Here I would love to share with you our travels and adventures as international mushroom consultants. MEMOIRS about husband Pieter Vedder, who was a SCIENTIFIC PIONEER in Commercial Mushroom Cultivation Education. His practical handbook is in 9 languages and is called the MUSHROOM BIBLE: https://mariettesbacktobasics.blogspot.com/2020/08/modern-mushroom-growing-2020-harvesting.html
This year's beautiful spring happens without me being IN it...
Can't walk, cannot go outside so Pieter captured it for me on my iPhone.
Hard to imagine what a driver without LOOKING can cause to another human being's life!
Our entire household is affected.
An elderly husband becomes the care taker...
Our kitties are unsettled...
Needing assistance with laundry and making the bed and on and on.
A very painful and also costly thing.
Needing a private driver to go to places where I used to drive.
On and on.
For missing the spring flowers, dear friend sent these on February 23, for enjoying indoors...
From my bed, I could see through the balcony door our Red bud Cercis Canadensis blooming on February 25.
Sending Pieter with my iPhone to capture them for me...
BUT my Pieter does NOT see the pink flowers due to being color blind!
This photo shows the wood trail below, that Pieter did newly built while I was in Limburg, The Netherlands one final time...
In front of our garage is this stunning Azalea pot plant, also on February 25.
Heavenly Azaleas...
Those stamens are so pretty!
Also on February 25th a sweet bouquet delivered by some kids from our Church and one street down from us.
You also see our pansies in our fiberglass window boxes happily blooming and more pot plants on the patio that bloom.
At least for me SOME spring flowers that I can enjoy without being outdoors...
My ugly rash and itch has subsided, a nasty side affect from the Medrol Dosepak, to reduce the swelling.
The swelling has gone down and cuts are healing with scabs formed.
My left leg hurts most around knee and ankle, where it is so severely cut and bruised aside from the Proxima fibula being fractured.
My calf is extremely tender and painful to the touch—hard to get any decent sleep with it and my right leg with the knee fracture and knee immobilizer.
BUT my nasty night sweats are also gone it seems—making progress!
Short legged and chunky Speckie girl on February 27, 2022...
Yesterday, our youngest senior kitty of 13, Speckie came home from the Animal Clinic after 3 nights, where Pieter brought her on Friday morning.
She was very sick.
Turned out after some blood work that her kidneys are not shutting down but in bad shape — just like mine. She also had a bacterial infection and got antibiotics and fluids.
Let's hope her Chronic Kidney Disease does not progress too fast...
On the day of my accident, I'd planned to launch this video from our departure back to Europe, on February 23, 1989
But on the 21st of February when I got T–boned by that woman, there was no chance for managing that...
Planned to bake my Amaretti cookies and had already zested 2 large Costco lemons, they're the best for zesting as well as for taste and juice.
I needed eggs, so Pieter said, I ride my bike to Walmart...
NO, I said WE ride our bike to Walmart, the sun is shining it was warm and I felt so happy for having caught up entirely with laundry and my housekeeper Nasha had just cleaned the house—perfect!
Feeling so grateful, for her starting on February 1st.
My life was getting more routine and relaxed with time for biking available.
But it didn't work that way...
I ended up in the ambulance after being thrown off my bike onto the highway—this happened all in front of Pieter's eyes!
My Roam Road Bike Helmet (from Amazon.com) bounced so nicely when I hit the asphalt—felt so grateful for always wearing itand in a soft neon green color for safety, just as my jacket.
Did not wear the magnetic goggles... only the adjustable visor...
Wearing my black biker shorts and Asos shoes.
X–rays showed two leg fractures, right knee cap and top of left Proxima fibula and cuts and bruises...
Landed on my right shoulder and right thigh where I got a huge hematoma.
Shoulder hurt like hell... Had an MRI done on Wednesday at Ortho Georgia in Macon and my Big Sis drove us.
Her lawyer husband graciously insisted she take his brand new Cadillac as it would be more convenient for me. Forever grateful for his gracious offer to give me this royal ride in the utmost comfort!
After my MRI and some check up due to my extremely swollen left leg, painfully red and almost ready to burst...
The NP at Ortho Georgia sent me to our local ER for having ultrasounds done, in order to rule out any deep vein thrombosis.
So they checked my left leg's vein and artery and no problem!
Our own car that we used yesterday, for a follow up with my primary care doctor after those ultrasounds, was rather hard to get into.
Long legs and having to wear that stupid knee immobilizer does not allow you much flexibility.
Getting into our Infinity QX50 I sat sideways on the passenger seat, left leg in and right leg straight up to get it past the door, then down in the open pivoting area...
My primary care doctor noticed my rather shallow breathing and some sore spots that he found when touching my ribs. I told him that by breathing normal—it hurt like hell.
So, he sent us to the Imaging Center for having lots of x–rays taken of my chest to rule out any problems or risks for pneumonia.
I was on my walker and got so exhausted for being on my wounded legs for the entire session!
Collapsed in bed with legs up by 5:30 PM but slept sound.
This morning my doctor called, no fractures and nowhere any trapped air!
So it must bejust painful superficial bruises...
Oh, he prescribed me some over the counter meds for getting rid of that nasty, itchy rash I got as a side affect of the Medrol Dosepak to reduce the swelling in my body.
That are by now, 11 days in excruciating pain and otherwise. Due to my CKD stage with only 25% kidney function (at least that was December!) I cannot take painkillers.
On March 22nd I will hear the results from my MRI for the right shoulder, on which I landed...
Just have been praying for strength!
Got another sweet lady from our Church helping me out with ordening things and doing laundry.
ANGELS and I must accept this as I'm really floored—literally!
And now this video and our Exodus from Pennsylvania, USA to Italy
Don't forget to click on closed caption...
One of Pieter's Campbell colleagues was so gracious for taking us into his home for a couple of weeks while our furniture and cars were on the Ocean, headed for the Port of Genua, Italy.
See post below about: Dog Shit and POLICE
We also flew to Miami, using our Delta Airlines miles and visiting sweet friend Natacha.
You can read about that adventure below from a previous post.
We also returned our rental car and flew via Chicago to San Diego on United Airlines frequent flyer miles. Visiting another sweet friend who is born in Vietnam.
Pieter was flying most of the time for Campbell and he then took the shuttle to the airport, no rental car needed.
On February 17, we had a farewell dinner from Campbell's with the staff.
On the 22nd we went together to the Italian Consulate.
On February 23, 1989 Aron took this photo as we were about to depart for the airport...
Pieter took this from our host couple with me...
~
And on the 23rd our Exodus from the USA.
Sadly the REASON that we HAD to move—or else—to be closer to the Division Office was a farce.
In all of four months, Pieter went 26 times to the Division Office either from our home in Shillington, Pennsylvania or from Wilmington Delaware—didn't make ANY sense.
But here comes the most INCREDIBLE PART:
Boscov's Business Travel arranged our tickets—round trip! As that is far cheaper than one–way.
With TWA from Philadelphia to New York City
But see MY INCREDIBLE ROUNDTRIP TICKET FROM NYC/KENNEDY TO BRUSSELS FOR $ 17.85
From New York City with Sabena Airlines to Brussels in Belgium which was only a good hour away from my Parents'
So there we left, checking in 5 pieces of luggage.
Mom & Dad would have their 40th Wedding Anniversary on the 25th and that was our reason—nobody knew we'd already shipped everything across the ocean for starting a job in Italy...
Little did we know that the containers would be stuck in the Port of Genua, Italy—due to strike!
Read that story here below—our life never has been boring...
Looking so forward for having this Bed–Backrest for use on the bed, delivered tomorrow...
