Home again

Yeah!  I am back at home and in my own bed and starting a normal routine again.  I've gone shopping for groceries, I've eaten ramen for dinner, I've even gotten to the pool!  I'm planning to go back to the crosswalk on Friday and then be back regularly from next week.

When I entered the hospital this street in front was still green.  A week later and the ginko trees are turning gold.

So what was all the fuss in the hospital?  Well, I was there to determine if I had diabetes (which does run in my family) but I don't.  So now I've started agressive medications for the rheumatism and that will be checked twice a month until medications can be pulled to their minimum.

The week in bed did my knees and hips wonders and I have been feeling pretty good since I got home.  And of course maybe the medications are already kicking in so I don't feel quite as robotic and slow as I have been the last few months.  The rheumatism has been affecting my hands and wrists though so I found it difficult to knit, of all things, though I am able to tat with no pain.  That's interesting.  I'll see how hand sewing goes sometime this week.  I would think that machine quilting wouldn't be affected...

I got four crosses tatted while in my hospital bed.

Tetsu and the animals survived without me and John and Tetsu hit it off pretty well.  The cats all stayed close to Tetsu, meaning they slept with him while usually they sleep with me.  Our oldest cat hasn't been doing very well this past month and I was afraid I wouldn't see her again but she is still with us.  Tetsu's a good caretaker!  

I've sort of gone back to a clean diet of no dairy and snacking and keeping to smaller food portions.  If nothing else maybe a little less weight on my knees will be good and I have heard dairy products are bad for systemic inflammation...  But that's my layperson's treatment with no professional backing on it.

My first meal back from the hospital.  We went directly to Marlene's and her neighborhood was having their monthly "Cafe Day" where they make obento for the community.  Marlene had set aside two obentos for us and Tetsu and I brought them back to our garden and ate our lunch in the good outdoor air!

That's a big lunch for me after all those hospital meals!  Rice with seaweed, miso potatos, pork cutlet, simmered vegetables and fish cakes, vinegared salad and quiche!  SOOOO  DELICIOUS!!!  The cafe is an event that got started by Marlene and her neighbors and now once a month they make between 60 and 80 obentos.  Amazing!  No professional chefs among them but a lot of home cooked meals experience.

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The last week of October Leiya did send me some more photos of Luka so here is an unscheduled Luka update.

Leiya said they got to go on hay rides.  Doesn't Luka look grown up in this photo?

Tony's hospital had a Halloween event for staff family and neighbor children.  It was called Trunk or Treat and Luka just loved it!

Luka dressed up as a cowboy.  I think Leiya even made him a stuffed horsey for his basket.

Preserved in my sketch book...  

But the real thing is cuter!