Cowgirl Up!

Posted bySheila Morris 18 Comments on Cowgirl Up!

Big wheels keep on rolling, but small wheels sometimes get stuck in the mud that is life in the slow lane.

After nearly two weeks of birthday fun and festivities (seriously TWO weeks), my small wheels have come to a screeching halt with the annoying side effects turning seventy-three sometimes brings. Yes, drum roll, please.

Knee replacement is in my immediate future…like this week. Pretty and I have been to our class where I received my TJR (total joint replacement) bright green folder with the cheery symbols of I don’t know what on the cover and tons of information about my life for the foreseeable future if I survive surgery which has a 93% success rate with a 1% chance of infection, 5% chance of stiffness that requires one additional surgery, 2% chance of kneecap pain correctable with additional surgery, and oh yes, less than 1% chance of blood clots that cause death if not treated.

Too much information. Throw away this brochure.

Three days ago I had a total meltdown in front of Pretty and told her I had decided to opt out of TJR – not going to do it – no way, no how. I suggested she take the keys to the car with her if she left the house because I was planning a getaway with the dogs to an undisclosed location until the surgery deadline had passed.

But the next day I decided to get a grip and get on with it. Pretty deserves better than my shelf life, and so do I; besides, we have a granddaughter on the way this October – she deserves better, too.

Cowgirl up!

Stay tuned.

 

Published by Sheila Morris

Sheila Morris is a personal historian, essayist with humorist tendencies, lesbian activist, truth seeker and speaker in the tradition of other female Texas storytellers including her paternal grandmother. In December, 2017, the University of South Carolina Press published her collection of first-person accounts of a few of the people primarily responsible for the development of LGBTQ+ organizations in South Carolina. Southern Perspectives on the Queer Movement: Committed to Home will resonate with everyone interested in LGBTQ+ history in the South during the tumultuous times from the AIDS pandemic to marriage equality. She has published five nonfiction books including two memoirs, an essay compilation and two collections of her favorite blogs from I'll Call It Like I See It. Her first book, Deep in the Heart: A Memoir of Love and Longing received a Golden Crown Literary Society Award. Her writings have been included in various anthologies including Out Loud: the best of Rainbow Radio, Saints and Sinners New Fiction from the 2017 Festival, Mothers and Other Creatures; Cowboys, Cops, Killers, and Ghosts (Texas Folklore Society LXIX). She is a displaced Texan living in South Carolina with her wife Teresa Williams and their dogs Spike, Charly and Carl. She is also Naynay to her two granddaughters Ella and Molly James who light up her life for real. Born in rural Grimes County, Texas in 1946 her Texas roots still run wide and deep.

18 replies on “Cowgirl Up!”

      2. Difficult to get to computer right now…but made it ok for the past week. Pretty gets high marks for caregiving! Charly stuck to me like glue in the bed 24/7. Spike just trying to figure out why I’m not going outside with him.
        All in all, hanging in. I miss you all!

        Liked by 1 person

      3. Delighted to hear you’re through the op and now comes the hard part! You must get up and out and work those muscles. Easily said but I hope you are getting there. You do have Pretty which is an wonderful head start!

        Liked by 1 person

  4. Girl, you are so strong, you can do this! I’ve had several people in my life that have had this procedure, and they didn’t have any issues. We all need you on 9 cylinders. Think of all the blogs you can catch up on and all the posts it will inspire. And a few days of the good drugs, too.

    Liked by 1 person

  6. Cowgirl I was just out walked today by an 80 something who had both of her knees replaced last year. She feels that it was worth it for sure. Her first surgery was smooth. Even though the second one was a little more challenging, she got good results. Good luck you have got this.

    Liked by 1 person

  7. Oh my!! Poor Sheila! I hate surgeries of any kind. My knee aches in sympathy with yours.
    If you need a pep talk, my brother Mike, who had 3 knee, 1 hip and 1 shoulder surgeries, will be happy to give you a power point presentation on any or all procedures. He even has tee shirts. D’Onofrio men are odd. 🙄
    Good luck my friend. You will feel better. 💕

    Liked by 1 person

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