My Life the Last Five Weeks

It has been quite some time since I wrote. On June 25 I had a bunionectomy on my left foot. I’ve talked to people who’s bunions were excruciatingly painful and so was the surgery. Mine didn’t even ache until the weekend before the surgery. Up until then I was debating whether or not to cancel the surgery. I took the aching as a sing to have it. The bunion didn’t really bother me but my doctor, a podiatrist, told me that the fact that I have calluses on the protrusion that resulted in the bunion meant it was rubbing which means that I could get a diabetic ulcer. I have taken care of people with diabetic ulcers and know they are very hard to get rid of. So between that and the aching I decided to have it. My pain was easily controlled with the pain pills. I had to wear a special shoe for 3 ½ weeks. I couldn’t take a shower for 12 days….just spit bathes as I called them. I have been wearing a matched pair of shoes since last Tuesday. The doctor advised me to wear exercise type shoes (what we used to call tenny runners) because they would keep my foot from swelling. ( wondered about that because it is soo confining. But he was right. It swells less when I wear those shoes than when I don’t.) I have mostly done that wearing them to the FHC and to church. Yesterday we didn’t go the FHC because it was the 24th of July. We don’t celebrate the 24th on the 24th so it must have been a directive from SLC. Anyway, I had the surgery done then because we had a two week hiatus or vacation while the FHC was thoroughly cleaned. I spent the first week literally just sitting in my recliner with my left leg on two pillows with frozen peas & carrots or corn on my foot. The Sunday after, I went to just sacrament meeting. I used my wheelchair which caused a lot of attention. But with it I was able to keep my left leg up. I did most of the cooking fixing quick simple meals. But that was about all I did for two weeks. I wore my Cherokee sandel on my right foot. It was the shoe that had a little more than an inch sole to almost match the sole on my special shoe. But I wobbled. Altho’, I have been wearing a matched pair since Tuesday, I have noticed that I still don’t quite walk naturally as I did before.

I spent the 4th of July sitting in my chair. They celebrated on the 3rd here. Both days I spent in my chair. I couldn’t have gone anywhere to see the parade or fireworks and not have my leg hanging down. We watch Macy’s 4th of July, and the Boston Pops 4th of July. On the 5th we watched A Capitol 4th that I had recorded the evening before from PBS. They all were very good. Lovely music and beautiful fireworks. Of course, they aren’t nearly as pretty as in real life. As I was sitting in sacrament meeting that day, pondering our wonderful country and the many blessings I enjoy, the tho’t came to me: it really is appropriate to”celebrate” the 4th of July at church. There is no better place to worship our Heavenly Father and thank Him for the gifts of this country and our forefathers and what they did.

We returned to the FHC Wednesday July 7th. We took my wheel chair with me because I wasn’t sure how long I could sit with my foot down. I went about two and a half hours, then my sweetheart went out and got the wheel chair out of the car. I was glad that we had taken it. We took it Saturday also, but I was so busy helping others at the computer that I didn’t have a chance to use it. I wouldn’t have been nearly as effective if I had been in the w/c because I couldn’t have gotten close enough to the person I was helping and the computer. I also had my class to teach Saturday as well. And the w/c wouldn’t have worked there at all. By the time the class was over with, there was less than an hour left and we could go home. I haven’t used the w/c since.

On July 14, Elder Lyon, the director for the FHC came in. We usually don’t see him on Wednesday afternoon. He only works ½ day that day and usually is there in the morning. We don’t start our shift until 1:00 pm. Anyway, he was there then. And he came up to me and asked if I could visit with him for a few minutes. So went with him to his office. He started by asking me how my foot was and what I had done with it. He then asked me to be an assistant director taking the Caseau’s place after their mission ends August 19. So I won’t start until about the middle of August. There are eight assistant directors who help the director and supervise each of the shifts. They have weekly meetings, Monday morning at 9:00. He asked me if I tho’t I could do two days in a row. I told him that I have been very glad over the years that my days are split. I’m not to tell anyone. I have told my family but they all live away from here so that’s OK. He’ll probably announce it to the board tomorrow or maybe not till next week, but then for sure.

Thursday, Karl’s cousin called and told us that Uncle Lee had called her and told her that he was in Island Park for a family reunion and was getting married the next evening. We got to talking and decided since we didn’t have anything to do that evening and more importantly, we didn’t need to go to the FHC the next day, we would go. We didn’t know for sure how long it would take to drive there and had no idea where the church was. When we got to Island Park we stopped at the first gas station we saw. I had my missionary name tag on since I was in Sunday clothes. The young man asked if we were asking about the LDS church. I told him yes. I was surprised to learn there was one there. The last time we had been up there, we still had all of our children were home. In fact, Richard probably wasn’t born yet. And they didn’t have an LDS church there then. It was quite interesting. They had a notice on the door stating that they had sacrament meetings at 9:00 and 11:00 am and 9:00 pm. They were telling us that they had 2,000 people attending some of those meeting….it didn’t sound like a total for the day. It was good to see Uncle Lee and meet his new wife. They have been neighbors the last five years. Aunt Aileen died the beginning of this year. Uncle Lee explained that Carol was alone and he was alone and it just made sense to get married. She had only been baptized a month or so but after a year she had agreed to be sealed to him in the temple. They looked very happy. All of Uncle Lee’s children were there. It was good to talk to each one of them. We were made very much welcome. We didn’t get home until almost 11:00pm. The wedding didn’t start until 8:15. we found out it takes about an hour and a half—give or take—to drive up there or back from there.

Since we don’t get to go to the Famers’ Market on Saturday with our working at the FHC that day, we decided that we wanted to do that yesterday. Then my sweetheart took me to Perkins for brunch. We tried one of their new omelets. It was delicious. I had planned on going to the temple and maybe the visitors’ center too. Or one or the other. But with our going to Island Park the evening before we slept in late and ran out of energy too soon.

After my surgery, I didn’t even turn on my computer for a whole week. I still haven’t begun to catch up on my e-mail. I’ve been able to stay on top of my bulletins for which I am glad. We did it on Thursday, the week of my surgery and then Saturday the next week. I’m so thankful for a computer. I don’t know how I would be able to do this without it. And I can find applicable quotes, too, online on the topics the speakers speak on.


Oh, I just about forgot. Friday about 3:00 pm Fred, Karl’s youngest brother called and said he was at Home Depot parking lot and he’d like to see us if we could drive over. They were in the area to see their newest grandson. His son-in-law works there at HD. Fred had dropped him off that morning then left to go visit Mom in Grace and just gotten back an hour before his SIL would be thro’. We were able to watch the Blue Angels practicing for the air show they yesterday and this afternoon. It was great to see them instead of just hear them. They are so loud but since they travel faster than sound it is hard to tell where they are coming from and where they are. Besides, the houses and trees where we live, are so close together, we can’t get a good view here. But we did there. I thoroughly enjoyed watching them as we visited with Fred. There are six of them but only four fly together most of the time. They are extremely loud!! We also enjoyed talking to Fred and learning what all he’s been doing and what all of his children have been doing.

Well, that’s a summary of my life over the last five weeks or so. I have gained three pounds with my inactivity. I’ll have to start exercising and walking again and get those off.