PHOTO--Rosie's Tent April 2012

PHOTO--Rosie in Repose May 2012

DAY 2 AT REHAB

I let a few days slip by without journalizing, so I'm setting up my "recall" button, and hoping for the best.

My OT therapist Char laughed when I asked her how many years she had been doing this…."since 1965"….and five years past her retirement…she missed it too much…and still guides recovering folks like me to tying our shoes and getting out of bed, etc. On Day 2, we practiced my "sitting pretty" as I land my tush (gratefully) on any nearby chair. I tended to "plop" abruptly, landing with an oomph and small scream of pain and gratitude that I was off my feet. But thanks to Char, I am now sitting pretty and with style…or at the very least, without the violent drop landing.

Weighing In!

So, an incredible time since my last entry…which is typical for sporadic me. Life is going well. Today is Father's Day, and I celebrate my two sons, Matt and Jeff, who are wonderful, loving fathers to Rosie (Matt's) and Jake and Bella (Jeff's). It is an immeasurable joy to watch my sons "in action"—from changing diapers to playing peekaboo to giving baths to singing silly songs to all the loving and fun moments that fill up their days, and the days of their beautiful children, my grandchildren. And I recover from my double knee replacement surgery last November (11-11-11), and try to work out on the NuStep machine five days per week—prodded by the fast music throbbing in my ears. I have found the tempo of "Footloose" to be a great tempo to keep "stepping" and pedalling. That I have found ANYTHING to get me moving is a miracle. Now to the eating portion of my health regimen…that's going in fits and starts. I gained 30 pounds since my Bariatric Surgery in April, 2005, and I am not doing my knees, my arthritic body, or my ever-present ego any favors by NOT losing these pounds again. I have discovered a pleasant way to "tweak" my daily intake—less food, some wine! Take in a glass of wine in the evening, with my book reading (my ritual before-I-get-sleepy) practice. The point is to just drink, and not eat at this time. And the wine should be a reward for working out regularly that week..30 to 40 minutes, five days a week. I put a perky reward sticker on my calendar on these proud workout days—a suggestion from my adorable granddaughter Rosie who is an expert in calendar reward stickers. The method is working SOMEWHAT, but somewhat is better than before. And somehow, when I walk into Teddy Liquor's, my friendly neighborhood liquor store, I feel strangely "at home"….like I do when I walk into a Target store….like I have NEVER felt when I've walked into a Costco store. I pay close attention to these intuitive feelings—they are strong, and part of my reality, my daily wandering through this lovely life I am still tweaking and inventing as I go along, even as a I approach my 71st (OUCH) birthday.