homelife

In late February, after we had returned from our trip to Pennsylvania, I slipped on some spilled
water in our kitchen floor as I was attempting to clean it up and twisted my left knee as I fell. The full extent of the damage is only partially known, with a stretched ligament, hamstring injury and unknown damage to inside of kneecap. The swelling very gradually is going down and I have been in physio therapy sessions multiple times a week for the past four weeks. I have seen an increased range of mobility, even going up steps at my old pace on the good days. Bending my knees to look for things in the fridge, in the lower cupboards, and any sort of kneeling are still not happening.

I have been put on the list to have an MRI to see what damage was done, if any, to the meniscus. Whether I have that done remains to be seen. The injury certainly has been a disruption to our regular routine, but Shane and the kids have been very helpful in doing the tasks that I found too difficult. Early on, my therapist suggested an adjustable cane for managing the limp, it was humbling to have to purchase one and use it as I went from the house to the parking lot and even to church.
Also getting another year older only a few short weeks later made me feel old and decrepit. Friends celebrated my birthday with a delicious homemade chocolate hazelnut cake and thoughtful gifts and flowers. The signage was lovely and the decor consisted of pine branches and Dash the rooster's best tail feathers. Perfect for this group of friends. We celebrated again with Shane and my mom with pizza and a version of angel food cake that is my traditional birthday cake. Later in the weekend, we celebrated again with my brother and sister-in-law and were treated to Chinese food and ice cream cake.

I still do feel old, but hoping with the return of spring, I can feel the rejuvenation that is going on around us. The injury could have been much worse, and between my mother coming for a week and friends bringing some meals over and encouragement from friends, I have known the Lord's kindness in my frailty.
Kate likes to re-enact my injury by going down on one knee and then lowering her head to the floor and gently tapping it on the floor as if to show that I even banged my head, which I didn't. I landed sorely on my bottom. Lots of padding there.
I missed being able to go with Seth and Laura to the annual Lego contest held at a local aviation museum. But they went with friends and showed off their original flying machines to the judges and the participants. Neither won anything, but their friends made clean sweep of the prizes and they all enjoyed their time.  Laura later was inspired to build other things with Lego, when she wasn't busy running her 'doctor's clinic', having indoor picnics, flying her homemade kite outside or playing with her Calico Critters, just to name a few projects she has gotten into. Her enthusiasm for play turned many cold wintry days into enchantment, even if we are out of tape and a little bit of patience for all the projects that threaten to overwhelm our living space. I take photos of many of them to save the memories before they are ushered back to the recycling bin or garbage. She shows much promise for ingenuity and design, I look forward to seeing what she produces as she matures. In the meantime, I have to buy more tape.
Our swallowtail butterfly did well for several weeks drinking the sugared water I provided in small plastic caps, even when we had to travel. But one day it became apparent that life was becoming more of a struggle, so we turned it into a specimen, preserved forever.
Our growing church needed a new meeting place, so an Anglican turned Orthodox church building is where we have been meeting while we wait to know for sure what is available long term. My friend, Katie and I share teaching responsibilities for the six-seven year olds which includes some our own kids. We have class before the Morning worship time, so we don't have to miss anything.

The snow we had is all melted and the river flooding has mostly subsided. Green is the currency of spring and we will take all of it in its varying hues and textures. I brought back some bricks and boards from my dad's outdoor stash to make a bit of shelving for my newly minted desk area. I didn't remove any of the moss or dirt from the bricks or boards, just set up everything as is and started adding the pieces scattered around the desk. I just need to dig out the desk from the multiple stacks of books that have accumulated over recent weeks to get my work area back now that I can bend my knee to sit there.