A Haven for Vee

Saturday, March 10, 2012

Signs of Spring

Why, hello! I've so missed time spent in Blogdom. I wish that I were on top of the housecleaning and therefore reporting from a clean domicile. I can keep right on wishing. ☺

So we last spoke when I mentioned that I had to baby my back... Yes, well, troubles with my back can be traced to my fourth year when curiosity overcame me and I ignored my great-uncle's warning about that cardboard in the bottom of a hall closet. I stepped in just to see what would happen and found out quickly enough when I landed in the basement sitting upright. For some reason, I couldn't breathe. It seemed like forever before anyone arrived. When they did, my father set me on my feet, patted me on the back, and my lungs filled with air again.  Phew! The adults watched me carefully and announced that I was right as rain, though my back has truly not been the same since. That's what I get for being a disobedient, not to mention stupid, little girl. I have further scars through the years also won during times of folly; my suspicion is that we all do.

For all you other sciatica sufferers, I found something that really helps me relieve the discomfort. The previously mentioned frozen gel pack and sitting in a recliner with my knees higher than my hips. I do this three times a day for fifteen minutes at a time. It doesn't take away all the soreness, but it sure is a blessing to get some relief. At least, I can walk upright. I think at the earliest twinge I shall do this and pray to head off future episodes. (Oh, I really didn't move any furniture other than the china cupboard. The Volkswagens remain as they were.)

But enough about me. Because there's been much bigger and happier news this week.

***

John is delighted to have one of his eye surgeries done. He wears a big old smile that lights up the place and is audibly praising God at every turn. Cataract surgery is something of a marvel and to see how quickly he has rebounded and is reading and noticing everything. This morning he counted 27 spills on one of the Eastern spruce tree branches just because he could. Before, it would have all been a green blur. It's quite interesting being his driver as he usually is mine. If I had only known how little he was seeing...ahem. He read all the street signs and all the speed limit signs. Let's just say that his not being able to see so well explains a lot.  ;> And he also noticed a sign of spring—8 days until our favorite ice cream shop opens!



***

There are other signs of spring. The maple sap buckets showed up last week, though we are told it will be a dismal year for maple syrup. There have been a few robin sightings, the forsythia branches have been brought in to be forced, and there's a general feeling of well being. Though the winter was not harsh, it was long, and we are ready to say goodbye. Tonight we'll turn the rest of the clocks ahead an hour and welcome more daylight at day's end. Things are looking up!



Hope to visit you soon. I have missed you.

39 comments:

  1. Glad your back is feeling a little better. Great that John got through his eye surgeries too! I love the picture with the sap buckets on the trees...surely a wonderful sign of spring.
    Hugs,
    Penny

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  2. How nice to hear from you again, Vee. I would love to see those maple buckets one day.

    I will pass on your sciatica relief suggestions to my friend, Sally, who is often miserable with her pain.

    Welcome back.

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  3. So glad to discover that you feel up to posting again. You are missed!

    Was John reading the signs or does he have a great ability to know what the shapes say?!! So glad that his surgery was successful and he's enjoying the results.

    That's quite a fall for a four year old. I can understand why you remember it. Sadly, you can't forget - the back injury still rears its ugly head. Take care.

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  4. I hope you are feeling better soon. I have missed you too.

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  5. nice to "see" you again and glad you are feeling some better. My husband suffers as you do, and I'm feeling it right having moved furniture all week (just for fun, shame on me). My husband "unloads" every morning when he wakes. He lies on the floor up against the bed with his legs (bent) calves resting on the bed. For ten minutes. He is much better through the day, but should pain come, he "unloads" (taking pressure off spine) again. I think your chair idea is similar. Have a good weekend, from the land of spring,
    dotsie

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  6. Vee, you have all my compassion with sciatic nerve issues ... So glad hubby is doing well with the cataract surgery. It is a blessing the beauty you can see when they are removed. I am glad I had both done in a week ... marvelous experience.

    Have a lovely PS weekend ~
    TTFN ~
    Marydon

    ~Giveaway ends 3/15~

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  7. You have been missed. So glad to see you back! As someone who suffers with back issues, I understand your discomfort. It really knocks the stuffing out of a person.

    I'm glad spring is beginning in your neck of the woods. Although the nights are still very chilly, the increasing light and green things poking up through the ground are hopeful signs. I may even get out to work in the yard today.

    Wonderful news about John's surgery. Cataract removal is such a blessing!

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  8. Well I'm glad you're feeling a bit better. Back pain seems to be one of the hardest ailments of that sort to deal with (I had to deal with it a few years ago).

    So glad your hubby's surgery went well and he's had such good results!

    Have a great weekend!

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  9. I missed you too! I'm so happy your back is feeling better and John can see better since his surgery. God is good. I love the photo of the house, carriage house and sap buckets at the ready. Very New England-y (is that a word?). Enjoy the beautiful weekend. Hugs.

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  10. You've been missed. Nice to see you back. : )

    Glad to hear your back is better now and that's great news about John being able to see good again!

    Rita's our favorite ice cream place opened last week. We haven't been there yet though.

    It will be nice to have it lighter at the end of the day but I'm not looking forward to walking in the dark morning again.

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  11. I hope you and hubby continue to get better. You better stop moving things by yourself. Not that I have any room to talk I move everything also. Men just don't understand our need for tweaking. :) Feel better and enjoy the longer days. I know I will.

    Donna

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  12. Oh, so happy to see you are up and around again. So glad the back isn't so painful anymore.

    Glad for J., too, to have this behind him. A friend just had both eyes done (not at the same time) and she is so amazed at how bright and crisp everything looks now. It's an awesome surgery.

    The blueberries I used are packed by
    Jasper Wyman & Son, in Milbridge, Maine....
    why ?

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  13. Glad that you are feeling a little better. I love the first signs of spring, but here in the desert they are so subtle that usually it seems overnight that everything is green and the wildflowers are blooming. Have a good day.

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  14. SO happy to see a post here!!!

    Glad you did what you had to, to help your back (or whatever it is) heal. Of course I am.

    But when you wander away from us, for whatever reason, I wonder if you might get too comfortable, away... :-)

    I too, love my frozen jel pack, applied to my bad-back-spot, when it acts up. :-)

    Ahhhhh, now we know the origin of your troubles. Just being curious, as a little kid, for pete's sakes!

    Duhhhhh your great-uncle!!! JUST warned you not to step on the cardboard, I take it! Duhhh... He SHOULD have pulled the cardboard away, and SHOWED you the awfully long fall, to the basement.

    Why oh why, don't adults think enough, to give children REASONS????

    Better yet! Why didn't this great-uncle grab some tools and nail some wooden boards, over the ding-dang hole???!!!???

    You were NOT a stupid little girl. You were a normal 4 year old little girl. If anyone was stupid, it was the great-uncle. "Auntie" sezzzzzz...!

    "Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart."
    ~~William Wordsworth

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  15. Very happy with the news of John's surgery. Very happy. Soon he will have them both done, and he will be twice as happy.

    You too, since you won't have to drive everywhere. ,-) I remember having to do all the driving, a couple of times here. During "Uncle A." large eye troubles, and after another operation.

    I even had to get gas in the car! Eeeeek! Imagine that! ,-)

    "Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart."
    ~~William Wordsworth

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  16. I'm glad you are feeling better, Vee, and that John had a successful cataract surgery done in one eye.

    I also heard the maple surgar season will be off this year due to the mild winter. I also heard there will be more mosquitos then ever this summer due to the warmer temperatures. ICK! Not good!

    Hope you have a very restful and enjoyable weekend.

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  17. Glad your back and that your BACK is feeling better!

    I am so happy for John! My Dad even had his astigmatism corrected! Amazing! Now he just has readers.

    We are experiencing spring like weather, sunny days, cool nights, daffodils and crocus up and blooming!

    Deanna

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  18. Oh good! You are on the mend...and John can see!! Love the results of this relatively simple surgery. Wait until he is seeing clearly with both eyes. Nothing will get by him then...lol.

    I see snow at your place. We don't have any but it is chilly today. Mikey, Jonathan and their friend, John just headed out to do some mulching at one of Mikey's side jobs. They kept coming back for more jackets and hats. However, I suspect that once they are working those things will come off in layers.

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  19. I heard about the maple syrup this year - boo.

    So glad John is able to see again! Isn't modern medicine great! Is he having the other eye done, too? Both my parents had this done, and they have been SO glad!

    I'm sorry about your back, Vee! Ouch, I know that hurts - my FIL suffered with sciatica for a long time. I'm glad that you've found a bit of relief - now, leave the volkswagens where they are, or get John to move them!

    And yes, I have silly scars when I didn't head my parents' warnings, too. A crooked nose from throwing sticks and rocks at a mean boy and him throwing a brick and hitting and breaking my nose, a scar on my upper lip where I dove in head first into a shallow pool and my two front teeth went through my lip, and other miscellaneous scuff marks. I was lucky I didn't lose my teeth. We ALL have them.

    I need a picture of your forsythia when it blooms!

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  20. Hi Vee,

    You certainly live in a beautiful area...I so enjoy seeing the pictures you share.

    I can relate to both you and your husband's ailments. Last year I had an unrelenting bout of sciatica that lasted for 8 months. After different types of treatment that brought no relief I had surgery.

    Praying that you experience relief from the pain. One of the things that helped the most on pain relief was a TENS unit.

    I also had cataracts removed from both eyes. It's amazing how much better you see following the surgery. For me it was like someone turned the light on.

    Blessings to you and your husband.

    Susan

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  21. Oh my gosh, that must have been a painful fall! Your poor back. It's looking a lot like spring here!

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  22. Oh Vee, so glad to see a post from you. You've been surely missed! Sorry to hear about your back. And of course John's eyes. Hope mending is turning out well for you both. I've seen many sap buckets out in surrounding towns. Oddly, not many in our town! Makes me wonder why now that you've mentioned them, as you are so much further north. Soon I would think! Anyway, glad you are both on the mend! Have a wonderful rest of the weekend!
    Lisa

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  23. Vee
    I missed you. I'm glad you've found some relief for your back.
    I had to laugh at John's improved ability to read signs now. Especially the 'most important'one.
    I love the look of the sap buckets on the trees-a sure indication it's warming.

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  24. I'm so glad that John's surgery went well and I sure hope you feel better soon. I know about aches and pains...but I'm older than you! Have a nice evening and I hope I see you tomorrow night. Big hugs! ♥♥♥

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  25. Dear Vee, I'm so glad you are back and doing better, and have found something which helps! And great to hear of John's surgery! My mother had two cataract surgeries done (one at a time) and after the first kept exclaiming how brighter the world had become!

    I agree so with "Auntie" that your uncle bears a lot of responsibility for your mishap. His actions were rather foolishly deficient in true solutions. You should have obeyed, but he should not have left your safety up to you at that age.

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  26. I am glad you are feeling better and your husband can see better! Good things! I will tell my husband your sciatica tips -- he sometimes has problems with that. Love the sap buckets. I've always lived in the south so the whole maple syrup process has something of the quality of a fairy tale to me!

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  27. So happy you found some measure of relief. When I read about the maple sap buckets I thought of the book 'Secrets of Maple Hill' by Virginia Sorenson. LD knew the author and we re read the book a few months ago.

    Love the new look to your blog. Guess I will have to figure out how to do my own changes soon!

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  28. I was so happy to see a new post from your Haven. Glad to know that you are feeling better and appreciate you passing on your helpful tips in the sciatica relief department.
    How nice that John's surgery has been a success and he is seeing so clearly now.
    The signs of spring are an encouraging sight after a long winter.

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  29. Oh, Vee, we have missed you too!! So happy to know that you are feeling better...and that John is seeing better...and that spring is springing! Lots of cause for rejoicing!

    (That story of four-year-old you falling through th closet to the basement gives me the creeps! ~shudder~)

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  30. Back pain....no fun. So glad you are on the mend. It was nice to find you here today:) Spring is just around the corner and the signs are getting more visible. Enjoy your Sunday.

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  31. Firstly - I am so glad your back is easier, Vee - and the 15 minute resting sounds very much like what I am supposed to be doing too, complete with relaxation tapes. On Monday. When Missy has gone.
    And John - what a relief to have the cataract op done, and the sight improving! Hmm.I am very happy indeed that he can now read the speed signs!
    Our clocks only move on 25th March so we have 2 more weeks of winter time to endure.Right. I need to go and be the shopkeeper selling grapes and ponies.Have a lovely day!

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  32. Good morning! So glad to hear that dh's surgery went well. What a wonder for him. My dad is EAGERLY awaiting his as well. He will have it on Wed. Sorry to hear about your back, but glad you are feeling some relief. One of my younger sisters injured her back as a young girl too and has suffered pretty much her whole life with back problems...no fun at all! Hope your feeling right as rain soon. Enjoy your Sunday!

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  33. Great news that John's surgery went well. Sorry about your back- it is good to have a way to make it ease up a bit. Have a great week!

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  34. I too have missed you and blogdom. Working has taken me away from so much. I seem to be more sporadic never giving full attention to any one thing, only jumping around. I'll get a routine down soon, I hope. Looking forward to spring here in Virginia as well as the longer days too. All the best to you and John, hope he heals quickly.

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  35. Vee,
    Glad to know your back is improving. Back problems are never ever good.
    Also good to know that John's cataract surgery went so well. It is indeed a wonderful thing to be able to have cataracts removed!
    Have a blessed week, and keep healing!

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  36. Welcome back! I am glad that you are feeling better, and that is tremendous news about John's eye surgery. Hooray for good news! Hooray for spring too, LOL!

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  37. I just noticed that we have 2 favorite movies...Notebook and SS Redemption...I've watched them both so much, I can almost turn off the sound and speak every word of both movies...well...NEARLY !

    Thanks for all the kind words on my copy cat...you should try this link party, Vee. I just know you would love doing it. I am already looking for another inspiration image for NEXT month. :))

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  38. Hi Vee, so happy that your back is feeling better. John looks so cozy resting there. I wish him a speedy recovery. Isn't it amazing how we can have our eyes repaired?

    I love that photo of the sap buckets. Sometimes I feel like you a have a little piece of paradise there.

    Well, I hope that you have a lovely evening. I am a late person, so you are probably asleep already. I'll wish you a Happy Monday.

    Karen

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  39. So glad you are starting to feel back to normal, and very happy for John as well....based on driving...I wonder if Rob could have...naw, probably not ;) lol

    I will look up the paint colour and get back to you
    blessings,
    Niki

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