lazy days

When I told people about my two weeks of medical leave, most said, "oh, you'll be bored. You'll be ready to go back to work." Well, I'm not. I never am. I love being home, I enjoy my own company, and I don't get bored. And I really don't want to go back to work on Tuesday!

Now that my foot is feeling better, I've been spending tons of time in my yard. I have two little brick patios that I made myself, one under my gigantic black walnut tree, and the other behind my garage (above) where I have bonfires. I alternate between both - they're shady at different times of the day. Sophie and Sadie are having a blast, too. They run around, sniff out interesting things, have adventures hiding in the garden (which is like a jungle to their little selves), bark happily at the neighbor dogs, and take naps by my feet.

Before I go out, I pack a bag with my Blackberry, my phone, my Kindle, paper and pens, and a bottle of water. And I'm pretty well set for the afternoon. I just wish I could pack a bathroom - I hate having to limp all the way into the house!

We've been having just wonderful weather - low 80's, sunny, breezy, and bright. Everything in my garden is in full bloom right now: echinacea, black-eyed susans, zinnias, hydrangeas, lilies, nigella, butterfly bush, goldenrod, veronica, daisies . . . with ferns, hostas, chocolate joe pye weed, and lady's mantle filling in the spaces between. It's truly relaxing. I feel I'm in a very good space right now, mentally, and I'm so happy I have the surgery behind me.

I went outside yesterday and sat in a chair, and dozed on and off. I was sure I hadn't fallen completely asleep, but when I checked my phone, I saw that two hours had passed. Good grief! I'm sleepy all the time now. I think it's nature's way of forcing you to stop moving around - while you're sleeping, your body can focus all its energy on healing.

My foot is even less swollen and painful now. I'm continuing to hobble around the house without my crutches, but use them outside. My doctor has me hold my toe and bend it back, holding it for 30 seconds after I can feel the muscle pull a bit. Then I push it back in the other direction and hold it for 30 seconds again. This will keep it from stiffening up. He also has me put vitamin E on my incision once a day. I just break open a capsule, squeeze the oil on the incision, and then wrap it in gauze. This helps the skin heal faster with less scarring. My toes are still puffy, and I still have bruising all over my foot, but every day it's a little better.

Tomorrow my parents are coming down to help me get situated for going back to work. We'll be doing laundry, food shopping, minor repairs around the house, etc. I'll have their two pomeranians and chihuahua here, too. A very full house!