Sylvia's Journal

Something like spring, with an occasional whiff of summer arrived this weekend. About 10 asparagus are poking their heads through the ground. We mulched and fertilized and cow-manured to make sure they have everything they need to grow into healthy stalks. I suspect in a few days we can have our first asparagus meal. Unfortunately I will be in DC.

The annual ritual of cleaning of the sticky residue that covers our indoor plants after a long winter with aphids has begun. Axel will have to do this alone since I remain one-armed. Although I am not supposed to liberate my arm until Friday, I stopped sleeping with the sling and when working on my computer. I do my exercises faithfully, passively stretching the unused muscles and tendons.

After May, with a couple of trips to DC, June and July have me travel to Uganda, Madagascar and Ethiopia or Togo. All trips require much prep work. I welcome the lonely evenings in my hotel room in DC (sorry DC friends, no visits), giving me several more hours to do what I can’t do during the day. Later in June Axel and I will drive to DC where I have a week-long conference but Axel is planning to play.

My trip in June to Uganda gives me 24 hours in Holland. I rented wheels so I don’t have to put up with the Dutch train system’s Sunday repairs, complicating otherwise simple trips. The 24 hours give me enough time to see my youngest brother in Amersfoort where he will turn his partnership of 16+ years into a marriage and visit a very ill friend near Leiden. But I am running ahead of myself. Asparagus first!

Today is week 5 post-op. I have one more week in my sling. According to my physical therapist I am doing well. I am on track and exactly where I should be in terms of degrees of sideway and forward movement of my arm, stretching the now stiff muscles around my shoulder. It’s a 6 months process and I am still in the passive movement phase, probably until later this month.

I cheated last night, taking the sling off to sleep better; I am not sure it worked as I still wake up several times during the night. I look forward to sleeping through the night, something I haven’t done since late November when I fell.

Axel is responsible for the spring chores as I cannot handle a rake. It’s frustrating as I actually like to get the beds ready for planting and prune the bushes. All I could do was fertilize the garlic and asparagus beds and brush away the debris to liberate the tops of about five asparagus breaking through the surface. I can also do most everything else with one hand, including the laundry, shopping and cooking. Tonight I will try to pick up the knitting of the finger puppets.