4 miles and change

 Two events worth noting here happened this week.  My friend and neighbor returned to Michigan from their winter escape to the south.  Her 17 year old dog is still with us, and he was glad to see me.  (I keep treats in my pocket.)

Last night my beloved granddaughter and I took part in a group hike organized by the county parks department.  We spent about an hour and a half exploring Connor Bayou along the Grand River.  We had some fun and a good bonding experience.

We were tired by the time we got back to the car, so opted for a fast food outlet for our late evening meal.

Rocks

 Two really big rocks were delivered yesterday and placed between LH’s house and the one next door, in the parking area, but clearly on the neighbor’s space.  Very nice rocks.

LH and JZ are currently in California so if there’s a story I will have to wait to hear it until later.

Tulips, Fireworks and Sunsets. Also Marsh Marigolds.

 It’s been nearly a week since I last posted here.  Tulip time finished it’s annual run on Saturday night with a fireworks display over lake Mac.  I attended, for the first time in years, with LH and JZ.

The first pic was taken at the Grand Rapids airport Thursday when I dropped my granddaughter off to go visit her brother for the weekend.  I picked her up on Monday, she brought me a very nice sweatshirt from the Smithsonian Zoo.  She will be flying back to DC to help with his move back to Michigan over Memorial Day weekend.  He has a summer job lined up while he looks for something in his field.  It will be good to have him around for a while.  Due to the logistics of all this, I will not be visiting Minnesota family over Memorial Day weekend.

Bike rides continue, as does PT.  PT is winding down, I claim improvement but no cure.  I will have more to say later on the joys of foam rollers for treating IT band syndrome.

Physical Therapy

 Legs are this weeks theme.

Apparently I don’t walk correctly. And this is hard on my IT band.

Michigan Legs

 It does take a while for me to make the adjustment from biking in Florida in the spring to riding here.  I’ve taken to referring to this change as finding my Michigan legs ( yes, I talk to myself about this.) The transition period seems to get longer every year.

Don’t know if this qualifies as GOINFS, or IIAS.

PSPS

 Documentation.  This photo should work for that — I have taken my first ride to the PSPS this year.  16 miles and change, an out and back along 168th, 164th and Butternut.  The usual route.

It was Thursday and I had been to PT that morning.  My leg was angry but the therapist said to go ahead and ride.  It was 55  degrees when I returned home, so still a significant chill in the air. The snack offerings at the party store were limited, and I had planned to refuel there — which was a disappointment.  I bought a peanut butter cookie which was another disappointment, but I eventually ate it.  Fuel?  My leg was still angry when I got home, so the jury is still out on that part of my strategy.  On the brighter side, I got “nice biked” twice while I was there, my first of the season.

May.????

 The change in scenery is the first thing that I notice when returning home from Florida.  Hot, humid, sunny and windy with palm trees and mangroves at one end, gray and rainy, still bitterly cold at the other.  Still, it’s home and as we know, there’s no place like home.  The granddaughter picked me up at the airport and we stopped for perch tacos on our way home.

Sweet potato fries on the side.  This morning I had my first PT appointment for what my doctor apparently diagnosed correctly, ITBand Syndrome.  So my knee pain is apparently just a referral.

I’ll see her twice a week for three weeks.  Exercises twice a day.  We’ll evaluate the progress at that point. This is exhausting.