Still alive

Yes folks, I am still amongst the living. I've not really been that busy, just you know, busy ... but not that kind of busy.

The ankle is doing really well, the backyard is getting all cleaned up, the weather is beautiful, and I got out of seeing a movie! So without further ado, let's check out a few scenes from the week.

Even when I took this picture I knew the colors wouldn't come out. This is from the aviary at the zoo. Many of the birds are in breeding colors and it is amazing. I had agreed to go see Spiderman 3, but the weather was so beautiful, there was just no keeping us inside.


Have I ever mentioned how much I love the yard at my house, it gets prettier every year. The tree in the middle of the picture was just a ten foot high bush when I bought the house, nice shape now.


I think we all remember the controversy from the last picture I took of my odometer. This time, you'll notice the speedometer is at zero! Happy 40,000 to the OnionMobile.


Of course the most exciting news of all is ... Oh! Look a chicken! ... What was I saying?

Leg trauma drama

Okay, I guess it's time to share this drama:

As I have mentioned before, I have begun to play basketball with some of the 20 somethings from GAMe on Tuesday nights, this has led to general muscle soreness and the discovery that exactly zero muscles are used in common between dancing and basketball. I am not a good basketball player ... besides not being able to shoot well, I can't dribble (especially left handed), pass, rebound, or know where to play ... I can defend adequately, but playing defense is mostly about hard work.

I am aided by my athleticism, and my fast feet, but not right now.

Two Tuesdays ago, April 24, someone took a long shot, the ball bounced out to me, and I had a clean breakaway. I laid the ball up over the front of the rim, and then proceeded to watch it go in as I went under the basket. Not smart. With my head tilted all the way back I really had no idea where / when I was going to land. I came down hard on my left foot and then awkwardly on my right, falling to the ground in the process. Of course, I got right back up and played. I knew I had hurt my ankles, but I thought it was just sore muscles.

I went through the rest of the week fine, dancing on Friday, and I really didn't pay attention to my ankles again. Monday came around, and they started to complain a lot. So Tuesday (May 1), my first day off, I called my doctor and made an appointment for later in the afternoon that day, hung up, and got to thinking (never a good idea).

** cue the strange music & wavy lines **
hmmm... I can go to the doctor OR I can play basketball tonight and dance on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday.
** cue back to regular **

It should come as no surprise to anyone that I called right back and canceled the doctors appointment and went on my merry way. By the time I got around to going to the doctor on Tuesday this week, I may have had a slight problem.

I'm pretty sure they aren't supposed to look like this ... they should be much more tanned.

When the doctor walked into the room she yelled to the tech "They are both swollen." She also took the Web MD pages right out of my hand and said "We'll tell you what is wrong with you." That would be Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome, aka, Shin Splints. So the end result is a sprained right ankle and a probable stress fracture on the inside of my left tibia.

Did I mention I hate icing anything? I am supposed to get a bone scan to confirm the stress fracture, but I'm not really enthusiastic about spending that kind of money for that confirmation, and it is my work week and I've been busy. In the meantime I am mostly behaving myself, trying to take it easy, dancing slowly, and NOT playing basketball.

---

Oddly enough when we looked at the X-rays, it was readily apparent I had broken my right fibula bone about three inches above my ankle at some point in my life. I don't recall this at all. It wouldn't be surprising to find out I had and just toughed it out.

The return of Lindy in the Park

The 2007 Lindy in the Park season opened with a bang, oh, wait that was just thunder. About fifteen people were downtown today to open the eighth, um make that ninth year of this Omaha tradition.

Okay, it's noon, we're here!


There may have been just a little leftover water from the Saturday night rainstorms.


During a slower moment, Squirrel #1 (yes, I know her name) and I invented a game called "papparazzi". Mostly it was fun to chase her around with the camera.


Steve & Spanky are so cute when they wear the same shirt like that.




Hey, look there was dancing...



...some good conversation...


...and other stuff.

You can see all 25 of my pictures of this event here.

Where did I put that ark?

We got a little rain here, oh, about 4.5 inches in the last 24 hours, and the majority of that, 3.6 inches in around 4 hours last night between 2300 and 0300. Those of you that have seen my house that flooding isn't really an issue where I live, until yesterday ... no damage, but it was a little concerning at the least.

This is at the top of my driveway, the little lip there as high as the curb, and is meant to keep water from running down the driveway, it is the first time I have seen it overtopped.


No, it's not a cement retaining wall, it's my driveway.


You can see the sheets of water as it goes flowing by the house, swimming anyone?


And it all ends up flowing through the backyard. That's not going to make the person who just planted flowers against the deck very happy ... oh, that's ME!

Another two plus inches of rain are in the forecast today!

Edit: I went down to near where the Papio dumps into the Missouri River (about 3 miles south of my house) and took some pictures around 1130 the morning after all the rain.

This is not a river and this is not a lake, both are usually dry.


Looking west (upriver) and looking east (about 1/2 mile from the muddy Mo). These are not necessarily meant as artistic, my stupid camera messed up the color on both of these, and they came out nicely in black and white.


Normally you can see the footings for the bridge without all the water here. People go biking and walking all the time on this trail, but not without scuba gear today.

The next bridge upstream has the Papio Creek measuring station (FCKN1), it would be normal for the creek height to be 10 to 12 feet ... at the times these photos were taken it was measuring 31.75 feet.

Time for a BeckyRant...

I don't know why this bothers me SO much, but seriously, just get this right:

The male bird standing next to Viv is a member of the species Pavo cristatus, Indian Peafowl, more commonly known just as Peafowl.

The males of this species are Peacocks, the females are Peahens, and I guess technically, babies would be Peachicks. If you have ever found yourself referring to any members of this species as male peacocks, you are being redundant at best. If you have ever referred to any of these creatures as female peacocks, I can only suggest a sex education class for you, because you just are not getting this whole female/male thing.