Hustle and bustle!

Two weeks from today I will be in a post-surgery painkiller fog, waking up from what’s sure to be an uncomfortable night’s sleep.  It’s been nearly 6 months that I’ve been dealing with my hip injury so needless to say I’m ready for the surgery!  Even still, the last couple weeks I’ve spent trying to squeeze in every last thing I need to do ahead of time to make my recovery less stressful.

                In an unusual demonstration of “nesting” behavior, I decided to remodel the downstairs family room.  This room had been underused to say the least.  (Actually, it was pretty much just a dumping ground for random junk and lousy furniture).  Since this room is on the bottom floor, I thought it would be a good room to spend time in post-surgery so I could avoid a lot of stair climbing with the crutches.  The problem with the room was that it was so aesthetically nauseating that I couldn’t bear to spend five minutes in it.  So as usual, what started off to be a simple project turned into a major overhaul.  For starters, the room had yellow walls (it’s well documented that I detest the color yellow) and pink carpet.  It also had some hand-me-down couches that sink almost to the ground when sat on.  There was also a hole cut out in the wall to insert a television, because my father was ahead of his time with the idea of “flat screens”.  It was a great idea 20 years ago, but now it’s just an odd hole in the wall. 



The "before"



So, with the help of Mom and Andrew, we managed to turn all this into a very comfortable and aesthetically pleasing space!  Once the hole in the wall was filled in (thanks Mom!) and the ceiling, walls, and heater were painted, it was time for carpet.  I went with a low profile gray berber from Lowe’s, and they did a great job installing it.  A trip to Best Buy on my lunch break (thanks, New Hampshire for saving me the sales tax!) resulted in a 42” HD TV.  Finally, after checking the internet for deals on furniture, I made a trip to Bob’s Furniture.  Less than an hour later I had picked out a sofa, recliner, and TV console.  Andrew was a little disappointed in my furniture selection because he was hoping for some giant oversized poofy recliner that rocks and swirls.  I tried out a few of them and they literally gave me motion sickness.  Finally I explained that this is my recliner, all mine, so I get to pick out what I want, and it wasn’t going to be something so big I could get lost in it.  I went with something on the smaller side and very comfortable.  The furniture was delivered last weekend, and the room is just about done!

My cat Joey is really enjoying "his" new recliner and sometimes shares it with me

  I need a couple final touches (a few wall decorations and baseboard) but it’s looking great and I’m thrilled we were able to get this done in such short time!



After!



                Another pre-surgical task was to get my camper squared away for winter.  I made my appointment for next week to get it winterized, and all I had left to do was find the ideal place to park it over the winter.  Last winter it was stored offsite (part of the deal when I purchased it in December) but this year it’s staying on property.  We needed to find a spot where it would be out of the way for snow banks, so I decided on a whim to see if my neighbor might be able to smooth out a little area for me.  They own a construction company and have lots of machines, and the 18 year old son had told me once to give him a call if I ever needed anything.  He stopped by to take a look, and within 10 minutes was back with the backhoe.  A couple hours later (and multiple trips back and forth with the backhoe, bobcat, and loader) I had a perfect new parking spot for the camper!  Big thanks to Gabriel and TJ Enterprises!

                Once I have surgery, it’s going to be a few months before I get to ride my horse again, so I’m trying to squeeze in as many rides as I can over the next couple weeks.  We had an impromptu camping trip a couple weekends ago at a friend’s house in Rhode Island and had a blast with some great rides, amazing food, and stomach-busting laughs.  This week I took a couple days off work and we did some day trips.  Wednesday we went to Dover, MA and had a blast over some of the best groomed trails in the area.  The foliage is just starting to turn so it was a pretty ride.

                On the health front, it’s come clear to me that if I’m not training for a marathon, I can’t keep eating like I am.  Over the last six months, even though I was still running, I had scaled back considerably on my mileage and had gained six pounds.  Even six months ago I was a few pounds over my ideal weight, so I have to really start to monitor this.  For the last few weeks I’ve been much more careful about food intake, tracking my food and weight, and I’ve lost 3 pounds – yay!  I have been experimenting with some new crock pot recipes.  So far I’ve had mushroom smothered pork (fabulous), lamb stew (pretty good), and a chicken, bean, and swiss chard soup (yummy!)  They all came from a Weight Watchers cookbook so I’ve got the whole family eating healthy.  Even Andrew has lost 8 pounds since June!  Maybe with any luck I can get him to join me on my rehab walk/runs in a few months.  We managed a little walk earlier this week to check out the foliage.

               

 Finally, the gossip column.  Well, there’s not a lot to report because I’ve been a little out of touch with my lunch run buddies.  Todd made a successful triathlon debut despite his lack of preparation.  I tried to warn him about the importance of incorporating brick sessions into his workouts (I know this because of Scotty Tri’s endless – and I mean endless – blogging and tweeting about it).  Jaimee is training for the Hyannis Marathon in February!!  I’m so excited for her, because it’s an awesome course.  I have run the 10k and the half marathon there, and I think she’s really going to enjoy it.  I’m so disappointed that I won’t be able to run it, but I’m planning to go and cheer her on.  I usually have a few pals that run that race so it will be a great time.  Kerri finally met the new guy (the Ken Doll) and chastised me for under-emphasizing his good looks.  She seemed a little deflated about being the slow one in the group, so I reminded her that in a few months I will be back to reclaim my position as the slow runner in the club.  Speaking of clubs, I’ve been a little out of touch with my running club.  But that changes tomorrow, when I will be volunteering at the finish line of a 5k race in Douglas.  It’s always fun working the finish line so I’m really looking forward to that.  I’m planning to volunteer as much as I can (once I’m off crutches) because it will be a great way for me to stay plugged into running and will help keep me motivated.

                Over the next two weeks, I will continue to get my last few (dozen) things in order so I can be prepared for a smooth and restful recovery in my recliner, which apparently I will be sharing with my cat.

One last thing:

Example of how I’m successfully exploiting the injury for personal gain:  I just called my mother and asked her to bring me her camera, and she did.  (She’s upstairs).

The end!

Next up: The running bucket list!