Good-bye PT and Go, Go, Go

My physical therapist discharged me last weekend. She ran me through my exercises, did all the tests and said I exceeded what was required for every one of them. She said I was doing very well and need not push any harder but just keep on with what I’m doing. The hospital and the PT expect I will go at once to a facility once or twice a week for advanced physical therapy for strength training and further exercise. That was a disaster with my last knee, so I am putting it off while I concentrate on what means a lot to me and to Woody: walking. This week I have been walking every day except Monday. It is tiring and my knee gets sore toward the end of what I can do, but I walk farther as I continue. I am now walking in an area known as High Toss, a nice level sand road that is pleasant and not far from our home. Every day I try to go a little farther.   We have never had a year like this one with tomatoes. It’s not great for beans or eggplants or peppers, but it’s perfect for pattypans, yellow squash and zucchini. We have been canning and canning and canning and have to do more canning. After a couple of years of very limited tomato harvests, we are just about out of everything except hot sauce. We haven’t used as much of that as we usually do because oxycodone makes my stomach queasy and I don’t seem to tolerate hot-spicy stuff yet. I’m down to one pill a day now but my stomach remains a bit sensitive. We have been putting up Italian tomato sauce, canned paste tomatoes and simple sauce – the most basic tomato sauce -- best for some dishes like stuffed peppers. Canning’s a lot of work especially when it’s warm or humid – even more so when it’s both hot and humid. But a few hours of difficulty forcing outselves to push on results in pleasure all year and healthy eating. I can’t stand the tinny aftertaste of commercially canned tomatoes in any form. Tonight we are entertaining for the first time since my operation. When people have come over until now, it has been to help me, to care for me, to do the things I was not able to do myself. Now I want to host something nice for those who did so much for me when I couldn’t. I don’t feel up to cooking a sit down dinner for 8, but we’re hosting a hors d’oeuvres and drinks party instead 5 to 8. That should work for me, as I tend to get exhausted around then and can’t keep active beyond mid evening. I just read or watch something on TV until I’m ready for bed. Everyone hasn’t been able to come so I will treat the other four people who really helped a lot in some other time and way. I prefer late August to any other time in the summer, as it is usually warm during the day and cool at night – great for outdoor activity and then for sleeping. I have been sleeping better with the windows open. The cats have been neglected during this rehab period except for getting petted. Not much playing with them, cutting their claws, brushing them. I feel guilty and plan to make it up to all four of them. I have to figure out today what I will cook tomorrow. We have gravlax we made before my operation and froze, so that’s simple enough. The rest I have to figure out. People love my guacamole, so if Woody can find some at least semi-ripe avocados in town today, I’ll do that. I found an old fashioned recipe for stuffed tomatoes, including tuna, so I will probably do that. I have enough eggplants to make a good sized batch of baba genoush.   Last night we had a small sirloin steak with a zuke dish where you slice them thin, spread them two sliced deep in a baking dish, sprinkle with chopped fresh basil, parsley and oregano. then you beat two eggs with some light cream and nutmeg, add fresh grated parmesan and then bake it at 365 for 45 minutes. It’s really delicious.