KevRider

Stroke Survivor - male
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  1. KevRider

    new Year , New day

    By KevRider,


    projects
    Now movement is almost back to normal and is more a matter of fatigue, in that as I get more tired i will get a little more wobbly but only slightly and an increase in concentration will often improve the motion. Still waiting on results of MRA.
    So a new year , and hopefully a better one than the last. Though its become apparent that this pandemic will  take more effort to beat!
     
    Personally i used to avoid new year resolutions as a set up for failure.  I had attempted earlier in me recovery to reduce weight I was at 191 lbs and wanted to be back to 175.
    When we went into isolation I found my self snacking a lot, probably form boredom. I had got to 181 but gave up the project.  So I'm setting that as a new years resolution. Fortunately it turns out I haven't put on as much as I feared as I start the year at 186.
    A plan to be in Paris on June 12th will probably not happen a scheduled  but we intend to go as soon as its deemed safe. So my other resolution is to improve my french. I have been indulging in an on-line course since November, which has been great fun but not as effective as speaking with a native speaker. We have done so much zoom in the last 9 month, so I thought hey you can zoom to France. A google search soon found a tutor in Lyon and I have my first session later today. 🙂
     
    So I think 2 resolutions is enough
    Happy New Year to all.
  2. KevRider

    Presentation

    By KevRider,

    A goodly amount of travelling reduced mu exercise program but still:-
    Wed: Yoga joined by my wife.
    Thu: Gym
    Fri: drove tp Phoenix ate out.
    Sat: event & drove home.
    Sun. Day off.
    Mon: Drove to Sedona and made presentation. Ate out.
    Tues drove home got sick - feels like a flu.
     
    The big challenge for the week was returning to public speaking. Especially as I still have trouble controlling speech. I was sufficiently concerned that I had a dream 2 days before that I could not speak at all like just after my stroke. Anyhow the presentation of 45 mins was almost flawless except for one word that failed to arrive from my head. In an instant my wife called the word and I rolled on to the end, So we were all quite pleased 🙂
     
    I managed to avoid snacking thru the week but eating out twice this week I didn't actually gain weight but did not loose any either.
     
  3. KevRider

    Breaking Habits

    By KevRider,

    This week its been harder to note specific improvement. Rather I seem to have realized that I may have to push beyond habits i've fallen into. I had started , and continue to run back from barn to the house every morning after feeding the horses. Yet I realized that I walk in a very steady and cautious way which has now served me for several months. One evening my wife was calling me to the bathroom to take meds and I realized I use to walk much faster in such circumstance. I increased stride and speed and had no problem! t wasn't like when I push to relearn a muscle use. I t was more like the natural movement was there waiting for me to return to it.
    I am making a resolution to day to try to move , in all things, like i used to. If nothing else I think it we redefine where my limits are.
    As Cober says; Quarantine while we continue to work in the hoop house every day which also stretches and challenges my balance. Is pretty much in full production in there.

    The first of the cucumbers have just arrived and out in the garden egg-plant abounds with sweet peppers coming soon. We are producing so much at the moment that time can't process it all so we have been feeding 5 other house holds. We pakage it up put in on a table in the garage and they come and collect it as we are still maintaining a high level of isolation.

    Thats it for this week.
  4. KevRider

    New Mexico

    By KevRider,

    My father was a master Marine on the Great Lakes run. At 7 he brought me a View Master 3d viewer and I remember most a cavern wonders of the world disc and image of Carlsbad Cavern. Well I finally got to see it. Deb and I took a 5 day road trip for valentines and our 19th anniversary, From a recovery point of view I probably did more walking than ever since my stroke. The caverns were a couple of hours of very up and down and uneven trails but the hand rails were a great help. The trip was fun and I was pretty trashed at the end of each day, but all the walking was at least a substitute for the gym which I didn't get to this week.
    Wed: House party & Evening meeting
    Thur: VLA
    Fri: Roswell
    Sat: Carlsbad Cavern
    Sun: White Sands
    Mon: Drive home
    Tues: Acupuncture
    BP ave 149/87 weight 190lb (eating out a lot doesn't help
  5. KevRider

    BP tracking

    By KevRider,

    So after years of trying to keep my blood pressure down and taking lisinopril my stoke doctor likes the Bp elevated some. My arteries in the base of my brain are very narrow so hes or with higher blood pressure is supposed to push though this restriction. I track it every morning and graph it. It all over the place and no trend is readily visible. Over time a drop would suggest improvement which is what my Dr hopes for.
    Some improvement are so subtle that it may be several days before I realize the change. Thee headiness Ive had with me since post stroke was reducing but this last week its reduced considerably it seems to come when my balance is challenged. Its absent most of the time and only comes when I make a sudden or unusual movement. I can get thru the day with it absent most of the time. 
    We have a house party today and then off on a road trip for our 19th anniversary to Carlsbad caverns via Roswell for my UFO following wife.
    Wed: event
    Thu: Yoga
    Fri: treadmill
    Sat: Day Gardening
    Sun: dat off
    Mon: Gym
    Tues: Snowed in - cancelled acupuncture
    weight 188lb - Bp ave 148/86
  6. KevRider

    A New Year

    By KevRider,

    So it's 2020! I'm not usually into blogging or journals etc. But some times I loose track of my recovery and dip into depression. Every day seems such and effort and I try and keep an attitude of gratitude, for still being here if nothing else. Daily improvement is so slow that I loose sight of my baseline, which is I can out after the stoke paralyzed in both limbs on the left side and unable to speak. Yesterday was New Years Eve and my last physio therapy session in which I ran. My recovery has been amazing or so I'm told 🙂 that's another reason for gratitude. So I'm starting this (we will see if I mange to maintain it.) Another member was saying they are starting to keep a jar in which they write about something good that's happened in the week and put in the jar. So this I will use as the jar and set my goals for the coming year.
    1. Write a post about at least one god thing that's happened every week.
    2 Get to the gym at least twice a week unless out of town.
    3. Use the treadmill at home if not going to gym. 
    4. Take Sundays as a relaxation day and do nothing.
    5 Loose some weight - now 191lb I was at 175 before the stroke.
     
    OK off to the gym.
  7. KevRider

    Mince Pies

    By KevRider,


    projects
    Single digit temperature have restricted project I was attempting to get to but been driven inside changed the focus to a traditional activity which has been neglected for a few years: the making of xmas mince pies!
     
    Stroke wise there's not much to tell  measuring progress to date as short falls from normal. Which is itself a progress as this time last year i was still wearing an ankle brace for any extended walking and sleeping a great deal to recover from even moderate effort. Still no significant progress this week but I do seem to be sleeping less during the day.
     
    Meanwhile, mince pies! These things seem to be a British thing as my US friends don't usually understand what they are. For me they go back to childhood when mother would make then typically on Christmas Eve. Later in life I took over the habit and would make and eat them of the days approaching Christmas. For health reasons we dropped then from the diet a few years back but Deb has discovered a pastry recipe which is based of coconut oil rather than butter so we reinstated the tradition.  

    The return of dexterity to my left hand meant I could help in cutting and mounting the pastry (top left)
    Baked and fresh out the oven ( top right)
    Dusted with powdered sugar (bottom left)
    Ready to eat during the days approaching Christmas ( bottom right)
     
    I think the near death experience fo a stoke has definitely made me appreciate the little things more.
  8. KevRider

    Pushing for Normal

    By KevRider,

    Those who may have read last weeks blog will know i'm pushing for normal. Generally its been working great! i'm estimating about an 85% rate and it feels good when I get it right as for a few minutes I fell no deficits. The slight down side it that occasionally on rougher ground i lose a little balance. and may stagger slightly for a stride or 2 it challenges my balance and may induce a little headiness. but I have not taken a fall yet, and believe that balance challenge is probably good neuro plastics learning anyhow.
    My horse came up lame 5 days ago so no riding for a few days, but took him for a quiet walk yesterday an he is sound again.
    Quarantine while... pottering in the garden and hoop house and walking regularly on the treadmill where i have increased the grade to 4.5%. I t seems to make me flex joints more than being flat.
    Hers a pic of a greens bed which is supplying Arugula and lettuce for salads.

    The pic at the top was flowering sweet potatoes which are harvested as close to the first frost as I dare  Cheers Kev
  9. KevRider

    Mary Jane

    By KevRider,


    projects
    145/83 BP was a pleasant reading this morning, a bit lower than my average 152/88 ( Remember I have prescribed hypertension) my doctor likes higher BP to push thru my constricted veins. So a natural drop in BP suggest a possible clearing of veins.
    The push for normal movement continues  but I can't claim to have identified any specific improvements.
    This weeks specific project is to harvest the marihuana plants. We are lucky that in AZ we have legal marihuana and I 'm far enough away from a dispensary that I am allowed to grow a few plants for personal use. The THC was very useful in the period following rehab, as it vastly reduced spasmodity. In fact the first time I used it I got up and walked away almost normally. It also helped muscle relaxation at the end of the day. I hardly use it now , having only smoke twice in the last month. 
    These days we are processing our plants more for THCA.

  10. KevRider

    Anniversary

    By KevRider,


    projects
    Well this weeks 'big event' was our 20th anniversary. Usually we would go somewhere a bit special , like last year we took a road trip to Roswell and Carlsbad caverns but this year we had to make the best of it at home in isolation. As many here know we are vegan but we still managed to indulge in a couple of meals that were out of the usual. Deb made me a British breakfast with  faux meat sausages.

    This was a repeat of my birthday breakfast. For dinner we indulged in  cheese burger which is no big deal for normal persons but we imported a case of beyond burgers and a vegan cheddar which made for a delicious tasting meal but definitely beyond our usual low fat limit! A friend donated a vegan chocolate cake  which was super rich so the day ended uo been dominated by food and a romantic comedy 'Love punch'
     
    Otherwise the weather has been limiting activity though I did get into the green house to transplant some tomatoes to bigger pots and start egg plant, peppers and cucumbers.
    Cheers Kev
  11. KevRider

    British Breakfast

    By KevRider,


    projects
    So I'm so close to normal movement that identifying improvement is a challenge.  I am moving normally unless fatigued but the easier movement leads me to imbalances quite often. However such are recovered quickly and instinctively. I'm steadily taking on more project work and my stamina is slowly increasing. I tend to work mostly in the mornings and still have a nap in the afternoons but not every day, which is a major improvement from 6 months ago when any exertion would need a nap after to recover. 
     
    So Monday was my 69th birthday, which I  have to admit 18 months ago i was wondering if I'd make it to 68! Covid has made is more meal oriented and when asked by Deb
     what I wanted to do I said Id like to start the year with a British Breakfast

    Those who are more familiar with me and my diet will know we eat a low fat, vegan diet. So the British Banger & the bacon are all fax-meat. 
    We have also developed a habit during the last month of feeding horses a little earlier and sitting out on the back patio to watch the sun set. I must admit its been getting a little chilly lately so we are ordering a fire pit to try and continue the habit.

    It can get quite spectacular at times but its also a nice time to chat and reflect.
    Well the election has finish bar the counting so I'll probably have the time to rejoin the chat room. 🙂
  12. KevRider

    Tomatoes

    By KevRider,

    So actually had to go out this week! We get our income form a few rentals and we had a tenant leave so we had to go out to assess clean up needs, which included taking a traitor of junk to the dump. So some interaction with others hopefully at a safe distance, wearing masks and gloves.  It felt good to be out and about but I was somewhat nervous in the interactions. Its good to be mobile enough again that I can do a lot of tasks required .,but I must admit I hired 2 guys to help with the heavy loading.
    Got lots of riding in the mornings this week and kept up regular walking on the treadmill. Noticed that getting out the small car was done naturally as of old compare with the way i got out for the first few weeks where I had to pull my self out with me arms. so still seeing small improvements.
    The garde is coming on, supplying squash, lettuce nd tomatoes. The latter suddenly coming into full yield. We have so much that we give lots away to our friends. Below yesterdays haul.

  13. KevRider

    Turmoil

    By KevRider,

    I find the level of turmoil in the USA rather disturbing and it tends to affect my mood. So there's little I can do about that so I try and remember to enjoy each fay and that I almost left the planet.
    Things are growing rapidly now and we are already eating produce from the hoop house. Our first tomato was harvested this week , we ate it separate from any other food. The flavor was intense after a winter of shop bought ones. Many green ones will soon ripen and follow. Gardening still takes it out of me and often challenges my balance but the headiness of old has all but disappeared. 
    6 months ago I had written off gardening completely.
    I still have moments of improvements, like mounting the other day I swung into my saddle more like old times and realized that my left leg was function like old and yesterday I stepped into a pair of pants without supporting myself on a wall, just balanced on eac leg in turn and stepped into them!
    Of course writing this blog makes me review these little things which build steadily to a pretty full recovery.
    I ride and garden each day weather allowing, which is most days now as we have some lovely mornings sunny and cool before it gets to hot. Were in the 90s now in the afternoon.
    Im very regular on the treadmill at 3mph for 20 mins, but have been shying away from the weight scales. I should wear a mask more not for safety but to stop my snacking!

     
  14. KevRider

    Isolation

    By KevRider,

    Well this virus will definitely put a dent in routine. My wife and I have decided to self-isolate as much as possible. We have cancelled all appointments and the Gym is closed and Yoga cancelled for now. We only have 20 cases so far in Arizona and they are all in the valley. Were going out for animal food later today but are paying in advance by credit card and they will just dump the stuff in the back of the pickup when we arrive. Better safe than sorry!
    On a more fun note the weather broke and we managed to get a ride in , but short lived a snow storm is coming in this evening. No one seems to have warned the flowers the daffodils are out and trees starting to bud.
    Challenge of trying to loose weight seems to elude me. Of course it doesn't help when I use Maryjane and get the munchies 🙂
    Thu: Yoga
    Fri: Off
    Sat:Gardening
    Sun:Yoga
    Mon: Day off
    Tue: Rode
    Weigth: 195 and ave BP 151/86 
    My headiness continues to decrease but its like an exponential decay half as bad as lst week but still there.
    I missed the chat room Monday, either the time was altered or they started day light saving - which we don't do in AZ
    Time to shower , Kev
     
     
  15. KevRider

    Time to change how I look at things

    By KevRider,


    projects
    A recent snow blizzard created some extra work for me. The roof of a horse barn ah to be well ventilated but that means there is space for snow to enter when blown by strong winds.

    This resulted in stalls been filled with melting snow and making the horse bedding wet. So one evening we had to dig wet bedding out of two stalls and replace it.
    I decided to do the heavy digging work myself and let Deb drive the tractor to dump the stuff onto out compost piles. 
     
    The situation made me realize two things. Firstly is how being a male the idea that i should do the heavier part of the work is hard wired. At least now I was doing that again, compared with the first year of recovery where Deb had to do it. Secondly I am at , or perhaps have passed the point of monitoring improvements.
     
    I used this blog for a while to keep track of improvements and it was useful to look back over and gauge progress. Recently, however improvements have been negligible. Perhaps I have levelled off. Not to say that I don't still maintain my exercise regimes to try and keep moving forward but little if any improvements have been identifiable over the last few weeks.
     
    Then it stuck me i'm looking in the wrong direction! Here I was taking on the heavier pert of the work, as I had prior to my stroke. The improvements in mobility which I used to track had accumulated to my doing substantial work. I need to start looking forward to what else I can now take on!
     
    Now I will admit  that this new found enthusiasm tended to dissipate about half way thru the second stall when fatigue was was started to make me feel a bit wobbly and I almost swapped jobs with Deb but then I resolved to finish it and found i had a bit more energy to complete the task 🙂
     
    so i need to look at what things I can now do as i move forward as even without measurable movement improvements there's a lot to get on with.
     
    Cheers Kev
     
  16. KevRider
    Well on Thursday last I was moving a bail of hay , which had fallen weirdly and jammed in position. I lifted with my legs but had my elbow bent slightly. Just as it started to move I felt my forearm muscles tear like breaking old sting.  The felling was sickening , both mentally and physically! So that led to 3 days off nursing the arm. Its been getting better each day but  is still to tender to risk riding. I did get back to the treadmill. On a better note I have been lengthening my walking stride back to its old level. The monsoon is on us here with heavy cloud cover through the night which keeps the temp up around 68F which is warn as we are at 5,600ft and night are usually down at 50F. Days are cooler with cloud like 80F -compared with 100F for a clear day. We are looking at thunder storms to day and lots of rain hopefully 🙂
    Harvest is abundant. We are harvestin about 10lb of tomatoes every other day along with some quash and greens. This week the grapes joined in 🙂
    Cheers Kev 
  17. KevRider
    So Wednesday around again so soon.! This week seems to be an odd job week. Which is in itself a good thing. These projects are quiet tiring as my stamina is far from what it used to me but I can balance, climb ladders (carefully ) and am dexterous enough again to handle power tools. Its also the anniversary of my stroke so its been a year. This time last year I was making a bucket list as I was not sure I would last much longer! I made Monument Valley & Carlsbad Caverns before the virus grounded me. Well onwards on day at a time.
     
    Project 1; was due to Deb having to go to the Post Office so often for little parcels, so she purchased a larger mail box and then I had to install it.

     
    Project 2; the solar system started overloading as the A/c kicks in ., but only in the hottest part of the day. So the system is mounted in a small shed , some 300 m away. So I fitted a wind turbine on the roof and put Styrofoam sheets of insulation on the wall and ceiling. The metal shed was very hot even at 9am this morning so hopefully it will help. Were hitting the mid 90s now.

     
    I've never figured out why in the middle of a semi arid deserts we see toads I 'm surprised the AZ sun doesn't roast them.
    Meanwhile getting in some riding and daily treadmill  for 20mins.
     
  18. KevRider

    Water is Life

    By KevRider,

    Sill in isolation so tending to use my treadmill as I cant get out, Walking has suddenly become more balanced, only limping slightly when tired. So Im trying to build up the leg muscles and my stamina which is still far from my old levels. My headiness has reduced some and seems to be associate with balance in new or unusual motion. For example I had to go down om my knees while checking tire pressure this weekend, not a usual position and the headiness was induced. One of the community wells in the Navajo nation failed so they were out of water. Found out during a regular lunch meeting with friends which we converted to Zoom. They were going to buy water! Fortunately  I had a 275 gall tank I use when travelling with our horses and a another 55 gal. So I set up a trailer and filled it from my well.  A guy came early Monday and I had left the rig by our gate so o need for contact and he drove it up to the reservation. Felt good to help but better that I was capable of physically doing the work to prepare the rig.
     
    Wed:Treadmill
    Thu:Treadmill
    Fri: Treadmill
    Sat: Prepareded Water Rig
    Sun: Filled rig
    Mon: Day off
    Tue: Treadmill (40min at 2.8 mph)
    weight: 186 lbs (-4 😁) bp 5day ave 147/83 😀
  19. KevRider

    Project

    By KevRider,

    Well this week I can't identify any actual improvements. Of course they can be so subtle now I have to pay attention to spot one. I do catch my self slipping back to my safe walk and find myself having to coach myself , like "Come on a bit faster" as I continue to move more as I used to. This week I have been involved with installing a big drum composter. The screwing of nuts onto bolts was an exercise they used to have me do in rehab, and I found I was flashing back to that as i had to do it a lot in this project. It certainly showed up a slight deficiency in fine motor skills in my left fingers. But I'm sure the practice did some good. The final lift of drum onto stand and its adjustment was a heavy lift and I paid the price in some stiffness yesterday. still a lot of motion in the assembly and no headiness to talk off and it was very satisfying to be back doing a real project again. 🙂
    Here we have the stand up and leveled. Below the final product.
    I am so overdue for a hair cut!!
  20. KevRider

    Warm

    By KevRider,

    At 5500ft we can get freezes as late as May 28th. but it looks like we are clear now.  47F this morning and we will go to 80s lter in the day, Every thing is blooming and the nest built in our chicken coop is now home to newly hatched chics.

    My stamina seams to be increasing slightly as I get thru more in the day with less breaks. Some lovely sunny mornings which are prefect for long rides.  Recovery is small increments now and realizations. Like I went to mount the other morning and I swung into the saddle just like pre-stroke. I hit the saddle and realized 'oh that was familiar!'
    The time of the year takes us into the garden as irrigation has to be installed for the plants going form pots in the hoop house into the ground out side.  Growing is observable on a daily basis now. 
    At the beginning of the year I didn't think I would be gardening this year but here I am already harvesting greens and our first tomatoes are ripening off. Growth is every where.
    Even after riding and working in the garden I still have energy left to hit the treadmill. That wasn't so last month. These incremental improvements keep my spirits up and my consciousness of them is facilitated by this blog.
  21. KevRider

    Winter is here!

    By KevRider,


    projects
    Well another week where I thought i'd have no specific improvement to report. Then yesterday i was caught with my hands full in the tack room of the barn, Feed in one hand and a kitty in the other. I had managed to pen the door and go in but now needed to close it .( The cat is closed in the tack room at night due to coyote and owls) With out thinking I flipped my leg back and kicked it close. I then realised what I had done! I had transferred weight onto one leg, a balancing that I would have not been able to pull off back in March. Then standing one leg i moved the other up in the air and moved it laterally behind me. The force of the push then had to be balanced against the weight of the door.  Although I had not thought a second before the maneuverer, immediately after I was aware of the complexity of the move.
     
    So rather than observing quality of movement as I have been, like evenness of pace etc, it seems I have entered a new phase of complexity of the movement.
     
    Quarantine while... Winter came sudden and hard. There nights down to 22F and snow also.

    We had to get out the day before and blow out the irrigation and harvest the tomatoes, even the large green ones, as a touch of frost and the become a black mush. Of curse we can still fry green tomatoes, although we don't fry as we are low fat. we grill with garlic and onions 🙂 And like peppers they will ripen for a few days on the counter.

    So in conclusion it seems I will now have to look at the kind of movements I'm making rather that how well i do simple movements. So I realize in some ways my recovery is in progress and moving to old normal 🙂
     
  22. KevRider

    Peppers

    By KevRider,


    projects
    Here we are on the weekly blog, but little to tell. No identifiable improvements but I  am to be getting to do more work than at the beginning of the year so I'm hoping that's a sign of increasing stamina. So we are down in the 30s some mornings lately though still 80S afternoon. That kind of highj dessert swing can let an early frost sneak in so we have been harvesting crops that would get damaged. This weeks main target the peppers.

    The various wok loads make it hard to gauge but I assume my stamina is increasing.
  23. KevRider

    A year on.

    By KevRider,

    A quiet week. Its been very windy so have passed the time more indoors. Arizona is having a major relapse with the Corona virus so we aren't going anywhere for a while. Perhaps even a long while! I was entertaining my self with planning a trip to the UK and Paris which we have been intending to take with Deb's parents for their 50th Wedding Anniversary next June 2021. Then yesterday we heard the Americans won't be allowed to fly to Europe! At the rate we are going we could still have that problem next year!
    My activity this week has been little beyond my usual 20 mins a day treadmill, so it hard to notice any improvement. So since we have just passed my stroke 1st anniversary I thought I'd give myself a reality check. My headiness (like beinga bit drunk) which was with me in rehab constantly has all but disappeared and is only around when I initiate a sudden move. My walking still takes a major effort both muscles and mental focus but most people don't notice any thing. I can even balance on my left (previously paralyzed) leg for several seconds Here is the pic from rehab when I could not walk at all, I hated this rig!!

    So I need to keep  sense of relativity and gratitude. I 'm pretty lucky to be alive!! 
    BTW title pic is me and my therapist in the pool at rehab a year ago.
  24. KevRider

    Harvesting

    By KevRider,

    So this week I engaged in more work around the house and garden with some significant results. I offered to help with vacuuming the house. The to and thro motion of this induces a strange headiness as I transferred weight from one foot to the other. Later my walking changed to a longer stride and during my first walk of the day, which id from house to barn to feed horses, the walk felt vary natural and indistinguishable from my pre-stroke walk. It still gets a little wobbly as the day goes on and I become tired at the end of the day.
    We have also been doing a lot of harvesting and i have bee a lot more active in this.  The bending and pulling seems to be bringing more core muscles on line , though I pay for my efforts with muscular stiffness the next day. Also the other day I was harvesting potatoes with a fork and found i could actually balance on my left leg and drive the fork into the ground with my right and balance all forces concerned. Had I tried that a couple of weeks ago I would probably ended up on my *beep*.
    I still tire more easily that before but my stamina still continues to improve.
    Picture below show potatoes harvested. That's a few meals there. Lead pic is white egg plants, zucchini and winter squash. 
     

  25. KevRider

    SALADS & ZOOM

    By KevRider,

    Well last weeks record of 40mins at 3 mph was not exactly by intent. I walk watching cold West Wing episodes and loss track of time.  Paid or it with some soreness next day so I kicked back. I returned to exercise Thursday for 20 mins. I should have waited longer! I strained the same muscle and ended   up having to take 3 days to get out of pain. In fact I've decide to take the week off the treadmill. Even so the week wasn't all off as we cleaned out the chicken coop. We deep litter this so it only need digging out once a year and the digging went into the compost. It was good to be able to do some effective work. My headiness is not ascent most of the time 🙂 It does return when I challenge my balance with less usual movement ; like digging out coops where you have to work bending over.
     
    The hoop house is now providing green in abundance and it the time of year where we eat a lot of salads. It finally warm so we are riding more to. Being in the saddle is also a gage of progress and we ve been doing long trots at the post which is pushing my stamina and I must admit I m a bit wobbly when I get off and back on the ground. So busy that we hardly notice the isolation and weve ben zooming with quite a few friends including Deb's brother in Saudi. They are in house isolation no going out at all except a shopping trip for which you have to get an appointment!
     
    Wed:Recoup
    Thu: treadmill
    Fri: Ouch
    Sat:Ouch
    Sun: Day off
    Mon: Chicken coop
    Tue: Gardening
    Ave BP 156/82 That's pretty normal for me at the moment weight 189 lb