12 Oakdale

Our plan to follow the NYT’s “36 Hours in Orlando” suggestion of places for drinks, then dinner in Winter Park was thwarted when Grant read the restaurant had been closed yesterday by the Health Department. Good to know that some of our government is still working, but yuck. I can’t vision ever going there, even after they pass an inspection. Patten says all restaurants are like that, one inspection away from closer. He should know, with all his waitperson experience, but not a comforting thought. Onward. Coincidentally, Jag Cantina had just opened near home, so we celebrated there. My steak fajitas were enough for 2 people, which means I have a delicious dinner tomorrow. Grant ate all of his birria tacos, so he will get the last serving of gnocchi in the fridge. My charred pineapple Paloma and his 2-for1 happy hour margaritas were quite good. Too full for dessert. We will return. But first, Grant went to the lymphedema clinic to find out about possible treatment for his swollen feet a...

I was a zone leader again this year for Spring Fever, Bloom and Grow Garden Society’s huge fund raiser. My cohorts and I arrive at 5:45 AM, so vendors can begin offloading and setting up from 6:00-7:00. Last year, we were freezing. This year it was 76° to start and got hotter. My SF t-shirt and high-viz vest were more than enough. Technically opening at 9:00, by 8:00 a lot of the vendors were ready to sell, and customers were there to buy. I cruised all the booths along Plant Street, talking to the several native plant sellers, a vendor with carnivorous plants, and the artist from whom I’d bought a piece last year. I liked the ceramic orchid pots at one booth. Nothing for me today, although the $85 cat sculpture did call to me. Perhaps I’ll grab something when I come back Sunday when I oversee my zone’s closing. Other people were filling their carts, wagons, and pet strollers with plants, mostly the pretty flowering ones. The last 17 days, since Grant’s fall, have stressed me...

I am fairly worn, and it’s only been 3 days of minion duty. In addition to my usual household duties, I’ve cooked, loaded and offloaded dishwasher, changed the sheets, done the laundry, cleaned the kitty litter, and put the garbage out. First time in years. I’ve also helped Grant with compression socks (my sitting on floor to do so), changed his clothes, climbed over the couch to set up heating pad, etc. No complaints, glad to be able to do all this. Just more than I’m used to. He can hobble with the walker from bedroom to living room to office. Fortunately, March Madness has started, with UF ranked #1. Much, much basketball to keep him occupied. On the upside, since I’m not going anywhere, I have worked hard in the yard. I moved the 2 small pines,  perhaps long leaf ( Pinus palustris ?), that volunteered to grow exactly under the power lines in our central front bed. After reading about how to dig them up and hoping they hadn’t developed a long taproot, I dug around their trunks a...

With Gracie’s help, I’ve finished the wool neck scarf I started a while ago. I’d ordered the kit from Mountain Meadow Wool Mill in Johnson County, Wyoming, a place we visited when we took Clara to Yellowstone. They buy wool from the local ranchers, trying to keep that industry alive. They also buy wool from university herds, then weave blankets in school colors. The alums love it.  I checked, but University of Florida’s sheep are grown for meat, so no blankets from them. Not surprisingly, University of Miami and Georgia Tech don’t teach agricultural so no sheep. Besides, I have no use for this warm scarf I’ve knitted, much less a heavy wool blanket. Now I’ve started a baby blanket in a washable wool for Molly and Spaulding’s baby, due late November. They are coming in mid-September for a baby shower, so I have an earlier deadline. The pattern isn’t as complicated as the scarf, however there are a lot more stitches. Only 1 more stage of the Tour de France to knit through, but the To...

I have been deemed healthy by my doctor after having my first Medicare Wellness Assessment. Not quite an annual physical, because there wasn’t much laying of hands, only weight, blood pressure, and his listening to a few deep breaths. Mostly Q&A about how I feel and whether I drink too much or exercise too little. No and no. The bottom line is that my core continues to be healthy and my extremities are fraying. I’m pleased that I am so healthy, even without adding, for a person my age. I’m disappointed/annoyed/sad there don’t seem to be any remedies for my aching hands and sore shoulders. The pain is enough to make it hard to sleep sometimes, but not enough to do much more than take the occasional ibuprofen. Nothing on the horizon for more help for osteoarthritis, nor for tinnitus, my two major complaints. I agreed to a bone density test, nixed a mammogram, and settled for a noninvasive colon cancer screening. I’m concerned about osteoporosis. Living long makes that a certainty. Ca...

2023 has started with deep fog and temperatures in the mid-60s. A lazy morning to begin our new year. Grant remains abed, recovering from his cold, which produced a copiously runny nose and not much fever. I’m debating whether I’ll get it. Everyone is so twitchy about even the slightest cough. We are supposed to go to Fort Lauderdale tomorrow for a brunch with our covenant group, so we both need to be well. We will decide whether to go or not when Grant gets up and assesses his health. I want to see our friends, some for the first time in 2+ years; I don’t want to do the drive down and back. I stayed up last night to watch the Sugar Bowl, which Georgia won at 12:01 AM, 42-41, when Ohio State’s kicker missed a short field goal. The earlier Fiesta Bowl was a slow game, with TCU rolling over Michigan 51-45. For dinner in front of the TV, Grant broiled scallops and shrimp which he served with rice and a cucumber-radish salad. I put out a plate of all of the remaining Christmas cookies we’d...

  All it took was two weeks, and Grant feels mostly better. He was walking well enough last Saturday to try drinks at Aku Aku Tiki Bar, a hole-in-the-wall next to Lake Eola. We plan to try all the tiki bars mentioned in a recent Orlando Sentinel article. A mission. The previous Monday he ached so much that I called his doctor to try to get his pain meds adjusted. He could barely get out of bed or sit down to a chair.  We are worried that perhaps his hips are damaged even though the scans didn’t show any cracks. Tuesday he was somewhat better. Since he had an appointment Friday, he decided just to wait it out. After seeing his doctor, who is a resident, and her supervisor, we are much assured. They examined his hips, had him push and pull on their arms, watched him stand up, etc. Both agreed that he has deep tissue bruising but nothing that won’t heal fairly soon, a relative term for sure. He’s signed up for physical therapy and extensive blood work just to be sure his tremor i...