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Borrego Springs, CA

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Nurse Ratchet moves on to his next assignment

Our original plans for today were to drive over to the west entrance to the Okefenokee NWR to take the boat tour out of Stephan Foster State Park.  I had wanted Kurt to see how different it was from the swamp near the east entrance.  Large cypress trees draped in Spanish moss create a different feeling and environment from the open wet prairies of the east.  However, when I called them yesterday to be sure to get a seat on the 10:00 am tour, I was told that on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, they require a minimum of five people to conduct the tour.  We were the only ones to sign up, and it is a 75 mile drive one way to get there.  There was also the threat of the approaching cold front with storms moving in from the west. 

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I also felt that Kurt was getting a little anxious to be heading for home in Arizona.  So, we cancelled our iffy plans.

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After all, by the time he drives home he will have been gone a month, and I’m pretty much at the point where I can take care of myself.  So I gave Nurse Ratchet a big hug this morning and told him how much I appreciated his help.  I just couldn’t have done this hip replacement thing without him.  I must have about the best brother on earth!  He vacuumed, he cooked, did dishes, helped with the dreaded ‘putting on of the white socks’, learned how to give injections, and was a great chauffeur.  I’m a very lucky lady.

IMG_1514This afternoon, I took Emma for a slow walk around the pond.  She has been very good about adjusting to my condition.  All I have to say is slow down, and she adjusts her walking and sniffing.

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As always, when I say I want to take a picture, she stops and waits until I’m done.  That has always been mind boggling to me since she is such an energetic wild child by nature. 

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The bandage nurse, who was supposed to show up yesterday, finally arrived this afternoon to sign me out of that service.  I told her last week that I didn’t need her to come anymore.  Both Kurt and I were not fond of this nurse, and Emma must have picked up those vibes as she ignored the woman entirely.  She didn’t go through her usual antics as the nurse arrived.  I’m just happy to be done with her.

Tomorrow I’ll begin the packing up process inside to move back to the refuge.  Fellow volunteers will be here Friday morning to help me move and do all of those things involving bending and lifting that I’m restricted from doing for a while.  I am very grateful for their help.

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later,  Judy

35 comments:

  1. Sounds like you are well on your way to good health again.
    Kurt does indeed sound like a great brother.

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  2. You are indeed a lucky lady between Nurse Ratchett who did so much for you, to the volunteers that will help you with your move, to Emma who knows to slow down when you tell her, and the great strides you've made with your recovery. So very glad that everything is working out well for you!

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  3. I'm proud of you, Judy. I'm glad you had your brother in your corner helping you...great guy! Emma is being really considerate of her mom and adjusting for your needs. You are blessed.

    Cat Lady

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  4. I would say that Kurt has been an good example of how NOT to be Nurse Ratchett! Maybe the "bandage" nurse could apply for the job? :)

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  5. You are one lucky lady to have such a wonderful, caring brother. Glad to hear you are moving back to the refuge so soon after your surgery. Please don't over do it.

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  6. Wow! You have recovered so well so quickly! Glad there have been no complications. Be sure to take it as easy as necessary till you are fully recovered.

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  7. I am so envious of you with such a wonderful brother. There is no way my brother would or could help in all those ways. He can't boil water for one thing. After such an ordeal to get the surgery set up, it seems like you have flown through it and are already going back to the refuge. That's just great. Although I never did understand why you had to go to the trouble of moving and then moving back for what seemed to me such a short time. But then I'm not in charge am I?

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  8. It was great that your brother was able to help you when you needed it the most. Nice to have those volunteers to help you, too. Certainly nice to see you coming along so well at this point.

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  9. I'm not surprised at Emma's change in behavior. Many dogs seem to sense when you aren't well enough to deal with their natural exhuberance. I used to tell Lady when I didn't feel well and she wouldn't pull on the leash at all.

    I agree with all the commenters before me, that you are lucky to have such a wonderful brother. But you are such a great person it's no wonder it runs in the family!

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  10. Hip, Hip Ha-ray! pardon the pun!! So glad you are on the mend!! Bye nurse Ratchet!!.... So great that Kurt was able to help you! Now back to your birds!!

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  11. Besides all the help that your brother was to you, how wonderful that you had the time together. Glad you are able to handle things now and Emma will be there to keep an eye on you.

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  12. I breathed a big sigh of relief and thankfulness that all is well with you. SO glad that this part of your "adventure" is over. Only person I know that could be on a par with your brother is my own love, Bill.... How lucky we both are to have such good helpers in our times of need. Best wishes that it continues to go as well.

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  13. oh, you are going to miss your brother! He spoiled you!! how special is it to have a brother like that. I'll bet he enjoyed it for the time period too. and what a good girl Emma is. It's hard for me to take pics with my dogs along. glad to hear that you are doing well with the surgery and healing process.

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  14. Sounds like you're doing real well! Happy to hear/see you are walking and taking pictures!

    Your brother is a keeper!

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  15. Probably just as well you didn't venture out to the Park's west entrance, with that nasty storm system working its way thru. You and Nurse Ratchet didn't need to be caught out in that mess! Be careful moving.

    I like that one: Hip-hip-hooray. Good pun!

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  16. I hope you gave Nurse Ratchet a good reference for his services ;-) You never know, you may have gotten him started on a new career.

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  17. I'm with Sherry ... I wouldn't know how to act if my brother smiled at me much less do any of anything! What a brother, indeed. wow. His van looks like my ol Homer ~ is that an Odyssey? same color as mine.

    I think animals do pick up on our moods and condition ... that's why they're so special.

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  18. I'm so far behind on reading blogs. So happy to hear how well you are doing. You are just amazing. And you do have a super great brother.

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  19. You sure do have the best brother in the world. And I am so pleased for you on your recovery. Take it easy for awhile longer but you already know that.

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  20. YEAH! Glad to hear your life is returning to normal.

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  21. What a great brother! We are all grateful to him for taking such wonderful care of you so you can get back to being "normal". :-) Great to see you moving around again...glad Emma is being understanding, too!

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  22. A great brother! Not sure my brother would do that but he might! So glad to hear you are recovering so well!

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  23. You do have a wonderful brother! It probably doesn't feel like it to you, but to me it feels as though your recovery time has just flown by. You spent a lot more time debating and planning to have the surgery than you did recovering. At least that how it seems to me, and that's a very very good thing :)

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  24. Lucky you to have a brother to help you out like that but I am sure you would do the same for him if the shoe were on the other foot.

    Isn't a dog's intuition amazing!

    Kevin and Ruth
    www.travelwithkevinandruth.com

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  25. It was terrific of your brother to do so much to help you out. Sounds like it's the other nurse who should have the name Nurse Ratchet!

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  26. There is no substitute for family. Kurt sure demostrated how much he loves you by taking such good careof you. What a guy!

    You certainly have bounced back on your feet already, now get back to enjoying your wonderful lifestyle.

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  27. Your brother is amazing, but I'm sure you would have been there for him if roles were reversed..you two were "raised up right"...Glad you are moving back to the refuge...

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  28. Glad you are doing so well. You do have a good brother -very nice.

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  29. What a great brother you have! My brother and I would have killed each other living together in such a small space! Glad you're back on the mend and out taking more of your beautiful pictures!

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  30. Your brother sounds like a real blessing in your life. So glad you are doing so well and it seems the "wild child" has sensed your need to go a little slower for awhile. I think animals are more in tune with that kind of thing than people are.

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  31. I'm so glad that you are doing so well. You are indeed fortunate to have a brother so wonderful. I am sure that Miss Emma is glad to be at home with you again. :-)

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  32. Congratulations on your recovery process. Nurse Ratchet is one swell nurse.

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  33. I don't have a brother but if I did, I'd want him to be like ur's. Sounds like he took really great care of u. I know Emma is glad to be back home too. I've found that the dogs always seem to know our situation and behave accordingly. So glad that everything went well and ur back on the road to the life u love so much. God bless u each day with more energy so that u can get back to enjoying ur days and sharing ur knowledge with others.

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  34. It was terrific of your brother to do so much to help you out. Sounds like it's the other nurse who should have the name Nurse Ratchet!
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