November is Done
The year is marching on whether I am ready for it or not.
Mornings after a sound night of sleep should be ready to march on. Hey . . . not so fast! I do take time to lay flat and do some exercises to rotate the back and twist from side to side to allow the body to realize we will be getting upright soon.
My left arm and hand are not all that excited. My left hand has curled into the fist during the night, into that post-stroke position. There is more work to be done to get some cooperation. I do have my cane right next to the bed. I am as wobbly when I take my first steps in the morning as I am after a full day. That is the lasting effects that have become customary and usual. If we can help it, we don’t schedule much in the early mornings. It takes time to get into the grove of the day.
In the scheme of things, my days could have much more severe spells when it comes to movement. I do miss being able to handle a full sized sandwich with two hands. I still have not achieved using a knife in conjunction with a fork to cut meat. There are so many foods that can be handled with one hand and a fork. I have lots of time.
Doing dishes is easier to do than drying them. Doing the dishes can easily be done by backing them into a corner of the sink to get them clean. Silverware needs to have two hands for drying, or . . . lay them on a clean dish towel and dab them into surrender.
General housework goes well. It is those finite motor skills that I will not give up on . . . and that is where my studio comes into play. Unfortunately, I bless things a bit too often, when getting into the nitty gritty of projects. Nothing has hit the circular file, aka: the waste basket. I take my time and don’t plan on working at the machine for long durations. I take breaks and find something to tidy before hitting the foot peddle of the machine again. It works! My life might be different on a day-to-day basis, but it’s still ME!
We have our home decorated for Christmas. There might be one more Christmas wall
hanging to put in the basement stairwell. The crowning achievement was when Carrie got Santa out of storage. He will be greeting everyone from his 
place at the base of the stairwell going into the studio. In 2019 when Dennis had gone on a trip with nephew Brett, I gave a weary Santa a makeover. He had spent his younger years at the lobby of a bank in Fairfax. Kevin and Kersten rescued him and brought him to St. James. He needed me.
It’s time for me to head to PT and then Dennis and I will be heading to Aspen Dental.