Healing Injury through Time Part I

Love heals.  Here's the beginning of the story of my injury and coming back to be fully mobile.

It was June 7, 2018.  I'd gotten  a new road bike a couple months earlier and just purchased clip-less shoes and peddles.  I'd been practicing clipping out and back in again when I needed to stop.  Clip-less shoes and peddles are the kind that literally clip you onto the peddle.  It increases speed.  Veteran bicyclists would not bike without this great invention.  I'd been a bit unsure. After talking with the woman at our local bike shop, I decided to go for it! I was up for the challenge and excited about a full summer ahead for riding, paddling, walking, dancing and making art.

Bob, my husband and I were heading across the new bridge in Winona on our way to Fountain City, Wisconsin.  I don't have any pictures of how cool all of this looked.  It was a hot day, still early enough in the day to enjoy.  The breeze from the bike was great! Bob and I are both teachers and having a bit of freedom from our busy teaching responsibilities was a great feeling.

We were almost to the signal light.  We were going to get to the left to make a left turn to Hwy 35.  The road shoulder had a soft down hill curve from the road.  I needed to bump over to get to the road.  Instead of hitting that bump at a 45 degree angle, I hit it parallel.  My skinny road bike tires reacted to this dilemma by throwing me and the bike over to the right.  I hit my elbow and came crashing to a stop.

Everyone asks, "Were you wearing a helmet?"  Yes, I was.  Or another question, "How was the bike?"  Bike was fine.  I was not so fine.  My elbow hurt so bad and I was bleeding from a small rock that entered my arm.  I began crying, wailing actually as I sat on the edge of the road.  I called to Bob who was riding ahead of me.  I told him that I didn't think that I could go all the way.  He said no.  He got me off the road and to the edge.  He washed my bleeding arm and we rested there for a bit.

A very kind person in a white car stopped and asked if we needed help or a ride to the emergency room.  We said no.  I didn't think that I needed to go and I didn't want to bleed all over her nice white car.

We got up and began walking back. I was still crying and quite a mess.  Bob offered to walk both of our bikes.  At that point, I thought that I'd calm down and get on my bike and ride home.  But in my mind and heart, I was hoping for a ride.

And then along came a Fish and Wildlife Ranger from the Trempealeau Wildlife Refuge.  He asked if I needed to go to the hospital.  I said no thanks.  He didn't have enough room for both of us and our bikes in his truck.  Bob said he could stash the bikes in the weeds along the side of the road.  I was so scared that someone would steal our bikes.  Bob said no, they'd be ok.  The wildlife guy told us to wait here a bit and he'd be right back.

What he did was radio another ranger fellow to give us a ride.  And within about 10 minutes, another truck came that could haul two humans and two bikes.  He gave us a ride home.  What a relief.

When we got home, Bob helped me clean us my injury.  He asked again, if we should go to the doctor.  I decided that we should go.  We went to Urgent Care.  They took an X-ray and found that I'd broken my elbow in three places.  I'd need a surgery to repair the broken bone.

More to come; stay tuned.

Flowers and Valentines for All

The Valentine Holiday is one of my favorites.  My girl friends and I started celebrating when we were going to University.  We didn't have boy friends, so we made the day for us with special dinner, cards, chocolates and lots of laughter.  I still love this holiday so much more than my husband or many of my male friends. 

I think, a day to celebrate "love" is wonderful. Yes, bring it on!

Kindness At Ridgeway Community School

Each year at Ridgeway Community School, we celebrate a theme that brings our school community together to learn, grow, and value one another a little deeper.  This year the theme is Kindness.  Two of our teachers, Jennifer Krings and Danielle Helms made bracelets for all the teachers and staff.  Then they created "Be Kind" bracelets for all the students.  The students received these at the first homeroom of the 2018 -2019 school year in September.

Homeroom is an afternoon every couple of months that we come together as families--all siblings in a family or individual students of mixed age levels.  Our Kindergarten through 5th graders all work together on a project or learn something about our theme.  During this afternoon, we began to create squares for a Kindness quilt.

Some ways the children showed kindness in action.

We have lots of opportunities to show kindness.  And sometimes we make mistakes and have to say, "I'm sorry," and work on a different way to show kindness.  We're all a work in progress--the children and the adults.  It's good to have lots of opportunities.

Norris and Tara

These two kitties have been our friends for a few years.  We adopted them from the Winona Humane Society.  They lived in the same bay, and are almost the same age.  Tara, the tiger cat had an owner who got ill and couldn't keep a cat any longer.  Norris was a member of a large litter and the only one who did not get adopted.  Maybe he was waiting for us.

Tara likes to watch bird T.V. out this east window.

Norris and I

They sleep by each other when they are chilly.

Summertime, hot weather and the kitties are still hanging close to me.  They were keeping me company as my broken elbow was healing during the summer of 2018.

Lots of sleeping going on to remind us to stay calm.  Everything's going to be alright.

Winter in my Prairie

There are prairie flowers growing in my yard during the spring, summer and autumn.  Now in the winter, everything is dormant.  We let the plants stand to allow any seeds to be food for birds or small critters.

We have sandy soil in Winona and the Little Bluestem likes that kind of soil. 

Here are some more grasses and Cream Wild Indigo leaves.  They grow in a bush form and flower   with yellow flowers in early spring.

 This is Wild Bergamot. It has light purple flowers when it blooms in later summer.

This is Stiff Goldenrod.  Most of it's seed would have blown away.

The tallest plant to the left is called Giant Yellow Hyssop with the dark brown long seed pods.  The more bushy plant to the right is Brown-Eyed Susan with the rounded brown seed head.  It's flowers are golden yellow in the late autumn.

A close up of an Amorpha Fruiticosa.

This Amorpha Fruiticosa is over six feet tall.

There are a few Common Milkweed plants that grow around our house.  They feed the monarch butterflies.

Two large catalpa trees give some nice shade in the summer.  We have lots of flowers that bloom through the growing season.

Sunny day with interesting clouds gave me the idea to photograph some of the plants in our yard.  I'm so grateful for sun and for the warmth.  The days are getting longer.

Winter Hikes

During the time between Christmas and New Year's Eve 2018, we had a bit of mild weather and not very much snow in Winona, Minnesota.  That is rather unusual.  We took a hike out to Prairie Island and saw an eagle and a pileated woodpecker. Click on the listen link and you'll hear the call it made as we walked in the woods.

Both birds were flying through the trees at different times during our walk, but a bit too far within the trees to get a good photograph.

These paths through the trees felt magical to walk.

We saw frozen water and some mucky open water.

We came upon some huts that were created with remnants of fires.

I love moving around in nature.

Minnesota Art Truck

Climb aboard the Minnesota Art Truck  owned and operated by Matt Swenson.  Click on the link to meet Matt Swenson and how he is bringing art to others with his "food for the soul," art truck.

 Here are some pictures of the outside of the art truck.

 Come in and take a look.  Take something home for your living room or for a friend.

Matt Swenson makes robots out of repurposed materials.  You'll find photographs, paintings, jewelry, cards and more in the art truck. Check out the artists featured in the art truck.  See the art onboard.

Here's how you can support artists:

1. Buy the art they make
2. Commission original art
3. Share their art with friends.

It's easy!