Friday, August 25, 2006

Prince Charming

We ventured into the soggy morning air at 5:15 to pickup Marilyn's Mom and go to the hospital to have Marilyn's knee joint scoped. They scraped away some arthritis and did some other things to her knee that sounded foreign to me. After some trouble with slight nausea she was released into my care. That thought scared her a bit. Her appetite has returned and she is mostly following orders to keep her knee above her heart and on ice for the weekend.
Well Marilyn's Mom has had two knee replacements. From those surgeries she had a neat-o little jacket that goes around the knee joint and then pumps icewater thru the jacket. All you have to do is add about 6 pounds of ice to the cooler type box that it's connected to every half day or so. It did get her leg so cold she started having cramps. We backed off a bit on the cold.
Concerns I have are:
1. The hydrostatic transmission on our riding lawnmower with the 60", front mount deck, requires that you push with your right foot to make it go forward. The harder you push the faster you go. I'm afraid that the force with which she is able to push on the pedal will be so minimal that she will spend so much time mowing the lawn that she won't get inside in time to fix dinner.
2. Some things we have on the floor by the stove, (soft drink 12 pack and etc) might trip her while she's cooking. I've cleared them away. I figure she shouldn't stand for more than an hour at the range. She's supposed to keep her knee above her heart for crying out loud.
3. I need to figure out some way to get the washer and dryer up here on the main floor. She shouldn't be climbing stairs but on the other hand I'm running low on golf shirts. And I do like to smell 'fresh' when I play golf.
4. Marilyn's knee is supposed to be in the 'non-weight bearing mode' for the next three weeks. I've rigged up an office chair so she won't have to stand very much to load and unload the dishwasher.
5. Dusting. I've told her that it's okay to wait a few weeks to do the dusting. I can put up with a little dust.
6. And lastly the gardening. Late summer and early fall always bring rains and lots of weeds to her vegetable gardens and the berms covered with lovely flowers. I've told her I will be happy to put her on the loader bucket on the front of my John Deere 4020 tractor and hold her over the gardens so she can lay down and still pull weeds. She won't even have to stand up to garden. I am concerned that she has 5 full days of grooming next week and she may want me to put her on the loader over the garden too late in the afternoon. I do sometimes play golf in the late afternoon.
But if I'm not golfing I'll be happy to do that. What kind of husband would I be if I couldn't help out a little around the house.

24 comments:

Jim said...

Marilyn, this is our (Mrs. Jim's and mine) wish for you to get a lot better fast. Cliff really does need you, he sounds pretty helpless.
I came up with some suggestions for him to help you, but there were too many to put here.
Cliff, you go to my other blog,
http://jimmiehov2.blogspot.com/
to check them out. Sorry, but I am long penned.
..

1 plus twins said...

cliff you crack me up but i am not letting drew read this because he thinks so highly of his farmer friend and i don't want to let superman down. by the way you better hope your wife doesn't read this or when her knee is all better she is gonna kick your ass with her new and improved knee!!

Rachel said...

Cliff you are too funny!! How generous of you to let her lie in the bucket while pulling flowers. My My My, what a kind man you are!!

Now grab that apron and get to work! I know that you are taking real good care of Marilyn. You aren't fooling me with this nonsense!!

Rachel said...

BTW Prince Charming, what has happened to Ralph???

Miki said...

Marilyn, my wish for you is that you don't have too much down time! Hope you are feeling better fast! Sounds as if your convalescence is more strenuous than your "normal" routine! Cliff is really in need of a definition of convalesence! Seriously, Cliff, take care of that lady of yours, she is priceless, she puts up with your sense of humor!

Cliff said...

Rahcel, I think Ralph is busier than a one armed wall paper hanger. He got home from Lincoln on last Sunday, and loaded up some of his help and came back to Lincoln on Monday for a business meeting. That's about an 8 hour drive each way. I suppose the other two days of the week have been used up trying to catch up.

PinkCat said...

Cliff you keep on convincing me of your naughtiness.

You are indeed a naughty naughty lad.

Give Marilyn our best from the Harwood Circus. I hope she is feeling like her self soon.

Take care xx

Raggedy said...

My thoughts and prayers are with Marilyn...I hope she has a speedy recovery...
Bops you on the head for mow lawn thing....
Have a wonderful day!
*^_^
(=':'=) hugs
(")_ (")Š from
the Cool Raggedy one

Raggedy said...

Runs back and bops you again for all of the rest....
You better take care of her...

Paul Nichols said...

I'm with you, Cliff. Sometimes I wonder how something so precious can be so inconvenient.

Ophelia Payne.

Cliff said...

Paul, your comment has me chuckling pretty hard.

EV said...

Cliff, I suspect a HOVEROUND with a power takeoff should address all of your concerns. Take good care of your bride! I'm sending my kindest regards and wishing your precious lady a speedy recovery.

Cliff said...

ooohhh good thinking Mike. Thanks...but what about the washer and dryer, will hoveround go up and down stairs?

Jamie Dawn said...

Cliff, this post shows what great lengths you will take to see that your wife has a speedy and comfortable recovery. I'm sure Marilyn appreciates your willingness to work so hard on her behalf.
Make sure there's no rat poison anywhere in the kitchen.
She may get the idea of seasoning your meals with it.
This would be because of her medication of course, and not because of anything you did.

Get well soon, Marilyn. If you do the rat poison thing, I promise to provide you with an alibi.

JunieRose2005 said...

My goodness, Cliff, what a thoughtful husband you are!
:)

Your wife is very lucky to have you looking out for her!

Junie

EV said...

The "Moon Buggy" model will negotiate stairs and w/ the optional grapling attachment and power washer she can clean those gutters, too. Caution her to always wear her safety glasses and seat belt. To increase battery life she might want to bring a sack lunch up w/ her for the roof work - less up and down.

Cliff said...

hehe

Dan said...

I'm wondering which one of you has a crutch!!!

poopie said...

Oh my Cliff! Let me hurry on out to nominate you for husband of the year :) Note to Marilyn: Give him the stink-eye!

eyes_only4him said...

Well cliff, seems you have all your bases covered..Kudos my friend..

hope she is as kind to you when your in the ER after she beats you with a stick:)

Jim said...

Just checking on our patient?
..

Anonymous said...

Dear Marilyn,
Heal fast and let him serve you a month longer than "KNEE-ded"
If he hurts your knee more by cracking you up, tell him he's Prince "Charmin' & flush him. that's a brand of TP out my way...-
CLiffers, you are too much! LOL

TheWayfarer said...

Cliff, you sound like Walter Williams, whose always bragging about buying appliances and kitchen stuff for his wife for her birthday and Christmas!
*LOL*
:)

Jim said...

I'm wondering how Marilyn's knee has done since all this. I've had to have my knee joint replaced, in 2011.
http://jimmiehov2.blogspot.com/2006/08/note-to-cliff.html
..