August 1

It's been a tough summer here Near Philadelphia. The weather has been beastly hot, with days-long stretches into the 90s and not anywhere enough rain. It's too early to be thinking about pumpkins and sweaters, but the dogwood tree doesn't know that and her leaves are curling just a bit and darkening just a tad, most likely due to the aforementioned weather issues. I admit that I did succumb to an ad for a terrific long-sleeved shirt and look forward to wearing it on the very first possible day.

Readers may recall that I had my left knee replaced on March 11 and was on my way to a very nice, speedy recovery when May 7 provided an inexplicable but very real tear in my right Achilles. I went through a long, hard time trying to get the MRI needed for a definitive diagnosis, and wore a rocker-bottom boot on the right foot and stabilizing shoe on the left for eight weeks. I'm having to get new/different shoes as Dr. Foot says no more Birkenstocks. Ever. 😔

But the physical therapy is moving right along; I'm much stronger in the ankle and pain-free there and I'm gradually regaining the stamina I'd lost in the knee. So I feel as though I've turned a corner and am just hoping I'm not dealing with an octagon!

In brighter, much brighter news, I'm scheduled to go away for three -- count 'em THREE -- nights with my besties for a Lancaster County quilt retreat. And Himself and I are now scheduled to visit Son #1 in Richmond AND to see Julia Child's Kitchen in the museum there. 

ALL of the blocks for Bessie are made (unless I've miscounted) and I've even begun to put her together. I've got an intriguing new hand-sewing project for evening entertainment. 

I've resumed my volunteer work at the church office and in just a couple more weeks I'll be back at my weekly food pantry stint.

So there's been good stuff, along with the not-so-good, this summer. And all of that was before Simone Biles!