Buena Dias?

No matter how you say it, a wrong number at 4:50 am is not a good start to the day! I would have cut the call a bit shorter, but she didn't speak English, which added to my irritation at being jarred awake so early because she didn't understand "wrong number." Okay, not "so early," as I'm usually awake by 5 am, but I have not been sleeping well for several months, possibly as a side issue with the pain meds, and had not yet awakened to greet the new day. Cranky, cranky, cranky!

Yesterday was a long day, compounded with backed-up traffic on the way to work (road construction), clouds of dense dirt from the same construction on the way home, and then pounding winds down the hill, where I live. The winds have not let up, so there will be no walk this morning, which will not sit well with the dogs ... again. I don't walk them on M-W, when I have to be on-site by 8:30 am, and believe me they know the schedule. A quick look out the windows as the sun is finally up reveals that I have a bit of cleaning up to do in the yards, and I also have to pick up poop before that gets out of hand again. I do enjoy having Tues morning to recouperate from Monday.

While most people enjoy a work week, I cram my work week into 3 days, and those days have not been easy with the knee issues. I'm making it, one day at a time, but I long for the day when I can take even one step without any pain in my knee. It's not a big thing, but it's constant, and that drains every bit of energy right out of me. I put in a full 12 hours Monday, 7 on Tuesday, and 6 on Wednesday, but if those hours were spread over 5 days, it would be much easier to keep myself physically energized. Realizing that this is the severalith time I've continued to work with physical issues impeding me, I'm taking the Spring semester off to allow myself to heal completely. I still don't know about the partial knee replacement, and will not know that decision until Thanksgiving, but I pulled the cord on the teaching train until all of this works out, one way or another.

When I need change, I make lists, ponder my options, then make new lists and do some more pondering. I've been pondering for a while now and know that I have to make changes before it's too late to change, so I'm going to leave the house and get back into more than just going to work. I've had my head too far up this knee thing, and that has to stop. With the series of injections complete, my knee isn't quite as sore and unstable as it has been, so I can navigate without the crutches once I'm on level ground, as long as I wear the knee brace. I haven't seen a movie in a long time because it's a hassel to do the crutches thing, but there are a few in release that I'd like to see, so I'm going to go during the day, when fewer people are in the theater. I also would like to go out to eat once in while, but talk myself out of both going alone and spending the money when I can cook pefectly well for myself ... yeah, I am my mother. Again, need to change before I won't change.

So Buena Dias to you, too. I'm starting the day over with a new frame of mind and going to make it work for me, instead of worrying so much about all the obstacles to having a nice day! Ah, the smell of doggie doo in the morning ...

Updating: the doggie doo is in the trash, all the plastic bags the wind brings in are in the recycling bin, the cacti that fell over and broke have been dealt with, and the dogs have been on a short walk. I love it when a plan comes together.