Travels with Nicky: December 2010

It was a gorgeous fall here. The colors were brilliant and the weather was beautiful. Lee was busy all fall removing trees on the property that had been hit with a disease called Nettle Cast or they were just in bad shape. In all he took down over 33 trees. He had the limbs to burn the stumps to grind and cut the trunks to length to be sold for pulp wood. Lee finished this project just before my Total Knee Replacement surgery.

This is a picture of the lane into our property after Lee cut all the trees down. It used to be pin tree lined.

Io July 23 I injured my left knee. The surgeon said he would do a scope and see if he could buy me some time. The scope was done Sept. 24 and after taking a look inside he told Lee," she needs a new knee". So the surgery was scheduled for Nov. 4th. I was in the hospital for three days and then 5 days after surgery I started out patient PT.
No one ever told me there was so much pain involved nor did I realize how long it would take to get full movement back. It's definitely been a physical challenge.

This is Nicky, my 67 pounds of pure therapy. He had stuck me me through it all. I am on the CPM machine. Originally 3 hours a day was spent on this for the first 3 weeks along with PT an hour and 45min. 3 times a week.

It's pretty ugly lookin isn't it?

The children and grand children have given lots of support.

This is a picture of me and my surgeon taken at my 2 week checkup. He told me before surgery that I would hate him for about 2 months.

This is the surgeon's nurse giving me instructions for the next month.

This is now my left knee. I call this prosthetic part Stella and I keep telling her she better get her groove back soon.

Two weeks after surgery, our grandson, Troy (Hempfield HS) played at Hershey statium for the state championship and they won. I was unable to go but Lee and our two grandsons, Like and Mike went.

From Nov. 19- after Thanksgiving our two grandsons Luke and Mike were visiting with us while their parents went on a trip.

Troy Barr our state champ.

While Mike and Luke were here they heoped Papa put in the new trees on the lane. Luke got to drive thw3 tractor and Mike got to run the skider. The boys worked very hard all day long.

On the left is Troy. This picture was in the paper.

Papa and the boys headed out to work.

They loves playing Mexican train with us at night.

Here they are getting the new trees in. Lee's planting an ornamental cherry and an ornamental Pear alternating. In the spring we will have pink and white blossoms down the lane. In the falls the leaves will be red and gold.