August 9 - 12

     Not much happening at the Locklin house.   On Friday we had more rain.  On Saturday, Amy and I went to walk.  She had a pain in her ankle so she was finished before I even started walking.  Walked 3.4 miles. Knees felt so good that I even tried jogging just to see if I could. Later in the day we made our weekly trip to Walmart.  

     On Sunday we went to church then out to lunch with Go-go (Amy's mom) and G-mama (my mom).  Those names were given to them by my son, Jason, when he was a little boy.  Go-go got her name because she was always on the go, never staying home during the day.  G-mama was short for grandmother.  After lunch was the Sunday afternoon nap, followed by church again. 

     On Monday I slept late.  By the time I got up Amy had finished her 3 mile walk.  We had a tire leaking air so I went to town to have it fixed.  After running a couple of other errands I went to the park to walk. As long as I am up and moving I am pain free.  I walked in the hottest part of the day and did 7  laps which was 4 miles.  By the time I got home and cleaned up it was time to go out to eat with the Sunday School class.  Afterwards we went to the church for dessert and a meeting.  By the time I got home my knees were swelling and hurting. 

     Today I was a total bum.  Legs hurt all day.  Slept most of the morning away.  Iced my knees.  Basically did nothing. I walked around the garden trying to exercise my legs but after sitting awhile I can hardly get up again.  I noticed some fluid on one knee in one spot. I may need to go back to the doctor about that. Hoping it will go away on it's own.   Sitting on my reclining sectional is the most comfortable and that is all I've done today.  

     Tomorrow the plumber comes to connect us to the county water system.  He will need to lay about 500 ft of pipe.  He will also disconnect my pressure tank and put a faucet on it.  That way I can use the spring water for watering and washing outside the house.  Hopefully he can complete it in one day. 

Will know tomorrow. 

August 8

If I thought I was sore on Thursday, I was mistaken.  I could barely move yesterday.  Muscles were so sore that it was a pain to move at all.  Had nothing to do with the knees, but more to do with helping lay sod at the church.  I was helping unload three pallets of grass.  More physical labor than I have done in the last 6 months.  Every muscle in my body aches.  I think this is a good day to lay around and work my puzzle.  I somehow got enough energy to pull some weeds out of the garden and pick a few peas, but that was it for the day.  I decided to go walk, but the weather decided I needed to stay home.  This was the first rain I have had at my house in the last month.  My garden really needed it, but I don't think we got enough rain to saturate the ground.  Maybe we will get more rain soon.  We need one of those all day slow and steady rain.  But this time of the year the rain usually comes with threat of severe thunder storms.  There was a lot of thunder and lightening with this shower.  Now I really have a good excuse to work my puzzle.

Happy Birthday to ME!

Thursday, Aug. 7 - My birthday.  Not that it matters, but I am 65 years old.  When I got out of bed this morning I could hardly walk.  Not a knee problem, but I guess between walking and working in the garden I stretched some muscles that I had not used before.  Well, I decided not to do anything that required walking until the afternoon.  I started working a jigsaw puzzle, which is a great way to waste time.  By late afternoon I was headed to the church to help lay sod around the playgrounds.  As long as I was moving everything was fine.  Once I stopped to rest, the muscles would tighten up and it would take a few minutes to get moving again.  When I got home my wife had fixed my favorite meal, hamburger steak and french fries.  After supper I continued working on my puzzle and rode my bike.  All in all a pretty good day.

August 6

     Wednesday, Aug 6.  For some odd reason my wife wanted to go walking almost as soon as I got out of bed.  So, being the wonderful husband I am, I agreed.  I did not even get a cup of coffee before we left the house.  I ended up walking 3.4 miles.  My knees were fine and only a little pain in the leg muscles rather than the knees.  After returning home I did get to finish my cup of coffee, in fact, my wife fixed a big breakfast.  Maybe there is something I can learn from this.  Walk then big breakfast.  Sounds like a deal to me.
     After breakfast I headed to the garden to pick some butter peas.  After about an hour in 97 degree temperature.  I gave up and came in for a shower.  I had been called to give blood at a blood drive at the Coosa Valley Electric building.  I thought it was the least I could do since I know my sister used 2 to 3 pints each time she was in the hospital.  Even though I had an appointment it took nearly 2 hours before I was finished.  It took 3 different people to decide where to stick me.  I knew they were going to have trouble because I experience the same thing when I get my A1C test.  I got home just in time to swap cars with my wife and head to church.  After prayer meeting, I headed to Walmart for entertainment, no, really for bird food.  By the time I got home it was 9:30 and my legs had begun to swell some and I was in a little discomfort.  I resorted to the ice bags and went to bed.
 

August 5

     I seem to be falling behind on my blog.  On Tuesday, Aug 5, we headed to Birmingham.  After shopping at Costco, we met up with Amy's brother and sister, her mother and two other friends for lunch.  We had planned to eat at a deli at the Summit, but it was so crowded that we ended up at a Stir Fry place next door. The food was very good, even though my mother-in-law did not think so.  It could be that with all the choices on the menu she ordered tacos.  I will definitely eat there again.
     When we got home the county had just finished setting the water meter.  In doing so they dug up a pipe marker that showed where my property line was located.  I will now have to find the other markers and use a tape measure to relocate that property line.  The other boundaries have markers, but that corner was the only one that I knew exactly where it was.  Now I will have to hunt through the woods to find the other ones.  I may be able to wait until someone is interested in the house next door.  They may have the property surveyed to find their property lines.  If so, they will locate two corners for my property and make hunting those markers easy.  Due to the price and the fact that it is a short sale, it may be empty for a long time before someone buys it. At one time I had an option to purchase all the land around me, but I could not afford to do so.  I would like about 5 more acres so I can add a chicken coup and raise my own eggs.  If I do get one I will probably have to get another wife.  Amy refuses to have chickens in her yard.  I think the jury is still out on that idea but we will have to wait a while on that plan.  Maybe I can catch her at a weak moment and she will say yes.  Who knows, it just might happen.

Forty-one years and counting

     Monday, August 4 - Today is our wedding anniversary.  We have been married for 41 years.  I guess we have lasted this long because Amy is the only person that would put up with me.  41 years ago I peeked through a door to the sanctuary of the First Baptist Church and saw that the church was filled.  At that point all I could think about was what if I dropped the ring.  I was so nervous that my knees were shaking.  Dr. T.M. Hamby, just as cool, calm, and sophisticated as ever, reassured me by saying if I dropped it he would pick it up.  I then glanced toward the side door and thought, its not to late to run.  But instead of running I married the love of my life.  I still remember most of that day.  In spite of hiding my car at the hospital, someone squeeled and my friends really messed it up good.  We drove through Wadley and stopped at a gas station to get it washed.  It was messed up so bad that the guy washed it for free.  Supper was at the hamburger joint there in Wadley.  Honeymoon was at Disney World, with a few stops along the way.  One was at Silver Springs, glass bottom boats to see the fish, and another was an Aligator Farm.  My wife loved those (yeah right).  All this traveling in a Volkswagon beetle with no air conditioning.  I can still she her long hair blowing in the wind.  It has not always been an easy road, but we have weathered the storms together, raised three kids, who now have families of their own.  We are very proud of each one and love them as much as we love each other.  Tonight we celebrated by eating at Longhorn's in Oxford and stopping by the bookstore.  We will really celebrate next month at the beach, but for now this would have to do.  I think we are beginning to act like old folks.(Oh no!!!)  All in all it was a good day.

Recovery Update

     The past week has been a blur.  On Wednesday, July 30, I cut the grass in our yard.  I used Map My Walk to see how far I walked while mowing.  The distance was 2.6 miles.  Knees were feeling great.
     On Thursday I met with several people concerning projects that are ongoing at my house.  New heat pumps were installed on the 29th.  Energy efficient windows will be installed mid August, and the adding of more insulation to the attic and floors. These will be installed soon.
     For the last 37 years our water has come from a natural spring on my neighbor's property.  Of course I have had water rights.  Included is the right to build and maintain a structure to cover the spring.  I have not needed to do this because originally we knocked the bottom out of a grease trap then placed it in the spring to act as an enclosed 250 gallon reservoir.  Water filled in from the bottom and was pumped out a hole in the top to my pressure tank.  I have not had this water tested in the last 15 years.  I am sure it would test contaminated.  A couple of years ago my neighbors decided to clean out around the spring, removing all the bushes and trees around the spring.  I supposed this was so they could see the spring better.  The end result - whenever it rains now my water is muddy.  Now the house is vacant and up for sale.  I could build a structure to cover the spring, but that would detract from the way their house looks.  Not knowing if the next neighbors would be protective of the spring, I decided this is the best time to connect to the county water lines.  I will still use the spring water from a faucet at my house, but will disconnect it from the rest of the plumbing.  I will then use it for watering my garden, washing the car, and as an extra water source.  So, I met with a plumber who will do the install from the meter to the house to find the best location for the meter.  This will be installed next week.
     My knees were swollen due to mowing, and by Thursday night after visitation at the funeral home, then to mom's house for supper, then to the airport to pick up Katy, I was experiencing some discomfort.  I applied ice bags.
     On Friday, we celebrated the life of my sister.  This was held at the First Baptist Church and the church was packed.  If you were to rate funerals from one to ten with ten being the "best", this would have been a 15.  A lot of the things that my sister had done for others behind the scenes were brought out by the officiating ministers in the services.  After the services, at the church and at the cemetery, all guests were invited back to the church for a meal.  By the time I got home late Friday night, my knees were swollen again.  More ice and ibuprofen.
     Saturday was spent visiting with my kids at their grandmothers, Go-Go and G-mama.  This was another long day.  My wife took Katy to the airport in Birmingham for her flight back to Chantilly, Virginia, and we visited the cemetery.  The flowers had not wilted and were really pretty.
     Sunday, August 3, was literally a real day of rest.  Amy took Emily to the airport in Atlanta for her flight back to San Antonio, while I attended church.  Sitting, sleeping, and doing nothing provided much needed rest.  Knees were feeling fine.