Wednesday, October 25, 2006

See for yourself!



Here's an example of my weaving. This was done with a black warp and I'm using two blues and two greens in the weft.

I have found that if people like the colors I am using, they'll respond as if they think I'm a good weaver. If they don't like the colors, they aren't as enthusiastic. I've tried various textures and patterns but in terms of the "viewing public," it seems to be all about color.


That's fine by me because I'm having fun experimenting with colors and patterns.

Monday, October 23, 2006

In What Century Are We Living?

This Saturday morning Arthur and I found ourselves both pursuing our hobbies.

He was baking bread in the kitchen. This Saturday he made the whole wheat honey bread from MCC's More-with-Less Cookbook. He does it the old fashioned way -- with his hands -- not with a bread machine.

I was in the living room weaving on my traditional Lao loom which is made of weathered, distressed wood and is about as big as a 4-poster twin bed. These days I am working with black warp with mostly blue and green weft. I'm having fun experimenting with patterns and colors and the end result will likely be made into presents for friends.

I commented to Arthur that judging from the things that we enjoy doing, maybe we were living in the wrong century.

Then we looked around more closely and listened.


Erik and Conrad were playing Sony Play Station with the volume on high in the air-conditioned living room.

Those two keep us rooted in the 21st century.

Wednesday, October 18, 2006

First day at home after surgery August 19, 2006
Taking it Slowly
One Step at a Time


I visited the doctor again on Monday of this week and he says that I can start "walking" slowly using crutches at first and then going to a cane and finally, walking on my own as normal.

He took a lot of time talking about pain and swelling management which is a signal to me about what I still have ahead of me. He said that by now the muscles and ligaments have atrophied, and the bones have calcified, and there is likely to be post trauma arthritis.

Like many orthopedic surgeons, he wasn’t too concerned about rehabilitation or physiotherapy. He thinks I can just slowly start walking normally. He did say that a normal walking step is in 3 stages.
1 Heel to ground.
2 Flat foot.
3 Bent foot, toes on ground.
He said I was OK for stages 1 & 2 but that the pain and trouble would be in part 3 when the foot bends.


It’s all going to take a while. He was fairly vague and used words like "after some time" but at one point he said that in two or three more months I may be getting around like usual in my daily life. He doesn’t see tennis in my future until well into the New Year. I didn’t tell him that I never see tennis in my future!

I think I’ll look around here for someone to help me out with physiotherapy. If I can’t find someone, I’ll maybe go to Bangkok to get some pointers and ask about whether I need special footwear.

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I had a dream one night that I could walk!
I was walking away and then I remembered my crutches
so I saddly turned around and walked back to get them.

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Psalm 119:45
I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts.

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Psalm 56:13
For you have delivered me from death
and my feet from stumbling,
that I may walk before God in the light of life.