Jem starts school...and I don't...Snow Canyon

 Jem started school this week! (8/13/26) He's in kindergarten at Legacy Elementary!  Beacher sent pics and he's looking pretty excited about it!  I hope he has a great teacher and enjoys learning and growing this year! I may do some volunteering if they need any help.   

I did not start back to school this year.  I'm a little sad, but pretty glad too.  After last year I just felt like it was time to retire and let the younger folks have my job.  It was the toughest year of school of all the years I've had and my attitude by the end was pretty done.  Too much testing and pushing and not enough of the joy of learning is what it seemed to be anymore.  I still loved the kids, but not the curriculum.  

We've spent the summer getting Paul recovered from foot surgery and from two cataract surgeries. Glad that's all done!  

Our truck has been broken most of the summer, so camping and getting out in the mountains has been curtailed quite a bit.  We have still gone to the mountains a lot for picnics and drives on paved roads.  Hopefully it will be done soon and we will get to take the trailer out for some camping.  

The day school started I enjoyed sleeping in, taking a bike ride and then going out for a little hike at Snow Canyon to see the rain puddles and the moqui marbles.  Later in the day we went to lunch and then I spent the afternoon working on some genealogy.  It was a nice, relaxing not back to school day for me.  I think it's for the best even though I will miss it in many ways.  

Paul's foot surgery updates...getting out of the house

 Last Tuesday we went for Paul's two-week check up.  It was good.  They took out the stitches, cleaned it up a little and rebandaged it...for another two weeks of boot wear.  He still has to be careful to keep it clean and dry and up for a lot of the day.  We were hoping it would be less of that, but they said it's a broken bone healing and feet get less circulation than most any part of the body, so it's slow healing.  I'm hoping he's out of the boot for Family Camp, but it's going to be close.  We took a little drive yesterday to help with the cooped up boredoms.  Bean went with us up to Enterprise Reservoir.  It was a pretty drive.  Made us wish we were going camping, but it helped with the doldrums.  We stopped in at what used to be Marv's.  Paul and I shared a shake and Bean got something for him.  Now it's called Joe's.  The food was still good!  

We took a get away drive to the big sequoia tree in the afternoon after Zade's graduation.  Paul, and Bean and I, need to get out of the house lots.  Feeling trapped by the healing process of the foot surgery!  

Today, my last day of school, we got out early.  This afternoon Paul, Bean and I took another nice drive to get out of the house.  We drove out to Gunlock State Park Reservoir.  It was beautiful and a very lovely drive.  On the way home we stopped in at a new store in Veyo - The Bread Lady.  She makes all kinds of delicious sourdough products.  We tried her breadsticks and a cookie.  Both were very tasty!  

Paul's foot surgery - getting out!

 Monday Paul had foot surgery for some toe problems.  He's supposed the spend the next two weeks with the foot elevated...and boy, is that boring him to death!  I took him for a little break Friday morning.  We went up and walked (he scootered) around the Desert Garden.  It is pretty level and paved so he could maneuver his borrowed scooter there.  While there we got to see the death bloom of a century plant.  "Most agaves are monocarpic, spending anywhere from 10 to 30 years---hoarding energy for a single reproductive event.  Once it blooms, the mother plant dies."  We also could see where some great horned owls have nested in a cliff and are raising 3 owlets.  The rest of the desert garden is always great as well.  Some of the desert plants are blooming right now.  It was a good get out for him and me!  So glad that Sister Brady lent  him her scooter.  It makes getting around so much more comfortable than using crutches.  

Just to make things more interesting this week, our refrigerator died on Thursday.  It made noise all day long until we figured out it wasn't even keeping things cold.  I went to get some popsicles for Jem and Kaia and found them all melted!  Friday morning I went out getting quotes for a new one since fixing the old one would cost almost as much as a new one.  I went 3 places and ended up deciding on one from Lowe's because we do get a pro-builder 5% discount there and that made the one there the best buy of all the ones I got quotes on.  I don't think it's quite as nice as the one we had, but it's the price we can afford and the size that will fit our space.  Thankfully we  have grandma's old fridge in the garage and it is doing a good job for us until we get the new one.  It's just a little inconvenient getting everything from downstairs and taking it back when you need to eat.  Whine, whine!  I'm just so glad we have that fridge and freezer to keep stuff cold for now.  

Paul's foot surgery

 Today, April 27, 2026, Paul went in for some foot surgery.  He had done a prior minor surgery to have some tendons in toes cut and they had hoped to straighten his big toe.  The tendon part worked, but it did not straighten the big toe, which was the biggest problem.  This time he went to a different doctor who seems to know more about it.  He went in at 10 and the doctor came to report to me about 11:30 and said all went well.  Now the important part is to keep it immobile for two plus weeks.  He's in a big boot right now and probably for at least 2 weeks, maybe more.  I took the day off and will probably take tomorrow off too.  A ward member lent him a scooter that's a lot better than crutches for him.  He kind of enjoys driving it around and figuring out how to get out of tight spaces.  I'm so glad we found one for him.  Now we will just have to wait and heal.  Of course, it's a lot less terrible than the knee surgery he was doing last year at this time.  Hopefully that will help him get through having to lay around so much.  He had Moss and Wayne Stucki give him a blessing last night.  That should help too.  Happy healing Paul!  They thing they did was to cut a little wedge out of the big toe bone and then screw it down to help it get a little bit straighter and not be crowding all of the other toes.  It has been very painful for him. The doctor says that he probably had a broken toe sometime that caused the toe to be bent the way it is. They also shaved off some of the big knob of bone sticking up on the top of his foot caused by his arthritis and fallen arch somehow.  

Happy Father's Day Paul!

 

Oh how we all love you (and especially me)!  Happy Father's Day Paul.   It was a nice day with dinner that Paul chose and helped make.  Ferf and Anna Lou joined us for omelets, hash browns, toast, fruit salad and of course, cheesecake for dessert!  It was all yummy. Kids were calling all evening to wish  him a happy Father's Day! Moss, Christie and kids came by later and had some cheesecake and we gave Moss his birthday present and Father's Day card/candy bar since we'll both be gone on his birthday.  Later on, we listened to old records on our record player.  The kids think it's crazy, but they liked it!  PS - We tried out his new scrabble game last night...oops, I won.  But not by very much - 235/220.

More Paul's knee replacement recovery

 We went up to Park City on the 15/16th for Paul's two-week check up.  It was actually almost 3 weeks.  He got his staples out by an assistant and then she put lots of steri-strips on to last until his 6-week check.  Then the doctor came in and checked it out and pronounced it good.  We had a good trip up and stayed the night in Heber to be there for the 9 am appointment.  We didn't stop enough along the way to walk around and did no icing and Paul paid for it that night with a very painful time with muscle spasms in his knee.  It was SO painful for him.  We learned our lesson, and on the way home we stopped lots and we made sure he had ice on and he also took a pain pill before we left.  We had much better results.  We stopped in for breakfast at the amazing hospital cafe as we were leaving the clinic.  We had a great custom made omelets and other yummy things.  

Some of the other stops were at The Creamery in Beaver and then in Cedar City to eat dinner with Bean.  Before dinner we went to SUU and walked around a couple of statue gardens and then stopped by to visit Juge and Lance and meet their new kitten, Pippin.  He's adorable and we had a fun visit and then had dinner with Bean at Costa Vida.  Ellie was there working an waited on us!  

He has been going to physical therapy 2 times a week and is making good progress there.  It's been more painful and is taking longer to be able to be up and around than he thought it would be, but I think we are starting to turn the corner now.  

6/16/25 - Well, here's the finished, after 6-week check up scar.  He's done until a next year check up.  He has two more PT appointments, and then he's done.  Last time he got 127 on his extension and 120 is what they were shooting for!  It's amazing that such a giant cut it pretty much healed.  Hiking up to Timpanogas Cave was the real test...and he did it with no pain in the knee!  Yippee!! Surgery date was 4/28/25.

Paul update, 1st summer hike, Ironman

 I have still been able to take my morning walks most days while Paul is recovering.  We have the schedule working so I can do what I need to for him before I need to go to work in the morning and I'm really glad the walk still fit into it.  We are both feeling the cooped up feeling that his immobility is causing.  He's doing well with his PT and making good progress.  He can walk without his crutches now.  He can make his own lunch and breakfast pretty much and take his shower/shave.  He just needs a little help getting his horrible TED (compression) socks on in the morning and it's helpful if I can get his ice on his leg for him.  Riding in the car, standing or sitting for too long are not good.  He is better off laying down with his leg up and with ice on it.  A little at a time.  I took him and Anna Lou out to Culver's today for lunch for her for Mother's Day (he still cannot drive). She had to ride in the back seat since he has to lay down pretty much in the front passenger seat.  She could hardly get in and out.  We decided to just eat outside in the shade at Culver's since it was right next to where we were parking.  We got her over there.  Then while we were trying to eat, Paul started having lots of  pain from sitting on the bench and not being able to lay back.  He had to get up and walk around to eat.  Then she had to suddenly use the bathroom, so I had to guide her inside to do that.  When we got back, Paul had finished eating and gone to lay back in the car.  My ice cream was soup by then.  She finished up her food and made it over to the car.  I got her all buckled in. It was such a lot of work for both of them and me.  I'm not sure it was the relaxation anyone hoped for.  But we made it.  Hope not to do it again until Paul is feeling lots better.  We went up to see Bean yesterday to go out for dinner and had pretty much the same experience for Paul.  Too much pain.  Enough!  Just gotta take the time to get better.  I'm getting very tired because sleep is being very interrupted with all of Paul's discomfort.  I may just have to sleep downstairs.  I feel very sleep deprived and still need to keep going and go to work too.  He can nap all day long as needed, but not me.  I'm happy to take care of him, but I'm kind of feeling the strain of the no sleep.  Soon he will be up and at it again.  Until then, thank goodness for morning walks!  I should have taken a picture of Paul and of her with her Mother's Day balloon and chocolates, but it was pretty much a stressful event and I forgot.  

On Friday morning I got to take a "walk" with April Moore, the camp director for our home ward.  She wanted to have me go along to make sure she knew how to find the waterfall trail that we did last year for stake girl's camp.  She pretty much remembered it, but we had to look around a little here and there to find the best path.  We left at 8 am and got it done as well as checking out her camp spots in the campground.  It was a fun morning in such a beautiful place and I really enjoyed visiting with her and getting to know her just a bit better.  She's such a nice girl and has such a nice family.  It was a glorious morning walk for me!  She felt like she needed to do something for me for taking time to go with her.  I told her I was just so glad to get out and go with her in such a beautiful place. I thanked her for that chance! 

This morning on my usual walk I got to check out lot of Ironman preparations that were in evidence along the way.  It was fun and the morning was cool, quiet and nice.  Then I got home and got Paul's terrible socks on and then he showed me how to get the mower started so I could mow the lawn before it got too hot.  

Paul gets a full knee replacement & Eliza gets a broken clavicle

 

On Monday, May 28th, the deed was done.  We had it done in Park City with Dr. Lind the attending physician.  He did the partial about 11 years ago and said it would last about that long.  The arthritis and wear and tear had done its' work and it was time to get the full knee replacement now.  They had a cancelation, so we were able to get in quickly.  I have taken the whole week off school for it and am glad that I could do that to be here to help Paul get started on his recovery.  It's going to be a while, but it will be worth it.  Down the road he will have to have the other partial replaced most likely as well.  The nurses and other hospital staff were great along with the doctor.  I drove  him home from the hospital on Tuesday afternoon.  He has had his first physical therapy appointment here.  Now onward to a great full recovery!  Paul made it his work to get to know and visit with all of the staff who took care of him.  I'm sure they all loved talking with him and hearing his jokes!  

From Moss - "Eliza decided to join Grandpa as an invalid.  Broke her clavicle shouldering a big cedar girl off the ball in her soccer game last night, Wednesday, May 30th. (And yes, she did win the ball.)"  So sorry Eliza.  Hope you heal quick!  Love you! We've noticed how hard you've been trying to be more aggressive even though you're kind of a tiny mite among the bigs.  

Paul - looking good for Whistler Rabbit book bio

My sister Janet's husband wrote a really cute story - Whistler Rabbit - many years ago.  We have heard it over the years and always thought it would be a great little children's book.  We finally convinced him to go forward with it when Paul said he would do watercolor illustrations for it.  They have collaborated on it and now it is just about to go to publication!  So EXCITING!  Paul worked hard and the illustrations came out really well.  He had to turn in a short biography and picture for the book, so Bean took him up on the Red Hill and took some really nice shots of him.  Here they are!  He's lucky he takes good pictures and also lucky that Bean takes good pictures!  And I decided to scan in the pics he did for the illustrations and put them here too.  I'm not going to put the story in.  This is pretty exciting and fun for Paul to be involved in this project!  We can't wait to see how the book will turn out in print!