Now Where Was I?

Hard to believe that two and a half years have passed since my last post. Time flies…as they say, right? It will take more than one post to catch up, but I want to start somewhere…and I thought sharing some snaps from our “Celebrating My 70th Trip” last month would be a great way to begin.

 

After flying into Minneapolis for a few days of sightseeing that included a Green Line tour of the Twin Cities, an afternoon at the Mall of America (where I found a yarn shop!) as well as a road trip to the South Dakota state line to put our feet on the ground and breathe the air*, we boarded Amtrak's Empire Builder at St. Paul's Union Station for the next leg of our journey to Whitefish, Montana and Glacier National Park. 

Not quite so “Mighty Mississip’” in St. Paul, MN

Minnesota State Capitol Building in St. Paul

“Oh look, dear…it’s a yarn shop!”

Getting closer to our 50 states in South Dakota

Amtrak Lounge for Empire Builder

The overnight trip and brief stops allowed us to also check North Dakota off our 50 states list. 

Overnight cabin 730C

“Good morning, America…how are you?”

By the time we reached Montana, I had my 50th, with Thomas earning his when we got to Idaho.

To see as much of Glacier National Park as we could without having to drive the popular “Going to the Sun” road in the challenging summer traffic, we boarded the Xanterra Red Bus “West Side Crown of the Continent” Tour, Duration: 9.5 Hours. 

Our tour followed the Red Line on this map,
courtesy of Glacier National Park Lodge site

It was a clear, beautiful, almost cloud-free day that allowed for fantastic views and pictures, especially when the guide removed the roof of the bus (!)…but it soon became challenging to stay cool under the relentless sun. Fun fact—The vintage (read that: un-air conditioned!) 1930’s 16-seater Red Buses of Glacier were made by the White Motor Company and are Model 706, the third generation of tour buses in Glacier National Park. 

We began the morning on the shores of Lake McDonald, where the mist rising from the clear water was mingling with remnants of smoke from the forest fires in nearby Canada.

We inched along through construction and single-lane traffic on the first portion of the Going to the Sun road until we came to the smoother, paved area that made the ride more bearable. After a couple of photo op stops, we made it to Logan Pass on the Continental Divide.

“Logan Pass is the highest elevation (6646ft) reachable by car in the park. It is extremely popular with visitors and the parking lot is generally full…” Nat’l Park Service

Beargrass

Monkeyflowers

“At Logan Pass, Reynolds Mountain and Clements Mountain tower over fields of wildflowers that carpet the ground throughout the summer…” Nat’l Park Service

When we stopped for a lovely lunch at the blessedly air-conditioned Many Glacier Lodge, I was thrilled to choose my souvenir of the day: a loosely woven wrap with artist drawings of the wildflowers of the Park…which was immediately pressed into service as a head covering for the rest of the tour. In addition to the majestic mountains and endangered glaciers that are mainstays of the tour, we delighted in the profusion of lovely wildflowers and the wildlife, including ground squirrels, marmots, big-horned sheep, mountain goats, deer, elk, and a cinnamon black bear that was the size of a small grizzly.

Many Glacier Lodge for lunch

Snapped this one through the open roof of the bus

After the excessive temperatures (folks, it was HOT!) created problems for trains on overheated tracks, including a derailment east of us in Havre, we cancelled the rest of our train trip and continued on to Seattle in a rental car with an overnight in Spokane. It actually turned out fine since we got to see parts of the country we would have missed otherwise…including an absolutely clear drive-by view of Mount Rainier. Amazing! To finish off our trip, we stayed in the Pioneer Square area of Seattle (along with multitudes of Taylor Swift fans!) and did all the touristy things: monorail, Space needle, and Chihuly Gardens and Glassworks.

It was all about Taylor…everywhere!

We’ve done planes, trains, and automobiles…time for a monorail!

Skies had turned Seattle-gray by ticket time

Looking through the glass floor of the Space Needle 

Last sunset in Seattle…from room at Pioneer Square Embassy Suites

And now? Where are we? We are back with M at her home in Auburn, GA, where we’ve been for almost a year since selling our house in Loganville. We said then we’d give ourselves at least a year to make some decisions about our next move while dealing with some health issues. We’ve been extremely grateful for the space and breathing room she’s provided, and we are very happy here in our cocoon. We haven’t made any plans for another move…yet…so, stay tuned.

Meanwhile, I’m still gardening (just in a smaller patch) and still knitting!

Finished shawl in the Supernova MKAL 

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*In order to qualify for the All 50 States Club, one must “put your feet on the ground and breathe the air” of each state. Check and double check!

Unplugging for a Restart

Hello there! Long time...no write. I could wax poetical about the reasons I hit the pause button on my blog, but the truth is that I was doing my best to follow some (really bad, as it turns out) advice of my mother: "if you can't say anything nice about someone, don't say anything at all." Momma, we got that one wrong in so many ways. Simultaneously, I tried to follow another of Momma's maxims: "don't allow hate to grow in your heart." I don't know about you, but those were very nearly opposites in my book. So, wrong again. Still, I tried to keep my mind and hands active, even as the pandemic shrunk our universe to our 1/3 of an acre. I have gardened. I have written. I have written about gardening. And I have knitted. Countless stitches, swaths of shawls, a whole family of gnomes.

And I have bitten my tongue while trying to battle the ever-mounting, molten heat of hate that has daily threatened to take up residence in my core. On January 6, 2021, I lost the war I have waged for 1,447 days to try to hold my tongue. I have said things that, while completely true, are not nice about the evil and seditious lame duck...who is giving all ducks a bad name, if you ask me. So, just like I do when my printer goes offline, I unplugged the device...and plugged it back in for a restart. And just like that, it's time for a restart!

Bell’s Palsy: Day #2557

It has been: 

§  220,924,800 seconds...or,

§  3,682,080 minutes...or,

§  61,368 hours...or,

§  2557 days

since that Sunday in 2012* when I woke up to discover the left side of my face seemingly sliding off my skull. Very. Scary. Day. Indeed. 

Each year I try to mark the memory to remind myself that sometimes you just have to push through fear and pain and trust you will make it out. Like the last verse of that country song says:

“If you're going through Hell, keep on moving,
Face that fire, walk right through it!
You might get out before the devil even knows you're there..."

So, did I “get out” you might well ask? “For the most part,” is my standard answer. I still deal with synkinesis, a condition of ‘simultaneous movement’ that occurs after Bell’s Palsy...leading to involuntary, undesired, and simultaneous facial movements, including: 

• Dimpling in my chin & facial twitching in my left cheek
• Narrowing of my left eye when I smile or sip through a straw
• Painful facial muscle spasms especially when I am tired or stressed 
• Tightness of the neck bands and cheeks, causing facial pain and headaches.

Is there treatment or “a cure?” Well, there are 3 recommendations or ‘modalities:’

1.  Neuromuscular retraining (physical therapy) 

2. Botox injections (botulinum toxin) 

3. Synkinesis surgery 

I tried the first one about 5 years ago, but didn’t make it past the first session, which triggered such a painful spasm that it took me a few days to recover. You may recall my POV on pain and doctors: “you hurt me, and I won’t be back.” The second one has two words that terrify me: botox(in) and injection (needle!). And I typically run the other way whenever the word “surgery” is used. So, seven years in, and I still have synkinesis issues. 

But...BUT...I am thrilled to report that those issues are not nearly as bad this year as they have been. Hooray! Maybe I am finally aging out of this lingering reminder of that episode of Bell’s Palsy 7 years ago...who knows? I can continue to live with the involuntary winking and the twitching if I must.  I’m just glad that I am having far fewer instances of the painful facial spasms. That’s good news! 

Since my anniversary BP post usually elicits at least one comment along the lines of “I didn’t know you had Bell’s Palsy! I/my daughter/my mother/my cousin/my co-worker was just diagnosed with it, too!” so I try make it a teachable moment. If you want to learn more about Bell's Palsy, here is a link to an excellent up-to-date (5/13/2019) fact sheet: https://www.ninds.nih.gov/Disorders/Patient-Caregiver-Education/Fact-Sheets/Bells-Palsy-Fact-Sheet

Using my own blog posts about my experiences with BP, I aim to convey how frightened I was at my diagnosis, and also how thankful I was that I hadn’t had a stroke (which is exactly what it looks like in the beginning). I try to prepare newly-diagnosed patients with an honest appraisal of those first days and weeks, and I also try to be encouraging about recovery chances as well as open about any after-effects (like synkinesis). So, if you’ve stumbled on this post, please know there is hope...and recovery...after a bout with Bell’s. 

Just keep on moving!

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*If you want to take the wayback machine to 6/24/2012, follow this link to revisit my own Bell's Palsy Day 1 here, if you need to refresh your memory. You can also use the label "Bell's Palsy" link to bring up all the related posts...and pictures, if you are ready for that.

Bell’s Palsy Update: Day 2191

For those dear readers who have followed my blog over the years, you probably have read about my contracting Bell’s Palsy...and my continuing journey on the road to recovery.* The first couple of months were extremely difficult days, and I dealt with them in the best way I knew how: with words...lots and lots of words. Now, as hard as this is for me to believe, another anniversary of that terrible day in 2012 has rolled around. My stars! Can it truly be six whole years?

(*You can revisit Day 1 here, if you need to refresh your memory...I’ll wait...)

If you recall, the doctor originally said it could last 15 days...or the rest of my life. Ah well, it seems to be the latter, doesn’t it? Because, while my face no longer appears to be sliding off my skull and I was able to recover my speech patterns, I continue to live with residual effects of facial paralysis known as synkinesis. Not the worst fate, most assuredly, but still bothersome on a constant basis.

Sip a beverage through a straw? My left eye closes. Smile? My left eye closes. Smile too big...or for too long...or squint into the sun? The left side of my jaw locks into a painful spasm. It goes away with massage, but I know it will return. Just a matter of time before the next one. Sigh.

There’s something else I know. I know that I am fortunate to have recovered as much as I did. I know there are worse afflictions. I know “that which doesn’t kill one, makes one stronger.” OK, that’s three things I know.

Anyway, another year is over...and another chapter in this saga has been written. And as anniversaries go, this particular “celebration” has been a quiet one. No champagne. No party. No cute or sentimental cards. I mean, really, a truly boring commemoration if ever there was one.

But that’s good, right? Because even though I don’t want BP to play a major part in my life, neither do I wish to forget the role it has played. And to remember it is now a bit player.

So, hip hip hooray! Now, let’s move on...

One Year Ago...One Month from Now

I know I’ve brought this subject up before, but it has been on my mind lately: the older one gets, the faster time flies. Apparently there’s been research, as reported in Scientific American (https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-does-time-seem-to-speed-up-with-age/):

“This phenomenon, which (psychologist Claudia) Hammond has dubbed the holiday paradox, seems to present one of the best clues as to why, in retrospect, time seems to pass more quickly the older we get. From childhood to early adulthood, we have many fresh experiences and learn countless new skills. As adults, though, our lives become more routine, and we experience fewer unfamiliar moments. As a result, our early years tend to be relatively overrepresented in our autobiographical memory and, on reflection, seem to have lasted longer. Of course, this means we can also slow time down later in life. We can alter our perceptions by keeping our brain active, continually learning skills and ideas, and exploring new places.”

Oh yeah...we know I’m all about that “exploring new places” thingie!

One year ago today, Mr. T and I saw the sunrise at Mather Point on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon...not an entirely “new experience” for me, but a new experience for T...and for us together. Words alone are inadequate to describe the anticipation just before “official” sunrise...and that ooh-ahhh feeling as the sun clears the North Rim landmarks. Pictures, too, never seem to capture the incredible beauty of the moment, but they will have to do for now.

Sunrise at Grand Canyon 6/3/17

Watching the Sunrise at the Grand Canyon 6/3/17

And now...it's time to dust off the passports and get those suitcases out of the attic in anticipation for our next adventure!

Our Next Adventure!

AU & NZ money is soooo colorful...and has this see-through strip...!

One month from today, we will be getting on a jet plane, beginning that “once in a lifetime” (OIAL) trip to...drumroll please...Australia and New Zealand! This is a trip that I have dreamed about for as long as I can remember...and when better to make it happen than the year of a milestone birthday, I ask you? Yes, I will celebrate the Big 6-5 in Sydney (there’s some lovely symmetry in that homophonic, serendipitous name, don’t you agree?). But I’m getting ahead of myself...

Thirty days from now, we fly from ATL to LAX and take a break there before the (really, really) long haul...which has been the biggest obstacle to making this OIAL trip: I simply have not been able to get over the hurdle of being on a plane so (very, very) long. (Well, I must have cleared the hurdle because we have booked the tickets!) Anyway, a day and a half later (okay, so some of that is due to the 14-hour time difference...and some is due to crossing the International Dateline...but you can also give credit to the 15+ hour flight time, Lord Help Us), Qantas Airlines (finally, finally) delivers us to Melbourne, AU.

Why Melbourne, you may ask? Well, some of you may know what Brit Wits we are (addicted to British TV programming, especially the mountain of murder mysteries available)...so, it should come as no surprise that we got hooked on Aussie and Kiwi programming when they came to PBS. One of our favorites is “Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries,” which is a smashing 3-season series starring the gorgeous Essie Davis as the Honorable Phryne Fisher, who is described as “(a) female sleuth (who) sashays through the back lanes and jazz clubs of Melbourne in the late 1920s, fighting injustice with her pearl-handled pistol and her dagger-sharp wit.” I cannot wait to see the city that started calling to me the first time I watched Episode 1. Heck, we are currently rewatching all of the episodes, trying to memorize the look of the buildings in the backgrounds of the scenes. Oh.....and we are booked for a tour that will take us to the Grampians Mountains through Ballarat...the setting for another of our favorites, “The Doctor Blake Mysteries.”

After five fun days there, we are back on Qantas to “cross the ditch”...AKA the Tasman Sea...to fly to the Pacific Ocean-side of the South Island of New Zealand, landing in Christchurch. Why Christchurch, you may ask? Why not the usual stops of Auckland (where my new fave “800 Words” and the “Brokenwood Mysteries” are filmed) or Hamilton (both on the North Island) or even Queensland? Well, this choice is a sentimental favorite.

You may not remember back in 2010 and 2011 when devastating earthquakes very nearly destroyed this beautiful English-styled village that has been nurtured since its founding in the late 1800’s. I remember. I saw a documentary on the recovery and rebuilding efforts, and I knew...I just knew I wanted to go there. I want to help them celebrate resiliency! Plus, I wanted to go to the wine and wool part of the country...see a Rugby* game...and ride the train through the Southern Alps, which is the setting for many of the scenes of Middle Earth for “The Lord of the Rings.” Sure enough, the Tranzalpine leaves from Christchurch. So there we will be!

Five days later, and we are winging our way back to Oz, this time landing in Sydney. I will spend my birthday day climbing to the top of the Pylon on Harbour Bridge and then having a lovely lunch over 1000’ above the City. We already have tickets for “Aida” at the Opera House, so we can see that landmark from a distance and then up close and personal.

Did I forget to mention any gardens? No worries! We will be taking in the Starry Skies of the Southern Hemisphere (which we will NEVER see at our home latitude) at the historic observatory at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Melbourne, enjoying the Aboriginal Heritage Walk in the Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney, and being immersed in the beauty of the Christchurch Botanic Gardens while staying in a hotel situated on the edge of the Avon River and Hagley Park.

After three weeks of our OIAL adventure, it will be time to say so long to the Southern Cross constellation and return to the land of the North Star. I do have to wonder how many pictures we will be able to take? Any guesses, guys?!?

There are a couple of wrinkles in this beautiful plan. My recent diagnosis of gout (left toe for 3 weeks, then left knee for the past 2) has been a major pain...literally and figuratively. But, at least I had that happen HERE, where my doctors are, so I have time to get treatment, rest, get started on appropriate meds, and recover. You better believe I am packin’: extra prednisone dose pack and colchicine (a med for gout, to be taken at the first sign of an episode), plus a couple of tubes of diclofinac gel (topical NSAID). Be prepared, as they say!

And yes, observant reader, it IS Winter down under. But that just means fewer tourists...and remembering to dress in layers. And I look forward to being a part of their traditional “Christmas in July” festivities. Remember, it is the height of Summer there on December 25th.

So, if you hear that I’m singing Jingle Bells on my birthday this year, you will certainly understand. Meanwhile, I'll continue to chant the following in my head:  "Aussie Aussie Aussie, Oi Oi Oi"
(...as remembered from the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta...)

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* Have you ever heard of/seen the NZ All Blacks Rugby squad's famous pre-game haka? OMG...chills!! I learned of this at a recent UGA OLLI class called "New Zealand...The Land of the Long White Cloud," which I took in prep for this trip. Check out this YouTube video.
NZ All Blacks Rugby haka