Tuesday Less Dull

I woke after sunrise and found myself happy and well-rested. I had no endless proof of hydration during the night and had slept well. I rolled over for a bit and slept a few minutes more. While there was still some pain and the incision on my belly was still weeping, I did feel fine and more like myself.

I found my way to the kitchen in my PJs, made liberal coffee in my French press, and decided to fry a hamburger patty for breakfast for something different and full of protein. I don’t need the usual carbohydrates-stuffed food in the morning. I wrote the blog, cooked, and then ate my patty, and was multitasking. I choked on the patty when my dry mouth seemed to want to swallow without chewing. It was a terrible few seconds, but I managed to swallow as the patty broke up. My heart was pounding, and it took over a few minutes to recover. I am being very careful now. I have also bit the side of my mouth a few times today.

I talked to PT, who came this morning, about it, and I will forgo a swallow test unless it happens again. I have been attentive, and if I am eating, then that has my whole attention now. When I was struggling to breathe, I was thinking how ironic it would be if I made it this far to be felled by a burger patty. I will not make that mistake again!

My lawn company came on Tuesday, and they got my OK to cut back my old apple tree, which was hanging down to the ground. They also cut back most of the roses in the backyard. There is plenty of summer left for more roses, and most are constantly or repeat-blooming. I will see if the Bourban rose, an 1865 version, will bloom again–I think it repeats in the fall.

I finished the blog, dressed, and was ready for PT. I picked a dress shirt and my sweater vest for today. I wanted something nicer today. PT noticed my blood pressure was still up (I attribute that to the close call). PT agrees to also forgo the stationary bike while I still have issues with my wound. We did go over my usual exercises, which I have continued this week. PT also suggested some vision-balance items to try. I will give them a shot. I will likely graduate from PT next week as I am no longer homebound. I had Home Health while I was recovering.

After PT, I reheated the Jambalaya from a few days ago (no seafood, but with extra veggies) and had it for lunch. It is rice and tiny cuts of meat. No swallowing issues there!

I collected my three three-piece suits (grey, black, and blue) and put them in Air Volvo. The suits have traveled far with me, and it is time to get them all cleaned and pressed. I try to have one fresh, one still good, and one for the cleaners. But there have been too many parties and traveling, so all of them are in today. I also had a repaired button on one. Just been having too much fun!

Aside: The suits were about forty pounds ago, so they may need to be replaced soon.

I next head to The 649 in Air Volvo, having brought my laptop with me. Stephen is opening today, and I have a Japanese-style rice beer (at a dollar discount) and happy hour-priced pretzel and cheese dip. There, I edit the last of the finished Howard stories I plan to publish this go. A gentleman asked me what I was doing, and I showed him the DriveThru Fiction website and explained a bit about the process. He is an older guy, and I can see he struggles to follow, but I try to help. He seems to be interested in writing but does not know how to start. I cannot help much, as I, too, am new to all of this. He moves on. I return to editing and rewrites.

This last story is the final Howard story I completed when we (Susie, Corwin, and I) returned from having Christmas in Amsterdam in 2019. We had left Europe with the infection we would know as COVID-19 entered Europe from the same airport we flew back from. We may have walked by the zero-case.

At The 649, I received an email stating that Susie’s Quilt had been delivered. I worked until I finished editing and formatting the story. I paid the bill and then headed home in an Air Volvo. I got the quilt from the mailbox, which surprised me that it fit. However, I remember how small my rug was when packed tight, and I soon had the quilt spread out on a bed. It is fantastic.

I will send the quilt to Leta later this week. I think it should go into Susie’s family.

I have spinach and cheese Greek-style pie for dinner while Corwin cooks some burgers for himself. I then publish the fourth Howard story, again charging a pay-what-you-want fee, which includes free. It will take a day for it to be approved.

I was thinking of another movie tonight, but I will see if I can catch it earlier tomorrow and see if anyone will join me. I want to see Fall Guy and the Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes movie before they leave the theaters.

I am writing the blog tonight because I have a 10:45 hearing appointment and then an 11:15 appointment with my hearing surgeon. He got my message about the weeping wound and will look at that, too.

Thanks for reading!