Kitty play and the broken ankle

So this past week I have been trying to play with our latest acquired cat, Molly aka the tank. She just loves to chase us as we run down the halls trailing a feather toy behind. I engaged in play this way with her twice but it turns out the broken ankle doesn’t care for this type of rough housing. Two of my three breaks are totally healed - one small break remains in the tibia and I suspect this tiny, tiny break is what is still making the ankle so cranky. There was much throbbing and shooting pain after I “ran” up and down the halls. Oh, and Molly has a bit of a temper and somehow she knows to target the bad ankle for her nips and swats, bad kitty, bad. I really need to go faster so heal ankle heal.

However there is much to celebrate - I am beyond thrilled that I walk fairly normally now and have been able to walk about 2.5 miles without feeling ankle fatigue. This is a definite step up from the beginning of Feb. when the ankle still got tired after ~ .5 miles or so. I now go up stairs without thinking about it at all, can go up and down the library step stool effortlessly and am thinking about resuming bike riding. I did a half mile trial run on the bike the other day and I think it is time to resume the bike commute. I am absolutely thrilled though that I no longer wear a compression sock every day (what a fashion statement that was) and finally had the bottom of my bed unelevated.

There still needs some improvement – I still cannot go downstairs without going really slowly and awkwardly, I still cannot run, my calf muscle is still a joke, getting up from the tub still requires the "splayed giraffe" move and I still cannot do child's pose or thunderbolt in yoga.

I do have a “it's a fact of life” reality with the ankle and I suspect some things are going to be status quo for awhile,for example, talk about stiff, in the mornings I give Frankenstein's monster a run for his money. I’m also pretty sure I am never going to be a yoga queen or even finish a five K race as a runner (and yes I did at one point run 5 ks) but – you never know

distracting spring

I almost hesitate to say this as various parts of the country are still in the firm grasp of winter but…. Spring has definitely arrived in my area of the country. Tulips, jonquils, daffodils, freesia are all in bloom and some are even fading. My sweet peas, borage and cerenthe are all showing signs of vigorous growth and I may start to have blooms from them soon.

The imminent arrival of spring has forced me to be out in the garden weeding, prepping the soil etc., for my annual late March early planting of the annuals. Since I’ve been so busy outside I have had even less time than usual for either reading or posting about what I’ve read.

However, since I have a few free minutes I would like to say that February was a good month for fantasy. I cannot recommend highly enough The Rook and The Girl who circumnavigated fairyland in a ship of her own making.

The Rook by Daniel O’Malley opens with the protagonist Myfanwy Thomas standing over several dead bodies with no memory of who she is. She quickly discovers that she has lost her memory and that Myfanwy (past) has provided documentation for Myfawny present to survive. It soon transpires that she is a high ranking albeit administrative official in a secret organization. She soon comes into contact with a variety of unique people and life forms as well as plots galore. Myfanwy(present) is such an interesting cool character that the book was just fun to read. It alos doesn’t hurt that there are nice subtle touches of humor as the book progresses as well

I reviewed the Girl who circumnavigated fairyland in a ship of her own making by Catherynee M Valente on goodreads so won’t say too much here other than it is a smart, lushly imagined tale that still has some real heart to it. I am so looking forward to reading the sequel. Here is hoping that the sun and blooms don’t keep me entirely form a good book, but I suspect March’s have read bookshelf is going to be a touch slim. May those of you still in the clutches of old man winter soon feel the touch of the goddess herself.