The Wilderness at Nine

Nurses Make Bad Patients

The nurse practitioner that I see had me running around all week as she made other appointments for me.  I hate going to the doctors because even if everything seems ok they seem to think they need to find something wrong.   I had a couple conditions years ago that have caused a few of my lab values to be off over the years and she seems to think that we need to get to the root of the problem,  no matter how many times I have told her that I have been tested over and over again in the past and no other causes can be found.   I am talking about things that started when I was a child!    I refuse to age and spend all my time running to doctors and on medications!   I think she was a wee bit upset because I missed my yearly physical back in March!   I had to go this time to ge my blood pressure meds renewed and she got me good! The only positive that came out of this visit is that she finally listened to me about my inability to walk more then a quarter mile without the aid of a cane due to the hip injury I had 2 years ago which is one of the many reasons I decided to retire when I did.   I am now going to physical therapy.   So far I have had positive results but we shall see what happens.    I gave up my dream of ever roller skating again, but perhaps I will be able to get on my bicycle in the future.   It will be a thrill if I can just move with an entire piece of music again without my body feeling unstrung!   Pain I can live easily with but a malfunctioning   hip I can’t!   The physical therapist knew exactly what I was talking about!   After walking a short distance my hip would become weak and refuse to let me rotate or swing my right leg well enough to walk without assistance.    Here’s to hope!

This is going to be an interesting weekend.    My technically minded nine year old grandson who is not an out door type person has agreed to go camping with us.    This is not one of our cabin trips and there are no luxuries of home.    We do sleep in the van so at least if it rains he won’t be blessed that way!   His mother was teasing him about bugs and beasts on the prowl and he almost changed his mind about joining us.  Last night she called and said he was going to charge his DVD player up so he could watch a movie in the evening.  I told her the only thing he would be watching at night was the stars!   His mother never did like camping!   I guess those leaky tents of years gone by along with the mosquitos didn’t impress her.     

This ought to be an interesting weekend indeed!

Peace!

Renewal

It was a two hour ride on the Northway to get to our rented cabin last Saturday. The traffic was not as thick as in the past but it seemed that there were more out of state vehicles then usual. For those that are unfamiliar with the Northway, it’s the major interstate highway that runs north from Albany N.Y. to Canada. Spouse and I make a game out of looking for out of state cars and odd license plates. NJ, PA, NH, CT, and MA plates are always in abundance but this trip we noted several cars from Nevada, California, South Dakota, Alabama, Montana, Missouri, South and North Carolina, Georgia, Mississippi, Utah and others. It was unusual to see such a big variety of out of state plates and in this age of high gas prices I was surprised. There are many military families from the area that might have been going on vacation but most of the out of state car’s occupants were older couples. I don’t know how they can afford the gasoline, I know we are rethinking how to save for the gas needed for our short trips up north! It cost us nearly double what it cost last year and we didn’t take any side trips!

The weather turned out wonderful. Fishing for the spouse was good if not great and I feel better then I have in a long while. Each morning I rose early and took my first walk of the day just before the sun rises and others wake. It doesn’t matter if you are in the mountains or in a city, there’s a strong magical quality that reigns over the land in that time where night fades into day, but it’s strongest felt away from the concrete and lights.

There’s a surreal quality to the night but as day approaches, the sense of the magical mingles with the building energy of renewed life.   

I feel renewed.