Sunday, October 20, 2024

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.

~~~~~