Smoke Signals and other news

Fall decorations are appearing all around town. Drive around and enjoy or, better yet, visit some local merchants for a closer look and make purchases for some unique items.

This last week started as planned for me with a round of doctor appointments to get approval for my upcoming knee replacement surgery. Monday went along the expected lines with several suggestions from my doctor of many years and a release to proceed with the surgery.

On the way home, I stopped for a Walmart pickup order and got the annual flu shot at my local pharmacy.

Monday night was spent car shopping as I needed to replace my truck with a midsize SUV. If you have been car shopping recently, you know the selection is limited and the prices are high. I was able to eliminate some model choices and narrow my list of possibilities, but still, nothing was purchased. I went to bed tired but ok.

Tuesday morning through Friday afternoon are a blur as one long nightmare of illness. Like my dad, I rarely contract a stomach virus, but this one made up for all the ones I have missed. All further doctor’s appointments for the week were rescheduled, little to no food was consumed, and little was accomplished except losing the last few pounds needed to proceed with surgery. I can safely eat again, but very few things sound appealing. The one thing I wanted was potato soup. There were no potatoes in the house as they were left off my pickup order, and I would not have been able to stay up long enough to prepare it anyway. My sweet daughter-in-law, Sammie, made and delivered some of the best potato soup I have had in a long time. It seemed to be the turning point in my healing. I am slowly returning to normal. During the long days of illness, my little dog, Charlie, rarely left my side and did not insist on going out as often as usual. I did remember to feed him and the cats, and for that, they are grateful. My hummingbirds emptied their feeders, and I could not fill them back up. They mostly seem to be gone now.