Change of Scenery and an August Birthday

Last Sunday I was really starting to get antsy being stuck at home not being able to withstand a drive in the car, but HWNSNBP coaxed me into a ride to the Great Swamp Nursery to look for some plants for a yard project that he had just completed.  I figured I could stick it out since we would be getting out of the car and walking around a bit when we got there.  As we were looking through the plants near the pond they have there I saw something move as HWNSNBP reached down to pick up a plant we were interested in.  I startled him when I told him not to move, not to move.  I think that he might have thought it was a snake, but then he saw what I saw.  The frog, or maybe it was a toad, that had jumped into an empty cell as we were futzing around in that area.  It's a cell phone picture, but on the road back through the swamp, I made HWNSNBP pull over by one of the bridges so I could take a picture of the Marshmallows that were blooming.  I was so thrilled to see the Cardinal Flower that was blooming there too.  And since I had gotten out of the car I just kept snapping away at the view.  Boy did I need that change of view.  

I had scheduled surgery for Wednesday of this week and it was really starting to play on my nerves so getting away, even for that little bit was calming.

So, keeping it brief, I had a laminal discectomy to remove some spinal lamina (bone) and the part of the disc that was bulging and pressing on my sciatic nerve.  Having had two trips to the emergency room since May and being out of work, not being able to sit even after attempted epidural injections, this was the route to go.  And, knock on wood, I can sit now without the pain in my leg and buttocks, but I will have a tenuous recovery period being very careful not to aggravate anything while healing.

I spent the last week doing some work from home and trying to catch up on cards that I would need for the month, took part in some Dare to Get Dirty Challenges on Splitcoast - in my Jack-in-the-Box mode.  Sitting until the pain got to be too much and then standing.  Of all the hobbies I have, stamping probably lent itself best to this as you can do a lot of stamping standing up.  

This card however, took a little more sitting.  The pink and orange folded paper you see here is actually 13 origami folding pieces of paper woven together.  Not too hard, but it had to be done with paper that was lighter in weight than regular cardstock so I fished around and found some brightly colored text-weight paper and gave it a go.  I happened to have that flower on my work table - it just needed a little glue to keep it wound up and threw on a bright green ribbon.

My sister's birthday is today and when she stopped by to drop something off on Wednesday while I was in the hospital the card was waiting for her.  When she called to check up on me yesterday she said she really liked the bright colors, so I'm guessing it was a hit!

Well, I've reached my 30 minute sitting allowance for now, so I'll be signing off, but I have a few more cards to post and some pictures of a new art challenge that I've started taking part in.  I figured I might as well keep myself busy during this recovery!