Not Walking

Some of you may have wondered where have I been. Certainly not on my blog.

Apparently when I had my knee replaced last July, the doctor also removed my interest in writing. With little walking there wasn’t much to write about. The recovery was slow. I had too much pain.

But we were going places that I could have written about: Ukiah, Vallejo, Jack London and Salt Point State Parks, several trips to Doran Beach and Morro Bay,  then Shollenberger in Petaluma, Brush Creek, Sears Point, Kortum trail at Sonoma Coast and Cloverdale.

As I wanted to strengthen my legs we hiked more hilly places such as: Sonoma Valley to Suttonfield Lake, Taylor Mountain, a couple of trips to Healdsburg Ridge (we were also finding many wildflowers after a wet winter), Sonoma Mountain, Tennessee Valley in Marin, Moore Creek in Napa and Coyote Point in Fremont.

Then on what should have been an easy route around the familiar Spring Lake, I spotted some blue/purple flowers at the lake’s edge. I said, “What are those? I haven’t seen them here before.” I decided to take a shortcut across some trampled grass. I slipped, caught my foot, fell and bent my leg back too far. I was sure I had blown out my new knee. Many walkers stopped to help. Mike and a strong young woman helped me to a bench. The park was contacted and a ranger gave me a ride back to the car. I was in so much pain, I decided I needed an ambulance.

Short story – I had fractured my leg. The glue on the new knee held but the bone gave way. Long story – being on crutches and in a wheelchair for six weeks is a long “stupid-inspiring” time. I hope my X-rays next week are good and then I will be able to walk and write again.

One of my friends said the flowers that I had stepped toward were probably non-native. The Harding grass I slipped and tripped on is an non-native invasive. So another reason to curse non-natives! Ha!

I hope to be back to the walking world again (though I’ll have my other knee replaced this fall) and share with you some of the places I have been in the last year. I certainly have lots of pictures.

Where have you been walking?

Words and picture by Lynn Millar.