We say good-bye to January 2018

The January calendar that I made for my siblings

I am almost ready to head over to the courts as we have a home match today.  MAYBE we can win 1 or 2 courts today.  So far we are 1 of 6 which is nothing to brag about but it has not been as bad as the numbers look.   A perfect day for tennis with temp at 70, sunny skies and not much of a wind.
I now have a count down to when I can put weight on my leg, 26 days and counting.  I will NOT be on the court then but maybe able to through the walker away--I am hoping.

January 2018, almost history

There is not a whole lot to say.  I am getting around fairly well, one leg at a time.  There are 2 PT sessions a week so that takes up a bit of time.  I am now into doing some PT at home although the PT is a bit limited until things heal more.  PT will pick up a bit the third week of February.  I do drive over to the tennis courts a couple times a week in the morning for an hour or so.  I am not a good spectator so sometimes the time is kind of short.
Our neighbor John came over last night for a time.  He is usually out and about doing something most days so when he comes home to an empty home in the late afternoon that is still hard.  He came over about 5:00 and stayed for about an hour and a half.
Terry and I have been eating leftovers after going out to eat three times in 36 hours.  Our usual mode of operation is eating out once a month or so.
We have our third tennis match tomorrow and it is at home.  I will go over and watch to see how the pairings I chose work out.  I thought this match may be against one of the lower teams but I see that they have won 4 of 6 matches so I think I am wrong.
Terry went into Walmart yesterday to get some items to help me exercise at home so perhaps I need to sign off and see how my new toys work!
I put my FP in my Yeti cup this morning so it is still warm.

Kind of busy

John and Audrey went winter camping over MLK weekend.  Looks like it was fun!
Not sure John can keep Audrey out of the winter camping BW much longer!

We have been about as busy as one can be hopping around on one foot!
First my tennis team as I sit and watch them😠.  We took one of three courts last week and 0 of 3 yesterday.  Actually we played better yesterday and court #1 lost in a match tie breaker.  Some very good tennis was played.  I have hopes for at least 2 courts next week but we will see.
Some of the Bindes came Tuesday for about a 4 hour visit.  They arrived just in time for a 11:30 boat ride and then we enjoyed lunch at the club.  I think that may have been the first time eating at the club in the last 3 or 4 years.  We saw a pair of dolphins on the boat AND we saw the pelicans doing a feeding frenzy  as they dive bombed time and time again for fish.  Terry has been here for almost 20 years and that is only the second time she has seen that.  FUN!!  Dale and Deb are in the middle of BIG  time changes in their life as Dale is on oxygen 24/7 and a big dose too.  As we drove over to the boat, took the ride and then ate at the club he carried along 2 tanks of air.
I got my bandages off the incision Monday and that was good.  Doc said things look good, I just need to be careful to follow instructions which I am perfect at!!!  Really he said things should be good but there are times surgery does not work out.  We always need to be sure we do everything we can to make it a success which for me means NO weight on the left leg for 42 days.  I only have 26 days to go and then I can ease into using that leg.  By that time my upper arms may look like Popeye!  And if you believe that**********.
I am doing PT twice a week.  Most of the weeks it is Monday and Friday but this week it is Monday and Thursday.
As I watched my team the last 2 Wednesdays my expectations may have been lowered a bit!  Regardless of how things turn out the competition will be fun and most of the players at the end of the season will be stronger than at the start.
As I look at the calendar I see where one week from today will be February.  My goodness how time seems to hasten by.

A day long waited for

The wait has been long and interesting!

• I started playing tennis in 2011 and after a short time developed tennis elbow so I quit for the winter
• In 2012 after about a month I pulled a calf muscle and had to sit out
• In 2013 I finally realized that there was no chance that I would be asked to be on a team so I started my own.  I got hurt again
• In 2014 my team seemed to be OK but I was short of players.  In February I broke my right wrist falling on the court.
• 2015 things seem to be looking up but my team struggled.  We did add some players
• 2016, that was going to be the year but injuries hurt us and the team, even though there were glimpses of good play on the team it sorely lacked bodies and skill
• 2017 was the year.  Starting in the fall we won all our matches and did the same in the winter.  AND we had too many players.  I guess a winner draws winners!
• 2018 we are there.  We have divided the team and now sport a 3.0 team which should say we are better than ever.  TODAY we play our first 3.0 winter match, something I have waited for since a long time ago.  
• So what am I doing?  Sitting on the side lines watching which I am not very good at.  BUT it is what it is so I will make out the lineup, bring the snacks, drinks and balls and cheer the guys on.  AND hope they do well.  So many of the guys have really worked hard to improve so it will be fun to see what happens today.  We did not do well in the fall but I could certainly see signs of good things ahead.  Today will start our new story.

I had a tough day yesterday.  My incision bothered me a lot so I took pills and slept much of the day.  I think it is better today.  I will make it over to the courts but not sure I will be up for the whole match.  Sitting is painful and moving around is not all that easy.  We will see.  

Even though I am sitting watching life go by I am thankful for so many things.  Life is good.

Almost 3 days out from surgery

This brace keeps my leg at that angle for the next 5/6 weeks!

So the world continues to turn and be fine without my help!  Of course I am not surprised.  Terry is taking great care of me and I am taking advantage of those pain meds which have the added benefit of allowing me to sleep more.
I talked to Mary S yesterday and she filled me in on brother-in-law Dale's health so compared to his health, my hammy is nothing.
As I write here in Naples I see COLD has descended on much of the US again.  Lake Park -14, Cayuga -8, Jamestown -14 and St. Paul -7.  It looks like many places will begin to see some improvement by mid week.  No comment on what it is here.
I am hoping to  get over to the courts next Wednesday as that is our first winter league match.  Until then I think I will sit/lie tight here at home.  I do feel that today I am a bit better.  It is hard to get up and sit as the incision is long and on my "sitting area!!!" but today it does not hurt so much.  I just remembered that I can not take a bath until that darn brace is off in 5 weeks so I may be confined to home as the air around me may not be so pleasant!  Well I guess there is such things as spit baths but I remember Mom using that to put our unruly hair in place so "spit" does not have a pleasant place in my memory.
No I am getting a bit light headed so will make a slow bee line to the  bed again.

It is what it is

We visited my Dr. yesterday and got a lesson in how to read an MRI.  The black going up the leg is the hamstring muscle and it attaches to the pelvic bone here which is round.  IF there is white that is fluid.  On my left leg there is a pool of white about 3 cm between the pelvic bone and the black!  That of course means that the muscle is NOT attached where it is supposed to be.
Terry and I head to downtown Naples at 7:30 this morning and will spend the day at NCH hospital.  At 11:30 I will have surgery and it will last about 60-90 minutes.  I should be home by the end of the day.  The rehab is about 6 months.  I could cry or be mad or be depressed but I think about a friend Del who had blood on the brain last year (he is ok now) and then I say to myself a torn ham is not the worst?
Not much else today.  No FP this morning, no breakfast this morning AND for sure no tennis until next fall.
The weather looks pretty good for everyone.  Madison and South Bend take the low prize at 25 and Naples takes the high prize at 64.
Can't mention FP as it will have to wait for another day.

Big Day Ahead

Here I am staring at January 8th and wondering what the day will bring and what I should do with it? First I will bike to the fitness center and do some leg and upper body exercises.  I really desire to get my chiseled body back where it was when I was in my 60s😰.  One thing I have never been accused of is being unrealistic!!!  Well maybe I should back track and really tell it like it is.  I want to eliminate about 15 pounds of fat!  There I said it and I am realistic.  Will it happen?  YES!!!  Before I go any farther I want to brag some.  Day 6 of this "healthy way to eat" has passed and I have cheated NONE.  For me that is a tsunami event in my life.  When a person is in their 70s and something personal happens for the first time I guess bragging is OK.  Today, day seven, will be the same, I think.
Now for the really big stuff.  My Dr. apt is at 3:00 and I will find out what he has to say about that leg.  I am assuming he will say it looks good but I could use some PT.  IF he says otherwise I will have some decisions to make.  Will I question his smarts?  Will I decide to pout for a week?  Will I ask to see the MRI and say it looks good to me?  Will I tell him he is crazy?  Maybe I will point out that the MRI is wrong.  Will I break out in tears and play on emotion until he relents and says I can play tennis?  Will I blame Terry? (that is a stretch as I know)  Will I just run out of the office and go home?  Will I hang my head and say God doesn't love me any more?  Well as one can see it is a big decision IF the news is bad.  I will wait until my apt to make a decision.  Oh, I guess I could stand up and say it is what it is and what do I need to do?  For some reason that sounds terrible to me.
The national college football championship is on TV tonight.  I may be able to convince Terry to watch it with me as her daughter and family live in Georgia, we will see.
I looked at the weather on my phone this morning and things are looking up.  Everyone is in the 20s and 30s mostly and Mesa wins today with a temp of 55.  Judi and John may get out for a walk before they go to socialize with friends.  I still think of my conversation with someone in Terry's family when we found out he flew copters with John.  His biggest story was the footlocker John had under his bed with, guess what?  And I think they were flying copters at night!  He said John was a really nice guy!
Our neighbor John came down yesterday from his home in Toronto.  He said it could turn out to be the coldest in the last 100 years there.  He looked pretty happy as he stood in the Florida sunshine on his driveway.
No, the last half cup of FP is cold and I am out of wisdom for the day.  I guess I should say I am out of words and forget about the wisdom part.

Amazing

Flowers as you walk into the tennis pro shop

This is what was amazing.  It was so chilly this morning that the coffee machine served ice coffee!!! REALLY

This too was amazing.  Nobody on the courts.  You will not see this again for a few months.

Not much today.  We are well into the 5th day of this Whole30 eating habit.  I have not cheated once and that is amazing as my self discipline is so so so bad.
I downloaded the winter tennis league schedule which came out late last night.  Not a big thing except it is always fun to see who, when and where we are playing.  We have 5 home and 5 away matches and we did get into the division with 8 teams so there are no bye weeks.  That is the good news but the not so good news is we are in the same division as last years champs and I feel they are at least as good this year!  Well not a big deal as this season will be a season of seeing where our skills match up with other teams and IF we end up with a 500 W/L record I will be delighted.  If we end up kind of like the fall I will NOT be so delighted!!!
Terry and I will be kind of busy with Dr. appt tomorrow with mine being the last of the three.  I will find out the results of the MRI and I HAD BETTER BE HAPPY.
Our temp today is supposed to get up to 69 and then for the next 5 days be in the 70s so no complaints.  I have the weather on my phone from Sandy, Mesa, Cayuga, South Bend, Madison, Holiday Island, St. Paul, Rapid City and Jamestown and we win today, Hey!  I realize that is not so much to brag about as we spend our time in SW Florida where gas is high, restaurants have waiting lines and traffic is a big time problem so why not take the time to brag about the weather instead of complain about other things!
As we enter into the first full week of 2018 I hope and pray that everyone is well and warm.
I am currently reading Tom Hanks book Uncommon Type and I would say it is a worthwhile read.
The FP did a double header today so I am FULL of coffee for the day.

I have changed my mind!

Awhile back I mentioned that I had hoped Terry would attend the wine festival in Naples this year because they are auctioning off a one of a kind Rolls Royce that is purple etc.  It will only go for  pocket change ($1,000,000+ is my guess) and I was sure Terry could come up with the money.  Well I asked brother Dave and he said he could contribute $.35 but I have not seen it yet so I am changing my mind and going for something bigger and better.  Mercedes-Benz is going to make 275 editions of a new AMG Project One car.  It will have 1,000 hp and perhaps some other goodies too!  (My Dad would be happy that it is not a V6) Most are spoken for but I am guessing if Terry makes some connections and speaks as if she is still an active state senator from MN she may be able to reserve one.  I am deflated as I just spoke to her and she informed me IF she pretended to still be active she would get NO $.  I know the price is a bit steep, only $2,700,000 but again she may be able to get some relatives to kick in some.  Well she will need to get about $2,699,950 in contributions but she has until almost the end of the month so I will talk to her about it.  I am hoping it will be a birthday to remember.  I may even get brother Dave to up his $.35 to $1.00 or more (and promise it before the end of January!) if I promise to give him a ride this summer.  I can see Terry and I now, driving down I94 towards Jamestown with that AMG Project One and the teardrop camper in tow!!!  I think, with 1,000 hp, towing the camper should be a breeze.
Well no word from the Dr. on that darn leg but I now forget it is hurt so I am guessing that on Monday PM after my Dr. appt things will be a go.  I can now feel the adrenaline flowing as I get out on the court and hit that serve at least 45 mph!  If I get it up to 70 mph it may not be such a liability but time will tell.  I am thinking about putting some blue tape on each side of the court about a foot in from the lines and telling the opponent that we have new lines.  That way I will not have to run as much.  The problem will be taking up the tape and moving it every 2 games as my opponent does not need that!  The only other choice I could think of was getting younger and some how I ruled that out. I may ask friends if they have ideas as I am sure they, too, do not know how to get younger.  I have said it before but I still do not understand how, at an age of decline, those muscle, which seem to diminish with age, still insist that they stretch when they are not supposed to.  I should add that I am most delighted that they did not break.
I am on day 5 of that "eating healthy" way and still on track to lose weight and be more healthy but not enjoy anything I eat!  Not really I miss my bread and cheese but it may be better to miss my belly!
No more FP this morning, no more ideas.

Winding down week ONE

As we approach the end of week one of 2018 we also are looking at the end of a cool weather front in Naples.  I have NO complaints but over the last few days we have seen highs in the low 60s and a low, yesterday morning, of 38.  I realize that weather like that is NOT a reason to complain but it is rather unusual for Naples.  As I walked down the driveway this morning at 4:30 to retrieve the paper the yard people had covered the red flowers on the front lawn.  By Sunday we should see temps in the 70s again.
I will ride my bike over to the tennis courts this morning to watch some of my team play on two courts.  It has been frustrating and disappointing to sit on the sidelines and watch over the last 3+ weeks.  I had hoped to get results of my Tuesday MRI yesterday but as of this morning I have not heard.  I have a follow up appt Monday but I had hoped to get on the court by today.  My leg feels fine but I suppose it is better to be safe than sorry.  Our league starts Wednesday, January 17th and even though I had figured to put myself on court 2 I may sit out the first week.  With 12 players on the team I feel I have 8-10 players who should be able to compete and have a chance to win at the level we play at.  There are some that I need to pair with a much better player as they could not carry a match if paired with an equal.  My leg, it really feels fine and I am thinking that I may not even need PT.
After doing that Whole30 eating plan for about 3 weeks in November Terry and I stopped but now have picked it up in January again.  We will see how it goes.  It really is a very healthy way to eat but darn it I miss that bread and dairy products.  I mean what is wrong with cheese in your omelet?  We may add those in as time goes on.  And yes I do miss that bottle/can of craft beer in the late afternoon!!!
This darn lame left leg does have some good coming out of it.  I have been able to sit and read books more than usual.  Terry and I have been making weekly trips to the library to get books and it is fun to be able to sit, relax and read as much as one wants.
I would say as we start 2018 things are fine.  Terry's foot is getting better and I have now gone almost 2 years without a shot in my back so that is good.  We are hoping to get in our last 3 national parks this year.  Aaron and Amy gave us a great book on American Samoa which only makes us want to get there soon!  We may look into that trip this winter to get an idea of cost etc.  It would entail visiting 3 islands in Hawaii as well as flying to American Samoa because when we go I also want to take in Pearl Harbor as well.  With that amount of travel we may need to use the help of a travel agency but we will see.
I have been up since 4:30 (what the heck I could get a paper route!) and have finished my eggs, potatoes and bacon and now the last sip of FP is gone so I am finished for the morning.

Happy New Year

Terry and I spent the early part of New Years Eve at the Naples pier watching fireworks.  We were lucky to get a very close parking space near where we wanted to watch.  Still we were about 18 blocks from the show which was over the water out from the pier.  I am guessing there was 10s of thousands of people on the beach.  We arrived home about 8:45 and then walked over a few doors to a friend who had invited us over.  She had another couple over as well.  We arrived home about 10:30 and hit the sack about 30 minutes later.  Our moa is to set our clock ahead a few hours on New Years Eve and then go to bed about 10!!!
Today was nothing special.  We did order a delicious pizza and enjoyed that.  We also watched some movies on Netflix.   As I write I have one of the college games on and Terry is watching a movie on her phone.
We are looking forward to 2018.  We hope and pray that it will be a good year.  We are above the grass so it should be good, right?
I have my MRI scheduled for 9:00 PM tomorrow and am hoping to find out the results on Wednesday so I can get out on the courts again.
So much for now as it is late evening so NO FP now.