Mick McKellar Update--Day +112

Coming home is great. Getting things organized after a four and a half month absence is not so great. I spent much of today on the phone with the folks at Mayo Clinic and with the mail order prescription company, as they worked out getting my necessary medications to me before my dwindling supply runs out. This was not an easy task, but I think they worked it out.

I also dropped off my medical records and treatment plan at my local doctor's office, so they can set up blood testing, etc. They were surprised and happy to see me again. It feels good to be recognized and remembered by folks who smile when they see you. It feels like home.

Going green, personally...

Learning to live with restrictions and limitations in my old environment takes considerable energy and concentration. Occasionally, I make mistakes because I revert to the old way, usually the wrong way, of doing something. Carelessness and lack of concentration can lead to a protracted hospital stay or worse. Climbing stairs is no longer a simple aggravation, it is real work and takes considerable starch out of my sails. So, now I must plan my trips to the second floor to preserve and conserve my energy.

One of the more difficult restrictions involves limits on sun exposure. The Keweenaw is not known for its many sunny days each year, and I have a tendency to go outside to enjoy the sunshine. Both my rash and my medications put a severe limit on sun exposure. Sunscreen helps but the recommendation is simply to avoid both natural and artificial sunlight. Images of living in a cave come to mind; so much so that I wrote a poem about avoiding the sun and maybe becoming so pale I just disappear...

The poem, Etiolated, appears on my poetry blog, Out of My Mind, and takes a light-hearted look at fading away, away from the sun.

It has finally gone dark outside and my brain is telling me that I should go find my bed and sleep in it. I am inclined to agree. Thanks to you all for your welcome home messages and greetings both in person and on the phone. The intrepid travelers are glad to be back and still have much to do, to get back into our lives at home. I may even get some time to walk this week!

God bless and good night,

Mick