Gliders, heel, bread --what?

21 August 2009

Gliders
I am not having bad dreams in my post-surgical state. I just have had some experiences in the last ten days that I wanted to share. On Tuesday (11 Aug), the day before my surgery, I was busy in the yard and noticed quite a few planes towing gliders toward our mountains. The gliders were beautiful aircraft as they did their circling to gain altitude. I went to the Logan airport and found out that there were 30 gliders here in a five day competition. The second photo was the last glider being towed to his launch point east of Hyde Park. Tuesday's route was from Logan to Pocatello, ID and back here. There is a local fellow that is licensed to take passengers so I am going to look at that option.

Heel surgery

I just need to document this so I will bore you with some details. About fourteen years ago I started to have problems with my Achilles tendon. It would be very tender at times and in addition to giving up running I had to limit my hiking (for a guy that loves the mountains, a time to complain). I went to several doctors but they all said there wasn't anything that could be done and they did not want to deal with an Achilles that could come loose. Went it got quite tender about three months ago so I said "self, let's find out what is really wrong". I went to a podiatrist surgeon that looked 18 years old (actually he is Janae's age). He took an x-ray and a huge bone spur that looked like a fish hood was under the attachment site for my Achelles. Ya so, so that was the problem! As you can see from the nasty swelling on my right heel, a fix was needed so Dr. Huff obliged on 12 Aug. He took about two hours to detach about 40% of my Achelles, smooth out the bone (he said he used among other things a rasp file; I had told him he could use my Dremmel drill --he declined but he was a good joe about it), and reattach the tendon with two pins that will dissolve. Cool. I am not to have any weight bearing for 4-5 weeks then a boot for two weeks. It will be cast next week for the last 2-3 weeks of non-weight bearing.

My heels on 11 August 2009. Right one was the one to get fixed.

My view from my command post in the family room.

My command post. I have a lap top, my key books, the TV remote and a series of drawers that hold important things like Oreos, cinnamon bears, magazines, etc.

Even though I have been working on projects, this time to sit has been a good learning experience. I have a much better appreciation of those that just can't get around. Little things on the floor get irritating (I managed to vacuum them up). People that you think could drop by for a short visit don't. It made me realize all of the opportunities that I have had to cheer people up have been missed. Well, time to begin anew. Louise and Jared have been super to help. I know it is a terrible time for Louise to help with a new school year but she had not complained. What a sweet heart!

Now the bread thing ---

Our garden has done well this year. We were eating supper the other night and I grabbed my camera and took this shot. Tomatoes, apricots, zucchini, and corn (lots of it right now) from our garden. We will have bucket fulls of tomatoes soon ... not a good year to do much with them. I might take a bunch to the food pantry if our family, friends and neighbors don't want them.

I heard Louise visiting with the Stephenson's last night and how she is going to visit them this weekend. I know she likes to take something baked to them but no way does she have time by this evening. I thought, hey, there are some zucchini on the counter waiting to be used, why not bake some bread. So I did. I used 1/2 C oil and 1/2 C applesauce instead of 1 C oil. I have had a piece and it is quite good.