Port Charlotte Florida: Recovery

Posted on by Thor

After my hernia operation, my sister and her husband drove me back to their place in Port Charlotte Florida. I had pain meds and stool softeners although neither was really needed.

My sister and her husband each have recliners set up in front of a large screen TV and it is often on. I vegetated on the couch taking naps and watching the British antiques competition shows. I wasn’t supposed to eat any heavy food so I mostly drank liquids.

It was a relaxing several days at my sister’s. After being on the couch for so long, I needed to get out for a walk, so Pat and I walked around the block. I had packed some food in a cooler so I wasn’t infringing on Pat and Mike too much. I also treated them to diner and paid for the hotel since they were doing me a favor.

My doctor had warned that there could be complications, but My recovery went smoothly. I felt stabbing pain in my abdomen several times but over the counter aspirin kept that pain manageable. Shortly after this operation I would be moving to downtown Orlando.

All my belongings were in storage except for a backpack and my sketchbook. After the operation I went to Orlando because I was given the opportunity to sketch as many Fringe Shows as I could handle in May. I ended up sketching over 70 shows while jumping from one air B4B to the next. By moving from Air B&B each week, I figured out where I didn’t want to live in Orlando. Several of the places were on the flight paths to the airport and I refuse to listen to planes land in the morning. Each evening I would look at apartment listings in Orlando until I found what seemed like the perfect artist studio to move into.

I looked at 513 East Livingston Street with a group of college students. They were deciding who would move into which bedroom. I was figuring out what the light would be like coming in the studio windows. I opened up every window in the place to get a feel for the views. I tested light switches and the water to be sure things were working. When I got home, I immediately started mapping out where my art supplies would go. I knew I wanted to move in.

Moving would be a real test to see if the incisions would hold up. I decided to hire two movers for the job since lifting large boxes could cause the hernia to return. I loaded up my car several times. One load was all my sketchbooks. I decided that was the most important cargo. All the sketchbooks in their boxes just barely fit into my Prius.

One item disappeared during the move. That was my Hathaspace Hepa Air Filter. I am assuming the movers needed that item for their home. I purchased a new one for several hundred dollars. It was an expensive “tip”. I will of course never hire those movers again.

 

Hernia Repair Waiting Room

Posted on by Thor

While hiking and sketching in Europe, I developed a bilateral hernia below my belly button at the ridge of the pelvic bone. Because I was traveling in Europe for 3 months my insurance had been canceled. When I got back to the states, my first order of business was to get my insurance renewed since I knew that I would need an operation. My primary care doctor with the renewed Ambetter Insurance sent me to a doctor whose consultation made me believe he was an inexperienced butcher. He looked like he was straight out of high school, and his explanation was blunt and less than reassuring.

My sister from Port Charlotte Florida had a hernia several years ago and she had an operation like the Ambetter Insurance doctor was describing. That operation failed and the hernia returned. Another doctor tried to fix the botched operation and his patchwork also failed. She described the results like having our intestines pressing through chicken wire crudely sewn into the abdomen.

My sister then found Dr. Jonathan Yunis in Sarasota, Florida. He performed an intricate operation that was so complex that he invited medical interns to witness the procedure. This operation was a success and has lasted for many years.

I decided I had to have Dr. Yunis perfume the operation on my abdomen. I sketched the waiting room, hoping others might enter who wanted the same operation. I was the only consultation on that morning. Drawings on the wall showed the abdomen and pelvis.

I had just had an operation to remove my prostate gland, which adds enzymes and citric acid to semen, maintaining its fluidity and supporting sperm viability. I had seen electrocardiograms of my pelvis before that operation, so I was very familiar with what that region looked like from the inside. Having my prostate removed left me feeling asexual. I feel a bit like a dog that has been neutered. Finding friendship has become more important that finding a sexual partner.

Dr. Yunis gave a thorough explanation of what he would be doing, and I felt sure this was the right way to go. He isn’t on Ambetter’s list of doctors, however. He doesn’t want to deal with having to answer to insurance companies. Regardless, I moved forward hoping that the insurance would cover some fraction of the cost. They never did. I filled out multiple forms which were all denied. The operation cost $11,000 out of pocket.

The operation was a success. Yunis used a DaVinci Robot to perform the operation under his control. I was shaved completely free of any hair on my chest and groin. Three small incisions were made in my abdomen. Two were for robotic hands and the third for a camera. I wanted to sketch the DaVinci Robot, but I was put under anesthesia almost immediately.

Though this was an outpatient procedure, I was told I could not drive after the operation. My sister pan and her husband Mike were there to drive me back to their place in Port Charlotte Florida. I was told I might be in a lot of pain for several days but honestly, I was fine. It was a rare chance to sit and relax on ac ouch and just watch TV. I did take some Aleve each day since the incisions could be felt, like sandpaper against my belly. There were no stitches. Instead, glue held the wounds closed. I took off the bandages several days later. The three scars made it look like I had been shot in the stomach 3 times. I healed quickly. Today the scars are almost invisible. Despite the cost, I am glad I used this doctor. My instincts told me it is better to get the job done right the first time by an experienced doctor. Now I am biking and hiking around downtown Orlando and I am sure the abdomen is getting stronger.

Hydroponics

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This hydroponics rig had just been set up when I left for Europe. The seeds had just been planted in the tiny pots with foam insets. Water is pumped to the top of the water tower and it trickles down to keep all the pots moistened. Nutrients are added to the water.

When I got back to Central Florida after three month in Europe the tower was overgrown with edible kale and a sort of Lettuce.  The plant on the top of the tower grew so large that it’s weight caused it to crack the plastic of the column and it fell over. The roots extended deep down into the plastic column sucking up tons of nutrients. The plant had to be harvested. The roots were about a half inch thick and I had to use a saw to cut through them.

I snipped off all the leaves and put them in plastic grocery bags. I use reusable bags when I get groceries, but somehow plastic bags still sneak their way into the studio. That one plant filled about 5 of those plastic bags and I put them in the refrigerator bottom shelf.

I have been cutting up one or two leaves every time I make a salad. I am amazed at how long the leaves have stayed fresh in the refrigerator. It must have been a month or two ago that I stored them away and I am still using them. There are two more bags of the leaves left. I mix them in with spinach or cut Lettuce that I get form the supermarket.

When that top plant crushed the plastic column due to it’s weight, the water started pouring down the outside of the column and the reservoir would have to be refilled every day or so. I did a quick fix by wrapping Saran wrap around the open wound so the water could stay contained and add nutrients to the other plants below instead of the ground.

At the end of this week I will be hitting the road again with my back pack , my Prius and my bike. I am having an operation down in Sarasota and then recovering with my sister in Port Charlotte. After what I hope is a  quick recovery I hope to find a rental in Orlando for a couple of months. I want to sketch at the Orlando International Fringe Festival in May. That might be my last sketching hurray in Orlando. The plan then is to drive north. And I hope to find a place in New York state just north of NYC. I will be driving up blind with no definite destination. It is a bit scary heading off to the unknown but I am sure I can establish a studio anywhere.

Eye of Ian

Posted on by Thor

The 24 hour leading up to Hurricane Ian making landfall were stressful for all on the south west coast.Early projections showed the storm would hit up near Tampa, Florida. I have a sister who lives in Port Charlotte and she lived through Hurricane Charley back in August of 2004. In that hurricane she hunkered down in a bathtub and the winds ripped off the roof of her home. Charlie was also supposed to head up to Tampa but it hooked off at the last minute and tore right through Port Charlotte.

There was a mandatory evacuation for the zone she lived in with Hurricane Ian. I asked her to come to our guest bedroom in Orlando but she really can’t travel that far. She therefor moved to a neighbors house which was larger and had a generator. The home was maybe a mile from where she lived at the end of a canal. Early reports are that her home suffered only minor damage and a tarp has already been put on the roof. Storm surge waters had water coming right up to her front and back doorways but it stopped short of going inside her home. A fence was blown down and there are trees down in the neighborhood. Ironically her umbrella style clothes line went unscathed. Power has been down.

The local sports complex is offering ice and large container of water as well as several BBQ dinners. That was the first hot meal since Wednesday. The primary concerns seem to be no hot water and no gas for the grill. Everything had to be emptied from the fridge since it started to smell.

Here in Orlando we were nervous because there is a large dead tree in the back yard. A neighbor told us it might have been hit by lightning but a contractor said that beetles had killed it. There are vines growing all over the branches and we thought until about a week ago that it was alive. So our concern was that the whole tree could fall.

We lucked out in that only very large branches crashed to the ground during the storm. One fell while our dog was in the yard relieving himself. It missed him. We have been taking clean up slow. Each evening I burn tree limbs in the fire pit rather than waste all that fuel. We lost power for 24 hours and I had to cancel several virtual classes. Our refrigerator contents were moved to a building with a generator and promptly returned once power came back on.

Pam has had of deal with endless repair work because of water leaks in the History museum and the off site storage facility. I experienced a horrible irregular heart beat in the mad rush to clean the yard prior to the storm. I suddenly realize I am not as spry as I used to be. I have been taking the clean up of dead branches slow and steady in the mean time. My mini bon fires make it a more relaxing project.

Travel Ban

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The Joe Biden administration is considering whether to impose domestic travel restrictions, including on Florida, fearful that COVID-19 mutations are threatening to reverse hard-fought progress on the pandemic. Discussions in the administration over potential travel restrictions  focus on how to prevent the spread of variants that appear to be surging in a number of states, including Florida and California.

The U.K. variant, known as B.1.1.7, has recently surged in Florida, where over a third of all cases in the United States have been identified. “This is a war and we’re at battle with the virus. War is messy and unpredictable, and all options are on the table,” the White House official said.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said “It would be unconstitutional. It would be unwise and it would be unjust,” February 11, 2021 at a vaccination site in Port Charlotte, on Florida’s Gulf Coast. Florida leads the nation in the number of known cases of the B.1.1.7 strain of the coronavirus, the variant that emerged in the U.K. Researchers says the variant now accounts for up to 15% of the new cases statewide. Because it is more contagious, public health experts worry the emergence of the variant could accelerate spread of the disease. Florida had 202 deaths per day on January 11, 2021 and those numbers are slowly settling with a seven day average of 170 deaths a day on February 10, 2021. A Boeing 732 has 174 seats so the state is still experiencing the deaths of a commercial airplane crash every day.

 

 

Spring Pops, The Race for Space

Posted on by Thor

The City of Winter Park
hosted the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra led by conductor Dean Whiteside as
they presented Spring Pops in Winter Park’s Central Park main stage. Patrons set up on the grass lawn
with blankets and lawn chairs. Some folks came really prepared with wine
candles and a full spread. Everyone was ready for a relaxing evening of music
under the stars. The sun set behind the stage as I sketched creating a warm
glow behind the performers. I squinted as I starred straight into the sunset.

The evening featured music by composer John Williams along
with other space themed music. Guest vocalists for the night were Natalie
Cordone and Shawn Kilgore. I was set up and sketching before the performer got
on stage. I was fascinated with the cello player that had a wheel on the bottom
of his instrument so he could roll it around like a wheel barrel. By the end of
the performance the stage s lit by two stage spot lights that had been set up
stage left and right.

It is so nice to enjoy an outdoor concert as the northern
states are still experiencing cold temperatures. As I write this I am at my
Sister’s home in Port Charlotte Florida.
She is looking up photos of the snow covered landscapes in the northern towns
where out other brothers and sisters live. There is nothing so rewarding as
seeing cold weather while basking in the Florida
sun.

A day at Manasota Beach.

Posted on by Thor

I visited my older sister Pat Boehme, in Port Charlotte Florida for a weekend to getaway from the stress of my pending divorce. Pat has a home on a traffic circle and that circle was enlarged over the past year. She lost some of her property to the expansion project and had to live with her front yard being a construction zone. Now my life is a construction zone.

We decided to get away to Manesota Beach which is north of Port Charlotte. The beach is accessed by a small coastal road that has water visible on both sides One side had mansions on the inter-coastal waterway, and the other side had mansions on the ocean. We joked about which mansion would suit our lifestyles the best. Pat had a cooler, beach umbrella and beach chairs, so we were set for the afternoon. Getting all that from the parking lot to the beach was it’s own adventure. The cooler had wheels, but that doesn’t help much in tall grass or sand. I ended up hugging it to my chest to get it to our beach oasis.

The water was warm and comfortable. We swam and floated for hours. The water must have been super saline, because I was able to float on my back for the first time ever. Usually my 12 inch big feet sink like lead weights. The two women next to us were debating about exercise and diet. The woman in the pink bikini top outlined her extensive daily exercise routine, while the other woman felt it was more important to simply watch her calorie intake.

Foreigners waded face down with snorkel masks just off shore looking for sharks teeth. Apparently fossilized sharks teeth are a common find at Manasota Beach. One Australian was face down in the water the entire time that Pat and I were there. When he final sloshed out of the water, we could see that his back was a bright fire engine red. He was going to be hurting that night. A little boy lost hold of his inflatable mini canoe. The wind caught it, sending it out into the ocean. He chased it until the water got too deep, and then watched it until it became a speck on the horizon.

Thanksgiving at home.

Posted on by Thor

My sister Pat Boehme drove to Orlando from Port Charlotte to spend Thanksgiving with Terry and I. We sat around the dining room table going over old family photos. Pat was able to identify some people that to had not been able to identify. For thanksgiving all went to Mitchell’s Fish Market (460 N Orlando Ave #122, Winter Park, F) in Winter Park Village. The reservation was for 2pm and at that time, the restaurant was less than half full. Driving on Thanks giving Day was an absolute joy because there were no of the cars on the road. Orlando was a ghost town.

Mitchel’s had a traditional Thanksgiving diner for $27. The appetizer, had was a seafood gumbo the was absolutely delicious. Honestly I was satiated after the gumbo, but the turkey dinner was so good, that I managed to wolf half of it down. Desert was a slice of pumpkin pie. Terry had purchase an apple pie and a pumpkin pie a Publix, and we had baked the pumpkin pie the night before, so I knew there as a whole pie cooling down at home. After going out for dinner, we sat around the living room watch in movies and trying to digest all the food. Pat’s Stomach started rumbling and we didn’t have any Pepto-Bismol, so we gave her a heating pad to put on her tummy and that seemed to help.

Terry had rented two movies. On was “Far from the Madding Crowd” this is definitely a Victorian Era woman’s film. The female lead planed by Carey Mulligan  meets three men each of which asks for her hand in marriage almost immediately. Life just doesn’t work that way, although maybe it did way back then. Pat and I watched the film while we waive for Terry to gel home, then after our Thanksgiving meal Terry wanted to watch the film. That is when I got my sketch done for the day. 

A Cracker Barrel Thanksgiving

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For Thanksgiving, Terry and I drove to Port Charlotte to visit my sister Pat Boehme. Pat has been on a diet and ultimately lost an incredible amount of weight. I had to take a health assessment for my insurance company and the results came back with big red X’s for each result right before the holidays. My body mass index showed that I am overweight. I need to reduce my waist circumference by two inches. My blood pressure showed that I am prehypertensive which puts me at risk for a heart attack or a stroke. Oddly my total cholesterol is too low, indicating I am malnourished or anemic. Put simply I am a  train wreck waiting to happen.

I asked my sister for advice on how I should change my diet and she gave me tons of pointers. She had a medical condition that actually kept her from exercising, so all the weight she lost was from carefully watching her calorie intake. The rules are pretty simple, less sugar and no breads with tons of vegetables.  Right now however the house is full of leftover food from a New Year’s Day party. That means we have tons of beers, sodas, potato chips, pastries and other assorted junk food. Dieting will have to wait until the fridge is purged.

Rather than cook a large Thanksgiving dinner, we all decided to go out to Cracker Barrel on Thanksgiving day. It is amazing how many people had the same ides. The parking lot was jammed and there was a long wait to get a table. The long front porch of the restaurant is lined with rocking chairs and most were full. Towards the end of the porch, we sat across from these teens sitting in baby sized rocking chairs playing a game of checkers. When we ultimately got to our table, Terry and I took turns playing with a game that was like checkers using golf tees inserted into holes drilled into a triangle shaped piece of wood. With only one tee missing the goal was to try and eliminate all but one tee by jumping over other tees thus eliminating them. I’m convinced the game is impossible to win. Terry and I always had three or more tees left over.

The Thanksgiving dinner had all the fixings and was quite delicious. I had to admire the efficiency with which all the comfort food was served. Pat ordered a light fish dish, keeping to her diet.  I wish I had the ability to turn away from the trimmings. No more stuffing!

Thanksgiving

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For Thanksgiving, Terry and I drove down to Port Charlotte to visit my sister Pat Boehme. The two hour drive was surprisingly care free. Terry slept most of the way down as I drove. We were surprised we didn’t hit traffic around Disney or near Tampa. Zorro, our umbrella cockatoo, made the trip as well, hanging upside down from the bars in his travel cage most of the way. When we arrived, Pat told us that the turkey was ready. She had prepared a delicious traditional feast. I love those crunchy bits she puts on top of the green beans. After several servings of turkey and stuffing, we all started to slow down.

I did dishes while Mike Napolitano showed Terry some of the new plants in the backyard. Then we all retired to the living room. Mike watched football games on TV. Terry reclined on the couch opposite me and drifted off in a tryptophan induced sleep. Zorro was happy as he could be perched on her knee.

The road Pat and Mike live on is going to soon be expanded with a traffic circle added to the corner they live on. When all the construction is done, their little slice of tropical paradise will have been decimated. Most of their side and front yard will be gone and the drainage ditch will be right next to the house like a medieval mote. They are afraid that the homes foundation might be compromised. They had hoped the town or county might buy the property so they could afford to move, but no offer has been made. An Orlando lawyer is now involved on the case.