Again?

A few weeks ago, I began noticing numbness, tingling, and loss of function in the ring and pinky fingers of my hands. I tried to ignore it for a bit, hoping it might resolve itself and go away. No such luck.

An MRI has revealed that a disc appears to be protruding into my spinal cord again. I had surgery on the one above it right before my 40th birthday. Looks like I got another one for the big 5-0. I have an appointment with a surgeon December 18th. Meanwhile the pain is a bit nasty.

If I have to have surgery on this, it will be my 5th surgery in 10 years. I keep thinking I am going to run out of things to have surgery on.

An older friend told me once, "Karen, after 40, it's patch, patch, patch."

She wasn't kidding.

Art Class

Today is my fun day. I get to teach (and I use that term very loosely!) watercolor class at the local Senior Center. I teach 2-3 times a month and would do more if my body would let me.

I could not do this without the help of my students. Several of them come early to help me set up. They put tables together, fill water buckets, tape the paper to the backboards, and drag the easel out the the closet. One precious lady insists on carrying my things out to the van when class is over.

It is so exciting to watch these ladies discover the fun and creativity of watercolor. It is so neat to see the excitement when they see what different techniques will result in. And with watercolor, no two pictures are ever exactly the same.

Who knows? The next Grandma Moses might just be in my class, ready to be "discovered."

New Orleans

I went to New Orleans this weekend to see my husband. I had not been since shortly before Katrina and was not sure what to expect.

On the way down, it was interesting to see the trees. On one side of the road, trees were almost bare, but foliage was sprouting in small patches from the broken limbs. On the other side of the road, the trees had leaves, but were bent and twisted into improbable shapes.

I did not go into the Quarter (alone on a mobility scooter, I did not think this a good idea) or the most heavily flood damaged areas (I was advised not to go there without a weapon!) but I did ride around much of New Orleans. It was nice to see that things looked very "normal."

I also met and talked to people who had come to Vicksburg as evacuees. I was really proud of my small city as they told me about our local merchants, who upon finding out that people were from New Orleans, either gave them discounts on merchandise or food, or just said "on the house."

All in all, I saw a city largely recovered, hopeful, and healing.