Feeling Buggy and a Knee Update

 

Jenna getting a bugs-eye view during a recent visit to the Natural History Museum in Albuquerque.

 

I’m trying to keep a positive attitude about my knee, but the worst thing is not being able to hang out with Apache. The ground is just too wet, greasy, and muddy and I’m too afraid of falling again. Sheesh! I work hard to move past my fears of riding, only to have to deal with fears of falling on muddy, icy ground. Bummer.

I’ve been able to do my chicken chores because the coop is beside the house, but it’s still quite treacherous with all the slippery mud and poo inside the coop. But I just hold onto the fence, hen house and the center pole while I’m in there.

(Photo taken this morning from Jenna’s window. Look to the right in that photo. We’ve got a little bit of green grass poking up. whoohoo!)

Ranchman John is doing a great job feeding Apache and all the barn animals. He likes to give Apache carrots and love on her, but I think she still looks lonely. I think her mouth has also been a little sore adjusting to her floating. She just has a sad look to her. It breaks my heart.

(photo taken this morning)

Last week, before the vet visit and before our recent snow storm, I was able to gimp out to the fence line and Apache walked down to me. I like how she’ll hang out with me for petting and cheek scratches, even if I don’t have any treats. Baby Doll rarely ever graced me with her royal presence once I was out of treats. She was fond of giving me The Butt when there were'nt any treats.

Apache is more of a pocket pony. I’m surprised at how much I like that, when all along I thought I liked more independent, and less clingy horse personality.

(Scout, my neighbor friend Val’s gelding, and Apache visiting)

Anyway, last week Shirley of Ride a Good Horse recommended a knee support for me. And instead of me wearing that bulky ‘Frankenstein’, full-length metal leg contraption the Doctor prescribed for me after my ACL surgery, I really need to wear some support while riding and when walking and hiking, too.

Shirley told me it’s made by Professional Choice, the same company that made my nice neoprene girth. The knee support is called Miracle Knee.

(Apache tells Scout, “Back off! Don’t be too fresh, Mister!”

I eagerly looked it up online, but couldn’t find it for less than $50.00. yikes! So I called my local feed/tack store and left a message on their answering machine. Mike and Lorraine are like family and run a small feed/tack store about 2 miles from our house. Ranchman John often just stop by to chat and catch up on all the goings-on. They have followed along on my horse journey and my injuries, as well as with Ranchman John’s employment woes and crazy job with the truck driving company. A couple times they even offered us a line of credit until paychecks started coming in. They are truly kind and generous folks. I just love them.

Well, they didn’t get back to me for a few days and I sort of forgot about it, but on Friday, Lorraine called and told me they had ONE left in their store, AND it was on sale for only $29.95! I was so thrilled!

 

We were in the middle of a snow storm, so I promised to pick it up the next day. I also wondered if Mike and Lorraine priced it so low just for me, because they obviously didn’t make any money off it’s sale. Did I mention what great folks they are?

Of course, they also know, that even though we live within 10 miles of 5 different tack/feed stores, we’ll always buy most of our feed, supplies and tack from them. The only item we don’t buy consistently from them is hay, because I’ve found a supplier that sells heavy, tightly-strung 3-string bales of the softest greenest grass hay, from California. And that guy delivers for free with at least 10 bales.

I digress. So, I tried on the Miracle Knee Support and was amazed at the amount of support it provided without any metal or stiff pieces inside. It is comfortable, too. I can wear it and forget that I’ve got it on! I’ve been walking for the past couple days without a crutch, even though my knee still feels unstable and gimpy. But with the Miracle Knee Support, I almost forget that my knee has anything wrong with it. I love it!

This is what the product details say:

“Now you can ride again without knee pain with the Miracle-Knee Support. In fact, the Miracle-Knee Support is great for any athletic event because it allows complete mobility at all levels of activity and reduces the effects of arthritis, damaged cartilage, sprains, or strains. Flexible medial and lateral stays provide side-to-side support for ligament instability. Moist heat therapy helps increase blood circulation and relaxes tight or sore muscles. Made of neoprene, the unique wrap design makes application easy and gives a perfect fit at the thigh and calf. The irritating pinching, binding and rubbing common to slip-on knee supports is eliminated due to the open back design. Worn over or under clothing, the Miracle-Knee Support enables you to comfortably return to work or play.”

Thanks to Shirley for letting me know about this Miracle Product!!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Well, it’s 60F degrees today and most of our snow has melted. I’ve even got the windows open and I’m enjoying the warmth and the sounds of the birds singing. This is a photo I took this morning before the warmer temps melted most of that snow.

Unfortunately, the weather folks are predicting another big snowstorm, with ‘moderate to heavy accumulation’ to blow in on Wednesday.

(Apache and Yalla!, Val’s cute Arabian filly, born last summer)

   

I’m savoring this little taste of warm spring weather as long as I can.

Whiney Wednesday

 

Our crazy snowstorm with booming thunder and flashing lightning sure left behind a mess of destruction in it’s wake……not even counting me and my knee.

As mentioned yesterday, the heavy wet snow ripped open the hawk netting of the chicken coop. I was able to gimp outside today and do some zip tie repairs to the gaping netting, so the chickens could get back outside again.

The snow also collapsed one of my favorite juniper trees that line our driveway.

(The view looking up our driveway with our house in the background)

  

Thanks to my twinling Jem for taking these photos.

The view down our driveway.

We’ll have to use a saw to remove the split off broken branch that is laying across our driveway. I have a feeling we’ll end up losing the rest of the tree, too. I’m sure going to miss it.

Today, with the warm temps and piles of 9” deep heavy snow, we had a fast melt-off which caused a major leak in the back porch’s ceiling below our loft balcony. Bummer.

Good news is that my knee is feeling better today and I can put more weight on it. The knee is still swollen and unstable and I’m still wearing my knee brace and using one crutch to get around, but at least it’s not painful.

Most of the snow has melted with our 50F degree temps today, but here’s a few photos from Monday.

Zuni surveying her snowy kingdom.

Can you see Apache in the distance?

How about now? She seemed to enjoy her nap in the snow.

Apache searching in vain for grass.

Then heading up to the barn for some hay instead.

 

                     A much happier moment……

This One Packed a Mean Punch

 

Saturday was a beautiful, sunny warm day with temps in the low 60’s.

This is how we spent our day

Just hanging out with Apache.

Sunday started off the same way. Sunny and warm, but slightly breezier than Saturday. I spent most of Sunday outside with Apache and our other barn critters. But by Sunday afternoon, the winds picked up, the sky got dark and snowflakes began falling……..and falling…and falling.

By Sunday evening we already had at least 5” of heavy, wet snow on the ground. Did I mention I’m so fed up with snow and winter?

Ranchman John had encouraged Apache to eat her hay in the barn earlier on Sunday and she seemed happy to get in there out of the wind, but she’s still getting used to all the strange sounds in there, like the creaking and whistling, and the noisy banging from the goats as they eat, and the llamas’ snuffling and humming. Apache would get startled and run out, but she’d eventually come back in to munch her hay.

I watched the barn from the house as it started to hail. It hit the metal roof on the barn and I know how the sounds can be a cacophony of loud noise when you’re inside. Poor Apache flew out of the barn from all that noise, out into the pelting hail.

I threw on my coat and boots and went up there to check on her and with some encouragement she came up to me from the other side of the pasture and walked with me back into the barn. I hung out with her for about 20 minutes as she ate and watched as the hail turned into blowing snow, a white-out. I finally trudged back down the hill towards the house.

The snow didn’t seem all that slippery and I wasn’t having any problems with traction, but all of a sudden, my right foot slipped…….and down I went on my butt.

That wouldn’t have been so bad except my left foot stayed in place, so when I fell, it was still rooted into the ground, which meant that my poor knee was forced into a hyper extreme flex as my butt came into contact with the back of my left boot! OUCH!!!! The pain took my breath away as I felt something in my knee make a crunching sound.

I sat in the snow for a moment to assess the damage, as the snow blew even harder and thicker around me. I realized I had to get up and walk back to the house as no one would hear me if I called for help. And if I was gone for a long while Ranchman John would just figure I was in the barn hanging out with Apache.

I stood up and boy did it hurt! So I just took slow small limping steps back down to the pasture gate, praying that I wouldn’t fall again.

I finally made it back down to the house without falling and when I got back inside, I asked my twinlings to bring me my crutches and some Ibuprofen. My left knee was already starting to swell. I still managed to finish cooking spagetti for my family, but afterwards I scooted up the stairs on my butt to my bedroom.

Back in my tower again…..sigh.

The rest of the night I rested in bed with ice on my knee. This is what it looked like last night.

(Don’t mind the furry legs. They keep me warm in the winter.)

This morning it’s even more swollen, but I can bend it, but not as far as usual because of the swelling, but at least there’s no pain when I bend it. I can also extend my leg out with no pain and I can also bear some weight without pain, too. But the knee feels weak and very sore.

I hope I didn’t do anything to the ACL reconstruction area or any other ligaments. Ranchman John thinks maybe I sprained or strained something. I also wonder if maybe that the extreme flexion from when my knee was bent so suddenly, caused some scar tissue from the surgery to tear, which I think would be a good thing, even though it’s pretty painful at first.

All I can do is rest, take anti-inflammatory meds, apply ice and do some light flexing exercises so the knee doesn’t tighten up. I’m truly thankful that Ranchman John is home to take care of the animals, along with the kidlets, until all this snow melts and my knee heals. He already has a soft spot for Apache, so I know she’ll get plenty of attention, even though I’m going to miss her something fierce!

And all this time I was worried about falling off a horse and reinjuring my knee, and instead I fall in the snow. Are you all keeping tabs?

                 (The view from my bedroom balcony this morning)

This would be the third time that I’ve injured this same knee. If bad things really do come in three’s, this should mean my dues are paid. Right? …….right?    

Well, just when I thought my days of picture-taking from my tower were over……….a Spring snow storm did me in.

These are the chairs and table on my bedroom balcony.

Oh look. 8” high pillowtop chairs. How nice and comfy.

The sun was coming up across the valley. But the clouds moved in soon afterwards, and nipped that little bit of warmth right in the bud.

The view from Jenna’s window. The heavy wet snow ripped apart the hawk netting over the chicken coop. Poor chickens will be stuck inside all day today anyway.

 

Zuni doesn’t mind the snow at all. In fact I’d wager to say that she wouldn’t mind if we had snow all year. (Bite my tongue!)

                      Ranchman John greeting Apache.

 

                                    So sweet.

Watching your man love on your horse is almost as precious as watching him love on your kids.

 

Sure wish I could be up there getting some horse lovin’, too.

 

Apache heads into the barn as Ranchman John walks back down the hill. I think she likes him.

 

Apache gives her opinion of this rotten, sneaky snowstorm.

                       Pppblltprrfftt! Patooie!

 

  

                  Looks like Rapunzel is back.