It's Time for the Turkey!

Each day, I plan to post to this blog.
And each day, I fail to get it together.
It's all about the KNEE. And about
NOT getting out of the house to take
pictures. Let me go on record saying
THIS IS THE LONGEST TIME I
HAVE SAT INSIDE THIS HOUSE,
FOREVER! The only time I leave is
when I go to town for PT, (Pain n
Torture;Physical Torture;Physical
Therapy....it depends on who you
ask).
I still can't drive ! OH! I think I could
drive alright! if Huggs would just
leave his pickup home. He has a fold-
up console and I could just slide my
leg across the bench seat and do the
brake and accelerator with my left
foot.
But he's too smart for that !!

And he knows I can't drive my
Monte Carlo. Danged-darned-
beat up-busted-down-ugly
sports car with its low slung seats
and solid console, that wont
accommodate my full leg brace!
Whats the deal with THAT?

And I want to go shopping.

NO. I NEED TO GO SHOPPING!

I NEED to spend money and help stimulate the economy.

So would somebody PLEEZE call my hubby and tell him to

come down for the week-end and to be sure to bring my

car????

Thank You.

In the meantime, here on the ranch, its COLD. It's

been down to 17 degrees the last two nights. There's snow

on the mountain tops. Everyone (except me) is hoping for

skiing by Thanksgiving. I'll just be glad to get out of the

house for awhile and enjoy the company of others!

We here at Rawhide's Flat are wishing you all a wonderful

Thanksgiving with those you love!

Be thankful for each and every one of them, because they are the flowers

in your garden!

Meanwhile, Back at the ranch............

Miss Vic

The POWER of the SEA

Behold!! The Power of the Sea !!!

The POWER of the Sea

is awe-inspiring !

The size of the ocean....

The view that goes on forever...

Where does the water stop and the sky begin?

The sheer force and the roar

of the waves!

The obvious joy for our girls to be there again, makes every

effort worthwhile!

We were creating memories!

Recently, my daughter and the grand daughters took a quick swing down the Washington Coast away's, for a sweet girl's get-away....a very fun and necessary run away...a time to just be girls. To stop at fun shops when we want to...to drink coffee anytime we want to, even if it is "too late".... to sleep as late as we want to and to eat fish n chips for breakfast, if we want, and
LORDY, LORDY! Did we have fun !! We hung out in the motel pool and spa, ate popcorn in bed while watching a movie, shopped, ate, played in the sand and got soaked in the sea....then it was time to hit the spa to warm up again! ah.h.h.h.h.h. vacation!

And when we returned home, tired, but wearing smiles and carrying memories for a life-time!

Meanwhile.....Back at the ranch......................Miss Vic

Union Gospel Mission

Sometimes,

a picture says

a thousand words.

It just happened to be Sunday afternoon, when

we drove past this Mission. I fail when I try to read the dynamics of the body language between these two men. None-the-less, I found the scene interesting and timeless.

What are your thoughts?

You know that pain and drugs do a real number on your brain, don't you? Well, I'm here to tell you that I've spent the better part of two hours - two hours!- to get logged in to my own BLOG !!!! Good Grief! I've tried every combination of user name and password known to man, before I came up with the winning combination...now that has a way of making you feel a bit stupid...it was kinda like playing the lottery...."now which combination shall I try THIS time? Did I already try that one? No. Let's see, I think I'll try the OLD ONE. No...That didn't work."
AArgh.h.h.h.h. !

I'm going to log out and see if I can get back in again before I forget....And if I get back, I'll write it down ! (what a concept !) and then I'll come back and post the BLOG entry that I intended when I started out with lots of energy two and 1/2 freeking hours ago......

And if I don't come back....well you'll know that:
1: I forgot the damned user name and password again OR
2. I ran completely out of energy, took meds and went back to bed.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch......................

Memories...

Sometimes our

memories can

come back sweet

and clear. Others

can break our hearts.

Today, while reading

a fellow Blogger's

account of their mission

trip to the Dominican

Republic,

http://thepioneerwoman.com/

I remembered my own

mission to Africa.

I thought I might share

some of those memories,

even though I can't get

upstairs to my photo

archives to share with

you some of the beautiful

faces of my friends there.

I traveled to Zimbabwe Africa and have been changed forever. It certainly makes us aware of our extreme blessings and materialism!! The wonderful people of Zimbabwe were so incredibly gracious and would give me the beads from around their neck or the one picture from their wall, saying, "Please remember me." I was in Zimbabwe to sing for the opening ceremonies of the Africa University in Old Mutare. The University is church -sponsored by the United Methodist Church and it was very new, then, with few buildings. But it has grown considerably since then. After my trip, I sponsored a young seminary student from Zaire that I met while there. His name was Kupa. I gave simple but wonderful gifts of ink pens and supplies to Kupa and his friends and sent clothes and money to help sustain his family through a very cold winter. He spent five yrs studying at Africa U. and then had to return to Zaire, even though his country was in civil war and it was terribly dangerous to do so. Gut wrenching....I have since lost track of him. His last correspondence was that they were going to travel through the BUSH to try to get back home. One of his sons had been shot and killed right in their front yard. I am in anguish as I write this, as he had become my brother...
The sweet people of Africa would remind me that I would always have a home in Zimbabwe. Their church women would cook for me in the "church kitchen", the open fire out-side the back door of the church, and we would have sadsa, squash, rice, goat, termites, and very very tiny chicken. We participated in a beautiful ceremony of hand-washing before meals and tea, where a beautiful woman would pour warm water over your hands from a pitcher into a bowl..I knew they had pulled out all the stops and prepared a meal befitting a queen, and I was treated as honored, everywhere I went.
I stayed in the homes while there...a culture shock from the five star Hotel at Victoria Falls where the President stays, as well as myself. The home stays, where the bed was a mat on the floor, and long columns of ants marched into the sink and toilets, and huge bugs the size of my hand on the wall at night as I went to sleep (OH!), the simple open hole dug in the back, for a toilet, and the single bowl of water for the whole family to bathe.
While in Zimbabwe, I visited a "baby-fold" (orphanage) and an adjacent area for ladies-in-waiting, (who were there until the birth of their babies). I fell head over heels in love with these sweet babies, and would have brought home my sweet baby Tendai, if it had been humanly possible. Tendai, (A Shona name, a shortened version of Natienda, meaning "we are grateful") had been left in a ditch of the road, near the baby-fold, by her un-wed mother, who knew she couldn't return home with another baby for her family to care for.
As a mother and as a singer, I immediately bonded to this baby girl in the only way that came natural to me....I snuggled her close to my ample body, walked back n forth and sang quietly to her. When I had to leave, I cried uncontrollably for miles and miles...and today, many years later, I still cry at the thought of my baby on the other side of the world. I tried to sponsor Tendai and was told that she was claimed eventually, by her maternal grandmother, and left the orphanage.
I am so thankful for the trip I was able to take, back then. My only real, long-term goal in life, is to re-gain my health to the degree that would allow me to again travel there, and in some small way, help, and encourage those, less fortunate to greater heights and to a greater belief in the Lord, Jesus Christ

Miss Vicki

Another Gorgeous Fall Day

A late Fall offering of Wild Blackberries, rendered in Water Color, thanks to my photo filter.

Since I cannot think of anything positive to say about conquering my first P.T. appt. for my new Journey Knee, let me just say that leaving the house for the first time in many days, and doing so on a fabulously beautiful Fall day ROCKED!!

My new PT guy, Ben, is well versed in the rehab for the Journey Knee, and he'd had a nice, long conversation with my surgeon about all the "extra fancy-work" he'd done to release the overly tight muscles on my knee to achieve a somewhat straighter leg. Now you KNOW my goal in all this, is to have a prettier, "straighter" leg at 55 years of age! HA.
Well, I guess that's got to be better than my surgeon's first words when looking at my X-rays, when he said my legs looked like those belonging to an old rodeo cowboy. humph.
Well, now home, pain pills ingested and snuggled into my chair, it's all better now. But let me just tell you, we put this new knee through some moves that are not to be expected, one week post-surgery. But Ben's goal for Friday is a 90 degree bend in that knee. OMG.d.d.d.d.d.d.d.d.d.d.d.d
Maybe when the Pope flies!

Oh, I'm sorry if I sounded sacrilegious. That was not my intent. Some of my most fervent prayers have been said in ah.....a....very...loud....tone of voice. How's that?

I'm just saying that prayers don't have to be whispered to be meaningful...
Amen.

Meanwhile....back on the ranch............................Miss Vic

It's Time For The Whine

Now, it's time for the whine.

Even though today dawned absolutely beautiful....and the election is over, and went the way that we wanted, for a change...Even though I am really at peace with all that IS, in my life....

I HURT LIKE HELL TODAY!

So bring on the wine..(whine).

Oh, it's my fault. Again. I forgot to put on a new pain patch last night. I just plain FORGOT about it. (Believe me, it's easy to forget this one!)

I just noticed that as Hugs and I sat and watched the election results come in...my pain just started to RAMP upwards.....worse and worse....I was thinking, "What IS THIS??" I barely made it through our New President's acceptance speech, (OH! just let me say, "WOW.") And then I just had to go to bed, I was just so totally baked.

So, this morning...in so much pain, I'm thinking, HOW in the world can I go to PT and go through THAT torture??? I discovered that I was basically winging it without much pain meds in my system.....so new patch installed.....second latte bowl guzzled...I am on the way to feeling better. Soon.

And in light of going through with the struggle of getting into a vehicle, (a major trial with an unbending knee) and the impending PT exercises....can I do this today???

Just let me borrow our new President's pass phrase, " YES WE CAN !!"

Amen.

Miss Vic

Oh, and just in case you care....just look at these fishermen!! They barely cast their lines, but they snagged a hit...the blood red Chinook Salmon were just incredible along this stretch of the Winachee River. The fishermen caught their limit of two fish per man per day, easily within minutes of arriving! And they hauled the huge 30++ to 40++ inch fish, up the slopes to their vehicles and smiling the whole way, roared off down the road. If you look closely at the pix, you can see one of the fishermen bringing his catch into the shore, and the quick swish in the water as the fish broke the surface...Wow! So exciting to watch!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MISS DI !

Now, Don't ya'll forget to wish Miss D. a happy All Saints Day....'cause its her special day!! X 37.

huggies, from Momma

SHE'S BACK.k.k.kkkkkk

Yup. I'm back in the saddle...my new Journey Knee in place.

JOURNEY* Bi-Cruciate Stabilized Knee System, made of OXINIUM* Oxidized Zirconium. OXINIUM material is a unique and advanced bearing product technology created through a proprietary manufacturing process that transforms the surface to a ceramic, resulting in a material that incorporates the best features of ceramic and metal while avoiding the limitations associated with either material.

I'm propped up like a queen, with pillows and ice; coffee in my right hand, book in my left...napping about three hours every afternoon, ...life is pretty good. My pain level is fairly controlled and I can get around the house with a single cane. The major issue, for me, is to keep my knee "straight". I am bearing a pretty hurkin' brace, unlike most patients, due to my legs being so badly crooked, the muscles were going to pull the new knee out of place. So. I'll be married to my brace for a few weeks. Let this be a lesson to you to not wait too long to fix those bad knees!

Hugs is taking good care of me; fussing around, bringing meds and ice and helping me into and out of our big king bed, and fixing me up with whatever sounds good to eat and drink.

P.T. starts Wednesday, although I've been hard at my exercises since day 1.

The weather here, has gone south and its raining cats n dogs...which makes me ache like hell. All the more reason to whine. But I can serve up some cheese and crackers with that....

Meanwhile, back at the ranch.....

Vicki