We have now entered into the time of the year when things to talk about in the journal become harder and harder to come by. Not that I have been living the most adventurous life of late, but hopes are very high that will change in a little over a week with the fixing of my current heart issue.
There has been a new twist tossed into my heart issue. This past Tuesday I traveled to Wausau for a CT scan. They mapped my heart so that the surgeon has a good idea of how things look before he goes in there to do the ablation. The CT scan also revealed I have “High-grade stenosis of the proximal to mid left anterior descending coronary artery with poor contrast opacification of the mid to distal LAD.” Which my primary care Dr told me is a blockage of concern. So before I see my surgeon this Thursday afternoon, I am going to have a stress test done, chemically, to get a better look at the blockage(s). The CT scan was not done to look at those specifically, but I am glad that they found it! Last thing I want or need is a heart attack!
So depending on what the stress test reveals, we might have to delay the ablation or perhaps a heart catheterization can be done before the ablation on the 24th. Time will tell and hopefully the next time I write I will know!
Off the health update and onto what the journal is really for…It’s the time of the year when we are in between seasons. Winter is steadily heading for it’s finish line and what most consider spring weather is still about a month away. The upside to living where we live now is that spring does typically come sooner and the mud month is typically shorter. I did do a little look back to last year at this time and it appears as though we are around 2 weeks ahead of last year in the snow loss department. There is still snow on the ground in almost every spot in our yard, but some spots under the pines that are more sheltered have bare ground showing. There is also bare ground where I moved snow to make it easier for me to get to and from the shop and house. The driveways are also free from most of their snow and ice.
This past week the path between the house and shop as well as the driveways were pretty much solid ice. The reason being is that we had snow on them last week at this time, then got the heavy rain on Wednesday, which got absorbed by the snow and then were cold after that and froze it all up. So my walks to work at 4 am were quite a challenge. I found myself doing what I call the “hockey coach shuffle” to and from! So it is nice, at least for now to have no ice or snow to have to walk on.
I am sure that there will be more snows to have to walk through or on, but hopefully no ice. In my reviews of last springs journal entries, I was reminded at how topsy turvy the weather was. One day 55-60 and the next snow. We even got around 12″ of snow the middle of April and had 70 degree temps one day and some snow that night. So I am going to keep my emotions in check as the snow continues to melt and we get closer and closer to the warm season. Or at leas know that more snows are likely to come, perhaps even after I start cutting the grass. I know last spring I had cut the grass a couple of times while back in our old stomping grounds there was still over a foot of snow on the ground!
So even though I have the physical stamina of an 85 year old right now, my mind and spirit are that of a 24 year old. So when I am not doing my work, or driving around somewhere, I have been putzing around the shop and office doing some straightening up and organizing. It does not require me to lift anything too heavy and I can do it at a slow and relaxed pace, but it keeps me active and happy. Plus, I am getting work done that really needs to be done to get both the office and shop where I want them to be. When the heart fixes are all done, then I can move onto the larger projects like the ceiling and floor in the office, the walls in the shop and getting the dust collection system and hand tools all in their spots. After that, get to building the furniture for the office and a couple of pieces for the house and then the upstairs apartment still needs drywall, paint and floors. Back 15 years ago, this would have been a 3-4 month project list. In present time, I will be not be disappointed if in a year I still have stuff to do.
Since moving to the Keweenaw almost 22 years ago, life for me has steadily gone from being a race to the finish to a gentle stroll, enjoying the view along the way, not even thinking about the finish line. It will find me.
Good Night from the Keweenaw..
–JD
