just a bunch of small holes

disclaimer: single hand non dominant hand typing, what it means to you the reader: no caps for sure.

thank each of y’all that channeled positive energy to me and the surgeon.

thurs the surgery scheduler called to ask me what time my surgery was schedule. i said when the little hand is just past 10 and the big hand was on 6. she moved the hour hand 2 hours to 8, 2 hours earlier. johnny was able to change his schedule to drive me to flag. thurs night was prolly my last desert camping for i don’t know when. from now on it is city living. we rode in his ’14 honda civic, cars are sprouting more electronic devices. he stopped long enough for me jump out. i have been really apprehensive of what the surgeon will find: will there be sufficient living tissue to stitch back together, if so biggest happy path will be that i have fully functioning shoulder joint. frowny face would be a reverse shoulder with it’s limitations. if there are only the small arthroscopic entry points then the shoulder is still conventional and surgery would last more than a half hour. i need to know.

i chose a chair in the corner of the waiting room. a door opened, an attractive, trim, and fit woman read my name. i rattled off craigisms to her smiles. i learned she is a biker knowing sedona well. nurse tom greeted me performing his role, he’s a biker. i recognized david, a gas passer, from meeting him down here. green van recognition.

i was shaved and cleaned. next was a nerve block that i was awake for. the anesthesiologist used an ultrasound to locate the nerve then inserted a needle. the block washes the nerve and numbs it. the block turns off body’s resonse to physical pain. my arm ultimately just died w/ no feeling or voluntary muscle contractions. An iv was inserted earlier w/ what sensed like a big dull point. i was wheeled into surgery passing between maybe 6 people dressed in blue scrubs. they were part of the team. i scootched onto the operating table and before my hands were bound the knockout juice squirted into the iv plumbing mainlining the good stuff. next i know i am coming around in recovery. matt was there helping putting me back together. he said the surgery was successful. i am disappinted that nobody shared surgery data post op. my right arm is bound in the rotator cuff repair special sling. matt used his nursing skills to take care of me. stopped at pharmacy to pick up pain meds and lovinox. no record for the later. i called primary care dr thru after hours connection.  the script was automatically routed to a safeway i used previously. he called the walgreens who jumped to for quick filling. the lovenox ( i’m not willing to expend the effort to obtain the correct spelling) is injectible which is used when a patient starts blood thinner. my inr was 1.4 just below surgery max if 1.5. normal blood clotting is 1.0. my body throws blood clots hence thinning my blood back to low 2.0s. scary stuff.  matt gave the first dose.

i moved into duff’s extra bedroom. 4 big pillows propped me up. i set the countdown timer on my suunto to 96 mins for the interlude for taking pill. script wrote 2 every 4 hours, i took 1 every 1 1/2 hours. i didn’t sleep because of the pain.

yesterday i used a hiking pole third leg and walked to the bean. i have the morning’s shot and am looking for some one to soot me as the sling prevents my right hand to assist.  there are health care mtn bikers at the bean, it was just a matter for which one would say yes. this time it was lars who is an emt. a successful painless shot is to push the needle under the skin then gently push the plunger in, the gentle introduction eliminates burning. i am sleep deprived and addled by percocet. i enjoyed myself being craig. the med spaces me out. i need an evening shooter. i scored biker amy, a nurse. i asked her to gently push the plunger, she kind of rammed it home which created uncomfortable burning. i am making the shot administration a spectator sport. i lined amy up for today’s dose and to remove the bandage. today she heeded my request and i did not burn. way more than bandaids stopped up the holes. a bit bloody. amy went over the bars on her maiden ride on a new bike leaving her w/  slight concussive effect. she shot me up.

last week i bought headphones on line. i listen to music while im in bed attempting to sleep. i wanted a better pair.these are over the ear w/ soft white leather cups. they suckle my ears. i wore them all last night in complete comfort.

my memory foam bed rest pillow will be used tonight. attaining comfort.

Sarah, another nurse, is lined up for tonight’s shot. last shot is this mon am.

post op instructions emphasize no load bearing and keep it in the sling. can’t even hang it.  need to figure a way to support it during shower.

last week’s laundry is dry and still clothes pinned to the line. i am one hand lefty.

les, your block and tackle is a good idea but i hampered us by only using the existing strap eyelets. i attached a metal eyelet to the roof above the rearward strap. the new location will work better w/ the existing pulley.

joe, i have a room down here off jacks canyon.

a blossoming black locust tree 1 truck over is attracting hummingbirds and insects.

cathy, i finished skywalker, the tale of his pct thru hike. i remember on my hike that i checked my boot shoelaces by looking down the inside of knicker’s waste band. i never weighed myself.  you can never carry enough calories to replace what you burn.

 

Into Place

Like “Things.” I have a ride up to Flag, a ride back, and places to live.

Johnny drives me up Friday AM and drips me off at the main entrance. The surgical nurse gave me directions to the registration desk. She also took my medical history and gave me instructions. Matt is a nurse in the hospital will stop at Walgreens pharmacy right on the return home and drop me off @ Duff’s spare bed room where I will stay till next Friday. I had been checking Craigslist for rooms and decided that I would add being passive and let the rooms find me as I posted my own listing. Sunshower emailed me 2 days later stating she had what I needed. Yesterday I called her and conversed w/ my radar on as I’m sure she was also. I followed her directions to her house and she answered the doorbell. Her self given name is Sunshower. She is an artist of 2 dimensional images. She showed me her house and the room that is available for my rental if we pass the acceptance test. Another boarder has been there for 3 years. She chooses to help the short timers and gets to start the conversation. Nice southwest architecture. Comfortable and decorated w/ her art. Degreed artist, 65yo. I am paying $600 for a month.

Computer did a mandatory update that I missed seeing which saved and shut down causing a break in creative stream. Time moved to beerthirty.

I’m letting go of this now and might pick it up in the future.

There is always a charged keg in the kegerator and usually bottled beer piled on top. Shop closes @ 5:00. The staff joins in for relief from a days work. Several locals join in ( I include myself as local) for fun and laughs. I feel part of the group.

On Monday I saw several rigs sporting mtn bikes @ Picassos. I saw a likely looking group of men at a table outside. 2 days ago they were at the Bean when I was there. I chatted w/ them goofing about riding. Tonight I encountered them again @ PJ’s. They are from Durango. I talked w/ them again. One asked me about my riding and I told them a little. One of them started remembering me for a ride @ Phil’s World in Cortex. Turns out that guy was the one who emailed me an invite to ride w/ his group. Tonight there were 2 others on that ride. We described it correctly to know the real deal.

I took over their 6 person table when they left as that was the only open table. A large group of guys descended upon the adjoining table and overflowed to mine. I was asked if they could ask me to move. They were there to watch a hockey playoff game. I was good. I found an open table for 2 within spectator range of a big screen viewing a baseball game. My server told me they wanted to buy me a drink. I asked her if I could rain check it. She said that she would let them buy the beer I already had. She knows that I drink max of 2 beers as do several of the other servers. I thanked them on the way out with chuckles all around.

This will prolly be the last 2 handed finger pecking writing for a bunch of weeks. Surgery is Friday. Duane of the broken shoulder that I drove to the emergency room last Friday is also in a collar bone sling which is a step below what I will wear. He said he will have surgery to repair his shoulder which might put him in the same intensive sling. We will sit on the Bean front porch, my right and his left shoulder as a conversation piece to people entering the store.

48 and windy outside. I turned the furnace on until I crawl under the covers.

I have my new stickers.

Fan is on the roof

Friday was the day and I successfully installed the new fan tastic vent fan on the van. I scampered up and down on an extension ladder leaning against the side of the van. Ken cut out the sealant and screw heads, today it was a matter of backing out 16 screws that went thru the fan base, the roof, and into a custom wood garnish. The garnish is water stained and now dry. I don’t recall how or who installed the garnish(maybe me) that over torqued the screws which fractured the fan base which established  water pathways. Today I installed the foam gasket then screwed down the screws after drilling new holes as the screw holes are different per model year. The foam must act as a crush washer to keep from over tightening. I sealed the screw heads and laid a bead of sealant along the edges of the fan. Today I visit Stephen to fabricate and install a frame around the opening to finish off the install. New fan has a smoke colored dome which changes the light inside. Some time will pass b4 rain falls here in the desert to learn of my success.

Thursday I rode out Dry creek road: Chuck Wagon, Gunslinger, Mescal, Yucca, Canyon of Fools, Dawa, AZ Cypress, Snake, Girdner, and Chuck wagon. There was more chunk than I remember and I hit all of it having fun. My shoulder hurt afterwards, I rode too much. I do the PT exercises every day to strengthen other muscles. I lowered myself to the same level of my tires from a miscalculation going around a left hand turn. I slid gently to the ground landing on my left side.

Friday I hung at Bike and Bean. The shop ride went out at 3:00 which I don’t participate in because of my shoulder. Luke arrived back by himself then drove away. Upon his return there was an additional bike in his rig and battered Duane who crashed pretty hard landing on his left side. I drove him up to the Emergency room for treatment. He broke his collar bone and a rib that is also dislocated. He is busted up. He and I will be able to sit in the shade nursing broken wings.

Saturday I hiked the loop around the massive above the shop. There are several hiker created trails up to the pass then a loose down climb to find a traverse over to Transept which sort of contours over to HiLine at the pedestal. Once on Hi Line I encountered 3 hikers and 4 riders. Saturday and I was almost alone. Good hump almost 3 hours of trucking.

Sunday I drank moonshine.

I hang at the Bean which attracts riders. Sunday 2 guys visited w/ me from where I met them somewhere else. The younger guys I didn’t recall. Sean is from Bellevue, ID. Years ago on 1 of my early visits to Wood River I stopped at a laundromat right on Main street. Sean lives right nearby and was returning home when he saw my van. He introduced himself and invited me on a ride that afternoon. I shared Moonshine w/ him.

I used Turbo tax for my taxes.

Friend Steve sent me a book, Dirt Work, written by a woman about trail dogs. ( I already told about the book). I finished it. She has a chip on her shoulder being a woman doing hard physical labor w/ men, constantly comparing her effort to men. She gave me an understanding about women only rides.

Cathy, I now am reading Skywalker Highs and lows of the PCT.

My living arrangement came unglued when Duff understood how long I wanted to stay w/him. He was thinking a few days and I was thinking 6 weeks. I am working Craigslist and networking. I am able to park my van behind the Red Agave Resort out of the way and a bit of shade. I might lower my bed and use the van for recovery. Every thing is w/in walking distance from there. The grocery store is a mile away downhill.

My surgery moved up to this Friday.

Grasses sprouted, flowered and are now throwing seed.

Cows are now grazing where I camp out off Beaverhead.

Going to ride my short loop down here then head up to West Sedona for the wood work.