I'm baaaaack! (Sorta)

It’s been more than a month since I posted here. No excuses just not much drive to post upon the multitude of idiocies that have been going on in the world.

******

The Tundra got its new brain. It took just a bit over an hour for the mechanic to install the (very expensive) computer. Everything seems to be going well.

******

Dallas Seavey won the Iditarod by 2 minutes over Aliy Zerkle. The 2013 winner, Mitch Seavey, (Dallas’ dad) finished third more than three hours later.

******

A plane disappeared somewhere in the Indian Ocean and the 24/7 cable news channels do nothing but speculate as to its fate. Day. After. Day. After. Day. (I’m glad I don’t bother to watch TV news unless it’s an occasional peek at what passes for local news here in the middle of nowhere.) 

Searching “Flight 370” (with the quotes) on the CNN website produces 754 results. A similar search on the MSNBC site yields 134 hits. And FOX News gives 149.

Speculation, and that’s all it really is and continues to be, as to what happened runs the gamut from mechanical failure to black holes. 

Meanwhile those same stations virtually ignore political corruption and gun smuggling occurring from coast to coast.

@Mayorof Charlotte resigns after public corruption, bribe charges

(He’s a Democrat, but you’d have a hard time finding that tidbit in this article.)

@Fewcan reconcile Leland Yee with the charges against him 

(He, too, is a Democrat and a California State Senator—who strongly pushed for strict gun control. You’d be hard pressed to find that in this article.)

 ******

My sister hosted a family reunion party at her house in New Jersey. Descendants of my Mother and her sisters gathered from Connecticut, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Cousins, their kids and grandkids along with various spouses got together. Those on the west coast and the south didn’t make it but we had a great time just the same. 

****** 

Baseball season has started and I'll be following my Mets--at least until July fourth, longer if they start doing well. Unfortunately, my TV contract does not have MLB access and recently dropped the YES network. (I don't mind the latter unless the Mets are playing the Yanks.) I can watch the Pirates, Phillies and even the Cubs on a fairly regular schedule. 

I lost the nail on my frostbitten finger. A new one seems to be growing. It’s slightly deformed but we’ll have to see if it becomes more “normal” with time.

******

The bears are back. We have had two visits: one from a mamma and her yearling cub and one by a two year old. As a result, the bird feeders have to come in at night.

******

My knees were doing very well until about a month ago. Then I suddenly developed a sharp pain in the right knee just above the joint. It only happens when climbing or descending stairs but it’s enough to make me go to the orthopedist tomorrow.

 I started doing yard work in the form of felling a couple of trees along the edge of the yard, limbing them, cutting the larger into fire place lengths, and using the new chipper/shredder to clean up the smaller branches.And I slipped on some of the snow that was on the ground while I was cutting down the trees. Didn't think I hurt myself at the time, but ever since the pain has been getting worse.

I might have pushed too hard in the warm weather we’ve had in fits and spurts. I started doing lots of birding doing several walks on consecutive days.

 ******

As far as birding goes, I did have a good time going to various spots in Tioga County, PA and even got up to the southern end of Seneca Lake (Watkins Glen) in New York. I took lots of photos and will be posting some of those in the days ahead. The birds that migrated south have begun returning and/or passing through on their way north so there’s plenty to see. I missed a few that have already gone by, like the Snow Geese (although I may have seen a flock or two wing overhead), but there are more showing up every day.

 The Goldfinches are getting more and more yellow, a sure sign of Spring(?) even if the peepers aren't sounding off and the Woodcock haven't returned to the mountain. (Some have been seen down in the valley, however.)

 ******

Finally, March Madness has culminated in UConn vs. Kentucky for the National Championship as I type. On the women’s side it’s two undefeated teams (Connecticut (37-0) vs Notre Dame (35-0) squaring off in the title game Tuesday night.

Update of Frostbite--All Is GOOD!

Went to Corning to see the doctor about my frostbit finger this afternoon. He was suitably impressed by my recovery and said that, though I might still lose my nail, I will not have to have any surgery nor do I need to see him again.

Feeling has returned to the middle finger although it's still super sensitive and the other three are virtually normal. The tissues of the middle finger are still new, the doctor said, but they should thicken and toughen up with time. He also said I might recover normal feeling--or I might not. Nerves are tough to predict, but if he were a betting man, normal is the way he would bet.

He also said that there are doctors out there who, upon seeing the original condition of the finger, would have pressed for amputation of part of the finger ASAP. He prefers the "frostbite in January, debraid (amputate) in March/April" method of treatment. He prefers this approach because frostbite--and the recovery from it--is so unpredictable.

Frostbite Update and More

Two weeks ago (Friday, January 3rd) I suffered a case of frostbite on my left hand. The tip of the middle finger developed huge blisters and, when the fluid got reabsorbed, a lovely rainbow of colors on thick, dead tissue.

After visits to the ER and my primary car physician, I got to see a specialist up in Corning, yesterday. He pronounced it frostbite and confirmed that there's lots of dead tissue particularly on the pad of the middle finger. (Duh!) I may lose the nail. He may have to debraid the dead tissue and possibly snip off the tip of the bone. He would then have to do a skin graft to cover the tip of the finger. There was lots of speculation but little hard decision making. He wants to wait a couple of weeks to see how things develop and if there's any improvement.

He did say there was no need of a bandage anymore. The dead tissue ("mummified finger") provides all the protection I need. And it's all natural! Without the bandage I can bend the finger more and that increases circulation which may increase the chance of some healing.

So, its' a wait and see game. I go back on February 3rd for a further evaluation.

Only one thing is sure: I'm going to need some better mittens.

******

So as to ensure that the trip up to Corning wasn't a complete bust, Terry and I also went over to Red Lobster for dinner before stopping at Michael's and Barnes & Noble. Dinner was good, Michael's had some of what Terry was looking for, and B & N is still a fun place to browse even if we only bought a couple of Sudoko puzzle books. (I'm way behind in reading what I've already got at home. Same for Terry.)

******

We've swung back into the colder weather. From a couple of days in the 40s we're back to just about freezing. What little snow we got three nights ago, has melted and the rabbits and deer are taking advantage of the lawn. A red fox has been hanging around--probably looking for those rabbits. Never heard one barking before. I thought, maybe, someone had lost a hunting dog until I saw the fox moving back and forth in the woods. We even had a couple of young raccoons come up on the deck a few nights ago to raid the bird feeders. They spooked when I went out of the deck and took off with a little encouragement. 

******

Terry is off on another stitching weekend. This one's only a short trip to western PA.

When she gets back, weather permitting, she may be heading to NJ to see what's up with the forensic study of the "oil spill" from the old tank that was in Mom's yard. No idea yet on how serious the "spill" is but it can't be too bad or they would have been jumping up and down and rushing to "mitigate the disaster" if it was. Mom had the tank drained and sand filled under the watchful eye of the town inspector a number of years ago. Can't imagine there was more than a quart of oil coating the innards of the tank when they got done. No oil sheen in the sump pump a short distance away also indicates there was little let loose into the ground water.

The house is sold and we are only awaiting the conclusion of The Great Oil Leak to be cleaned up so the closing can take place. (Since this is in freakin' LINDEN, New Jersey, home of some of the largest oil tank farms on the east coast, I find the concern over a few drops of home heating oil somewhat off putting.) Purchasers wanted to have it prior to January 30th but that now seems like a remote possibility.

******

We're still waiting to hear of a closing date for our purchase of the 4 acres adjacent to our property. Should be soon.

Frostbite: It's Serious!

Last week I posted pictures of the honking huge blister that had formed on the middle finger of my left hand after I foolishly allowed it to be exposed to minus 6 (-6) degree air for an extended period of time while clearing the driveway of snow. (See Frostbite: Take the warnings seriously! )

Yesterday I reported on my second doctor's visit (among other things) wherein it was decided I should see a specialist because there was an abundance of dead tissue on the tip of said middle finger and that some debridement (i.e. removal) of said tissue might be warranted. How much needs to go is to be determined by the specialist.

I also mentioned the veritable rainbow of colors sported by that half inch of finger tip. To prove I wasn't kidding, I've got photographic proof:

Nail side of middle finger.

There is some sensation of touch from the cuticle back toward the hand on the top (dorsal?) side of the finger. Going forward to the tip of the finger...not so much.

Pad of the finger.

Hard as a rock with no, nada, zip sensation of touch. Some lovely colors, however!

Side of finger toward the index finger.

 

There's a bit of sensation in the "healthy" looking skin area, but the orange/yellow not so much. The same is true for the side toward the ring finger although the unhealthy colors extend further down the finger toward the hand. (Couldn't twist my wrist sufficiently to get a good photo of that.)

You will note that I wasn't exagerating about the "rainbow of colors" here. I see red, orange, yellow, green (along the cuticle), blue, indigo (toward the side not presented in photo, sorry) and violet...lots of violet!

Week 25: Knees, Fingers and More

Approaching six months since I had both knees replaced and things are going just swell! The only hint of pain I still experience comes from climbing stairs snd even that is les than I was having in the weeks prior to surgery. Once the weather cooperates and I can get out there walking the trails and woods I expect that even that will disappear.

******

Meanwhile, I had a follow up withthe doctor about my frostbit fingers. The thumb, index and ring fingers are still numb at the tips--almost like a callus--but they are normal in color and seem to be recovering. The middle finger is another story. The blisters I photographed last week are shrinking as the liquid is being reabsorbed but the entire pad and tip of the finger is numb and a rainbow of colors--predominately purple. The doc was not optomistic about my saving all of the finger. His prognosis is that theres a lot of dead tissue and deep. That could lead to infection or worse. He referred me to a hand specialist/plastic surgeon in the orthopedic offices in Corning. I've an appointment set up for Thursday.

******

The weather here at the Aerie has been, shall we say, changable. A week ago Saturday we saw minus 13.5 degrees and then this Saturday it was positive 48 degrees. A 61+ degree swing. While things have cooled off a bit, it has been into the high 30s and mid 40s the Sunday and Monday. As a result, nearly all the snow and ice has melted. The grass in the lawn is once more exposed and deer and rabbits are taking advantage of the fresh forage.

******

I've been taking advantage of my forced idleness to peruse the Burpee's Seed Catalog. One of the most difficult things about this time of year is standing on the deck and looking down on the gardens and thinking of what I would like to plant this spring only to realize I won't be able to even turn the soil until the middle of April--if I'm lucky.

Still, looking at the pictures of vegetables, fruits and flowers--both annuals and perennials--lifts the spirit. I always seem to go way overboard when I order from the catalogs which is why I've been picking up seeds and plants at Agway and Lowes the last few years. Besides, finding a window or setting up a light system with trays and heat to propagate seeds with four cats who like to chew on greenery is problematic. Might do it anyway.

******

The water from the well is running clear. It's a pleasure to have not a hint of red or gray coming from the taps or even going into the cistern. It even tastes excellent.

Frostbite: Take the warnings seriously!

So you want to know what frostbite looks like? Kinda like this: Only the last joint of the middle finger suffered serious damage. The ring and index finger are still numb and tingly at the same time (!) three days after exposure.

Blistered Finger

Blistered Finger

Bandaged Finger

The loose bandage (after applying some moisturizing cream) is to protect the blisters. Do NOT want them to burst!

I've a follow-up appointment with my doctor this afternoon. 

Week 24: Knees? What knees?

Monday marks the 24th week since I had both my knees replaced. And it's been one hell of a week!

Wednesday night into and through Thursday we got snow. About 8 inches of light, powdery snow. Why was it so light and powdery? Because we also got really, really cold air. Like minus 8 degree air. At least we didn't get the high winds that they were predicting...until Friday night into Saturday. Even then the winds came from the south and had little impact on the Aerie which is protected from that direction by Armenia Mountain Ridge.

This was the second large storm of the season. After the first one we had several days of warmth that melted all the snow. This time we won't be so lucky. After nearly reaching 40 degrees today, we will be getting rain, freezing rain and cold air. Long range forecasts aren't promising any warmth in the near future.

******

I spent four hours on Friday in bright sunshine but cold, cold air clearing the driveway using the tractor. The job wasn't difficult but I paid a price just the same. The glove on my left hand kept slipping off my finger tips and I got  a severe case of frostbite. The middle finger of my left hand turned deep purple and is now one giant blister. It looks like I stuck it in the fire for a couple of minutes. Whether I lose any part of that finger and/or need a skin graft won't be known for a couple of weeks according to the doctor at the ER over at the new Guthrie Hospital in Troy. Three other fingers (index, ring finger and thumb) are also a bit tingly but they never changed color or blistered

I'll call my doctor Monday morning for a follow-up consultation. I'll be seeing him on Wednesday anyway for a colonoscopy...which has been scheduled and rescheduled several times. The last cancellation being Friday morning.

******

Terry and I signed  a contract to purchase four acres adjacent to ours. We're overpaying for the lot considering the seller is keeping the mineral rights, but there's a flat area near the road with electric brought into that spot. There's also a building site that has had a perk test in the back end of the lot and a home built there would pretty much close our land to any hunting as well as sandwich us between two neighbors. 

******

Oh, and my neck is still sore as heck. Heat hasn't helped. And pain pills haven't helped (Although they--the pills--probably don't know what they should target. *sigh*)

******

The well is doing as good as you might expect. There's some sediment still coming through but the filter has been stopping nearly all of that crap and the water going into the cistern  and out of our faucets is clear.

******

My knees? What about them? They have been doing great! Either the other pains have distracted me or they really are virtually pain free...even on the stairs.