the post) -- we are tremendously blessed. Blessed to be back "home", blessed to have good friends and good family. And each other. Blessed to look out the front window at the mountains, enjoying the leaves as they changed in all their fall finery. Blessed that we are all fairly healthy, my weirdness aside. Blessed that my daughter still has her creativity and will wear a ballerina dress, a camouflage baseball cap, striped shoes (courtesy of Michele S) and two different colored socks, three necklaces, and a Hello Kitty wristwatch -- to the bus stop, while carrying a stuffed cat. Now, that is self-confidence! I hope she never loses it. Blessed that we have a brick hearth and a 1-yr old black woodstove in perfect condition at a total cost of $230. Blessed that I have a dear friend who convinces me to buy things like pretty shoes (which are killer, both in appearance and wearability).
Photo posts coming soon....as soon as I figure out how to rig the camera to extract them. The door that covers the batteries split in half a couple of months ago, and I have to press it together with a surprising amount of force on that spot to even turn the camera on -- it's affecting the metal contacts on the batteries; it won't work on the dock and we can't remove the memory. So we're getting our MacGyver on. Hopefully we'll have some results soon.
Speaking of MacGyver, if I don't address it soon, remind me to tell you about how my husband attached our video camera to a broomstick with painters tape (yes, that would be the papery, easily torn blue stuff) and shoved it through the wall of the house into the flue of the chimney. I about had a heart attack.
Another idea rattling around the cranium is adding a cooking section to the blog, or creating a new site for that -- I love to cook, if I'm not making family recipes I make up my own for everything from cookies to pasta sauces, and I do most of it from scratch (less preservatives, tastes better, and it's cheaper). I have a friend that wants me to show her how to make some things, too, which might be fun to chronicle. I frequently check out blogs like The Pioneer Woman and Smitten Kitchen and realize that I am nowhere near their leagues -- but still think it might be fun. My only hang-up is I don't know where some of the family recipes came from, and I have no idea what the legal ramifications of posting something like that are. My own stuff is just that, but as for anything else...I want to give credit where credit is due. Lemme know what you think, and if you have any name ideas for such a venture. You guys are every bit as creative (usually more so) than I am.
Ciao!
There are so many things that have happened to us since July, it will probably take a few subsequent postings to really flesh things out.
In a (really big, colossal) nutshell:
We moved back from TX to MD, made the trip in TWO DAYS -- in two vehicles (one of which was a small moving van), with two kids and two dogs. Perhaps it was for the best that I didn't have a computer in August; it took me until September to be able to hold a rational line of thinking again! ; )
Z went back to TX; I unpacked the house and got A enrolled in school, got busy with our local church. Our church family helped us unload the truck in a half hour! Plus, some delightful ladies helped us scrub the house out to get the cigarette smoke glaze off our walls, and get some of the unusual odor out. Those lovely acoustic ceiling tiles absorb all sorts of things, not just water from leaky roofs -- but some sprays with hospital grade Odoban did help. **now that we've been heating the house for fall, some smells are coming out again, so we'll have to find a new tactic to deal with it. The church also got our pantry started, the last item of which I used last week! (I love me some Italian cooking, but I can't do 15 boxes of spaghetti all at once -- my thighs need me to space it out some!)
I have been having some weird nerve and muscle issues flaring up in the last year or so, and have been undergoing lots of fun tests while the doctor tries to figure out what in tarnation is going on. Most confusing is the come-and-go nature of the symptoms, a few of which range from extreme fatigue, severe headaches on the left side, electric shocks and numbness, to shaky "Jell-o" muscles that don't want to work. Some days everything's normal, others it's not. They did do an MRI of my ol' noggin back a month and a half ago, proof that I actually do have a brain for those that might wonder, but it was inconclusive other than there is brain matter in the right place. Which is good! That means I likely don't have MS, and I don't have a brain tumor -- which were the two main options that they were looking for.
Z threw what he could into his car and drove up by himself at the beginning of September when the fatigue was at its height. Everything else got chucked into a storage unit in TX. Which we will get some of....at some point. Because Z left so quickly, items that we had intended to sell or give away (shelves, computer desk, etc) wound up being chucked into the storage unit along with my antique theatre seats, our trunk full of games, and the mirror to my dresser. So that will have to be sorted through, whenever we get a chance to get back down there...hopefully in the next couple of years at the rate life keeps happening. I lament, but I realize that it is just "stuff" -- nothing that is essential for life to go on. If we never get it, again, it's just -- STUFF. I might shed a tear over my new winter boots I got for Christmas last year, though -- warmest things my sensitive, formerly frost-bitten toes ever snuggled in.
On the Toilet Bowl drama: K (finally) decided that she's going to be a big girl and just started using the toilet voluntarily one day a little over a couple of weeks ago. I rarely have to prompt her, and she's only had three accidents in as many weeks (two of which were overnight).
And there was great rejoicing in the land.
What makes this the biggest "D'Oh!" moment is why she decided it was time. Z and I have been making all sorts of statements for the last few months to the tune of "you're a big girl now, it's time to start using the toilet like a big girl...diapers are for babies, you're three!" Money is, like it is for most of you right now, a tight commodity for us and we simply can't afford to keep purchasing plastic/vinyl pants to cover her cotton undies as they wear out, nor are disposable ones financially feasible. A couple of weeks ago, we told her again, "you have to start peeing and pooping in the toilet like a big girl." She looked at me for a moment, cocked her head to the side, and said, "OK, mommy!"
And that was it -- she's done it ever since. And stayed dry and clean through 99% of the time. Thrilling, but frustrating all at the same time. Why hadn't that ever worked before? I guess she just had to be ready on her own time to really do it.
*sigh* Stubborn li'l thang. She comes by it honestly, though.
As far as A goes, with prompting he will keep cotton undies dry about 90% of the time now, and that's what he predominantly wears when he's at home. We do still have to put disposables on him when he goes to school or out in public for the protection qualities...A has enough challenges that peeing through his pants in front of the class would really not help things. We're still working on the #2 aspect, so to speak. A has really crappy muscle control (pun intended) and tends to "streak" constantly. Makes for a lot of laundry, but we're getting there....average age for children with autism to be potty-trained is 5 1/2, and A just turned 6 last week, so we're at least close to being on target.
A is having some difficulties in kindergarten this year. Z and I aren't really sure what is going on, because he usually loves school, but he has been severely disruptive and keeps getting yanked out of the classroom. He is smart enough to do the academic work, he is just refusing to do so or take the tests. Frustrating for his teacher, who knows he can do it but is having to fail him for not completing the tests required by the county for assessment purposes, and frustrating for Z and I who don't know how to "light a far" (spelling intended) under the boy's britches. His teacher has made wonderful concessions to the curriculum to match A's IEP (individualized education plan), and I am having some mommy guilt over my son's behavior because Miss M really is going above and beyond the call of duty for our kid.
A is very smart; he taught himself to read (he refused to let me read to him starting about age 2). A can read at least one grade level up if not two. He does love Dr. Seuss, but is also reading Spongebob Squarepants books that are rated for at least 7 years and up. I really don't care what he's reading as long as he enjoys it and is doing so (and as long as the content is appropriate -- no underwear catalogs of course!). Our hope is that he will be able to use the computer to communicate, since he can also spell random words and routinely does so with the refrigerator magnets. (Not just "cat", but things like "dreamworks" and "guitar").
So imagine our frustration when the teacher tells us that he won't read for the test, won't indicate letter sounds or anything else -- until later, when he'll rattle them all off and smile at his teacher. After the testing period is over.
A is having behavioral issues, as I briefly alluded to above. Lots of screaming, tantrums, throwing things, and waving his fist in the air...also a lot of noisy chatter and refusal to quiet down during work time. Z and I are trying to figure out exactly what our options are, because this isn't working right now.
Oh; and our septic system finally died. As in, spilled into our yard, died. More on this later, when we figure out how in the world we're going to get it fixed -- let's just say that what was on the deed to the house ain't what we got in the back yard. And the county health inspectors feel sorry for us. If anyone has an extra, oh, $30K lying around not doing anything useful, feel free to send it my way. We'd appreciate it; I'll even let you use the toilet first after the new system is installed! ; )
On the upside -- (yes, here's the Little Susie Sunshine portion of the post) -- we are tremendously blessed. Blessed to be back "home", blessed to have good friends and good family. And each other. Blessed to look out the front window at the mountains, enjoying the leaves as they changed in all their fall finery. Blessed that we are all fairly healthy, my weirdness aside. Blessed that my daughter still has her creativity and will wear a ballerina dress, a camouflage baseball cap, striped shoes (courtesy of Michele S) and two different colored socks, three necklaces, and a Hello Kitty wristwatch -- to the bus stop, while carrying a stuffed cat. Now, that is self-confidence! I hope she never loses it. Blessed that we have a brick hearth and a 1-yr old black woodstove in perfect condition at a total cost of $230. Blessed that I have a dear friend who convinces me to buy things like pretty shoes (which are killer, both in appearance and wearability).
Photo posts coming soon....as soon as I figure out how to rig the camera to extract them. The door that covers the batteries split in half a couple of months ago, and I have to press it together with a surprising amount of force on that spot to even turn the camera on -- it's affecting the metal contacts on the batteries; it won't work on the dock and we can't remove the memory. So we're getting our MacGyver on. Hopefully we'll have some results soon.
Speaking of MacGyver, if I don't address it soon, remind me to tell you about how my husband attached our video camera to a broomstick with painters tape (yes, that would be the papery, easily torn blue stuff) and shoved it through the wall of the house into the flue of the chimney. I about had a heart attack.
Another idea rattling around the cranium is adding a cooking section to the blog, or creating a new site for that -- I love to cook, if I'm not making family recipes I make up my own for everything from cookies to pasta sauces, and I do most of it from scratch (less preservatives, tastes better, and it's cheaper). I have a friend that wants me to show her how to make some things, too, which might be fun to chronicle. I frequently check out blogs like The Pioneer Woman and Smitten Kitchen and realize that I am nowhere near their leagues -- but still think it might be fun. My only hang-up is I don't know where some of the family recipes came from, and I have no idea what the legal ramifications of posting something like that are. My own stuff is just that, but as for anything else...I want to give credit where credit is due. Lemme know what you think, and if you have any name ideas for such a venture. You guys are every bit as creative (usually more so) than I am.
Ciao!
Friday, October 23, 2009
Oy...nck.
Flu, flu, gotta swine flu
Gotta swine flu --
How 'bout you?
I wish I could blame that bit of nattering on drugs of some sort, but alas I'm not even on cough syrup at the moment. Sleep deprivation, though, is a definite possibility.
The last hold-out in our household finally succumbed to whatever had been ailing Z, then me, then her big brother for the last few weeks. Miss K was fine when she woke up from her nap on Weds, and a half hour later BAM!! 102.8 degree fever. Which climbed up to 103.7 before the ibuprofen kicked in...we had just gotten paid, so we were able to take Miss K to the doctor (a luxury her brother and I did not have -- Daddy had his appointment and meds nearly a week before A started feeling crappy, and we just didn't have it to take A in at that point...Z's actually at his follow-up appointment right now so we'll know for sure what he was dealing with).
But we DO know what K has. Congratulations! K has H1N1, a fever we've been trying to keep under 104 (104.2 is the highest so far), and some rather pricey medicine. It was a long night last night. We have been hit so hard here in this area there is no more liquid TamiFlu available in a large radius around us, so I have to take adult capsules, mix the contents in a specific amount of liquid (apple juice), and then only give a portion of that to K, discarding the rest. (In our county, 99% of all flu and cold-like issues are actually H1N1, according to our county's health department which is tracking things like mad, especially in the elementary schools). K's been doing much better today, hovering around the 101 degree mark, although she's napping at the moment and I haven't checked her in about an hour or so.
Her congestion is actually concerning us more than the fever at this point...she sounds like she's swallowed mud and is breathing through it. So, prayers over the next few days are appreciated, K is taking this much worse than any of the rest of us did. T'anks.
There really will be a "Ketchup" post soon...but it may be another week, depending on how K is doing.
Gotta swine flu --
How 'bout you?
I wish I could blame that bit of nattering on drugs of some sort, but alas I'm not even on cough syrup at the moment. Sleep deprivation, though, is a definite possibility.
The last hold-out in our household finally succumbed to whatever had been ailing Z, then me, then her big brother for the last few weeks. Miss K was fine when she woke up from her nap on Weds, and a half hour later BAM!! 102.8 degree fever. Which climbed up to 103.7 before the ibuprofen kicked in...we had just gotten paid, so we were able to take Miss K to the doctor (a luxury her brother and I did not have -- Daddy had his appointment and meds nearly a week before A started feeling crappy, and we just didn't have it to take A in at that point...Z's actually at his follow-up appointment right now so we'll know for sure what he was dealing with).
But we DO know what K has. Congratulations! K has H1N1, a fever we've been trying to keep under 104 (104.2 is the highest so far), and some rather pricey medicine. It was a long night last night. We have been hit so hard here in this area there is no more liquid TamiFlu available in a large radius around us, so I have to take adult capsules, mix the contents in a specific amount of liquid (apple juice), and then only give a portion of that to K, discarding the rest. (In our county, 99% of all flu and cold-like issues are actually H1N1, according to our county's health department which is tracking things like mad, especially in the elementary schools). K's been doing much better today, hovering around the 101 degree mark, although she's napping at the moment and I haven't checked her in about an hour or so.
Her congestion is actually concerning us more than the fever at this point...she sounds like she's swallowed mud and is breathing through it. So, prayers over the next few days are appreciated, K is taking this much worse than any of the rest of us did. T'anks.
There really will be a "Ketchup" post soon...but it may be another week, depending on how K is doing.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Greetings!
Just to let you all know, I have just gotten a computer that I can use to update the ol' blog.
It's been, what, two months?
Don't have time to do much more than say "I'm still here!"
More to come. Soon...probably Monday.
But I'm back! And there's lots to update you on -- our 1800-mile trek back to MD; A's kindergarten experiences; the play-doh blue our tenants painted our living room, among other interesting discoveries in the house...
Soon.
It's been, what, two months?
Don't have time to do much more than say "I'm still here!"
More to come. Soon...probably Monday.
But I'm back! And there's lots to update you on -- our 1800-mile trek back to MD; A's kindergarten experiences; the play-doh blue our tenants painted our living room, among other interesting discoveries in the house...
Soon.
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Sorry, Wrong Number
We have discovered why we hadn't heard back from the hospital about Z's manogram yet: they put the wrong prefix on the phone number. Our area code for his cell is 240; the local area code is 254. The lady taking down the information was either on autopilot or thought Z had mispoken, so the phone number they had was not correct.
After two weeks of playing phone tag with the hospital and his PCM, we finally heard from the surgeon late yesterday.
Results:
There is a tumor present, but it does not have the resonance signature of a cancerous tumor.
Now we have to wait until Monday to find out what they plan to do with it.
BUT this is Great! Fabulous! Terrific! news.
Other news that's making our collective heads spin: we are moving back to Maryland, in two weeks. Due to some unexpected events involving our tenants, we are going back home to take possession of our house and eliminate paying for two places at the same time. Our tenants were supposed to be in the Maryland house until the end of next March, when they were going to be purchasing it. We were not planning to renew their lease. After discovering they would be unable to purchase the house, they gave us their thirty days' notice to be out on the first of August. They have a large family and finding suitable living quarters can be a challenge for them, so when they found something they jumped on it.
Our house is in no condition to get a new tenant at this time, so back to Maryland we go. We have actually gotten phone calls from two different people -- one neighbor, one friend from church -- in the last week expressing some concerns about our property. We're not entirely certain what we're about to walk into. Our lease in TX runs out in September, so at least that part is easy. Z will have to stay in TX until work can move him up here, though, so he may be sleeping on couches for a while.
Initially it was looking like he'd be in TX until March of next year, but an opening has occurred in the D.C. area and hopefully Z will slide into it by the end of September so we can be a family again. Z will continue working with the church here until he leaves.
We have accomplished what we came to Texas to do as far as getting the new church started, we have done all we can do at this point. Any future progress is out of our hands; it's up to the people who say they want this church to get rolling. Ball's in their court to do what needs to be done.
It's still surreal and such short notice, but luckily I can pack things in my sleep. This makes move #21 for me (in 32 years) and #26 for my husband. Guess our military brat pedigrees (and six years as a military wife) come in handy once again, right? There is still the "freak out" element present, though. I do that really well, too.
Our kids are actually excited to be heading back up there. A gets a little grin on his face when we mention moving back to Maryland, and K flat out shrieked with joy the first time we told her. Now she asks multiple times daily if we're "going to Maryland today?"
We are hoping beyond hope that we will land in one place and just stay there for a while. Contrary to popular belief, we do not actually enjoy moving. We moved twice in Maryland -- once to a home closer to Z's work, because he was getting up at 3:45 in the morning and getting home close to 9 p.m. and by moving closer he could sleep in until 5:00 and get home around 7 -- more family and sleep time. Then we moved a couple of years after that because we'd bought a house; Z was getting out of the military and we were planning on staying put for a long time.
We said when we bought the house that we were there unless God Himself moved us. Famous last words, she said, as the H family drove to Texas a year later...
Sooo -- now we're coming back, hopefully for good this time. Both Z and I really love western Maryland, from the people we have befriended to the gorgeous scenery. At the risk of sounding like a complete freak, the land out there just has a beautiful, peaceful spirit about it, whether you're at the river or up hiking through the mountains. Maryland feels like home. It's the first place either Z or I have felt that way about, in all of our moving around.
And, hey! Maybe I can have that garden and chooks yet. I think the chickens will have to wait at least a year, though, until we can get everything squared away with the house. I suspect that repainting will be on "the list"; we're hoping drywall repair and replacement flooring are not on "the list".
If we can swing it, one of the things we'd like to do in late fall would be to take down the "office tile" ceilings and put up good ol' drywall ceilings. That will make a tremendous difference in our abilities to insulate and soundproof, because the ceiling tiles we currently have are rated at about a 2 to a 4 as far as R-value goes, and it's not so easy to put in insulation over a ceiling with a bunch of cracks and holes in it.
It will also look about a thousand times better, which will do wonders for my mood. Amazing how aesthetics can do that. I'm not a fancy schmancy person, but I would like things to at least have a nice finished look. Some of the tiles have holes in them, and whoever installed them didn't put the frame in straight, so we have a crooked grid all over our ceiling with views of the roof around the edges of some of the tiles. It's just enough off to irritate me. Functional, yes, but not energy efficient, and they're ugh - lee.
My husband believes that every house needs an ugly something, if for nothing else then as a conversation piece. Perhaps we'll leave the genuine circa 1960's scalloped wooden cornice in the living room for him...that way I can update the kitchen and ceilings and still have an ugly thing for Z. Or maybe not.
After two weeks of playing phone tag with the hospital and his PCM, we finally heard from the surgeon late yesterday.
Results:
There is a tumor present, but it does not have the resonance signature of a cancerous tumor.
Now we have to wait until Monday to find out what they plan to do with it.
BUT this is Great! Fabulous! Terrific! news.
Other news that's making our collective heads spin: we are moving back to Maryland, in two weeks. Due to some unexpected events involving our tenants, we are going back home to take possession of our house and eliminate paying for two places at the same time. Our tenants were supposed to be in the Maryland house until the end of next March, when they were going to be purchasing it. We were not planning to renew their lease. After discovering they would be unable to purchase the house, they gave us their thirty days' notice to be out on the first of August. They have a large family and finding suitable living quarters can be a challenge for them, so when they found something they jumped on it.
Our house is in no condition to get a new tenant at this time, so back to Maryland we go. We have actually gotten phone calls from two different people -- one neighbor, one friend from church -- in the last week expressing some concerns about our property. We're not entirely certain what we're about to walk into. Our lease in TX runs out in September, so at least that part is easy. Z will have to stay in TX until work can move him up here, though, so he may be sleeping on couches for a while.
Initially it was looking like he'd be in TX until March of next year, but an opening has occurred in the D.C. area and hopefully Z will slide into it by the end of September so we can be a family again. Z will continue working with the church here until he leaves.
We have accomplished what we came to Texas to do as far as getting the new church started, we have done all we can do at this point. Any future progress is out of our hands; it's up to the people who say they want this church to get rolling. Ball's in their court to do what needs to be done.
It's still surreal and such short notice, but luckily I can pack things in my sleep. This makes move #21 for me (in 32 years) and #26 for my husband. Guess our military brat pedigrees (and six years as a military wife) come in handy once again, right? There is still the "freak out" element present, though. I do that really well, too.
Our kids are actually excited to be heading back up there. A gets a little grin on his face when we mention moving back to Maryland, and K flat out shrieked with joy the first time we told her. Now she asks multiple times daily if we're "going to Maryland today?"
We are hoping beyond hope that we will land in one place and just stay there for a while. Contrary to popular belief, we do not actually enjoy moving. We moved twice in Maryland -- once to a home closer to Z's work, because he was getting up at 3:45 in the morning and getting home close to 9 p.m. and by moving closer he could sleep in until 5:00 and get home around 7 -- more family and sleep time. Then we moved a couple of years after that because we'd bought a house; Z was getting out of the military and we were planning on staying put for a long time.
We said when we bought the house that we were there unless God Himself moved us. Famous last words, she said, as the H family drove to Texas a year later...
Sooo -- now we're coming back, hopefully for good this time. Both Z and I really love western Maryland, from the people we have befriended to the gorgeous scenery. At the risk of sounding like a complete freak, the land out there just has a beautiful, peaceful spirit about it, whether you're at the river or up hiking through the mountains. Maryland feels like home. It's the first place either Z or I have felt that way about, in all of our moving around.
And, hey! Maybe I can have that garden and chooks yet. I think the chickens will have to wait at least a year, though, until we can get everything squared away with the house. I suspect that repainting will be on "the list"; we're hoping drywall repair and replacement flooring are not on "the list".
If we can swing it, one of the things we'd like to do in late fall would be to take down the "office tile" ceilings and put up good ol' drywall ceilings. That will make a tremendous difference in our abilities to insulate and soundproof, because the ceiling tiles we currently have are rated at about a 2 to a 4 as far as R-value goes, and it's not so easy to put in insulation over a ceiling with a bunch of cracks and holes in it.
It will also look about a thousand times better, which will do wonders for my mood. Amazing how aesthetics can do that. I'm not a fancy schmancy person, but I would like things to at least have a nice finished look. Some of the tiles have holes in them, and whoever installed them didn't put the frame in straight, so we have a crooked grid all over our ceiling with views of the roof around the edges of some of the tiles. It's just enough off to irritate me. Functional, yes, but not energy efficient, and they're ugh - lee.
My husband believes that every house needs an ugly something, if for nothing else then as a conversation piece. Perhaps we'll leave the genuine circa 1960's scalloped wooden cornice in the living room for him...that way I can update the kitchen and ceilings and still have an ugly thing for Z. Or maybe not.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Dog Days
We are in the dog days of summer -- we've had over 30 days of temperatures 100 degrees or higher this year. That does not include the days that it is, say, a balmy 98 degrees with a heat index of 109; those simply don't count. Who does that counting stuff anyway? By my book, those heat indices should count.
We have only had a couple of days dipping below the 100 mark since June 1st, but you really can feel a difference when it does. Hopefully the tease the weatherman threw us about Friday and Saturday will actually happen: highs 97 to 99 with a chance of thunderstorms. I sure hope so; we're so dry we've been pretty much under a constant burn ban for our county, and our air conditioning system running full blast only keeps it between 85 and 90 inside, depending on the external temperature. It also freezes up a couple of times every day, and we have to switch it to "fan" for a while to melt all the ice -- about 10 minutes generally does it -- before turning the air conditioner setting back on.
A is in ESY summer school through the middle of next week. It's hot enough that if his bus is only 4 minutes late, it's enough to exhaust you. Luckily the bus is air conditioned, so A is just fine once he's on board. He's loving school and is actually doing the work now that his teacher has learned what he's capable of, and A has learned that his teacher isn't a pushover.
K has sprouted like a weed and is actually fitting into 3T clothing comfortably; when we arrived here in March, she turned three but was still wearing 24 month clothing. We're thrilled she's catching up to others in her age group, but are having to alter our clothing schedule of hand-me-downs and reassess her needs for this fall. (Based on her past growth times we figured it would take until at least November to even keep the 3's up on her butt, but she's surprised us all. And she's tall and thin, not a chunk at all).
In other news, there is a disturbing practice in this town that, while it's present in a lot of places in the United States, is made exponentially worse here where there are a lot of military moves. What I'm referring to is animal dumping. People find out they're moving across the country or out of the country, take the collar off their animals, and boot them out the front door to fend for themselves.
I was so angry when I came back home from my walk this morning -- I'd seen yet another dog, a yellow lab this time, that was so thin you could see every one of its ribs and vertebrae wandering the streets looking for shade and water. If you call the local animal authorities, you get a wearied response that they'll canvas the area sometime in the new few days and try to pick them up. They get so many calls and don't have the staff to keep up with it all. We also have rabies and other diseases running rampant due to the large feral animal population, too, so I didn't dare approach the poor beast.
We are now taking care of a black lab that showed up at our house about a month ago in a similar situation. She had no collar, and despite calling around, asking neighbors, and posting a notice in the paper we have had no "hits". She was never quite skin and bones, but she has filled out nicely since her time with us. So sweet, puts up with all K's attentions, and is well trained. We didn't even get a leash for her until last week, on Saturday, because she stays at your knee when you walk and will stop when you do. If she wanders all you have to do is pat your leg or say, "Come", and she's instantly back.
She does not bark at people coming to the door or other dogs outside our fence either, which is strange but really great at the same time. She is an awesome dog, someone lost a really good one. The only possible issue that we've discovered is she loves to dig -- especially in my big tub that houses my zucchini plant. She gets along fantastically well with our male Siberian Husky -- once she set him straight that chicks don't like guys all up in their junk all the time.
When we took the collar and leash out of the store bag on Saturday, her butt hit the floor and her tail started wagging so hard it looked like she'd wag it clear off. She is so happy to have a collar, and I think she knows that she has a family again. I took her for a walk on the leash for the first time Monday morning and she was so excited when I pulled it out she was jumping up and down and wriggling her entire body. She pranced along past all the fenced dogs on our route with her head high and her tail out behind her all pretty, smiling the whole time.
Z and I ran through every dog's name we could think of (and made up a few out of desperation) just to see if she'd answer to something. All of our attempts were dismal failures. We asked the kids what they'd like to name her, to include them in the process because we can't just keep calling her "dog". A's contributions were "black dog" and "water". K came up with the dog's name, mostly because she most emphatically refuses to call her anything else. Our new pooch now has the most unlikely moniker of, "Princess". Smart dog, it only took her 2 days to start answering to it.
So, "Princess" is now sporting a lovely red collar and a tag with her name and our phone numbers engraved on it, and has a red leash to match.
As far as we can tell, she has never been fixed; neither has Mischa. Z and I were contemplating this the other day and are wondering just what any puppies would look like if they occurred between a male Siberian Husky and a female Labrador Retriever. The pups would likely be uglier than homemade sin, but have fabulous personalities. My mother suggested that we could call any offspring "Labrarians".
....yeah....
That tidbit of family knowledge probably gives you all some valuable insight into why I am the way I am.
We have only had a couple of days dipping below the 100 mark since June 1st, but you really can feel a difference when it does. Hopefully the tease the weatherman threw us about Friday and Saturday will actually happen: highs 97 to 99 with a chance of thunderstorms. I sure hope so; we're so dry we've been pretty much under a constant burn ban for our county, and our air conditioning system running full blast only keeps it between 85 and 90 inside, depending on the external temperature. It also freezes up a couple of times every day, and we have to switch it to "fan" for a while to melt all the ice -- about 10 minutes generally does it -- before turning the air conditioner setting back on.
A is in ESY summer school through the middle of next week. It's hot enough that if his bus is only 4 minutes late, it's enough to exhaust you. Luckily the bus is air conditioned, so A is just fine once he's on board. He's loving school and is actually doing the work now that his teacher has learned what he's capable of, and A has learned that his teacher isn't a pushover.
K has sprouted like a weed and is actually fitting into 3T clothing comfortably; when we arrived here in March, she turned three but was still wearing 24 month clothing. We're thrilled she's catching up to others in her age group, but are having to alter our clothing schedule of hand-me-downs and reassess her needs for this fall. (Based on her past growth times we figured it would take until at least November to even keep the 3's up on her butt, but she's surprised us all. And she's tall and thin, not a chunk at all).
In other news, there is a disturbing practice in this town that, while it's present in a lot of places in the United States, is made exponentially worse here where there are a lot of military moves. What I'm referring to is animal dumping. People find out they're moving across the country or out of the country, take the collar off their animals, and boot them out the front door to fend for themselves.
I was so angry when I came back home from my walk this morning -- I'd seen yet another dog, a yellow lab this time, that was so thin you could see every one of its ribs and vertebrae wandering the streets looking for shade and water. If you call the local animal authorities, you get a wearied response that they'll canvas the area sometime in the new few days and try to pick them up. They get so many calls and don't have the staff to keep up with it all. We also have rabies and other diseases running rampant due to the large feral animal population, too, so I didn't dare approach the poor beast.
We are now taking care of a black lab that showed up at our house about a month ago in a similar situation. She had no collar, and despite calling around, asking neighbors, and posting a notice in the paper we have had no "hits". She was never quite skin and bones, but she has filled out nicely since her time with us. So sweet, puts up with all K's attentions, and is well trained. We didn't even get a leash for her until last week, on Saturday, because she stays at your knee when you walk and will stop when you do. If she wanders all you have to do is pat your leg or say, "Come", and she's instantly back.
She does not bark at people coming to the door or other dogs outside our fence either, which is strange but really great at the same time. She is an awesome dog, someone lost a really good one. The only possible issue that we've discovered is she loves to dig -- especially in my big tub that houses my zucchini plant. She gets along fantastically well with our male Siberian Husky -- once she set him straight that chicks don't like guys all up in their junk all the time.
When we took the collar and leash out of the store bag on Saturday, her butt hit the floor and her tail started wagging so hard it looked like she'd wag it clear off. She is so happy to have a collar, and I think she knows that she has a family again. I took her for a walk on the leash for the first time Monday morning and she was so excited when I pulled it out she was jumping up and down and wriggling her entire body. She pranced along past all the fenced dogs on our route with her head high and her tail out behind her all pretty, smiling the whole time.
Z and I ran through every dog's name we could think of (and made up a few out of desperation) just to see if she'd answer to something. All of our attempts were dismal failures. We asked the kids what they'd like to name her, to include them in the process because we can't just keep calling her "dog". A's contributions were "black dog" and "water". K came up with the dog's name, mostly because she most emphatically refuses to call her anything else. Our new pooch now has the most unlikely moniker of, "Princess". Smart dog, it only took her 2 days to start answering to it.
So, "Princess" is now sporting a lovely red collar and a tag with her name and our phone numbers engraved on it, and has a red leash to match.
As far as we can tell, she has never been fixed; neither has Mischa. Z and I were contemplating this the other day and are wondering just what any puppies would look like if they occurred between a male Siberian Husky and a female Labrador Retriever. The pups would likely be uglier than homemade sin, but have fabulous personalities. My mother suggested that we could call any offspring "Labrarians".
....yeah....
That tidbit of family knowledge probably gives you all some valuable insight into why I am the way I am.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Wii UnFit
Sooooo.....we have a new Wii Fit in our household.
Thanks to a car wreck a little over 3 years ago and 4 abdominal surgeries in the last 5 years, two of which sliced me vertically from navel all the way down -- let's just say that my activity level hasn't been what it used to be, my right hip does NOT have a great range of motion, and my belly has far too much motion. Walking and subsisting on salads only does so much, so here goes a try at something else.
Initial impressions: the board thing is actually pretty sensitive, and I hate how it measures your BMI. Even if it's probably true. Ahem. Even if it is true... The Wii Fit actually picked up on the differences between my balance on my right and left sides, though, consistently through the different exercises.
Using the Wii Fit is actually pretty fun to do, but due to range of motion limitations I have discovered a difficulty with some activities, like the yoga "tree" pose where I have to raise the right leg (left is fine), and some of the balance games like the skiing. I overcompensate to the left, where I put most of my weight. My right side is now a couple of inches higher permanently due to the aforementioned wreck, so that makes sense. Makes walking and running interesting sometimes depending on the terrain...the more level it is, the better I am at maintaining balance. Hiking up mountains at this point is probably not the best idea because I will trip all over myself and innocent bystanders.
Who knows? Maybe this will help with what the months upon months of physical therapy didn't, or at least maintain what range of motion I've got remaining on the right side. At least it's fun, and my daughter tries to do the things standing next to me on the floor -- so not only will that keep her out of trouble, but she'll burn off some of that dadgum energy too.
Here's to a new venture!
Thanks to a car wreck a little over 3 years ago and 4 abdominal surgeries in the last 5 years, two of which sliced me vertically from navel all the way down -- let's just say that my activity level hasn't been what it used to be, my right hip does NOT have a great range of motion, and my belly has far too much motion. Walking and subsisting on salads only does so much, so here goes a try at something else.
Initial impressions: the board thing is actually pretty sensitive, and I hate how it measures your BMI. Even if it's probably true. Ahem. Even if it is true... The Wii Fit actually picked up on the differences between my balance on my right and left sides, though, consistently through the different exercises.
Using the Wii Fit is actually pretty fun to do, but due to range of motion limitations I have discovered a difficulty with some activities, like the yoga "tree" pose where I have to raise the right leg (left is fine), and some of the balance games like the skiing. I overcompensate to the left, where I put most of my weight. My right side is now a couple of inches higher permanently due to the aforementioned wreck, so that makes sense. Makes walking and running interesting sometimes depending on the terrain...the more level it is, the better I am at maintaining balance. Hiking up mountains at this point is probably not the best idea because I will trip all over myself and innocent bystanders.
Who knows? Maybe this will help with what the months upon months of physical therapy didn't, or at least maintain what range of motion I've got remaining on the right side. At least it's fun, and my daughter tries to do the things standing next to me on the floor -- so not only will that keep her out of trouble, but she'll burn off some of that dadgum energy too.
Here's to a new venture!
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