June 1, 2022

Dear Family and Friends,

    Well, the month of May has come and gone, leaving me with a few experiences I'd like to share with you.

    Since receiving my first prosthesis back in August of 2021, and struggling to learn how to adapt to it, I've felt lucky to have had only one minor "rolling backwards" fall that didn't seem to bother me at all, and True was immediately there to pick me up and get me back using my walker again.

    Early in May, I was invited by the youth of the church to a "tea party" in honor of Mother's Day for the elderly sisters in the ward, and I was anxious to attend. I arranged for a ride with someone else to take me to the church. But as the time approached, I was hurrying around and getting frustrated because my ride hadn't arrived yet, but when True told me it was still 45 minutes until they they were supposed to arrive, I was startled, and from the bathroom I turned and stretched to see what time it was on the clock in the kitchen. In so doing, I lost my balance and fell backwards onto the hard wooden floor, right onto my supposedly well padded behind. Again True was right there, and with her great strength she had me immediately back up on my two legs again. 

    Because I didn't feel any pain at the time, I went ahead with the scheduled plans and had a wonderful afternoon as we enjoyed the lovely activity put on entirely by the children themselves. They decorated the room and each table, prepared dainty sandwiches and desserts, and even served us as well-mannered waiters and waitresses. It was good training for them, and a very pleasant experience for me and the others. I'm so glad True there to help me each time I did fall.

    Whenever True knows she'll be away for a few hours, or several days, she makes sure I wear my Guardian Alert button around my neck that I can push for help if I need it. Being very conscientious about my care, she always prepares meals in advance and other items I may need while she is away. She not only takes good care of me, but also keeps the house and yard looking beautiful as well. I appreciate her doing all this, and I'm glad that she feels she can take time off to be with her family and friends, for as long as necessary, knowing that I will be safe and able to manage things okay.

    Two days after my little mishap, she left as planned for 10 days to be with some of her friends in Sedona, Arizona. By then, my bruised rump was starting to hurt more, and sending jolts of pain up and down my left leg. There was also considerable pain that had developed in  my mouth from a loose-fitting lower denture, so I was glad True had left me a large pot of chicken soup, and other things that didn't require much chewing, which helped my sore mouth survive. The day after True left, I put a pan of the soup on the stove, went off to my desk, and completely forgot about it. That is, until I began to smell something! The veggies were badly burned onto the bottom of the pan, and only after scraping hard and boiling some water and vinegar in the pan was I able to clear off the bottom and make it shine like new. Because the pan, after all my hard work, looked like nothing had happened, I didn't tell True about my little adventure when she returned. 

    I've always thought I have a pretty good eye when it comes to spotting errors in written things, but lately I've goofed up a few times, and I rely on True to come to my rescue as an editor. You all know how I love to make my own word-search puzzles (I've included one with this letter on the blog), wherein  I fill the unused letters in sequence to create an appropriate message that fits neatly in the number of spaces required. Well, after struggling to complete this month's Memorial Day puzzle, and thinking it was finally ready to print, I had True look it over first. Sure enough, her eagle eye caught a mistake that had slipped by me, so I started another one from scratch on a new paper, trying to be extra careful this time. But True wasn't able to complete the hidden message because the sequence of extra letters didn't make any sense. Thank goodness she was able to find my blunder, and my third attempt was error-free. It just proves that a puzzle must be perfect in every aspect, or else it won't make any sense to those trying to solve it. It's a challenge for me that's for sure, but a good "brain exercise", right?

    Another thing involving puzzles happened this month. I already had a puzzle for Mother's Day that I wanted to share with the Relief Society sisters in my ward that Sunday. But on Saturday, when I tried to print it out, I was surprised when I was only able to get about 20 copies, so I was not able to give out as many as I would've liked for the holiday. So on Monday Linda bought me a new ink cartridge and a ream of paper for another project. But after we inserted the new cartridge, all it did was print a test page and nothing else. Collectively Linda, several others and I tried several times to get it to work, but with no success. Each time it gave us an error message. We decided to leave it alone until True got home. Well, by golly, she did get to print somehow, which enabled me to fulfill Dan's request to send him of my recent puzzles that will be posted on this blog, where they can be easily retrieved by everyone. I do hope you will try that, because I feel badly about not sharing them with you as before.

    As I mentioned in last month's letter, I've received a new leg with a flexible knee which also has a flesh-toned foam covering over the leg that makes it look and feel like a real leg by covering up all of the metal apparatus. This makes it more appealing for me to wear. Because the leg swings more freely than my previous one, it requires more control, which is what I've been focusing on during my physical therapy sessions twice a week. Through various types of strength-building exercises, and following the advice and instructions of my therapist (who is very good about praising my efforts and encouraging me to do more), I am gradually getting the hang of how to overcome the knee's tendency to lunge forward or double up underneath me. 

    During the month of May, I've managed to accomplish a few things. Always using the walker for support, I am walking more steadily now by keeping my foot pointed straight ahead. I can walk for longer periods of time without tiring, and I have fairly good balance. At home, I continue to do the same exercises and practice good walking techniques. I'm using my "Buddy" more freely outside the house as well. Instead of using the wheelchair at my weekly appointment to get my hair done, I now use just the walker to get out of the car and walk to Norma's shop, and use regular chairs to sit in because they have arms that allow me to get myself up and down out of there. I'm still hesitant to use just the walker when going to church because they only have folding chairs with no arms. But getting out of a folding chair is something I'd really like to learn to do, so I'll ask my therapist to help me. 

    I mentioned in my last letter that my therapist and I climbed a flight of stairs from the first to the second floor of their facility, and how proud we were of that accomplishment. Well, at our next session, I asked to go down the same flight of stairs. This would be more difficult for me because it would require placing all of the initial weight on the prosthetic foot, and there is always a chance it could buckle under me if the flexible knee failed to lock securely. Almost in order to prove that point, after only a couple of steps down, the knee did indeed buckle on me! But were it not for the safety belt around my waist held tightly by the strong arm of my therapist, I would surely have tumbled down and been seriously hurt. But I'm sure the Lord was with us that day, so nothing bad happened and we were able to continue our descent down the stairs, being extra careful until we reached the bottom. It was a scary experience, but it reminded me that in order to be safe, I must always have someone else with me! So, little by little, and with new goals to conquer, I'm determined to keep moving on and make steady progress.

    Before I close, I should at least mention Memorial Day. It is the day each year we plan to visit the Eagle Point National Cemetery, about 40 miles away, where 13 of our family members have been laid to rest. It displays tiny flags on each military gravesite, and is very impressive to behold. It is a somber time for us to pause and remember those who died, but that weekend also is a joyous time for me because it seems that's when summer really begins. Each year leading up to Memorial Day, Grants Pass has what's called the Boatnik festival. This includes the selection of a queen to preside over the Boatnik parade, which has clowns, cavemen and lovely floats. There is a carnival at the city park on the river, which offers rides, booths and games for all ages. A baseball game attracts the older folks. But the main attraction is the annual racing of small hydroplane boats on the sometimes raging waters of the mighty Rogue River. These unique little one-man boats race up and down the river at tremendous speeds, and are exciting to watch. The race on Monday attracts hundreds, maybe thousands of visitors to our little town. People who are dedicated fans of certain boats and drivers come from all over the country to cheer on and support their favorite driver. They also participate in the Boatnik activities, which is a win-win situation for everyone.

    Because we live so close to the Rogue here at the Riviera Mobile Park, right up against the river and along the route the boats travel, I can hear the boats and sometimes see them from my front windows. But of course it's better to see and hear them by being right at the river's edge, and when I get a glimpse of each boat's number I keep track of who's in the lead as they pass by four different times as they race up and down the river in their pursuit of the hefty grand prize. We're lucky to have front row seats, and it's a lot of fun. The Rogue River and its hydroplane boat races have become quite famous among enthusiasts, so Grants Pass welcomes them each Memorial Day at the beginning of summer, and again for Labor Day to close out the summer. 

    And now I'll close this lengthy letter to you with a prayer for your good health and happiness, and I hope to hear from you sometime soon. Along with lots of love from me to you.

Marie