September - A Look Ahead

I have been waiting for this month. I want the summer of 2009 behind me. Close the door and forget about it! Onward!

This is a month for more healing and strengthening of my left knee. The doctor and physical therapist say that the swelling will gradually reduce through the rest of the year. The intensity of pain has gone down another notch lately, thank goodness. I still wonder when it will quit hurting completely and it no longer begs for constant attention. (It is more of a pest than that furball rabbit sidekick, Marty!) My leg feels more stable since the manipulation procedure last month. My walking stride is improving too.

Earlier this week, I achieved the magic range of motion target of 120 degrees! I had another follow-up visit with the doctor, and he is pleased with my progress. Hubby and I also resumed our membership at a local fitness center, and workouts at the fitness center will supplement a reduced schedule of physical therapy sessions. Stairs and uneven ground remain as my primary challenges in the future. So the saga continues.

We are looking forward to getting a new mattress set delivered at the end of this week, and a new, shorter bed in a couple of weeks. Hooray! We also plan to refinish the top of our oak breakfast table sometime this month. We will do a distressed painted finish, but we haven’t decided yet on the color – perhaps a chocolate brown or a dark barn red. Any suggestions?

The pin oaks near the front porch have already jumped the gun on the fall season and started to shed some leaves. And the dogwood leaves are beginning to change colors. This has been the wettest summer that we can ever remember. So we wish the grass would get the message about starting into the fall season early too! The life of the vegetable garden has come to an end, and hubby will be tilling it all under soon. Cooler temperatures have arrived this week, and the air conditioner is getting a nice rest.

We had a few house showings during August, but nothing panned out. With the current state of affairs in this country, we don’t expect the economy to improve for years to come. That lessens the possibility of selling any time soon and getting on with all of our retirement dreams. We’ll continue to offer our homestead on the market until a buyer comes along.

We do not have any trips planned in the foreseeable future since I am still on the mend. But our minds are actively on journeys as we both learn more about our photo editing programs and savor our digital image souvenirs. And 2010 is right around the corner, waiting for new traveling adventures!