nothing like new bone growth to change one's attitude

Yes you heard me !! The bone around the new hip revision is starting to grow new bone. I am so excited I could..............walk. I am now using a cane and do not have tow ear the brace, for the most part. I can drive too!! and will test that out tomorrow on my way to PT. I am very happy and elated over the good news. There was great concern I would not generate bone growth or the "grafting" would not take, or worst yet, I would reject it. So far concerns are set aside for the next 8 moths of healing time. What a great Christmas present.

OK who else is tired of turkey leftovers? I ate the last of turkey salad and Douglas will eat the last of soup. A container with dad's name on it is hiding in the freezer. I am sure we all have eaten our body weight in turkey and sides this past week, especially those of us who can not throw away food. So last night we had lamb and spinach pie. I used a recipe from Ina Garten my friend Ginger sent and made some adaptations after opening the Feta container and smelling the stench of rotten cheese....sheep cheese at that. So I used a cooks intuition and replaced feta with ricotta and Parmesan. The crust I used was pie crust because I did not have phyllo. it was great. The lamb marinated and baked in lots of garlic and lemon juice was the tenderest I have tasted and melted in our mouths, was raised by local organic farmer. Leftovers anyone?

Douglas is picking the real last of the garden. I can not believe every tome we think we picked it all something grows back or pops up including nasturtium and calendula flowers and a single rose flower. Isn't mother nature amazing in all her glory? It is now winter and will have nights down int he 20's after tonight so I am sure that is the end of it. My friend Jennifer has cabbage and lots of greens and her chickens still producing eggs. That is good news. She has about five times the garden space we have and I know how fulfilled she must feel, but all gardeners-farmers are ready to slow down for the winter. It is time to turn the soil and place compost and leaves in the growing areas for winter to kill the bacteria and the aeration to begin. We put our leaves in there too which worms love. it is better than burning them. So life-death continues and we go from fall to winter. Time to hibernate and take stock in our hearth. it is a healing and nurturing time and involves little effort, unless you chop wood and carry water.

I am reading "Lacuna" by Barbara Kigsolver and it is wonderful. A visual masterpiece of which I can not put down. I am half way through and I highly recommend it for anyone who loves visually stimulating novels loosely based on history. If you are a fan of her or Gabriel Garcia Marquez then you will adore this fantastic journey taking place around the end of WW! and into mid 1900's in Mexico and in the United States. Frida Khalo and Diego Rivera included in the epic. I can see this as a movie for sure. Check it out.