364) Memorial Day Weekend

May 25, 2009
Monday

Transplant Report: Last Tuesday, the 26th was lab day and it went off without a hitch. The regimen seems kinda boring to me right now: 5 Labs and an Appointment... what can I say about that? Maybe at some point in this post I'll pontificate about staying out of the dirt and how difficult that is.

Work Report: I did a full 8-hour day at work on Tuesday, after Labs! First full day since returning to work on April 23 or there-abouts. Mostly I take my time in the morning and do my meds and charting regimen, slowly wake up and get to the office sometime between 9 and 10. I stay until I am tired, which has been longer and longer each week. Plus things are getting busy at the office so I am probably gonna be at almost full time this next week. Of note, Christina set us up with a TNOYS Facebook so you can now find us on Facebook by clicking Texas Network of Youth Services and you can become our "fan" and even send a contribution in these dour times. We have been working on submitting grant applications to solidify our place in the non-profit world of youth services.

The office has continued to do a great job of keeping the place antiseptic... with anti-bacterial soap and posters in the rest rooms about washing your hands as long as it takes to sing a verse of "Happy Birthday to You"; and bottles of hand sanitizer in every public space.

The Dirt on Gardening: I have been trying to locate all the specs on why I shouldn't garden for the first year or so, post transplant (<-- like Bernadette said). Not much came up in my Google search over the last hour or so. I did post a question on the NKF Listserve for transplantees. Basically, as I get it, there are all kinds of microbes, bird poop, animal poop, mold spores, and 'all kind of mean and nasty things' in the dirt and my propensity, at this point in my acceptance of Mordechai the Miracle Kidney it is still very tenuous in the infection / rejection department... and, therefore digging, potting, planting, and such are not appropriate hobbies for me. DRAT! I have that itch every weekend to get out there and do yard work. Bernadette suggests that if the little devil on my right shoulder makes me, I should wear double gloves (surgical under gardening) a mask, and mega sunscreen. Oh yeah... the sun is not my friend either.

So, yesterday, about the crack of noon, when Shayna rolled out, we got to work on the front yard's first edging and mowing and clipping and sweeping, it was Shayna the Yard Girl's edging and mowing debut, with Lizzie the Helper sweeping. I was relegated to some distance trimming (20" up from the business end of the loppers), and sharpening the cutting edges of the edger, lawnmower blades, and the loppers. This is Shayna's first time edging and mowing and it took her some time to learn edging. She stuck it out however, and did an adequate job. The mowing was easier for her once I showed her the tricks of electric lawn mowing and she did a good job with that!

This is also the first weekend of the Kerrville Folk Festival and WE are NOT there... too much Dirt and People for me to get in the middle of this year. Another DRAT. And, for the first time ever, some of our friends are sending phone pics and notes via Facebook and I can't figure out if that makes it worse or better! I love hearing from them and seeing their pics.... and, it reminds me and makes me miss being there. For example, my friend Andrea posted, "(I'm)... slightly surprised to find drama in Forest Lawn"... making me very curious... Forest Lawn is the staff campground, where there is supposed to be QUIET and no drama. Lizzie and Shayna are going the next two weekends, so I'll be home alone to work on projects, etc.

So, instead of sitting around moping all weekend, Steve and Mary Lou had their once-every-so-often Memorial Day Party & BBQ* and invited us, Kim, David & Little Emma, and several other families with kids. It has been raining off and on all weekend (traditionally the rainiest weekend of the year in Austin) and yet the skies cleared before the get-together) and I got to slather myself with sun screen! The food and company was good and we got home early too.

So, today is quiet and restful. Have a good Memorial Day!

Notes:
* Instead of uploading pics here, I am experimenting with a link to them on Shutterfly!