Phillip Sherwood

I really appreciate all that everyone’s done to help with things around the house. Everything keeps getting better and closer to meeting my vision every day. Tonight will be my first night back at the gym since my surgery but I found a local company on Angie’s List from the internet and there was a local company that looked like they could handle Home Automation so I gave them a call. They happened to be in South Huntsville after work so I came home to meet with them for what ended up being a couple of hours. I will be contracting them to setup my Security Systems (Alarm, Sensors, Cameras, etc), and integrating the Lighting Control and HVAC to begin with. Later I’ll add other features like the indoor gas fireplace, irrigation system, emergency water shutoff valve to the house and more goodies. Everything will be controllable and programmable on-line via the computer and/or my iTouch.

My right leg continues to be swollen however it is not as bad as when I began these lethal doses of blood thinners. I meet with my new local doctor this week who will take over monitoring this from the VA in Augusta, GA. Although I’ve had no more night sweats since moving into my new house strangely enough, I do find the backs of my legs are damp when I wake in the morning from laying on my back. My quivering clonus spasms still act up at times (especially when I’m in the shower) and my pain is doing much better, I will only need to tweak up the dosage drip rate a very small fraction on my next follow-up at the pain clinic so I’m just about where I need to be in feeling as comfortable as possible. I’m sleeping well only not enough it feels like when the alarm goes off and I have to find the strength to get myself up then out of bed. I’m not sure which of the two parts is more difficult than the other. I think if I get some automatic blinds I can control remotely from the bed, that will help some. Next I’ll have to find a way to integrate it into the rest of the home automation.

My little kitten Jack is really keeping me as entertained as he busy with his antics. He now likes to climb up the back of my wheelchair like a little commando and slip into my backpack and sleep. The other day I was about to leave the house when to my surprise I reached back and felt a warm and fuzzy fur ball. The other night I was curled up on the couch at night with my nice thick handmade blanket from Ecuador watching a movie and drinking a glass of wine just enjoying the evening. When the movie ended and I turned the overhead lights (remotely), I found my wheelchair had drifted away from the couch slowly during the movie without my noticing. This took some serious problem-solving to fetch it back like I eventually did. Next time I need to set the parking brake!  Last week I finally bought a nice new cherry executive desk for my office and retired my two filing cabinets and a piece of countertop that I’d been using “temporarily” since 1992. I was sad to see it go but this new desk is huge and fits all my stuff in it nicely allowing me to keep the top relatively clear and clean. Tonight I think I’m going to hit the sack early so adios.