Wednesday, August 31, 2016

done with therapy for now

I woke up early and did my first set of exercises, then cleaned up a bit then went back to sleep. When I got back up I did my weights and yoga, a load of wash and then I headed into town. I stopped and rode my bike for thirty minutes on the huckleberry near Merrimac, then I went and got all my supplies at Walmart, then had a nice lunch at Applebees before heading off to Total Motion. Dan worked me pretty hard but I had a lot more flexibility when I was done. He said I don’t have to come back until after I see Gardner. I had mixed feelings about that since I work harder with him than at home but it is a good sign that I don’t need another appointment right now. I drove into Radford and taught my 5 O’clock class (which went very well) and then took a nap and had dinner at Pizza Inn before heading to Tech for the second thirty minute ride. With that done I drove to Starbucks for coffee and an oatmeal raisin cookie.

Tuesday, August 30, 2016

second day of classes

My second day of teaching went pretty well although I have one big class that I hope won’t be hard to control. I have one student already from that class who might cause my some difficulty. I shall see. In the morning I did two sets of exercises, played half my piano tunes, and did my weights and yoga. Earlier I had taken a walk down to the big white pine but I never got there because half way down I ran into a fairly large black bear. I was of course startled and I said loudly, Hey, Hey and the bear ran off. It was very exciting. After teaching my second class, I went to play golf and shot a 44/41 (with a 7) so it was a very good day. I went to Bull and Bones for a half rack of ribs which were very good and then I took a quick nap and rode my bike for 30 minutes. The it was time for ice cream and coffee at Macados.

Monday, August 29, 2016

First day of class

Today, Monday, was my first day of classes and the one class I taught went well once it got going. I don’t think the students had really looked at the outline and the rules but I went through them carefully and I felt more comfortable as class progressed. It is a pretty small class (around 14) and that means a circle so that should keep students in line. Disruptive students can really mess up a class. My real work will start next week when the readings and journals start. I delivered my present to my kayaking friend and we are playing to go on Sunday. I am really looking forward to it. I saw Maddie and she was doing well. She said Cathy was sick again so I called her and left a message. I talked to Rob about sending Raechel a supportive email but he didn’t think it was going to do any good so I asked him just to wish her well for me. I did one and a half sets of exercises in the morning and my weights and yoga and after teaching I went for a 40 minute bike ride along the river. Very nice.

Sunday, August 28, 2016

Charlotte

I didn’t sleep well on Saturday night, so I ended up taking an otc sleeping pill and finally got back to sleep around 4. I got up at 8:30 and then went to breakfast and did my weights. I headed off to walk around the Fourth Ward, which was very nice, and then I went biking off of Mallard Creek Road. The front of my bike was making a lot of noise and when I got back to the truck I was able to find the problem, the front wheel had loosened up and after tightening the nut, all was well. After that I took a nap, then drove to Cedarbrook golf course near Elkin and had a lot of fun, shooting 46/44, the best I have ever done there. I got a message from Rob as I was finishing up and we agreed to have a walk at 6:15 and we did. I emailed my kayak friend and she is fine and we may go kayaking next weekend. I also heard from Claire and we are planning to get together on Friday and I am supposed to take Maddie and Claire to dinner and Kubo on Saturday. I did my lumosity training and my blog after a salad at Panera.

Saturday, August 27, 2016

a return to Charlotte

I slept pretty well, considering I got in about 12:30 from Kubo. I took a walk just past dawn down to my pine tree for the first time in a couple of weeks. Then I did my first set of exercises, went back to sleep for an hour, then decided to head down to Charlotte for the night. I stopped at the Foster’s Falls to ride my bike for a half hour, then drove through a lot of unpredicted rain to get to Charlotte around 5. I took a nap, rode the stationary bike for twenty minutes, did my weights and then headed out to downtown Charlotte and had a wonderful meal at Capitol Grill. The filet was very good, the brussel sprouts were amazing as were the crab and lobster cakes. I walked around a little then headed to the Wingate where I walked some more and did my lumosity and my blog.

Friday, August 26, 2016

the last days before a return to teaching

I had a very good Friday, starting with trimming all the weeds around the house, staining the railing, and installing the light in the back of the camper. Then it was time for my first set of exercises, then piano, weights and yoga, a nap, then a second set of exercises and 25 minutes of biking. I headed out to play golf around 3 and I played very well (42/46) even though my knee felt loose a couple of times. However, after I began walking very carefully on the course, there was no problem. After that I headed out to Big Stony and then drove out to the Potts Valley, stopping to ride my bike for 30 minutes. I do think my knee has recovered and that is really good news. I got the gift card for Dan and I ate at Panera, where I did my lumosity training and my blog.

Wednesday, August 24, 2016

A Pretty Rough Day

Today was not a great day. I hurt my knee pretty bad a couple of days ago moving boxes then playing golf and today it still was pretty sensitive even though I did one set of exercises in the morning. I did my piano playing but didn’t do the bike or weights or yoga. I drove in and picked up Maddie and had a good chat with her. I know she appreciates the rides and I enjoy talking with her. I did very little walking then drove home to rest and clean up a few more things including changing the hours on my office hours. Then I checked my blood pressure and it was way up (the lowest figure was in the 170s). I took my morning meds because I wasn’t sure I had this morning and then I drove into town to check my blood pressure and it was better (the low was 160 and 84). The pharmacist didn’t think it was too much of a concern but it did scare me. After that I drove to Panera for dinner and my lumosity training and sending my outlines and rules out. I iced my knee and I am going to go shopping when I leave. I think I cheered up my kayak friend with a very funny email.

Sunday, August 21, 2016

Visiting with the Voroses

I got a lot done in the last two days, Saturday and Sunday, and I am ready for a big Monday, including the move in at 10 and driving Maddie to Tech at 1. The washing machine was delivered and I have already done one wash with it and no smell to my clothing so the problem is solved. I got a three year warranty with it so that should be enough. I finished paining the radiators in the bath room and they look very fine. I have my truck almost completely loaded with stuff for tomorrow and I did a little more dusting and cleaning around the house. I checked the solar batteries (they were fine and #6 was at 1245, which is fine. I also put the hose on for the air conditioner and that will help the porch. Once I get all my stuff moved into my new office then I will try to finish cleaning up the extra bedroom. The most fun of the last three days was the visit of Laura and her parents. I have a lot of fun with her and she appreciates my humor and has a lot of fun making fun of me, which doesn’t bother me in the least. I am hoping to see her and her parents at Thanksgiving. I was able to ride my bike after visiting Gyorgyi and I then went to dinner and had a very good dinner of shrimp and scallops. Now I am having dessert and coffee at O’Charley’s which I did my lumosity training and my blog. My foot condition has cleared up and my butt irritation is almost completely gone but I am going to limit my riding for a few more days. Life is pretty good right now.

Thursday, August 18, 2016

A very solid Thursday

Thursday turned out to be a very good day. I did one set of exercises, played my piano, weights and yoga, 20 minutes of stationary biking and then showered and headed for my therapy session with Dan. That went well and I signed a copy of my Neversink book for Dan. I was going to give him a copy once I finally moved into my new office and I still will when the move occurs. I then went to play golf and played very well from the gold tees (43/45). Then it was time for a walk with Rob and we had a very good time catching up and I walked the full trail again. I then drove to Lowes and ordered my new washer and got the stuff for painting the radiators in the bathroom. Then it was time for O’Charley’s and lumosity and my blog. No word on the move into the new building so I guess it will be Monday at the earliest.

Tuesday, August 16, 2016

Finally a Tech Memorial poem

c I decided to go see Pete’s Dragon and it was a decent film, certainly not a great flick. After that, still having some energy, I picked up a cigar and some coffee and headed for the Tech Memorial to see if I could get a poem going and I did. It was a good one, I think, and I mailed it to my kayak friend : "Better safe than sorry," You wrote. Simply and sincerely And absolutely right. It is 12:30 AM and I am parked Right next to the Tech memorial, A place I like to sit by With a rare cigar And a cup of coffee, Listening to Adele's "Hello" And other songs, and I think Of the 32. I wonder If they thought about safety That morning. There were no rapids To paddle through, just mad Lead coming right at them In a few short hours. No, One was thinking of a few Buds After class, or a single kiss From someone just met, Or if the class was getting What was being taught. No Safety was there. They all exist Only in the fading thoughts of others, in their soft tears, and in the certainty of carved names in Hokie stone. It was very comforting to finish this poem, versions of which I have worked on a number of times. I got home at almost 2 and then watched some TV before dropping off. I woke early, went for a hike down to the big pine, went back and dropped off to sleep, waking around 11. I did my exercises, played piano, weights and yoga, then did a second set of exercises before showering and heading off for golf. I shot very well from the red tees (44/46) and talked to Rob a bit (his trip to Chicago with Noah was a big success) and then talked to Gloria and she is doing fine. I may get together with Claire on Friday but that depends on Gyorgyi. After a Sonic snack, I took a quick nap and then headed for Panera to have coffee and dessert and do my Lumosity and my blog. I am going to walk now and then maybe walk again later. My butt injury feels better and I may try biking tomorrow.

Monday, August 15, 2016

another day at home

I didn’t sleep that well and ended up taking an otc sleeping pill at about 5 and then when I woke up, it was almost 11, which is quite amazing. I will have to see Rob about how sleepy I am, especially now that the rouse is much cooler, around 74. At 5 I decided to put some stuff I wasn’t going to use (the seat for the bath tub, which I didn’t need, but may need if I have to have my other knee done, and some boxes and my walker). When I woke up at 11 I did one set of exercises, practiced my piano, did my weights and yoga, did another set of exercises, used the bleach in the washing machine but it didn’t do much good, and changed my bed linen. After showering, I drove into town, calling Toyota and the service guy telling me to drop by so they can reset the warning stuff. When I got in I put the shirts in the laundry and went to eat at China Inn. The shirts smelled fine so it seems to be either the machine or the water. More investigation will be needed. After I put the clothes in the dryer, I went for a 25 minute walk (I have a rash or an abrasion on my butt so I put some cortisone 10 on it and it is feeling better). No bike riding today or probably tomorrow. I will go for another walk and I may go see Pete’s dragon. My outlines and rules are all finished and Rosemary’s last email mentioned that it would be after Thursday when we might get in to our new offices. Still no desire to travel yet. I guess staying home isn’t too bad.

Sunday, August 14, 2016

another good day in the hollow

Another good day staying at home in my air conditioned house until the late afternoon. I treated the washing machine again and I will get some bleach to try to make it even better. I did two full sets of exercises, played all my piano songs, did my weights and yoga, and napped a couple of times. I also did some more cleaning and the house really looks good for a change. I had a wonderful time at dinner with Cathy yesterday and we talked for almost 4 hours. After leaving Cathy, I rode my bike for a half hour at Radford and that was fun. I talked to Gyorgyi today and she is too busy to have dinner right now but her brother Andrew is coming down with Sylvia and Laura. I am looking forward to seeing all of them especially Laura. I rode my bike at Tech this afternoon for over 40 minutes and I intend to ride one more time later. I am not sure if I should drive to Charlotte for a couple of days but I certainly don’t have a great need to do so. I am also surprised that I haven’t wanted to go fishing since I got back. I would have thought about golf today but I am going to rest my back another day.

Friday, August 12, 2016

back in gear

I woke up pretty early on Friday and went out to trim around the house so I will be ready to cut the grass when I need to. I then did my exercises, my piano playing, my weights and yoga, a little straightening up and then I did a quick treatment of the washing machine, brushing away some of the residue buildup on the outside and treating it with a cup of vinegar. I will do it better tonight with more time and more vinegar. I drove in for lunch with Claire at Red Lobster and had a very nice chat with her and then a decent walk. After that it was time for Dan and it was a decent time. I was down to 3 degrees so I was very happy about that. After Dan I took a quick nap, then played nine holes at the meadows, shooting a 48 from the reds, even though I started with 2 6s and had 2 7s later on (I put two balls in the water on the seventh hole, one where I often get a par). It was still fun even though it was very hot. I took another quick nap and then headed to Mill Mountain to finish my rules and outlines and do my lumosity training. Then it was time for a 40 minute bike ride at tech and off to Macado’s for dinner. Good to be home and getting back into my exercises and my piano. I am still considering a quick trip somewhere but I still am not sure where. The beach isn’t really my place and the mountains nearby are not too compelling.

Thursday, August 11, 2016

Back Home and Settling in

I got up Thursday morning at about 5 and decided to get to work clearing out the truck and starting to put things away. I got everything inside and filled up the low tires then did my exercises, did my yoga and weights, practiced most of my songs (for the first time in over two weeks), and did a laundry. There was a nap in there at some point and after watching some Olympic golf, I headed into town to get my bike fixed. Ian and company worked on it quite a bit and after a few final adjustments it was riding fine. I went for a half hour ride on the Huckleberry at Merrimac, then headed to Walmart to pick up some supplies, then it was off to Greens for a nice sushi dinner and my lumosity training, finishing the rules for the 2 sections of 200, then time for my blog. I am going to go for a bike ride on the tech campus and then home to put away some more stuff and watch the Olympics.

Wednesday, August 10, 2016

final western trip entry

This will be the final entry from the trip and things ended pretty well. I drove almost 500 miles yesterday, staying in a Comfort Inn just outside of Dayton. I had a delivered pizza for dinner and got to the motel just before an amazing storm started. I did my exercises well and treated my feet but stopped the ear antibiotic (I think it is back in shape). I had a hard time sleeping (I guess I was worried about returning home) so I took an OTC sleeping aid and slept till after 9. That meant I had to hurry and I did my exercises and my yoga quickly and was off in the pouring rain by a little past 10:30. It was hard driving for the first hour and a half but then it cleared and I rode my bike on a closed road, then on Paint Creek near Mahon, then on the Huckleberry at Merrimac. I headed to O’Charley’s for dinner (cedar plank salmon for a healthy meal) and did my lumosity training for the first time in a week or so and I am finishing my trip blog. I will pick up some supplies and head home shortly. Sam from Dodson treated the house so I should have no insect problems and there shouldn’t be any trees down since Sam was up there today. Overall it was a decent trip but as I got further from home I felt more and more vulnerable and more worn down. I should have just gone to Colorado and that would have been a much easier trip. Sleeping in my truck didn’t work out too well. Some nights were too hot and it was hard to get in and out with my recovering knee. I also couldn’t do my exercises correctly and showering in my bathing suit and tevas (to protect my feet from more athlete’s foot) got old quickly. I got rooms each night on the way back and that was very comfortable if a lot more expensive. I think the next time I want to get to the Canadian Rockies and Vancouver, I will take the train. Going to Mackinac Island was fine and going around Lake Superior was also reasonable. I just have to cut back on the very long trips.

Monday, August 8, 2016

a big change in plans

I got up early and headed for the badlands. It was almost midday when I got there but the scenery was impressive as always. I rode my bike for thirty minutes on a gravel road and that was fun. After that I drove to the Spearfish canyon and decided to get a fishing license just in case. The canyon was lovely and I got several hits on my spinning gear. I knew that the Sturgis rally was going on so I decided to drive to Sundance and stay at the only choice privileges property, a Rodeway Inn, not my favorite. I checked in and then went to the Longhorn Steakhouse and had an okay dinner of steak tips and shrimp. I had problems in the morning with the motel losing my check-in info and Rebecca, the front desk woman, was very rude. I had to check that I wasn’t double billed and before I found out Rebecca had run my number again. Fortunately I was only charged once and I was glad to leave that dump. I drove toward the Bighorns and decided to get a room up at Burgess Junction and I reserved one at the Arrowhead Lodge. I drove up to Ranchester and headed toward Burgess Junction, stopping try to fish a branch of the Tongue but when I got there it was much too small. I was a little nervous but as I approached Burgess I came across a tempting stretch of Prune creek. I stopped and was able to fish several tempting pools by walking along the creek. My knee felt fine and I had a lot of fun. I checked in and then went fishing again on a more secluded spot of Prune and I switched to my 4 wt and that was even more fun fishing several nice pools. It was still light when I got back to Arrowhead so I rode my bike for 30 minutes then ate the salad I purchased earlier. I got up to my room and settled in but my thigh started bothering me so I only did the ankle weights. It is always hard for me to sleep up in the Bighorns and with an aching leg it was impossible. I ended up taking 2 OTC sleeping pills and finally slept for a few hours. During that awful night I decided that it would be best to start back home. I would be very uncomfortable camping for the first two nights in Yellowstone (I wasn’t even sure I could get in the back of the truck) and I just felt very worn down. It was the right decision and at 7 in the morning after just the ankle weights I drove back toward Sheridan, taking several short naps along the way. I was thinking of going back to the Spearfish canyon but with all the motorcycles around I passed and drove on to the Badlands where I dropped into the park at exit 131 for a wonderful final view and some pictures, one of which I sent to my kayaking friend. I kept driving and finally decided to stop in Chamberlain, where I reserved a room at the Best Western. It was Sunday and there were no restaurants open past nine so I stopped at Al’s Oasis for a buffalo burger and salad. The motel was full of bikers but my room was fine and I was able to do more exercises though my thigh still hurt even though I had only done a few short walks all day. In the morning my thigh felt better and I did even more of my exercises and then started driving around 7. I stopped for naps and for a number of walks and I was even tempted to try out my bike but I decided to wait for tomorrow. I drove almost 600 miles and that means I should be home Wednesday with two 410 mile days. I am staying at the Comfort Inn in Coralville, just outside of Iowa City. For dinner I went to a Chinese buffet which was very good and inexpensive.

Monday, August 1, 2016

The first three days of my trip

I was up very early again, close to 4 and I got almost everything ready for the trip (and did a partial set of exercises) before I dropped back to sleep for a few minutes at about 5:30. I did not want to get up but I had to be at RU at 8 so I forced myself up with a cup of coffee and was able to leave by 7:10. No one showed up at my final (as I expected) and at 8:50 I was on my way to Mackinac Island, 715 miles away. I got a 30 minute ride in a Paint Creek near Mahan, then another 30 minute ride at a totally empty park. I took a walk in a Walmart for 20 minutes and then a final 20 minute ride at a motel complex in Sandusky, where I will be staying at the KOA there. I needed three quick naps to keep going and certainly getting up so early contributed to that. My blister is about the same but it doesn’t hurt so I am just going to let it run its course unless it gets worse. I got a response back from Dan Woods (he is no longer the editor) and he is pretty sure the new editor will use my pieces. I made it up to Mackinaw City in two days of pretty heavy driving, some napping, a bad night camping at a loud KOA in Sandusky, the a very good night at a Quality inn in Mackinaw City. I rode my bike a number of times, played golf and shot a 49 (playing with all my clubs), did my knee exercises morning and evening and overall got up here which was the point. My toe problem hasn’t gotten any better and I tried to go to a dermatologist but I don’t think I’ll find one till Winnepeg. Rob thinks I might have to get it biopsied if it doesn’t clear up. Monday turned out to be a very fine day. I did my exercises, had a nice breakfast at the Quality Inn, showered and got the 10 AM boat to Mackinac Island. It was a nice ride over and once I got there I rode the first five miles before taking a short break. So many wonderful bikes. I rode the last three miles and had a quick sub before getting on the 1 PM boat back to Mackinaw City. Then it was driving up to the Canadian border (no wait) and heading off to Wawa (where I am camping, with the night cool). I stopped for a 30 minute bike ride at Pancake Bay provincial park and then fished for 20 minutes at Mom Lake, with a few light hits but no fish. After registering at the campground, I drove into Wawa for dinner at the Wawa motel’s restaurant and had a very decent pickerel dinner (with just a few bones in the fish). There I sent a funny message to my kayak friend (who was having a tough day) and stopped for a cheese Danish and a small coffee at the Tim Horton’s. I am also going to start writing my FAR attachment for Rosemary.