Aerie Report, October 24, 2009

A fairly restless night. I took the Hydrococo/APAP before hitting the sack and removed the leg brace when I got into bed. As soon as the medication wore off, I woke up. Over and over again. No matter what position I got in, the knee hurt. It didn't help that the wind outside was howling and the rain was beating down on the metal roof.

Terry and I finally got out of bed at 7 AM. After a hearty breakfast of bacon and eggs, we went about the business of packing the Jeep and Tundra with all the stuff that needed to come home in case I should not be able to get back there before the deep cold arrives. We drained all the pipes, added antifreeze to the traps, cleaned up all the trash, packed up the clothes, took the perishables out of the fridge, etc. Then we were on the road by 10 AM.

Getting into and out of the Tundra with the leg brace on is a bit of a task, but once seated behind the wheel, I was fine. Although, I would have liked to have been able to move my left leg from time to time.

Four and a half hours later, we got back to the Aerie and reversed the process. We didn't travel together and didn't even follow the same route. We both stopped for gas (although Terry also stopped for a quick meal while I didn't). And, while I beat Terry back to the Aerie, she pulled in less than ten minutes behind me.

I talking about our rides, I had the better of it. By traveling west on the NYST until I got to the Route 14 exit (mm 327) and then heading south, I had run around the heavy rain. Oh, it was really bad through Syracuse, but soon after I was in the clear. Terry had gone as far as I-481 and then south to I-81, Cortland and Route 13 through Ithaca to Elmira. She was in rain virtually the entire time.

******

I was surprised to see how much progress has been made in putting up windmills on the ridge. When I left for the Bolt Hole a little over a week ago, there were none visible above us. Sure, parts were stockpiled in the clearings where they would be erected, but they hadn't been put up yet. Today there are five directly above us and between one and three on the hillside to the west. (Terry says there will be only one, but there are three bases standing there. Still, she says, the maps only showed ONE windmill over there. Yeah, but that was over a year ago when they said they were going to put up 76 and now it's 67. Things change.)

I'll see about taking some pictures tomorrow but only the one(s) across the way is/are actually visible from the Aerie.

******

Mark sent an email asking if there was anything I needed him to do at the Bolt Hole. He also sent me some advice from a friend who worked ortho with the US Ski Team. Essentially it was to keep the brace on, don't take the prescriptions except to sleep, keep off my feet as much as possible, try to keep the foot as high as my eyes. Test the pain level once or twice a day. Be sure to see my doc on Monday, give him the X-rays, and advise him of what has been happening. I was told that an MRI is often not done immediately, but after three or four days IF the pain remains.

So, I'll be sitting here watching football, napping and staying off my feet for the next day or so and then get Terry to taxi me to the doc's on Monday.


Time to hit the sack. .