#2970 the three of us together again

He did it!

It took MT 39 days to hike the Colorado Trail from Denver to Durango. He started on Sunday, 13 July and officially finished on Wednesday 20 August. He took five "zero days" which are days when he was in a town resupplying, doing laundry, eating real food, and sleeping in a bed. Such luxuries. His brother picked him and brought him home yesterday afternoon, and you know, I cried a little. Kevin said it was the most emotion he has ever seen from me. I'm pretty sure he wasn't telling the whole truth because I have known him a long time - like longer than I've known his brother, the dude I married!

MT lost a good 22 lbs on trail. He's not a big guy to begin with, but his tummy was definitely smaller than when he left. This morning he put on a button front shirt that he hadn't worn for awhile and it fit him very well. He looks good. His beard is a little thicker than when he left, and he is very tan on his arms and face.

He said he had a marvelous time. It helped that he found a person to hike with, a Swedish woman named Emily who called him Uncle Marty. He is a social man, and walking alone was tough for him, so I am glad that he found someone to hike with. 

For now, MT says he will do day hikes in the Wasatch Mountains here in Utah. He's not saying he'll never do another through-hike, but he said he doesn't think he would want to be gone that long if he did another one. We'll see LOL

T is improving bit by bit. He seems to be staying awake a little longer and is walking more upright. We took the bandage off his back, and the cut is maybe a couple of inches long. He says his calf still aches, so I worry about permanent damage there. He will not have home physical therapy after all, since he is able to walk up and down the stairs and is progressing with his recovery. He will have outpatient PT, though. I want him to regain his posture and walk without that walker. Only a physical therapist is going to get him to do that, and I say that as someone who has had three bouts of PT (two knees and a shoulder.) Physical therapists get your body right again.

For me, now that MT is home and T is on the mend, I am focused on my upcoming vacation! Candice dropped off the paperwork packed with the air and hotel information as well as verifications for transfers. The cruise documents should be coming next week. Candice supplies hard copies, and all the information is also on the app she works on. Candice does a great job of putting our vacations together. Whether it is me and Lizzie or me and MT, we always want extra stuff. She still says we are her favorite clients, though! MT and I have been using her services for nearly 20 years. She gets us.

I'm a little bummed out because I haven't taken the time to draw or paint this week. I doodle a little something daily, but it's not the same. It's fun, but not quite as satisfying. Here's hoping that next week has a little more art and a lot less angst. 

Have a great week! 

#2969 three things: a week later, coming home, and the end of my concert season

THREE THINGS

1. One week later. T had surgery on the herniated disc a week ago yesterday, so today marks one week since he has been home. He is doing a good job managing the pain, and I see him moving around better every day and doing the little exercises the doctor told him to do at home. He'll start outpatient physical therapy after the follow-up appointment with the surgeon. That appointment is scheduled for Sept. 4. Tonight we will take the bandage off his back. I feel a morbid curiosity about it. 

2. MT is coming home. Yesterday, Aug 20, 39 days from when he started walking from Denver, MT reached Durango, CO. He said he is happy he did it and happy to be done with it, too, and that he is looking forward to coming home. He has been away from home so much this year that I kind of worry about him being bored and unhappy. I think he'll be fine for a month or so, and then? Hopefully he will be content. I am looking forward to his being home. I haven't minded his not being here except for the past week or so. That whole business with T was stressful and maybe it would have been nice to have MT around for moral support. However, MT was on the trail and I took care of stuff as best I could, so that's that. I am really happy for MT and proud of him for completing the hike. 483 miles walked in 39 days is no small thing. Good for him!

3. My RBG concert season is over. Last week I was scheduled to work a concert on Wednesday, the day of T's surgery, so obviously I let the volunteer office know I wouldn't be able to work. I had the last show on my schedule this coming Monday, the 25th, but I backed out of that one, too. I wasn't sure when MT was going to be home, and I don't like to leave T alone for too long. It all works out because MT will be home on Saturday or maybe Sunday, and I'll be glad to stay home Monday night to hang out with him and hear some new stories and look at his photos. I worked 10 shows this year, and I think that's a good number. It's the number I had in mind at the start of the concert season. I've already achieved my goal of getting 101 volunteer hours this summer. I still have a few shifts left to work, but I'm ready to wind down. 

 

#2968 48 hours

 

 HEADS UP: THIS IS A LONG POST.

When I wrote here a week ago, I was all excited about the fun, musical week ahead. There was some music, but there was also a wild 48 hour span that flipped everything around. Let me tell you about it.

On Tuesday afternoon I took T to a physical therapist. He couldn't seem to stand up straight, saying it hurt in his right calf when he tried to stand up. He also said his right foot was numb and that his toes tingled. Looking at him, you would think something was wrong with his back since he was all hunched over like Quasimodo, but he said his back didn't hurt. 

After an evaluation, the physical therapist advised us to go to the ER and ask the doctor to check for nerve damage. She wasn't sure what was causing it, but suspected something in the back that was pinching the nerve that goes down the leg. This is the beginning of the 48 wild hours. It was 5:30 pm.

We went directly to the emergency room in our neighborhood. It is linked to St. Marks Hospital, and it has most of the testing machines that are in the big ER in the hospital. Dr. Olesky was on duty that night, and after we told him what the physical therapist said, he ordered blood work, an ultrasound on the hip, x-rays of the calf and a CT scan of the spine. The CT scan was difficult for T because he couldn't straighten his back to lie flat. It was quite painful and he returned to the room in tears with the apologetic radiology technician. A bit later, another radiology tech came in and said he had an idea about how to get the scan without having T lie flat, so they tried it. T came back teary and apologetic for having yelled at the tech, to which the man replied, "It's okay. I've heard worse." The tech told me that he thought he was able to get an image of the spine, and that the doctor would talk to us soon.

The ultrasound technician came to the room to do the test, and I stepped out in the hallway. Dr. Olesky found me there and let me know that the CT scan showed a bulging disc in T's back, and he was waiting for the surgeon at the hospital to call him back to verify what he'd seen and to make a plan for fixing the problem.

When I got back in the room with T, I didn't say anything. T was getting restless, and he was in a lot of pain from all the poking and prodding that had been happening. We'd been in the ER for a few hours by that point, and T was ready to go home. That's when Dr. Olesky came in with the news that T had a bulging disc in his spine and would be taken to St. Marks by ambulance and that he would have surgery to remove the hernia the next day, probably in the morning. The ambulance came about 20 minutes later and T was whisked away to the hospital. I went home to feed the dogs and get some clothes and chargers for T, then I drove up to the hospital, which is about 20 minutes away from our house on the east side of the city. I got there around 10:30 pm.

T seemed a little dazed by how quickly everything was happening, but he was also in a cloud of pain-killers so he felt more calm. I got him situated, talked to the nurse about what was going to happen, and left the hospital around 11:45 pm. I slept poorly. I was freaking out a bit, but there was nothing for it. This was all happening, and I was going to cope and figure it out as best I could.

I was back at the hospital by 7am, and the surgeon, Dr. Sikora, came to see us by 7:30. He told T there was a big bulging disc in his back that was severely pinching the nerves on the right side of his leg that was causing the pain in the calf and the numbness in the feet. He said it needed to be removed immediately to stop any further nerve damage, and that he was concerned there may be permanent damage already done. The surgery was scheduled for 5:00 pm, but he would try to get him in earlier. 

T went back to sleep, and I decided I would stay at the hospital all day. A local coffee place, Grounds for Coffee, had a shop on the main floor, so I figured I'd need at least one coffee to get the day going. I met Dr. Sikora in the hall and we had a good chat while we walked to our respective elevators. He told me it was going to be a great day and T would be better soon. 

Around 2:15 T was taken to surgery. Dr. Sikora called around 4:00 to say the surgery was successful. He had removed a "massive" hernia from T's back and he was confident that T would have a good recovery and the pain would be gone from his leg. The hernia was about the size of a pink pearl eraser - around four centimeters, about an inch and a half. We do have a pic of the hernia itself, but I won't post it, because it's ugly and gave me a nightmare. 

 

T got back to his room around 5:15. He was groggy, of course, but laying fully horizontally on the bed which was something I hadn't seen in a few weeks. Dr. Sikora came in to check on T and show us the photo of the hernia - now a part of T's medical record - and to tell us that T would spend the night in the hospital and be released the next day.  T was hungry since he hadn't eaten for a at least 24 hours, so I got him some food from McDonalds and I went home around 9:30.

I was back at the hospital by 7am. Ally, Dr. Sikora's PA came around 7:15 to check on T and gave us information about going home and what happens next. T will have at-home physical therapy for a couple of weeks, then outpatient PT. Dr. Sikora came in a bit later to make sure all was well and said he'd see us in a couple of weeks in his office for a follow up. A physical therapist came in to get T up and moving. He walked down the long hallway using a walker to the PT room where he got to practice going up and down stairs. 

He was released from the hospital around 1pm, and we got home at 1:30. The dogs were super-excited to see him and took a little time to calm down. They wanted to lay by him while he was sitting on the couch, but T didn't like to have them close to his leg or back. Eventually everyone settled down. I went to the pharmacy to pick up the meds and to get a walker (I'm not sure why we didn't get one at the hospital, something about insurance.) I got home with the meds and the walker around 5:30, and that was the end of the weird 48 hours. 

Not to say that the time after 5:30 on Thursday hasn't been odd. It's low-key awful to see your 27 year old son using a walker, knowing he has a big incision in his back where the surgeon cut through tissue and muscle to get to the thing that shouldn't have been there. Overall, I'd say T is doing well. He is more upright, although not completely straight yet. He's taking full steps with the walker instead of shuffling with little steps. He's getting up and down the stairs well, and I watch him carefully when he's on the stairs. I've asked him not to go up and down without me or someone (Jordyn) around. 

So there you go. It's been a wild week! I had already planned a quiet weekend, and I haven't done much (except for that Chris Stapleton concert last night!) I've been napping and taking it easy, and I'm starting to feel more calm and relaxed. 

Surely there will be more stories about T's recovery, but that's all for now. MT is doing great on the Colorado Trail and was upset about what was happening here at home, although there wasn't anything he could do or could have done about it anyway. MT will likely be home a week from today

#2967 looking ahead and art gallery

The good news is that Mac is back to her usual playful self. I really think she ate something on our Wednesday morning walk that was bad for her tummy. Even though I try to watch what they sniff and put in their mouths, I don't see all the things, and I know she was chomping on something Wednesday morning. 

The best things I can say about Friday is that the temperature was not over 90 degrees, and I was in bed by 9 PM and sound asleep by 9:30. I'd put clean sheets and a light blanket on the bed and it felt luxurious. I find that I am usually really tired by 8:30 or 9, but I push myself to stay up a little longer, and then it's midnight before I get to sleep. I woke up around 6:30 Saturday morning feeling refreshed and ready to go. I really need to make an effort to get to bed earlier during the week.

Saturday was pretty mellow. I recorded blooms, paid the bills, and did some laundry. I bought a couple of clothing items to take on the trip next month that I'm certain I will wear often. I did a little writing and went to bed by 10 PM. 

Today I worked the docent shift at RBGA. It was really slow - we only had 13 guests take the complimentary tour, and one driver did all four tours. The other driver hung out and chatted with me, which was nice. The weather this weekend has been incredible with highs in the mid to upper '80s and lows in the 60s. Such pleasant sleeping temperatures! I didn't even have the swamper turned on last night and it was nice and cool anyway. We've got some hot days coming up, but I feel like fall is coming! Another tell-tale sign of fall: anemones have started blooming in the Children's Garden.  I love fall.

I've got a busy week coming up: 

• On Monday, Mac is going to the vet for a checkup and vaccinations. That night, I will do a recycling shift during the My Morning Jacket concert. 
• On Tuesday, T has an appointment with a physical therapist. His quad muscle has healed, but he has pain in his calf muscle and numb toes, plus, he can't stand all the way upright. I figure we'll go to the physical therapist and move on from there.
• On Wednesday, Stella has an appointment at the groomer for a bath and a haircut. That night, I will do a recycling shift during the ZZ Top concert.
• Thursday and Friday are clear. Friday is my 32nd wedding anniversary. It will be the first anniversary MT and I have been in separate states. (He is doing fine, BTW.)
• On Saturday, I'm planning to take my car to the emissions place to renew the registration. I'll also record blooms, then that night, I will go see Chris Stapleton in concert at Mountain America CU Amphitheater (formerly USANA Amphitheater.) I may take a Lyft to the show, but maybe I'll just pack some water, a snack, and my kindle and hang out in the parking lot after the show. It's always a shitshow getting out of the parking lot, so I might as well relax.
• Next Sunday, the 17th, I'm planning to just stay home and rest. I even put up my docent shift, so I won't be going to RBG. I want to clean up the house and seriously prep for my September trip.

It's fun to have things to look forward to, definitely, but I realize it's a lot. Maybe that's why I like fall and winter. More low-key!

Want to see some art I've made in July and early August? If you don't, stop scrolling now! Otherwise, scroll on...

All of these pieces were based on prompts from Jill Badonsky, aka Jill the Artist.

The prompt that inspired this one was self-portrait with butterfly. I took a photo of myself, then drew it without looking down at the page (blind contour.) I added the blue butterfly in the center afterwards and laughed.

What I Would Look Like If There Was a Bug On My Face

The next prompt was a Marc Chagall appreciation. I looked at several Chagall paintings, and I really liked this one:

Marc Chagall (1887-1985) L'Oiseau Bleu, 1952

Here's my take:

Inspired by Chagall's L'Oiseau Bleu (Sandy's Version)

The next prompt was Black Bird. Scrolling through Pinterest, I saw something like this, and I really wanted to try it. I ripped a page out of The Time-Traveler's Wife, glued it into my sketchbook, dabbed some paint on it and drew some birds. 

Birds and Words

The next prompt was pretty interesting. Jill posted a pic of a woman holding a giant pink owl. The instruction was to render it anyway we wanted, but to be quick about it. I did a partial blind contour, meaning I mostly looked at the image, only occasionally checking where I was on the paper. I used a gel pen to draw, then dabbed some water on the sketch in places. I did all of it in about 90 seconds.

Mystery and Wisdom

The prompt for this last sketch was to make up a celebration for the month of August since it doesn't have any holidays. I love to eat outside, so I decided that August could be National Dine Al Fresco Month. The tiny umbrella and chairs are kind of Seussian, maybe.

That's all for today! Have a great week. I'll likely check in here on Thursday with a report of the week's adventures.

#2966 3 things: Mac, MT update, '80s music

 

1. Mac, my black dog, wasn't feeling well this morning. There was puke and poop on the floor, and I knew she did it because she looked guilty and miserable. Her ears normally point up and she holds her tail high, like a husky, but today her ears were flat and her tail was low and tucked. Her eyes were sad and kind of unfocused, and she wobbled and swayed when she was standing. The biggest thing that made me feel worried was that she didn't eat her breakfast at all. She wouldn't even eat a kibble from my hand. I thought I might have to take her to the emergency vet so I stayed home to keep an eye on her. She was quiet and subdued all day and followed me around the house, always laying near me. She didn't want to be petted, necessarily, but she wanted to be close. I'm happy to say that she ate her dinner and played outside a little this evening. She's still quiet and sleeping a lot, and I think that is okay. Hopefully she will be back to normal tomorrow. Mac does have an appointment with the vet on Monday to get her shots, so I'll mention that she didn't seem to feel well today.

2. MT is on day 26 of his Colorado Trail through-hike. He messaged me tonight that he is at mile 310, and camping with a couple of people. On Tuesday he sent a message from mile 288 and he seemed down, lonely and homesick. He seems to be okay again now. He did tell me that when he was hiking yesterday, he heard a helicopter overhead, which was unusual, and then he came upon three forest rangers who were monitoring a nearby fire. MT said he didn't see or smell the fire at all. The thing that's cool is that at mile 310, he has travelled further than he has left to go. The end isn't quite in sight, but it is closer than the beginning of the trail. Amazing!

3. '80s music just hits the spot sometimes for me, and last night I got a belly full of fun '80s music at Red Butte Garden. The concert was called "I Want My '80s" and four bands played: Paul Young, Wang Chung, John Waite, and Rick Springfield. My favorite of the four was Wang Chung. They sounded great, and I knew every one of the six songs they played. They just had a 30 minute set and it was tight and fantastic. Rick Springfield was my second favorite. He was fun. He kept mentioning the elevation and seemed to be having a hard time catching his breath. The crowd happily filled in when he wasn't singing. A funny part of the show, to me, was a singing contest between the under 55 fans and the 56 and over fans. (LOL) 56 and over won resoundingly. We were LOUD and there were probably more of us, to be honest. Hahaha  It was all totally rad!

 

#2965 July recap

My mom has a blog and mostly she posts once a month, and it is a recap of stuff she did during that month. I'm going to do something similar, and it is based on what I've been doing in my journal. At the end of the month, I choose five or six photos that are highlights or memorable things  of that month.  Let's see how it goes:

I finally had a picnic lunch at a cut-away in Red Butte Garden. I've been wanting to do it for years, but never made it happen until July 2025. I really enjoyed doing this.

Although MT's hike on the Colorado Trail isn't my adventure, it is a huge part of my month. He is having a great time, and is making good progress. Today (3 Aug) is his 22nd day on the trail, and he's gone 250 miles. He is currently taking a zero mile day in Salida, CO. On Thursday he hiked over 20 miles and his feet were tired and sore. He got into Salida yesterday (Saturday), and decided to rest there today.

My favorite concert this month (and it might be the best one of the summer), was Rhiannon Giddens at Red Butte Garden. She is an exceptional talent: a two-time Grammy winner, a Pulitzer prize winner, and a McArthur grant recipient. She's an amazing musician and has a beautiful voice. I was mesmerized by this show. I hope she comes back to RBG every year.

One of the things I get to do at Red Butte Garden is to record blooms in the Children's Garden. This year I kept thinking how fun it would be to get a little fairy figurine and place her in different spots for photos. I finally decided to actually make it happen in July. I found this sweet little fairy with a book in the gift shop, and I had the best time taking her photo one day while I was recording blooms. I think I have about a dozen photos right now, all in the Children's Garden. She'll probably make her way around to other areas eventually. I really love these photos. It was exactly what I envisioned.

July 24 is Pioneer Day, a state holiday here in Utah. It is the day Brigham Young and the pioneers came through Emigration Pass, looked at the valley, and said, "This is the place." For us non-believers, we have morphed Pioneer Day into Pie and Beer Day. I had a slice of pecan pie from bougie Harmons and a local beer from Salt Flats Brewing Co called Save the Lake pilsner. Delightful.

For the last photo, I had to include a pic of Harley at the vet's office. There hadn't been time to give her a doggie downer, and she was sorta bonkers. The girl has no chill. I thought she had a UTI, and she may have, but the urine sample that was tested last week did not show any bacteria, but there are little crystals in her pee which could be something else, although I can't remember what the vet called it. Dr. Cauthen and I agreed that I'd monitor Harley for more random pee leakage, and if it happens again, we'll do a different test to see what we can see.

Have a good week!

 

# 2964 three things I'm looking forward to in August

 It's time to turn the calendar page, and here are three things I'm looking forward to in August.

1. Lots of live music!  August is my busiest concert month at Red Butte Garden. I'm scheduled to work at five shows: Rick Springfield, Michael Franti, My Morning Jacket, ZZ Top, and Keb'Mo' with Shawn Colvin. There were supposed to be six shows, but Ray LaMontagne rescheduled his show for next year. In addition, I am going to see Chris Stapleton perform at Utah First FCU Amphitheater (formerly USANA Amphitheater). 

2. Trip prep! I know August is going to rush by and the trip to Central Europe will be here before I know it. August is the time to get my clothing and shoes selected, gather some art supplies, make sure all the documents are in order, and research is done. 

3. MT will come home. At least I hope he'll be back in August. When we were talking the other day, we thought he had a good chance to get home by the end of the month. He's gone about 210 miles as of today, and he's been on the trail for 19 days. If it takes another 20 days to go the next 210 miles, then he would have a week to travel the last 80 or so miles. It could happen. My wish is that he is home by Sept 4 at the latest, because I leave on the 5th, and I'd like to see him before I go on my trip.

BONUS THING:

*Harley got a clean bill of health from the vet. She did have a UTI, but I treated it at home with  cranberry-infused doggie urinary tract supplement chews I purchased on Amazon. Harley likes the chews, and it seems to have worked. YAY!