Vintage Metal Bench on the Fall Porch

I finally have some pics of the front porch and the "new/old" bench dressed for Fall.

It's taken me long enough, if I'd waited much longer we could go straight to Christmas!

I'd been looking for something for the front porch since before we moved in, just hadn't found the right thing. I wanted a bench, but I knew it would need to be narrow and not something that contrasted too much with the dark brick and front door. Finally I found this piece here in town and knew right away this would work. I think it's a train depot wooden bench or something along those lines. Then it had been "married" to an old iron bed foot board. Just what the space needed.

I gave the wooden slats a wash in charcoal latex paint just to even up

some of the color differences due to sanding.

We have a bicycle "chain" around it to make sure it doesn't wander off.

I kept it pretty simple out front this year. I wasn't up to dragging out big ol' concrete urns, even though they would have been pretty.

My door basket has some colorful leaves and spikey things added to the Hydrangeas;

pretty basic Fall Basket. Easy has been my decorating theme this Fall.

I think I may have used the same ribbon combo as last year.

orange plaid wired ribbon, and some burlap with orange glittered leaves.

I found the old beat up fishing creel not long ago,

but it works for outside with just some faux flowers and leaves.

That's my vintage Pendleton blanket 

that always makes an appearance in the Fall Decor.

The courtyard is pretty basic with the concrete container

and some gold mums.

The birdbath still gets a lot of use this time of year,

I have to refill it almost every day.

I haven't shared the latest in a "Health Update" for awhile. I left off with having had cervical spine CT Scans and x-rays that showed I had scoliosis and arthritis in my neck. yay. I've been taking a new type of pain pill that has helped alot. I've been on it about 6 weeks I guess and it has taken the edge off the migraines and dizziness. They are still here, but a little better, and then a few weeks ago I started having pain in my ears. Not like an earache, but shooting pains from the back of my neck to my inner ear. The PA said let's do an MRI, which I knew at some point would probably need to be done. Let's just say that was like opening Pandora's Box and all the nasty little surprises started flying out.

I'd never had an MRI and if you haven't had one, I'll tell you that was like an hour of being in Hell. literally. Having a constant migraine and then all that noise just about sent me over the edge. You cannot escape the deafening mind jarring noise and vibrations that engulf and pulverize your brain. I held on to the "panic buzzer" and prayed...to get out of there with my sanity. (not sure if that actually happened.)

They did the head and neck, and the head films showed I'd had a lot of "micro bleeds" which are tiny strokes from uncontrolled high blood pressure. They didn't know how long they had been there, (I'm guessing the heart procedure in May) but they are there. Then the neck films looked like I'd been in some kind of massive trauma; a car wreck or bar room brawl where I got the living daylights beat out of me... the scariest was that it showed some kind of mass that was pushing the nerve root on C4 and C5. They didn't say what it was, only that something was there causing problems. Then had to wait for a Spine dr. and a Neurogurgeon to see me. Spine dr. sent me to Physical Therapy where one small push on the wrong place sent me to the ceiling with stabbing pain in my eye. ok, so much for PT. I won't be doing that again for awhile...

Then finally got in with a Neurosurgeon who said the mass was a bone spur that probably needed to be surgically removed, but so sorry, they can't do that if you have to take blood thinners. They can't even do a cervical nerve block if you're on blood thinners so that was pretty disheartening. The more we talked he said that actually my pain was from my occipital nerves in my neck and head. Even with all the messed up stuff in my spine, my symptoms of Migraines and Dizziness were from nerves running to my brain from my neck. Now I'm waiting to go back to the Spine dr. for hopefully a cortisone shot to bring down the inflammation of the nerves there. I guess "occipital neuralgia" is pretty uncommon. Of all the people who suffer from daily "Chronic Migraines" less than 1% is from occipital neuralgia. So here I am, waiting for some kind of relief from a dang cortisone shot. I'm trusting God to deal with all this, because not much seems to be working from a medical standpoint. I keep running into shut doors and doctors who won't (can't) do anything since I've had bloodclots in the past. It's a good thing the pain pills are helping. I know when things look impossible that God shows up, so it's time for that to happen.

I think things got crazy with my neck, (dizziness and headaches) when I found out I had a Hiatal Hernia and started sleeping elevated. I think my head was bending at an unnatural angle most of the night, hence all the fun of the migraines and dizziness. So, things will get better now that I know what the source of the pain actually is. Thanks for hanging in there and caring, and for your prayers. Like I've said before, if what I go through can help someone else, then that's a positive in all this.  

I've already decided that Christmas decor is going to be low-key this year. Some greenery, some ribbon, and a big dose of being grateful for God's hand on me throughout all this. Good news is that my new cholesterol drug got my numbers from 277 to 207 in a month, (still way too high) so I'm believing for even better results this next test! 

love you guys,

xoxo,

sharing here:

Sundays at Home at Love of Home

Amaze Me Monday at Dwellings

The Scoop at Stone Gable 

Merry Monday at Twelve On Main

Met Monday at Between Naps on the Porch

Inspire Me Tuesday at A Stroll Thru Life

Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style

Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage

Share Your Style at Peeking Thru the Sunflowers

Foodie Friday at Rattlebridge Farm

Inspiration Gallery at Craftberry Bush