Bad Knees Blog - take 23

I'll make this short but sweet - literally.

Cindy and I were in the Upper Peninsula this weekend (also known as the homeland). We had a wonderful visit with my mother and other family members (Steve, Tom and Elisabeth, you know who you are), and two magical evenings in beautiful Marquette. Jim and Paula, thanks for keeping us up too late, having too much fun, and forcing me to smoke that brilliant cigar. Dave and Ellen, thanks for joining us for dinner then treating us to a sunset on your boat on Lake Superior and, of course, a night of playing guitar and mandolin with Dave. "Perfect" isn't quite good enough a term.

Now, to the knee:

I continue to get better flexibility and strength, to walk farther, and to feel less discomfort. While we were in Marquette we took a drive to Blueberry Ridge, one of my old cross-country skiing haunts. We hiked just under two miles, picked blueberries along the way, and had a lovely afternoon in the woods.

Obviously, it's not a high peak, and I have a long, long way to go, but this is real progress. I could barely manage four blocks with my dog a few months ago.

So, I seem to be improving slowly but steadily. I have a long way to go, but I've come a long way, so I can't complain. Will I need a knee replacement or two in the future? Maybe, but for now I'm content and, as I told an email friend recently, I have no pain at night, my flexibility is almost back to normal, and I've thrown away my three-footed cane.

Until next time - be good, be happy, and enjoy this life.