ONE YEAR LATER ... An Update

While pondering the writing of this article, I got thinking about some 4 letter words
and how much meaning those 4 letters held... opposites... small but powerful.

You can love , or you can hate

You can heal , or you can hurt

You can be good , or you can be evil

(There are some legititmate exceptions I can think of for the first set, to name a few :
You can hate violence, war, starvation, etc., but those are of a different category.)

I prefer those listed on the left side, and I am sure most do. I believe there are more we
could add to the list, so if you know of some, please let me know. Put "4-letter words"
in the subject line when you write me here.

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I started this website several years ago because I care ( there's another good 4 letter word), and wanted to help others by providing hope , information , a little fun , and a few odd-ball other things for those who's lives have been affected by the 'discomforts' (as a friend likes to call it) of arthritis in its many forms. But we can also be affected by other health problems, one that I experienced late in November 2001. I knew at the outset, that it was something I needed to share with others. "To be fore-warned, is to be fore-armed" I believe the saying goes.

The headlines in yesterday's newspaper read "LOCAL MAN DIES OF HEART ATTACK SHOVELLING SNOW" or to that effect..... I didn't have time to read the entire article... only that he was near my age, still in the prime of life. Too many, too young, ending the same way.

November 23rd, 2001. I had lifted a somewhat heavy box up into a storage area, and later felt pain in my upper spine that wasn't going away. I thought I had just sprained my back, but my usual tricks to alleviate it, were not working. Finally, when my last method was making things feel much worse instead of better, I figured .... maybe I should check my blood pressure. I had not had any heart problems to that time, but my doctor had been checking me for an elevated blood pressure earlier that year, but hadn't continued with it. It was easy for me to check my blood pressure as I had purchased an electronic unit some years ago, and was used to the procedure required. When I saw my BP reading, I knew something was terribly wrong, and called my doctor's office. I was told to have someone take me to the hospital ER immediately, or call 911. My uncle , who lives nearby , was home, drove me there. That was the beginning of a 2 week stay in a total of 3 hospitals.

I got to know several doctors, a number of nurses ( one very special one - more about that later), and a number of specialty technicians ( that I asked a lot of questions of ). I was put through 'the wringer' during that time, tests that I had only seen on TV or read about, I was experiencing first hand. It was quite an education. I try always to learn something new.... expand my horizons as it were. You never know where that information may help you in the future.

When I returned home after that two week stay, I found that the remaining 2 cauliflower plants in my garden, that I was going to pick the day of my first attack, had doubled in size and were the best I had seen in a long time!

We had a mild winter, which I much appreciated as I was still recovering, not like the harsh one we are experiencing this time around. I expanded my garden by hand digging ground that hadn't been worked in decades, a few shovelfuls at a time. It was hard going, but I did manage to double the size of my garden, and planted several new (to me) vegetables, and added a section of flowers to attract a hummingbird. This part was successful as you can see one of my visitors here. My first encounter was rather close. I was crouched down working on the flowers when I heard a strange sound just over my head, it couldn't have been more than a foot or two above me. I had a good close look as it hovered just in front of me. It returned many times a day for weeks, then a few of its friends tried to feed too, but were driven off.... hummingbirds are very territorial. Even a wasp-like insect was driven off at the end of its needle-sharp beak. It was fascinating watching it maneuver at the feeder even in the strongest winds. No man-made aircraft can change direction that fast and precisely.

Although I carried tons of water to irrigate my garden due to extreme drought conditions, most of it just disappeared into the dry ground without providing much benefit to the vegetables planted there. I did manage to harvest some , but not to the extent that I had hoped for. Some I was able to freeze, and still enjoy. The potatos , which were small, did not produce near what they should have, but I still have a few left. I shared a lot of spinach with others, mostly seniors, as it grew well most of the time. The deep cold conditions that arrived early this year destroyed most of my late maturing veggies, and includes my wintering crop of spinach. The snow cover was lost during a short mild spell, and allowed another deep freeze to burn the small plants I was hoping would provide an early supply of fresh greens.

The mouse population became a major problem this past year too, as I didn't have a cat ( I lost several cats and kittens to marauding wild animals the year before) . In late summer, Tigger needed a new home and so was brought out to take up residence here. I believe someone in her past had been very mean to her, because she isn't a very 'social' cat. I rarely see her even, and when I do, it is very fleeting.... I should really call her 'The Phantom' . But I continue to put food and water out for her in a special secluded place, at least I thought it was.... the cat grapevine seems to be working overtime as I have seen a number of others feeding there too. This winter has been unusually cold with the temperatures getting down well below the deep-freeze zone many nights, causing the water for the cats to freeze. Not good. So, I put on my inventor's cap one day and about 2 hours later had produced a simple device from parts I had on hand that has kept the water in its liquid state even on the coldest nights ( temperatures have dropped to at least -14 degrees F. or about -26 C.). And it only uses a small amount of power to do it.

This past summer, I still wasn't feeling all that well, so I paid a visit to my cardiologist and he had me go through a Persantine Stress Test, which I failed, so I returned to the hospital on September 11th of all days, for another angiogram. I was expecting it to indicate the need for another angioplasty at least, but I was told everything was fine, and after a few hours of sleep, was sent home later the same day.

This past fall, I started to make my own bread and haven't bought any from the store since. I modified the recipe of the first loaf and it turned out so well that it still is a favourite. As I am writing this, I have another loaf of bread baking in the oven, another of many recipes I have been 'perfecting' and improving the taste and wholesomeness of. You just can't beat garden-fresh vegetables, or home-made bread. Yummy. I have also gotten back to a lot of other baking and developing my own recipes there too. A banana pie is on the schedule for later, but I don't make desserts very often. The most fun is sharing them (both breads and desserts) with my uncle, mother , and sister (when she comes home for a weekend). I made a banana-nut loaf ( my mother's recipe) for our Bluebird Club December social, and there wasn't any left to bring home. Guess I must be doing something right.

(to come)