Merry, Merry.

12-24-23 VERMONT: Xmas eve—we expect Alison, Dan and Lily sometime today. Our annual Xmas day party happens tomorrow afternoon. Judy has been preparing all week. I have tried to stay out of the way. 

Neighbors Steve and Diana had their annual Solstice Party two days ago with a bonfire to lure the sun back to our hemisphere. It was pot luck so there was lots of food to try. 

It doesn’t feel like it, but the days are now getting longer. Maybe by the end of January you will be able to see it. 

We have little patches of snow here and there. The ponds are frozen and patches of standing water are all frozen. The waterfall is still flowing but will be frozen in a couple of days unless there’s a warm up. The sky is overcast. I filled the bird feeders yesterday and the chickadees and nuthatches were here this morning.

We usually go to a church in the Strafford Upper Village for Xmas Eve Carol sing. The minister is very open and welcoming. The service is aimed at and for kids so it's just right for us.  

Blue skies from a few days ago. The horses working their hay.

Maizie and Blue fighting with a broken branch. Blanca watches from the top of the hill.

The little church in Strafford.

The upper pond and stream to the lower pond.

The waterfall still running from all the rain last week.

Back in Vermont.

12-17-23 VERMONT: We came up yesterday in the morning. It was an easy trip. There was no snow until Norwich, and then only remnants of plow piles. Here there was shallow snow cover in places, but tonight it’s raining hard, and all the snow will soon be gone. The ponds are mostly frozen over, inlet spots are not yet frozen. 

The dogs have been roaming all over the place. The horses are in the pasture. Today we got a medium sized tree and set it up—Judy did almost all the work and decorated it. She also brought a load of wood into the house. I have been going upstairs the last two nights and sleeping in my bed after four months. 

Anna, Gardner and Emmett visited us in Short Hills the beginning of the week. He is approaching his two month birthday. 

We took pix of each other by the tree with the dogs. Judy deleted all hers, but some of mine were OK. 

Blogger with pooches.

Sleeping Swamp.

11-28-23 SHORT HILLS: Thanksgiving has come and gone. Judy did the holiday for 15 people almost by herself. The guests brought sides, and Lily and Danna were here Wednesday night and Thursday morning to help with the chores. Judy was up at 5 AM to make stuffing and start the turkey. 

I am now doing PT with 100% weight bearing, the knee is as big as a pineapple, but mostly not painful. I can see walking on the horizon. 

Emmett continues to be much photographed, which has not had any adverse effect on growth and development.

Blue and Judy just left for Blue’s first therapy visit—Good luck, Little Dog.

A few days ago we did a drive by at he Great Swamp Nature Preserve. Everything looks dormant for the winter, but the streams are not yet frozen. We did see a few ducks and a bunch of Canada geese. 

 

Emmett in a rare moment between eating and sleeping.

Great Swamp looking gray and lifeless, but just waiting for a warm Spring day to begin stirring.

Another gray swamp, the white in the center is a flock of Canada geese.

A few ducks not yet ready for the commute.

Sleeping Swamp.

Note to 'Anonymous'.

 Blue's pronouns are 'she, her'.

Blue Stars.

11-19-23 SHORT HILLS: Tomorrow I start 75% weight bearing on the healing leg and the next week full weight bearing. The knee is still the size of a cantaloupe. 

The new golden, Blue, has passed her Therapy Dog exam with Creature Comfort. It’s the culmination of months of hard work by Judy training her for the certification. There’s another exam for B & B in a few weeks. Judy has changed a fearful, anxious dog into a star performer.

Emmett, now three plus weeks old, models a new outfit almost daily, and may be the most photographed celebrity since Diana. 

Carol sent a snapshot of Judy and me from a trip to Maine with her and Ken from 30 year ago.

Blue last summer in VT.

J and H, mid-nineties trip to Maine with Ken and Carol.

Emmett.

Emmett again.

Two Weeks for Emmett, The Leg Slowly Heals.

11-10-23 SHORT HILLS: Two weeks of age now for Emmett Benton Davis, who we visited earlier this week at his home in Greenwich Village along with proud parents, Anna and Gardner, and proud Grammy, Alison. It was an easy in-and-out for us in the middle of the day. Judy and I each held and fed him. We are thrilled.

I have started PT at JagPT in Chatham, and started weight bearing on the broken leg. I am allowed 25% weight bearing on the healing leg, and next week 50%. [I have no idea how to estimate 25 or 50% while using the walker.] But progress is progress. In two weeks, it’ll be 75%, and the next week full weight bearing, also known as walking. I have home PT to do as well.

Judy is busy prepping for Turkey Day here. She is amazing—getting all the work done by herself with the least bit of help from me or Margaret. 

Feeding the baby.

The new arrival with Mom and Dad.

Anna's first Birthday. Front row-Edith and Oscar, my parents. Middle row-Valerie, Alison, Anna. Back row-Glenn, Dan, me, Judy.

Great Grandparents!

10-26-23 SHORT HILLS: Happy Birthday to a new Earthling—Emmett Fagin-Davis who arrived early this AM. This makes Judy and I Great Grandparents. Huge congrats to Anna and Gardner. Congrats also to Alison, Dan and Lily. Congrats also to Gardner Senior and to Gardner's sisters. Now everybody, including Emmett, can get some sleep.  

Family Unit.

Emmett Fagin-Davis.

Emmett and Aunt Lily.

Father and Son.

Anna and Emmett. Emmett is getting his first look at Earth.

And now the flu....

10-18-23 SHORT HILLS: The new incision has healed, sutures are out, but still two weeks to weight bearing. Fingers crossed that the incision stays healed. The last week has been occupied with the flu, partly over now, but still coughing. I did get the flu shot, and maybe it modified the course of illness. 

That’s it. Still doing PT for the legs and upper body. Judy’s car is now set up the way she likes it. 

Burning bushes define red.

Visitors to the neighborhood helping with grass care.

One of the pretty girls.

Another Operation.

10-6-23 SHORT HILLS: Leg news first. Shortly after the last post, my care was transferred to the Dr. Liporace  and Dr. Diamond at SBMC. After tests and cultures, the decision to re-operate and resect the infected area was made and executed. The metal plates and screws all looked good and were not replaced, a primary closure was done. Drainage devices were inserted, but collected almost nothing over the next few days.

Since discharge, the VNA has been changing dressings and watching the wound, which has stayed dry and clean. This is the ninth post-op day. I see the surgeon next week. The cultures ID’d a type of Staph so I am on a different antibiotic, Linezolid, for 10 days. Hopefully, the infection was only superficial and is now under control. It’s been 6+ weeks since the original repair, I’m guessing 8-10 weeks for weight-bearing. 

Outside the leaves are beginning to turn, the burning bushes are aflame. Birds are eating the berries on all the shrubs are they ripen. I did manage to put Judy’s front license plate on the new car in the wheelchair, and clean out the pool cover pump sitting on the patio. 

Judy's new car outlined by fiery burning bushes approaching peak. Check out the job on the front license plate installation.

Leg Continues to Heal.

9-25-23 SHORT HILLS: Convalescence continues with one glitch—a wound infection. It seem to be superficial, and we clean it twice a day and take an antibiotic, and it’s slowly closing. We see Dr. Schob tomorrow. We both had flu shots and Covid boosters, which had us both mostly in bed for the weekend.

Judy has been doing everything around the house as well as my care, dog care and her dog visits. She’s a Wonder Woman.

Ophelia was a nothing burger here, three days of light rain and light wind. That’s how I like my hurricanes. It’s definitely cooler with overnight temps in the 50’s. The Autumnal Equinox has come and gone, and our days are already shorter.

This is the youngest of our three Southern Magnolias, and the one with the most flowers. When the flowers finish, cones form.

Here's a closer look at the cones.

As the cones ripen, they open and show these red seeds to attract the birds.

Proceeding with Healing

9-14-23 SHORT HILLS: We’re into a routine here, which looks like it will go on for another 4-5-6 weeks depending on what Dr. Schob allows me to do. It’s three weeks since the surgery, the incisions are healed, a lot of the swelling has gone down, the knee is beginning to look like a knee again. But, I’m not allowed to put weight on the leg so I’m using the walker or the wheelchair. Standing or walking on the leg could distort the reconstruction so no weight bearing allowed until the bones are healed and knit together again.

I’m taking vitamin D and calcium supplements to aid the healing. Perhaps they do help. I’m on Eliquis  to prevent blood clots in the legs. I do a ton of leg lifts every day, both legs, to maintain and build muscle for that day when I can resume walking. My best guess as to earliest possible date—Oct. 16.  

Blanca under the apple tree with ripening fruit. Another one of Judy's pictures.

Here's a sunset from my window at APD.

NJ Update.

9-7-23 SHORT HILLS: We’re back in NJ. The trip down was thankfully uneventful. Dan and Alison arrived shortly after we did with rations from the Millburn Deli, and then Anna and Gardner appeared. Anna looks quite preggers. The two of them are so into it all. They spent an hour setting up a baby seat in their car in our driveway. After part of a ‘Sloppy Joe’, speciality of the Millburn Deli with lots of coleslaw, I was ready for a nap. 

We saw our local orthopedist yesterday, Dr. Cliff Schob, who reviewed all the work done at Dartmouth-Hitchcock from the initial x-rays through the final films after the definitive repair. He thought the repair was ‘outstanding’ and the best possible reconstruction. That was welcome news.

Judy sent out emails to many of those who have been following the saga—     

      “I would like to thank everyone for their concern and well wishes for Howie’s recovery.

Today he saw our neighbor and orthopedic surgeon, here in New Jersey,  for whom we have great affection and respect.

Howie sustained a double fracture of his tibia, which was splintered into innumerable jigsaw pieces and also dislocated his fibula and his patella which was pushed up over his femur.

Cliff said it was  one of the worst injuries of this sort that he had ever seen; that neither he nor anyone local here could have performed the reconstructive surgery and that the orthopedic team at Dartmouth was fantastic and brilliant.

He repeated this, with a lot of “wows” thrown in several times.

Howie will be sending a note of appreciation to the Dartmouth team in short order.

Cliff was impressed with Howie’s range of mobility and motion in his knee and ankle: right now physical therapy is baby steps for old bones: leg lifts, knee bends and walker exercises.

This will be a long, tough slog for Howie, but he will walk, which was a question somewhere in the back of my mind.

Jews say “next year in Jerusalem.”

This somewhat lapsed Jew says,” this Christmas in Thetford.”

Thanks again.

Judy”

For X-ray fans, the post-repair picture. The white things are screws and plates. Everything is in exactly the right place.

One of Judy's last pix before we left.

APD

8-29-23 ALICE PECK DAY MEMORIAL HOSPITAL, LEBANON, NH: I transferred from the hospital to this rehab facility last Friday and have been busy with PT and OT. The fever never recurred and all the cultures and imaging were negative. The leg swelling and tenderness are slowly resolving.

APD is clean and modern, the staff are to a person are helpful, responsive, pleasant, smiley and a great to work with. The food is on order and not bad. I’m getting stronger and more versatile with the all the implements. My private room is large with a big window looking west. 

Our plan is to check out Saturday morning and drive back to NJ with all the dogs and be met there by Alison and Dan and Anna and Gardner. Lily and Danna will come to VT for the weekend and bring the red Subaru to NJ with all the stuff donated for Covenant House and Beth Israel.  

My roomn at APD.

Fever.

 8-22-23 DARTMOUTH-HITCHCOCK MEDICAL CENTER: I had the procedure Monday morning. The rest of the day was post- op until the   nerve blocks wore off Monday night and the pain kicked in. Dilaudid and Tylenol helped, and at this point there is very little pain. PT had me up in the bed sitting for a while in the afternoon. July visited twice, once with Maizie.

In the afternoon I had a temp of 100°, which set off blood cultures, urine culture, chest X-ray to hunt for a possible infectious culprit. Four hours later the temp was 98°. So we’ll see. I’m using the breathing gadget all the time.

Here's what I look at all day. Nice drawing of the procedure with plates on both sides of the tibia and lots of screws

Inpatienience

8-20-23 DARTMOUTH-HITCHCOCK MEDICAL CENTER: I’m still an inpatient. I had the operative procedures last Sunday and Monday to establish external fixation of my fractured tibial plateau, half of the knee joint. This procedure is a temporary solution.

Internal fixation is the permanent fix. I am on  a NPO after Midnight  order, which is medicalese for nothing by mouth after 12 PM so that the stomach will be empty before anesthesia the next day and the repair. Will it happen? Maybe, but I’ve been NPO a few times already, and been left at the altar—jilted. 

Alison and Dan were here for most of the day today and yesterday. It was nice to have the company. Judy has been here everyday, usually twice a day, at least once with a dog, her specialty. The four of us had a chance to talk with an orthopedic on call today, Dr. Fort, and got to explain our [my] particular needs. Alison has sent me pix from the gardens.

Jon and Siobhan, Anna, Lily, Maggie, Lucy, Bob, Bill, Lynn, Carol, Roger, Ann, Laura-Beth have all called in the last few days or been here. Val and Steve have been in ME looking after Steve’s Mom, Mary.

Fingers crossed.

 

Magnolia, Wood, Solar, Wiring, Soffit, Gate, Knee.

8-13-23 VERMONT: There’s lots of news, some good, some not. Matt and Hillary moved the new magnolia over the bridge with a tree hand-cart. We laid planks across the swamps on either side of the bridge to get it across. We planted it on the slope where the original red maple had been, now dead and gone. They dug, and I sawed off the many roots that appeared. We back filled with potting soil. The site was damp but not wet. We have had 2.9 inches of rain since the last post.

We bought a half-cord of wood from neighbor Dwight, who delivered it on Monday. I stacked it in the wood shed over the next few days.  

The Solarflect, solar energy people, were here again on Tuesday and the latest possible plan from the head electrician is to run the wiring to the big barn and replace the inadequate wiring in the conduit that runs from the barn to the house. New plans are in the works. 

Tyler the electrician was here and put a new line in the kitchen so that the microwave will not flip the circuit breaker.

Scott and Cedar were here Friday to repair the soffit on the back of the old house that always forms huge icicles. They took out some of the insulation in the eaves, unnecessary, found no mold, great, and closed it up after repainting. 

Seeing Scott reminded me that I had promised a new gate in the deck railing. I built it on Saturday linking the two rails with cross pieces and a diagonal, cutting one side free and mounting hinges, then cutting the other side free an mounting a closure. During that last step, my rickety step ladder wobbled, and I fell off the ladder, about two steps above the ground. 

My Apple Watch knew that I fell, asked if I was OK, I wasn’t, and called for help. Turns out, after an ambulance ride to Dartmouth- Hitchcock, that I broke my right tibia in a few places within the knee joint, similar to the accident I had on the left knee while skiing a few years ago. Sunday, today, orthopedic surgery did an external stabilization that will be followed by definitive repair in the neat future. I am totally non-ambulatory now.

New blooms: gooseneck loosestrife, monkshood, white-star clematis, more echinacea, late anemone, blue lobelia, black-eyed susan. 

All the dogs--Maizie, Blanca, Blue, Bally.

The pond bank beds are getting full.

Me stacking wood with help from Maizie and Blue.

All ready for the fireplace.

Knee repair Erector Set. The ankle is out of the frame on the left.