My home base while in Phoenix was with my sister, Marla, and brother-in-law, Mark. They live 45 minutes from Lisa and as the week wore on, I was very glad to have a retreat to which I could return after an emotionally draining day. I was overwhelmed by the amount of "stuff" Lisa had accumulated and with which she was reluctant to part. After five days of packing boxes, I felt that I had not made even a dent.
During the week, Lisa made mention of infections in her mouth over the past three years. While I knew of an abscessed tooth removed in July 2009, she had never mentioned these occasional infections. I was contributing her failing health strictly to nutritional deficiencies. Upon hearing this, I started thinking dental problems. I set her up with a dental appointment. After 18 x-rays, the dentist told us his recommendation was three root canals, one extraction and eleven fillings. This week she had the three root canals, is on antibiotic for infection and has another appointment on Monday.
Sunday night, son Aaron broke his leg slipping on an icy patch on a hill near his home. The break required a rod to be surgically inserted in his lower right leg. Mark, Marla and I drove up to Cottonwood Tuesday afternoon to visit with him. He has physical therapists coming to his house three times a week while a nurse comes twice a week to change his dressing. He is not in a cast but cannot bear weight on his leg for several months and will need therapy for months, possibly twelve months. He told me today that he bought "state of the art" crutches. At 6'7" and close to 300 pounds, he needs state of the art crutches. He's hoping to perform this week-end. Hopefully, nobody tells him to "break a leg."
On Saturday, January 19th, Marla and I went hiking with eight of my Terravita friends. We hiked in Spur Cross Conservation Area, north of Phoenix. We were having a great time and were almost at the end of the trailhead, when I lost my balance and fell. I landed on my back on a bush about three feet below the trail. While the bush cushioned my fall and kept me from landing on rocks, its thorns (every native plant in Arizona has thorns) scratched my bare arms and legs. Since the girls were not able to help me, I got myself out, first pushing down the bush with my hiking boots. I had a walking pole which I could use for leverage to push myself up onto a rock and off the bush. When I finally got back on the trail, my friends were digging for any first aid supplies they had brought. They cleaned my injuries and offered me Bacitracin and bandages. I looked like I'd been in a cat fight but we still went to lunch. Back at Marla's, I soaked in the tub for ten minutes and then wiped all the scratches with Hydrogen Peroxide. It's been five days and so far no infection. I was flying home the next day so didn't tell Arne about the fall. I wanted him to see that I was "OK". I did wear long sleeves and pants so when I told Arne, he laughed and said he didn't want to hear about it. Needless to say, I didn't tell him at that time. Monday, he grew more curious and even took pictures of my scratches. Glad my "Miss America" days are behind me. 
Saturday night, Marla made a delicious spaghetti casserole and Iowa sweet corn. Lisa, Taylor, grandson Aaron and his girlfriend joined us.
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| 17-year-old Taylor with Grandma |
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| Taylor, Lisa and Aaron2 |
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| Marla, Mark, Sharon, Lisa |
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| Jeffrey's First Haircut |
My scratches seem to be healing and I'm back to my usual activities here in The Villages, mainly pickleball. Yesterday, our village had our annual Guys v Gals tourney. I was on the committee which set the rules to favor the women. :-) And the gals finally got the trophy while the guys got the toilet bowl. I'm sure the rules will be adjusted next year to give the gals less of an advantage. After golf, over 100 of us had dinner at Palmer Legends Country Club. That's Palmer as in Arnie. :-)
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