Welcome to Winter

We survived! School was dismissed at noon on Monday and frozen precip rained down on us for 12 hours or so. The power went out around noon on Tuesday and as soon as I finished hand washing our dishwasher full of dirty dishes it came back on this afternoon around 1pm. We are among the lucky. There are still many in the dark. I have email, tv, but no phone. It came on but quit.

We closed off the newest part of our house and kept warm with the fireplace and gas stove. The temp in our living room bottomed out around 35. In the photo Matt is holding the thermometer when it was around 44. That boy never did put any clothes on the entire time. He just wore his underwear. The rest of us were bundled up.

The sun came out today and the melt started but the trees are still coated and beautiful. It may take us a few days to get out of here because many, many trees fell and there are at least 7 down on our road just from the house to our gate which is only about 200 yds we have another 1/2 mile of road!

I've also had a terrible cold though all of this so was thankful to be home anyway.

Mindy, I'll trade you this place for your home on the beach!!!!!!!!!

Mom, sorry you can't call but keep trying. I'm concerned about you losing so much hair. Those antibiotics must be strong. I pray that they monitor you well and you don't have any other ill effects.

Monday Feb 2, 09

Update to the above:

Our schools are still closed due to the number of people still without elec and the ice that still covers many of the side roads. It has thawed in the 50 degree weather we had over the weekend but re-freezes each night to a solid sheet. My dear husband Steve has spent no less than 30 hours out there cutting branches and moving them from the road, assisting our neighbor with her vehicle's dead battery and just yesterday was able to drive to our mailbox for the first time. He had to pack up his car and leave us this morning to go to work in OK city and KS city. I still have chains on my tires but plan to go no where until this mess is thawed, hopefully by Wed so I can take out my garbage.

Heavy-duty antibiotics

Hi,

Mindy reporting here from Saipan. Diane's been without power in Eureka Springs due to the ice storm, so my mom emailed me. Also, we talk on the phone almost daily. I'm pleased that her spirit is still high and she has maintained good faith and patience. I still know that if I were in her boat, I'd be screaming with frustration! She amazes us all.

Linda wrote the green text below via email (with 1 or 2 fingers!). Note the lowercase only--give her a break; why should she bother using the shift key? Many modern bloggers and techno-enthusiasts have given up the shift key altogether! In fact, a professor of mine in grad. school corresponds with us entirely without capital letters. We are required to use them for written reports, but for online discussion we are free to express ourselves in a casual manner.

i'm home from the hospital and the 2 surgeries last week.
i still need your prayers.
please pray for john who works so hard helping me and now has a sore back muscle.
dean is a great help but had to stay away sick for several days.
I get iv antibiotics twice a day that john has learned to hook up for me here at home. we are treating a bone infection in my elbow where healing of the skin graft was much slower over just bone.

the antibiotic is vancomycin and is the strongest on the market and makes me feel weak and tired at a time i'm wanting to feel much better. we have to keep running these iv doses for 6 to 8 weks. home health has to draw blood to monotor
the level frequently to avoid it damaging my kidneys. they already reduced it once this week.

but at this point i turn things over to God more quikly because i see he's the only one who can handle all of this.

today i went to see Dr. Yuen who changed the huge dressing for my elbow that covers my whole arm. didn't hurt too badly.
GOOD NEWS ... no infection at this time. i'm so grateful.

also it is important to let friends and loveed ones know they don't consider me contageous. this type infection lives on everybody's skin and i don't have any actively working away now, thank goodness.

the weirdest thing is i'm losing lots of hair, in big wads every time i comb it. i'm told it's due to combinations of trauma, meds, etc.

our SS class and friends have resumed bringing food over now that i'm home again. thanks and love to joan dietz, smitty and lynda fausett and kaye and bill burton for the delicious food. i can't express how very much this helps.

i miss you all.
love, linda

Mom also reported to me that the powerful and risky antibiotic that she will be taking for many weeks can destroy the kidneys, thus the need to monitor its blood levels closely. God hasn't let her down yet, so keep up all of your prayers, meditation, positive thoughts or whatever works for you!

John's had some mild back pain, but he says he's doing okay. He has managed to keep up some of his walking routine when Dean comes by so that he doesn't have to leave Linda alone. Both Dean and John were trained at UAMS in administering the antibiotic through the PICC line to her infected elbow. I know that Mom and John would both love a return to normalcy one day. Fortunately, when I speak to Mom on the phone, she very much sounds like herself to me and that comforts me. I regret that I can't be present right now, but try to maintain daily contact by phone. Dean and I have a plan to set up video conferences using webcams, so soon we will be able to see each other via internet!

~Mindy