John's In

I don't know what happened to the rest of the posts I wrote from my phone, but they do show up on my phone if not here. I'm so nervous about my right knee. Thursday we head back up to Philly, to Jefferson U. Hosp., to see the orthopedist. Last time, he gave me a shot, but last time, my knee had been improving. This time, it's horrible. The only medication that's helped (until this evening), is percocet. And percocet brings its own problems. I see the orthopedist Thursday and I'm hoping he'll want to give me a new knee. I'm looking forward to eventually getting back to normal --with a new knee. I'm wheeling around in a wheelchair on the main floor and it's annoying. I have to have canes on every floor. I can't really go into stores, which means I can't get the cat's food, the little girls their Easter gifts--nothing. Thank God, I have Harry and he'll get the stuff. I'm watching my house get dirtier filling with cat hair and dust bunnies. Yuck. Who can concentrate on dust when one is in pain. I found someone to do the kitty litter for when I'm down. One step. I need someone to clean for that time too.
John is here fixing the house. It's great when he's here. He painted our shutters, did our deck, and he's waiting for the lazy susans for the corner cabinets. They've always been impossible, so finally, they'll be useful. He's doing more, but the list is boring. The point is when John is in from Washington State he fixes all the big and little problems of the house. We trust John and we love him.
I painted today and that was good. I'm always grateful when I do. For that, for John, for Harry and our cats, it was a beautiful day.

Listen to the Plants Singing

Delaware is shrouded by navy blue clouds today; it's a thundering and lightening sky. Normally, when I don't have to cook or leave the house, I love this. My plants are getting watered and they're always happy when it rains. (Yes, plants can be happy.) I should be downstairs painting, but I keep thinking about returning the new vacuum cleaner to Boscov's and then going to Brian's in the pouring rain. I usually just pop my waterproof Oregon hat onto my head or wear my rain-jacket, but this weather calls for something more, like my body coated in plastic.
I need that little stick vacuum though. I vacuum up escaped kitty litter and Moon and Autumn's floating fur, which is everywhere, all the time. I forget where I put Moon's shaver thing that would shave off his knots. His mom was half-Persian, and while he looks like his Maine Coon daddy, his fur is Persian. It's more apt to form balls than Autumn's pure Maine Coon fur. Hers is all over her upstairs dominion resembling dust bunnies.
According to the receipt, I bought the new stick cordless vacuum a month ago and it worked well until last night when it simply stopped. It's maybe the fourth of this kind I've had and they do what other cordless vacs don't plus, they're very light, and the battery goes for about an hour. They're not perfect. The last one that's gone now but still ensconced in the sunroom, is held together by duct tape. The pieces of the thing eventually break off, but with a stick from one of the trees and some ingenuity, they can keep working. (Glad those sticks are good for something.)
I got those sticks earlier this week, between raindrops, cutting off the dead branches from the Butterfly Trees in the backyard. There was another tree actually climbing up the trunk of one of the Butterflies, hidden, but for it's leaves not matching the real occupants. I wasn't able to pull it out, but I cut it down. Having moved out to the suburbs from our whole life in Philly with virtually no yard, it's amazing how the garden grows. The best gardening eats up parts of every day, which most people can't afford, but when it's feasible, there's something wonderful there. Sitting in the midst of the garden, it's possible to feel the trees and plants. When they're cared for, they almost sing.