Life has been a little nutso lately. Okay...a lotta nutso. I've had two big surgeries in two months and am recuperating from both quite well, albeit with a few bumps in the road. But I'm still on the road, with eyes fixed toward better days.

I went for a walk early this morning. It was cool and breezy -- which is a Big Deal in Memphis on August 1st. It was delightful. I snapped some pictures (of course) and decided to share them with you.

I have a great walkable neighborhood, full of coves and windy streets, with enough hills to challenge me. I love how lush and green everything still looks. Usually by this time of the year, plants are getting really thirsty looking, but they are still quite beautiful.
 

I had to get a picture of this mailbox - the detail is fabulous.


A beautiful house.. I love all the vines and wildness about the place.


This fence caught my eye. I bet it's pretty when lit up at night.


This is my next door neighbor's house. She keeps things looking so beautiful.


And, back home. My solar kitty welcomes anyone to our door, as does the hydrangea door hanger.
     
 

Pain

Pain is a funny thing.  It changes personalities.  Some people turn longsuffering into an art form and develop the patience and perseverance of a saint.  Unfortunately, I am not one of those people.  Pain turns me into a not-very-nice person.  I become biting, sarcastic, bitchy. 

The other day a driver intentionally cut me off while blowing her horn at me for an extended time. It absolutely set me off, and I experienced what can only be called road rage. After the incident was over and my heartbeat returned to a normal rhythm, I was so ashamed of myself for sinking to that level and responding in kind to a rude and selfish driver.

In retrospect, I think the underlying and driving force for my volatile emotions is pain. I have a lot of things going on physically, and I am in pain. Every. Single. Day. The pain varies in severity but it never goes away. And, I know it has changed me. My personality has changed because of it.

I read a line in a book a long time ago that has stuck with me. It basically said "life has kicked the Pollyanna right out of me."  I can definitely relate.

This is my first post in a very long time and it's definitely not my typical upbeat post. But, it's real, it expresses how I am feeling. So I will post it to my blog. This one is not about the small stuff...this one is about the big stuff.

Springtime in Memphis

This time of year in Memphis is absolutely gorgeous. As I type this, I can see out my back window to blooming wisteria draped over our fence from the neighbor's back yard. It's the best of both worlds - we get to enjoy it, but don't have to fight its invasiveness (is that a word?). 

All along our street, and throughout the whole city, there are beautiful pink and white dogwoods in bloom.  Our rose bushes on either end of the house have started putting out blooms -- one red and one a pinky coral shade. Our azaleas (along with everyone else's) are in full bloom and beautiful to behold.  My irises, which are planted all along the front beds next to the sidewalk, are tall and green with big fat bulbs just waiting to pop out their colorful flowers.  

Every year about this time I find myself making a conscious effort to slow down and really feel the cool mornings and really see the beautiful flowers everywhere.  April and October are my two favorite months and I know, all too soon, summer will be here. It will be oppressively, smotheringly hot and I'll alternate between being so hot I can't breathe to freezing to death inside an ultra airconditioned office. I know I'll find myself lusting after a home somewhere else...anywhere else that is cool with breathable air. 

But for now ... today ... I feel the warm sunshine and hear the birds singing and see the glorious flowers of all kinds ... and I find that I don't want to be anywhere else. And that's a beautiful thing.

Chance

It has been a rainy week ... very rainy. Here in Memphis we have gotten over a foot of rain, with more expected today. I had the lucky pleasure of being off work this past Thursday and Friday, and I can't even express the pure indulgence of lying in bed and listening to it rain and knowing, oh - I don't have to get up and go to work in this!  

We have been plugging along around here. We got the sad news a while back that our sweet boy, Chance, has cancer. Then, last week, we found out he also has Cushing's Disease. So, we have started on medicine for Cushing's and are keeping a very close eye on him, to monitor his activity and to make sure he is not in any pain or discomfort. At age 14, Chance is still pretty perky, but with heart issues as well, some days are better than others. While we know the time will almost certainly come when we will need to help him ease from this life, we are trying to keep him as healthy and happy for as long as possible.

This was Chance after being groomed last week.

Sunday afternoon

Not much happening in our little corner of the world today. It's a relaxing, gear-up-for-Monday sort of day around here. My plans extend no further than doing my nails and figuring out what to fix for dinner later (steak, baked potato, and sauteed cabbage).

It's been downright chilly around here, at least to my Southern blood. We had snow the other day and, while pretty, I was ready to see it melt away...which it did the next day when the sun came out.

My buddy, Hobbes, sticks close to me. When he can't get in my lap due to my computer being in the way, he patiently sits by and waits for me to move it. Well...okay, maybe not always "patiently."

My other buddy, Chance, prefers to hang out with Dad. He doesn't sit in my lap often, but when he wants to, I'll invite him to jump up and join me. I think he is more comfortable on the couch.

So that's us and our lazy weekend. Hope you, wherever you may be, are enjoying your weekend as well.

More later --

Powerball ... and dreaming

So, the Powerball jackpot now stands at $1.4 Billion. That is some crazy stuff right there. We went in together at my office and bought some tickets before the last drawing but, of course, there was no winner. I think we will do the same for this one and, if not, I'll definitely pick up a few. 

Like everyone else in the country, I have let my mind go there. What would I (we) do with a huge payout.......?  Steve and I talked about it tonight. My suggestion was to buy a house in the English countryside and a house in Fiji, and spend half the year at each one. This sounds like a perfectly reasonable plan, doesn't it?  My Dearest's dreams were more along the lines of a 120-inch TV and a room/house to go with it.  He's such a guy.

But, when you come right down to it...that kind of money can be quite a burden. A curse, some people call it. I personally believe that with great wealth comes great responsibility to do some good in the world. I have a whole list of charitable causes I would give to (some that we already support in a small way), but it's mind boggling to imagine that you could give a monetary gift that would change someone's life in a drastic and lasting way.

Realistically, we know with this lottery, the odds are definitely NOT in our favor. But it's still fun to dream...

Weekend meanderings

We're getting rain this weekend. A lovely, slow-soaking rain. We desperately needed this. I think we had a pretty severe deficit, although after this weekend, that should be greatly relieved. We have yet to experience the really deep and beautiful Fall colors this year, and I hope the rain will help those to develop as well.

I've been just puttering around the house this weekend, which is my favorite thing to do. Yesterday I did some cleaning, did some laundry, worked on switching out summer/winter wardrobes, and made Tex-Mex meatloaf with mashed potatoes and spinach for dinner. My Dearest is a meat & potatoes boy, so every now and then I have to make just that to keep him happy. And he was. Happy, I mean.  Today my plan is to finish the wardrobe switch and give myself a manicure. Big plans!

Speaking of switches, I made a furniture change in our den recently, from a recliner to a low oversized leather arm chair with ottoman. I like the looks of it, but Hobbes definitely does not appreciate the change. He would stretch out along my legs when I reclined, and it's just not the same now. Poor baby ... he doesn't understand about furniture wearing out!

 I sometimes forget, but Hobbes knows that

I think Chance, on the other hand, likes the new chair better. He can jump up a lot easier. It's interesting looking at my choices from my fur babies' point of view. I can't wait for the day when we replace our couch and loveseat. I'm tired of it and it's starting to sag a little. I'm not sure what we'll choose to replace it, but I know some features I do and do NOT want, and I guess that will be a pretty good place to start. Of course, my main consideration should be how the babies will like it :)

More later --

Road trip

Today was one of those brilliant fall days: blue sky, crisp cool air, leaves just beginning their journey from green to yellow-orange-red. So we decided to take a little road trip to a really cool Mennonite store and cafe about an hour from Memphis.

When we got there, it was lunchtime, so we decided to eat first and shop later.

I had the best Reuben sandwich ever!

Then we did a little shopping.

Afterwards, we went outside and looked around.

It was a great little outing!

Monday fun day

Not too much else to say besides that.

Yes, it's been a long time. I won't even start with lame excuses, since that's all I would have.  But, today's a new day and I am firing up the old HP to write a little blurb in my sorely-neglected blog.

Speaking of firing up the laptop...my HP Pavilion Notebook is not doing well. It spontaneously will flash a message that the cooling fan is not operating properly and then it rudely just shuts down, right in the middle of whatever I important task I may be completing. Like checking my Facebook page. Or saving a picture that speaks to me, like the one above. Which reminds me, I better hit "save."  There, I feel better ... at least I won't lose what I've written today.  Whew! It's not easy to concoct such masterful writing, you know.

So ... today I have the day off. Yes, I requested a Monday off, for no particular reason other than I just wanted to.  What bliss. My short-term plan involves me getting dressed and shaving my legs (not in that order, mind you) so that I can go get a mani/pedi this morning. Yay!  After which, I may do a little shopping, maybe even see a movie. The day is entirely open ... what a lovely concept. So I plan to enjoy it thoroughly, because tomorrow it's back to the salt mines.  Wonder where the term "salt mines" came from?  Truth be told, there will never be enough time to Google everything my mind wonders about...

Oh well, welcome back to me and my little blog. I guess this is enough of my stream of consciousness writing for a Monday morning. If you're reading this (all two of you), I hope you have a good Monday and a good week.

More later (well, with my history, I guess I shouldn't necessarily assume that) --

Christmastime is here

Wow ... it just does not seem possible that Christmas is mere days away. Time is truly flying by. This year has been a toned-down version of Christmas at our house. We put the tree up and did a scaled-down version of decorating, but no outside lights. We didn't put the Christmas village out, and I haven't even taken out any of my Christmas dishes or cups and glasses. I haven't done the baking that I usually do; we have purchased whatever treats we wanted this year.

Unfortunately, this has been a season of very high stress for me. Things have been uber stressful at my workplace recently, and many changes are taking place there, with people leaving and potential job reassignments on the horizon.  I am not handling it well at all. The job itself has gone from one that I used to love, to one that is a huge source of stress. It is just not enjoyable and I worry about spending the final years of my working life in that environment and the physical toll of all that stress.
I know I have another 8-10 years or so before I can realistically look at retirement. I just don't think I can do this for that long. Something surely has to give.

I definitely need a little "peace on earth" in my little corner of the world. I wish I were writing an upbeat, jolly holiday post ... but, this is my reality. We're going to do Christmas with Steve's family this afternoon, and that will be a nice and fun diversion. Tomorrow, it's back to work for a few days before a little break for Christmas and New Year's.

At any rate, I do wish you - my dear reader, whoever you may be and wherever you may be, A Very Merry and Blessed Christmas and A Very Happy and Healthy New Year.

Patty

What I've been reading lately

With reading, as in so many other things, I go through phases. Sometimes I am a frenetic reader, with one book going on my Kindle app on my (big fat) phone and one book being read at work and maybe even another one at home. I don't particularly like to read more than one book at a time, so I hate it when I go through those weird "reading frenzies" and, thankfully, they are usually short-lived and rare, and it is always an odd occurrence that causes them. Say, I start a book and leave it at work, then want to read at home, so I start one there. Or, I download something on Kindle and it is so fascinating that I can't help but start reading immediately - even though I'm already involved in another book ... you get where I'm going here, right? Definitely first world bibliophile problems.

Then, occasionally, there are times when I just am out of the mood to read. I find myself watching more movies and TV and listening to more music. But again, those times are rare, and do not last very long. The lure of a good book is too strong and I cannot resist for long.

In an earlier life, I volunteered as a reader for our local library. They operate a radio station for the blind and visually impaired which is staffed by volunteer readers.  Different hours throughout the day are devoted to the daily newspaper, current magazines, classics, bestsellers, various genres of music, interviews with authors, and a plethora of other topical and interesting information. I enjoyed volunteering there immensely and have often thought that when I retire I would really enjoy doing more of that. Reading gives me so much joy, I just can't imagine living in a world without it.

So I've been reading some really good books lately. Awhile back I read Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn and loved it. Loved it. Now, I've heard so many people say that they just hated the ending to that book, but I just have to disagree. Without spoiling it for anyone who has not yet read it, I will just say that I think that the end was fitting. They deserved what they got. And that's all I'm going to say.  Oh! Except that I went to see the movie last weekend with a couple girls from the office, and it was great. Seriously, the casting was brilliant. Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike were perfect. And Tyler Perry rocked.

Another really outstanding book I recently read is Orphan Train: A Novel by Christina Baker Kline. I like books based on historical data, and this one fits the bill. It's a poignant, moving story that I found hard to put down, and I highly recommend it.

But my favorite of all my most recent reads has to be The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd. Another historical novel based on fact, this book is a coming of age story of two female children - black and white - who grow up together in Charleston, SC during the 1800s, and who desperately wanted and needed to be more than what the confines of society and the time frame in history were ready to allow them to be.  This book has heart and soul. I laughed and cried, and was sad to see it end.

Other books I've recently read include:

• Dark Places by Gillian Fynn
• Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
• Wonder by R.J. Palacio
• The Last Original Wife by Dorothea Benton Frank
• Open Season by C.J. Box
• Night Without End by Alistair MacLean
• There Was An Old Woman by Hallie Ephron

I know there are more, but these are the ones that come to mind as I'm typing this post. I have a few current favorite genres going right now -- true stories of survival, and historical fiction that is based on fact. I still am enjoying various series -- Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum's books, the "Miss Julia" books by Ann B. Ross, and of course, my most beloved "Father Tim" books by Jan Karon, and if you have not read them, I say run, not walk, RUN to the nearest bookstore to purchase (or your computer/phone to download) and start the lovely foray into the world that is Mitford.

More later --

My favorite time of year

The heat has finally left us, and I can at last say it is autumn here in Memphis.  I am on the lookout every day for pretty fall colors, but haven't seen too much as of yet.  I have, however, decorated the inside of my house, as well as my front door, so I am enjoying some of the colors of fall.  I also keep a Yankee Candle burning, either "Farmer's Market" or "Thankful" - my two current scents. so it smells like autumn in my house, as well.

I made my first pot of soup yesterday - beef vegetable - the first of many to come, I'm sure, along with some cornbread muffins.  A chill in the air is all the encouragement I need to start looking at soup and casserole recipes and thinking about new ideas I want to try.  I've also gone into baking mode: last weekend it was banana bread (two loaves, one to eat and one for the freezer) and this weekend it was chocolate chip cookies made with both semi-sweet and white chocolate chips and pecans.  I really need to curtail my baking, or we'll end up gaining weight over the winter!  I'm just in this "nesting" phase!

At any rate, it is my favorite time, hands down.  I love the crisp, clean feeling in the air and the brilliant colors that nature displays for our viewing pleasure.  I love wearing sweaters and sweatshirts and hoodies and jeans and flannel shirts.  I love fires in the fireplace.  I love drinking hot apple cider and bonfires and taking walks though leaves that crackle as you step on them. I don't even mind it getting dark earlier, at least if I'm at home and can curl up with a good book beside the fireplace, with a cup of something warm.

Yes, all of that and more...I love autumn.  And I hope you do too.

Back at work...at last!

So I went back to work this week, on Wednesday the 15th, which actually fell on the nine-month anniversary of my surgery.  I worked four hours Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, and I have to say, I was very happy to see the weekend arrive and, even better, a LONG weekend.  Even with a reduced schedule of four hours a day, my job involves a LOT of sitting, and I never realized how hard it is on the back!  My new office chair is a total bust, but the kneeling chair is great.  Hopefully, I can get a different type of office chair in place of the bad one, but I know that will take time...

In other news, my baby got a bath and haircut yesterday and came back looking quite dapper.  This cold weather we've been having makes Chance very frisky and prancey (is that a word?), and his blue kerchief seemed to go with his feisty little spirit. 

I'll share one more fun thing.  For Christmas, my father-in-law gave me an Amazon gift card.  I love Amazon, because you can find absolutely anything you want, and have it delivered to your door.  So what I found was an adorable sterling silver bow ring.  I have a thing for bows.  It's sort of kooky, and it's mostly under control, but every now and then, I just have to have something with a bow.  I just can't help it; it's sort of a sickness.  So anyway, I used my gift card and got this.

Isn't is ADORABLE?  It will be even more adorable when I get a manicure. 

Now that I've fed the Bow Beast, it should be okay for awhile.  Maybe.

More later --

Sunday check in

So, it's been a really good week.  Healthwise, I've done at least one or two things every day that made a positive impact on our health.  We've been eating better -- for example, I haven't used a frying pan all week; instead, I have used my oven and roasted or baked all my meals.  I've added a lot of  good veggies to our diet (broccoli, peas, carrots, green beans, etc.), and I try to keep a large container of salad made in the fridge that we can have at all times.  Also, we have been taking the salmon oil supplements every day.  So, even though we're not eating perfectly, I feel like all these little changes are helping us to be a bit healthier.  As I always say, Progress, Not Perfection. 

My big news is that the final piece of ergonomic office equipment has been delivered to my workplace, and I will be headed back to work this week.  I am nervous and excited at the same time.  It is just shy of nine months since my back surgery.  Nine months.  Wow.  I could never have guessed in my wildest dreams that my back surgery would ever lead me down the path I've been...and if I knew then what I know now, I probably would have chosen not to do the surgery.  But, having said that...I am so much better than I was, and I believe that ultimately, this surgery will be a rousing success.  It's just that the road getting there will have been very, VERY rocky.  And nobody chooses rocky, if they don't have to...

But, what's done is done, and I'm ready to move forward.  A little nervous, yes, but ready!

More later --

Health: a small word that packs a big punch

So, I am focusing on my word for 2014.  This first week I've worked on meal preparation because, frankly, that is where things can go horribly off-track, and the chickens all come home to roost at my door.  I love to cook; I love to bake.  My dearest loves to eat, especially sweets, and I'm one of those old-fashioned Southern girls who believe that you show your love through the food you serve.  So.  It's a bit of a conundrum.  A sticky widget, if you will.  I know this is all me and my head stuff that needs rewiring.  I know I need to equate steamed veggies with a longer, healthier life with love for my mate.  It all makes logical sense, but I just gotta tell you ... a plate of steamed broccoli just doesn't give me the warm fuzzies that a bowl of, say, mashed potatoes with gravy does.  But I digress.

Last night I served grilled tilapia with green beans and brown rice.  And (dipping head here) garlic toast.  Progress, not perfection, right?  Steve made the comment during dinner that he really liked eating healthier, which just made me happy.  I know making these small changes is good for us, but hearing that little word of affirmation made it even better.

In addition to meal changes, I have started both of us on salmon oil capsules.  The main immediate goal for both Steve and me is reduction in inflammation, but fish oil provides so many other great health benefits:  heart & cardio function, joint health, brain function, and more.  I found a very high quality cold pressed salmon oil supplement with all eight of the Omega-3s that we need, and I feel really good about that.

Steve is using the treadmill, and I am doing my PT exercises faithfully, and doing some walking outside, but not enough.  I need to do more.  So, once again, progress, but definitely not perfection.  We have lots of room for improvement, but that's okay.  As long as we're in pursuit of the goal of health, I'm happy.

Wishing you good health too, my dear readers!

More later --

Happy 2014!

 Does this basket make my butt look big?   No, seriously...

I am not really one to make resolutions, simply because I don't want to set myself up for failure.  How's that for positive thinking?   I just think that starting too many things at one time sort of predetermines a less than successful result.  At least, it does for me.  I have to keep it simple, stupid.  Big time. 

So, rather than set out a list of things I want to accomplish during this year, Steve and I have a word that we have chosen to make our focus this year and from now on:  HEALTH

We are going to try to keep health as a focus, and just do better.  I know we won't miraculously become perfect eaters, working out obsessively and becoming Bob Harper and Jillian Michaels.  We don't even care about doing that.  We just want to go into our senior years healthier.  It's a big deal.  We've only got each other to take care of each other!

So, this is our time to do better.  To start making small steps to improve our health.  I went grocery shopping yesterday and bought a couple different kinds of flash frozen grilled fish, so that's on the menu this coming week.  I've also got a whole chicken in the freezer, and I'll take it out to thaw and we'll have a whole roasted chicken too.  Yummy and (yep) healthy.  I also bought a lot of green veggies, so we're good on that account too. 

So my wish for you is a very Happy and HEALTHY New Year.  And, may all your resolutions be keepers. 

More later --

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night

It has been a very good Thanksgiving and Christmas for us this year.  We have been able to spend time with family and those we love.  My back is so much better, and my return to work is imminent. 

We feel very blessed and fortunate.  Here are a few photos from our holidays.

 This was our tree this year.  I think it turned out especially well.  And, since Hobbes didn't try to climb it even one time, it stayed pretty throughout the whole Christmas season, which was a true gift.

 

Here's my favorite scene, a cozy fire in the fireplace and the lights on the tree offering the only other light in the room.  Ahh, peaceful! 

 I had to snap a pic of the reindeer resting on the bench outside a Barnes & Noble bookstore I went to a couple weeks before Christmas.

 This is my dearest and me, taken on the weekend before Christmas.

 Hobbes wishes everyone a Meowy Christmas!

Chance definitely believes in Santa Paws!

More later --

What's up, doc?

I saw my spine surgeon this morning.  Well, actually, I saw his nurse practitioner, Amy, who is wonderful.  This visit was mainly to get the doctor's signature on the paperwork proposing new seating equipment for me at work and also a proposed return to work schedule.  He signed off on everything, and now the Long Term Disability Insurance Carrier will order the new equipment I need.  Once it arrives and is installed I should be good to go.  So the clock is definitely ticking, and I should be back to work very soon.  I am happy and excited and nervous all at once.  I never could have guessed that I would have been off work for over seven months with my back fusion surgery.

Tomorrow is my birthday, and it will be a low-key celebration at our house.  I did go out and buy my own cake, because I wanted a good birthday cake this year and did not want to make my own.  So I got a carrot cake (yummy!) and can't wait to cut it tomorrow evening after dinner.  Speaking of dinner, Steve is going to pick up burgers on his way home from work.  I know....but what can I say...I love a good burger every once in a while, and it has been awhile.  It just sounded good.  Tomorrow is going to be a rainy, messy day and we're just going to stay in.   He was busy in the bedroom, door closed, with the gift wrapping supplies earlier this evening, so I will have some happy surprises I'm sure.  Then, Saturday, we're going out to a birthday lunch and a little shopping with our wonderful next-door neighbor, Pam.  I am very blessed.

For the first year in I can't remember how long, we will not be traveling at Thanksgiving.  Instead, we are hosting my family members here.  I'll be cooking, and we'll have a full house, and I'm really happy about that.  I've been planning meals and looking at recipes and making shopping lists and fluffing up the guest room and doing all the things you do when you're expecting company.  I've been trying not to overdo things with my back, and mostly succeeding, but not completely.  It's hard to know where the line is of what's okay and what is not so much...  Anyway, I'm learning as I go. 

I will leave you tonight with a picture of my baby in his "punkin" kerchief. 

More later --

It's the (truly) most wonderful time of the year

My favorite season is upon us.  Autumn is the most beautiful time of the year, to me.  And Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of all.  It's a time for family and friends, for good food,  a time to stop and recognize all the good things we have, to give thanks for the blessings we enjoy.  In my immediate family, even after we were grown and had lives of our own, Thanksgiving was the one time of year when we all tried to get together, and, most years we were able to.  It will always hold special memories for me. 

Nowadays, all that are left in my immediate family are one sister, one brother (and his wife), and me.  But the exciting news is that we are all gathering at my house for Thanksgiving this year.  I am busy planning menus and want to make this a good time filled with some new (albeit different) fun memories we'll have for years to come.   

And now, at the risk of being too catty (me-ow) I have to share a big pet peeve.  Huge.  GI-NORMOUS.  I hate that people are already decorating for Christmas, putting up Christmas trees, wanting to play Christmas music.  I feel like Thanksgiving is not given its just due as the important and meaningful holiday it is.  Good grief, Halloween gets more attention than Thanksgiving.  It's just wrong.

There, I said it.  And yes, I feel better. 

So, back to all things Fall, with the cool weather comes fires in the fireplace and snuggling under blankets.  We've been doing our fair share of both around here.  Here are some pictures for show and tell. 

Hobbes and I share a mutual love for this one specific blanket.  It's pretty much a given that if I put it over me, he is soon to follow.  This is him on top of the blanket, on top of me. 

One last thing.  I know I'm prejudiced, but how many cats do you know who will let you flash a camera multiple times in their face and stay that sweet?  ❤

More later --

A big step

So, I met with some terrific people yesterday at my office.  We are all working hard on getting me back to work.  My part at this point still consists of doing what I know to do to help the nerves continue to heal as they should, so I'm doing my therapy exercises, walking, going to physical therapy, etc.  I've come a long way, but there is still a lot of healing that needs to take place.  The research that I've read indicates that nerve healing can continue for as long as two years.  At six months out, I know I'm still progressing, so I am encouraged that it's not finished yet.

But back to yesterday's meeting.  My employer's long-term disability carrier arranged for a local representative to meet with me and my supervisor, along with an occupational therapist/worksite consultant.  The purpose was to see how we could rework my existing workspace to make it more comfortable and not painful for me, so that my return to work will have every chance of success.  I have to say, after being off work for so long, my biggest fear is going back and having that horrible pain return, and then the nightmare of possible consequences.  But, I wonder if this is just a really unreasonable fear at this point which has almost become like a phobia...  And if so, I know I have come too far to give it this much power over me!

Anyway, the upshot is that we have a plan in place and hopefully I will be back at work soon on a gradually increasing schedule. 

In other news, we have some pretty fall colors around these days.  Here are a few shots I took the other day during my walk.

More later --