MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
"Weather Helm" is a sailing term that refers to the tendency of a boat to "turn into the wind." Due to the design of the boat, the type of rig she carries and the configuration/combination of sails she is carrying, a boat will, if the helm (steering wheel) is release,tend to sail along on course by itself. If any of the above mention characteristics is out of balance, the boat will turn up into the wind (weather helm . . . turning into the weather) - a good thing as she will slowly come to a stop, or she will turn away from the wind (lee helm . . . turning to the lee of the weather) - not always a good thing as she will keep right on sailing whether you are on board or not. A balanced helm - will just a slight weather helm - is always best.
I have developed a "personal weather helm" as with the hip replaced and the muscles not fully stretched out and realigned, the strive of my right leg is not as great as that of my left, so I find myself going in small circles to the right. This will undoubtedly correct itself as the healing continues and the crutches get dumped for a cane and eventually for nothing at all.
After a weekend of horrendous weather, this week has been progressively more wonderful, with temps in the 50's and even flirting with the 60's. There is even a possibility of one day in the 70's over the weekend . . . before the return of the snow. That last part is mere speculation, but it seems to fit seamlessly with the way things have been going so I just tossed it in.
Yesterday was a truly glorious day as I got to take my first shower. Please keep you snide comments to yourselves!!!!!!! After two weeks a sponge baths, to be able to stand in the shower and have the water beat down was glorious almost beyond the power of speech. As I said to my home health aide, "Boy, I could stand here for an hour!" He informed me that I had a 45 minute time limit as that was the length of his "assisting" and I couldn't stay in and get out of the shower all by myself. . . . without prior medical approval. I did 30 minutes! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
The staples get pulled next Wednesday and I can't wait for that. My mobility is great and I can "scoot" quite well, and stairs are not the problem I anticipated. I am still ambushed by "fatigue." It is not surprising when, after doing 50 stairs or so, that I get the sudden urge to do a serious power nap, rather it is the "sneak attack" that comes when I am simply sitting and reading or working at the computer and I doze off in place. While they are probably getting less in duration and fewer in number, they are still annoying.
No bids or bites on anything up for sale. I can "appreciate" God's control of the situation but the "trusting" part at times is a real high wire act. I have to move from saying that "so far" God has always been there and just believe that such will always be the case. Easier some days than others, but I be working on it.
Friday, March 19, 2010
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Yes, But It's A Different Kind Of Pain! ! ! !
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
It has been over a week now and my hip still hurts, but it is a different type of hurt. This is definitely all muscles/ligaments/ tendons and I can even feel it beginning to fade . . . at least a little.
I was only on the morphine pump for 48 hours but that was sufficient to "fall in love with my little friend." There was no real "buzz" just the edge missing from the pain. One experienced "discomfort" rather that real PAIN so long as one didn't move a great deal. I spent the first two days trying to find the illusive and probably non-existent position where there was no pain..
The drugs really scrambled my brains. I could barely complete a sentence and it was very disconcerting to pause to think up a word to use and then loose the word . . .the context . . . . the sentence . . . and then even what the hell I was talking ab out.
The people at the Middlesex were wonderful and couldn't do enough. I'd got back there anytime though not anytime soon. And I was out by Tuesday morning. I am staying with a good friend with a great house . . . . one floor . . . and with the way in which I am healing, I should be out and about before the end of the month. All of the medical professionals are very pleased at the progress. The next milestone should be next week when the staples ( all 33) get removed.
One amazing aspect is my tolerance for fatigue. . . .I don't have any yet. I get up, perform my morning ablutions, have breakfast, read the paper . . . .and I am exhausted. I have to rack-out for a couple of hours! And it is not a question of putting it off either. Either I choose to shut down for a couple of hours or my body does it on it's own! I mention that now because I am crashing. See you soon.
It has been over a week now and my hip still hurts, but it is a different type of hurt. This is definitely all muscles/ligaments/ tendons and I can even feel it beginning to fade . . . at least a little.
I was only on the morphine pump for 48 hours but that was sufficient to "fall in love with my little friend." There was no real "buzz" just the edge missing from the pain. One experienced "discomfort" rather that real PAIN so long as one didn't move a great deal. I spent the first two days trying to find the illusive and probably non-existent position where there was no pain..
The drugs really scrambled my brains. I could barely complete a sentence and it was very disconcerting to pause to think up a word to use and then loose the word . . .the context . . . . the sentence . . . and then even what the hell I was talking ab out.
The people at the Middlesex were wonderful and couldn't do enough. I'd got back there anytime though not anytime soon. And I was out by Tuesday morning. I am staying with a good friend with a great house . . . . one floor . . . and with the way in which I am healing, I should be out and about before the end of the month. All of the medical professionals are very pleased at the progress. The next milestone should be next week when the staples ( all 33) get removed.
One amazing aspect is my tolerance for fatigue. . . .I don't have any yet. I get up, perform my morning ablutions, have breakfast, read the paper . . . .and I am exhausted. I have to rack-out for a couple of hours! And it is not a question of putting it off either. Either I choose to shut down for a couple of hours or my body does it on it's own! I mention that now because I am crashing. See you soon.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Dancing the Hornpipe with a Peg-Leg
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
I received a call from my broker last Thursday. He had been contacted by another broker who had a client that had some questions about my boat. I spent a good 30 minutes answering them all but have heard nothing since. I am heartened by the fact that this "client" was asking about a boat in February! It means that he has been seriously looking at boats, probably for awhile, and the fact that he was asking very pertinent question, would seem to indicate that he has "serious interest." If he had been asking in April or May, I wouldn't give much credence to the inquiry, but February is a month when "serious boat buyers" are at work. However, I shan't get overly excited and will simply wait for thing to happen . . . . not that it wouldn't been immensely beneficial if she sold, and soon.
ABISHAG seems to be wintering well. Truth be told, it has been a hard winter, with lots of storms, lots of snow, lots of wind but she is "a North Sea Boat" and should be able to handle it all with ease.
Friday is "cut and slash" day and by day's end, I will have shiny new hip which will make it impossible for me to go through any metal detector without setting it off. Ah! the indignities of old age!
I received a call from my broker last Thursday. He had been contacted by another broker who had a client that had some questions about my boat. I spent a good 30 minutes answering them all but have heard nothing since. I am heartened by the fact that this "client" was asking about a boat in February! It means that he has been seriously looking at boats, probably for awhile, and the fact that he was asking very pertinent question, would seem to indicate that he has "serious interest." If he had been asking in April or May, I wouldn't give much credence to the inquiry, but February is a month when "serious boat buyers" are at work. However, I shan't get overly excited and will simply wait for thing to happen . . . . not that it wouldn't been immensely beneficial if she sold, and soon.
ABISHAG seems to be wintering well. Truth be told, it has been a hard winter, with lots of storms, lots of snow, lots of wind but she is "a North Sea Boat" and should be able to handle it all with ease.
Friday is "cut and slash" day and by day's end, I will have shiny new hip which will make it impossible for me to go through any metal detector without setting it off. Ah! the indignities of old age!
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Nothing New, I'm Afraid!
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
One of the nasty aspects of winter is that so little gets done adn you seem to have so much more time to do it. I would really love to be down on the boat doing some of the work that needs doing but it is literally too cold and, with the boat also in the water, there is little that can be done. come spring, of course, there will be too much to do and too little time in which to do it. It is a never ending cycle I'm afraid.
There has been no movement on the boat, not offers, not even a nibble. As we get closer to spring, I am hoping that that will pick up but right now, who knows. Of course, I could win Powerball and that would solve a number of problems but, as of now, ABISHAG going to a new owner is the best thing.
I have a carefully crafted and ever-expanding list of projects, few of which can be tackled until the snow stops and the weather warms at least a bit. I am hoping for an early spring so that I can get started and then get sailing if she doesn't sell. But for now, it is simply one day at a time, all the while hoping that something will happen to ameliorate the whole situation.
As for my own repairs, the cutting and slashing will take place on the 5th of March. According to the doctor, I'll be in the hospital for 3-4 days, then convalesce for another 5-10, and then it is simply getting better. I have been hobbling along on this leg for so long now that I really wonder what it will be like to walk pain-free.
One of the nasty aspects of winter is that so little gets done adn you seem to have so much more time to do it. I would really love to be down on the boat doing some of the work that needs doing but it is literally too cold and, with the boat also in the water, there is little that can be done. come spring, of course, there will be too much to do and too little time in which to do it. It is a never ending cycle I'm afraid.
There has been no movement on the boat, not offers, not even a nibble. As we get closer to spring, I am hoping that that will pick up but right now, who knows. Of course, I could win Powerball and that would solve a number of problems but, as of now, ABISHAG going to a new owner is the best thing.
I have a carefully crafted and ever-expanding list of projects, few of which can be tackled until the snow stops and the weather warms at least a bit. I am hoping for an early spring so that I can get started and then get sailing if she doesn't sell. But for now, it is simply one day at a time, all the while hoping that something will happen to ameliorate the whole situation.
As for my own repairs, the cutting and slashing will take place on the 5th of March. According to the doctor, I'll be in the hospital for 3-4 days, then convalesce for another 5-10, and then it is simply getting better. I have been hobbling along on this leg for so long now that I really wonder what it will be like to walk pain-free.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Major Renovation To Be Undertaken!
SHIP'S LOG:
A major renovation is to be undertaken, not on ABISHAG but on the Master. Yup, time has come to "sister a new frame" . . .I have to have my right hip replaced. Not that it has been a question of if, but for the last few years it has only been a matter of when, and "when" has at last become "NOW."The pain and stiffness that had been intermittent has now become constant and, over the last month or so, has become a genuine pain in the ass - not quite anatomically correct but accurate enough.
It has gotten to the point that even moving around on deck has become problematic. I can trust the leg anymore. It is not that the leg is going to "give out," it just feels like it is sometimes. I get that stab of pain and the muscles flinch and I have actually taken a few semi-stumbles. It became a question of who's fooling who, so i went to the doctor and he said it's time. The doctor is a good "cut & slash man" and he will provide me with a new stainless steel hip and a scar to match the one on the other leg. It is Set for March 5th and I will get to spend Lent recovering. Let's hear it for "mortification of the flesh."
A major renovation is to be undertaken, not on ABISHAG but on the Master. Yup, time has come to "sister a new frame" . . .I have to have my right hip replaced. Not that it has been a question of if, but for the last few years it has only been a matter of when, and "when" has at last become "NOW."The pain and stiffness that had been intermittent has now become constant and, over the last month or so, has become a genuine pain in the ass - not quite anatomically correct but accurate enough.
It has gotten to the point that even moving around on deck has become problematic. I can trust the leg anymore. It is not that the leg is going to "give out," it just feels like it is sometimes. I get that stab of pain and the muscles flinch and I have actually taken a few semi-stumbles. It became a question of who's fooling who, so i went to the doctor and he said it's time. The doctor is a good "cut & slash man" and he will provide me with a new stainless steel hip and a scar to match the one on the other leg. It is Set for March 5th and I will get to spend Lent recovering. Let's hear it for "mortification of the flesh."
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Winter! Winter! Winter! ! ! ! ! Crap! ! ! ! !
SHIP'S LOG:
What can I say that you don't already know. It's winter. It's cold. There's snow on the ground and the prospects for an early Spring are poor to say the least. Depending on who you trust and who you consult, be it N.O.A.A. or The Weather Channel or the Farmer's Almanac, the news is all the same, "more Winter Be Coming!"
As of the last check, ABISHAG is doing fine, floating on her lines and wintering well as far as I can tell, even with snow and ice on her deck. Even the blue-poly tarp is still in place. But winter is hanging on. The only good thing right now that I can come up with is that the days are at last getting longer. It's been a month since the equinox and you can begin to notice the change. It is small true, but it is getting more and more noticeable though you have to be getting up early to notice it.
I have spent the free time of the winter working toward my Ham License, a good idea as ABISHAG has a Single Side Band Radio which also covers the Ham frequencies. . . . . might as well make use of what we have.
The list for "Spring Projects" is growing rapidly and unrealistically with each passing day. Every time a sailing mag comes in, it grow exponentially. It is limitless . . .well, actually it isn't as it is limited, restricted, constrained - you get the point - by the dearth of Marine Units. It is a tough thing to buy anything without money. I am probably going to need about one(1) Marine Unit to pay for the absolutely necessary spring maintenance projects -bottom painting; zinc replacement, engine hoses and clamps, varnish, caulking for the deck seams - plus that "odd" item that will make its unannounced appearance at some inopportune time in the spring. Boy, am I looking forward to doing the maintenance! I really am. Winter - I hate winter!
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
ABISHAG remains in an unsold state. No bites whatsoever. Not even a ridiculously, obscenely low-ball offer. I am both happy and sad. It is a strange combination that goes with the weather and the season.
What can I say that you don't already know. It's winter. It's cold. There's snow on the ground and the prospects for an early Spring are poor to say the least. Depending on who you trust and who you consult, be it N.O.A.A. or The Weather Channel or the Farmer's Almanac, the news is all the same, "more Winter Be Coming!"
As of the last check, ABISHAG is doing fine, floating on her lines and wintering well as far as I can tell, even with snow and ice on her deck. Even the blue-poly tarp is still in place. But winter is hanging on. The only good thing right now that I can come up with is that the days are at last getting longer. It's been a month since the equinox and you can begin to notice the change. It is small true, but it is getting more and more noticeable though you have to be getting up early to notice it.
I have spent the free time of the winter working toward my Ham License, a good idea as ABISHAG has a Single Side Band Radio which also covers the Ham frequencies. . . . . might as well make use of what we have.
The list for "Spring Projects" is growing rapidly and unrealistically with each passing day. Every time a sailing mag comes in, it grow exponentially. It is limitless . . .well, actually it isn't as it is limited, restricted, constrained - you get the point - by the dearth of Marine Units. It is a tough thing to buy anything without money. I am probably going to need about one(1) Marine Unit to pay for the absolutely necessary spring maintenance projects -bottom painting; zinc replacement, engine hoses and clamps, varnish, caulking for the deck seams - plus that "odd" item that will make its unannounced appearance at some inopportune time in the spring. Boy, am I looking forward to doing the maintenance! I really am. Winter - I hate winter!
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
ABISHAG remains in an unsold state. No bites whatsoever. Not even a ridiculously, obscenely low-ball offer. I am both happy and sad. It is a strange combination that goes with the weather and the season.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
AH! Winter! Snow! Cold!
SHIP'S LOG:
Truth be told, I didn't get to the boat last weekend. Actually, couldn't is more like it. The snow was piled up around the access dock and the gate and there was just no way to get there. Even drinving my car too close would have been dangerous as it might have gotten stuck. My little P.O.S. is truly awful in any type of weather other than sunshine and the thought of getting trapped there with another snow storm on the way was not something wonderful to contemplate. Perhaps this week will be different.
The "sadists" who edit sailing magazines, keep producing copies during the winter that highlight Caribbean get aways, South Seas vacations and the like. They fill their magazines with adds promoting such and make it sound so easy and affordable. Actually, I suppose it is if you have the money and the time. Time I got, money is a whole nuther matter.
I got a call from my realtor. She has been getting emails from some guy who expressed interest in the condo back in the fall. He seems interested again and wants to spend a week at the condo. He wants me to rent it to him and if he decides to buy, to knock the rental paid off the purchase price. Unfortunately, the rentals are handled by the Spa exclusively but I told her to tell him we would knock off a $100/day if he buys. So we will wait and see what happens. Truth be told, I ain't expecting anything to happen. If it does I get excited and if not, well it will be what I expected.
I got hit with a "bug" as well this weekend. It wasn't the "flu" but something equally nasty. Not much of a fever but as real crampy gastro-intestinal aspect along with sinus clogging that has my ears blocked. It was like living underwater. I couldn't even walk straight it had such an effect on my inner ear and balance. The gastro-part went after 24hours, but the blocked ears remain. I hate winter!
Truth be told, I didn't get to the boat last weekend. Actually, couldn't is more like it. The snow was piled up around the access dock and the gate and there was just no way to get there. Even drinving my car too close would have been dangerous as it might have gotten stuck. My little P.O.S. is truly awful in any type of weather other than sunshine and the thought of getting trapped there with another snow storm on the way was not something wonderful to contemplate. Perhaps this week will be different.
The "sadists" who edit sailing magazines, keep producing copies during the winter that highlight Caribbean get aways, South Seas vacations and the like. They fill their magazines with adds promoting such and make it sound so easy and affordable. Actually, I suppose it is if you have the money and the time. Time I got, money is a whole nuther matter.
I got a call from my realtor. She has been getting emails from some guy who expressed interest in the condo back in the fall. He seems interested again and wants to spend a week at the condo. He wants me to rent it to him and if he decides to buy, to knock the rental paid off the purchase price. Unfortunately, the rentals are handled by the Spa exclusively but I told her to tell him we would knock off a $100/day if he buys. So we will wait and see what happens. Truth be told, I ain't expecting anything to happen. If it does I get excited and if not, well it will be what I expected.
I got hit with a "bug" as well this weekend. It wasn't the "flu" but something equally nasty. Not much of a fever but as real crampy gastro-intestinal aspect along with sinus clogging that has my ears blocked. It was like living underwater. I couldn't even walk straight it had such an effect on my inner ear and balance. The gastro-part went after 24hours, but the blocked ears remain. I hate winter!
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