Leafs are leaving

I am firmly convinced that the things falling off the trees (Thus the term Fall instead of Autumn which has one too many syllables for us lazy folks to pronounce) are called LEAVES because they are the things the trees LEAVE all over my yard. I would much rather call them leaves than droppings which has a HOLE different connotation. Did you notice the ill conceived and poorly stated pun (in caps) in the prior sentence?? "Very humerous!" he said as he broke a bone in his upper arm patting himself on the back. WOW!!! Another attempt at PUNNY humor. And even yet another if you see the word PUNNY as funny. I can't believe myself sometimes. Can you??? Try harder---it makes me feel good or well as the case may be. And just how does one determine the proper usage in the GOOD/WELL controversy? Feel GOOD? Feel WELL?? I am GOOD? or I am WELL? Too much trouble to contemplate?? OK just forget it and read on.
See how good (WELL?) I am doing in my attempt to avoid mentioning health issues? I will leave (drop) you with this final word---DENTIST!!!

Put your money where your mouth is

Crikey!!! (as the late and great Steve Irwin used to say until he got his heart injected by the tail stinger of a manta ray). I have also been dealing with my dentist and having had poor, dentition (bad teeth to you, Gomer) since childhood, I had to have a tooth pulled. This was the 5th one in my life and I am now having to have the left lower two tooth partial changed to a three toother. Costly, but I DO want to continue to look more like Paul Newman in his fifties rather than the entire front row of a Reba concert. Sorry, Reba.
Anyhoo, things are sure looking up incision healing-wise and it should be a GO for the ol' left knee surgery in January. The Ortho doc had told me that things had inmproved greatly since my last one 13 years ago and he could almost guarantee a bend of 90 degrees and NO PAIN> This would be SOOOOOOOOOO wonderful because I have had pain and a definite lessening of bend in that knee since I first hurt it playing basketball at age 14. Funny how things can carry over and affect ones whole life isn't it?
Fortunately God made it up to me with a wonderful wife of nearly 45 years, two absolutely sweet and kind daughters, and a son who gets better all the time. Not many Grandpa's can say they have 7 ot the greatest grandkids in the world ( those others who may try to encroach on my prideful assertions, are just a bunch of goofy prevaricators>>I learned these words from our current bunch of politicians in their campaigns for office). "What are their names?" You ask? Wife is Virginia, Daughters are Anne and Margaret, son is Christopher, Grands (in order of birth) are Elizabeth, Claire, Sylvie, Steven, Lucy, Thomas, and Edward (Ned).
A finer bunch of bananas never hung upon the tree of life and I'm not just making this up. Well, there he goes again!!

So, yesterday I saw my surgeon and he is also very impressed with the job the LSW is doing keeping my incicion clean and non-infected by changing the dressings sterilly two or three times a day. He told me that he had run into my Ortho doc and discussed me with him. It seems that they agree that I am currently non-infected and the fact of an open small bowel fistula is NOT a reason to hold up my knee surgery. However, it is getting so close to the Holidays (I told you all this before--weren't you listening?) that I want to a wait until January.
I will call the ortho doc and talk to him to get things set up as he desires so when I do get the knee replaced, there is a good chance that all will be well and should be ready for the Tour de France.

Great phone call

My infection doc called with the fantastic news that my recent blood tests show NO SIGN of infection but he still wants me to wait and do as discussed before in prior post. Here's the deal in my mind>>> Eat yogurt every day, wait until after the holidays and re-see that Doc in Jan for final blood tests and THEN schedule surgery with my Ortho Doc at time and place of my choosing. I hope to have it by the end of Jan and be in good walking shape by April Fool's Day. I often use holidays to align my thoughts with the spinning of the world and my place in it. No reason for the April Fool's Day date, but it is easy to remember and I will sure be hoping that Mother Nature doesn't play any practical jokes on me (such as having my knee surgery get infected!) all we can do is the best we can do and hope for no DOO-DOO when what we do is done.
Spent last evening at dau, Anne's house with her husb and two kids and dau, Margie and her two girls. It was so fine sitting around the modern day equivalent of a campfire in a metal fire pit talking, toasting marshmallows and just enjoying the heck out of each other. Simple pleasures, but wonderful. I love my fambleen!!!!!!!!

More medical stuff?

It sure bears on one's mind when one has "health issues" as they say. I saw my Inf. Control doc yesterday. He took a blood test to see if infection cleared, but wants me to wait and eat yougurt for at least three to six months before knee surgery to be assurred as much as possible that the bad germ (ESBL) is replaced in my bowel where it hides by GOOD bacteria and therefore a lot less chance of infection of total knee after surgery. Long sentence both semantically and mentally. This past year has shown me that I could NEVER be incarcerated in a jail or prison. Ii would go absolutely NUTS!!!!! When I want to do something, my health had me trapped and now I feel so much better off the antibiotics!! I even regrouted all my kitchen tile, pruned a few small branches, and am thinking of some other small tasks to do soon. Freedom!!!!!!!!!!

WOW!!! PLUS MORE

JUST HEARD A PRACTICALLY MIRACULOUS OCCURRENCE!! Dau, Margie just informed us that her dear Marco will be returned to dust at a facility located on St. Francis Avenue in the Twin Cities. How many times are we so skillfully informed that we are being cared for by our Creator??
It is now 12 days since I went off the high priced IV antibiotics with no sign of return of the infection. This is very good as it means that I MAY be cured and can go ahead and get my left knee replacement replaced. I have definitely decided to do that one first and see if that will stop the darn pain and let me walk without stressing the right so much that it, too, may need a total knee replacement. I dont want to be hurting during the Holidays, so I plan on knee surgery in early January so I can be pain free by my birthday on February 14. This advanced notification will give me a good shot (OOOOPPPSSS---bad word!!!) at having the surgery exactly when and at which hospital I want it to be. Closer hospital saves the LSW all the driving to visit me, but surgery stays are a LOT less than they used to be, so we'll see.
Also this longer notice can give my fambleen a chance to look for monkey cards ala Margie. One of the best and funniest I ever got.

FAMILY NEEDS

LSW and I went down to see our middle daughter in Red Wing (MN) for support because her great and wonderful pet died suddenly on St. Francis Day. They had Marco the gentle, loving and sweet Golden retriever for eight years and were looking for many more when he got sick and died! Autopsy showed a tumor in his heart. So sad for all of them. He was much more than just a pet and Iwill miss having my wrist nibble whenever we saw the great beastie. Even the non-dog cat loverr I am married to said to him last time we visited, "For a dog you're a great houndie!" Superb praise coming from her.
Kind of nice to know that St. Francis was there to welcome Tom, Margie, Elizabeth and Claire's friend to dog heaven.

So far so good!

No signs yet of the aforementioned Sx. The Diflucan I was prescribed for three days to Rx the yeast infection (AKA diaper rash) on my abd. wall is clearing well. Yeasty fungi are so darn itchy. No wonder some women go insane and kill their off spring before they get Monostated.
I feel a bit less tired, too, being off the IV antibiotics. I actually got a shovel and transplanted four raspberry vines and trimmed a few branches off our American linden trees. They look good except fot the most Easterly one which will catch up in 4-5 years with the proper pruning which I did after talking to out tree guy. A REAL, honest to God Arborist who went to college and knows this stuff.
I will now get off the surgery and illness postings and try to have my next post be about my writings.