Well, the bright work project certainly was a
distraction and it proved how adept I am at procrastination! By end of August I had
layed on seven coats of varnish and decided to call it good enough for this
season. Seven coats will keep the teak
protected and so the bright work project is in a safe temporary holding pattern. Next spring I’ll add an additional four coats
and call it good.
In September and the first two weeks of October---without the excuse of needing to drive so that I could get to the boat after work fresh enough and with enough time to make progress---I have returned to
biking to work, and I am really feeling improvement. I am able ride faster for longer, and I feel
less muscle ache during the ride and afterward.
Also, I have discovered several short-cuts from the standard Burke Gilman Bike Trail route that shortens overall distance and eliminates several
busy intersections, so there are only one or two spots where I might have to
stop.
Also, I have continued working on left ankle
range of motion, and it is frustrating how little progress I am making there. Although I am able to bend it a
considerable amount by leaning against a wall (first facing in and leaning far
forward and then facing out and leaning far back), without the added pressure
the ankle is still very stiff and doesn’t yet bend back and forth of it’s own accord.
Thankfully, I am sensing gradual
improvement in feeling in my left foot.
In addition to pins & needles I am now also feeling internal stinging
& itching (which I suppose is a good thing), and now I am able to feel whether the
foot has successfully slipped into a slipper when getting up out of bed at
night with the light still off, which is more than I could do several months
ago.
The doctors indicated there’s typically
a two-year window for repairing nerves and recovering feeling after an injury,
so I still have eight more months of potential progress. It is really important to have good sensation
in your feet for technical rock climbing, because you have to be able to feel
how well your foot is attached to the a particular placement on the rock (or
climbing wall), so I have continued to hold off on climbing until I have better
sensations my left foot.
No more procrastinating, . . . time to get back to hiking
and the thrice weekly workout routine!
