13 Weeks Later----Day 1 on Skis!

13 weeks ago today I was just out of knee surgery for a torn meniscus.
Today, I was on snow, on my skis, on my beloved tundra, ski touring! 

The Girls and I on the tundra for a late afternoon ski. The ground is mostly frozen and the skiing was pretty darn wonderful! Day 1 of the ski season.  The goal is always 100 days but I always have another secret higher number as well to attain.

13 weeks ago Nurse Sadie and I at home in Montana hours after surgery. 

My fresh tracks on the way to The Refugio for my a.m. 5 days a week physical therapy workouts.  I have been diligent as can be to my workouts!  At times it has been frustrating and painful, but I never gave up once!

All my PT workouts enabled me to bush-wack through that crap on my skis today!

Late afternoon sub-Arctic sun . . . I love it!

Miss Tally with her stick waiting for the go-ahead to chase down her boy off in the distance.

Our Cadillac--LOL!  the 4-wheeler.  The Girls loaded up and ready to head home! 

Christian loading gear so we can head back tot he village.

I love tundra cruising as I call it.  Most of you will look at the photos and think "Gosh you ski on that crud!"  You know it and if I have learned anything in my soon to be 12 years of working and skiing out here you never ever take anything for granted!

I am just over the top happy and grateful to be back on skis again!  I can thank the great surgeon I had as well as the wonderful staff at Whitefish Therapy & Sport Center in Montana.  The two therapists I worked with there were amazing!  I will be curious to see what skate skiing will be like on my knee.  After today skiing, I think I will be able to return to all my normal ski activities this winter.

Tundra Time and The Knee

We are of course all the way back up north for another school year. Classes have started up in full force. We (as in us and the village) are all back to the school routines.

I am up five days a week at 5:00 a.m. to take the dogs out, enjoy that precious first cup of coffee, check email and then off to "The Refugio" as I call the waxroom this time of the year.  The village is usually silent at this early hour. I love greeting my day in peace and quiet.  We have had some northern lights when we were first back. HOWEVER, major bummer since being back almost every morning our skies have been cloudy. Even with all the solar flares which give us great northern lights due to the clouds, I was not able to view the lights!

I am now at week 8 after knee surgery.  I am really doing very well and I have learned to be patient, to go easy when my knee is feeling a bit rough, to push myself with my PT routines, and that time is the major factor in recovery.  Some weeks were painful with a good dose of discomfort, other weeks my knee felt great.  I can say both of my legs are now in far better shape and have equal strength.  I am thrilled that Whitefish Therapy & Sprot Center is willing to help me through emails as I really needed a bit more support and new goals being out here 400 air miles from anything!

Tally and her boy back on the tundra.

A bit buggy back in Aug. I am not using poles as I forgot them. I now always take ski poles with me to help with the rough tundra surface.

Since we got back a bit later the fireweed was over flowering but thick as can be this year.

The traditional tea break on the tundra.  We were out picking blueberries.

Miss Sadie who loves to be outside even more than me!

She also enjoys a great rest once back home.

Sweet Peas from the beach.

Nice cappuccino and dark chocolate . . . really who could ask for more!

The SkiErg and The Refugio my mornings five days a week.

My workout partner who is patiently waiting for the walk back home.

I can now walk on the uneven beach surface.  I don't go there often as I am waiting for all the dead fish that litters the beach to go out to sea.  Dogs roll in and eating dead salmon is a rather gross affair either we stink or puke!

Tundra Gal

Soon we will be skiing on that hillside!

Tundra blues with a few cranberries tossed into the mix.

Here is how I kept track of wall sits for my knee rehab---rocks for counting out how many . . . I had to do something!  I am of the theory if you screw up counting you have to start from the beginning!

Yet more time in The Refugio

Ground cover has changed fast this year however the temps are fairly warm still which seems kind of strange!

Cotton Grass and this always makes me think of the Jan Brett book: Trouble With Trolls, Jan is one of my favorite kids' authors and illustrators.

Hiking with poles and look at that color!  One of the things I will miss when our time on the tundra is done.

Nice colors to make the black dog show up!  Tally loves a log not a stick!

Fall colors dance across the tundra . . .

Fall Invitational running race and my WolfPup runners!

Meniscus Recovery

I am making great progress with my meniscus repair! Yes, I am pretty darn thrilled with my knee's recovery.  I have been working with some amazing PTs at Whitefish Therapy & Sport Center. I have nothing but rave reviews for this group of professionals!  My knee surgery was done by Flathead Orthopedics which have offices in Kalispell and Whitefish.

I am not thrilled that I had to have all this work done to my knee, but I am thrilled it happened here in Montana.  If this had happened in the village we work and live in----oh---- it would have been a nightmare.  First flying out 400 air miles to get to a doctor to see what was wrong and then after that surgery and recovery and PT . . . a nightmare!

Grateful I am in the perfect location for this little event in my summer!

My surgery was on Friday, July 21st.  This photo is from July 25th.  I only have 3 stitches this wrap is for compression.

Knitting and healing with a bit of ice on our killer front porch!  July 26th.

Time for some elevation July 27th. My knee dreaming of x-c skiing this winter!

Today in  PT, I was given the ok to start mellow biking on the flats!  I am walking all over town to run errands and taking my PT exercises seriously!