How Do You Spell R-E-L-I-E-F?

I am now in the sixth week of my recovery from spinal surgery.  Oh what a relief it is. 

While I have no idea what it will be like when I get back to serious gardening next Spring, I do know that I have improvement in even the simple things I am allowed to do on my 'restricted duty'.

For example:  I can rollover in the bed without difficulty.  I can even lie on my back without excruciating pain.  And I no longer feel like I need a forklift to get out of the bed in the morning. 

Once up, I am able to move about immediately.  Before surgery it would take me about two hours to get myself together so that I could function like a normal person.  Now I am ready to go at whatever time I get up.

I am looking foward to being able to go back to my yoga exercises.  But, I have promised myself that I will continue to take things slowly.  I had a bad habit of over-doing, even when I was in pain.  And each time I would do that, I would suffer and my recovery time would get longer and longer. 

So, I have informed my family that the big Thanksgiving dinner is being put on the shelf for this year.  I am not sure what we will eat, but I plan to spend a quiet day with my sons. 

If you have never actually cooked a big dinner, you may not realize that there is a tremendous amount of time involved.  Planning the menu, making the grocery lists, doing the shopping, the prep work (I really need a sous chef), all the cooking, the cleaning, etc.  It becomes a two-week affair and I have no energy for that.  Last year I was wiped out for four days after everyone left.

I am almost up to walking for one-hour a day.  Yesterday I used my time to follow the self-propelled lawn mower around the yard.  That took twenty minutes.  The rest of the time was spent walking around covering shrubs for the winter, more to protect them from the animals than the elements. 

I also did some general clean-up and before I knew it I was out there for an hour and half.  And an hour later I was exhausted. 

Today looks to be a beautiful, if rather cold, day.  I could walk to the library and back in the time I am allowed.  It may be one of the last nice days this year to do that.  And before I know it Spring will be here and I can go back to doing what I love outside.