Still limping along

Looking at the date, I see it’s a bit over a week since I posted something. Somehow, I haven’t had anything that struck me as requiring my comment, even though there is much going on in the world.

The ankle and knee are healing, but it’s being a slo-o-ow process. I suspect I’m not helping speed it up. I try not to overdo, but the line between enough and too much is subtle, and I often don’t know that I’ve crossed it until too late. That’s unless I exert any lateral pressure on it, and I know the limits have been exceeded right away. So, I have to tiptoe around it.

I recall spraining an ankle before-several times-and it didn’t take this long to heal. Of course, I was in my 20s then. “Live fast, die young and leave a good-looking corpse” was the attitude a lot of us had. Now it’s “If I’d known I’d live this long I’d have taken better care of myself.” Kids, learn from my poor example.

I am managing to make some things happen. For example, I made a clean sweep in the annual 13 Colonies special event (a ham radio thing). I also got two of the three bonus stations. I couldn’t bag France. They were rarely on when I was, and I never saw them on digital, which was what I was doing this year. I would have tried them on SSB, but the one night I caught them on I really couldn’t make them out well enough to try. Thank you, Mr. Sun.

I also discovered that I’ve tuned my antenna so well for the digital modes that It’s almost useless for SSB (a voice mode). I’m going to have to look at things and see if I can fiddle the tuning enough to make it useable for both and accept a higher SWR ratio on the digital portions of the band. Perhaps I need to persuade Mrs. Freeholder that I need an additional antenna. Uh-huh.

On one of our less beastly days, I was able to get out and spray weed killer. That task had been getting under my skin as I watched my yard (it doesn’t qualify as a lawn) slowly expanding its reach into the planted areas. I managed most of the front yard, which took two gallons, at which point I figured out that I had overdone it. Back to babying the ankle for a day.

I’ve read a bit, trying to catch up on back issues of various magazines. I’ve also ordered a fair amount of various things we think we’ll need over the next year, plus things for the grandsquids. The kids came over and the young men help moved some furniture around. This completed the setup for my wife’s bedroom (we’re “sleep divorced“, she says) and it helps empty the bedroom that will become a nursery for the twins. Now we have to shop for furniture. Oh boy. It also empties a closet which I’m hoping to load up with food. Oh boy!

Our drought has been relieved by several afternoon thunderstorms plus a nice morning rain today. Of course, that means the grass will need to be mowed-by someone-when this stops mid-week. Son mowed it the last time. I want to give it a try, but I believe I’ll need help with the weed eating and blowing. For all I know, I may need help mowing. I will listen carefully to my body.

I’m also trying to honor my Primary Care Provider’s “request” that I start eating a low carb diet. She wanted me to go on an actual diabetic diet, and I looked at it. Good grief, if I eat that much, I’ll be a useless blob. “Fill your plate half-full of non-starchy vegetables, a quarter full of something with starch and quarter full of meat.” Since I started cutting back, I’ll normally eat a plate that is around a third meat and a third non-starchy veggies. Before the “request”, I was filling that extra third with starchy food. By nature, I only eat two meals a day and that diet had three meals plus snacks (another thing I’ve mostly cut out). I’ve discovered that a lot of my eating was just a bad habit. I get bored, I eat. Fixed that by buying some Altoids. Not the same as a handful of chips, but no carbs either. I do allow myself some carbs in the evening if that’s what’s set before me, and there are occasional “cheat days”, which I try very hard to hold to one a week. “Diet” is not going to be “Die with a ‘t'”, because I’ll never stay on it that way.

For me, I think the biggest issue with losing weight is my blasted feet. Neuropathy is real pain. And I do mean real. After I’m on my feet for a while, they hurt like the bejebus. I’ve asked, and the pain isn’t indicative of further damage, so I’ve started pushing on despite the pain, which works up to a point. Then I sprained my ankle, so no walking and minimal pain, but a loss of physical conditioning that’s worrisome. I see Doc Ortho Thursday, and I’m going to try and be a good boy until then, so he gets a good look at the situation. Given the forecast, I won’t be able to mow until Thursday anyway.

I’m also on another sort of diet-a diet from the continual gloom and doom of the prepping community. What ever happened to videos/posts that didn’t involve today’s events? Posts/videos on how to do something? They’re rarer than hen’s teeth lately, and that relentless drumbeat of doom is both tiresome and mentally unhealthy. I’m now limiting myself to no more than three exposures to doom porn each day, not to exceed 30 minutes. I’d like to hold it to two and twenty minutes, and I actually manage that most days. And I feel better mentally.

This will be a busy week, with four freaking doctors’ appointment scheduled. One of those is the yearly physical. One is the quarterly Botox inject-athon. One is the chiropractor and the last isDoc Ortho. I’m going to be out and about, and you’ll likely get a Report from the OP when that’s over.

That’s enough rambling. You folks keep safe.