Knock Knock

The posts are becoming less and less interesting for folks to read.  No photos, no great truths just words.  Words as I work through the recovery of a torn muscle in the back of my leg.  Guess I am just being a whiner.  The leg that is having issues is the one that had the knee replacement in 2016.  While the knee has worked great since the replacement the muscles, tendons and ligaments have never really settled down.  Most days there would be just slight discomfort when lifting that leg and moving to the side.  The movement one makes climbing into the passenger side of a car is an example of the movement.

As I continued to push for the 10,000 steps on a daily basis, the discomfort was more frequent.  But I did not stop.  I did pull back to just 3 miles a day walking.  That helped but that sudden shooting pain that left me yelling for Hubby to help me back to the chair was the final blow.  The leg had been warning me that something needed to change.  As usual I had ignored it.  Now seven weeks later I am still fighting through recovery.  I did not go slowly enough with activity over the weekend and now I am back to where I was about 3 weeks ago in discomfort level.  What a pain, literally.  Very limited stairs.  Just enough to watch #3 grandson play football.

BTW, speaking of grandchildren, three of the five are 'sidelined' this fall.  Granddaughter received a head butt during her second soccer game.  This has resulted in a third concussion.  She is still having headaches.   Oldest grandson, #1, has a hernia and is awaiting surgery.  No cross country running nor lacrosse for him.  Next grandson, #2, first had a hairline wrist fracture so no football for 3 weeks.  Then a cracked rib took him out for the season.  That just leaves #3 and #4 grandsons uninjured.  Not a great fall for the FAB family athletes.

Let's look at some positives for a bit.  Hubby's brother, his only sibling, arrives tomorrow for a few days.  Hubby has tickets for a local live music show for us to attend on Thursday.  Wednesday evening will be pizza with the FAB family.  This will be the first time they have met this great uncle.  I have not been informed what Friday and Saturday will bring but I am sure it will be fun.   Maybe watch bats fly out from under a bridge.  Old people are easily entertained.  Whatever happens, I'll be sure to pack my camera to get a few shots for the blog.

In the meantime, y'all take care.  I'll update you with all the activity as I get inspired to write.

Namaste,
Janice

In The Moment

Still recuperating from torn muscle and chronic IT band syndrome.  Had been doing really well then made a choice that set the recovery back several days.  Going down stairs will not be done again for a few months.  It felt in the moment that it was good and probably one flight would have been fine.  But no, I did 4 flights.  On two separate short walks in one day.  However .... as I was getting in bed and that discomfort in raising my leg to the side grabbed me, I knew in that moment stairs are out for a while.

There are other moments I can enjoy as I sit with the heating pad on my leg.  The beauty of the leaves on the trees as they prepare to die.  Will I give pleasure in my last moments of life when it comes time for me to die?  Mind you the leaves are not the beautiful gold, red, yellow nor orange.  Just a change to a more subtle grey-green.  Just enough difference of color to signal that life is fading.

In contrast to the grey green leaves across the street are the few zinnia blooms on the patio.  An occasional monarch butterfly comes to dine on the zinnia nectar.  Seldom do I glance up from reading that I do not see either white winged doves, cowbirds, shiny crows, bluejays, and multiple varieties of sparrows just outside the door.  These are the moments I enjoy living in these days.  These calm moments instead of the machine gun effect of political moments.

Here is hoping you can find the moments of quite and calm to enjoy during this season of changes. 

Namaste,
Janice

Working Better

A few days after Harvey visited Texas like a bad visitor we had to move our dresser out of the bedroom.  Used our little glides under the feet and were moving along quite nicely till we hit the fifth leg.  I was pushing to I gave an extra big shove and thought, hmmmm.  We finished getting things our of the way so the carpet padding could be replaced and the carpet cleaned.  Later that day I stood up to go walk.  Two steps later a shooting, stabbing pain in the back of my leg left me calling for Hubby to help me back to my chair.

That was about 6 weeks ago and I have been icing, heating and rolling that leg ever since.  Instead of walking 8,700 average steps per day for the week of Harvey's visit, the average is 1750 for an entire month.   There were about 3 weeks where the average per day count was under 400 steps.  Part of the time I had to use a walker as the leg was not hold me securely. 

Now, I am here, today.  And the last few days.  I am walking as many as 900 steps with little to no discomfort.  I will have to maintain a very slow pace to get back to the 8K average.  Today I believe it will happen eventually.  Of course that means a series of stretches twice daily.  Continued heating of the tendons and rolling to get the 'kinks' out and patience.  Patience to not walk too much too quickly.  Patience with my body and mind.  Patience is not my strong point but then neither was walking two years ago.

One of the best things about not being able to move about much was to sit and watch as a Monarch butterfly sipped on the zinnias I planted last spring.  Zinnias that had to be transplanted when the landscaping was redone in July.  Zinnias that looked withered in the 100 degree days of late July, August and into September.  But they survived and have served their purpose.  Now I must just continue to work at it, too.  Hopefully to serve a purpose for which I was planted.

History

How will the next few months be seen in history?  Will it be a nuclear winter?  The year all the Confederate statues were removed to museums?  The year the neo-nazi's took over the US government?  Or will it be how more hurricanes ravaged the islands in the Caribbean?  How earthquakes and fires ravaged California and Mexico.  Only time will tell.  Of course there seem to be plenty of political fodder to keep us all either busy fighting on Facebook or just plainly closing our minds.

After a day of EOs rescinding more progress made to help the poor and needy of our nation I am just in total shock.  I am worn down by the gun owners having the need for more guns.  I have no funds to donate to the Puerto Rico recovery.  A voice to speak to representatives is drowned out by roar of people chanting archaic slogans.  Why would I want the south to rise again?  Yes, I am worn down and not ready to fight another battle.

I mean how can I continue to fight so many of my friends and relatives?  I do not want a fight.  I would prefer discussions with give and take.  But I am tired of being the one that seems to give.  With this in mind I was thinking about why we wish to use such an old fashioned method for protection.  Surely there is a better way to protect ourselves than old fashioned walls and guns?  Surely there is something positive in having birth control available at affordable prices?  How can those simple things be so difficult?  But they are.

A statement was made to hubby just one week ago by a devout conservative Christian.  "These young girls just dress in a way that tempts men and then they complain".  So how shall we dress? In hijabs?  Evil, selfish men will men will accost and rape not just grown women but children and men.  Why?  Because off the way a person dresses?  Shall we now discuss the rape of elderly women in nursing homes.  Stupid, sexy old woman lying in a gown with an adult diaper just tempting those men.  Poor, defenseless men.

Guess we better let them have all the guns, walls, and pregnant barefoot women they need.  After all we would all still be in Eden were it not for Eve and that delicious apple.