This has been a milestone week, at least to us! It's also been a nice boring week. Sometimes boring is good!

Bill graduated from physical therapy! When Corey was here Wednesday he said he thought he could be discharged and not extended. Bill's gotten much stronger as far as walking goes and his endurance has increased to his little exercise machine. His last time with that was pedaling for 8 minutes. Corey did tell him that if I said it was time to do his exercises, to do them and not tell me later. He stressed that he has to keep moving to help his lungs. I asked when he could start using his treadmill again and he said he thought that as long as I was with him he could go ahead and use it, keeping it at the lowest setting. Bill was ready to start back walking for his hour but I told him he would be lucky to make it 10 minutes the first time. But, that will be a start!

He's still been a little snotty, but the weather has been awful. Cool, rainy, air full of pollen, hot, air full of pollen, windy blowing pollen all over...well, you get the picture. But, an additional sinus pill usually helps. And he's usually only really snotty and coughing with nasal drainage in the mornings.

Another milestone that was reached isn't really a milestone. If you remember back to when he was still in ICU, we were told that our Medicare Part A benefits were running out. We had to use most, if not all, of the lifetime reserve days while he was in restorative care and skilled nursing. The only way for the Part A benefits to kick in again is to stay out of the hospital for 60 days. Well, as of today, he is halfway there. Today is 1 month since he was discharged from the nursing home! Now to just keep him out for another month and we'll be all set should he have to be hospitalized again.

He also went to Walmart with me yesterday. He stayed in the car while I rushed through (hobbled through is more like it), but he wanted to get out of the house. We had thought about doing some shopping in either Jonesboro or Memphis, but I changed my mind on that. And more about that in a bit. And he's doing a little more around the house, not that he's doing any cleaning or anything, but he's getting his own "stuff" from the kitchen and he did carry our small trash can to the kitchen to be put in the larger can. So, he's not just sitting and watching TV, although he does his share of that too. 

His weight has stabilized at 140 for the time being. He should be about 155 so he has a bit to go, but 11 pounds in 30 days isn't too bad. There are some days he eats constantly and other days he doesn't eat as much, but as long as I feel like he's eating enough he's good.We haven't had to use the feeding tube at all, just keeping it flushed.

I finally went to the foot doctor this week for my heel pain. I don't have Plantar Fascaitis or however it's spelled. The Facsia nerve is inflamed, as is the tendon in the foot that connects to the Achilles tendon. She said that I had probably injured the Achilles at some point and didn't realize it. But, that's not the worst of it. She had me stand barefoot to check my arches and the left arch totally disappears when I stand. And because of that my foot and entire leg falls to the inside. She said if it's not corrected it will start to affect my leg and lower back. And sometimes it does already. I don't remember injuring it, like stepping on something or stepping oddly, but who knows with all the walking at the hospitals and all the driving, it could just be the way I was holding it in the car or sitting or whatever. So, I came home with some orthopedic insoles and was told not to buy shoes at Walmart anymore, the shoes need to be higher and more rigid in the heel, not bend in the middle, but bend easily at the toes.I can wear the left insert, but the right one feels like I'm walking on a can or bottle of pills or something, very uncomfortable, so took them out. Right now the cheap shoes I bought from Walmart are the most comfortable. That's why we were going shopping, to get me some good shoes.

I ordered some shoes that came this week that are supposed to alleviate heel and leg pain and I had them on my feet 5 minutes and took them off. There is absolutely no support to them at all. I've already requested return information and they don't want them returned. They said if it was a sizing issue to tell them a new size and they would get them sent right out and I could keep the others to give to someone. When I declined that and told them the product was not as advertised, they offered to send, free of charge, insoles for them. I have also declined that and told them if they didn't want the shoes returned that was fine, but I did want a refund and if they continued to refuse I would have my credit card company reverse payment for them. I haven't had a response from that email yet, but I'll keep you posted. I've done well with Skechers or New Balance shoes so will probably order some of those. I've got to get it done so that I will have them before we go to Mayo, or we will both be in wheelchairs!

Two, and possibly all 3 of the pregnant feral cats have had their litters and I'm afraid they may not have survived. We heard a terrible commotion under the house the other night and the 2 cats inside went ballistic. Kitty was trying to get through the air vent in the dining room where the noise was the loudest and Mouse was trying to climb to the top of a window in the computer room to get out. Some dogs had gotten under the house. There's been a pack of wandering ones in the neighborhood. The last time they were in the yard there were 4 of them. I chase them off with the broom and usually that works. I got some of them gone.and I saw 2 of the mama cats run out from under the house. I hadn't seen the other pregnant one for a few days and all of the male cats were gone (I think they were banished when the house became a maternity ward), but I'm afraid the dogs may have killed the kits. One of the dogs either got stuck under the house or just couldn't find his way out, and of course he was right under our bedroom. I tried to coax him out when he started whimpering by shining the flashlight through the opening hoping it would show him the way..."Come to the light". The others came back and tried to get him out, we could tell that the barking would get farther away and then closer but finally about 3 it all got quiet for good. I waiting until daylight to go out and Mama and Floozy were back so the dog must have been gone. I still haven't seen Lizzie so she may have gone off to have her kittens and the only other one I've seen is Unsub. But all the males are still gone. I don't know what sex Unsub is, hence the name for Unknown Subject. And we won't know if the kittens survived until they are old enough for Mama to bring them out. I also didn't see Floozy yesterday, but if there are any kits, she may have been with them. They may be taking turns staying with them some now.

Our weather got hot enough to turn the air on this week, but we ended up going back to heat yesterday for a bit. Today is supposed to be rainy and then stormy this evening. The worst of it is supposed to be between 7 and midnight. They are also telling churches to have someone monitoring the weather during services tomorrow morning in some areas as there could be tornadoes. But I think it's all supposed to be gone from here by then. So, a cool rainy day today. I'm glad I've got some chili in the freezer, it will be a good day for it.

A cousin passed away this week from liver failure. I hadn't seen him in years. The oldest of his younger sisters was flower girl at my first wedding. So, that's the 2nd death in the family in as many weeks. My sister and I were talking this week and while both of the men who died were younger than us, we are now at the age when our peers will start to die. That time seemed so far away when we were younger, but I would think about it since it was my parents generation that was losing people. Now it's our turn.

OK, enough of that. I've rambled enough and Mouse is wanting some attention. I need to take my blood pressure and feed the outside cats and get some more coffee and check facebook and make some hotel reservations and order shoes. Looks like I've got a but morning planned, without planning on anything! Have a good week-end and stay safe wherever you are!