My fault. And it’s complicated. I usually, when finished with a book, email it to my editor/publisher. But she happened to be in the middle of the Atlantic ocean when I finished, on a boat, and I was not so sure about e-mails. So I waited. And started the next book.
The cover artist contacted me through Betsy some months back asking for info on the book—perfectly ordinary—so I answered him. Gave him details. He’s working on the cover.
Yesterday Betsy asked me when I was going to turn this book in, and turns out she was talking about the LAST book, not the one I’m about to finish. I had never sent the book.
So it’s totally my fault that we are late, late, late. It looks as if the next book will slot for January 2020.
Mea culpa. Mea maxima culpa.
The Atlantic Ocean is big and wet, and not a place where you want to drop a book you haven’t read yet.
Comment well, at least now I have a date to work towards. Reread over the Christmas break then wait for the delivery. All good.
By the way, now that alliance rising is out (though not yet crossing the pond?) When will the short be released? And will there be an ebook? (I like real books, but neither my walls nor my bookshelves are elastic).
Given I see a lot of folks have housing issues, can I just say hang in there and keep slugging? It took me six years to get double glazing in, the way I wanted it, despite being told it wasn’t possible (multiple colours and textures in an original pattern, shades of Bren’s picture windows). Now it’s in, of course, everybody has positive comments, even the glazier! (Sigh).
So, what are the titles and publishing dates again?
I think that will be Resurgence? I’m looking forward to it!
I’ve listened to all of these on Audible. I hope Daniel Thomas May can do the narration again as he’s done the rest of the series.
Emergence (Book 19) January 2018
Resurgence (Book 20) January 2020
Shit happens – but I’m surprised she didn’t have a backup way for it to be turned in.
There is. I could have sent it to the office, but the office was awash in the medical emergency that had Betsy in the middle of the Atlantic, and stuff was piling up there, so I didn’t want (ironic laughter) to complicate matters.
The medical emergency was Betsy’s husband, who had broken his leg badly in Ireland, and who couldn’t, for fear of medical consequences, fly home. She went over and got him safely home by sea.
Looking forward to it!
Oh, that is somehow comedic and reassuring! — And on the up side, it means we could get two books in rapid publishing succession…maybe. Or possibly I’m being silly and naive there with wishful thinking!
Hmm, meanwhile, there’s a second Alliance Rising volume somewhere in the process. — Is there a third planned, or is it a duology?
Nothing much special here. (Yet.) One of the two new font ideas I was workin on stalled. I’ve saved the draft in case I later want todo something with it, but something wasn’t right. It felt off. A little thought and I started another draft in a different direction, and after some sketching, I have a better idea where I want that to go, but still with too much wiggle room. It might split into two ideas, two “looks.” This is good, but wrangling all that, keeping in mind what’s what, can get messy. and wacky. — So, I am counting it as productive, if not immediately so, and not yet lucrative.
I have no idea how and why my creative mind works the way it does. LOL. I get the feeling this is normal, that it goes with the territory.
What, in the Keystone Kops Komedy that your life has been since before the kitchen remodel started, was going on at the time you were supposed to be submitting that book? As I recall, you’ve been trying to keep humpty-eleven balls in the air for well over a year now what with the remodel and various random alarums and excursions and tragic events and whatnot. Not at all surprised something like that slipped your mind. Thankfully your editor (blessings on her head) and etc., are humane beings.
I’m sure that if cars can have WiFi, that ships do, too. but, yeah. I think I would have been hesitant, too, to send, like, an entire book to somebody on a ship. Would she have had anything with enough storage to download it to? And what about data security?
Sharing now: My mom is a visual learner, which means she has a hard time with reading and following directions (especially ones that started out in Chinese and arrived at English through Google translate!) . The saying at our house was, if it was so simple a trained chimpanzee could do it, the chimpanzee would have to teach my mom how to do it. (For years now, I’ve been the designated trained chimpanzee.) She has had a flip phone for years, but she carried a typed list of phone numbers of friends and family in her purse, which she would get out when she needed to call somebody on her cell phone. (She’s 95, BTW) One day her list blew out of her hand when she was trying to make a call. When she was telling me how upset she was about it, I made her get out her laboriously reconstructed-from-the-phone-book list and entered the names and numbers into the contact list on her phone for her (she didn’t know you could do that!), and taught her how to access the list to make a call. Her friends are always telling her she needs to get a smart phone. (This is a woman who is four years older than sliced bread). Guess how hard I laughed when I saw this. https://twistedsifter.com/videos/ape-using-instagram-on-smartphone/
Wow, the video of the chimp (or perhaps bonobo) scrolling through the photos/videos on a cell phone, selecting one… going back to the main set of photos, considering & opening another… pretty fascinating thinking to watch!
WOL, I hope you’ll have a good outcome and recovery, and some friends who will come by regularly to check on you, do needed chores or errands. and so on until you’re good to go.
Ah, cell phones. — I added a cell phone to my plan for my grandmother. It lasted about a year, never used, despite repeatedly showing how to turn it on, dial a number make the call, hang up, and turn it off. I think her memory was still OK at that point, but it was “too complicated,” a piece of technology she was too unfamiliar with, dubious about. I cancelled it and returned it. Only one friend was irritated, but only because she thought she knew better and didn’t want to face that my grandmother would not use it. Everyone else knew it was sitting there plugged into the charger, untouched. She already had a phone, and why would she want to take one with her? Heh.
The clip of that chimp using that cell phone and instagram or YouTube — That right there explains a large percentage of the comments on social media! (Only I suspect the chimps might be more considerate and thoughtful.) (And I suspect the bonobos would be WAY more amorous….)
(Clearly, I was not raised a bonobo boy. — Hmm, I dunno, some nice bonobo boy…? Hahaha. Ahem. Oh, my. Well, ya just never know. — The odds of that are about as good as the odds I’ll find some nice human guy, at present. It would seem I am a lot less picky nowadays? LOL. Oh, well, it’s a thought.)
In all seriousness, though, I wonder what that chimp is thinking as he or she is going through those videos, picking one, viewing it, going back, picking another. That seems to b some high-level thinking required. So should we conclude they are far smarter than we think, and hampered by the lack of a spoken language? I am not sure what to make of that, except, that blurs the lines more than I would have thought.
And considering how the local kids sound playing, now that it’s warm enough again to be out and play a lot — There are times I could swear those are monkeys or apes and nt human children. But they are, yes, very much human kids of all kinds. — That too, blurs the comfortable lines. “Civilization? Socialization?” I wonder sometimes if we humans flatter ourselves with how smart and civilized and moral we think we are. — How much of what we do still has nothing to do with being “intelligent” or “civilized” and everything to do with instinct, raw emotion, built-in behaviors? Even animals can show some “moral” kinds of behavior and “courtesy” to fit their species’ behavior. Yet somehow, we humans do have things built on top of that base of instincts that are…emergent characteristics? More complex things arising out of conscious intelligence? Something beyond those basics, anyway, that do mark a leap separate from the (other) apes. — But how much of that less than 1% or 2% difference between us and the apes would make them another intelligent ape species? And might that emerge, if given enough time, and assuming they don’t go extinct from human interference?
I wonder, too, about dolphins and whales. They don’t have hands (or thumbs) so they don’t have tactile technology. Yet they have some abilities beyond other animals, possibly including beyond apes. I was surprised seeing a few recent things on dolphin behavior.
I do wonder if we need a category of “proto-sapient” or “semi-sapient” rights for higher animals, given that those lines seem to blur with early human infants’ and toddlers’ intelligences to some extent. — Pell must have had to do something like that for the Downer-folk.
Be it noted, I have so far not received a bouquet of flowers from any bonobo boys. Nor, be it noted, any expressions of affection from any human guys. Hmm. Well, I suppose if he’s a bit furry and short but very, er, affectionate, uh…. Oh, I don’t know. At this point, possibly I should not rule it out. 😀
Knee replacement surgery is happening Friday (5/10). Still wrangling about the after care — I live alone. My only caregiver is 95 and doesn’t live with me. My duplex has a sunken living room between the front door and the rest of the stupid house. Life is about to get interestinger chez moi.
Good luck with that knee surgery, WOL… and, yes, with the recovery at home afterwards. Any neighbors or friends about who can come by several times a day (although I presume you’ll need more help at first)?
I’ll be thinking of you on the 10th.
Yes, wishing for a good outcome for you. Won’t they send you to rehab first? A male friend of ours had a knee replacement a while back and went to rehab after. One of the tasks they wanted him to perform before they deemed him ready to leave rehab and go home was to cook breakfast for himself. He took umbrage, because he never cooks breakfast. I think he managed to get out without cooking eggs and bacon though.
Just an idea… Put a graduated series of stacked books that are not treasures at the strp down, making what amounts to a gradual ramp.
You take care and do good. Maybe just ignoring the door until you can negotiate that step. Do give your caregiver a key — maybe ask her to use her contacts to find you a temp jr. house-keeper for the first week?
WOL, I know Paul’s suggestion sounds good but believe me, the ramp idea is a no-go. The angle destabilizes your foot leading to stress on the knee. I didn’t have problems with single steps while using a walker or a cane, but uneven sloping floors were the pits. In 2013 when I had my second knee replacement, I had a medical mishap which resulted in “drop toe” making my gait similar to a person with cerebral palsy. I couldn’t feel my toes and couldn’t lift my toes on the operated foot in order to flatten the foot. It took almost two years to recover nerve control. In the meantime I wore a below the knee brace. I thought that drop toe was an uncommon occurrence, but last week a dear friend of mine suffered the same fate during her first knee replacement.
The upshoot is that I am revising the advice I give to other knee replacement candidates: 1) Remove any throw rugs or loose objects from foot paths (this includes bath mats). You want a stable, non-movable surface under your feet, and pathways wide enough for a zimmer frame (walker).
2) Do all of your laundry and dishwashing before you go in to the hospital.
3) Have disposable plates, bowls, cups, and cutlery. You aren’t going to want to be washing dishes.
4) Have plenty of food stuffs that don’t take a lot of standing to prepare. Frozen single servings of meals are your friend. If you have them, then any visitors you get, will feel that they are helping you when they fix a single serving. You won’t have the energy to go grocery shopping for a couple of weeks at least. Include snacks, fruit, crackers, cheese, and soft drinks for a jolt of energy when you are feeling down.
5) If possible have a cooler for snacks and drinks by your bed, and a comfortable reading chair. Have plenty of light reading books. The brain fog is real. Additionally, you aren’t going to want to lay down all the time, but having a chair with a footstool and a handy pillow and throw will be comforting.
6) Have plastic bags and trash bags in your bedroom and bathroom. A roll of duct tape and a pair if scissors with them is also useful.
7) Getting to/from the bathroom in a hurry will be a chore. I recommend having a supply of incontinence panties and sanitary wipes in case you can’t get to the bathroom in time, plus you don’t have to do laundry of your unmentionables for a couple of weeks.
8) Have a container with a cross-body or shoulder strap that you can use in place of a tray to carry stuff between rooms. Trays usually require two hands; maneuvering a walker or cane automatically takes up at least one hand if not both.
9) Place a key outside your apartment (with a neighbor or friend or with the manager) so that if you need outside help they don’t need to break in.
10) Tell your surgeon and your anesthesiologist that you are worried about drop toe caused by the surgical tourniquet. Ask for him/her to be very mindful (usually it is the anesthesiologist who monitors the tourniquet whether or not the surgeon applies it.) Letting your surgical team know that you are apprehensive will hopefully raise their awareness and speed the procedure (thus reducing the chances of neural atrophy).
I was thinking more of something that made tiny steps, rather than an angled ramp, hence “what amounts to”.
[I’ve got a synovial cyst down at L5 that presses on nerve roots in the spine, and get (hopefully annual) steroid injections. I too have had “foot flop”.]
Personal Update: New Wrinkle! So, I found out why my friend hadn’t been back in contact with me. (Dang it, why couldn’t he have called to tell me?) — One of the potential rent houses has had a problem and an eviction is proceeding, which means a delay past when my apartment lease comes due for renewal. But if I were to renew here for month-to-month or for 6 months, then I might get that rent house. Of course, there are likely to be cleanup and repairs due once the former tenants are out, so that 6 month time frame is the most likely. The other house is further away, but has been newly renovated, so is essentially new. This could be good. So, yay, I am now scheduled to see the one further out, tomorrow, and potentially others that might be in the area. So, new plan, I may be here another 6 months and renew for that period. Well, OK, that works, if it gets me a good deal. An update, cost-wise, I would be paying about the same as I am now paying for apt. + storage, so not really a cost savings, but it would get me my own place with rent-to-own going on, and more freedom, a better deal overall. So I am still excited about this. But oh, it’s going to be a wild ride, however this works out.
The available house sounds further out than I want, but is otherwise a good deal, it sounds like. I’ll have more of an opinion when I see it if I like it and like the deal. The one closer in is also closer to the friend’s house, which is (maybe) handy. So after cleanup and repairs, it could be the better deal. Once I can see it also, I’ll know what I think. But I think I’d prefer it. I feel pretty confident any repairs would get done before I move in, and anything discovered after, we could work out.
So, well, life continues to be “interesting,” haha, but this is still working out. — I am excited at the possibility of having my own house again, working towards ownership and stability, and having the freedom to do more and make progress.
It is spring, so we are alternating between muggy (humid) and sunny or muggy and rainy, and warm to warm/hot to hot, not yet to fiendishly scorching (but always humid). But that is normal for here. Right now, temps and precip are normal for the season. But I am anticipating we’ll have a hotter summer, continuing the upward global warming trend we’ve had for the last, oh, ten to twenty years. :-/ But that’s how it is. — Normal for here, probably much the same where other fans in Texas, Louisiana, and along the rest of the Gulf Coast are.
I realized too, local rain may be a good thing: It might allow me to see if the property is prone to flooding, and moving in this summer couldd also help towards knowing how prepared a new place would be for hurricane prep. I want to remember to discuss that with my friend, re, getting boards in to cover windows, and similar precautions, as needed before any severe hurricane. We are, probably, not due for another major one, I hope, since we had Harvey so recently. But one does not want to tempt fate like that. The last three years have surely shown that life along the Gulf Coast is no longer as sure, with regard to hurricanes, as it used to be. I do hope having multiple major storms in one summer was a fluke. Just don’t know.
@BCS, can you check if the house you will be looking at is in a flood-prone area?
If it’s just been renovated, is that because it got flooded last year?
With increasing risk of large storms and flooding in the future, renting to buy in a flood basin may not be a good investment.
Once I have the addresses of the two (or more) houses, I should be able to check online to see if they’re in the hundred year flood plain area.
However, longer-term, well…. My entire city / county is fairly low elevation above sea level, and depending on how high sea levels rise in the next 25 to 50 years, that could determine how livable or flood-able the entire area is. Even a fewmeters’ rise in sea level is projected to have dire consequences worldwide for coastal or low-lying areas. So in that way, Houston is not too different than (surprisingly) many of the world’s major cities. — The “Galveston Seawall,” for instance, is not like the system of locks that help guard the Netherlands’ coast. (Looking toward the future, something like that may be needed for many world cities, or else a whole lot of people will be forced to move inland over the next 50, 100, or more years.)
The apartment complex where I am now did surprisingly well during the latest major hurricane (Harvey), and so did my former house and where my parents used to live. — But yes, here, that’s increasingly a concern. Seeing a potential property during/after heavy rains is just one step.
Hmm, word is, the kitchen cabinets may be installed there tomorrow, and the granite countertops. My friend is playing up that house, but I am leaning toward the idea it’s too far out. (Distance rather than price.) My current expectation is to extend my lease here for another 6 months, at which time (or sooner) the other house may be ready. Although I’m more or less familiar with the area where that house is, yes, I’d still want to check the flood plain status. (The “hundred year flood plain” is typically how it’s referred to hear.)
Besides things like flooding, due to our climate, anywhere near the Gulf Coast for quite a ways inland, it’s common for buildings to be either torn down entirely or basically gutted and rebuilt. Things like mold and mildew, wood rot, termite damage, other insects, rodents, are a possibility, because it’s typically a hot and humid climate with short periods of light to heavy freezing in winters. It’s technically still temperate rather than subtropical, but that might be splitting hairs as time goes on and global warming increases. Translation: bugs and fungi love it, it’s paradise. So long-term, buildings tend to accumulate things unseen. Renovations (and gentrification) are becoming more common as population increases and resources become scarcer. (Ultimately, we’re probably starting to get what Europeans have done for centuries, building and remodeling from what’s already there.)
But that said, yes, due to things like Harvey or potential flooding, it’s something potential buyers should look into.
I’m not expecting to make a decision about the house for a couple of days after I’ve seen it; but currently, my thinking is to wait 6 months and see about the other house. I may ask to drive around that neighborhood to get an idea of what’s where. Once that house is available to look at, even if it’s still in need of cleanup and repair, I’ll want to do so.
Before, I’d had help in finding a house. This time, it’s on my own and with help from this friend, but who is motivated to profit too. That’s OK. I’m learning as I go, too. 🙂
Looks like we’re getting continued intermittent heavy rains tonight.
Sea level rise will do a number on the Bay Area from San Jose all the way to Sacramento and well south of Stockton. (Sacramento and Stockton are both deep-water ports. For Stockton, they just keep a channel dredged in the river. Sacramento has an actual purpose-built channel that bypasses the river.) Much of Southern California’s coastal areas won’t be helped – generally the ones that are most desirable in terms of real estate. Kiss several major airports goodbye, too.
Hello All, haven’t been logged in for a bit, but have been reading and checking in. WOL, I wanted to wish you all the best on you upcoming knee replacement surgery. I will also be thinking of you. Hope you have some simple knitting lined up. I’ve been working on (and alternately cursing at LOL) a lovely brioche lace shawl, almost halfway done now.
CJ, hope Jane is doing well, and I’m sure that and the missing book have been distressing for you. I’ve recently finally got to read Alliance Rising and … WOW, loved it. So I shall wait patiently, and re-read from my C. J. Cherryh library while I wait 🙂
Grandson update: He turns 12 in June. We spent a week with him last month, while his dad went to paramedic refresh courses, and mom went to the national academic librarians conference in Cleveland. We all got little gifts from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame … librarians are cool! Our boy continues to proclaim he hates to read … and could be found up in a tree with a book, or sprawled on our travel trailer’s sofa with a book or … LOL. He’s currently plowing through Harry Potter books … again. Only this time, in Spanish. He’s not quite through all the books I got from your generous recommendations but he’s getting there. Sometimes he has to choose a different book, as his mom is also working her way through the same books … happily so. High praise from a librarian with sophisticated tastes in books. So THANK YOU all. Be well everyone.
When my brother and I were reading the same book we used the double bookmark paradigm.
(I am not sure if I am really back in the habit yet, but I have been reading every day or every other day now for a while. I don’t quite know what to make of the book / author; this one’s non-fiction after reading one fiction book of his I also did not know what to make of, or else I’d recommend them. If I get back into a regular reading habit and into studying on any regular basis, then I will say I’m back to reading again. I hope so; I have really missed it.)
Cathy, it is fantastic to hear your grandson is reading, even if he claims he doesn’t like it. Haha, I wonder if maybe he thinks he’s supposed to be cooler and more macho by claiming he doesn’t like reading. Possibly if he sees other boys his age who are cool and like to read, or older boys and young guys (not anybody so dreadfully uncool as, you know, parents and such, LOL) it might help. Also, once he starts noticing girls (or boys) like smart boys, that could cause a sudden uptick in reading. 😀 But maybe he will get more comfortable with it on his own. — He is doing better with his Spanish than I am with my review / relearning. I hope to get into a regular habit. He has an advantage: my first foreign language class was only in 7th grade. It’s good he’s doing so well with it, and maybe he’ll branch out with another language before college. — While I’d happily recommend French or any other European language, he might even try Vietnamese or Chinese, Japanese, or Korean, all of which would be unusual and good for future job skills; and all of which communities are still growing here in the USA. That would be some pretty serious language study, but he’s showing interest and skill at Spanish, so why not throw another language in while he’s still in prime language learning years? Just a thought. Hindi could also be handy. (Sorry for that pun. Really.) But India and Pakistan, and the American and British communities of immigrants and descendants, mean Hindi is also potentially important. Again, just a thought.
There are a few books out there for Stranger Things fans, an official companion guide, at least one print novel, and one new graphic novel, if he likes the show. (When I was a high school kid, two junior high / middle school boys, older and younger, whom I knew were big fans of the old monster movies and D&D, so kids today may love Stranger Things. Season 3 airs July 4th.) There’s also an Orville world of / art of book out now.
I have not read the Artemus Fowl books, but I keep seeing those; they’re geared for juvenile / teen readers and I keep hearing they’re good, fun reads for adults too.
—–
Personal Update: Progress! I got to see two rent houses and we went by and picked up packages from the apartment office. Huzzah, a pail of cat litter and miscellaneous other stuff is now mine! Heh. — The two rent houses are further in toward downtown, but not too close to it. Also not too close to here or to where local friends or past friends are.
I am leaning towards holding out for the other one closer to that friend. This would mean that 6 months’ lease additional. Of the two I saw, one is smaller and seemed nice, and the neighborhood looked quiet despite burglar bars on windows and doors. It might be a good deal. The other is still being renovated but should be done by Friday. It is larger, either the right side or too big, and has a large yard, and looked good. Even with counters, cabinets, sinks, and fencing needing to go in, it is going to be a nice looking place. Both are middle class or older mostly minority neighborhoods, Hispanic and black and Asian, mostly. I’m just not quite sold on either, but they were both nice.
We discussed a few things; I asked about a better light and/or celiing fan for one of these for the living room, and he liked that idea, so it may get put in to entice whoever buys it.
Given what we discussed re, renting for a year, then expected downpayment if I opt for rent-to-own, that sounded doable, especially if I can get my income up through investing and through (finally) getting fits sold when those are ready. So I will be very motivated to get those going faster to completion. Yay, got a new version update on one of the programs too.
This continues to look like both a risk and an opportunity for a better situation for me. So I’m excited.
Further thinking gave me a crazy idea. I floated this idea past the friend. I am not yet sure if it’s doable, but maybe. My friend will be looking for possibilities at my request. — It struck me (duh) that I am in a better situation now to put down a downpayment and make payments, than I might be after a year’s rent payments and spending. These are the friends who’d purchased and renovated my former home. The rental properties, newly ready, which he was showing me are ones they’ve worked on. Shortly after moving in here, I’d put in a small investment amount and have kept that going, towards their renovation projects. So…. (duh) Why not put that towards a renovation project for a home for myself. I’d have a say in what I wanted done to it and would get essentially a newly-built house, with, gulp, making a downpayment out of the investment I’d done, then assuming monthly payments, taxes, etc. — They benefit, I benefit by having a home I’m working towards buying, rather than only renting, and it would allow me to continue investing to built towards a future again, while pursuing my own projects (fonts, at least). That would allow a great outcome for me and a good outcome for them. — That comes due right within a window to jump on this, if so. So… I asked him to look for potential houses within a given area, and if one is suitable, we can look at it, decide, and move forward. They benefit from the investment and renovation work. I benefit from same, plus I get a home I’d be working towards owning, with some things I get to choose; potentially a good bit. I’d continue with them, which keeps everyone happy, and I get to be in a potentially better position toward my future, more stable, anyway, with an asset to use if need be; but hopefully, letting it gain in value and my share of ownership via the mortgage, etc.
Starting in on that now, rather than renting for a year and then making a downpayment, emend smarter. — The trick is to find a good fit, affordable and nice and in the area I want or am familiar with. And hopefully, that gives me a leg u to keep on building a future. My savings is too low to buy a house outright, and until I”m self-supporting fully again, my savings has to go toward rent, living expenses, and so on. — I can do more now than I can be sure I’ll be able to do a year from now.
So, he’s going to look for possible properties to renovate that would suit me. I am therefore now expecting to renew my apt. lease for six months, since it will take four months or so do to a renovation, or longer.
I told him I’d prefer that than the two houses I saw today, though they are nice. The burglar bars on the one? First off, they had put up the same on my former home, since the neighborhood had had a recent break-in. Second, oh, he said it was common to put up burglar bars on a building site to prevent equipment and materials and appliances from walking off. Oh, well, of course, I should’ve thought of that. They then remove them afterward, before showing the house for prospective buyers.
One key idea here is, part of my investment could be used as the downpayment, so I wouldn’t have to be further out of pocket.
This is crazy enough to work better than the original plan. — If it’s affordable. — I am brand new at this. I had help from family friends, an attorney and a real estate agent he knew, when I’d purchased my home before, so it was too easy to me. This will be more on my own, with help from these friends.
I just may slip back into the middle class again, with options again. If I can just keep it going and build up my income to become independent and self-supporting.
So, well, it might work We’ll see. — Note this could mean I stay packed up for about 6 months, LOL.
Folks, I am new at this. This is a first step for me, back towards staying stable and self-supporting. I know others have mentioned rent houses. I hope my saying this is OK for the blog. I’m trying to learn as I go.
Well, pshaw! The orthopedic surgeon’s office had been trying to reach me and missed me because I was out all day yesterday getting lab work, doing paperwork, etc. Reason? Unexpected out of town trip by the surgeon Monday. Surgery is rescheduled for 5/24. Still get a new knee for my birthday, just a belated b-day present. In a way, it eases the pressure of all the dang things I have to get done beforehand.
Thanks, dear salads, for all the good wishes. Much appreciated.
Wanted to share the work of this extraordinary lady. http://www.jackiemorris.co.uk/blog/wrapped-in-work-and-happy-at-home/
There’s a painting she did about halfway down of a lady with a parasol. Made me think of some people I know of in Spokane. . . .
That happened to me last year. Some kind of emergency, surgery pushed back four weeks. And the follow-up appointment I had last month with the radiation guy: something came up and they had to reschedule, and then after that I got a jury summons for that week, so it’s pushed back another two weeks.
WOL, thank you for that link!
What a wonderful artist, and quite new to me.
Wow, it’s good to hear everyone with progress in their lives. Things here have kind of stalled, so forward movement is good; it tells me hope is available and viable. DH is making noises about closing the computer shop, after several lackluster months that have hurt income, and the probability of losing the office manager. I’m catching flak at work about a broken public printer that no one seems able to navigate the bureaucracy and replace. Digging our way out of the mess is slow and strenuous and uncertain.
I looked up the book recommendations that were given to Cathy in PA last year. One of Hanneke’s recommendations, The Children of Green Knowe by Lucy M. Boston, looked so good from the sample that I bought the Kindle book and couldn’t put it down until I finished it. A wonderful story, and new to me! Now I have to get the rest of the series.
The BBC made a four-part TV series of the first book in 1986, which is available on YouTube here. They don’t seem to have ever issued it on DVD.
That got me curious and I looked it up on Amazon in the US. There is a DVD available for Region 2 players only, English, 1 disc. Amazon’s ID for it: ASIN: B01ATQW9RQ ; the price is US $13.79 and up, at least one copy on offer. I don’t see any Region 1 or region less or other regions available. Oh, how I wish they would realize they could sell more videos and books if they’d sell them to all regions, globally.
I see a couple of box sets of paperbacks, and single volumes, but it looks like I’ll have to hunt for Kindle editions. The paperbacks have charming covers in at least an old painterly style and a fresh cartoon style, thankfully not the current fad for manga styles, which don’t always fit. So there’s a choice of good cover art depending on which edition one gets.
I hadn’t gotten one when Hanneke listed those, but on the strength of that, I’m going to get at least the first volume, maybe a box set if it’s available for Kindle. The titles sound like good Juvenile adventure tales. (I firmly believe if a story is told really well, then whether it’s a “young adult / juvenile / teen” story doesn’t matter. If it’s good, adults should like it too, and younger readers will like the challenge.
It looks like there are at least 10 volumes in the series, and partial or complete series box sets. ($60 bucks is a good price these days for a large box set of 10 or so books. That’s about the price for 5 paperbacks now.) (I remember paying $1.25 for many SF&F paperbacks when I was a kid in the 70’s. My allowance typically went into trips to B. Dalton’s or Waldenbooks back then. Heh. (It should have also gone into other juv. and adult books, such as classic lit. Oh well, I loved the books I read, and I did read books on the lists for school, but not enough, I now think.)
Yes, the Greene Knowe series of books are fantastic! I have strong memories of them… and indeed should go read them again!
Whoa. We are getting HAIL! In the middle of May. Are you kidding me? Yes, real hail.
Yesterday, one of the more upscale developments, Kingwood, got heavy flooding. Although they were not flooded during Harvey, they had been from one other hurricane. For them to be flooded from this round of heavy thunderstorms is surprising. So they are in for more over the next few days of heavy rain.
Weird. High wind, hail, heavy rain…possible tornado weather, though I haven’t seen a warning. In the morning, I will look front and back to check on apt. windows and for any other damage. Car roofs and the carport roofing for the apartments may take a beating. — Heard one teen outside say something rather colorful. I guess he was going to pick up a hailstone, and got beaned. Ouch. One, ah, cannot fault him for the f-bomb. Pretty sure if a hailstone hit me, I would not be too pleased either.
Well, it may be an interesting night; or at least for the next half hour or so. Wheeee….
Hail. Aside from the hail and tornado that hit my former house during Tropical Storm Allison, it has been a very long time since I’ve seen hail here when it wasn’t winter / cold weather. (Our highs this week have been mid-80’s, lows mid-70’s, which is typical to cooler for this time of year, when 90’s in the day and upper 70’s at night are more common.)
Don’t know what size that hail is, but it’s more steady than I would like. Unnerving for spring/summer, let me tell you. — Take care, everyone. Should be fine here, but neighbors and I are noticing. — Goober’s with me and the carrier’s in the other room, IF needed (doubt it). We should be fine.
About the second time I found a DVD I really wanted, but it was not playable in my region, I found a DVD player on Amazon that will play DVDs from any region, and bought that sucker. (You can pick one up for under $30.) I don’t take thwarting kindly.
Oops, never mind. Forget I said anything. (blush)
Really Paul, if you haven’t had the surgery, you would have no way of knowing. The things one doesn’t understand about a task before undertaking it, even with reading and instruction, are a wonderment! WOL will doubtless come forth with new cautions for us. Hands on is as different from education as real practice is from written standards.
Oh, I am aware! I have a synovial cyst inside my spine at L4-L5 that presses on nerves going down my legs and feet. [See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dermatome_(anatomy) ]. I’ve been going in for steroid facet joint injections approximately once a year for 5 years or so. It’s happening right now, causing level 9 pain in my right big toe and ball of the foot that woke me at 04:45AM Tuedsay! Going in Tuesday morning for another.
I live on 5A and do a lot of physical labor to keep it up. That means a lot of movement, bending, stooping, carrying, all kinds of activity just meant to aggriavate it. Last month it was chain sawing a rotten ancient Esopus Spitzenberg apple tree half destroyed by two winters of storms. So all that stuff holding and using a moderately heavy chainsaw. This was not a surprize. But I’m not finished! I should have sprayed my 3/4A U-Cut Xmas tree field last month with my backpack sprayer, and still must.
This synovial cyst isn’t going away on its own. I’m considering a cystectomy, but it may involve a laminectomy and fusion. It’s a very scarey consideration [See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cauda_equina ], adverse consequences are severe, though they have new minimally invasive techniques that aid recovery, an important consideration for an old bachelor living alone.
“Forget I said anything”… (Things suddenly looked different, but it was because I had changed screen resolutions. I normally use 800×600 because it’s easier to read.)
I’ve kind of been through this knee surgery thing already. In 1990, I broke the kneecap on the knee that’s getting replaced, and had a K-wire fixation of the kneecap to allow the break to heal. I was in a knee immobilizer for a while, and on crutches and a walker. I also had to do rehab. A lot of the stuff I learned then will be relevant to my upcoming situation, including how to do steps (I lived in a second floor apartment with no elevator!). Whether stepping up or down, the good knee does the lifting. You step down onto your bad foot, you step up with your good foot. When I started rehab, there was a 3-inch difference in the circumference of my thighs just above my knee due to quad atrophy in my bad leg and quad strengthening in the good leg — which was doing all the work. I’ve taken the advice about the paper plates and cups and cutlery, and I’ve done some rethinking of furniture placement. Since my computer chair is a recliner, I’ll be able to sit comfortably at the computer. It’s pretty much a given that I’ll go to an extended care facility as they’re only going to keep me in the hospital over night, two days at the most. I’ll also have to have home health for bathing and rehab. I won’t be able to drive for at least a month, maybe longer. Thank goodness my mom is still active and can still drive.
I have arthritis in one knee, and I’ve learned that there are Things I Shouldn’t Do – like stepping up on it with my full (120-pound) weight. Or squatting down in a store, to look at something on the bottom shelves – it’s hard getting back up. A 90-degree bend, on the other hand, is doable. (I’ve had it feel like the shin bone is going to come straight up through the joint, sometimes, when I step with that leg. Not Fun At All.)
I’ve had problems rising from a squatting or kneeling position, not surprizing since I once weighted about 280#. (And only 202# this morning!) The technique I discovered is to “bounce up”. Rather than doing a straight “deadlift” push up, I’d just push up a little bit then quickly relax and let myself return to the “down” position. When I hit there THEN I’d find a little of a rebound effect, and use that with a concentrated push to get erect. It helps a lot. Part of what it does I think is coordinate timing. Back then sometimes I’d have to bounce twice. And 280# DOES do a number on one’s knees!
The best I can describe it is, it’s like it locks when it’s bent more than 90 degrees, and doesn’t want to straighten without some effort. (Sometimes I’m in a place where I can kind of roll sideways and get the knee on the ground/floor under me. That helps.)