So, I hurt my knee when I was a kid, and over the years, I’ve had more and more pain. It started hurting after high school (when I wasn’t active and doing sport-style exercise regularly anymore), but was intermittent - I hurt when I did a lot of jumping and running around. Nowadays, it hurts with the weather and pretty much anytime I do any kind of extended activity - even walking.
Which is why I went to the doctor. When your knee swells just from going up and down stairs and walking the dog, there’s an issue.
Long appointment summarized: I probably have some small tears in the cartilage below my kneecap, and as I’ve gotten less active and heavier (I don’t chase kids anymore - I work at a computer), the muscles are weaker and the knee is getting more irritated. Oh yeah, and the kinds of exercise I’ve been trying to do more of (DDR - because it’s FUN - and bike riding) are going to make the pain worse.
The good news is that I’m not deformed (any more than the rest of you freaks) like my doctor told me I might be, but the bad news I’m going to have to do some physical therapy to strengthen the muscles around my knee to take some of the pressure off of the cartilage. That’s not bad, per se - just time consuming, expensive, and uncomfortable. But hey - if it’ll keep my “early onset arthritis” at bay, I’m game. =)
Oh, and check out the fancy pants I had to change into! Yeah, that’s paper:
Here are some random (and I’m not kidding when I say random) photos from the few days it’s been since I blogged. (sorry, no fun stories this time)
David got a few things done around the house. He fixed the trash can. It’s one of those with a pedal, and the pedal hasn’t been lifting the lid. It’s been like this for a month or so, and I was STILL stepping on that pedal. He finally fixed it for me and it works like a dream. Yeah, coat hangers and electrical tape:
He also mowed. It was time:
We’re trying to teach Jake to fetch (consistently). He’s got the idea - we throw, he retrieves - but he gets tired of it after two throws. On the third, he settles down to chew whatever it is we’ve thrown:
We went to Elayne’s second wedding (to the same guy). They were married quickly and rather privately in March because his visa was expiring and he didn’t want to leave her to go back to Colombia. They had their [already planned] and big wedding this past weekend. Elayne and her dad:
On the way home, the clouds were crazy interesting:
And… the ongoing saga of the bathrooms. So, here’s what the paint looked like when we moved in (it’s HORRIBLE):
And here’s David mixing paint just before we painted the room a solid, non-barf-inducing color:
I never realized how pretty this little town is. I’ve spent years thanking my lucky stars that I escaped small town life… but there’s something to say for the quaint. Nothing in my neighborhood is… quaint. It’s ghetto. Some pictures (I know, they don’t really show the town):
Dave at the window, originally uploaded by tara.aukerman.
I’m visiting my parents in Waynesboro, and I’ve left my husband home alone for a week. Hopefully, David will spend some time in this particular location while I’m in PA. =)
(hint, hint, D!)
IMG_01471, originally uploaded by tara.aukerman.
drops, originally uploaded by tara.aukerman.
The ice is melting.
IMG_0136, originally uploaded by tara.aukerman.
After our wonderful weekend, we had an ice storm. I missed the chance to take photos of the ice in the trees and hanging from things, but I did take some photos in shady places.
perch, originally uploaded by tara.aukerman.
This wooden bird guards the back of our yard… and bothers our dog. =) I liked the branches in the background.
frozen, originally uploaded by tara.aukerman.
The top of the pond - frozen over, partially thawed, and frozen again. Dog prints and frozen twigs - it’s interesting how those can coexist. =)
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