Lets Post our Daily Exercise

Wonder - congratulations on your new granddaughter. Sorry to hear about the Afib, but happy that all is back to normal.

Congratulations Wonderland (although sorry for the afib and glad it is back to normal), just spent 20 minutes catching up on the three weeks I have been off this board and also off of any formal exercise just walking and running around. Busy time at school and had a business trip to DC.

Finally made it back to the gym on Monday and yesterday and will go to Tai Chi at lunchtime. If the exercise gods hold up, I will get to my regular 5 day a week to the gym for the first time in months….it is also 3 months to the day that my mom fell at home and went to the hospital ICU then Skilled nursing and now AL…coincidence? 😉

Got to the gym last night and will go today at lunchtime…yeah!!!

Ruth, enjoy your cruise, didn't realize there were Ches Bay cruises. TT

TT: Looks like the exercise gods are holding up! I know it feels good to get back to it.

Karen: I bet you're glad it's Friday since this was your first full week back after your surgery.

Ruth: You are in your element. You could probably get a job at the Museum of the American Revolution.

I haven't walked in a few days and I've eaten too much ice cream. Got a call from the insurance company that dh's mri was approved so he had it last night at 6! I've seen the results on his mychart and he definitely has a pinched nerve (which was very obvious based on his symptoms - but now it's documented). Pain meds and pt aren't cutting it so now we are waiting on an appointment with the Spine Clinic. He's ready to move on to the next treatment and so am I.

Handed out candy to the trick-or-treaters when we got home. Loved the costumes and the kids were all so polite.

My granddaughter went home from the hospital yesterday. I will be visiting very soon!

I "graduated" from PT on Friday after 5 weeks - now on a home program. Friday was 9 weeks since surgery. Other than some swelling that I'm told that can last 3-6 months, all is pretty good. I'm walking at my normal pace without pain. I'm living in my Saucony. I bought a second pair. I've worn running shoes more in the past 5 weeks that I've done in a year in the past. They are so, so comfy. Other than snow, I don't mind wearing them all the time. I'm heading up to Vail Thursday - Saturday for the annual CO school psych conference. I don't mind the cold, which it will be, I just hope there is no snow. I have to see if either pair of snow boots fit. Last year, they closed Vail Pass on Thursday afternoon due to snow conditions, so I had to wait over an hour, maybe two to leave to drive to Frisco where I will stay again, Wednesday and Thursday night. Friday I will stay at the Grand Hyatt, which have given us a great rate. People driving up Thursday were caught in the snow storm.

Meeting a gf for coffee this morning and then running errands. She is a teacher friend for many years. She taught for 50 years- 30 years teaching and 20 as a substitute.

Ruth - your trip sounds great

Wonder - have un meeting your gd. get lots of hugs and photos.

Have a great Sunday.

Lots of walking in Cambridge, Maryland, where we learned a lot about hometown hero, Harriet Tubman. I also took a ride on a Skipjack sailing boat. We are headed to the Naval Academy in Annapolis in a few minutes.

Love the pic of you on the boat, that is what sailing on the Bay in the deep fall looks like to me, we kept a sailboat on the bay for 20 years, lucky to be in a part of the country that you can boat year-round. You've hit all the great spots, love Annapolis and the Naval Academy.

Got to the gym yesterday lunch time and will go today after school.

Voted this morning — Ruth, hope you voted early! TT

Went to Tai Chi at lunchtime.

Heard a story on NPR last week that the practice of Tai Chi reduces falls in seniors by 50%! They said the movements (which are freqently small lunges in different direction with a variety of hand movements) simulate almost falling but then righting yourself…basically teaching your brain how to autocorrect if a "fall" starts to happen. One can only hope!

We are at 79 degrees, Nov 6 or Sept 6…who can tell? TT

TT: Your Tai Chi class sounds nice. Good information to know about its benefits with falling. Plus it's peaceful.

Ruth: Glad you're home and have started your things you have waiting for you when you return. Love the fish.

It appears dh has a ruptured disc in his back. He was given the options of epidural shots which are only temporary or surgery. He called today to let the doctor know he wants surgery. It may be early or mid December. He hurt his back in the middle of August. Insurance paid for a xray but denied a mri until he did PT. Finally he was able to get the mri last week. Meanwhile, a ruptured disc doesn't correct itself and he has been living with back pain and leg pain causes by a pinched nerve. This makes me so mad!

I raked leaves today for several hours. The large maple tree has lost about half her leaves but I raked up what had already fallen. This is a picture of our huge chestnut tree. My cat is surveying my work (only raked about a fourth of the leaves on the ground.) Please note how many more leaves are still on the tree. UGH! A lot!

That's really good to know about your father! Thanks for letting me know about his success. It eases my mind. I will make sure dh does his exercises.

Went to my Restorative Yoga class tonight, absolutely wonderful.

Love the fish picture Ruth, yes, so peaceful and calming of thoughts

Wonderland, I realized I haven't sent my congratulations and blessing to your family upon the arrival of your granddaughter, so wonderful, special, amazing…even today, so many complications with childbirth, it is a miracle when it all works out. Enjoy your new sweetest member of the family! TT

TT: Thank-you so much! She's captured my heart.

Karen: The snow storm was on the evening news. Be careful on your way home. You'll make the right decision on which day to travel. Our property is half an acre. The house is not that big so we have a lot of grass to mow and leaves to remove, mainly from 2 large trees. I can mow over the leaves from the smaller trees.

Ruth: We don't bag leaves (but I keep waiting for the city to decide to switch to that) so I have to haul all the leaves in the backyard to the front curb. With raking, hauling, and mowing leaves I had almost 15,000 steps today.

I raked leaves for 2 hours today. Then I got out my mower which I haven't used since the middle of August bc we hired someone to mow due to dh's back injury and mowed under the chestnut tree and other areas for 40 minutes. My plan is to mow leaves every couple of days instead of raking. We'll see how that goes!

Ruth: That was so nice of your neighbor. Saved you a lot of work. I rake the leaves onto a tarp and drag it to the front of the house by the curb. My arms get a good workout. There are so many more leaves on the chestnut that are still green. I'll be addressing them for a long time. I'll love for that book - I know already that it will make me cry.

Karen: Thinking of you and hope you got home safely if you were travelling today.

I met my dd for coffee this morning and then we ran a few errands. Walked in the late afternoon. Dh went with me to the grocery store. He was able to walk around using the cart but he did get tired. First time he had been to the grocery store since the middle of August.

I took this picture of my encore azaleas late in the afternoon so they are not in the sun. They bloom in spring, summer, and fall. I thought everyone would like a little bit of something pretty, especially after this week.

Lovely flowers! We are sadly past flower season here. I cut back my perennials yesterday, so it looks rather bleak around here.

Karen, drive safely tomorrow. Your weather is making the national news (never a good thing!).

I got spoiled from eating delicious food not made by me for a week, so it's been rather a chore making dinner two nights in a row! I am going through my trip pictures right now. It really was a wonderful, and very educational week. The neatest fellow passenger was a 91 year old lady who was as sharp as a whip. She had been a pediatrician (back when there were very few women doctors), and the mother of 5 (one being a patient whom she adopted after the baby was abandoned by her birth parents). After she retired, she went to Cambodia & set up health clinics there. Amazing!!

I walked yesterday & today. Also went to Zumba and will go to HIT.

A big shout out to all veterans!