the year began with stormy winds and rain and flooding in sonoma county. a foreboding  beginning to some of the changes in our lives. the biggest change being bim’s decision to hang up his wings and retire from flying his ultralight. after twelve wonderful years flying above the rolling hills and pacific coastline, filming short videos and documenting the ever-unfolding landscape and colors of the seasons, he parked the “flying lawnmower” in the hanger, not realizing it was the last time.

  following a month of january rain, patti was finally able to get outside and start pruning trees, 

beginning with the flowering plum trees in the driveway, which were quite anxious to begin showing off the pink clouds of blossoms which herald spring in northern california. the ten foot fall with the orchard ladder that slipped, opened up and collapsed, leaving me suspended in the air for one memorable micro-moment, before i landed in the driveway, unable to move, but knowing i needed help before i passed out or went into shock. bim arrived home, as i was being loaded into the ambulance, and a friend drove him to the ER at memorial hospital, where i spent three long days and nights getting patched back together. 

 

  the initial stabilization allowed me to go to a rehab facility for ten days, which prepared me for a major six hour surgery at kaiser hospital, where i spent two nights recovering, alone in my hospital room. 

   my 94 year old roommate was waiting for me at the rehab facility, where i spent another two weeks before i could return to home sweet home. i left home january 31 in an ambulance, had many experiences, most of which i don’t remember, and returned home one month later; truly one of the most surreal ordeals i’ve ever endured.

  bim observed how much damage a body can suffer from a fall of 10 feet, and didn’t want to try that stunt while soaring in his ultralight at 400 feet. he has always enjoyed aerial photography, so he traded his wings for a drone (DJI mavic) with a good camera, and is now happily exploring the views from a lower flying altitude, his feet firmly on the ground!

  the pilon fracture in my lower right leg, with both the tibia and fibula shattered into many pieces, required three stainless steel plates and twenty three screws to stabilize the bone fragments. 

to insure that the bones would heal with good alignment, i was not allowed to put any weight on that leg for three months, in addition to elevating the ankle above my heart for 23 hours per day! 

needless to say, i was spending no time at my usual level of physical activity! wheelchairs and modified walkers were the method to allow minimal movement. the fracture in my lower left arm only required one titanium plate and 12 screws to stabilize the bone fragments and allow healing, also with no weight bearing for three months. for the mild compression fracture in my spine at lumbar 4, i was allowed to wear a removable brace! ahhh, freedom! bim was the 24-hour per day caregiver, doing everything for those first ninety days, slowly tapering off during the next few months. without the delicious fully cooked meals generously provided by friends, neither one of us would have survived those weeks of exhaustion and overwhelming trauma.

   the adaptability of a human being is truly remarkable.

   my wonderful foot and ankle surgeon is kind, compassionate and a good listener. since i had some complications with incisions healing, i visited with him often, every time begging him for the permission to start driving. he is about 40 years old, and i am old enough to be his mother, the irony of the role reversal not lost on any of us! he would listen and smile, and answer, not yet. bim was my chauffeur for six long months. and then, permission was granted, but, i had to relearn how to drive…

   in spite of all the sleepless nights, and worry, and responsibility, and having to learn how patti pays the monthly bills, bim soundly believes that he would rather be a caregiver than the patient. a testament to his incredible generosity of spirit.

   friends would ask where we were traveling this year, and we would answer (not so jokingly) that kaiser hospital and clinic was the destination of necessity for 2017!

   our first short venture was driving to oregon in august to watch the total solar eclipse. as all the hoopla about crowds and traffic increased in the days before the eclipse, we questioned if we really wanted to participate. but, the plans and reservations were all made, so we hopped in the car and drove north into the thick smoke of the southern oregon wildfires. the morning of the eclipse dawned with clear skies, and from the middle of the path of totality, we were able to see the entire eclipse. 

including feeling the cold as the temperature dropped, and the darkened sky and the stars at ten in the morning. 

  it was magical to see such an unusual natural phenomena, and we are so happy that we were able to enjoy this once in a lifetime experience.

    life has slowly evolved into a new normal, and continues to change as each week goes by.

    the fires that blew through santa rosa (about 10 miles from sebastopol) in early october were horrific. having never been this close to a major natural disaster, we shared the shock and disbelief that settled over the entire area. 

 

we know many people who were evacuated from their homes, a few people who lost homes, and everybody was affected by the smoke and ash. the impact on our community will be huge, in many ways, some predictable, with many unknowable consequences for the future.

   as i laid flat on my back in my hospital bed for three long months, i would visualize walking gracefully on a golden, sandy hawaiian beach. 

  bim visualized being warm and not having to take care of anybody! these thoughts kept our spirits up, until we boarded the airplane for our annual trip to maui. the sounds of the pacific ocean lulled us to sleep, rainbows greeted us almost every morning, 

the turtles floated by, the whales sang and jumped for joy. 

  we have just returned from one month on the island, the healing warmth of the sun and ocean waters slowly removing the worry lines from our foreheads, and warming our bodies, souls and bones.

   we’re looking forward to celebrating the joys of the holiday season with friends, before patti visits the operating room on december 27^th to have the steel plates and screws removed from her lower leg. we are deeply grateful for this modern medical miracle that has enabled me to walk again.

    it has been a year of tremendous loss, not only for us, and among our neighbors, family and  friends, our community, and the planet earth. our world has become lonelier with the passing of so many friends during the last few months, and has deeply saddened our hearts. we are comforted by our memories of those no longer with us, and grateful for the love, compassion, kindness, and the sharing of laughter and stories, and special times together with those who remain.

 

we hope that your holidays are filled with joy and love, 

shared with family and friends.

and that 2018 brings peace and health for us all.