July - A Look Ahead

This month is all about my recovery and rehab from total knee replacement surgery. The procedure was a success, and hubby has been taking excellent care of me. I am thankful that everything went well in the operating room, and I did not need a transfusion of my blood. The hospital staff was not as fully attentive as I expected, but there were a few gems to help lighten the ordeal.

The rehab has been very painful. The pain medicine does very little from what I can tell. My knee is quite swollen and the skin is numb. I am making progress, but it is at a snail’s pace. I do therapy exercises several times a day and am going to my doctor’s therapy center. My staples, all 42 of them, will be removed on Wednesday this week. Everyone tells me that I am doing great. But I know that the cost of that achievement is a lot of pain. This was the part that I was dreading. I am trying to remain positive, but it is very difficult.

Our real lives are on hold, and everything centers around my rehab now. It is surreal. I’ll continue to post my routine progress and thoughts on Twitter. If I am not feeling upbeat and content, it is difficult to feel inspired enough to write a blog post.

The contingency contract on our property expired on my birthday, and the people did not renew it. They are discouraged that their house has not sold, so they gave up and took it off the market. They had two contingency contracts on it. I’ve never understood how someone can achieve their dreams by giving up, but we wish them nothing but the best. Perhaps they will change their minds later. Perhaps not. Life goes on. We have some other good prospects that are in the process of selling their properties. We’re in a marathon here, and we are most definitely not giving up on our dream to downsize and settle into a villa home.

The garden is producing summer squash and peppers so far. Hubby will be picking little cherry tomatoes and beans very soon. The daylilies are still in their glory, and I can’t help but smile when I see them outside the windows or on my way to the truck for physical therapy. From a distance, I see the sunflower plants standing tall. By the time they bloom, I hope that hubby can help me get out there to take a few pictures. We’ll see. I will be sitting out on the front porch when I feel up to it and watch the hummingbirds drink at the feeders. We’ve got some new nests in a couple of the bird houses (bluebird and wren), so more baby birds will start their lives here at our cottage.

I’m doing a little reading and watching more television than I want to. I have not felt like doing any needlework yet. It is difficult to do photography while using a granny walker, LOL, so that pastime is on hold. My life is incredibly dull and uninspiring right at the moment. Your continued patience and good thoughts are appreciated. I hope to feel up to visiting some of you soon, with the laptop balanced on half of my lap. I miss you, my friends!