It's spring...the grasses are Irish Emerald green everywhere...tulips abound around town...too warm days too early have settled into a comfortable spring temperature....I love the spring even when the bird bath is frozen over each morning...there is such promise this time of year.

My knees continue to delight and impress me. How wonderful is the power to forget. 7 weeks ago today my knees were cut open, sawed, drilled, new parts put in and what followed was about 36 hours of intense pain and nausea and vomiting and me vowing NEVER to have surgery again. But today I feel great and I seem to have forgotten the nasty details. To walk without pain, without a (comforting) cane, walking heel to toe, taking normal strides....is so wonderful, I'm in love with my new knees and the doc who put them there. Ok, there is still some pain and the stiffness is more pronounced than before (surgery)...but I know that will disappear too...6 weeks....6 months...1 year. Those are the healing markers.

Work will be challenging in the next year due to big and fast changes to our industry of pest control. Government has painted us all with the same brush. However, unlike the lawn care companies, we do not spray our chemicals willy-nilly all over the lawns and parks and golf courses.

How can the government make such laws and decisions when they are ignorant of the industry? It's the squeaky wheel that gets greased and there is no squeak louder than a bunch of environmentalists who, themselves, do not understand. Do these same people realize that when the carpenter ants try to take down their houses and their children are stung by wasps living in a huge nest attached to their houses...that there will be nothing that can be done for them? I have talked to enough customers over my 20+ years on the phones here, to know this will not go well.

But it gets even better..............

One town that has passed a "complete outside chemical ban", has "solved" the problem by requiring pest control companies to buy an annual permit (cash grab) to apply pesticide to the exterior of buildings at ground level (because this is still 'sort of' allowed). In addition a permit for each job address must be purchased and displayed, similar to a building permit. The by-law dept. of this same town said "if you don't get the permit within 48 hours...just go ahead with the job...delays with paper work are expected".

Oh and while I'm bitching here..................the "complete outside chemical ban" is not extended to golf courses!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What the f**k??????????????????? I see a kangaroo court in our future.

Thursday April 10th, 4 weeks, one day post-op and I felt fabulous. It was the first day in a month that I began to feel normal. I loved it. Today is Saturday April 12th and the day is cold and rainy and damp and I feel stiff and sore this afternoon. Normal. Saw the surgeon on Friday and he was very impressed and pleased with my progress and his surgical success of course. I like this guy, Dr. Christopher S. Lindsay, but he is quite full of himself - and rightly so. He is good. And he's cute. And he's young. And he had no idea what my "ankle thing" was about and not afraid to say so. The "ankle thing" is lessening and I hope it disappears one day soon.

Knee news...some days are good...some days are not...but I do see progress each day. I am following instructions and doing my physio and resting and walking. I would say I'm back to work 50%.

And so I bought myself a little treat...the newest...the latest...the greatest..."Superhero Necklace". You might remember I have *ahem* 2 beaded Superhero Necklaces, but no one is counting are they? http://www.superherodesigns.com/
Weather news....spring is coming...oh yes it is...here are my snowdrops today...last week they were tight little white buds emerging from the snow...I love spring.Hardy Sedum poking it's little nubby head up through the old wood

A step backwards today.

This "ankle thing" that has been sneaking up on me, roared today. I showed the lump, and the swollen very tender area to the PT today. "Hmmmm things are stuck there", Christine said, after some painful manipulation and palpation. So on her advice I have an appointment to see the surgeon next Friday.

In the meantime, Fridays always being a small physio class, Christine had extra time to work on me...oh lucky me - not! Over 5 hours later and I'm still limping but I think there just might be the slightest bit of improvement - both from her inflicted pain and the overall functioning of my ankle.

My bowed legs were straightened and this could be a problem resulting from my bones settling in. We'll know next Friday when I see "the boss".

In the meantime, I have to accept these set backs and use it as a time to try and focus on some knitting and staying off my feet except for oodles of exercise breaks throughout the day.

I am knitting "Twisted T" again, in a size that will be better for me this time around. The fibre is bamboo and it is knitting up with such silky luxury with a fabulous shimmer. I'll get a picture soon...the colour is periwinkle blue.

Here's the pattern.... "Twisted T". I like the shaping but I didn't leave enough ease across the bust and arms with my first attempted. #1 is still wearable...but I want it to be better.

Here is the yarn colour "Oriental Blue", Sirdar Just Bamboo

New knees and scars reaching for the (healing) sun. Notice the great degree of bend in my left knee...yay...to the top of the class for moi. Not so with the right just yet anyway.
The scar 3 weeks later...looks good...the incisions were 4" long...still a lot of swelling to lose...I am just beginning to see the first signs of peaks and valleys in my knee.

There are the tiniest skinny shoots of "Snowdrops" coming up through the snow and a little patch at the top of that triangle stone. See them?
The day was sunny and mild enough to enjoy the warm microclimate in my backyard
A spot to sit a bit and enjoy the sun, journal and puzzles ready.