Category: My Life

Over the last few weeks, I know I have mentioned that my right knee has been very sore. In fact, I am using a walker because I cannot put any weight on my right leg. Yesterday I broke down, and I called my orthopedic surgeon three times, asking to come in and have further X-rays and an evaluation of my knee.
I fully expected not to be able to see him and not to be further evaluated. But his office called, and they squeezed me in on Wednesday. Once I got to his office, I was shown into the X-ray room, where they took four different X-ray shots of my knee while I was standing on it so they could see what happens to my knee when I put weight on it.
What they found was, in fact, that I do have bone-on-bone, which will require not just a little surgery to clean it up but a full knee replacement.
The doctor reminded me that on my first visit with him, I had told him I did not want a knee replacement.
I can tell you now that the pain I have been in has led me to do and agree to many things I never thought I would do. Thus, I am waiting to hear from the surgical department about my appointment to have my right knee surgically replaced.
It’s not just that I am elated; after going through all the pain I have been in, I can say I am happy to see light at the end of the tunnel.
I was concerned that I would be forced to go into a rehab hospital after the surgery. But my puppy nanny has agreed to come here to help Heidi and me, and I am ready to roll.
I recall Jack’s three knee replacements, as his first was done at age 57. The doctor advised that Jack should quit running and be cautious with his knee. But Jack was never one to do what he was told, and he kept running, so although he was back to work in seven weeks’ time, that knee replacement did not last very long.
He had two more knee replacements in his late 60s and early 70s, which allowed him to return to his favorite sport, snow skiing.
He snow-skied up until the age of 83, when he voluntarily hung up his skis and ski poles and retired.
I would like my knee to be in good shape so that I can begin walking again with Heidi and help build my strength and endurance.
And, of course, one very important thing is that I lose a few pounds. Ugh, isn’t that always the way?
So, between now and my surgery, I will work on eating better and lose a few more pounds. It will take a lot longer to lose the weight, and it’s something that I simply will have to keep up with after the surgery.
I am elated that they have found what is causing my pain and that there are things that can be done to make my life better.

Good morning, gentle readers. I know I haven’t been writing much lately, and it is due to the ongoing saga of my injured knee.
I injured my knee over two months ago; one will recall that I had to wait three weeks just to have an MRI on my knee. The interesting thing here is that the day after I had my MRI, which contained the words “severe damage” six times, I was able to get in to see an orthopedic surgeon.
The doctor feels that physical therapy would do me some good. I cannot put weight on my leg without horrible pain, and without it giving out, so I was very skeptical about going for physical therapy. I did not have to worry too much, because physical therapy couldn’t see me for over a month.
I’ve called my doctor back and explained my situation to him. His nurse called me and said she would get me into physical therapy. Yesterday she called me again and told me that that would not happen. She said she can’t get me into physical therapy anywhere within a 50-mile radius of my home. So now no one really knows what they want to do with my knee. I would like them to go in and clean up the damage to my knee.
I am not bone-on-bone. I do have a lot of arthritis and bone spurs and a meniscus that has been torn and has definitely seen better days.
I was thinking about this this morning as I was sipping my tea. I remember watching Lindsey Vonn at the Olympics last winter, when she fell and suffered a serious injury. She had flown her doctors in; she had the best medical treatment, and when they had stabilized her, they flew her out and back to her home state of Colorado.
I’m thinking that perhaps if I were young, gorgeous, and loaded with money, I would be getting treatment above and beyond what I am right now.
I do have excellent insurance. And I can afford to see good doctors, undergo necessary medical procedures, and ensure my knee is treated in a timely fashion. But here I am over 2 months of not being able to move I haven’t been getting out to get my groceries I order them. I don’t see people because they are out there, and I can’t get there.
I missed my 50th high school reunion. I missed my grandnephew and his wife’s wedding, which I was really looking forward to.
And during this time, Heidi had cancer surgery twice. She has been an amazing companion to me through all of this, and I hope I have given back to her everything she has given me.
So my friends, life has given me a bowl of very bitter lemons, and I’m not quite sure what I am going to do with them yet. I’m hoping for some resolution to this problem. I think I may have to go further afield to be examined by other doctors to get some results.
At nearly 68 years old, I am not ready to sit in my chair with my legs up and a blanket across my knees for the rest of my life; I want to get back to the land of the living.

I woke on Friday and saw I had a ton of mail and boxes at the Post Office, where I get my mail. One piece of mail was from the United States Government. My first thought was “Oh sweet mother of all that is holy, what do they want now?”

So, I got Heidi in her puffer jacket, grabbed my tote bags, and off we went. Given the high flu cases here, I also brought masks to wear to protect myself.

I got my packages and mail, and I opened the US Government one first. After Jack passed, I went through a long period of getting mail that was very hard to deal with.

It was my new passport! I sent my application two weeks ago. I’d gotten an email saying my new passport had been approved and would be on its way in two weeks.   So, call me surprised.

As I opened the new passport and stared at the picture inside. I knew what it looked like when I submitted the paperwork, but as I gazed at the completed document, I was shocked! Who was that old woman?

I know I’m 67 years old, but the picture certainly makes me look much older. Looking into a mirror, I grimaced.

Yes, the last few years have been tough ones.  And it shows in my face.

I will be going to my 50th High School reunion in September. I hope people will still recognize me and perhaps be kind.

It’s Wednesday morning in New Hampshire. It is snowing as hard as it did when George Bailey ran onto the bridge thinking his life was over.

It is beautiful, but quite honestly, I wish it would let up a little.

This has been a crazy week for me. Monday started off well enough, but you know me and electrical items. I should have been prepared. I was doing something I never do. I was playing a game on my cell phone when it rebooted. When it turned back on, I swear the phone had been possessed. Gone was my wonderfully organized screen, and in its place were micro widgets, and nothing brought back my ability to make a call, text, or basically do anything.

After freaking out, I grabbed the phone, another older phone of mine, put Heidi in her puffer jacket, jumped in the car, and headed to Verizon.

I arrived at 4:45, give or take a minute or two, and after tucking Heidi into her blanket, went in. I controlled my hysterics and sat down and explained what had occurred. He tried a few things and then mentioned it could be sent in for repair.

Or, it was actually within a window for me to get a new phone. I opted for the new phone. Since I brought a much older phone with me, they used it to transfer my old pictures and the programs I use most. Fortunately, I had recently downloaded the current pictures from the now possessed phone onto my laptop. When he was finally done, and I reached home, it was 6:45! Heidi and I were exhausted.

Bedtime came early for us, and at 2:00 AM, give or take a minute or two, I woke feeling stuffed up, coughing, chilled, and achy. I got up and took my temperature. 102 degrees! Yep, I was sick.

Tuesday found me cancelling appointments and then hunkering down with Heidi to watch a marathon of the PBS series “POLDARK,” which is being shown on NETFLIX. What a great series!

I am programming my phone, watching TV, and snuggling with Heidi.

The moon is setting over the lake.

 

When I woke on Friday, it was 1 degree Fahrenheit, with a bit of wind.

I delayed my shower so I could have a hot cup of tea and catch the local weather. I had noted the previous day that I had about a third of a tank of heating oil, and that made me nervous. Our temperatures are set to remain relatively low, and the thought of a cold house and frozen pipes haunted me. I resolved to call at 7:30 when the office opened.

While sipping my tea, I heard a noise outside in my driveway. Heidi and I jumped up to see who was there.

Yes! The Oilman Commeth!

I always go out to say hello and thank the deliveryman, and I want you to picture this. I was wearing knee socks, boots, a long nightgown, a winter hat, a down parka, and gloves.  I have to laugh at that!

He filled the tank, and all I can say is, if colder weather is on its way, bring it on!

The rest of the day was spent with the usual tidying. I know many people took down their Christmas trees, but I left mine up. There is something so pretty about the ornaments and lights. Maybe next weekend.

Have a great weekend!

Over the last few days, I have been thinking a lot about my life over the previous year. In the past, I would put together a yearly letter about all the things Jack and I had done, places we had gone, and our plans for the upcoming year. I pulled up a few of those letters and knew I no longer wanted to send them out.

I stewed about it, thinking my life was empty and that I had nothing important to share. This bothered me, but then, at least my life with my dackel Heidi had been relatively quiet. And if nothing else, Heidi makes me feel well-loved.

On Christmas Day, I dressed up and took myself out for a fancy dinner. As I sat glancing out the window at Meredith Bay (part of Lake Winnipesaukee), I started to think about all that I had accomplished in 2025.

There were three big things that I accomplished in 2025. The first thing. My driveway looked like it had gone through a 7.5 earthquake in California. After getting several estimates, I finally found a contractor I was comfortable with, and the work began.

By the time my driveway was done, I casually watched my TV one Saturday night, and I suddenly had double vision in my left eye. Thinking this was from being over-tired, I went to bed, thinking all would be fine in the morning. Needless to say, it wasn’t. I was referred to a surgical Ophthalmologist, and surgery was set for July.

The morning after the surgery, I could feel something running down my cheek. It was blood. I went into the surgeon’s office to get the eye unpacked. I’d had a hemorrhage in my eye, thus blocking the vision.  They asked what I could see. I couldn’t see anything—just blackness. My doctor was very reassuring, but I was a wreck.

The days and weeks passed. I would wake in the morning depressed and convinced the vision would never come back. My doctor kept trying to encourage me, but by the end of September, I’d given up…or almost. One morning, I woke, and my vision in the left eye had begun to return!

I started looking for a construction company that specializes in cleaning and restaining cedar shakes. I found a man who’d actually worked on Cape Cod with shingles like mine. He had an opening before the snow flew, so my beautiful house looks lovely once again.

So even though I felt that there was nothing to celebrate in a short note in my Christmas Cards this year, I realized that I genuinely do have a great deal to be thankful for.

I hope your Christmas was a joyous one and that 2026 will be full of much happiness.

Love, Maribeth & Heidi

Today I was my doctor’s star patient. I actually drove myself, which was a real surprise. Anyone who has been down and out for a while will tell you that their skills do not stay as sharp. So, I’ve made small trips around town to regain my skills. Today was the big trip, 75 miles each way!

I made it just fine, but I admit to feeling a wee bit tired on my way home.

I digress.

I was the star patient because the pressure in my left eye had gone down from 34 to 18! When they checked my vision, although it is not 20/20 in that eye, I could pass the Eye test to renew my license.

So I made it home, and I am making up a six-week chart, as I work to wean myself off all my pills and drops!

Back at the beginning of July, I was terrified that I would not get my vision back. Here I am. My vision is back, and I am one happy and fortunate girl!

I have a return visit to my Eye Surgeon today, in Salem, NH. I am pretty nervous about this as I still have no vision in my left eye and quite a bit of pain.

Yesterday I did nothing. I put on HBO-Max and binge-listened to “Friends.” It’s been my favorite show for years, and listening to it is incredibly soothing.

I slept in my recliner with Heidi last night, and her little snuggles felt good too.

Yesterday, I made my Uber reservation for today, but when I got up this morning, I saw that it had somehow gotten messed up. So, I cancelled that reservation first thing and made a new one.

I have packed a small case in case I need to stay overnight. I hope that they can do an eye washout, and my vision will be restored.