Bad Joint!
Posted on March 23, 2025 by
Starting March 3, it has been a wicked three weeks, with Karen on a walker post total knee replacement surgery, it has been tough, but our guests have been graciously wonderful and understanding! Prior to surgery, Karen wrote a little poem in preparation for this surgery. Below is a photo prior to surgery showing how knock knee-ed she had become.
The poem…
I know I am not the only one; nor the first
To have this worry and trepidation; feeling cursed!
Others have decided and planned – how to be off the grid,
And determine who, when, and where –
But more importantly – who could be a good nurse?
Strengthening in advance
Collecting the equipment
Lab work and Pre-op appointments
Baggy pants and button shirt shipments!
Is it genetics or overuse that leads to bad joints?
After cortisone quits working
The couplings continue to disappoint.
Something foreign to be implanted
Be it shoulder, ankle, hip, or knee
And weeks of rehab that follows
Before we can even drive free. Yikes!
But it’s happening. It is decided.
Soon will be the day!
There will be cuts, stitches, limping, and even tears, dare I say.
But once it is over, everyone says “it’s great!”
But until that time, I worry, and fret – but have arisen to accept my fate.
Karen DeBord, Feb. 2025
Reflection
Now that there has been some time, I can advise others that the first two weeks are brutal, then the light starts to shine. I need to be bending my knee to 90 degrees soon and am probably at about 70 degrees. I am still using a walker for stability but hope to graduate to a cane next week.
As far as who makes a good “nurse,” Jack has been a top notch caregiver, fetching things, propping me, lifting my leg when I can’t and such. At first your leg feels as if it weighs literally, a ton! Now after three week, maybe only 200 pounds. Side sleeping is still out of the question and I must admit that I sleep in a chair for most of the night when I can no longer shift around comfortably in the bed any more.
But we have kept up. And we look forward to our Spring guests! Ask to see the scar!
Thank you to our family, friends, and guests who have stepped up, been understanding and cared enough to say so! On with the Physical Therapy so I can be singing with the SML Boomer Band this spring!
If you have set foot into Bedford Landings within the past four years, you know Dootlittle!
He has an actual job description, you know!
Doolittle is ready for Spring! Even though the groundhog saw his shadow, it is time to play outside, chase a ball, go for walks, and lose at least a pound. He has put on .6 or a pound this winter.
Yesterday he posed so that we could share his picture in the Most Adorable Dog contest hosted by the Laker media group. When it comes time to vote, you know who to vote for! DOOLITTLE!
Which pose do you like best? 1, 2, 3?
It seems that January can be the longest month of the year. Yes, there are 31 days but there are also 31 days in 7 other months! Why does it seem so long? Maybe it is the let down coming out of the Christmas holidays, or maybe it is the winter doldrums. Maybe it is because we have to stay inside because of the cold.
Years ago, as a mom, I looked forward to snow days with the kids up to a certain point. And the same is true today. Snow is fun for about a day for me, then it is just inconvenient; lots of rescheduling and the house becomes a mess. When I worked an 8-5 job, it was difficult to find childcare when schools were closed and working from home was not an option then, so I sympathize with working parents. Even working from home, work is interrupted! With kids, there is always outdoor snow play which leads to a dryer running non-stop to dry all the wet play clothes. With retired adults, there is always a good book, a jigsaw puzzle, enjoying the birds at the feeder, or baking in the kitchen. What do you do?
Soon, it will be February, the shortest month! Bedford Landings B & B is running a Valentine’s special. Stay a minimum of two days and we will gift you a single red rose, chocolate covered strawberries, and either wine or champagne. It is your choice! We still have two rooms available for the romantic get away!
February leads to March which makes it feel as if it is nearly Spring! So never fear! Winter won’t be here forever! Here’s a easy soup recipe I have made many times that never fails to please!
Easy Jambalaya
Sauté these ingredients in 2 Tablespoons of butter
3/4 c. chopped onion
½ c. celery
¼ c. chopped green pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
Stir in:
1 28 oz can chopped tomatoes, undrained
1 10 oz can beef broth
1 ¼ c. water
1 t. sugar
½ t. dried thyme
½ T. chili powder
1/3 t. black pepper
Add 1 c. uncooled long grain rice
Add one or all of the following – 2 cups cubed cooked ham or chicken, pound of sausage, or 1 ½ lb medium fresh shrimp. Let simmer so flavors blend. Enjoy! Get those crock pots cookin’!
Today is Christmas Eve. The anticipation of Advent is coming to a close. Soon we will celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. Some are believers of this long told story. Some still wonder! For me, I am not sure how I would have put one foot in front of the other during times of my life without the knowledge that God is in control. I am not.
We have had many joyful encounters this year as guests walk thought the door of Bedford Landings! Some have come with unbelievable stories. Blessed Paula who had lived in a coma for many years, but now smiles amongst us. Loving Peggy who was unsure why she had been guided to travel our way. She had many emotions, many stories, and influenced many lives on a brief weekend encounter. Families with sweet children, careful pilots who traveled from afar and guests who surprised one another with the visit to our Inn.
Jack and I have had a music-centered year from singing with the Lakeside Singers, working to order and install a new church organ (Jack), singing with the SML Boomer Band (for Karen-See SML Boomer Band on Facebook) to singing in Carnegie Hall. That’s right! We were so privileged to sing with 225 voices on December 3. See if you can identify us!
As we enter a new year with excitement and expectations, just remember who is the composer and who is the director of your orchestra, your life and your next steps! I wrote a little poem just for this day. Merry Christmas to all!
Oh my goodness, the Fall weather has been faaabuuulousss! This has been one of the busiest Octobers for us. We feel the weather, the colors and the fact that they cannot go to western North Carolina (for obvious flooding reasons) that we are getting quite a flurry of guests! Enjoying the porch with the lake views and warm sunny days with crisp (but not cold) nights is perfect!
The airport had a cool Spook-tac-u-lar that brought out plenty of families with their children. The Smith Mountain Lake Airport is a fun place to be! There was chili in a cauldron, decorations and plenty of food and treats for the little ones!
A couple of weeks ago, I took some updated pictures or our guests rooms and put them on our Facebook page. One of them inspired me to give the Fishing Room a little facelift. In the past, the colors have primarily been salmon and green. I took this first photo the looked at it. Pretty basic. But, what did this room need?
I happened to be in the Moneta Farm Store and decided to look at color swatches for paint. I don’t know why, but I spontaneously purchased a quart of paint and then proceeded to paint an accent wall. This photo was the motivation to change, but then one thing led to another. The wall be came so blue, that I had to re-do the accents in the room and the artwork too! I rearranged some of the artwork in that room and added the pelican by Sheridan Brown to pull from the blue.
This shows the other part of the room BEFORE. Cozy! And there is a little blue in the bedspread. But I decided to go further. Good ole AMAZON! I ordered two new fish prints and rearranged a bit.
I maybe went overboard on segmented fish! But look what happened when I moved the mirror over the bed! A cool reflection!
This is not all we have been doing! Haha! We are very buy with the church and in the community.
Our choir from church has been invited to sing with composer, Joel Raney at Carnegie Hall on December 2. It had not been on our bucket list, but singing with 250 voices on stage in NYC will be way cool! It is a dress black affair. We are taking the train out of Lynchburg to NYC and have 2 days of rehearsals with the composer before we sing the concert!
We will also be closed for a professional development meeting in November. The Mid-Atlantic Innkeepers will be meeting, sharing ideas, recipes and networking! We are hoping to come back renewed!
Jack is co-chair on a committee to purchase a new church organ. Installing the organ has led to some sanctuary remodeling of Bethlehem United Methodist Church. But the congregation has been very flexible, even with the pastor preaching in a hart hat!
