Getting back into the swing of things

I didn't mean to run so soon after getting my boot off, but the other day as I was walking around the lake with Maddie, my feet just started jogging. (Really!)

I went once around (a mile), with Maddie by my side, and then walked another mile. I felt fine, and I made sure to just walk the next couple of days.

On Sunday, I played two sets of doubles on a clay court with Donna, Deb and Korby, friends from my tennis team. The clay felt great under my feet, like playing on cushioning. The first set, I felt rusty, and Korby and I lost 6-1. I was happy to be out there, but I slipped into some "negative self-talk"...can't do this, can't do that.

"Hey, we're just out here having fun," Korby said.

And Donna reminded me, "Look at where you came from. We thought we'd never see you out here again."

Oh, right!

Either I warmed up or the reminders relaxed me or both, but the second set was fine. Korby and I brought it to a tie-breaker which we ended up losing 9-7, but obviously at that point it could have gone either way, and I had found my groove and started having fun.

It got hot, and by the end I was ready to stop and have a frozen lemonade. Actually, true confessions, I was dragging a little.

I summarized for Meryl this morning, partially in jest but partially serious, "I played hard and then the next day I thought I was dying of something."

She reminded me that age is a factor here too. Oh, right again! Sometimes I kind of forget about that.

Today I will probably just walk again and try to do some exercises. (Boring.) Tomorrow I might go to a tennis clinic with George.

Maddie has been enjoying her walks. She always goes for a swim, and we have been meeting all sorts of interesting dogs. The other day we came upon a young woman with a chihuahua puppy named Little Dog. Sometimes Maddie doesn't react well to little dogs, so I warned the owner and pulled back on the leash.

But Maddie usually just gets ornery when a small dog is aggressive and barks. This one seemed oblivious, so we let them say hello. Maddie was very polite, seeming to understand the need for gentleness with a creature that was not much bigger than her head. They lost interest in each other quickly; I'm not sure they even realized they were the same species.

Things have been falling into place here, the long days providing a sense of ease.

The other night, we were are own little version of domestic harmony.

Joe cooked on the grill, Katie weeded in the garden and sang, and I made salad and puttered around.

All was well.