<p>khsstitches: I’ve kept everything with the idea perhaps of smocking for grandkids in the future. A ways out I hope but still an idea in the FAR future.</p>
<p>Good luck with the surgery. I’ve had both ACL and meniscus and the meniscus, while no piece of cake, is pretty manageable. My wife had a menisectomy a year or so ago and is absolutely fine. You need some support afterwards for a few days. If I remember correctly, the big trick is to do physical therapy afterwards to get your range of motion back.</p>
<p>I did a 60 mile bike ride about 4 weeks after my meniscus repair.
Hubby was probably 4 months with the ACL repair, and really a good year before all felt “normal” - although he was not in pain for near that long, just could not <em>do</em> everything he had done before. It was really just the first week where I needed to be absolutely sure he took his pain meds. If he took his meds every 4 hours, it was pretty bearable. I remember the meniscus repair as being pretty easy. Swelling and air in the joint was uncomfortable, but no really bad pain. I am sure you will do absolutely fine.</p>
<p>Thanks for the well wishes! I do think it will be just fine. Just want to get rid of this limp and pain! Hahaha Missypie! PUI…posting under the influence! That just might be very funny! While I am gone H will be flying to Chicago and renting a car to drive to another state to watch D2 play this weekend. He flies back in around midnight Sunday night and I have to pick him up. I have to be at hospital at 5:30 am which means we need to leave house around 4:45. Yuck…at least I’ll be sleepy! They are being extra careful with me because I had a cerebral hemorhhage many moons ago. Don’t anticipate any problems! :)</p>
<p>Good luck, northminn!</p>
<p>NM-Hope your surgery goes well and your recovery is good. I’ll be thinking of you.</p>
<p>I am such a happy person this morning!</p>
<p>H has some meetings in DC this week, so I tagged along now that I can as an empty nester.</p>
<p>Last night H and I had dinner with S#3, the freshman at AU…and 7 of his best friends. We took them to an Italian restaurant and the boys were SO appreciative of gettinga real, good meal away from campus. AU is supposed to have a very good food service and the boys all said the food was good, but gets very repetitive. I think I had forgotten just how much food adolescent males can put away. The bill was huge, but worth it!</p>
<p>We had a wonderful time. Very solid group of young men. The young men all seemed to have their heads on very straight…they all seem to have the work/play balance down just right. A very social group but very focused academically as well…some of them were talking about some lectures they have been going to at the Brookings Institution on their own, some were talking about trips to museums etc. They also were not shy about tellling us about some of the parties they have been going to…and some of the young women they have been meeting. </p>
<p>Today I am meeting an old friend for lunch, and then having dinner with S#1 and his wife…our first visit since he got married this summer (they were away when we took S3 to school). They did not want to come last night, figuring S#3 and his friends should be the focus of our attention. Tomorrow night we go to Shabbat dinner at their apartment, and they have invited S3 and his roomie as well.</p>
<p>I am walking on clouds! NM, I hope your surgery goes well. Let those meds keep you wallking on clouds for a few days…it’s so much better than the alternative.</p>
<p>boysx3 - Have a great time. Great place to visit. My S is finishing up at AU this year and getting ready for grad school. He has really enjoyed his time in DC.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I’m not Jewish, but the first Shabbat dinner for the in-laws sounds like a potentially stressful situation for the DIL. I’m sure you’ll be sweet, boysx3.</p>
<p>I’m sure she’s nervous but I love my DIL dearly so all will be good! I know she is looking forward to an excuse to use some of her lovely wedding gifts.</p>
<p>Their apartment is so tiny (700 s.f.–DuPont Circle is so expensive!) I’m not sure we will all fit but it will be a wonderful evening tomorrow.</p>
<p>She is vegetarian but not adamant about it for others…she just doesn’t like meat, chicken, fish etc. When she had S3 for dinner a few weeks ago, she surprised him…she had ordered brisket from a kosher caterer for him and let him take the leftovers back to his dorm. I told S#1 that vegetarian fare would be fine…I don’t want S3 to expect special treatment from them all the time.</p>
<p>NM, best of luck to you. We went through this with D a few years ago and the memories are pretty fresh. I hope you have lots of support at home and I wish you the smoothest of recoveries. </p>
<p>boysx3, have fun. Your plans sound just wonderful.</p>
<p>CBBBlinker, thanks for the FLW update. I have a niece (4th grade) who is dying to see Robie House. If you or your H blogged about your trip, do tell!</p>
<p>Boysx3 – I am enjoying the view from your cloud. It must be hugely rewarding to see that you’re family is going in all the right directions for the next generation. I hope I love my DIL as my MIL makes life a little rough sometimes.</p>
<p>Along that line, I have no desire for son to move across the street. Across town, maybe. I hope I can be more like my grandma where she was always the one to take care of us when my parents traveled or to go stay with her for the occasional weekend. Close enough to help, far enough away so that becoming the nanny is never an option. :)</p>
<p>NorthMN… hope all turns out well and I agree about keeping ahead of the pain for a few days… frankly, I think that’s the key to NOT abusing the pain meds in the long run. Then again, as I’ve mentioned, I have a strict rule to never take the last one at the time it was prescribed. 
Probably the subject for a psych couch, but I post here so, I’m good.</p>
<p>jpt and theory moms : re a) missing and b) phoning…Seems to me some sons (and daughters?) just need the request for a weekly call in order to communicate better. Eg. then they’re calling for YOU/your sake, not because they “need” to or are in any way less than independent “free/adults”. </p>
<p>I may be a hard**s, but before my s. left I said: "You are entering an enterprise of which you are the CEO and over which I do not have direct or immediate power. But I am your shareholder as one ponying up some of the cash. As a shareholder, I need to hear how my investment is doing as well as how the market is doing, what the challenges and triumphs are, and above all else, to be forewarned candidly if there are surprises that bear costs. As an stakeholder, I also want to live (a little) vicariously through you, so please provide me with that experience by communicating with me weekly at a time of your selection ; )</p>
<p>Damned if I can get that kid off the phone on Sunday afternoons now. He seems delighted to report what he’s learning, doing, experiencing. And yet while he says he misses me, he absolutely loves where he is and I do not sense a homesickness at all. </p>
<p>This is a kid who absolutely hates talking on the phone. I think the “shareholder” and candid “vicarious” comment just freed him to think of it that way and do me the kindness of including me – however theoretically – in his experience.</p>
<p>Maybe that approach would work for you. Just a suggestion.
Cheers,
K</p>
<p>PS Owlice, no wonder so many people on this thread are starting to cycle…gotta work off all those high end cyber-treats you are so generous to offer us!</p>
<p>HA, kmccrindle! And here I was thinking I was being a good influence with the cycling, rather than a bad one with the goodies!! :D</p>
<p>NMN, good luck with the surgery!!</p>
<p>~~~</p>
<p>Am hoping to hear from spawn tonight by email; I’m hoping (oh, how I’m hoping!) that he finishes his NMF application, scans it, and sends it to me! And I’m hoping that his essay is not about his evil high school, since I have to drop the application off at the high school so they can send it off!!!</p>
<p>My most exciting bicycling in the past seven days has been two very short rides in the neighborhood; last Friday, I rode around the block not just once, but twice! It’s a hill so a pain to do, and I’d never done it twice before. Guess all that cycling a couple of weeks ago paid off – I can now ride around my block TWO times!! (Total mileage: 1.4 miles!!)</p>
<p>And the second exciting ride was last night: I rode to the grocery store, bought groceries, and rode back! :eek: Going down is easy (see “hill” above); it’s the coming back that’s a challenge. (Total mileage: 2.25 miles!)</p>
<p>I was more excited when I finished these two trips than I was when I finished my bike tour – go figure! Now that I have the panniers, I can gather foodstuffs and not have to worry about how to transport them home. </p>
<p>I may try to make these someday for grocery shopping/general procurement runs: [crazyguyonabike.com:</a> Bicycle Touring: Bike Buckets - An inexpensive pannier system you can make, by Brian Huntley](<a href=“http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=1gci&doc_id=1841&v=v#39239]crazyguyonabike.com:”>http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=1gci&doc_id=1841&v=v#39239)</p>
<p>:)</p>
<p>Treetopleaf – no blogging from this house, but a few tips: Buy tix in advance, especially if you’re going on a weekend. There are limited spots and they do sell out. Our thinking was that since we don’t live in the vicinity, we’d spring for the full deal tours, but there are various price points/tour options. Tix for Oak Park (FLW home/studio & audio walking tour of other FLW designs in the area) & Robie House are available online. The Taliesin tours are described online, but you have to call to reserve the tix. We lucked out with the weather, which was nice. The complete Taliesin Tour includes a not difficult walk of about 1 1/2 miles, but it would have been not so pleasant in the rain. Comfortable shoes are a must. Re: Robie House specifically – the tour does not include the bedrooms on the top floor; something about fire codes. They’re doing restoration work in preparation for the centennial celebration of the house next year. There is some original furniture & some restored furniture. I believe the original dining room table is in the FLW exhibit at the Met in NYC.</p>
<p>Thanks (and I’m glad the weather cooperated!)</p>
<p>x3
I am envious, but very happy for you.</p>
<p>kmc
sage advice</p>
<p>Have been remiss in my posting duties: Teaching a new subject and being back at work eats up time and leaves me “bushed” as my grandma used to say. </p>
<p>NM: Heal quickly
owlice: Nice job on the neighborhood bike treks!</p>
<h1>theory: welcome back!</h1>
<p>I’ve enjoyed the MIL discussion. Mine is an 8.5 and sometimes a 10 but she used to barely break a 5. She never had one really since FIL’s mom passed shortly after their wedding (at 17 and 19 :eek:) Anyway, not sure if she changed or I just got more tolerant, probably a bit of both but now she is pretty great. She is exceedingly generous with my kids and frequently does thoughtful things for us as a family. But for many years there was tension. I felt constantly judged and I always came up short because I failed to live up to her 1950s standards of wifdom. (thank heavens!)</p>
<p>I will try really hard to be a good MIL to DS’s future wife, I will I will I will but I really hope I don’t have to worry about it for another 15 or so years.</p>
<p>If we are rating mother in-laws can we go negative? If no I’ll rate mine at a 1. Hope I can be better than she has been when it’s my turn.</p>