Today's Weather

See those sweats? 'nuff said about that. Waiting for the neighbors to roll in for the big holiday weekend.

A Break in the Weather

After 1.75" of rain overnight, we were thrilled to see the sky clear a bit around noon. With cabin fever setting in, I decided it was time for Holly to have a little field trip. We headed to a pet shop in a nearby town and met Izzy, the pot-bellied pig we'd seen in the fur ball parade. The little porker was smart and friendly and thoroughly underwhelmed by all of Holly's getting-to-know-you antics. They had no warm-wear sized for an Italian greyhound, so we came home, driving past a doe with beautiful twin fawns. The temperature has cracked 60F--still in the teens Celsius--and the sun is breaking through from time to time. We are enjoying the screenporch while the weather lasts. Holly alternates between my lap and her duties in making the perimeter safe from the ducks, squirrels, chipmunks, and our massive raccoon. It's a hard job, but she figures somebody has to do it...

"It's Beginning to Feel a lot like Christmas"...

We’re having a cold and dreary week at our “summer” place, and Holly and I are rapidly sliding into hibernation mode. I’m bundled in fleece, long johns, and socks, and Holly is forever bonded with her sweatshirt. (Just try to find the burrowed pup in the photo!) The chilly dog has found the heat vent in the wall and stands there every time the furnace turns on. (Yes, the furnace is on!) She’s afraid of the floor vent by her food, however, and keeps trying to cover it with the rug. As the other photo shows, Tom was a bit indulgent with her while he was here, and now Holly thinks she should be my dining companion. The menu for the rest of the week is soup, soup, and more tomato-rice soup. (And she would eat it, if I gave her the chance...) Looking forward to the weekend when neighbors and better weather should arrive.

Trip from Hell

I just returned from a week in Seattle. On the way out, I quipped that I could have flown to London for less time and money. The return trip, though, could have gotten me to Australia. Details may follow, but the short-ish version is that I ended up flying from Seattle to San Francisco to Los Angeles to Memphis to Atlanta to Tallahassee. That's 2 days, 5 flights, 30 hours door to door, and about a bajillion frequent-flier miles (or so I hope). To add insult to injury, my bag beat me home! And now I'm going to bed.

Spring Break, Then and Now

Last year, I was in London and Amsterdam for a week. This year, spring break was 27 hours in Jacksonville, and I loved it! (Thanks, Tom and Eve.) We had lunch on the beach, went wine tasting and touring in St. Augustine, had surf and turf at the unfortunately named Pusser's, and even enjoyed a spot of retail therapy. Now I'm prepping for a week in Seattle, although I am sad to be missing the dogwood bloom here.

Thoughts for the End of a Sabbatical

WAAaaaah!!! No, really, it was WONDERFUL. I achieved the breakthrough I needed for work, and I am left with incredible memories of people, cities, and museums. I would do it again in a heartbeat, although preferably without the balky leg.

So today I start physical therapy, and Wednesday I have my first appointment with an orthodontist. We're going to try to reconcile a wicked cross-bite issue that has been bothering me. I guess one of my resolutions for this year should be to "straighten out"!

I return to work tomorrow, and I can't say I'm looking forward to it, know what awaits. I'll get back to this blog later in the year. In the meantime, you can keep up with us at:
www.patandtomsexcellentadventures.blogspot.com

Don't cry because it's over.
Smile because it happened.

Dodged a Bullet

At least for now. Had another "date" with my orthopedic surgeon this afternoon. The X-rays and MRI confirmed that my knee is not pretty, but I've known that for decades. Still, it has worked reliably for me, doing whatever I've dished out, until I was running a few days before I left for Europe. Hmmm... Two weeks after a steroid injection, it is much improved, and the lingering issues seem to be related to an IT band issue. Apparently this is quite common with runners. So for the next 8 weeks I'll be in PT boot camp trying to resurrect the knee. My doc, who is from Honduras, insists that I'll be able to return to Roatan to snorkel, so that is encouragement enough for me. And if I build up some impressive weight-lifter quads, I may start running again, too. (I sense some eye rolling going on out there...)