Reclaiming My Lifestyle

It was foggy this morning, perfect for getting outside to tackle the neglected garden. I love having my family visit, but when they are gone I also like to get my life back to normal. With the house work done it was time to move outside. We worked for four solid hours this morning, dead heading roses and perennials, edging the lawn, weeding and grooming. It's not all done, but we got most of it caught up. Then before going in for a late lunch, I picked fresh flowers for the house.

I love the luxuriant bouquets I can make with my dahlias.

The sweet peas took their time coming, but now a bouquet on the kitchen table brightens the area and perfumes the house.

A single lily along with the dahlias in the bathroom adds a lovely fragrance.

The lilies are blooming, so I should have a supply of single blossoms to pick plus a display in the garden.

The roses are sparse now that the first blush is over. By deadheading I hope to get repeat blooming.

The edges are trim again.

A clematis is adding color to the butterfly bush as its flowers fade. I do wish those beautiful, fragrant blooms lasted longer. So do the bees and butterflies.

Hardy fuchsias are blooming, shown here with Chinese astilbe.

And it's hydrangea time!

The heavy heads of Annabelle didn't like the rain, but they're springing back up.

Tom's petunia basket in the front window is doing well.

The orange and hot pink impatiens along the patio brighten the shade most of the day, getting sun only on late afternoon.

Today I went through my photos from June and the last two weeks and ordered prints of some online from Costco. I'll pick them up tomorrow. I have a retired teacher lunch next week, and I need my "bring and brag" photos.

I also ordered more mysteries from Amazon yesterday. They were shipped today. In the meantime I'm catching up on back issues of Time and Newsweek. I'm wearing my new walking shoes, which are really Nike running shoes, in the house to break them in. I'll switch to then for aerobic walking when I can get back to that. I have also re-established my exercise routine, those I learned through physical therapy. They include calf stretching which should help my heal pain. And I'm icing four or more times a day. Hopefully that, and time, will help.

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And I'm eating the ice cream, one sundae at a time. Tom is helping.

When Pain Follows Pleasure

I had a great time with my kids and grand kids while they were here. We played games, went places, saw things, spent time together. I have had to restrict my activities with them more than ever before. It pains me that I can no longer chase them or lift them or play soccer with them. Isaac asks, "Why can't you run, Grandma?" A seven year old doesn't understand aging or arthritis. One pleasure I did not completely fore go was walking barefoot on the beach. How can you play in the creek or wade in the surf or dabble in tide pools with shoes on? And these are not firm and even surfaces. So now I am paying. I have all kinds of foot problems, so many I will not bother to go into them, but one I always battle and try to keep at bay is plantar fasciitis. To keep it under control I never go barefoot and always wear supportive shoes with arch supports. So of course, as a result of playing on the beach, I now have severe heel pain in my right foot. I got out my Group Health Healthwise Handbook to see what homecare I should be employing now that the kids are gone. I should reduce all weight-bearing activities to a pain-free level. That means not walking on it. Hmmm. Not possible when I'm cleaning house, repairing the garden and shopping for groceries. I can apply an ice pack to my heel when I'm sitting. I'm doing that and it feels good. I have ordered a new set of arch supports, since my current ones are several years old. I suppose it's time to break in a new pair of walking shoes, since the book recommends replacing athletic shoes every few months because the padding wears out. I do have a new pair in the closet. I am already taking naproxen every day. I guess I should get back to my stretching exercises, especially stretching calf muscles. The book recommends that you do not return to "high-impact activity" until you have been pain free for one week. Am I ever "pain free"? I would assume that means aerobic walking. Of course the best thing is to carry less weight around. Now that all of the company is gone, I was really going to work on that, and start building up those daily steps again along with watching my food intake. Now I can't do the walking. And I still have ice cream in the house. And the weather is turning hot again. What a pain.

Week II-Part 2: Fun In Seattle

After our week on the Oregon Coast and our three days on Whidbey Island, it was time to stay home and participate in the fun of Seafair in Seattle. So Friday morning found us heading out early for a spot on the shore of Lake Washington, where we would set up "camp" for a day of hydroplane time trials and air show practice. Saturday and Sunday the real races take place and there is an entry fee, but Friday is free and still there is plenty of action. We arrived before the crowds and had time to check out the vintage hydros.

LEGO had a big hands on display this year. We checked it out while they were setting up, and came back later to look, play, and build. Floaters, boaters and fliers abound on the lake.

Mini-hydro action takes place on the beach.

An air show takes place over the lake when the boats are out of the water. Oracle is an amazing stunt plane.

We went back to the display booths, and Irene did a little flying of her own,

while Isaac went with his mom and dad on a pit tour to get up close to the boats and drivers.

Later there was autograph signing by the boat drivers. Irene thought Hydro Lites driver Kayleigh Perkins was "beautiful in her driver suit".

There was time to just sit around, play, read, watch.

The rooster tail of the fastest boat on the water.

Action in the pits - a hydro is being lowered into the water.

By 1:00 the shore was filling up in anticipation of a performance by the Navy Blue Angels.

Mini-air shows were happening too.

And there they are, flying low over the pits.

I caught this osprey, which was fishing over the lake, taking off from a temporary perch. Just part of the show.

Seafair veterans like we are just love the roar of these powerful jets.

We headed home after the airshow, in mid-afternoon. Jill went out with an old high school friend and the rest of us had a simple meal with grilled brats and hot dogs.

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Saturday was rainy. The kids played indoors, I went once again to the grocery store, and and we all enjoyed an indoor picnic of spare ribs. Jake joined us, and stayed overnight for an early start the next morning, and Tom's sister Jan came too.

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Sunday Jill, Corey and Jake left very early, in drizzle, for the lake, to get "their spot" on the shore for race day.

They hammed it up a bit for Corey's pics.

The drizzle let up and it was a pleasant day.

Meanwhile Tom and I and the kids watched on TV from the comfort of home. We kept track of the races, played, read and rested up, because in the evening we were all heading for Qwest Field and a Seattle Sounders match. -

Jill, Corey and Jake went directly from the races. We caught the light rail about 6:00.

We all met up in Occidental Park for the March to the Match.

Irene finds Jake.

At the stadium we stopped to listen to the band, Sound Wave, play.

We were kind of spread out, what with Jake's old seats in the north end, Tom and my tickets and the extra tickets I bought also in various sections of the north end

and Jill joining Jake in the raucous Emerald City Supporter section in the south end. Jill rejoined us for the second half. Scarves Up!

We all had fun, although keeping Irene occupied can be a handful. Her dad and then her mom got the duty this time so I actually got the watch the match. And a great match it was, too, with a win over Huston 2-0.

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Monday we began to wind down. There was laundry to do, a few errands to run, and a tea party lunch to prepare and enjoy. Then we began the packing up and putting away. That done, Jake joined us and we all went out to dinner at Azteca.

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Jill, Corey and the kids were up at 4:00 this morning in order to make their 6:15 flight back to Denver and finally home to Fort Morgan. Tom drove them to the airport, and I got up to see them off. Then, of course, we couldn't get back to sleep.

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They are now back home. Corey reports that everything made it fine except Irene's suitcase, which went to Florida. Jill reports that she is happy to be back in 90 degree sunshine.

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Tom and I are tackling the job of reclaiming the house. The sheets and towels are almost done. The bathrooms are cleaned. We'll get to dusting and vacuuming tomorrow, along with another run to the grocery store. Tom is getting the lawn mowed and we have some repairs to make in our neglected garden. We will take it somewhat slowly, as we have an unscheduled week ahead of us and have plenty of time.

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And the work helps to overcome the sense of loss at suddenly having an empty house.