Saturday visit

[cjsmith]

Saturday afternoon rampling came over to visit me. This meant that for the first time in about a day I had to wear more than a T-shirt (hey, YOU try dealing with a bathroom with no good feet). I also managed to take my first adventurous shower before she got there.

When she arrived, she had wondrous things! She had a quad-cane! She had a WALKER! And she had... a whole basket full of CHEEEEEEEESE!

Gleefully we opened up the cheese and sampled it. The Petit Basque was completely gone by the end of our visit! MAN THAT STUFF IS GOOD! I shared bits of the chocolate indyansel sent, and Moonstruck Chocolate now has another fan. I also tried out the walker -- heaven, oh heaven, after trying to maintain stability on crutches -- and demonstrated some of my sillier ways of getting around the house. The quad-cane turned out to be absolutely perfect for stairs, as it simulated a second railing I could grab. I have these things on long-term loan and I believe they're what I should have had from the beginning. Crutches! Fah.

We commiserated about medical schtuff and we scritched kitties for a couple of hours. She was my first visitor from the outside world, and that contact is probably a big reason I wasn't on LJ so obsessively for that evening and the next day. :-)

My friends have been SO good to me.

Comments

[datagoddess.livejournal.com]

My friends have been SO good to me.

People generally get the kinds of friends they deserve, for the most part :-)

[abenn.livejournal.com]

Wish I lived closer. I'd come visit you.

[quasigeostrophy.livejournal.com]

Good thing I decided on sending chocolate, since rampling brought the cheese. Did anyone think to bring the wine? ;-)

YOU try dealing with a bathroom with no good feet

I don't blame you for wearing as little as necessary.

[ericainohio.livejournal.com]

Awwww....kudos to everyone for being such sweethearts. I'm so glad to hear that people are taking care of you and nurturing you.

*sending you a big helping of virtual Cincinnati chili spaghetti* :-D

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Modulo trust issues, yeah. I just never thought *I'd* find such people! :)

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Thank you! Yeah, geography does get in the way of some things, doesn't it?

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

I had LOADS of wine around the house, but I'm being good right now and not drinking any. I can't remember which of my meds (the one I'm taking or the one that's "as needed" and thus I'm not taking) says no alcohol. Maybe both.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

ooooooooooo, that sounds SCRUMPTIOUS! :-D

How's Derek doing?

[abenn.livejournal.com]

Yeah, the distance means that it's harder to schedule a visit... but the real kicker right now is money for gas. :-P

[quasigeostrophy.livejournal.com]

Yeah, a lot of meds, particularly for pain, don't seem to go too well with alcohol.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

It sure has risen, hasn't it? Bleagh! Well, if you can come down here for dinner -- I know your schedule's probably as messy as mine right now, but if and when -- I'll pitch in for gas.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Which is too bad, 'cause alcohol is a great muscle relaxant and thus helps certain sources of pain. But oh well. I'm being a VERY good girl with this foot thing, following all the rules and doing everything right, so that... um ...things heal well? ...I get a halo? Something. :-)

[abenn.livejournal.com]

Thanks, hon-- that's sweet of you. It might even be possible tomorrow, depending on when I get done with what I'm doing on the Peninsula. I'm doing a reading in the morning, and helping a friend sort out some life stuff in the afternoon. I'm not sure how long the latter will go, nor how I'll feel afterwards... would it be okay if seeing you was a last minute thing, and I let you know in the early evening? What time were you thinking of for dinner? Would we be eating at your place? (I'm assuming so..) Would you forgive me if I didn't bring anything?

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

I think since I'm back at work now, but still recovering, I'd like to delay until I have a bit more of my normal energy level. How about in a week or so?

[quasigeostrophy.livejournal.com]

Like this one?




;-)

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

BWAHAHAHAHAAAAAA! 8-) 8-)

[quasigeostrophy.livejournal.com]

*grin* Feel free to use that if you like, BTW. I couldn't resist. I was working in Photoshop anyway, and it took me less than a minute.

[abenn.livejournal.com]

Ah, I somehow missed the back at work detail. Next week might be tough-- I'll see-- but the week after should be doable.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Super - that'd work. I'll probably still be prohibited from driving at that point, so the "you drive and I buy the gas" deal sounds good.

[rampling.livejournal.com]

Hey, I did think to bring the wine -- ;) -- but I also suspected that CJ would be on meds that would would prolly ultimately end up in her saying "looks like a pretty bottle" and saving it for later. I see that was right. Another time....

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Indeed - another time! Perhaps it'll be my turn to bring something, so maybe I'll sign up for wine.

[rampling.livejournal.com]

Nah, you can bring the FONDUUUUUUUUE! Yummmmm!

[rampling.livejournal.com]

Hey, it's a pleasure to pass along the fine help and support I got in my very rough times, to get to pass it to the next person with medical challenges. Well do I know how nice a visit and a listening ear can be at certain times, so I wanted you to have that.

And, awww, you didn't have to dress up for me! But you did look adorable, of course, and you bopped around so well in your pretty purple skirt that I had no idea it was the first time you'd tried it out!

I'm glad the medical equipment was going to good use, and as I said, I'll admit to enjoying having an excuse to go cheese shopping at a genuine Cheese Shop and have to sample many cheeses to find just the right ones for you. Mmmmm, P'tit Basque! Yeah, I suffered to bring you that basket! ;)

Thank you for sharing your cheese, some fine chocolate bits, kitty scritches, your fascinating MRI pix and professional book, and (of course) your fine company.

I'm so glad we were able to have time together; it was a lovely visit! And I hope you continue to progress well. I'm impressed you made it to work! I'll just gently express my hopes that you don't overdo it there. Anyway, great news!

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Cheese cooked with wine! Perfect!

[rampling.livejournal.com]

Oh yes, quite perfect! :D

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

And indeed I thank you -- I will pass it along to the next friend in medical limbo.

I didn't so much "dress up" as get dressed. ;-) Tho I realize it's nothing you haven't seen before (mumble party). As it turns out I had also worn that skirt to surgery. You can probably see it in some of the pics. Purple's a lucky color, doncha know. Gotta go with the lucky color.

I'm sooooo grateful you were willing to torture yourself in that cheese shop. Agony! Suffering! Cheese! Heh heh.

[rampling.livejournal.com]

I'll admit to being fond of the "pay it forward" concept. :)

Oh yeah, purple is quite the lucky color -- pretty darned obvious just by looking at it!

And, yeah, for you, CJ, I braved that Cheese Shop! And should you ever get so much as a hangnail again, let me be the first to offer to brave the scary Cheese Shop for you. Or if you get split ends. Or if you get Cat Hair on your couch. Or....

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

As am I.

Oh, such bravery! Such loyalty and depth of friendship! However can I possibly repay such a sacrifice? (Get cat hair on my couch more often, you say? Okay...)

[rampling.livejournal.com]

Yeah, since getting Cat Hair on your couch is likely to be an ongoing and most intractable problem, I'm figuring many visits to the Cheese Shop with ongoing repeated ceremonial cheese-consuming rituals are just the thing that is needed! Ahhh, a plan....

[dizzdvl.livejournal.com]

You like Moonstruck chocolate? We have that here too! Yummmmy!

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Their dark chocolate is the food of the gods!

[dizzdvl.livejournal.com]

Yes it is. Yummy stuff. But then again I love love love dark chocolate. Hmmmm...I think I need to get the CB to get me some this weekend! He works close to our Moonstruck.

[mactavish.livejournal.com]

Her actual halo's a little tarnished. :)

[mactavish.livejournal.com]

Nashoba Winery in Massachusetts has chocolate fondue at their restaurant. They make it with their own raspberry wine.

[quasigeostrophy.livejournal.com]

Tarnishing it in the pic wouldn't be too difficult, either. ;-)

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Shh, don't tell!

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

That sounds delicious. Did you try it?

[mactavish.livejournal.com]

No, we were there in the morning, and the restaurant wasn't open. But we can give you directions for next time you visit Massachusetts. (We also need to cultivate Massachusetts friends who are willing to shop and ship for us, as they don't ship out of state. *sigh* Their wine isn't so expensive that it's not worth a few extra bucks a bottle in shipping.)

[mactavish.livejournal.com]

I can't imagine you not being surrounded by fabulous people, unless you intentionally hermited.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

I'll gladly accept those directions. Next time I'm in MA I probably won't have time to get there, but the time after that will be vacation and I just might. Let me know what wine you want.

[aelfie.livejournal.com]

hey, YOU try dealing with a bathroom with no good feet
Want another challenge? Get carpal tunnel surgery and try to go to the bathroom one handed.

And you know they do the dominant hand first.

But feet sound really challening too.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

*fierce blush*

Thank you.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

I don't have a hugely strongly dominant hand, but yeah, there are lots of things that are difficult to do one-handed. Particularly things you can't reach with your teeth to help out, like zippers, shoelaces, and hair ties. I've never had one hand out of commission for long, so I don't know how I'd deal.

The feet though -- gawd, I would recommend to anyone considering this surgery: think hard about whether you want both feet unusable at once. I'm VERY lucky I heal fast and am quickly moving out of the most troublesome time.

[aelfie.livejournal.com]

Good to hear it!