I Don't Want To Be Sick In The Hospital For Christmas

The Better Half with great grand daughter Winona, at 4:42, Adams, NY.
About a half hour later she would be sprawled on the ground with a broken femur.

 "I Don't Want To Be In The Hospital For Christmas". 

That was the mantra I heard from the Better Half, beginning probably some time around Halloween and leading up to Christmas. Her side of the family was to be here Christmas Day for dinner. 

The mantra came because a few years ago she spent 10 days in hospital over Thanksgiving. This year she was 4 days in the hospital a week or so before Thanksgiving. Her problem has to do with diverticulosis. An attack occurred and sidelined her for a couple weeks. She was able eat dinner without too much difficulty.

After that she was concerned with rise in cover and flu cases. Between that and the diverticulosis she couldn't help herself but to keep reminding me, "I Don't Want To Be Sick In The Hospital For Christmas". 

What could go wrong? Well, on Thursday, December 22 as we were leaving grandson J's apartment in Adams, NY she slipped on some hard packed snow & ice. She broke her right femur. Snapped in two pieces. It was scary and horrific. 

A misty rain began to fall. There was an approaching blizzard set to begin overnight. A once in a generation HUGE storm they said. 

Adams ambulance service was only a few blocks away, BUT, they were out of service. Had to send ambulance from Guilfoyle in Watertown. She was in pain, we both were scared, praying it wasn't a broken hip. J brought out 3 blankets. We wrapped them about her as she sat on the snow. She had me lean into her for support. 

This began at about 5:00pm. 13 minutes later she asked me to call 911 again. We were told the ambulance was on it's way. A few minutes later some firemen showed up to offer what they could in way of reassurance and comfort. Soon we heard sirens in the distance. The sound grew louder and louder and then they were there. It took about 25 minutes. 

The crew was excellent. The Better Half was scared but alert and listened intently to everything the EMT's had to say. She is a good soldier and follows orders, trusting in those she should. 

At 6:31 she arrived at the Samaritan Medical Center in Watertown, NY. 

The emergency department nurses, doctors, technicians and support staff did all of the things they do and at 5:00am she was settled into a room to await surgery. That would take place later that morning at 10:30. The head doctor of the team that patched her up was Dr. Dave Leu a trauma surgeon. 

The Better Half arrives at Samaritan Medical Center at 6:31pm
with a broken femur, December 22nd. 

I Shovel Sidewalk Through Snowbank ; Day 7 of Broken Femur

Shoveling driveway at 807 Franklin St, Watertown, NY.  Working slow but steady I was finished a little less than an hour & half.

It is Wednesday December 28, 2022. The snow has finally stopped. There is a thaw coming. 50 degrees before the week in through. It is the 7th day of the Better Half being in the hospital recovering from a broken femur. She received some lovely flowers from my sisters today. The flowers should have arrives a few days ago but delivery stalled for those days because of the blizzard. This was first chance I had to shovel the snow on my daughter S' sidewalk. A plow truck cleared her driveway yesterday ad in the course of it created a huge snowbank that I had to shovel through. I started at 10:43 and never thought to snap a starting photo until 10:54, so the digging had already commenced. I finished at 12:09. That's about an hour and a half. I worked slowly and methodically. I chopped and crumbled the hard packed snow with a steel coal shovel. I then scooped up the resulting piles with a plastic snow shovel. My goal was to bare the sidewalk so the mailman could get from the driveway to the mailbox on her front porch. 

Shoveling driveway at 807 Franklin St, Watertown, NY.  Working slow but steady I was finished a little less than an hour & half.

Shoveling driveway at 807 Franklin St, Watertown, NY.  Working slow but steady I was finished a little less than an hour & half.

Shoveling driveway at 807 Franklin St, Watertown, NY.  Working slow but steady I was finished a little less than an hour & half.

Shoveling driveway at 807 Franklin St, Watertown, NY.  Working slow but steady I was finished a little less than an hour & half.

Christmas Eve at My Daughter's 2022

Christmas decor at daughter S' place. in Watertown, NY 2022

 

I spent Christmas Eve away from the Better Half this year, well, I should say not exactly. I saw her some of the day visiting her in the hospital where she was recovering from surgery to repair her right femur bone. On Thursday, December 23 she slipped on some snow and ice as we were leaving our grandson's house in Adams, NY.  By the time she was settled in the hospital a severe lake effect snow storm began and I was unable to go home. So for the next few day I was staying with my daughter S. More about that in another post.

Anyhow, it turned out to be nice spending more time with her than I have in a long time. Maybe ever. I really like how she decorated her place for Christmas. Christmas Eve morning she made great breakfast of eggs, home fries, bacon and toast. I had to shovel a great deal of snow to get out of the driveway. Hospital visiting hours begin at noon, so I was there at that time. Visiting hours end at 8:00 pm at which time I left. So I actually spent 8 hours with the Better Half.  Upon returning to S' house I had to shovel the driveway again as the snow hd been falling and blowing about relentlessly. After that I had a tasty beer, a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. S had to work overnight, but she works from home so she wasn't far away. I slept a good 10 hours that night. It was much needed.

Christmas decor at S' house. She is an artist but doesn't know it or believe it if I tell her.

Christmas decor at S' house. She is an artist but doesn't know it or believe it if I tell her.

Eggs and home fries. Missing in this photo was the toast and bacon. Superbly cooked It was like I was in a classic diner. 

My daughter S whipping up a great Christmas Eve breakfast. 

My daughters driveway looking toward Franklin St about 9:00pm after I shoveled it.

Finished the evening with Sierra Nevada Pale Ale that I had sitting outside while I shoveled snow.

PHOTOS: Horse Creek with Ice & Snow, Tree Shadow On Wall

 

Bubbles flow pst snow & ice on Horse Creek in Chaumont, NY. Viewed looking down from bridge. Photo copyright Gary Walts 2022

Here are a couple of photos I snapped yesterday, December 14, 2022, during a walk to the bank from our house. It was cold and sunny outside. Temperature in low 20's. I used a Sony a6000 camera with an 18-105 zoom lens. Camera was set to black & white mode.

What caught my eye while walking to the bank. Shadow of tree on a wall, Main St., Chaumont, NY. . Photo copyright Gary Walts 2022

Cold Morning today & Kia Van Brakes Repaired.

My 2011 Kia van at home after picking up our xmas tree. The next morning I got in it and a rear brake line blew right there in the driveway. 

Awoke to 2 degrees below zero at 6:00am here in Chaumont, NY. Todays high temp was 21. It was sunny too. D & S repaired blown brake lines only 2011 Kia Sedona today. Parts & labor came to $210.00. I had triple AAA tow the van from my house to the D&S garage on Friday the 9th. I was fortunate that the brakes failed in my driveway. The previous day I drove it to get our Christmas tree. I'm thankful it didn't happen then. 

St. Mary's Church Christmas Concert, Clayton, NY photos

 

Program cover for Christmas Concert  at St. Mary's Church, Clayton, NY. 

Yesterday (Sunday, December 11, 2022) my Celebrity Brother and I attended the first annual Christmas Concert  St. Mary's Church, Clayton, NY. It started at 4:00pm. It was most excellent. All of the participants performed very well. The following are some photos I snapped of the show. I took the pictures with a Sony a6600 camera with a Minolta 200mm f2.8 AF lens. I also snapped a couple with my iPhone. When the show was over about 5:30 we went to O'Brien's bar for a beer. We each had a 16oz Lagunitas IPA. That's a good brew. The 2 beers cost $16.00. Add a $4.00 tip and a 20 dollar bill disappears. The weather this day cold, high temp in the 20's, light snow, no more than a couple inches, kind of lousy driving. 

2922 Christmas Concert  at St. Mary's Church, Clayton, NY. 

2922 Christmas Concert  at St. Mary's Church, Clayton, NY. 

2922 Christmas Concert  at St. Mary's Church, Clayton, NY. 

2922 Christmas Concert  at St. Mary's Church, Clayton, NY. 

2922 Christmas Concert  at St. Mary's Church, Clayton, NY. 

2922 Christmas Concert  at St. Mary's Church, Clayton, NY. 

2922 Christmas Concert  at St. Mary's Church, Clayton, NY. 

2922 Christmas Concert  at St. Mary's Church, Clayton, NY. 

2922 Christmas Concert  at St. Mary's Church, Clayton, NY. 

Photo of Dirty Snowbank

 

What caught my eye. A dirty snowbank in Watertown, NY, remnant of November snow storm.

I snapped this photo of a dirty snowbank yesterday in Watertown, NY. It was over by the New York Airbrake Co. The snow is a remnant of the huge lake effect snowstorm that his the region on November 19th. 

We Get A Christmas Tree - 2022

    

Our Christmas Tree 2022

 Yesterday The Better Half & I, along with her daughter H, son in law D went together in our 2011 Kia Sedona van to buy Christmas trees.We first went to Martin's Greenhouse in Philadelphia. Unimpressed with their selection we then went to a place in the Town of Pamela, near Longways Diner. This used to be called Sonny's. I already forgot the current name. Anyhow, their selection too was not impressive. We did buy a nice tree though, for $60.00. It is called a Canadian Fir.  As for weather, it was rainy and miserable. After that the four of us had a late lunch / early dinner at Tully's in Watertown. 

Today we git the red ut of the van and into the house. The Better Half strung up the lights. I had a couple of guitar lessons at the Copley House while she did that. Tomorrow we will finish decorating the tree.

Our Christmas Tree 2022

Our Christmas Tree 2022

Our Christmas Tree 2022. I needed to put some shims the tree stand.

What Caught My Eye Today

Dishes and sop bubbles. It's what caught my eye today. iPhone photo copyright Gary Walts 2022

I never know just what is going to catch my eye and prompt me to snap a photograph. Very often it is dishes and soap bubbles in the sink. That was the case this morning. I made some marinade for some chicken thighs. I placed the dirty utensils and bowl in the sink. Cleaned up the counters and stashed the chicken in the fridge. Looked back at the sink and saw the image presented here.  An impromptu still life.

Clayton Christmas Parade 2022 Photos

This years Clayton Christmas Parade celebrated the village's 150th birthday.

Yesterday my Celebrity Brother (Al) and I attended the 2022 Christmas Parade in Clayton, NY.  (Saturday Dec 3rd). We arrived in the village about 4:30. Normally we would pass the time before the parade's 6:00pm start by having a couple of beers at the Coyote Moon Winery's riverside store. But they were closed. Bummer. It seems they have closed for the winter season. It's probably a business move on their part. But the Better Half and I are disappointed. It was nice to go there on a Friday or Saturday night in the middle of January or February. It was cozy. The staff was friendly. Generally a small number of patrons in there. Sometimes a musician would be playing. 

Santa Clause in this years Clayton Christmas Parade.

As for the parade it wasn't as impressive as normal. There were fewer participants. No school marching bands. Fewer businesses. A Much smaller crowd turned out. The weather was somewhat harsh with a strong wind chilling things. In fact the ind has been strong for quite a few days. The snow from the recent record breaking storm has melted away. Warm temps and lots of rain helped erase the snow in the region. In fact the day's high temperature reached 50 degrees.

Anyhow, here are a few more photos I snapped:

This years Clayton Christmas Parade celebrated the village's 150th birthday.

This years Clayton Christmas Parade celebrated the village's 150th birthday.

This years Clayton Christmas Parade celebrated the village's 150th birthday.

This years Clayton Christmas Parade celebrated the village's 150th birthday.

This years Clayton Christmas Parade celebrated the village's 150th birthday.

This years Clayton Christmas Parade celebrated the village's 150th birthday.

This years Clayton Christmas Parade celebrated the village's 150th birthday.

This years Clayton Christmas Parade celebrated the village's 150th birthday.

This years Clayton Christmas Parade celebrated the village's 150th birthday.

This years Clayton Christmas Parade celebrated the village's 150th birthday.

This years Clayton Christmas Parade celebrated the village's 150th birthday.

On another note, I inadvertently brought the wrong camera with me. It was a Nikon D300 that I hadn't used in quite a while and I had trouble remembering how to use it and the flash unit. I wanted to use the Nikon D7000. Anyway, the flash contacts on the camera were dirty (I think), and I had difficulty with the flash synching and working properly. Every photo I snapped was a challenge. Consequently the whole shoot suffered, but I had a few usable pix.