wordless wednesday

 

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left and right

We are certainly having some perfect weather.

I am spending most waking moments outside, as usual.

I'm getting most of the necessary things done, but that's about it.

A few of the necessary things have been forced to

take a ticket and get in line.

I'm seriously considering looking for a little temporary help.

Just until the shoulder is sorted.

Much of my Daily Markmaking is taking place outdoors,

but that's nothing new.

Painting with my left hand, though...

that's pretty new.

Up until now I've done occasional ink sketches with my left hand only if a cat was sleeping on my right arm when I suddenly realized it was 11:45 PM and I hadn't done any Markmaking yet that day.

Here's a left-handed bowl of van Gogh's pears:

Now I'm actually trying to use my left hand for markmaking.

Behold my left-handed oak leaves:

While it can be fun experimenting, using my left hand all day every day can also feel a bit constraining. Yesterday I bucked that constraint by holding a pencil in my right hand (which was poking out of the sling), propping the sketchbook about two inches away, and moving only my fingers and occasionally the sketchbook.

The Sugar Maple sketch actually looks like the little Sugar Maple!

It was a great relief.

Ahhhhhhh.

I saw an orthopedic PA-C on Thursday, and was told I should start Physical Therapy in another week or so, after the inflammation has settled down. Eight weeks of PT may be enough to get me back to my pre-dislocation condition. If not, there may be a need for more testing to identify deeper damage.

It was not a very satisfactory appointment. Sometimes I think medical professionals are so bored by "typical" injuries that all they want to do is race through a series of standard sentences as quickly as possible and send a patient on to the next stop. I was determined to get answers to a few questions, and I did, but only because I ignored the PA's apparent haste to get out of the room. I also ignored his referring to me three times as "sweetheart," because I was laser-focused on getting information. If I see him again for the recommended 4-week follow-up, I can guarantee he will say it only once.

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view from a chaise

Mox keeping a sharp eye on ground-level activity.

While I tilt back.

(Note: in case of interest, roofline at bottom provides scale.)

I hope you are having a lovely Tuesday.

Almost said "weekend."

Right on top of things, me.

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didn't see this coming

Had a long-awaited/dreaded dental appointment on Tuesday morning which turned out to be only a detailed consultation. A friend gave me a ride home, dropping me at the mailbox, and I walked up the driveway, mail in hand, coat folded over arm, thinking about all the afternoon tasks I could now tackle without the expected complication of a sore mouth. Got to my door and fumbled for the keys in my trouser pocket, but they weren't there. Had that awful "oh no, there isn't even an unlocked window to climb through" feeling before realizing with relief that the keys must be in my coat pocket. Whew. Awkwardly crossed my arms and twisted around to the left to reach the pocket in my coat without dropping the mail. You can picture this, right? All perfectly normal. Then the edge of my right foot slipped off the doorstep, and I fell, hard, on my right side, slamming into the edge of a concrete platform and dislocating my right shoulder.

After several highly memorable hours in the ER, the shoulder was back in place, and now I'm wearing a sling when I'm up and about, and trying not to use that arm At All until an appointment with an orthopedic person next Thursday. Apparently once a shoulder has been dislocated, it has more of a tendency to dislocate again - something I fervently wish to avoid - so I'm doing my very best to follow instructions.

I have had lots to think about since Tuesday and ordinary life is slightly more challenging right now but I just wanted to take a moment and thank you for your responses to my previous post. Some losses hit harder than others, and Betula is a very hard loss. Your kind thoughts are much appreciated.

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Betula

I lost Betula, my Birch Boy, at the end of August.

I still don't know how to write about it.

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