Gardening on the Moon ( GOTM )

Second Opinions

Written by Jeff
Non-GOTM pictures credited by hover notes – move cursor over image

Once I understood the broken bone in my foot was not healing as intended, my wife and I discussed our options and decided that we needed to get a second opinion from an orthopedic doctor who belonged to a group that treats foot injuries for the Phoenix Suns professional basketball team. It doesn’t get much better than that! I had to wait a week so it would be week six after the break before I got to see him, but it was my best option at this point. Once again, we were off to a doctor’s office. We did feel good that this would be a big step in helping to resolve this health issue. Professional athletes get broken bones all the time. Of course they aren’t 63 years old, but that’s just a minor point (wink!).

There I was taking more x-rays and filling out my health history which was all very good except for osteoporosis brought on by taking thyroid hormone for more than forty years as a result of thyroid cancer surgery. We waited calmly and anxiously to hear what the doctor had to say. When the doctor arrived, he had a high degree of confidence and assurance. As a sports doctor, he has probably seen this type of injury many times. Through our discussion, I began to realize that the regimen I had been following was almost 180-degrees from the care that was now being suggested. Unfortunately, the doctor explained, I missed the “window” for the best bone healing which lapsed during the first seventeen days following the break. Those are the breaks, I guess!

The recommendation…half leg cast, crutches and no weight bearing on the broken foot. Sleeping with the cast would then be an issue, but what could I do? I must confess — at this point that I am a bit of a germaphobe. On a scale of 1-100, I would place myself at 80, but my wife and friends might have a different opinion. The thought of having my cast in bed with me was truly gross. My first big decision was what color cast I desired. In deference to my wife who is my caregiver and understanding partner, I chose her favorite color; purple. The tech came in and began the cast application. It was far different than I expected. I remember the dark ages when it was done with plaster. This was woven fiberglass with an underlayment of soft webroll. It was a nifty job. I stood and the angle was checked and all seemed well and then came my first saving grace…a shoe for the bottom of the cast. So all that dirt and grime that I thought would want to follow me into bed would now be sequestered to the bottom of the shoe; whew!

We were given a doctor’s order for crutches and were led to the door. I hobbled downstairs and waited for the car. We used our cell phone from the car to find a place that had crutches for sale. We are relatively new to the area so we were limited in our geographic knowledge. After listening to a couple of robo-answering machines for ten minutes, we finally located a medical equipment vendor relatively close to where we were and the major thing was that we knew how to get there.

Welcome to My New Reality

My wife went in to get the crutches and had a good idea of picking up a shower stool as well. I didn’t realize at the time what a sharp move that would be; a life saver in some respects. We arrived home, got the car in the garage and thus the real adventure began. I realized I was in trouble after my first couple of steps. I had been on crutches three times before this, but with knee injuries and without a heavy cast. The weight of the cast was an element I hadn’t factored in to the equation and for me it was heavy. Lugging my bad right foot around so that it doesn’t touch the floor and managing the weight was going to be a challenge indeed.

When under doctor’s orders not to bear weight on one foot, the pressure of all the body’s weight is then shifted to arms and one leg. I didn’t realize how much strength this takes to move around with any degree of dexterity and when the additional weight of the cast is added, balance becomes even more of an issue. After one day, my deltoids and biceps knew there was a life-change going on. What I really needed was a walker with a seat so I could use it to “scoot” around using the seat to rest my knee.

I made a call to my insurance company. They were very happy to give me the go ahead for a regular walker, but once I explained that I needed a wheeled walker with a seat, that was something very special and had to be ordered and then negotiated with the doctor’s office. I made a call to the doctor’s office and was told that it might be up to ten days before someone got back to me. After calling on three successive days, someone finally did get back to me. Unfortunately, there was an intervening weekend.

On the bright side, my wife had a co-worker who had just the type of walker I needed so we were able to borrow that and didn’t have to go through the hassle of ordering one through the insurance merry-go-round. When I did get to speak to the doctor’s office, I asked them to provide an order for a wheel chair rental and the shower stool (so I could get reimbursed). I felt good to have made the connection, but then I remembered that I forgot to mention I needed a right leg extension so I quickly called back. It took a while, but I was able to get the order changed. Of course the office acted like it was a big deal. Well, it was a big deal to me!

HINT: If you need to rent a wheel chair that you will be taking out of the house, make sure to request a light-weight model. It makes a big difference when lifting it in and out of a car. Of course they charge more for it, but I think you will find it worth the cost differential. (to be continued…)

A Broken Bone in the Desert – Part I

Gardening on the Moon, www.gardeningonthemoon.com, originally published this post

Written by Jeff

Non-GOTM pictures credited by hover notes – move cursor over image

Suddenly…crutches

Approaching my mid-60’s, I am trying to take all the necessary steps to ward of the infirmities of aging. I have a very healthy low-fat diet. I don’t eat candy, ice cream, sugared items, etc. except on Saturdays when I do treat myself. I also do some strength and cardio-vascular exercises. My health has basically been very good. The one problem is that my LDL isn’t as low as it should be and my HDL isn’t as high as my doctors would like. My total cholesterol is very good and all other heart indicators have been positive.

I was determined to do even more exercise to address the HDL/LDL issue so I added five extra minutes to my cardio routine which found me jogging two of the thirty minutes when heretofore I had just been walking vigorously. The last minute before cool-down, I really try to jog as hard as I can to get my heart rate up there. And so it was that Sunday morning just before the NFL playoffs when I headed out on a wonderful winter day in Cave Creek, AZ. The jog was absolutely fine. I was in the last seconds of the last jogged minute when I put forth a burst and in my eagerness, my foot went too near the edge of the road and hit the desert several inches below. I stumbled a bit and almost caught myself, but then there I was – on the ground trying to figure what had happened. The first thing I checked was my hip which was fine. My legs, arms and head were fine as well. My foot was numb, but I figured it was just a bad twist. What is a 60-something like me doing out here laying on the ground? I quickly scanned the area to see how embarrassed I should be. Nobody was outside; good!

I hobbled the twenty feet or so to the garage and then made my way inside where I calmly explained to my wife what happened. I sat myself down in my easychair, we took a good look at my swollen foot which, by this time, was vying for a place in to the Macy’s Day Thanksgiving Parade as a balloon. My wife is an RN so immediately, the foot was elevated, the icepacks were dutifully applied and I was carving a space in my favorite spot on the couch to watch the afternoon games. In actuality, my foot didn’t hurt too much. It was numb and swollen, but the pain was only moderate and after all, I had some good playoff games to watch. I could still hobble around so all-in-all I didn’t feel too pessimistic.

Monday morning when I tried to get out of bed, I knew I was in trouble. The pain in my right foot was much worse. I couldn’t put significant weight on it so off we went to visit my primary care physician who took one look and said: “I would be very surprised if it isn’t broken.” He suggested seeing a podiatrist so off we went to the next doctor’s office. Sure enough, the fifth metatarsal was broken only a short distance from a nearby tendon. I was very lucky at this point that there was no tendon involvement. I was fitted with a walking air cast (Finally, Air Jordan at 60 plus). My life was inconvenienced, but I had a special driving shoe and I didn’t have to sleep with the air cast. All seemed on-track.

I was waiting for early spring all year because that is planting season in the Sonoran Desert. I had seeds to start, roses to groom and things that had to be maintained in the garden. I knew I would be delayed with some of this, but at least it would get done on time. I could also supervise the installation of rain gutters in the courtyard and the installation of the new door in the casita. Things would be OK.

My day-to-day life with the air cast was fairly routine. There wasn’t much that I had to do differently or forget altogether. At the two-week mark, the doctor seemed satisfied with the progress and asked to see me in three weeks. As we headed back to the podiatrist’s office for my week five check up, I thought this would be just another episodic check and perhaps this would be the end of it. I wasn’t prepared for the doctor to take a look at the x-ray and point to a space at the base of the metatarsal that was a triangular gap as well as less than perfect mending of the upper part of the bone. This was disheartening, but even more problematic was the remedy he seemed to be offering the following week when he suggested we take another look and if things haven’t improved, we would “manipulate” the bone back into place. This is the code they use for injecting a numbing substance into the foot and breaking the bone again so it can be realigned. That wasn’t the worst part. The worst part was that I would then be back to square one. So when I was anticipating being out of my walking boot in four to six weeks, I would need another four to six weeks. I left the office very disappointed.

Read A Broken Bone in the Desert – Part II

Gardening on the Moon, www.gardeningonthemoon.com, originally published this post

Written by Jeff

Non-GOTM pictures credited by hover notes – move cursor over image

Movie tickets are getting more expensive each year and there are few things worse than being hyped into seeing a film that is a real stinker! Nowadays bringing the entire family to the movies is quite an investment. That is why I try to hedge my bets (to the best of my ability) to see only those films that I think will be the most entertaining and worthwhile. Please understand this is a personal choice, but I think the following procedure will allow anyone to pick the movies most likely suited to their film viewing preferences.

Here is the procedure I follow on a weekly basis to try to ensure wise entertainment expenditures:

Coming Soon

The first essential is to determine what movies are being released for the targeted time-frame. It is very easy for a hidden gem to fly in under the radar, spend a month at the artsy theater and then disappear without a trace and thus the chance to see an interesting movie is gone with the wind.

The site I use is ComingSoon.net [ http://www.comingsoon.net/movies.php ] which lists new releases by month. Click on the month and then find a date to see what new movie releases are scheduled. Keeping that tab open in my browser, I open two movie review sites so all three tabs are available simultaneously.

The Review Is the Thing

Rotten Tomatoes (RT) [ http://www.rottentomatoes.com/ ] is one of my favorite movie review sites because I have found that there is a high degree of correlation between what they like and what I like. This correlation is a very important factor when trying to rule out movie bombs. Rotten Tomatoes is hard to please and I want a critical opinion before I put down my cash.

Once at the Rotten Tomatoes site (Make sure the RT radio button to the left which is generally the default is selected), I enter the name of the film in the search bar at the top and hit ENTER. The computer grinds away and presents a new “Search Results” page. I scroll down to the section that is for movies and find the title. There should be a year of release on the right side of the title. This is important because there are numerous remakes or duplicity of titles. Once I find the correct film, I click on the link. Once again, the browser grinds away.

After a moment or two the detail page for that particular film will be presented. Across the top will be the TOMATOEMETER with a percentage number to the left. You can read how to interpret that number here:
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/help_desk/faq.php#tomatometer

Generally speaking, if the movie gets a fresh rating (positive) of 60% or higher, there will be a red tomato (or a Certified Fresh symbol – highest ranking) next to it. That means overall, this movie was well received. Anything less than that and it will receive a green tomato splat (negative). If it is close, you can decide by reading the reviews and synopsis whether or not you would still like to see the film. Across the top of the Tomatometer are several tabs which will let you view the ratings by RT Critic opinions, Movie Critics (Professionals), RT Community (supplies quick reviews of people who use the site), My Critics (Critics you select based on those that match your opinions) and My Friends (Friends you enlist who have to register, etc.). Frankly, I don’t use the last two tabs. I am more interested in a quick review, but I can see the value of the My Critics section.

After perusing the RT site, I visit the Metacritic.com website [ http://www.metacritic.com/film/ ] for additional opinions. If you arrive at their home page, select the “Movie Reviews” option to see the movies. Here is how they rate their movies as quoted from their site:

“METASCORES range from 0-100, with higher scores indicating better overall reviews, and lower scores indicating less favorable reviews from critics. Various ranges of METASCORES are also identified by different colors, so you can tell at a glance how critics felt: generally, green scores indicate favorable reviews, yellow scores denote mixed reviews, and red scores are used for unfavorable reviews.”

There are multiple lists on the main movie page. Along the left-hand side, toward the top, are those movies that are in wide circulation presented in alphabetical order. Below that is a list of movies that have been released on a limited basis. Check both lists for the title you are reviewing. On the other side of the page are the specialty lists of best pictures, etc.

I particularly like the color-coding, which makes it easy to see those films that are better (green) than others. This is truly a “drive by” review and I use it to basically corroborate the impression I receive from the RT site. If the film gets good reviews from both sites, I generally give it a greater weight and would be more inclined to pay to see it in a theater. If one site likes it much better than the other, I may rent the film to watch at home. If neither site rates the movie high, I would have to really like the plot or genre before considering it. I don’t allow these sites to make my selections for me, but they certainly do help.

Netflix to the Rescue

If I decide I want to watch a movie, I enter it into my Netflix que so I don’t forget about it. It is very easy to have a movie “escape” so this keeps it on my list until I watch it or remove it based on further consideration. If you don’t have a Netflix account, I recommend trying their service. I have been a member for a number of years and have been more than satisfied with their programs and the flexibility they offer. In addition, it is a handy way of keeping track of potential future movie viewings.

HINT: During football or vacation season, I reduce my membership or put it on hold for several months. This is a nice no-fuss option offered at Netflix.

Hopefully, using these techniques, you will waste less money and time and avoid most of the “stinkers” while maximizing your viewing pleasure. Good luck and happy movie going!

Gardening on the Moon, www.gardeningonthemoon.com, originally published this post

Written by Jeff

Guests Flock to Visit AZ in Colder Months

From experience and my conversations with those who have lived in the Phoenix area for a while, there is a phenomenon that occurs when someone from a colder climate relocates to the Sonoran desert. The first few years find friends from the cooler climes flocking to visit during those colder months.

To accommodate our visitors, we have constructed a list of sight seeing options that serves as our master document which we tailor to meet the needs of specific guests. The visitor is presented with the list to select what they would like to do during their stay. Of course we often try to encourage certain selections if we have a particular interest or believe that one selection is a sure winner. There have also been times when we have just declared that on certain days we were doing a given activity because it was “special.” We do, however, want our guests to make most of the selections.

Having guests select the activities removes some of the responsibility from the shoulders of the host. Of course we want our guests to have the best time possible, but it is often difficult to predict exactly what will make someone happy. We happened to mention to one visitor that there was a Penzey’s spice store in Scottsdale at 3310 N Hayden Rd which immediately piqued their interest. As good hosts, we took her there and an hour later we emerged with nearly $100 of purchases. At the end of the stay when she recounted her favorite things, Penzey’s made it to the top of the list. You never know!

Arizona’s Museum of Natural History

We recently had an out-of-town guest and when we were considering things to do in the area, we came across the Arizona Museum of Natural History, (53 N. Macdonald, Mesa, AZ 85201, 480-644-2230) which held promise. Don’t get me wrong. For those familiar with the larger museums of natural history, this is a less robust sibling. While smaller and narrower in the scope of exhibits, it may still be worth considering.

Among the exhibits were a number of dinosaur skeletons (and casts of skeletons). Apparently they house the largest collection of dinosaur fossils in Arizona. One of my favorite displays was the mineral gallery located off to the side of Dinosaur Mountain. Every twenty minutes or so there is a thunderstorm at Dinosaur Mountain which the children enjoyed. This is truly a place designed with the younger set in mind.

In the history courtyard visitors can pan for gold. Packets are distributed at the admissions counter to store precious panning finds. One of the most interesting exhibits was the Territorial Jail Cells that remained in use until 1975. These mostly metal quarters would reform all but the most hardened criminals. Reportedly, not one criminal escaped from these cells which led to the Federal Government using them to hold prisoners when the need arose.

There is also an interesting exhibit of the various movies made in Arizona. Old-time posters and pictures line the walls to provide a pictorial history of Sonoran filmdom. The museum also houses exhibits of Native American and Ancient American cultures.

Periodically the museum offers special exhibits. An interesting exhibit entitled PSI (Poop Scene Investigation) was aimed at educating visitors to recognize animal droppings and finding out which animal may or may not be visiting their backyards. Check the website to learn more about which exhibits are currently open and other events that are available at the museum. While we were touring the galleries, I noticed that there was a children’s birthday party being held in a special room. That sounds like a cool idea; children and dinosaurs…perfect together!

NOTE: There currently is a “3 For FREE” promotion being held jointly by the Arizona Museum of Natural History, the Arizona Museum for Youth and the Mesa Contemporary Arts Center offering free admission on the first Sunday of each month. The museums are within walking distance of each other. On specific dates, concerts are held on the Shadow Walk at the Mesa Arts Center which may provide an added incentive for a visit. Check the websites for details.

Gardening on the Moon, www.gardeningonthemoon.com, originally published this post

Article References:

Arizona Museum of Natural History website – http://azmnh.org/Home.aspx
Exhibits at the museum – http://azmnh.org/exhibits/default.aspx
The Arizona Museum for Youth – www.arizonamuseumforyouth.com
The Mesa Contemporary Arts Center – www.mesaartscenter.com
Penzeys Spices – www.penzeys.com
Penzeys location in Scottsdale Map – http://www.penzeys.com/scstore/stores/scottsdale.html

Written by Jeff

Phoenix is NOT New Jersey

Imagine awakening one morning and finding that you were in a lovely, but very different place. That is how I felt after moving to Phoenix from the rolling green lands of northwestern New Jersey. (Jay Leno’s snide comments about the stench and pollution of that state aside…our town was rurally bucolic and life there had a very comfortable familiarity). image by squeakymarmot

For over two decades we came annually to Arizona to visit my college roommate and his wife. It was always a given that we’d eventually relocate here. After a few false starts, and a temporary delay due to a sluggish real estate market, we eventually arrive.

It has been a bit of an adjustment. Phoenix has a beauty of its own, but it isn’t green. It is rugged and brown and the sunsets are awe-inspiring. Quite different from the east coast.

Same Old is Not Quite the Same Old

Except not TOO different. We’ve swapped A&P and Shop-Rite for the bigger supermarkets like Frys and Safeway. But the chain fast foods eateries have followed us; and indeed have multiplied….Taco Bell has multiple competitors here in this Valley, and most hamburger joints boast a southwestern theme. Think rodeo cowboy art next to McDonalds’ Dollar Menu placard, and plastic saguaros in Burger King. And I was heartened to find that Best Buy and Circuit City exist west of the Mississippi.

But change is hard. . After all, in my former town I knew a plumber who actually made emergency calls on Christmas Day. We had a mechanic we could trust, a physician who returned calls, and a phone programmed with the number of the best pizzeria in town.

Welcome to the Valley…..Finding the Right Barber!!

Particularly scary was trying to find a new barber. I am not fussy about many things, but who cuts my hair is of major concern to me. Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t have a lot of hair (refer to the picture on the About page) and I really have an easy style. I’m not fussy. I just want a place where they are friendly, but remote. I don’t want to sit down and have to begin talking from the time the haircut starts to the time it stops. I want to speak when I have something to say and just sit quietly when I don’t feel like chiming in. I don’t care what the politics of the place is because I generally don’t discuss those things in public. Nowadays politics has become the third rail and I don’t want someone with a razor in hand being agitated when they get near my neck!

So, I began the usual foray around town to try different barbers. Now I don’t want a salon or a hair stylist. I want a barber. I can wash my own hair, what is left of it, and dry it and get it into some sort of shape. I just want someone to trim my hair, raise my sideburns and shave the back of my neck. And every once in a while I might need an eyebrow trim. I don’t let the barber clip the nose hairs because I don’t want a scissors used on everyone else to get that close to my breathing zone. It’s weird, but that’s the way it is.

The first haircut in Phoenix was especially remarkable. In New Jersey I had a comb over to shelter the top of my bald head. It wasn’t that I thought I had a lot of hair or I was trying to trick someone, I just didn’t want all the explanations and comments of people if I shaved the top of my head. I was working in a university and there were just too many people who might feel compelled to say something so I waited for the right moment to make the move. So now…new life; new hair!!

I went on the Internet and found a picture of Harry Smith, host of the CBS Morning Show. I wanted his hair style. For someone without a lot of hair, he looked quite dignified. I brought his picture with me to show the barber who turned out to be a young blonde from Russia. I explained what I wanted and she seemed to understand and away she went. When it was over, I had my wife take pictures of me throughout the cut. Lastly, we then took a picture of me with the blonde barber and the next time in, I brought her a copy. Yep, my picture is still taped to her mirror…. up there with photos of prom up-dos and toddlers’ first hair cuts.

Remarkably there weren’t too many comments from people I knew (which at that point numbered only six in the whole state) so that trauma was over. If the truth be told…. no one noticed! (Note to self: We take ourselves entirely too seriously!!)

Gardening on the Moon, www.gardeningonthemoon.com, originally published this post