Ten Weeks...and I Went Birding!

And I'm making progress...I think. It's sometimes difficult to tell when you ache so much after/during PT. I'm getting lots of stretching exercises that are supposed to improve my flexibility and stretch out the nerves at the same time. I have found it's getting easier to put my socks on but more difficult to get out of bed in the morning...or off the table after I've done my exercises.

******

Anyway.... We finally got a really nice couple of days. After getting rid of almost all our snow on Monday, we got two inches of heavy white stuff on Tuesday afternoon. I actually went out on the driveway and helped Terry do some shoveling! Then Wednesday we got lots of sun and much of the new snow melted. And today, Thursday, we got even more sun and temperatures into the high 50s. Some spots nearby it actually reached 60 degrees! Now almost all the snow has melted away. BUT the lunatic on the TV out of Elmira is saying we may get two inches between tomorrow morning and tomorrow evening (two separate events).

******

After PT this morning I went out to do some birding.

Hills Creek Lake is still frozen and even had some ice fishermen working a couple of spots on the north end. In the sunshine. With the temperature around 50 degrees. Our weekly bird walks there will start a week from Saturday because of that ice. Hopefully the ice will be gone by then.

Marsh Creek as it flows out of The Muck is ice free and there are open water areas around the blind. I spent 30 minutes there and got to see some Ring-necked Ducks and Hooded Mergansers along with the usual suspects. Also had a friendly and fat Muskrat feeding about 15 feet away from the blind.

Muskrat at The Muck

 Hammond Lake at Ive's Run is also still frozen over, but Crooked Creek which flows into the lake is ice free and there's a little area where the two join that is open. I stayed around the western boat launch and the fishing pier area for 30 minutes and then drove the Rails-to-Trails path that parallels Crooked Creek for almost three miles. Got to see a couple of Killdeer, three Northern Flickers, lots of Common Mergansers, a pair of mated Osprey at the nest pole, several Wood Ducks, numerous Tree Swallows, a pair of Eastern Bluebirds and an Eastern Phoebe among other birds.

Then I drove up to the overlook at the spillway end of Hammond Lake where it joins Tioga Lake. A small bit of open water on Tioga lake held numerous Common Mergansers and there were four or five immature Bald Eagles hanging around the spillway area. I watched one swipe something from a group of Crows who were none too pleased with the transaction.

By then it was 1 PM and I decided I had had enough for the day and headed home.

There I was greeted by the usual cast of characters at the feeder and a new visitor in the form of a Purple Finch. Did not manage to get a photo of him, however. Did get a couple of good shots of some of the others, however.

I'll be posting some of the pictures in the next post(s).

Nine Weeks

Hmmpff! Didn't get nearly as warm today as they forecast it would last Monday. Back then they were saying mid to upper 50s. Today it only got to 35. A windy, chilly, damp 35 at that. You see, the clouds rolled in from the south and brought some rain along with them. Apparently the front associated with that rain slid just a wee bit to our south east and we got the cold side.

Hopefully they are just as wrong about tomorrow's forecast (heavy rain and snow? Seriously?).

******

I had my first session of physical therapy (henceforth known as PT for "pain and torture") on Monday afternoon. Spent half the time being evaluated by the head torturer before I was given two stretching exercises to do at home and a third to do while I was still on the slab. Needless to say I felt the stretch afterwards. Sorta like being on the rack but it only affected the buttocks and the hamstrings. They were tight!

I added those two stretching exercises to the repertoire the visiting therapist gave me a couple of weeks ago and have been doing them twice a day as ordered. Only good thing about those two new exercises is that I can do them laying down.

Bright and early tomorrow morning I go back to Elite for my second session of PT. Wonder what they'll have me doing next?

******

I supplemented my at home PT with a little yard work the past two days. Did a little walking across the yard to and from the burn barrel on Tuesday when the winds were calm. Our garbage mail, boxes and miscellaneous paper had been building up for a good long time and had to go. I figured the extra CO2 wouldn't hurt either since we here at the Aerie are in the cold zone of the globe. Hell, we've been colder than Anchorage all winter.

Today, I tried to make amends to Terry for throwing so many stones into her flower beds next to the driveway. Holy mother Mary! Were there a lot of stones! It's surprising that I "only" broke two shear pins on the snow thrower way back when. I cleared about four square feet and could have filled a 5-gallon bucket. Then my fingers got cold and my back and knees cried, "Uncle!"

While clearing stones I had to be careful not to step on the small, green spears of the day lilies that were just poking their noses above ground. There was some green showing on a few other plants as well even as snow remained heaped on the edge of the driveway a mere foot away.

******

Yesterday and today, every time I went outside for more than five minutes I was sure to hear the honking of geese or swans high over head. Yesterday I could watch them head north at a leisurely pace. Today, with the winds out of the south at 20-30 mph with a few gusts higher, they went sailing along like a 20-meter vessel in the America's Cup. If I blinked, they were out of sight.

The feeder birds are still with us. I thought the redpolls had caught on and headed north, but they seem to like my sunflower seeds. The siskins are still here, too. Then there's the usual crew (chickadee, white-breasted nuthatch, tufted titmice, mourning dove, downy woodpecker, red-bellied
woodpecker, dark-eyed junco, and a host (horde?) of goldfinches.

I can hear redwings down the hill near the farm ponds and reeds but they haven't come to the feeders. The robins are also busy establishing dominance and territory although few have visited the lawn. Not that I blame them. The lawn is pretty much still frozen and any earthworm would need tunneling drills to emerge.

Still hear the occasional owl on the hill after dark, but I'm still waiting for my first woodcock flight at twilight.

There have been a few turkey vultures come soaring by and the ravens are still dancing in the wind--when they can get away from the nests.

I need to get out and do some birding! Unfortunately, all the lakes are still frozen as are the marshes. They are the main attractants around here until the warblers show up.

The Dalek Relaxation Tape

Just because.

Well, THAT Was Disappointing

*sigh* Awoke this morning to another fresh snowfall. It amounted to less than half an inch but still....

Then it stayed cloud and overcast for the rest of the day. While it did reach 39 degrees at the Aerie, that was about 5 degrees--and a whole lot of sunshine--less than I expected. Late afternoon did see a bit of a drizzle that, along with the 39 degrees, helped melt some of the snow that fell yesterday and today. Still have a considerable amount to go. Tomorrow's temperatures won't help but, maybe, if the sun comes out, it should get the driveway and lawn back to where they were on Thursday. Maybe.

******

Terry made a big pot of split pea soup today. So thick that if you turned the spoon upside down, it took a long time falling (not dripping!) off. Just the way I like it.

And this evening we went to the United Methodist Church in bustling downtown Mainesburg (consists of a dozen houses, the grist mill, and the church) for a chicken-and-biscuits dinner.

Makes up for this morning's snow.

******

Still have a considerable number of Common Redpolls and Pine Siskins hanging around the feeders. Mentioned them at the Audubon meeting on Wednesday and everyone was like, "Wow!"  Apparently we are the only ones around that have had them visiting this winter.

Also have the usual crowd of Black-capped Chickadees, American Goldfinches, Dark-eyed Juncos, Mouring Doves, Tufted Titmice, White-breasted Nuthatches, Blue Jays....

Wednesday the weekend's winds from the north died down and I saw several huge flocks of Snow Geese flying north.They were up quite high but the sun lit them up like beacons. Sprinkled among two of the flocks (each numbering in the 2-300 range) were a few darker birds which may have been the dark morph sometimes called a Blue Goose. One flock, however, had a separate wing of a dozen or so dark birds which I speculate may have been Canada Geese.

The Snow Geese sound slightly different than Canadas and their organization is, well, a bit sloppier. Their Vs aren't quite as crisp being more like a wide bottomed U instead. And they argue about who should be the leader more instead of a well regimented rotation of that lead position. That said, they sure knew which direction was North!

Eight Weeks

Thursday marked the eighth week since my back surgery. I didn't post anything that day because I had reported on my Tuesday visit to the surgeon in my previous post: Progress! Needless to say, I've made some. Progress that is.

******

The Seavey clan is making a habit of winning the Iditarod. Dallas and his father, Mitch have one the last four races. This year, Dallas finished first with a time of 8 days, 18 hours, 13 minutes and 6 seconds. Mitch came into Nome second some 4 hours later. Dallas has now won in 2012, 2014 and 2015. Mitch won in 2004 and 2013. (See all the past winners here.)

The race isn't finished yet, however. There are still 32 teams out there as I type. (One is between Safety and Nome and should be getting there any. Minute. Now.) Rookie Musher Cindy Abbott is the current Red Lantern (last place).

******

Just when you thought winter was over.... We got a snowfall of about two inches today. I had just gotten excited about seeing real grass and dirt again, too. Now everything is once again covered in white. It might not last long, however. Tomorrow it's supposed to be in the mid 40s with a slight chance of a rain shower. That should be enough to melt the new snow. If not, the sun will shine brightly on Sunday and even though the temps won't be as warm they should nudge above freezing.

Progress!

Went to see the surgeon today. I no longer need to wear the back brace and I can have my car keys back! Yahoo!

Also got a scrip for some PT which I will take down to Elite Therapy tomorrow so as to set up a schedule. The PT is mostly to regain the flexibility of back and legs that I have lost since the surgery.

Short Spring-Summer-Fall

Last week we had temperatures in the high 40s with even a 50 or two thrown in. Even Friday the 13th was a lovely day with plenty of warmth and sunshine.

Then Saturday arrived and we got rain--but at least it was still warmish with temps in the 40 degree neighborhood.

Today...Well, today we had a bit of freezing something early in the morning with lots of high flying gray clouds streaming out of the north-northwest all day long. And the temperature stayed right around 28-29 degrees from sunrise to sunset.Guess we're back to winter.

*sigh* They do say beware the ides of March.

So need warmer weather to melt the rest of the snow on the lawn and gardens. I am resigned to the fact that the heaps on the sides of the driveway/parking area will be there until late April. I hope they won't be here longer than that!

At least the guys with sugar bushes will enjoy the cold nights and above freezing(?) days the next couple of weeks.

******

Terry's flight from Louisville was cancelled when the plane got grounded in Kansas City due to mechanical problems. She could have taken a later flight to Chicago, but there would be no connection to Corning-Elmira. The airlines is putting her up in a hotel for the night and she will be flying out tomorrow morning.

Seven Weeks

It's now seven weeks since my back surgery and I've made some progress. I'm still wearing the back brace as per doctor's orders but will, hopefully, be relieved of that burden when I see the surgeon on Tuesday. The left leg has completely recovered from the loss of feeling and is 100% in everything but flexibility and strength. The right, also lacking in flexibility and strength, is about 95% recovered in sensitivity. I found it possible to put both socks on this morning without the use of any tools for the first time so that's a plus. As everyone keeps saying, slow and steady.

I'm still doing the PT exercises the therapist left me with but I've added walking on the deck, climbing the stairs and a couple of stretching exercises I did after knee replacement to get both the strength and flexibility back.

******

I'll be on my own for a couple of days as Terry has an Embroiderers' Guild conference with all the region reps in Louisville that runs through Sunday. Her flight took off from the Corning-Elmira airport this morning at 6 AM. She promises/swears she will not volunteer for anything. With her absent, I may just sneak out and actually drive for the first time since January 21st. That is, IF I find I need to get anything from the store. (The surgeon says I shouldn't until I meet with him once more, but the heck with that.)

******

Other than that, things remain quiet at the Aerie. We've had a couple of really nice spring days this week that have caused quite a bit of melting. The driveway is nearly completely cleared and there are actual patches of lawn starting to appear. The day time temps have reached into the 50s while, on clear nights, the nights have been in the upper 20s. One cloudy, but still night it stayed in the mid 30s. Extended forecasts include only a slight chance of snow showers between now and the end of the month which is fine by me.

******

I've noticed a decided decrease in the number of birds at the feeders. I assume that's because many of the Common Redpolls and Pine Siskins have headed north. Only a few of those remain either having missed the memo or because they are too weak for the long flight and find the easy pickings at the feeders more to their liking. It may be wishful thinking, but I believe the Goldfinches are starting to shed their olive drab and take on some yellow.

I heard a Robin for the first time last evening. I know they are said to stick around during the winter, but I seldom if ever see them at our elevation. With many of the pastures, hay fields and corn fields where the winds kept the snow thin being exposed now, I imagine there will soon be many, many more Robins out hunting for worms and other bugs.

I'm looking forward to seeing/hearing the Red-winged Blackbirds and Woodcock. Those will be reall harbingers of Spring!

Six Weeks

It's been six weeks since the back surgery and I guess I'm making progress. This was the first full week without a visit by home healthcare so I've had no one around to tell me if my progress is normal or not.

There's still a weakness in my legs but that seems to be improving. Not so the flexibility, however. I still can't bend my right leg enough to put a sock on so it's been necessary to use a "helper,"a short length of PVC cut in half lengthwise upon which the sock is pulled. You push your toes into the tube created by the sock and then pull the whole thing up. The sock ends up on your foot and around your heel so you only have to give it a tug to get into place. (Taking the sock off is easier as you don't have to reach down to the toes with both hands--something I can't do.)

And the right leg is still displaying some loss of feeling. That's something the surgeon said could go on for six months or even longer as the nerves that were stretched during surgery will take some time to adjust. 

Meanwhile, I'm still confined to being a passenger (should we go anywhere) and to wearing my brace. I've two more weeks before my next doctor's appointment and I'm hoping he'll give me the okay to drive and to remove my turtle shell. I'm also hoping to learn if I'll get some after pictures (either x-rays or an MRI) of what has been done. Be nice to know.

I've been doing my exercises regularly and added cleaning the deck of snow. I don't have to lift the snow but rather merely push it or sweep it under the deck railing. Terry still does the driveway as the slope is a wee bit too slick for me to attempt. That and the snow she's been moving has been a bit heavy of late.

I haven't made any forays out into the rest of the world yet although I've been cleared to do so. I am starting to get a bit antsy about that. Even a walk around Wally World or Lowe's would be enjoyable. We talked about going over to Wellsboro, but our twice weekly snowfall interrupted those plans.

******

This latest snow storm, named Thor, is currently passing to our south and, with the winds out of the north-northwest, it looks like it will stay there. All we got was a little less than 1/2 an inch of very light fluff that required the deck but not the driveway to be cleaned. I used a broom to do the cleaning it was that light. Those north-northwest winds may be a blessing as far as the snow is concerned, but the air is cold. As of noon, it's only gotten up to 12 degrees and it feels much colder.

This looks like it might be our last really cold night with a forecast of minus 4 degrees. Then things are supposed to be getting warmer with temps during the day getting to the upper 30s and even *gasp* 40s. With sun yet!

******

We're going through sunflower seed like crazy. There must be over 150 birds out there in the mixed flock of Common Redpolls, House FInches, Black-capped Chickadees, Dark-eyed Juncos, White-breasted Nuthatches, Tufted Titmice and American Goldfinches. In addition I've seen one or two Red-breasted Nuthatches, a dozen Mourning Doves, half a dozen Blue Jays, a pair of Northern Cardinals, a pair of Downy Woodpeckers and a pair of Red-bellied Woodpeckers. And, of course, there's the visiting Sharp-shinned Hawk that shows up to prey upon the seed eaters on occasion. And the Pileated Woodpecker that yaks it up from time to time between chiseling out either an ant colony or a nest hole in the trees. (If I had more suet to put out, even it might come closer to the house.) In short, we're feeding a heck of a lot of birds, but they are all the usual winter birds. It would be nice to see some different birds. Spring birds in particular would be welcome, but that would require a good deal of melting and little warming up. 

More Bird Pictures

I spent only 15-20 minutes sitting at the dining room table this afternoon taking pictures of birds. Dozens and dozens of birds are on the deck at any one time with just as many put in the trees waiting their turn. Below there's at least one photo of each species that came to the deck while I was there...with the exception of the Tufted Titmouse. It flitted in and out too quickly for me to aim, focus and shoot.

Earlier in the day we also had a Red-bellied Wood Pecker, a Downy Woodpecker and a half dozen Blue Jays.

Common Redpolls

A Pine Sisken (center) objects to sharing with another Common Redpoll

An American Goldfinch (center is flanked by two Pine Siskens

Mourning Dove and Pine Sisken

(from front to rear) Mourning Dove, American Goldfinch, Pine Sisken

Dark-eyed Junco (aka Snowbird)

White-breasted Nuthatch

Dark-eyed Junco

House Finch (center) surrounded by Pine Siskens

(left to right) Pine Siskens, House Finches, American Goldfinch

Black-capped Chickadee

Pine Sisken (center) objects to the Dark-eyed Junco's arrival. House Finch to rear right.

Pine Sisken and Dark-eyed Junco

The Latest Fashion

Here's a brief video of my "turtle shell" brace. I've been wearing it since the surgery (January 22) and will continue to wear it until March 17th at least.

It's hard and it's not very comfortable.

Afternoon Visitor at the Aerie

I had just refilled the bird feeders this afternoon and was enjoying the large number of visitors that were taking advantage of the sunflower seeds I had provided when there was a whoosh and everyone scattered and disappeared. I spotted a couple of feathers drifting slowly to the ground and surmised there had been an attack on the feeding birds but I couldn't spot the culprit responsible for it.

A short time later, I saw it. A Sharp-shinned Hawk swooped down in the driveway and then perched on a dead limb on the oak tree across the way. It hadn't been successful in its attempt at an afternoon meal and sat smoothing its ruffled feathers long enough for me to get my camera and snap a couple of pictures through the living room window.

A small bird (Goldfinch?) grew restless as the hawk perched near its hiding place and flew off. The hawk gave chase, but to no avail as it was out matched by the smaller bird being already in flight and in a short distance race such as this--and from a standing start--it had little chance of catching up before the smaller bird disappeared into a pine.

So the hawk continued on its way and the feeding birds came back.

Who Watches the Watchers

Five Weeks

Today marks the fifth week since I had my back surgery. I'm making progress.

Last Thursday the visiting nurse came by for his last visit and on Friday, the visiting physical therapist made her last visit. Since she decreed I could walk with a cane and get up and down steps--slowly, but I could--then, in the eyes of Medicare, I was no longer house bound and she was no longer needed. Besides the few exercises and encouragement she gave me, she said there wasn't much more she could do for me. "But," she said, "be sure to press your physician for some out of house PT when you see him again. It will help build you strength and flex those joints the surgery has you favoring."

She's right. While I've been doing those exercises religiously, there's still a lack of strength in the knees and hips, especially on my right side. All the lack of feeling and tingling I had in the left leg is gone and it feels normal if somewhat weak. The right leg is still lacks some feeling from the thigh down to the toes and there's a good deal of weakness there as well. When going up and down stairs (with the help of a cane) I notice that lack of strength on the right side.

Today, between exercise sessions, I spend time out on the deck in the sunshine (!) walking some laps. Ten laps of about 40 yards each for nearly a quarter mile, and it was tiring! I also went up and down the stairs five times in succession and that too was a chore. I'll do both of those exercises--weather permitting--every day to get my strength and stamina back.

Black Squirrel In the MorningWhite Snow In the Afternoon?

This morning I managed to snap a couple of pictures of the black squirrel that hangs around the Aerie. As usual, they were taken through a pretty dirty window and there's some light reflection from inside so the quality is not the best, but still--it's a freakin' black squirrel!

It--and four of it's grey friends--were fattening up on sunflower seeds before this afternoon's forecasted bout of snow. They were also hanging on for dear life against a rather strong breeze out of the southwest. Depending upon who you listen to we could get anywhere from 2 to 5 inches of snow this afternoon and into the night.  As I write this (10 AM) there's nothing much happening in the snow department. The only snow in the air is the stuff blowing off the roof.

Appliance Woes, With a Happy Ending--Sorta

A technician showed up at the Aerie today to look at the 8-year old dishwasher that suddenly stopped running yesterday. It worked fine on Tuesday but when Terry went to wash dishes on Thursday she got nothing; nada; zilch.

Anyway, the tech guy (When did they stop being called repairmen?) showed up about 4:50 PM. Guess we were last on his list for the day.

He looked over the dishwasher, entered the make and model numbers into his little computer, pulled off a couple of front panels w-a-y down by the floor and did a couple of preliminary tests.

"It's not getting any power," he says. "Have you checked the circuit breaker?"

Well, since I hadn't yet been cleared to go up and down stairs, Terry had gone down on Thursday to check the breakers and they all looked a-okay to her eye. Now that I have been cleared to go up and down stairs by the physical therapists (whose last visit to this no longer home bound boy was today, BTW) I went down to check again. I had the tech guy in tow.

All the breakers looked okay to me. The sheet that serves as a key to the 30+ breakers said the dishwasher was breaker #27 so we paid special attention to that one. It was fine.

Tech guy switched breaker #27 on and off a couple of times and then went back to looking at the dishwasher. He couldn't find anything wrong at the washer so went back downstairs to the breakers one more time. He left the washer in the "on" position. He flipped a couple more breakers and BINGO! the dishwasher switched on.

Seems the key to the box was mislabeled. The dishwasher wasn't breaker #27 it was breaker #29. And breaker #29 HAD been tripped although it looked like it was a-okay. DOH!

Having cleared that problem up, he checked the wires in the dishwasher (something tripped the circuit breaker!) and put the panels back in place.

"If it does this again, check the circuit breaker and replace it if need be. They do wear out from time to time."

$150 to discover 1) it was a circuit breaker, one of the easiest fixes in the world and 2) the circuit box key is not to be trusted. Now I have to figure out what IS covered by breaker #27.

Almost Four Weeks

Happy Fat Tuesday to y'all!

Terry and I started the day with a breakfast of pancakes with Pennsylvania maple syrup from just down the road a piece and Massachusetts grape jelly from Bruce and Sue. A big glass of cold milk and a big cup of hot coffee....mmmm, heaven!

Being as on Thursday it will be four weeks since my surgery it was time to check in with the surgeon. Terry took me over to the hospital in Sayre to meet with the surgeon and urologist. It's a little over an hour drive over there and with the back brace on, I felt cramped in the Jeep Compass even with the seat all the way back. I was hurting slightly by the time we got there. I brought the walker with me because I refused to use the wheelchairs in the lobby. Might have been a poor choice, but I did get quite a bit of walking in as we went from one end of the building to the other...and back again.

The surgeon is pleased with the progress I've made even if I think I should be further along. Then again, he's had dozens of similar procedures while I've only undergone the one so I guess he should know if I'm progressing satisfactorily.We talked about my progress and why I chose to undergo the surgery in the first place. What trade offs I might have made vis-a-vis pain before surgery and pain three or four months from now. A lot of my choice was what I call prophylactic. I took into account the pain I was experiencing and potential for even more severe pain in the future based upon what the x-rays and MRIs indicated and decided to go under the knife now rather than later in the hopes I can enjoy the next 10-20 years relatively pain free while walking or standing.

I'm down to just using Tylenol as a pain killer. I'll be wearing the back brace and won't be allowed to drive for another month at least. That's when I have another appointment. In general, I left the surgeon's office feeling a little better if still inwardly disappointed with my progress.

(I mentioned the August fishing trip to the surgeon and he said, "Go for it!" He figures I'll be fine by then. It's a little over 6 months after surgery.)

We had some time between meeting with the neurosurgeon and our next appointment in Urology, so Terry and I walked all the way across the building to the cafeteria for lunch. Some excellent sushi (Wegman's California sushi), a delicious slice of pizza with meatballs, and a milk shake for each of us. (I also had a piece of cake (brownie?) with vanilla ice cream. Hey! I did a lot of walking!)

Then it was all the way back across the building to the Urology area. We were early...like two hours early...but got called right away because there had been a cancellation. That's when I learned my appointment was with the nurse who was supposed to take out my catheter. "Sorry, sweetie, they did that back on the 3rd before letting me go home."

Well, that led to a number of discussions about who, when, where, and why. What had already been established and I assume she knew how. All I could tell her was 1-They took it out because I insisted they take it out. (I was NOT going home with a catheter stuck in me!) 2-One of the doctors in the Troy Community Hospital gave the okay. 3-I was urinating regularly although there was some retention and the stream could be stronger.

The nurse took me to a little boys room and handed me a cup to fill and pointed to the bowl saying, "Empty some into the cup and the rest into the john. Get as much out as you can and then we'll see about this retention."

I did as she asked and she checked for how much fluid might still be in my bladder using her little ultrasound gizmo. I still held around 250 ml. She said something about I might have to be catheterized again to which I replied, "Never!" and "Over my dead body!" or words to that effect.

She went off to talk to the doctor and came back saying she had relayed my feelings to him about catheterizing and while he disagreed, he agreed to merely increase my dose of Flomax and do another check up in a month. Sounded good to me! I mean, the swelling and nerve disturbance from the surgery is still evident and could still be causing disruption in that area so let's give time and Flomax a chance to get things back to normal.

By 2:30 PM--what was to have been the midpoint between the two appointments, Terry and I were on our way home. It was still around 20 degrees but felt like T-shirt weather.

Once home we enjoyed a nice dinner of chicken jambalaya that Terry had left cooking in the crockpot while we were out.

Another Snowy Day at the Aerie

It was slightly warmer today than yesterday but we still paid the price with light snow all day long. Mixed in with that light snow were a couple of hours of real heavy stuff that produced near white-out conditions. Terry will have to do some shoveling tomorrow.

We continue to have dozens and dozens of avian visitors (and a few squirrels) coming to the deck feeders each day. Terry has to refill the feeders at least twice and uses about 5 pounds of sunflower seeds a day. I sat at the window today and took some pictures of the company we get.

American Goldfinch

Pine Siskin, House Finch, Red Poll, Pine Siskin

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Tufted Titmouse

House Finch

Blue Jay

Dark-eyed Junco

Black-capped Chickadee

White-breasted Nuthatch

House Finches

Common Redpolls

They are in and out all day long from around 7 AM until 5 PM. There's usually a half dozen or more mourning doves that visit also, but they didn't stick around to pose for me today.

Three Weeks...

On the morning of January 19^th I underwent back surgery. My lumbar spine was all screwed up with bone spurs, compressed or nonexistent discs, one vertebra that was 1.8 cm out of position, bone and muscle scar tissue from previous surgeries and a mess of other crap that was pinching and irritating nerves whenever I stood or sat upright for more than 10 or 15 minutes. Oddly enough, when I was slouched in a chair or working my ass off in the yard, the back didn’t really bother me. 

The neurosurgeon was going to go in and scrape out the bone spurs, chip away other protrusions, replace the discs, put the L4 back where it belongs and then screw and pin the whole mess (L2 to L5) together. The whole process, he estimated would take 5 to 5 ½ hours.

It took 8 ½ hours as my bone and scar tissue was unexpectedly thick and tough. I spent all of the next day in a complete fog and do not remember a thing until the evening of the day after surgery. Terry says she listened to me singing along with the oldies of the ‘50s and ‘60s while I was in recovery but I’ll have to take her word for it.

I spent much of the next week in a daze of oxycodone as well. I had no desire to be moved anywhere until I was assured that the lack of feeling in my right leg (from hip to toes) was temporary. I’ve been told that this a result of irritating the nerve both from the surgeon’s working on the nearby bone and scar tissue and from stretching the nerve with the insertion of new discs between the vertebrae. Even so, three weeks later, there’s been some improvement but there’s still some tingling and pins-and-needles that is disturbing. They say time will tell if there’s any permanent damage.

I got off the oxy (they called it oxy-fast) as soon as I could since I suffered every side effect they list for the stuff. Hallucinations? Check. I saw colored lights moving across the walls and ceiling like in a disco and bugs crawling on the tile floor that weren’t there. Creepy crawlies under the skin? Check. (Still itching!) Irrational and incoherent thought? Check. I ordered milk and mashed potatoes for one meal and usually couldn’t remember what room I was in as I transposed the numbers every time. I called Terry one night to talk thinking it was 5 PM and then 10 PM. It was midnight and 3 AM. The night I stopped taking the oxy I broke out in the sweats that soaked my bed and had the doctor checking by blood sugar and anything else he could think of.

They did move me from the hospital in Sayre to the Troy facility for a couple of days of physical rehab before sending me home. I didn’t want to go home, but they talked to Terry and she said she could handle me so that was it. Besides, there wasn’t a whole lot they could do for me at that point besides walking up and down the hall. (One luxury I don’t have at the Aerie is a long hallway to walk. Back when I was rehabbing my knees, I would walk laps on the deck, but that’s now ice covered and it’s 15 degrees out!)

I’ve had a couple of visits from the visiting nurse from home healthcare services with another from the physical therapists who did a quick evaluation and home inspection before leaving me with a half dozen exercises to do to strengthen my legs and work on my balance. I was supposed to see my primary care physician on Monday but the ice and freezing rain put a halt to that. We did get to see him on Wednesday and he told me that one of the side effects of the prescription pain killer is generalized itching. I guess I’ll have to trust to the hydrocortisone to relieve that itch until I’m off the pain killer.

I’ve a scheduled appointment with the neurosurgeon on Tuesday the 17^th by which time the incision area should be pretty well healed up. I expect he’ll want to do an x-ray or some other scan to see how the bones, muscles and nerves are doing.

I‘ve been home now since Wednesday, February 4^th and am slowly going stir crazy. I can’t drive. I walk with a walker. I wear a back brace to prevent any sudden twists or bends when standing or sitting. I’ve been doing crossword puzzles, sodoku puzzles and reading. A lot. Oh, and sleeping too. I’ve been sleeping 12 hours or so a day. Sitting up for two hours is a chore.

One source of amusement—besides the internet—is watching the birds and squirrels on the deck. Our friendly black squirrel has visited a couple of times but he gets outnumbered by the grey squirrels sometimes four or five to one. I’ve had flocks of goldfinches, pine siskins, redpolls, white breasted nuthatches, tufted titmice, black-capped chickadees, house finches, dark-eyed juncos, mourning doves, blue jays and even a red-bellied woodpecker visiting the deck feeders. The only thing keeping the birds at bay are the squirrels. They don’t like to share.