Prologue - Schu Falls

Prologue   I     II    III    IV    V    VI   VII   VIII   IX    X   XI    XII 

Last Saturday, Aug 17, when the tree limb I was cutting smacked the 12 foot ladder away from me, I fell from the 9-ft rung to the ground, landing face-down using hands to brace the fall. I broke both wrists and my nose, and suffered much facial horror, but I feel lucky because head, brain, teeth, neck, back, arms, legs, internal organs are all okay. A bruised knee has temporarily slowed my gait.

Here're the gruesome photos:

I'm also lucky because witnesses were immediately dialing 911, while insisting I stay in place. I always was fully conscious, though worried if all the blood I saw might mean I would black out. I didn't know where that little pool was coming from. (Noses bleed.)

Paramedics were there in 5-10 minutes and I was in surgery at St Mary's Hospital in probably an hour and a half. I was also lucky that a respected orthopedic surgeon - Steven Saslow - got called in to work on my wrists while a reputable plastic surgeon - Alberto Navarro - happened to be there and stitched my face (already looking much better than photo taken Monday, Aug 19).

For days I was assured that on release I could enter an intensive physical therapy center - Morse Geriatric. I was glad because both hands are nearly useless. I can't dress myself. Shoulder/elbow flexibility accounts for finger on each hand hitting keyboard, allowing computer use.

United Healthcare insurance - probably with orthopedic's recommendation - nixed rehab because with my wrist wrappings and external fixator, there's very little I could do with even the best training. Therapy contingent on okay from orthopedic ( Dr. Saslow)

I'm staying with a friend, Chris and his girlfriend Paige, at her top-floor condo, overlooking swimming pool at The Prado downtown WPB. I've got my own room and bathroom.
Photos from their website are accurate portrayals:

"My" bathroom

 Chris and Paige are CNA's and taking classes at PBSC to become RN's.

I'm close to helpless with external fixator (photo above) in left hand and internal pin plus wrappings around right hand preventing wrist motion. Can't grasp things well - tough to twist a lamp switch, impossible to tear open any sealed paper or plastic. Hard to move a sheet or pillow when in bed. Falling asleep is frustrating with frequent wakings, but I'm catching on to little ways to facilitate.

Happy to be out of hospital. Chris is a good cook and and both are wonderful care-givers. I'm blessed to know them well-enough to have intruded on their lives.

I'm scheduled to be a groom at a wedding in California Sept 21 for former student now in Navy. I believe I can still make it - though I'm wondering about fitting tuxedo if left arm still has fixator attached. We'll see. 

Phone calls today (Thursday) assure me I'll get home visits for therapy tomorrow, and for wound care - although both people here can do that. 

AND...Chris and Paige are wiping my butt! First post-fall BM this morning! 5 days. Pain meds first few days ruined my rhythm. I haven't taken any since ?? Monday morning. Hated how they constipate and also made me thirsty. I took none after 2nd surgery Tuesday afternoon - carpal tunnel release. My father had similar pain tolerance. I guess I'm unfeeling.

Appointment tomorrow, Friday, deciding if stitches can come out (7 days)

Its hard for me to manipulate phone. I know your prayers and wishes are with me. I hope to satisfy with notices of blog updates.

This too shall pass.

A few more photos.
The Prado is less than a mile from my home, 2 blocks from "intracoastal" waterfront, and short walk to downtown grocers and MANY restaurants.

Hmm. I shoulda done this sooner.

Prologue   I     II    III    IV    V    VI   VII   VIII   IX    X   XI    XII 

Volume I * Aug 22 - Aug 25 (Days 6-9)

Prologue   I     II    III    IV    V    VI   VII   VIII   IX    X   XI    XII 

I'm turning this more into a record and diary for me, so less polished and less to really care about. 
Recommend scroll for photos!

Day 6 Thursday 8/22
Chris made breakfast of 1/2 bagel, lox, cream cheese, tomato, onion, mixed greens and a scrambled egg to boot. Plus coffee.

All cut up for bite-sized pieces. Some I pick up, some spooned.

I can hold spoon somehow with 3 middle fingers of right hand.

Made appointment for seeing face surgeon tomorrow, but failed confirming with orthopedic, and home care. 

Created 1st post of blog.

Took care of personal bills and some IRS stuff that's hung over me.
1-hour hold time to talk to someone. Odd that if disconnected they had no ability to call back. Many waits for Mr. Tse to confirm info but 2012 tax year is finally straight.

Chris and Paige went to condo gym, then to their first Thursday night classes at  PBSC. Afterwards, did "pin care" for 6 pins on left wrist: Remove dressings; clean with soapy water or saline. Bacitrain. Re-dress.

Shrimp scampi for dinner.

Day 7 - Friday 8/23
2nd full day at condo busy.
  Same breakfast minus egg.
10:30 Navarro plastic surgeon. He used needle/syringe to pull some fluid from swolen jaw, but little effect and he surmised a  long wait for body to absorb.
Removed plastic protector covering repaired nose.
Stitches fine, but stay in for a week.
He recommends rotary electric shaver. Facial wounds can be kept more sanitary without my new, creeping 7-day old beard. Regular razor too dangerous.

While there in Palm Springs office, orthopedics calls and say come now. 
We get to North Palm Beach office. Saslow not in but PA Kyle unwrapped right wrist, checked stitches. Also did pin care on left wrist and we see some differences from hospital nurse's instructions.
Stitches in palms and wrists will also come out next Friday.
  
Since we're already in NPB, go up to PGA campus of PBSC to register Paige's car for parking on campus.
Finally,,,,something human: lunch at  Waterway Cafe on PGA:

 Yes, I had a beer. Also sesame-crusted tuna rare with Asian salad. Chris had lobster roll and Paige had jambalaya. All good.

Ran into some of Chris' friends there. 

Peed in a public restroom all by myself!  Used a stall; have to sit when wearing pants. Pants!  I've been wearing-elastic banded loose cotton exercise pants. Wonderful.

Next, on way home, Costco. Chris and Paige use Keurig. I bought box of coffee and can make my own. Also bought Cosco-brand sleeping pills. Hoping for elusive longhours of sleep. Frankly, I never escape that droopy-eyelids / wanna-sleep feeling.

Home and tired. All happy with light dinner later. I complained of itchy chest. A good washing and some aloe-based lotions cured it.



Day 8 - Saturday Aug 24
I've got Chris and Paige eating lox. I had bought a bunch on sale just before "the fall" and want to use it up.
My monthly haircut that I cancelled from the hospital was rescheduled for this day at 11:15. More shlepping for Chris and Paige.

Nora Ugalde - chem teacher now at Jupiter High School - INSISTED on previous day that she see me and bring Cuban food. She lives north of me and would have to pass my haircut place, so I relieved Chris and Paige of having to wait for me or to return to fetch me.

How long can a haircut take, you wonder?  
Okay people. It's no secret that the top of my head is home to someone else's hair. This appointment was another quarterly changing of the "unit" - meaning a new, highly-hirsute thing gets glued to a shaved portion of my noggin and is then rendered by the hair dresser into something human-looking.
Here's a photo from June 2011 I took in the mirror after SOME of the new "unit" was cut. 

        One of these days I'm gonna tell 'em..."What the hell. Gimme a pony-tail!"

So - between attendance at a ??christening and a reception - Nora picked me up, drove me to The Prado, and carried up the large dish of Pollo con Arroz y Platanos, plus a side salad of tomato, mozzarella, olives, and more.
Enough to feed six to 8 people.

Nora needs to enter some contests with this dish. Chicken moist, not too salty, not bland, not overly spiced, no overpowering ingredient - just a wonderful blend. We all took seconds ... and had some the next day.

Happy faces

Since enjoying Nora's food, I've reconsidered offers from many others. My sister-in-law, Linda, is already setting up a calendar.

By the way, Paige is wearing a sling because a window slammed down on her elbow 4 days ago. Nothing broken, but bruised and tender. 

The dinner pictured above was later in the day. As soon as Nora left, Chris and I went to pick up my friend Jamie, who flew in for a week from job in North Carolina.
Then we shopped at Fedco in Palm Beach for some surgical supplies.

Chris and Paige actually took in some City Place night life.

Evening ends with dressing change.

Volume II * Aug 26 - Aug 30 (Days 10 - 14)

Prologue   I     II    III    IV    V    VI   VII   VIII   IX    X   XI    XII 

Day 10 - Monday 8/26

Chris and Paige have morning class only on Monday. I bought a frozen microwave 3-cheese omelette just to relieve Chris of one morning ritual. He DID prepare a salad the previous night.

I eat greens, lettuce and tomato usually 3 times per day, usually after the meal. He also tossed in some walnuts that I got from Cosco. Walnuts are supposed to be good for...uh...something according to Dr. Oz and WebMD.

Chris wasn't relieved of ALL morning rituals. He's still holds the position of CAW.

An RN from Interim Home Healthcare finally lined up a 2 pm appointment to do "pin care", and to and do paperwork.

Afterwards Paige and I walked the 6 blocks to Duffy's, downtown WPB at Olive and Clematis. Meanwhile, Chris and Jamie picked up Jamie's two kids (Brook, 17; Nian, 13) and we all enjoyed late lunch with 40% off before 4 pm. I forgot to take photos!

I had a NY strip sirloin, half of which will be tomorrow's lunch. 

Jamie's lovely work involves cleaning/repairing/relining sewer lines...the big ones like city and county, not homes. Lots of crazy-sounding procedures. 

Think about it...if a large sewer pipe is being relined, all the pipes that normally flow into it must be blocked. But sewage and rainwater keeps going into them.  Not too pretty when they fill and sh** flows loose on the streets - or worse - backs up out of sinks and toilets. 

Jamie drives a "vactor" truck to different manholes, sucks out the waste, then empties the truck into functioning sewers.

Here're photos from a 2011 job downtown Lake Worth. I drove his son to see what Dad does for a living - and to bring lunch.

Assembling pipe - depends on sewer depth

Setting pipe upright into sewer

The vactor truck sucks up water from sewer - later to be drained into other sewers that are functioning. That's my "tenant", Ariel, in the foreground. 

Stupid Day in the Schubrain

Stupid comes in threes.

#1 Stupid:  Earlier in the day, before lunch, one of Chris' brothers needed to take driving test, and would use Paige's car (newer,smaller, easier handling) but there was issue of paperwork since it was transferred from Michigan registration. I offered my car and registration, completely forgetting Rule #1 about law officers and vehicles. The three drove to my car, parked at my house. Paige and the brother continued in my car to DMV, while Chris visited Jamie at my house.

Then Paige called me. No one cares about registration. How about insurance? Not in glove. Not in my wallet. (I still don't know why.) Paige called Chris to bring HER car out to the DMV. Meanwhile, I phoned insurance company who - after long hold time and many questions - amazingly agreed to fax info to DMV. 

PS: Chris' brother messed up the 3 point turn!

PPS: What fool doesn't know Rule #1 about law officers and vehicles? "License, Registration, and Proof of Insurance, please"

#2 Stupid: Walking back from Duffy's lunch, Paige asked if I had my phone, which she usually carries. Tapping my wrapped hand to my pocket, I felt the familiar solid rectangular shape of my phone.

Impossibly...10 minutes later in the condo...I couldn't find it. I pondered how I could have been so sure of possession on the walk home and concluded that the plaster splint under my right wrist could mimic the familiar pressure of a phone when I tapped my pocket.

And so I promptly forgot Rule #1 of losing your cell phone.

Abridged version: call Duffy's. No phone. OMG! Didn't we tip enough?!! OMG! So many new numbers related to medical.  Called Jamie for ride to pickup prescription at Walgreen's and...stop by Duffy's. Maybe they'll take pity.  Dining guests there stepped out of booth we had occupied while manager searched.

Finally...Jaime gets the call from Paige. She has my phone. It slipped out of my pocket when I sat in overstuffed recliner just after getting home.

Lost Cell Phone Rule #1:  Use ANOTHER PHONE TO DIAL THE DAMN NUMBER!

#3 Stupid: After Jamie took me to Duffy's, we went to Walgreens to pick up my prescription for Ambien, granted through Dr. Saslow when I phoned the office begging for something to help me sleep. Then we stopped at Publix. After shopping, Jamie was at the passenger door packing groceries into my bag while I stepped back to let a driver into his car.
Jamie dropped me at the condo, where I unpacked my bag. Later I realized I had not seen the Ambien, and - totally forgetting Rule #1 about not finding things where they should be - I figured that when Jamie transferred groceries to my bag, he failed to include the prescription - a small, clear bag that I left on the floor. Maybe it had slid under the seat.
I phoned, no answer. Texted. Nothing.
Later that evening he called and agreed to go search his truck. Not there, and he says he put it in my bag. Paige - overhearing this phone conversation - went into my room and returned with the ambien, validating Rule #1 about not finding things where they ought to be - LOOK AGAIN! 

Oh... Someone just told me what those walnuts (advocated by Dr. Oz) are good for.... they improve memory.

I'm happy to report - typing this on day 14 -  there have been no repeats of Stupid Day in the SchuBrain.

Day 11 - Tuesday 8/27
Angela's first day to change my dressings.

I spent a lot of day in bed or on computer. It rained a lot.
We had dinner out at Bistro in the Marriott near Kravis. $25 off from Restaurant.com
Chris had fish chowder and Hogfish snapper, I had small bites grilled fish with eggplant and spinach  and grilled vegetables. Paige ate crabcakes and grilled asparagus.

 Day 12 - Wednesday 8/28
Chris and Paige had morning classes.
I did computer work, and eventually got picked up by Jaime to go to Muvico. Ariel still works there once a week, which gives him privilege to walk 1 or 2 friends into the theater free on an off-day during non-peak hours.
We wanted to see Woody Allen's Blue Jasmine, but the projector broke and we settled on We're the Millers - despite missing 10 minutes. Who cares? It was free.   Funnier than we expected, though lots of crude humor.

I was back at condo in time for Angela's second visit. She was good-spirited and efficient as the first time - a good LPN.

We went to Palm Beach Fedco, returning a razor I bought there, then to PB Publix for dinner extras. Then to ABC liquor where I was advised that tea with honey and lemon tossed into some brandy and shot down was a traditional knock-out!

After dinner of turkey tacos tortillas, I eventually tried the Brandy lights-out recipe.

Sleepytime tea with honey and a shot of Brandy - woke up thirsty after an hour and a half.

Day 13 - Thursday 8/29
Angela - the home care nurse - visited early, giving me time to ....
...
wait for it...
....
....

...

yes,

school!
(No, it is NOT my heroin!)
Twenty years ago I designed our school's data bank for issuing lockers to students. It requires once-a-year maintenance and no one else really knows it yet.
My friend Jamie gave me a ride there. 
They moved "my" school laptop to an office near Mr. Seepersaud...the Assistant Principal "really" in charge of textbooks, and the guy who gets blamed when I mess up. 
I spent three hours and accomplished a lot. Things should be ready to go later next week.
A secretary that I;ve known for 20 years, Terry Brosseit, gave me a ride home. 
Chris and Paige would leave soon for class. I napped, I think.

Ate a sugar-free Klondike bar.
Had my first TV session. Bored after 45 minutes. Then walked at 7:30 pm to Publix. Shopped. Got Advil after recommendation from Brad who ran into me at Publix and who used it after a week of constipating pain killers that followed major back surgery.

Late dinner cooked by Chris and Paige was Chicken in white sauce with spinach. 

Day 14 - Friday 8/30
I got a shower in the morning.

My brother, Jody, drove me to NPB office of Dr. Saslow. X-rays show good alignment.
Removed stitches on right palm but not left.
He made a solid cast on right side, I think to help me use it.
Back in 6 days Sept 5 for stitches I guess. Six more weeks still for external fixator.

Next, Jody drove me to Palm Springs to Dr. Navarro 
All facial stitched out. 
When we arrived in office, a $35 co-pay was requested. While I pondered credit or debit, my brother - who could make a living of medical law - questioned why $35 was needed when I'm only 2 weeks out of surgery. The person at the desk quickly acknowledged, muttered something about automated billing, and voila ... $35 saved.  Later, they got their money anyway: $63.55 for 20 g of "bioCorneum" scar cream.
Jody tells me copays are not permitted for 90-days post op. Makes you wonder.

Before returning me home, we stopped at Jody and Linda's house for 5 large, beautiful mangoes from his tree that was just cut back.

Back home, napped briefly.

Chris and Paige drove me to Darcy Hall, the nursing home where my mom is. They allwed me to take a little saline, gauze, tape, and an ace bandage.  AND, now with no stitches in my face, I saw my mom for first time in 2 weeks. She hardly registered any problem or concern about me or my obviously disabled wrists. She just wanted coffee.
We shopped at PB Publix, where I finally filled prescription for Percoset.  Dinner tonight prepared mostly by Paige was delicious: Shrimp and white bean salad ... with some of that mango. Home-made vinaigrette. And some us (me for one) drank some (cheap) red wine.

Prologue   I     II    III    IV    V    VI   VII   VIII   IX    X   XI    XII 

Volume III * Aug 31 - Sept 6 (Days 15 - 21)

Prologue   I     II    III    IV    V    VI   VII   VIII   IX    X   XI    XII 

Day 15 Saturday 8/31
Angela early again for the pin care.
Chris made me another Jewish breakfast - lox bagel cream cheese onion lettuce tomato and a whole orange peeled and sectioned.

Renate and Axel brought over a large bag of easy food. Chris and Paige met them at the car and carried the food up to the condo.

RenCare - Crackers, multi-grained Pita Chips, Swiss Cheese, Goat Cheese, Brie, large bag of fresh Cherries, Herring, pimento-stuffed Olives, Bruschetta, Spinach dip, deli Turkey, Cole Slaw, and deli rare Roast Beef 

Renate and Axel whisked me away, treating me to lunch at City Diner (Urbanspoon.com) at 3400 South Dixie between Belvedere and Southern. Unassuming, small 4 and 4.5 star diner, opened a few years ago by son of the woman that ran Jo's restaurant for years in Palm Beach. Jo helps out at busy times.

I had their home-made chicken pot pie. Renate and Axel did breakfast food: Home-made corned beef hash with egg and hash browns for Ren, and Egg, bacon(?) cheese croissant for Axel. All enjoyed. 
Chris later told me that he is a fan of City Diner corned beef hash. Renate spoon-fed me a sample; its splendid texture and taste revealed it was not from a can.

I cannot tell a lie: Chris and Paige had wolfed down half the Carr's crackers with spinach dip before I got home!

Because the Boar's Head roast beef brought by Renate was so rare, we decided to use it for dinner tonight. A quick trip to Publix that evening for a few extra ingredients (including more spinach dip) allowed us some generous and tasty sandwiches on Italian bread.

Chris stacked spinach, tomato, and horseradish sauce and some mustard with the roast beef between a soft deli Italian bread.

Thanks Renate and Axel for my lunch and our dinner...and leftovers for snacks tomorrow.
Day 16 Sunday 9/1
After a lazy morning, we went to Target b/c C&P - Chris and Paige - wanted to get a few DVD's and I wanted a 2nd pair of "pants" and hoped for shirts I could put on and take off by myself.
Found only one pair of pants. 

I tried a shirt with metal snap-type buttons, but I could not snap them closed. Then I had to go seek help from employee to get  the shirt off! (C&P were at DVD section). Some muscle shirts were only $5 and I bought two for sleeping.  Nearly gave up before noticing fancy T shirt with 2-button V-neck and very short sleeves. I could put on and off, so I grabbed in 3 colors.

I used MS Paint pencil tool to emphasize outline of open V-neck on the blue T...which allows me to pull those 3 shirts on and off. I got black pair of elastic band lounging pants - the only kind I'm wearing. My other pair is blue checker pattern.

Back at the condo, Chris sliced and froze rest of mangoes from Linda's tree. He used a cool technique, flipping skin inward to create bite-sized pieces.

Angela arrived for pin care around 4:30 when Jaime was bringing over steaks for us. Great porterhouses grilled at my house. C&P made potato medley, mixed vegetables, and mushrooms to accompany. Jaime had signed up on Linda's Care Calendar for Monday, Labor Day, but we arranged to have steaks today. All four of us ate only half the meat and we're trying to figure WHEN we'll eat the rest.

I took my first generic percoset today around 2 pm - just to see if I could be truly pain-free. I had the prescription for 9 days before filling it Friday at Publix.  It was a 10-325, which I think means 10 mg oxycodone and 325 mg of "tylenol". It dulled the pain, but nothing dramatic or euphoric.

C&P went out in evening for long walk along intracoastal while I'm sitting here doing this blog and other computer stuff.  - including creating lists of teacher emails because the damn county won't give me a school email address which would already have contacts and group lists!
Day 17 Monday 9/2
Labor Day, falling again on my brother's birthday - the object of old family saga, 67 years ago: 
Dorothy: "Sid. What day is today?"
Sidney: "It's Labor Day"
Dorothy: "Yes, it is"

I gave Jody and Linda a gift certificate to Belle and Maxwell's on South Dixie near Southern. I don't know about other people in the family, but I cheat on gift-giving to them. Both birthdays and their anniversary (20th this year!) fall within 2 weeks of one another.

As a sleep aid last night, I only had some herbal tea, and went to bed at 12:30. After my 2nd awakening around 4:30, I wandered to kitchen, had some yogurt and cereal, spinach (I'm weird), more tea, then took an Advil PM (includes Benadryl generic). In bed again about 6 am. Slept past 11 - although up 3 times very dry-mouthed to get water. Still - lots of sleep. Chris snuck in and took a photo.

Asleep, with left arm inside "the sponge". Actually, Dr. Saslow wants both arms in a sponge at night to prevent injury and to keep raised.  

I was supposed to go to Nursing home for Labor Day hamburgers/hot dogs but it's much too late.
Paige made lox/bagel breakfast. I got a bath/shower/shampoo.
And put on my own shirt and socks! It's like babysteps.

Feel sorry for outdoors people on this Labor Day. Cloudy, rainy. C&P did lots of house-cleaning. I watched.
Late lunch of turkey sandwiches with bruschetta, cheese, and some cherriers - all from Renate's care package two days ago.

It must seem I have a food obsession, but these photos started because (1) I wanted to assure people I was getting food, (2) then I wanted to be sure people were acknowledged for their time, money, and kindness, and (3) eating is the highlight activity of most of these restricted days. 

I had a long phone conversation with my cousin Debbie about musical numbers in  the Winter Program of the à capella men's group she begins directing in Manhattan: Down Town Glee Club. The call ended with Debbie telling me that her short program bio dedicates the show to her beloved Uncle Sidney (my father) who introduced and inspired a respect for men's barbershop harmony.

Chris fixed a very late dinner...using up the leftover steak that Jamie brought over yesterday. Chris really likes presentation, so here go two more photos of food:

Steak with salad - and a poached egg on top.

 After eating a little bit, I wanted to show the way Jamie had made my steak to order, medium rare. So I turned the pieces and took another picture. Oh...You can see the red wine I drank. I had already decided to take no meds for sleeping.

Day 18 Tuesday 9/3

Angela showed before 9 am for pin care. I had just finished eating.

I did some email, then got ready for Ken Sloan to pick me up and take me to lunch. Ken played baseball with my brother when they were both teens. He taught math at Palm Beach Lakes for many years while I was there. Half our students thought we looked alike and swapped our names. After a stint at Dwyer HS, he retired to continue full-time with Primerica. What investments I have are through him.

We ate at the Marriott's  Bistro Ten Zero One... without a Restaurant.com coupon -heresy!. I again had small bites menu "local fish" (Red snapper) w spinach and eggplant.  Ken had a burger...always good there... and we shared pommes frites. So cultured! We gossiped about old times and commiserated about aging parents, nursing homes, and hospice - both home-bound and at facilities.

Forget Ken. Forget the food. Look at that shirt I put on myself!

After lunch, Ken left me at school. The AP Seepersaud and I discussed issuing books to students. More urgent...I printed the new Master List for lockers and got the bookkeeper, Mrs. Terkovitch, to order labels for printing locker numbers and combinations. That's what we give students when they pay to rent a locker.

Terry Brosseit drove me home again. I napped about 40 minutes.

Then C&P and I met Ariel outside the condo. We walked - as planned - to Muvico and Ariel got us in free to see Daniel Lee's The Butler, a dramatization of the Civil Rights Movement, viewed through the eyes of the true butler who served from Eisenhower through Reagan.

And even though we had too much popcorn (thanks Ariel) and it's 10:20 pm right now, Chris is cooking shrimp and chicken in a stir fry mix. 

Shrimp and chicken stir-fry with fresh asparagus

I've never eaten so much real food in my life.

Day 19 Wednesday 9/4

C&P left early for school. Angela showed up soon for "pin care", and was kind enough to help me with socks and shoes and drove me to school.  

I really wanted to run labels for issuing lockers, but Office Depot never delivered until a few minutes before I had to leave to catch ride home with Terry Brosseit again (3rd time. Mrs. Nash wasn't in school.) Meanwhile I updated program that Mrs. Kaufman (front-office secretary) uses to issue duties to substitutes.

Well, at least I found out that I requested the wrong labels! Too embarrassing and complicated to explain THIS stupid error.

C&P accompanied me to Darcy and partook in their Rosh Hashanah dinner. My mom and I had brisket with potato latkes and apple sauce, while C&P ordered salmon with brussel sprouts. We all had matzo-ball soup, and - for desert - cheese blintzes mit sour cream and blue-berries.  NOT typical Darcy Hall fare!

Mom ate a lot, including challah bread. 

I got to eat while Chris fed my mom. Hard to tell, but I think she knows him...at least recognizes him as a friend and not a stranger. He worked at Darcy a few years back. That's where I met him and observed his genuine interest in trying to brighten the lives of people stuck in the dreariness of such institutions. Many times when I traveled, Chris filled in at dinner-time for me. Sometimes, so did Paige.

Back in her room, as usual, I gave mom a piece of dark Dove chocolate.

We stopped at Office Depot - directly on the way home - so I could purchase the correct labels for school lockers.

Day 20 Thursday 9/5

I was up early and managed to put together a toasted bagel with lox and cream cheese, some greens, and coffee. Finished all morning routines (with assistance) and even got a shower and shampoo (with assistance).

Jody picked me up at 11:45 and took me to school to print up locker labels and set things aside for Mr. Seepersaud. We had time to snack on burgers at Burger King before going to NPB to Dr. Saslow for stitch removal of carpal tunnel release surgery.  Saslow thought the pin wounds looked a little too red and put me on an antibiotic.

Saslow finally requested no travel for the California wedding, so I'll have to look into plane, motel, and car reservations.   Went back to Jody and Linda's house in time for Jody, Linda, Betty (Linda's mom), Larry (mom's husband), Cara (Linda's 2nd oldest), Jason (Cara's husband), and their two kids (William and Bella) to go to a one hour Rosh Hashanah service in Boynton at Temple Shaarei Shalom

After they returned, happy with the abbreviated service, dinner was the main goal. First Jody filled my antibiotic prescription (Doxycycline, 100 mg  every 12 hr), urging me to use yogurt after each dose to keep up good bacteria in my gut.

Dinner was previewed by kata-ka-tas performed by William on his own authentic rams horn.  And Daniel (Linda's youngest) sang "Swaying" with great voice and expression - accompanying himself marvelously on a child's guitar. 

The Maddock China (England) "Tree of Life" service for 16 was given/sold cheap by barbershopper Paul Maddock to my parents many years ago. Same china as used on the Queen Elizabeth.

Also attending dinner were Eric (Linda's #3), his girlfriend Rachel, Beth (a friend of Cara's), and David -  a classmate to William. 

Me, Daniel, Betty, Larry and Linda

Linda, Cara, Beth, Rachel, Eric, and Jason

Linda had prepared brisket, potatoes, string beans, a challah, and matzo ball soup.  And Betty made a great (traditional) honey cake to start a sweet year.

Cara gave me a container of food to take home - vegetarian white bean in broth with tomato, onion, and spices.