And Suddenly It's Autumn

20 September 2017

Sometimes life is busy and I don't have much time to blog.  And sometimes, like this summer, one or both of us are recuperating from medical stuff, and so we're not doing much of anything - so we don't have anything about which to blog.

That's what July, August, and much of September have been like.  Physical therapy at the joint gym for me.  Walking with a cane.  Graduation from joint gym, and physical therapy on my own in the hotel.  Lots of time with the ice wrap, and practice walking.  Then minor outpatient surgery for Richard, and me taking care of him.  Richard with ice on his eye, me with ice on my knee.  Nothing exciting, just recuperation time.

In the middle of August, though, we did have a big exciting event.  My youngest brother married his long-time lady friend in a wonderful ceremony out in a beautiful garden park.  I had the honor of serving as the wedding officiant, something I did occasionally in St. Thomas and elsewhere.  It really is great fun to be a wedding officiant, though rather emotional when it's a family member getting married.  But, well, mind over emotions or something like that.

My brother and new sister-in-law met in first grade, when our family moved from New York to Bellingham, WA.  The two were at least acquaintances through elementary school, and worked on a project in fifth grade.  Apparently their garbage clean up and recycling project got them on the front page of the local newspaper, complete with a photo of the two of them together.  Who knew that some 45 years later they'd get married!!!  

Of course, our other brothers showed up, and almost all the nieces and nephews, so it was a wonderful family event.  (I went to the airport to pick up one niece, and wait for her brothers who were arriving shortly after her flight came in.  As I was waiting, another niece showed up, not knowing that her cousins were all arriving about the same time, and not expecting me to be hanging out in the airport!  It really was fun!)

So it was a lovely wedding with family involvement, gorgeous late summer flowers, and Dad's hat sat with Richard and also had a great time. 

I should mention that I've met some of my brother's friends through the years, and there were a number of people who recognized me, and who I remembered after they gave me their names.  Plus his work takes him to varied places around the world, so guests came in from places like Scotland.  Or Singapore.  Or, well, it seemed like all over.  That was exciting as well, to chat about where they live, especially if we've visited there.

And yes, the food was great!

We also spent a long weekend in Seattle, and my friends had our yearly get together communal birthday celebration.  Too much food, lots of talking, plenty of wine, and a really exceptional flourless chocolate decadence.  Time with another friend over breakfast, and returning most of the knee equipment.  Just, catching up and talking and finding out what's new.  When you only see friends a few times a year, it means that you cram in as much as possible on those few occasions when you see them.

And that's been it.  Finishing up the doctor's visits, shopping for items to supplement either our clothes, or replenish toiletries, or whatever.  Planning where to next, although until the final doctor visit and final okay, we really can't book our flights out of the country and onward.

It's a weird kind of limbo, waiting for the doctor's evaluation or scheduling a follow up or whatever.

But it has given me time to graduate from the cane.  Yes, now I'm walking without the cane, although when the terrain is uneven or uphill, I probably should use the cane for more stability.  But now I can walk around town or the mall or whatever like a normal person.  YAY!

So that's it.  Recuperation, a wedding, and more recuperation.  Exciting, huh?  That's why I haven't blogged more.

We've also been glued to the news of the hurricanes in the Caribbean.  What a year - it really is frightening to see our former home island just flattened.  Not as decimated as poor Barbuda, or even very sad St. Croix after the second round with nature's wrath.  But what a storm season.

Wishing everyone a happy and healthy Jewish New Year - and wishing the Caribbean a quiet and peaceful rest of hurricane season and time for recovery and rebuilding.