Physical Therapy

It's been a month since I fell on the street and broke  my arm, near my shoulder.  The orthopedic Doctor took me out of the sling last week, studied my CT scan, and said surgery is not necessary! He prescribed physical therapy  for the next three weeks, when he will x-ray the arm and pronounce me healed, I hope.  The PT is quite painful (now I know why Audrey calls them "physical terrorists"!) but my range of motion increases daily.  I've never had this type of injury before, and did not realize what's involved in living with pain and a handicap.  It's been a very humbling and enlightening experience.  The exercise in the photo was impossible for me to do a few days ago;  all I could do was lay on the floor and cry.  Now I can do it well, without any tears.  Progress!  I'm amazed at the way God has made our bodies to heal so well after they are damaged.

Anniversary Bouquet

We celebrated our wedding anniversary by going out to lunch and buying some flowers at the Purple Pansy Flower Shop downtown Chatham.  Instead of cut flowers, we spotted a tub of sprouting bulbs, and have been enjoying watching them open day by day.  It's our bit of colour and fragrance during these short cold days of winter in Canada.

My Achey Breakey "Arm"

Puzzles are a great one-armed activity!Thank you, puzzle-loving sisters-in-law!  This one is called "Souvenir Plates" by Springbok.
A friend from church gave me a very chic circular scarf sling for my arm. Thank you, Janet (whose own arm is in a cast!)  The orthopedic doc has ordered a CT scan to see if he needs to put a screw in my shoulder. I feel like singing that tear jerking tune, "Don't tell my 'arm', my achey breakey  'arm', I just don't think she'd understand. . ."

from snow to sun

While we chill out in Canada, our granddaughters bask in the warmth of a sunny southern California afternoon on a bench in their garden.  They even have their own orange tree, although I don't see any ready to pick just now.

Last Sunset of 2012

Carrying on our tradition of photographing the last sunset of the year,  we stayed close to home this year, not wanting to venture out on icy walks with an arm in a sling.  I'm sure the sunset we drew is the way it actually looks beyond all those wintry clouds.  It has been a year filled with many blessings, and we send out good wishes and prayers for the new year to all our family and friends, near and far!!

a morning walk in the snow

About 8:15, we admire the fresh snow in the backyard before striking out on our walk up to Tim Horton's to meet Peetra for breakfast.

We never made it up to Timmy's!  I tripped and fell on the way and spent the next seven hours at the hospital, finally being sent home with a non displaced fractured arm in a sling and some pain pills.  The good news is, it's my left arm!

The bad news, Martin has to shovel all that snow alone, and do all the cooking, etc.  He truly is my right hand man!!

the old mantel clock

Martin was hoping the clock, from his parent's wedding in 1939, did not have a broken spring.  Does anyone know a good clock maker?