Frankfurt to Nuremburg....2013

For two years I have been blocked  out of my blog...... then today it pops up and encourages me to post....go figure.  The timing however is great.  We just returned from a trip to Germany.

We slid into Frankfurt late in the afternoon...well, not that late, but considering it gets dark by 4 PM late is realtive.   The Freya was docked by the old medieval dowtown.  The Christmas Market was still at full tilt so we walked down the cobblestone walk by the river to the old part of town.  I have to say  I was not all that impressed. Perhaps because it was a small market, but it reminded me of the county fair with varieties of German food everywhere I looked.  Most impressive was the old carousel, blinking and playing its typical music.  There were as many adults riding it as children.

Jim and I were amused that Frankfurt is billed as a “bustling city of commerce, full of vertiginous sky scrapers, slick city bankers and vast international trade fairs.”  We did not see a building over 20 stories and only about 4 of those.  It is however the birthplace of Anne Frank..certainly noteable.

Retrospsect on Major Surgery--be prepared!!

Retrospect on Major Surgery--today has been 


turning point.

For the past 5 or so years I had been experiecing severe pain in my spine. At 56, I had done the usual list of things we are instructed NOT to coin life; carrying a bicycle up 6 fights of dorm stairs to and from class several times a day, being on the bottom side of an oak table going up stairs with my husband saying, “Oh you can do it, you can do it,” carrying two toddlers each over the weight of 30lbs, their backpacks, my make up bag, and two rolly suitcases the length of the Munich airport three times, loading numerous bicycles on to bike racks, skisracks...and well need I contine?..carrying mattresses from one college apt. alone and and helping my son do a lift on his truck not realizing I would be part of the lift, and so on...my back had been abused.  This advise is for those who had also experienced these types of abuse.

 

The Surgeon


Make sure they are old enough to have their driver’s license. Otherwise, the younger they are, the better. They have been trained on the latest techniques have no old outdated techniques to forget or revert back to and have the best physical agility needed for surgery.

Spinal Surgery prep:


Think happy thoughts
Treat your spouse like a royaly for the 3 weeks prior to surgery, favorite restaurants, as much golf/masagases,manicure, pedicures as they want, lots of sex, steak and anything they desire.
If they will not be providing your care after surgery,forget all of the above, find someone who is patient, can tolerate loud screaming, and can assist you for two weeks.
Ask for prayers from everyone--even homeless people 
For the remaining children still imprisoned in your home--make up a collection (well hidden) of things to be used as bribes.
Buy a bed tray for meals to be served on.
Buy some long comfy COTTON* night gowns(men too) so that nothing-nothing will touch you around your incisision waistline area, and you will not need a robe.
*Cotton is an absorbent fabric and will breathe. Nylon, polyester or other man-mades will not breathe, can stick to a wound and cause an infection.

Spinal Surgery Day

No no one ever explained the WHY of this before to me. “No make-up, lotions, alcohol,moisturisers, creme rinses in your hair, hair spray, hair gels etc”----WHY? because with the high oxygen invironment in in OR you can catch ON FIRE!!!

WAS THIS NOT IMPORTANT ENOUGH TO TELL ANYONE BEFORE NOW???????

So...arrive ready for surgery looking like a homeless person......wear as few clothes as possible, and bring your own overnight bag. The white ones from the hospital are all alike and can get mixed up.

After Surgery

Stay as long at the hospital as they will let you. They are being RATED ON THE CARE THEY GIVE YOU.....NO ONE AT HOME gets a rating.....!
Don’t climb stairs and convince your family the only thing the Dr. allows you to do is talk, eat and walk to the bathroom. Have a great recovery!!

Christmas at Hayes House

In the last 4 or 5 years our Christmas's have been different from years before.  I had lost my parents in 2007 and 2008.  We had spent all of or at least part of every Christmas with them and our kids.  Our kids have grown up and moved away, so holidays have been quiet and lonely.  This year we decided to approach it a different way and just enjoy the season regardless of who does or doesn't come.

All the neighbors put up their lights and the various neighborhood Christmas events began.

We decorated our tree--putting the toddler friendly ornaments on the bottom, helped with the neighborhood celebration and made our own plans.  The the week after Thanksgiving our son came to visit.  It was  great surprise since we hadn't seen him since the summer.  We had a chance to celebrate Thanksgiving, Christmas and his birthday with him.  He arrived just in time to enjoy our first snow of the season.

Looking down our street

Austin at the TExas Tech seal on campus.

A week later our daughter and two granddaughters  came for the weekend.  We celebrated Christmas with them.  There is nothing quite like Christmas with little ones around.  The only thing missing was our son-in-law, Adam, and it would have been perfect. He was home working on a final project for a class at TCU.

Maisie and Alice in their Christmas dresses.

We surprised Erin, Adam and the girls with a bike carriage for the girls, and bicycles for Erin and Adam.

Maisie declared that the trailer was not a trailer but a carriage...like Cinderella's.

Erin and Maisie took off on their trial run in the rain.

We couldn't tell though who was more excited about the carriage and bike, Maisie or Erin.

Little Alice had grown so much and we could even see that she now has hair.  She is bright eyed and wants anyone who comes along to pick her up.  Her favorite activity seemed to be keeping an eye on all the lights on the Christmas tree.

Since Jim is a birder our tree is decorated with about 100 different kinds of birds.  Erin came in the front door yelling, "There is a  bird on the tree! I yelled back, "Yeah about 100  of them."
She said, "No no a bird flew in the door when I came in."  I looked up and there was a little male house finch sitting on top of the Christmas tree.  After opening the doors and some careful herding, we managed to hustle him back out the front door.  I guess birds get cold too.

I hope everyone else's Christmas is as fun and joyous as ours has been.  Christmas can be any day you make it!!

Merry Christmas!!