snow dogs

Sophie, sticking her tongue out at me.

I haven't done a post about my dogs for awhile, and I'm sure you're all having horrible withdrawals. So here you go.

It's amazing how differently my furry creatures react to the snow. Sophie hates it. Hates it. Most of the time she stands there with this expression:



Sadie loves it - she'd stay out all day if she could. I'm pretty sure she has secret fantasies of being a sled dog. You know, if she weighed more than four pounds.

Here she is in action, running laps around the yard:



And smiling at me:



And pausing to catch her breath:



The entire time, Sophie was sitting on my boots and whining to go back inside. They just crack me up.

what a feeling

I spent the morning in the basement, mopping, throwing stuff away, drying things out and repacking them in plastic bins, and doing loads and loads and loads of laundry.

Upstairs on a break, I saw that Sophie had somehow pulled one of her legs out of her sweater, and she looked so much like Jennifer Beals that I had to run for my camera. And then suddenly she was on the cover of a DVD.

pink ladies

So today pretty much blew, except for the past few hours I was able to salvage. Briefly, I had a run-in with someone this morning before I'd even had sufficient amounts of coffee, and ended up feeling hurt, angry, and attacked. I just couldn't let it go, and it kept looping through my head like a video on repeat. I walked around the whole day in a gloomy fog. I allowed this person to ruin my day. How stupid is that? What a waste of energy.

Enough was enough. I came home, opened up iTunes, and blasted this song:



Then this one:



Really loud.

Twice.

And I was feeling so much better that I decided to put wigs on my dogs.

gate crasher

Sometimes I like to hang my new clothes on the fence and take photos of them as the sun sets.

When I finally got home after working late and running errands, I was greeted with a package of NEW CLOTHES from Old Navy. I had never ordered from them before, so I didn't know what to expect. I opened everything very carefully in case I had to send something back. But I don't. Everything fit! And not only that, I love it all.

I've been going through my fall/winter clothes and deciding what to keep and what to donate. When I got done, 98% of my clothes were in the "donate" pile. Obviously, I haven't put a lot of thought into fashion in the past four years. When I was sick, my goal was to not leave the house naked. Shopping consisted of dashing into a store, buying whatever fit and wasn't hideous, and leaving. When I started putting on pounds, I cared even less about what I was wearing, telling myself I'd start dressing better once I lost weight. This, from someone who was an absolute clothes horse when I lived in Manhattan, always shopping, always wearing something new and cute. How did I turn into this frumpy girl?

Therefore: clothes that are unflattering and make me feel like crap? Leaving.

So that was a happy part of my day, as well as my big platter of raw cauliflower with light dip.

But there were other little annoying things that happened. Such as swinging the side gate open and having the entire thing fall off. It's heavy, so it came crashing down on my legs. The culprit is a broken . . . um . . . clamp thingee. How does a huge, thick metal part crack like that? A trip to Home Depot is in order. I don't even know what I'm looking for. Do I tell the worker that I cracked my thingee? Perhaps I should take a photo with me.

Broken fence and the cracked thingee. Note Sophie & Sadie peering through the lattice doggie fence.

So I propped the fence against my house and went in. I had bought a replacement Brita filter for my tap, so I took the old one off. I must have gotten distracted with something else, went back, turned the water on to get a drink, and water came SHOOTING straight up and out of the filter-less tap. Like a moron, I put my hands up to block it and only managed to deflect the spray all over the window, counter, floor, and me. Nice.

Here are photos of the dogs, showing off their tiny-ness. Just because they make me smile. And now I'm going to bed.

lazy days

When I told people about my two weeks of medical leave, most said, "oh, you'll be bored. You'll be ready to go back to work." Well, I'm not. I never am. I love being home, I enjoy my own company, and I don't get bored. And I really don't want to go back to work on Tuesday!

Now that my foot is feeling better, I've been spending tons of time in my yard. I have two little brick patios that I made myself, one under my gigantic black walnut tree, and the other behind my garage (above) where I have bonfires. I alternate between both - they're shady at different times of the day. Sophie and Sadie are having a blast, too. They run around, sniff out interesting things, have adventures hiding in the garden (which is like a jungle to their little selves), bark happily at the neighbor dogs, and take naps by my feet.

Before I go out, I pack a bag with my Blackberry, my phone, my Kindle, paper and pens, and a bottle of water. And I'm pretty well set for the afternoon. I just wish I could pack a bathroom - I hate having to limp all the way into the house!

We've been having just wonderful weather - low 80's, sunny, breezy, and bright. Everything in my garden is in full bloom right now: echinacea, black-eyed susans, zinnias, hydrangeas, lilies, nigella, butterfly bush, goldenrod, veronica, daisies . . . with ferns, hostas, chocolate joe pye weed, and lady's mantle filling in the spaces between. It's truly relaxing. I feel I'm in a very good space right now, mentally, and I'm so happy I have the surgery behind me.

I went outside yesterday and sat in a chair, and dozed on and off. I was sure I hadn't fallen completely asleep, but when I checked my phone, I saw that two hours had passed. Good grief! I'm sleepy all the time now. I think it's nature's way of forcing you to stop moving around - while you're sleeping, your body can focus all its energy on healing.

My foot is even less swollen and painful now. I'm continuing to hobble around the house without my crutches, but use them outside. My doctor has me hold my toe and bend it back, holding it for 30 seconds after I can feel the muscle pull a bit. Then I push it back in the other direction and hold it for 30 seconds again. This will keep it from stiffening up. He also has me put vitamin E on my incision once a day. I just break open a capsule, squeeze the oil on the incision, and then wrap it in gauze. This helps the skin heal faster with less scarring. My toes are still puffy, and I still have bruising all over my foot, but every day it's a little better.

Tomorrow my parents are coming down to help me get situated for going back to work. We'll be doing laundry, food shopping, minor repairs around the house, etc. I'll have their two pomeranians and chihuahua here, too. A very full house!

housebound

Get well cards.

Not much new to report here. My foot is better - the horrible, deep bone ache is gone, and I'm not taking pain pills at all during the day. I take one before bed because for some reason, the pain is worse at night.

Sadie.

I'm just amazed at how long it takes to do anything! I'm used to leaping around, dashing up and down stairs, bathing in 15 minutes, doing housework, mowing the lawn . . . and now I have to plan. Making coffee and figuring out how to get it into the living room is a huge undertaking. My trick is to make a pot, then dump it in my thermos, which I can then dangle from a finger while holding onto the crutches. That's the hardest part - not being able to carry things. I shove things in my bra or pockets, clamp them in my teeth, or put them in a backpack, and then hobble away. Today I was able to use the "one-crutch method" and have one hand free to carry my lunch to the couch. And then I had to go upstairs to get some more clean t-shirts, and scooted up and down the stairs on my hands and knees like a mountain climber. It was quite a sight.

Sophie.

When I'm not crawling or hopping through my house, I'm reading. I've whipped through the first three books of the Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer: Twilight, New Moon, and Eclipse. They were SO GOOD!!!! I couldn't put them down, and read one right after the other. Book four in the series, Breaking Dawn, comes out on August 2nd. Now I'm reading The Historian.

Berry cobbler-scented soy candle in a mason jar, a get-well gift from my mom.

I'm also able to take photos, as you can see above. My camera is easy to hang around my neck, so it's ready for every action-packed moment in the Lymie household. I think Sophie and Sadie are getting tired of me hovering over them with my camera. They see me coming, and you can almost see them sigh and think, "aw, crap!" Then they suck it up and pose for me.

almost perfect

Hydrangea in my garden, just beginning to bloom.

Today was outstanding. First of all, it's Friday, which is good no matter what. Then, my boss left at noon today, giving me the afternoon to clean my cubicle and organize my computer files so he can find things while I'm off on medical leave. Lunch was relaxing. The afternoon flew by, and I came home to the happiness of an Amazon box propped against my door. Yay! A Friday with presents. Book presents!

I spent the evening in the yard with Sophie and Sadie, weeding the flower beds and then taking photos. I swear, I can entertain myself for hours in my little yard with my camera.

Sadie, who always looks like she's smiling.

Sophie, who always looks a bit worried.

Then I sat under the walnut tree and started reading my new book from Amazon, Twilight by Stephenie Meyer, a young adult book that people of all ages seem to be reading right now. I kept hearing the buzz about the series and seeing it in stores, so I'm plunging in. It's really good so far. Plus, it's being made into a movie, coming out in December.

Now I'm about to soak in a nice long jacuzzi bath and use my new bar of lemongrass Zum soap, then put on my jammies and read more in bed. Tomorrow I can sleep in before cleaning my house. I am in one of those rare, relaxed, happy states of mind and I plan to enjoy it for as long as I can!

my left foot

The first tulips to bloom this year.

I've had three doctor's appointments this week for various parts of my body. I'll start from the bottom up, and explain everything in upcoming blogs. Don't worry, one of those appointments was not the gynecologist! :)

I went to the podiatrist this morning so he could take a look at my horrifically painful toe and equally as painful heel (both on my left foot). It turns out (like I don't have enough ailments) I have two separate issues: plantar fasciitis and hallux rigidus. (WARNING: before you click on the hallux rigidus site, be aware that there are surgery photos at the bottom. They're not horrible, but if you're queasy . . . well, you've been warned! Just don't scroll all the way down).

The plantar fasciitis (an inflammation and tearing of the plantar fascia tissue on the heel) will go away with arch inserts, stretching exercises, and rest (no workouts on the treadmill for awhile). But the hallux rigidus won't. I need surgery.


This is not my X-ray; it's from the website that you may or may not have clicked on. My X-ray looked almost exactly like this. This is a hereditary condition, where the long bone (blue arrow) that attaches to the big toe joint is higher than the rest of the long foot bones. Over time, it pushes against the joint and a bone spur occurs (red arrow). This compresses the joint and wears away your cartilage until you have bone-to-bone friction. At that point, you need a joint replacement or a fusion.

Luckily, my cartilage appears to still be all right, although he won't know until he gets in there. I still have a gap between my joints on the X-ray, which is a good sign. My surgery will be less drastic - a cheilectomy, where the bone spur is removed, and then the long bone is broken and reset to the proper alignment with the other long foot bones. Oh, and a screw is put in at some point of the surgery. I'll be in a hard, removable, full weight bearing cast for 4 weeks. I'll need 5 days resting at home and maybe another week off work. My mom had this exact surgery a few years ago (and I thanked her profusely for genetically passing it on to me!).

I'll probably have the surgery in July, when the hard yard work of spring is over; all my flowers will be planted and the rate that the lawn grows will slow down in the heat. Also, there's no theater, no ice and snow to deal with, and I can lounge in the back yard with my foot up for two weeks in the sunshine.

I'm actually pretty excited, and think of this as a positive thing: my pain will be gone. GONE. No more limping, no more pain at tap dance class (which I really shouldn't be doing but love too much to give up - and there's only a few more sessions), no more wearing big clunky hiking shoes everywhere because they're the only shoes that are stiff enough to give me support and protection.

So after all that information, the doctor proceeded to give me two cortisone shots, one in the plantar fascia tissue over my heel bone, and another in my toe joint. The heel one stung, but it wasn't horrible. But the toe one took much longer and felt like an odd, painful, cold deep pressure. I kept breathing and repeating compared to Lyme, this is no big deal . . . I was glad when it was over.

When I got home and the numbness wore off, the joint was so painful from the injection and very swollen (he said this is normal and will go away in a day or two). I wrapped it in a frozen gel bag thing and laid on the couch watching Juno (which was FANTASTIC) and waiting for my Alleve to kick in.

Later in the day, I took the poms outside to hang out in the yard. I was able to hobble around and rake the leaves out of the tiny strip of garden along the driveway and get those bagged up.

When I try to pick up Sadie and she doesn't want to go in the house, she goes limp, collapses, rolls over on her back, closes her eyes, and plays dead. It cracks me up. She's even got her tongue hanging out in this one!

my day

My bed, this morning.

Today is mine.

No theater, no pages of script, no props, no paint brushes, no notes, no driving.

No work, no office, no phones, no boss, no ads, no lunchtime chatter.

No people.

It is just me.

I will linger over my coffee in my pajamas and read blogs online. I will update my Netflix queue and read the news.

I will clean my house so I can see the floor. And the countertops. I will pick up the trail of clothes down the hallway and wash them and fill my dresser with clean underwear and socks.

I will not bathe. Or maybe I will, but it won't be a shower, it'll be a jacuzzi tub bath and then I'll use all sorts of girly lotions.

I will take the dogs outside to run. And I'll run around the yard with them and we will make footprints everywhere in the snow.

I won't wear a bra.

I will take a nap under my favorite quilt on the couch.

I will watch a movie or two.

I will cook myself a nice, point-friendly dinner and enjoy every bite. And finish it off with 25-calorie hot chocolate for dessert.

I'll go to bed early and read awhile before falling asleep in a pile of dogs and cats and blankets, all warm as it snows outside.

And tomorrow I will re-join the world.

what i want to be

Sadie.

It's been exactly a month since I've posted. I find that really strange.

Between assistant directing the next show; my birthday; traveling on business to Alexandria, VA, for a week; Christmas shopping, preparations, and parties - the time just zoomed by.

The most exciting news: Sophie now has a sister! Her name is Sadie, and I got her from the same breeder as I got Sophie. They may be related - we're trying to figure out the family tree. She's 4 years old and an absolute sweetie. Sophie has adapted much more easily than I expected, after being an "only dog" for two years. They do the regular dog things like steal each other's rawhide bones and push each other off a pillow they want to lay on, but other than that it's been pretty smooth. We all sleep in a big pile on my bed, each on either side of me. Lately, they've been bonding by ganging up on the cats, dashing across the room to bark at them and then trotting proudly away. I think they'd high-five each other if they could.

Frustratingly, I've been fighting the holiday blahs. I was all in the Christmas spirit a few weeks ago, and then all of a sudden I morphed into this tense, grumpy, moody, depressed, and melancholy version of myself. The kind of person you see in movies just before the Ghost of Christmas Past shows up. That's me, about to be awakened by swinging chains and flowing white fabric.

No one tells you what life will be like when you start to feel better after a chronic illness. That's always the goal, it's what you say repeatedly to your friends: "I want my life back. I want to feel better." And then when you do . . . it's like waking up from a long sleep and discovering that life has continued without you. It's kind of shocking. You spend three years on the couch, where a good day is being able to take a shower and perhaps load the dishwasher, and then BAM. Suddenly the world opens back up and I'm left figuring out how to insert myself back into the land of the living.

It's not at all what I expected. I thought I'd romp across a field of daisies in the sunshine, free of illness, and live happily ever after. But now my brain is doing this annoying Rip Van Winkle thing. I might as well be stumbling around a colonial village with a long gray beard wondering what year it is - that's how out of it I feel.

I'm by no means in remission. I still have Lyme disease and am still being treated for it. But I feel so much better that it's time I start thinking about what I want out of the rest of my life and how to get it. I need to set some goals, get off the couch, and make things happen. It's suddenly in my power to do this. And I think that's what 2008 will be all about.

drippy

Really, all day long I've just felt I could cry at any second. I'm not sure why. Just that wierd, melancholy, edge of tears wobbly feeling.

I did the only thing a girl can do: I bought myself some presents at Target.

These cute pink slippers:
And this movie, which I watched immediately when I got home. It was GREAT!
Oh, and Charlotte Martin's Reproductions album came out today on iTunes. All the tracks are remakes of other people's songs. It includes two of my all-time favorites: Bizarre Love Triangle by New Order, and Just Like Heaven by The Cure. I'm still making my way through the album . . . and loving it so far!
So all in all, a day full of small things that make life fun, even when you just feel like curling up in a blanket and staring out the window at the rainy snow and wind. Which actually doesn't sound like a bad idea.

six hours in another country

Sophie and me, Point Pelee, Ontario, Canada.

One of the best things about living in metro Detroit is that at any given moment, you can throw up your hands, and say "That's it! I've had it! I'm fleeing the country!" And 30 minutes later you're in Canada.

That's what I did today. Donna whisked me away across the border this morning to Point Pelee. Our plan was to watch thousands of migrating monarch butterflies, but we were told at the visitor center that the weather was too warm and we wouldn't see them that day. We had a great time anyway, walking down to the Point, taking photos, and hanging out with Sophie, who was not thrilled with the beach environment.

After the Point, we walked back down the trail and ran into two women who had two pomeranians. Now, Sophie's fur is a matted, horrible mess. In my hectic last two months, her grooming has been put on the back burner. She gets a bath, but the meticulous brushing and trimming she needs has been nonexistent. But I wanted to meet the two poms, so I walked over to them. Up close, they were immaculately groomed, shiny, silky, and tangle free. Every movement sent their flowing fur in ripples down their glistening bodies. I've never seen such perfect poms. And here comes Sophie, tangled, messy, and clumpy, covered in sand from the beach, with a twig stuck to her butt. She looked like Pig Pen.

Turns out, the owner is a professional dog GROOMER. I was mortified. What are the chances?? Sophie had never looked worse in her entire life, and here we meet a pom groomer. She recommended that I shave Sophie down to 1/4" or so and just basically start over. And believe me, she's right. That's how bad the situation is. So the two poms, after sniffing Sophie's appropriate body parts, went on their way. I picked up my gritty, knotted, slightly stinky dog and we watched them leave, the sun reflecting off their silky backs and their perfect tails waving like plumes down the trail.

Donna, walking out to the Point.

After that, we hopped back in the car, ate some crackers with hummus, trail mix, cheese, and my yummy carrot/apple/celery/orange juice concoction I had juiced this morning. Are we healthy, or what? We drove to the marsh, where there is a lookout tower and boardwalk trail.

The boardwalk trail through the marsh. And canoes!

And that was my 6-hour getaway to Canada. Now I'm off to shave my dog.