Teddy Springfield
came to walk with me this morning. He is half of a wonderful partnership—the other
half is my Canadian daughter, Sue. Those two are so happily together it makes
your heart sing. Teddy is a fitness buff and a retired chiropractor, two things
that matter when I’m trying to learn to walk again. His strength is comforting—I
know he’s not going to let me fall. And his knowledge of body and bones is
helpful—he told me one evening recently that I had to hold my wrist stiff. He
could feel the bones popping, and I was going to have trouble with that wrist
if I didn’t change the way I held it. Since it’s my right wrist and essential
to typing, I can’t afford to have trouble with it. Holding the wrist stiff and
straight puts more pressure on my legs, which is good. Even I could tell that. Today,
when I said my back hurt, he said it was because I was using muscles I hadn’t
used in a long time. I’m going to ask him about that dreaded subject, spinal
stenosis.
We walked the
driveway to the point where it takes a sharp downward incline. Teddy was ready
to try the incline but I wasn’t. Still, it was a longer walk than I’m used to taking,
and I was tuckered when we got back to the cottage. The thing about Teddy is
that he’s also one of the most positive people I’ve ever met. As we walk he
utters soft words of encouragement, and when we got back, he was enthusiastic
about how well I’m doing.
I don’t want to
diminish the importance of the walking Jordan and Christian do with me, but
there’s a difference—Teddy comes specifically to walk. The kids try to fit it
into their busy schedules. Tonight, we had happy hour company—about 8:30, they
all left the cottage to retreat into the house, but I didn’t get my nightly
walk. Ideally, I’d like to walk twice a day—not on the walker, but holding on
to someone—that requires more effort on my part.
Chandry and Lee,
our guests tonight, brought wonderful snacks—cheese and apples, hummus and a
dip. My contribution was an egg dish that a treasured friend gave me years ago.
I never tried it because, well, I just wasn’t sure how it would work out. But I’m
experimenting these days, and I decided it was time to either try it or pitch
it. Tonight, I say it’s a keeper for sure. Essentially you hard-boil eggs and
then make a pesto of garlic and parsley, olive oil and a hint of vinegar to go over the sliced eggs.
Refrigerate. Delicious!
I also pickled
blackberries today. Who ever heard of pickled berries? Yet in one week I read
two recipes for them and decided I had to try. It was really so easy, and the
cool thing is you get blackberry vinegar as a result. I’ve refrigerated the
berries and vinegar separately but will make a marinated cucumber salad with
them for company later in the week. Cucumbers with blackberries? I’ll keep you
posted.
Yes, I did work on
my writing today, but not as much as I should.
2 comments:
In regard to your wrist, Judy get one of those wide leather bands meant for watches. They usually have a snap on them and fit over the wrist down by the hand. Some have a buckle so you can adjust the tightness. They are great, comfortable, and easy to put on and off. Back when I did a lot of bowling, I used one to keep my wrist straight. It worked. (Unfortunately, my game was still lousy!) Check with those cowboy stores and can probably find one.
Thanks, Randy. I'll look into it.
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