"Calgon...take me away!"

Remember the old Calgon bath beads commercial?  A woman has had a difficult day, but everything is ok after she sinks into a hot bath with Calgon added to it.  That phrase became quite popular for awhile, and was used as a way of expressing when someone was approaching the limit of their tolerance... (through gritted teeth) "Calgon...take me away!"

Today was my appointment with the orthopedic surgeon, my appointment was at 8:30 in Erie at Erie Sports Medicine located in the professional building at 100 Peach St. on the 4th floor. The directions were to take the Bayfront Highway to State St. Turn right on State, then right on 2nd St.  These turns were only 1 block distances apart, I'm telling you this for a reason, which I'll get to later.

Google said it would take about 45 min. to get to my destination, and I was not running late, in fact I was ready early enough to apply a coat of fingernail polish just before I went out the door.  As I reached across the counter to turn off the light, my arm brushed against a box of Harley's Milk Bone Mini's that were on the counter.  The box fell onto it's side, and the top flipped open spewing Milk Bone Mini's all across the floor.  I couldn't believe it...and neither could Harley!  He did not jump on them, but I knew that I couldn't leave them there on the floor, so I grabbed a broom and swept them onto a dustpan.  As I was rushing out the door I heard crunching sounds, I guess I had missed a few in my hurry to sweep them up and Harley was cleaning them up for me.

The quickest route to Erie for us is to take Mackey Hill Rd. to Mill Village, then to Waterford, and then to Erie.  It should take 10 minutes to get to Mill Village, and another 10 to Waterford.  But, this morning it took me 30 minutes to get to Waterford...

First I had to take a detour on Mackey Hill.  Now, if there had been a sign up at the beginning of Mackey Hill Rd. saying that the road was closed 3 miles ahead, I would have gone a different way.  But, Pendot decided to wait to notify traffic that the road was closed, and there was a detour, until we actually reached the road closing.  By then, I wasn't going to turn around and retrace that 3 miles, so I took the detour.  The detour was a gravel road with lots of potholes, rather treacherous, and there was a motorcycle in front of me taking it nice and slow...luckily, in the last phase of the detour, he decided to pull over and let me pass him.

As I got to the end of the detour and turned back onto Mackey Hill, a Pendot truck pulled out in front of me and crawled along at 25 mph.  As soon as I could I passed it, and then I really started driving as if I was going to be late...because I was...really going to be late.

I finally got to Mill Village, rounded a curve, and there was a train going down the tracks, and a line of vehicles waiting for it to pass, with the first one in line being a tractor trailer.  In all the many years I've taken this route to Erie, I've never encountered a train on these particular tracks, but there just had to be one there this morning !  And this was a long one, at least it seemed that way to me.  Finally, it passed and we all took off as if we were all late for appointments!  With the semi truck leading the way we were blazing along at 65 mph, and I started to hope that I might only be a few minutes late...

So far in my story, the roads I traveled were back country sort of roads, with the exception of the road we were driving 65 mph on, that was a two lane road.  So, once I got through the town of Waterford, and was on a road with passing zones and no road construction, I hoped to be able to close the last 15 minutes to Erie fairly quickly.  That was not to be...instead I was 5th in a very long line of cars stuck behind a car that drove 45 mph tops all the way to Erie.

Once in Erie I had to make my way through the mall traffic, and all the traffic lights, to get to Interstate 79 which I would take to the Bayfront Highway.  I actually made it through all that fairly quickly, but once I was on the Bayfront I got into bumper to bumper traffic.  I finally made it to the turn onto State St., then onto 2nd St  There was a professional building on my right, I saw 100 across the top of the door,I turned right like my directions said to, and saw the entrance to the parking lot was blocked off due to CONSTRUCTION!!  I kept driving around to the back of the building, found a parking spot and went in the back door.  I took the elevator to the 4th floor, there were three offices on the 4th floor and none of them were Erie Sports Medicine.  I frantically scanned the listings board, and did not see Sports Medicine there!  I was so confused, and already late for my appointment, and was really feeling very stressed out!!  I decided to re-trace my steps and try to figure out what was wrong.  I got back on the elevator and went to the 1st floor, where I didn't recognize anything.  I looked over a balcony and through the window on the next floor down I could see my van in the back parking lot, apparently I shouldn't have gotten off at the 1st floor ...but I didn't see a way to get down to the floor below other than leaping over the balcony, so it was back to the elevator!  I turned around from the balcony and there was a man in a suit standing there looking at me...smiling kindly...and he said,"you look like you're lost".  I said I seemed to be, and asked him if he knew what floor Erie Sports Medicine was on.  He then told me I was in...  the wrong building .... I was at 100 State St., 100 Peach St., where I needed to be, was just across the street, but I couldn't walk there, I had to move my car to their parking lot.  He said that if security saw me walk across the street from their building they would find my car and have it towed!  Sheesh!  So, I told him I was late for an appointment, and he quickly told me how to get to the floor below (B1 selection in the elevator, not the 1st floor) so I could get to my van.  I went as fast as I could, jumped in my van and drove across the street, got a parking stub, and hurried into the correct building. I was only 10 minutes late!  I just don't know how that happened, it really doesn't add up...I should have been much later than 10 minutes! 

My appointment went well, my knee has improved so much that I was almost embarrassed to be there.  The doctor wiggled my leg this way and that, and only hurt me once.  He didn't think surgery was something we should jump into, and I was really glad to hear that!  I go back to see him in 6 weeks.  I'm quite sure I'll have no problem finding my way there this time... 

Sorry, but my crazy story hasn't ended quite yet.

As I was walking back to my car I glanced at a board that listed the hourly parking fees.  I saw that I was going to owe $2.  I instantly had a sinking sensation, I remembered that a few days before I had spent my last dollar on gas.  I didn't have any money with me!  I dug all through my purse and found $1.70 in my change purse.  The little stash drawer in the dash where I keep quarters for emergencies was empty, I searched everywhere in the car for loose change, but could not find the 30 cents I needed...  I pulled up to the parking guy who was watching tv and smoking in his little booth, I told him all I had was $1.70 and I'd have to use my debit card.  He said, "don't take debit"... I said," credit?"... he said, "nope"...  I looked at him... he looked at me...  and I said, "all I have is $1.70."  He smiled and said,"I'll take a check."  So, I had to write a check for TWO DOLLARS!!  The tv watching, smoking, parking guy was amused...I smiled back at him and I decided I would be amused too.

After all, it could have been much, much worse...
So glad it wasn't..

Calgon...take me away..... 

Owww-eeee...

I've hurt myself again! 

I tried to pretend it wasn't so, but there's no ignoring the pain...  I had so many things to finish before I could start transplanting my trees and shrubs, and certainly transplanting in July isn't the ideal time, but that's how it worked out for me.  So, the garden is planted- and growing quite well.  Grass seed is planted- and not growing so well (it's July ya know), now I have this window of time to transplant and get the landscaping finished before it's time to start canning and freezing what's growing in the garden.

I bought two Japanese Maples on Thursday, Red Dragon and Full Moon, they're waiting close by for their turn to be planted.  Friday afternoon I transplanted one huge hosta into it's new home, it looks so nice there in front of the porch!   Then Chris and I made a very quick trip to Erie and bought the materials for a 24' fence that I want in my landscaping, and the fence needs to be in place before I start planting anything.  When we got home I started to clear the area for the fence, I took a step sideways, heard a loud CRACK come from my left knee cap, and had some pretty serious pain as a result.  I "walked it off" and Chris and I started to move the grill, each step I took I was in agony.  So, I dropped everything and went inside.

Friday night was very bad with lots of pain, and actually, so was Saturday.  Saturday I had a lot of swelling, so I stopped wearing the wraps.  Today is a bit better, with some new pain located in my calf muscles.

This is not acceptable...  I have so much to do...  I finally have reached the point where I can do the landscaping that I've been mentally planning for months...  and now... THIS... 

Well...ya know... I dig with my right foot....

Wednesday the 13th:
A few days have passed since I wrote the above, and I'm no longer in denial.  I have had something serious happen to my knee, that is obvious.  I have an appointment on the 26th to see an orthopaedic surgeon, the surgeon who repaired Rod's acl tear, and his miniscus tear.

I have to fight depression... in one small moment in time, with one small step... everything changed and I am once again unable to continue on with finishing the plans for the house. First it was the weather setting us back, and now this injury.  Certainly, things could be much worse, I keep reminding myself of that.. There's a reason for everything, there's a reason for everything.....

I'm still tempted to try digging, I've found ways to do a couple things that seemed impossible with this injury (like bathing the dog), but I can't figure out how to dig up plants with only one working leg...




Preparing to install the fence, the Red Dragon Japanese Maple in the foreground,
the one plant I transplanted on the left.

 


Two sections down, one more to go!  See the Full Moon Japanese Maple on the right? 
It's so pretty, the leaves are green and edged in red!

 

Isn't it just amusing that grass is growing, all on it's own, where I don't want it to grow.  But, I have to struggle to get it to grow where I want it...