Well, I thought that I would explain one time what's going on with my knees and maybe I wouldn't have to repeat myself so much.
I went to another doctor than the one who performed the arthroscopy surgery on September 13, 2007. And with all the options in mind, the doctor, Jim and I decided that the best choice of what to do is knee replacement surgery on both knees. This will take care of the "bone on bone" problem on the inside part of my knees and it will straighten my legs. So, I'm working on getting that taken care of soon so that maybe sometime this summer I will be able to start walking again. I haven't walked since June 11, 2007 when my right knee hurt so bad that I couldn't walk and I went to the emergency room. There they discovered that I had a Baker's cyst on the back of my right knee. This really isn't a problem and it's just a way that my body is coping with excess fluid created by arthritis.
I actually have felt a kind of "high" from just letting go. I am learning to appreciate things more. Like now in the mornings, I hear the birds singing and it is just so beautiful.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Monday, January 07, 2008
December 29, 2007
The theme for the Olympics in 2008 is One World. One dream. Yesterday, we went to a park and there was a sign that was counting down the days until the Summer Olympics. There were about 225 days or so left. An old man saw us and like so many other Chinese people we’ve seen was very curious about us. Lillian, her Mom, danio, me and Jim were looking at the sign. The old man smiled at us and started reading all of the English on the sign. Then Lillian asked him if he could fly his dragonfly kite so that we could get a picture of it. He said that the wind wasn’t very good, but she insisted, so he ran a ways and the kite went up a little, but soon it came back down again. We did take a few pictures of it.
We continued walking through the park and taking pictures, but it was very cold and windy, so we went inside a bank to get warm. There was a poster inside showing all of the Chinese currency with the bills’ front and back. Lillian showed us how all the Chinese money unlike the US money all had Chairman Mao’s picture on it and not all the presidents like the US money. On the back of each bill was a scene from some part of China.
2/29/2007
We continued walking through the park and taking pictures, but it was very cold and windy, so we went into a bank to get warm. There was a porter inside showing all of the Chinese currency with the bills front and back. Lillian showed us how all the Chinese money, unlike the US money, all had Chairman Mao's picture on it and not all the presidents like US money. On the back of each bill was a scene from some part of China.
Then we walked to a shopping area and there were stores but also lots of little shops set up outside. We walked past a KFC restaurant. Then we came to a department store. There were lots of scarves and counters where makeup and beauty creams were sold. We bought some decorative Chinese hangings and some Chinese perfume made in Shanghai. As we were leaving the store, we saw a display with official souvenirs for the 2008 Olympics. I bought four little notepads with a bookmark and a decoration to attach to my cell phone.
We took a taxi with Lillian's Mom to their house and Lillian and danio took the bus. We bought a phone card so that we could call the US.
At supper, we were all sitting around the table—me, Jim, Lillian, danio and Lillian's Mom and Dad. We each had a bowl of rice and then there were several dishes in the middle of the table—one was a dish of pickled vegetables chopped up into small pieces, one was chicken drumsticks, one was tofu and another was chunks of fish. Each person had a set of chopsticks except me, I used a fork. We each would take food from the dishes in the middle with our chopsticks or fork and eat it or put it in our bowl of rice. Each bite would be of something from one of the dishes added to our rice in our bowls.
Most meals there was no drink served. Sometimes I would feel like I wanted something to drink so they would give me some peach juice to drink.
So, after supper we played some games like charades. This was all danio's idea. I made up a sentence in English and used body language to help Lillian's parents guess what I said and Lillian's Mom guessed it right off. Then Lillian's parents made up a sentence and we guessed with some clues from danio. Then we played charades with just one word.
Then danio got out a little notebook and said he wanted all four of the parents to give them ideas for their future child. I said that they should accustom their child to hardship like Baha'u'llah says. I gave the example that if a child wants to sweep the floor, the parent should let them do it and help them if necessary, but that even though it would be easier for the parent to just do it themselves, the child will only learn how to do it by doing it themselves. Lillian's parents agreed with that and gave their concern for Joseph (English name) who is Lillian's 12 year old cousin and Lillian's Mom said that her sister does too much for him.
Jim talked a lot about training children. First, you have to know what you want children to do and then you train them to do it. One way to train them is be an example yourselves and when you make mistakes, you tell your children that so that they know what things to emulate and what not to. Also, kids can role play and parents can model how they want their children to be.
Lillian's Mom said that children are like plants and you can help them grow and have an influence on them, but later when the plant has grown it is harder. We were glad she said that and danio pointed out that Abdu'l-Baha said the same thing.
Both of Lillian's parents were familiar with Baha'u'llah and referred to Him when they talked. I think that Lillian's Mom is reading a Baha'i book.
We all thoroughly enjoyed the discussion. Afterwards, danio said that that was perhaps his best experience ever.
What is interesting about Lillian's parents is that when they learn something new that they like and agree with, it becomes integrated into their lives and their thoughts and it becomes a part of them right away.
After the 6 hour bus trip we arrived in Urumqi and Lillian's cousin met us at the bus station. A friend of hers drove us to our hotel. I tried not to watch the driving because people don't stay in their lanes and people and cars and bicycles come and go and everyone has to watch out for everyone else.
We were given some bottles of water because the water is not safe to drink from the tap. We poured some water into a pitcher that was electric. There were two coffee cups with tops and a can of loose tea. Our hotel room is on the 10th floor. Ween I look out the window, I see six lines of traffic going out and about four or so coming in. Jim and Lillian's cousin went to get some food for us to eat. The hotel room opens with a card instead of a key. There are two double beds with lights over each one. There's a TV, a desk and two armchairs with a little table between them.
Jim and I might move to China one day. It would be a good way to retire because we could teach English a few hours a week and the traditional Chinese doctors understand the body very well. I had knee surgery in September and I still have to use crutches to walk. A doctor friend o Lillian's Dad came over and looked at my knee. He asked some basic questions and then he held my right arm as I walked around the room. He asked me to describe how my knee felt as I was walking around. I felt a little embarrassed because I had quite an audience watching me. There was Lillian's Mom, Dad, aunt and her Dad's brother and his wife. But I knew this was the Chinese way that family was a part of everything and I've come to know and feel them as family.
Well, after a while he pressed really hard on one part of my elbow. My elbow hurt but my knee felt better, then he pressed another area. when he found the pressure point, we sat down and he massaged these two points on my elbow and on my wrist. The pressure was painful, but then when I got up to walk, my knee hurt less than before. And now the next day, my knee still feels better. Jim is going to massage those points from 15-20 minutes once or twice a day. I'll also take the deer antler medicine.
We want to find Chinese traditional doctors in the US. danio said he learned a lot of Chinese before going to China using the Rosetta Stone method. I was thinking, I bet there are organizations I can belong to to meed Chinese people in the US.
I am so absolutely fascinated by China. It is a really amazing culture. The world needs to learn more about China and learn from China. I'm already hoping to come back to visit next year.
After being in China for one week, I'm afraid that if I live here, I'll get too homesick because there is nothing that is familiar. My husband reminds me that Martinique was like that and we lived/pioneered there for 14 years. Also, after a while the unfamiliar becomes familiar.
The Chinese people everywhere that we went were so nice and courteous and helpful to us. In fact, everyone was so helpful that I had to start refusing help because it made it too difficult to walk!
What is special for us is that everyone knew us as being danio's parents and related to Lillian and her family. It felt like everyone accepted us because they knew that Lillian's family had accepted us. Lillian's Mom assured me several times that she would take care of danio. Lillian refers to us as Mommy and Daddy.
I think that if danio and Lillian want to have more than one child, then the other children have to be American. I'm not real clear on that yet.
I feel so thankful that God has let me be a part of all this and I want to always remember that when I'm feeling small and unimportant that I was able to pioneer for 14 years to Martinique, raise tow marvelous kids who grew up loving and serving Baha'u'llah and that I was able to travel to China to see my son and his Chinese wife and her family. This has been a most wonderful experience and I really feel like I am now a different person—almost like I'm part Chinese!
The theme for the Olympics in 2008 is One World. One dream. Yesterday, we went to a park and there was a sign that was counting down the days until the Summer Olympics. There were about 225 days or so left. An old man saw us and like so many other Chinese people we’ve seen was very curious about us. Lillian, her Mom, danio, me and Jim were looking at the sign. The old man smiled at us and started reading all of the English on the sign. Then Lillian asked him if he could fly his dragonfly kite so that we could get a picture of it. He said that the wind wasn’t very good, but she insisted, so he ran a ways and the kite went up a little, but soon it came back down again. We did take a few pictures of it.
We continued walking through the park and taking pictures, but it was very cold and windy, so we went inside a bank to get warm. There was a poster inside showing all of the Chinese currency with the bills’ front and back. Lillian showed us how all the Chinese money unlike the US money all had Chairman Mao’s picture on it and not all the presidents like the US money. On the back of each bill was a scene from some part of China.
2/29/2007
We continued walking through the park and taking pictures, but it was very cold and windy, so we went into a bank to get warm. There was a porter inside showing all of the Chinese currency with the bills front and back. Lillian showed us how all the Chinese money, unlike the US money, all had Chairman Mao's picture on it and not all the presidents like US money. On the back of each bill was a scene from some part of China.
Then we walked to a shopping area and there were stores but also lots of little shops set up outside. We walked past a KFC restaurant. Then we came to a department store. There were lots of scarves and counters where makeup and beauty creams were sold. We bought some decorative Chinese hangings and some Chinese perfume made in Shanghai. As we were leaving the store, we saw a display with official souvenirs for the 2008 Olympics. I bought four little notepads with a bookmark and a decoration to attach to my cell phone.
We took a taxi with Lillian's Mom to their house and Lillian and danio took the bus. We bought a phone card so that we could call the US.
At supper, we were all sitting around the table—me, Jim, Lillian, danio and Lillian's Mom and Dad. We each had a bowl of rice and then there were several dishes in the middle of the table—one was a dish of pickled vegetables chopped up into small pieces, one was chicken drumsticks, one was tofu and another was chunks of fish. Each person had a set of chopsticks except me, I used a fork. We each would take food from the dishes in the middle with our chopsticks or fork and eat it or put it in our bowl of rice. Each bite would be of something from one of the dishes added to our rice in our bowls.
Most meals there was no drink served. Sometimes I would feel like I wanted something to drink so they would give me some peach juice to drink.
So, after supper we played some games like charades. This was all danio's idea. I made up a sentence in English and used body language to help Lillian's parents guess what I said and Lillian's Mom guessed it right off. Then Lillian's parents made up a sentence and we guessed with some clues from danio. Then we played charades with just one word.
Then danio got out a little notebook and said he wanted all four of the parents to give them ideas for their future child. I said that they should accustom their child to hardship like Baha'u'llah says. I gave the example that if a child wants to sweep the floor, the parent should let them do it and help them if necessary, but that even though it would be easier for the parent to just do it themselves, the child will only learn how to do it by doing it themselves. Lillian's parents agreed with that and gave their concern for Joseph (English name) who is Lillian's 12 year old cousin and Lillian's Mom said that her sister does too much for him.
Jim talked a lot about training children. First, you have to know what you want children to do and then you train them to do it. One way to train them is be an example yourselves and when you make mistakes, you tell your children that so that they know what things to emulate and what not to. Also, kids can role play and parents can model how they want their children to be.
Lillian's Mom said that children are like plants and you can help them grow and have an influence on them, but later when the plant has grown it is harder. We were glad she said that and danio pointed out that Abdu'l-Baha said the same thing.
Both of Lillian's parents were familiar with Baha'u'llah and referred to Him when they talked. I think that Lillian's Mom is reading a Baha'i book.
We all thoroughly enjoyed the discussion. Afterwards, danio said that that was perhaps his best experience ever.
What is interesting about Lillian's parents is that when they learn something new that they like and agree with, it becomes integrated into their lives and their thoughts and it becomes a part of them right away.
After the 6 hour bus trip we arrived in Urumqi and Lillian's cousin met us at the bus station. A friend of hers drove us to our hotel. I tried not to watch the driving because people don't stay in their lanes and people and cars and bicycles come and go and everyone has to watch out for everyone else.
We were given some bottles of water because the water is not safe to drink from the tap. We poured some water into a pitcher that was electric. There were two coffee cups with tops and a can of loose tea. Our hotel room is on the 10th floor. Ween I look out the window, I see six lines of traffic going out and about four or so coming in. Jim and Lillian's cousin went to get some food for us to eat. The hotel room opens with a card instead of a key. There are two double beds with lights over each one. There's a TV, a desk and two armchairs with a little table between them.
Jim and I might move to China one day. It would be a good way to retire because we could teach English a few hours a week and the traditional Chinese doctors understand the body very well. I had knee surgery in September and I still have to use crutches to walk. A doctor friend o Lillian's Dad came over and looked at my knee. He asked some basic questions and then he held my right arm as I walked around the room. He asked me to describe how my knee felt as I was walking around. I felt a little embarrassed because I had quite an audience watching me. There was Lillian's Mom, Dad, aunt and her Dad's brother and his wife. But I knew this was the Chinese way that family was a part of everything and I've come to know and feel them as family.
Well, after a while he pressed really hard on one part of my elbow. My elbow hurt but my knee felt better, then he pressed another area. when he found the pressure point, we sat down and he massaged these two points on my elbow and on my wrist. The pressure was painful, but then when I got up to walk, my knee hurt less than before. And now the next day, my knee still feels better. Jim is going to massage those points from 15-20 minutes once or twice a day. I'll also take the deer antler medicine.
We want to find Chinese traditional doctors in the US. danio said he learned a lot of Chinese before going to China using the Rosetta Stone method. I was thinking, I bet there are organizations I can belong to to meed Chinese people in the US.
I am so absolutely fascinated by China. It is a really amazing culture. The world needs to learn more about China and learn from China. I'm already hoping to come back to visit next year.
After being in China for one week, I'm afraid that if I live here, I'll get too homesick because there is nothing that is familiar. My husband reminds me that Martinique was like that and we lived/pioneered there for 14 years. Also, after a while the unfamiliar becomes familiar.
The Chinese people everywhere that we went were so nice and courteous and helpful to us. In fact, everyone was so helpful that I had to start refusing help because it made it too difficult to walk!
What is special for us is that everyone knew us as being danio's parents and related to Lillian and her family. It felt like everyone accepted us because they knew that Lillian's family had accepted us. Lillian's Mom assured me several times that she would take care of danio. Lillian refers to us as Mommy and Daddy.
I think that if danio and Lillian want to have more than one child, then the other children have to be American. I'm not real clear on that yet.
I feel so thankful that God has let me be a part of all this and I want to always remember that when I'm feeling small and unimportant that I was able to pioneer for 14 years to Martinique, raise tow marvelous kids who grew up loving and serving Baha'u'llah and that I was able to travel to China to see my son and his Chinese wife and her family. This has been a most wonderful experience and I really feel like I am now a different person—almost like I'm part Chinese!
Saturday, January 05, 2008
I traveled to China on December 20th, 2007 and arrived in China on December 22. We stayed in China from December 22 – December 9th and arrived back in the US on December 30th. We arrived in Beijing on December 22 and flew to Urumqi. My son, danio and his wife Lillian, met us and we took a 6 hour bus trip to Korla where Lillian’s parents live, We were unsure how to greet them, so we shook hands at first and Lillian’s Mom hugged us both. On out plan trip from Beijing to Urumqi, we flew over mountains of stone where no vegetation grew. It was a strange sight to see. We also flew over the Great Wall of China. There in seemingly the middle of nowhere was a long thin line stretched out between two mountains.
Everywhere in the city there were stores and there seemed to be Chinese writing everywhere. We took a taxi from the bus station to Lillian’s parents house. They live in an apartment complex. The apartment has 2 bedroom; one for Lillian and one for her parents. Her parents gave up their bedroom for us to sleep in. They slept on a single bed sqeezed in between the dining room table and the wall. There was central heating and running water and a toilet. The tap water, we were told was drinkable because the water came from a glacier. They had a couch and 2 armchairs and a coffee table in the living room. There was a dining room and a small narrow kitchen with a gas stove.
Everything there smelled and looked different than anything that I’ve ever seen before! My in-laws have a very large screen TV and a stereo. There was a water dispenser with hot and cold water. They had cable TV and I was surprised at how many stations they had and they were all in Chinese and done by the Chinese. One station was in English. I learned that children there learn English in school beginning in the third grade.
Art seems to be intertwined with every fiber of their life. Everything is decorated. In the parents bedroom was a round fan on a stand and it was covered with a pretty embroidered dust cover. They take off their shoes at the door and wear slippers around the house.
Everywhere we go in Korla, the people look at us because we are the only foreigners around. Little be little we are learning a few Chinese words like “Good Morning” and “Hello” and “ Thank you” and they in turn are learning some words in English. danio and Lillian act as translators for both sets of parents. Every once in a while we are able to understand what is being said through body language.
I have been on crutches since my knee surgery in September and I have difficulty walking. Lillian’s Mom already knew about that so she was prepared to try to so what she could to us Chinese medicine to help me get better. She had me take 2 tablets in the morning and 2 at night that was made from deer antlers. She also put ice on my knee to help reduce the swelling. She knew that putting her finger on my knee and applying pressure and watching how long it took for my skin to come back showed where the swelling was. She looked up some things in some Chinese books she had on medicine. She began applying ice to my knee. She began applying ice to my knee three times a day. On Thursday, we could see that the swelling was down.
Sunday, December 23 was the wedding party. Since we weren’t able to attend the wedding, a party was held in a nearby hotel. There were 2 large tables and 2 small tables in each of two rooms. The tables had a huge lazy susan in the middle and everyone at the table could help themselves to food on several different dishes. Some people drank wine and others, like us, drank peach juice. There was a TV screen in each room and danio hooked hooked up his digital camera and put on his wedding photos. danio and Lillian went around the 2 rooms to greet all of the guests and do a toast with them. We all had hot tea in a glass. We were the only foreigners there. So their marriage is really a meeting of East and West and now the families from both sides meet. It’s really a very historic occasion. Many of their family members were present. We met them all and felt warmly accepted by everyone.
Jim and I had jet lag during the entire trip. We would get tired around 3 or 4 in the afternoon and sleep until about 6/ eat supper and go to bed around 12 –1 in the morning and wake up around 10 the next morning. Everyone else didn’t need the afternoon nap like we did.
Our meals were all prepared by Lillian’s Mom. It was usually a bowl of rice or soup and then we would take from dishes on the table. I stuck with eating with a fork, but Jim and everyone else ate with chopsticks. We ate things like steamed vegetables, pickled vegetables, or duck meat or lamb or shrimp. In their living room was a large framed poster of a picture of danio and Lillian’s wedding
Everywhere in the city there were stores and there seemed to be Chinese writing everywhere. We took a taxi from the bus station to Lillian’s parents house. They live in an apartment complex. The apartment has 2 bedroom; one for Lillian and one for her parents. Her parents gave up their bedroom for us to sleep in. They slept on a single bed sqeezed in between the dining room table and the wall. There was central heating and running water and a toilet. The tap water, we were told was drinkable because the water came from a glacier. They had a couch and 2 armchairs and a coffee table in the living room. There was a dining room and a small narrow kitchen with a gas stove.
Everything there smelled and looked different than anything that I’ve ever seen before! My in-laws have a very large screen TV and a stereo. There was a water dispenser with hot and cold water. They had cable TV and I was surprised at how many stations they had and they were all in Chinese and done by the Chinese. One station was in English. I learned that children there learn English in school beginning in the third grade.
Art seems to be intertwined with every fiber of their life. Everything is decorated. In the parents bedroom was a round fan on a stand and it was covered with a pretty embroidered dust cover. They take off their shoes at the door and wear slippers around the house.
Everywhere we go in Korla, the people look at us because we are the only foreigners around. Little be little we are learning a few Chinese words like “Good Morning” and “Hello” and “ Thank you” and they in turn are learning some words in English. danio and Lillian act as translators for both sets of parents. Every once in a while we are able to understand what is being said through body language.
I have been on crutches since my knee surgery in September and I have difficulty walking. Lillian’s Mom already knew about that so she was prepared to try to so what she could to us Chinese medicine to help me get better. She had me take 2 tablets in the morning and 2 at night that was made from deer antlers. She also put ice on my knee to help reduce the swelling. She knew that putting her finger on my knee and applying pressure and watching how long it took for my skin to come back showed where the swelling was. She looked up some things in some Chinese books she had on medicine. She began applying ice to my knee. She began applying ice to my knee three times a day. On Thursday, we could see that the swelling was down.
Sunday, December 23 was the wedding party. Since we weren’t able to attend the wedding, a party was held in a nearby hotel. There were 2 large tables and 2 small tables in each of two rooms. The tables had a huge lazy susan in the middle and everyone at the table could help themselves to food on several different dishes. Some people drank wine and others, like us, drank peach juice. There was a TV screen in each room and danio hooked hooked up his digital camera and put on his wedding photos. danio and Lillian went around the 2 rooms to greet all of the guests and do a toast with them. We all had hot tea in a glass. We were the only foreigners there. So their marriage is really a meeting of East and West and now the families from both sides meet. It’s really a very historic occasion. Many of their family members were present. We met them all and felt warmly accepted by everyone.
Jim and I had jet lag during the entire trip. We would get tired around 3 or 4 in the afternoon and sleep until about 6/ eat supper and go to bed around 12 –1 in the morning and wake up around 10 the next morning. Everyone else didn’t need the afternoon nap like we did.
Our meals were all prepared by Lillian’s Mom. It was usually a bowl of rice or soup and then we would take from dishes on the table. I stuck with eating with a fork, but Jim and everyone else ate with chopsticks. We ate things like steamed vegetables, pickled vegetables, or duck meat or lamb or shrimp. In their living room was a large framed poster of a picture of danio and Lillian’s wedding
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
Now that I know more about uploading pictures, I will continue my comments about my fantastic trip to the wonderful country of China. It truly is a wonder and the people are gentle and helpful!
Here are some family members at the wedding party held in a hotel on December 30th, 2007.
On the storefronts, were Chinese writing everywhere!
Buildings are decorated and Chinese characters decorate everything that can be decorated. The Chinese intertwine art into every fiber of their life. They can't be separated. They are one. And the beauty is apparent everywhere!
This is a park with a sign that counts down the days until the Summer Olympics in August 2008. At this park, we met an old Chinese man that read everything on the sign that was in English! Then, he flew his dragonfly kite for us to take pictures. See, everywhere such interesting and kind people!
Flikr
Here are some family members at the wedding party held in a hotel on December 30th, 2007. On the storefronts, were Chinese writing everywhere! Buildings are decorated and Chinese characters decorate everything that can be decorated. The Chinese intertwine art into every fiber of their life. They can't be separated. They are one. And the beauty is apparent everywhere! This is a park with a sign that counts down the days until the Summer Olympics in August 2008. At this park, we met an old Chinese man that read everything on the sign that was in English! Then, he flew his dragonfly kite for us to take pictures. See, everywhere such interesting and kind people!Flikr
Tuesday, January 01, 2008
Monday, August 20, 2007
Sunday, August 19, 2007
August 19, 2007
Well, I want to have a blog and here goes my first attempt. I have an important doctor's appointment tomorrow. I need to find out how my skin between my knee bones on my right knee are torn and what the doctor suggests about it. I have been crippled for two months now because it hurts too much to walk. I have a stress fracture and a tear in the minuscus on my right knee. I have been searching the internet to understand what that means. Tomorrow the orthopedic surgeon that I have been seeing will tell me what he thinks and then I guess I'll have to make some decisions.
I just came back from a wonderful trip with my husband and mother to Quebec, Canada to see my daughter and her family. It was a good vacation and I was able to get out by using crutches and then a wheelchair when I arrived at the mall.
Well, I want to have a blog and here goes my first attempt. I have an important doctor's appointment tomorrow. I need to find out how my skin between my knee bones on my right knee are torn and what the doctor suggests about it. I have been crippled for two months now because it hurts too much to walk. I have a stress fracture and a tear in the minuscus on my right knee. I have been searching the internet to understand what that means. Tomorrow the orthopedic surgeon that I have been seeing will tell me what he thinks and then I guess I'll have to make some decisions.
I just came back from a wonderful trip with my husband and mother to Quebec, Canada to see my daughter and her family. It was a good vacation and I was able to get out by using crutches and then a wheelchair when I arrived at the mall.
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