Seven Weeks

It's now seven weeks since my back surgery and I've made some progress. I'm still wearing the back brace as per doctor's orders but will, hopefully, be relieved of that burden when I see the surgeon on Tuesday. The left leg has completely recovered from the loss of feeling and is 100% in everything but flexibility and strength. The right, also lacking in flexibility and strength, is about 95% recovered in sensitivity. I found it possible to put both socks on this morning without the use of any tools for the first time so that's a plus. As everyone keeps saying, slow and steady.

I'm still doing the PT exercises the therapist left me with but I've added walking on the deck, climbing the stairs and a couple of stretching exercises I did after knee replacement to get both the strength and flexibility back.

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I'll be on my own for a couple of days as Terry has an Embroiderers' Guild conference with all the region reps in Louisville that runs through Sunday. Her flight took off from the Corning-Elmira airport this morning at 6 AM. She promises/swears she will not volunteer for anything. With her absent, I may just sneak out and actually drive for the first time since January 21st. That is, IF I find I need to get anything from the store. (The surgeon says I shouldn't until I meet with him once more, but the heck with that.)

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Other than that, things remain quiet at the Aerie. We've had a couple of really nice spring days this week that have caused quite a bit of melting. The driveway is nearly completely cleared and there are actual patches of lawn starting to appear. The day time temps have reached into the 50s while, on clear nights, the nights have been in the upper 20s. One cloudy, but still night it stayed in the mid 30s. Extended forecasts include only a slight chance of snow showers between now and the end of the month which is fine by me.

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I've noticed a decided decrease in the number of birds at the feeders. I assume that's because many of the Common Redpolls and Pine Siskins have headed north. Only a few of those remain either having missed the memo or because they are too weak for the long flight and find the easy pickings at the feeders more to their liking. It may be wishful thinking, but I believe the Goldfinches are starting to shed their olive drab and take on some yellow.

I heard a Robin for the first time last evening. I know they are said to stick around during the winter, but I seldom if ever see them at our elevation. With many of the pastures, hay fields and corn fields where the winds kept the snow thin being exposed now, I imagine there will soon be many, many more Robins out hunting for worms and other bugs.

I'm looking forward to seeing/hearing the Red-winged Blackbirds and Woodcock. Those will be reall harbingers of Spring!