What Goes Up Must Come Down

Last night as I watched the richest team in MLB and a winner of 106 games out of a 162 regular season games, blow a lead in the 8th inning due to some poor managerial decisions ... the pain in my hip and groin returned. It felt better to walk around the house, instead of sitting in a chair with my 4" memory foam pad. Confusion rang loud but it was not about what the LA manager was doing ... it rang loud because my leg/hip did a 360° turn giving me the chance to experience more pain than I wanted.

I had already taken my second and final dose of Ibuprofen and Tylenol X-Strength. I take that dose every 12 hours. So I picked up the booklet they gave me at the hospital the night before surgery and re-read the sections on post op rehab.

It was disheartening in a way.

"Early on, you will see fairly rapid improvements. Your progress may slow after the first two weeks, but don't get discouraged ... this is normal !!!"

Then it dawned on me that I will never run again. I'm not a runner and around here the only way I would run would be turning myself into a jogger and that was not going to happen. I only ran back in Indiana when the bloodhounds would take off running after deer and out of my line of sight. So it's not really a big deal but there was something to think about when seeing the word "never again" in my mind ... Running is listed under "Avoid Higher-Impact Exercise"

I quit going to the "Hippie" forum because of all the horror stories and negativity where hip replacement surgery did not work out well for some people. I never went there that much anyway, just to ask a question and seeing my list of answers. Reading some of the comments or posts from others that continue to have problems with their hip made me feel very very fortunate with a little pain from time to time.

Maybe it was a sign to pay attention to with this new kind of pain. Or was it when I get a text from that friend that was going to come over and set up my bike on an indoor trainer (in garage), attached to the back wheel where it spins with magnetic resistance while I ride. He forgot about coming over and let me know about start of the bottom of the 10th inning in LA.

He will be by this morning to mount the bike on the trainer but the way I feel this morning after taking the meds and just a little coffee, riding anywhere seems like nothing but a rumor. Where yesterday riding a bike indoors to start my comeback, seemed as close as a couple of weeks away after my surgeons approval on the 22nd, last night made me wonder if I will ever want to ride again.

How good I felt yesterday during the day, I felt just as bad last night and so far this morning.

It could be this hard form fitting seat cushion I have been sitting on. Amazon recommended it as did the 4,5000 + reviews. It might form fit to my butt but after a week of using it, it's hard as a rock. Did this play a role in new muscles becoming sore? I ordered my 3rd different seat cushion yesterday and it should get it tomorrow.

I don't forget that I did something yesterday for the first time in 31 days. First time for that bionic hip joint. I drove my car. I got into the drivers seat just like I was instructed and did in my neighbor's Jeep Liberty when he picked me up at the hospital, then two weeks later taking me to my follow-up doctors appointment. I slowly swung my legs and feet into the floorboard area. I got in and out of the car a total of 8 times ... was that 8 times too many even after doctor's approval to drive?

Maybe it was more total steps for the day than I normal take? I took less walks limiting my max time to 10 minutes and had most of my short walks ending after 5 minutes. I felt good after each walk. Like I said earlier ... it feels better to walk than sit in a chair past the 30 minute mark.

The key for healing the hip is no twisting, no bending past 90°, no sitting in a couch or soft chair where you "sink in" and your hips end up being lower than your knees. Always keep the hips higher than the knees even if it so slight.

Then again .... since the pain has stayed with me after a night of sleep, the mystery question has always been "What do I do in my sleep with that right leg and hip, that I am not suppose to do?" Is that what wakes me up in the middle of the night ... a sharp pain that disappears just as soon as I open my eyes? We'll never know will we unless I turn my iPhone into a video recorder with the lights off.  LOL

So I'll do a little walking this morning while I wait for the sun to rise. The hounds are back to sleep after the 4:30am wake up call to go outside. They begged to be fed at 4:30am when they came back inside but finally relented and head back to the dark bedroom for Heidi and the computer desk corner for Stella. They have a good two hour wait before kibble is served. It is hard to say no to wagging tails and sad eyes looking straight at you.

I am going to post this now, with no photos because I felt like writing about it right from the start day. Sometimes as a blogger you have an urge to write and publish a post even if it is not the regular time and no photos are involved.

I'll post again later tonight for those east of the Mississippi River or late afternoon for us in the West .... photos will be added and an update on how my day went. I have canceled my car trip for today (unless I start feeling better) and will spend more time walking and standing than sitting. I'll add more time laying in the prone position in bed today ... and see what kind of results I have.

I will still walk those short walks and I'll apply ice when needed. Ice seems to be my best friend through all of this or maybe a close second to coffee.

I am going to assume all the pain around that hip area and now up by my pelvis is nothing more than a sign that things are healing inside. I did a visual inspection and there is no swelling or discoloring of any kind. My hip bones are level which means my legs are the same length, and the right side looks as normal as the left side.

No matter how I feel it will still be a great day here in the Wild West ... seeing the mountains in about 45 minutes will make me feel that much better. Sitting in the sunshine later this morning will make me feel that much better. Seeing Heidi begging me for food ... lets me know she really is feeling good. Hearing Stella howl for food will make me laugh ... all things to help me forget the pain I feel.

I can't stop saying that I love where I live ... moving here was a life changing decision.

Our First Tarantula Sighting

Normal routine this morning at "oh dark thirty" when I hear a bloodhound whining so slightly I can't believe it woke me up. The longer I lay there making a decision to get up or not, the whining gets a little louder each time because she has seen me move. If my wrist moves the Apple Watch will light up ... Stella then knows that her first food of the day is just minutes away. That is all she wants, food.

I was happy she woke me up this morning because I was able to see soon after letting the hounds outside this amazing sunrise. I went back in the house to grab the Canon G97 and hoped to capture what my eyes were seeing. To wake up and see things like this happening every morning is pretty amazing and a great way to start the day.

If I lean forward or look around the corner of my patio wall ... I see the sun rising in the east. I wish that tree was not there.

I decided this morning since there would not be a school bus pulling into the neighborhood by 6:15am, that I'd have a cup of coffee this morning before Stella and I would take off for our daily walk just after sunrise. Remember those times where Sadie use to whine if we were not walking by what time ??? 8:00am ??? I don't think there is anyway I can sleep that late living here.

As the fog started to clear from the brain cells as the caffeine of SE Arizona's Arbuckle's coffee hitting all circuits, I could see my plan of the day taking form. I've been searching for just the right coffee lately as I have tired of Starbuck's and Seattle's Best Coffee. So I have a few different blends/companies to choose from in the cabinet. I'll not throw any of it out in the trash but I have checked off a few from my next coffee shopping list. It is almost easier anymore to order stuff from Amazon than making a trip to the store.

By late this afternoon the temps had warmed up and climbed out of the 70's. The hounds and I had a pretty uneventful day but at least I was able to buy groceries this morning and had them unloaded and put away by 7:30am. The only bad thing was, I needed a couple of non-food things from Walmart that Fry's Market would not have ... so I thought I'd make one trip for that and for groceries.

Bad choice.

I have a cart full of groceries, 30 million cashier lanes available, and the only lights turned on to let me know which lanes were open ... were the "self checking" lanes. I could feel my pulse rate increase just a little but it almost went off the charts as I moved through my stack of groceries ... scanning and bagging them. I guess all young cashier "monitors" see white or gray hair and instantly think we are all computer illiterates. When I heard the question "Are we doing okay" ... I tried my best to keep my mouth shut ... but you know me.

With 30 million cashier lanes available and all closed what else was I suppose to do?

I blurted out "you know if I wanted to be a (*##$^@&*@ cashier I would get a (*##$^@&*@ job !!!!" I guess she figured out I WAS doing okay checking out my groceries because she walked away. So the next time I will go BACK to Fry's Market and buy groceries in the early morning hours and then have the fastest checkout cashiers in the world (from my experience) scan and bag my groceries. I'll not have to do anything but load the moving counter and slide my debit card in the reader to pay. Plus they give you a discount on gas for the car based on how much I spend.  :)

The efforts to change policy about the new couch are still going strong. Heidi and Stella will not give up their vigilant efforts to get me to change my mind and let them on the couch or small loveseat. I did not measure the old leather couch before I moved so I am not sure but by the looks of the new couch as I sit in the middle ... it does not look as long as the old leather couch I use to share with the hounds since 2003. There is enough room for them ... barely.

When Stella begs for anything ranging from wanting my food, more of her food, cookies, candy, pizza crust, dog treats, ice cream, steak, chicken, .... ah ... you get the picture ... she almost closes her eyes and looks downward with a feeling of rejection. Still ... the policy is not going to change on this. I am looking at some options since friends I text hound photos to are making a lot of suggestions ... they think I am cruel. All ladies from our college years and all have dogs ... small dogs ... like 4 lb dogs. HUGE difference between a 4 lb dog living on a couch and a 85 lb dog living on the couch with a 45 lb roommate.

While I have been watching Reds baseball games usually between 4:10pm - 7:??pm almost every day ... I like to step out on the patio between innings and check out that crazy sky again. Sometimes I take more photos and depending on what is going in the game (Reds losing), I will pull up that ugly chair and sit outside and enjoy the sundown and the mountain views.

After their failed attempt last night to get me to change my mind, I walked back inside from one of those patio trips between innings and they had decided 71° with blowing wind coming through the open windows in the house was too cold for them. It was the first time I've seen them sleep side by side out here. You will notice the iPhone camera took a much more accurate picture of the rug compared to the bright colors the Canon G9X took the other day.

Yes our first tarantula.

With a big mystery. I saw it off to the right of the patio if I am looking out toward the fence. It's the area that Heidi usually pees in so I was happy I had checked the yard like I always do before letting the hounds out. I saw two strange things though when I keep staring at it from the patio. It wasn't moving and what was that strange black thing next to it ????

I slowly tiptoe'd toward it ... it didn't respond. I dropped a few of those small rocks on top of it and it broke apart as if were nothing but dust !!! Then I started looking at that small black stuff. It was something I had never seen in my house, my trash, or the yard. I have no idea where it came from. It looked like a black rubber chain of some sort.

Any ideas what would kill a tarantula ??  Where did that small black plastic/rubber chain come from?

Since I am basically obsessed with the sky that I can look at from the patio or the kitchen windows and the bedroom window, I thought I'd show you some of the different changes I witness from day to day. Some of these were taken before I returned to blogging. I am not sure if Blogger loaded them into any specific order. I really find it interesting to see all the different changes. I am positive these same type of changes occurred back in 'the tropics' but for some reason they were just not as dominant.

There is nothing like a wide open western sky.

With the weather forecast showing the rain has passed through, I have almost a week of sunny weather ahead this week. There will be a very good chance I'll be doing some local road trips this week after I return from my morning bike rides. I have a few trails I would like to hike also. It will be my first attempt at hiking in this area. I'll be sure take plenty of water with me if nothing else.

As I put this post together the hounds are in their normal blog writing positions ... Heidi sleeping in the corner of the room and Stella is sleeping pressed up behind my chair so I cannot slide it away from the desk. I can't move 85 lbs of dead weight, even one that snores a little.

It was a beautiful day here in the Wild West.