The Foot Pain Aftermath

Dr. Portillo (Italian not Spanish) had asked me to try and keep my feet dry in the shower for a couple days if possible so that taping would stay. So this morning I had everything all ready - scissors, waterproof medical tape and a couple of Ziploc one gallon baggies. I guess the problem with using zip lock is that it is too bulky. I tried my best zipping it up half way, then folding it over on my ankle and quickly trying to put the tape around before it bowed out again. I wrapped that tape around and around and around and finally just hoped for the best.

In the shower I realized about half way through that the left foot was completely soaking wet, this was the first foot I did so obviously I got better when I moved to the right side. By the end though my too zip lock baggies were completely full of water and I sloshed out of the shower and pulled the soaking wet tape and padding off. A great day had begun....

Why can someone not invent and sell to orthopedic docs and podiatrists a cheap, foot shaped plastic wrap with some sort of adhesive at the top for waterproofing.

My Poor Aching Footsies

I have been having a devil of a time with my feet. I've kind of always had foot issues especially when I worked at K-Mart in my late teens. All that standing on concrete was so painful. Finally, I couldn't take it anymore. Each morning I'd slide out of bed and I could hardly stand let alone walk the pain in my heels was so bad, more so on my right. So limping I would go to the bathroom.

I broke down and went to a Podiatrist to see what the matter was. First however, I had to search the internet to self-diagnose. This is the way of our modern society now and I'm a firm believer in knowledge = power. I had diagnosed myself with plantar fasciitis and my podiatrist concurred on his own, no lead in by me whatsoever. Plantar fasciitis is quite common and is also known as heel spurs. It's common symptom is severe heel pain upon rising, lessening as the day progresses then coming back as a dull ache and often recurring louder as you relax on your couch at night.

My treatment? 5 days of Celebrex, taped up feet for 2 or 3 days, and about 500 cortisone shots in my poor heels. Using his sonogram machine he sprayed my heel with something so cold that it burned. This was apparently to numb my heel although I was and still am suspect of the point of that. At this point he had leaned me way back in the chair so I couldn't see and like any good, compassionate doctor nattered away to me about mindless topics keeping me engaged and asking me questions. A little prick at first (the needle, not the doctor) and then the pain. The searing, propelling me off the table pain as he jabbed the needle into me repeatedly. At least it felt like it, I'm not really too sure. I guess the lidocaine goes in (which burns severely) and that is supposed to numb you so you don't feel the cortisone although I don't really get the logic there.

After he was finished the right heel I had to muster all my guts and glory to let him do the left. He told me sometimes 3 treatments are required although I doubt I'll ever allow that to happen again. I walked out of the doctors office blissfully numb in my heels and hoped for the best. That was short lived because by about 9pm I laid in bed trying not to cry myself to sleep. Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day.

Backyard Update

I've spent a considerable amount of time in our backyard over the past month. Transplanting, cleaning up, roto-tilling, planting a new garden, mitigating various plant diseases and pests and my favorite thing - experiencing it all. Often I'll stop for a moment to stretch my back or admire my work and a view of the backyard drama will present itself.

Since it's spring I began my time watching the courting of various birds and listened for days of a poor crow in heat crying for a mate. That crow whined for 3 days straight until it finally shut up. Lately I've been watching the scrub jays defend their nest in the tree behind our neighbors house. I've seen them chase a squirrel right down the fence top pecking at him as they went. My mom told me that squirrels are egg suckers and crows are baby bird stealers. The scrub jays are often screaming at one crow or another, dive bombing it to keep it away from their territory and nest.

Yesterday morning I came across a terrible discovery. There was carnage in our bird bath. It appeared that a crow had been successful and was eating his breakfast on the edge of our bird bath until I startled him. There were lots of feathers, a small wing, blood and bone. I was very sad and could not bring myself to clean it out. I noticed later that the crow must have returned as the wing and bones were gone. I'm still a little sad.

Life goes on around us no matter how small or large, from the caterpillar crawling across the driveway this morning to the night blooms of the cactus - try to stop and experience the little things today. You'll be glad you did.

Planting for a bountiful harvest, hopefully

Biggest Loser Campus

My mom and I went bird watching at a National Park in Las Virgenes called King Gillette Ranch. Named such because it used to be the home of King Gillette (yes, King was his real first name) the inventor of the Gillette disposable razor and perhaps the founder of our disposable society. During our 3 hour walk we stumbled upon the Biggest Loser Campus, complete with gym, boxing ring, pool, dorms (where of course, I went to the bathroom), and the infamous arch where they come thru. The place is in quite the disrepair, obviously out of the filming season, windows swinging open in the gym, equipment still in there and gopher holes everywhere. I don't imagine the Biggest Loser contestants go running on the grass as they'd surely break an ankle.

The Harvest is Just Beginning....

Dawn and Oscar

Another Star Sighting....

Yesterday during lunch in downtown Los Angeles another star was sighted - the California Cheese cows. Yes, they were filming in the 80 degree weather with a back drop of the downtown LA Library and (not in the picture) the tallest building in Los Angeles, the Library tower (aka First Interstate Bank tower). I can see the tag line now, "real California cheese comes from happy cows", for the summer two of California's cheese cows went on a vacation to Los Angeles. They are probably filming in Hollywood too.

More Touring...the Hollywood Sign

This is the best view yet with little effort of the sign.

Tour Guide Dawn Pulls it off Again!

I pulled it off again.....my cousin Patti was in town from Edmonton and of course, Rodeo drive was on the tour itinerary. While walking down Rodeo in Beverly Hills, we were wondering what all these camera people were doing. We hung around for a bit and out pops Joan Rivers doing an interview of some weird looking interior designer who has made it big and cannot drive this beautiful car. The scene was him pulling up and Joan meeting him at the driver's side door. He scraped the crap out of the front of the Austin Martin because he hit the curb. The show is called "How did you get so rich" or some such nonsense.

Next victim......April Fools

Are those packing peanuts???? LOL

April Fools - Paybacks are a Bitch

I've been a busy little Canadian beaver this morning, playing small, geeky tricks on my collegues. The office has been so dry, I wanted to inject a little levity into it. One of things I was doing was flipping the screen on their computers upside down (in software) so that the task bar was on top. Then they'd call me and I'd laugh at them, ask them what they did to the computer, tell them to reboot (which of course they couldn't do because the mouse would go backwards) and generally make fun of them. Then I'd go over and fix it with 2 keystrokes. And no, I won't tell you what they are....

Then I went out, I admit, to get some items I need for another practical joke I'm going to play later when one of our VPs goes to lunch and this is what I was greeted by...