Morning with Laverne

Early mornings are my favorite time of the day. I feel as if I'm the only one up in the world. Except for maybe Busy Bee Suz. She's got 3 hours and a full house on me, so that could be why. ;-)

Tomorrow is one week I haven't worn the cast boot on my foot. I can tell how weak the lower half of my left leg, and my hips, have become as a result of all the inactivity & of the height difference between the boot and my right shoe. I've been increasing my walking. Teaching my spin classes again is also a tremendous help. When I think about it, I sometimes get down about the task ahead of me. Why is it so difficult to rebuild muscle & fitness, when it takes virtually no time to lose it? It sucks. I've put myself on a 15 week program. It's a simple one, but it requires a lot of discipline and steady increase of cardio & weights. If I write things down, I actually get them done. Surprise.

Speaking of walking, I've been able to walk my babies again. Ed does morning walks and I do the evening walks, but he's been doing both for the last 2 1/2 months. Tables are turned now that his work is all-consuming and my foot is better. There are days that I'm in charge of both of the walks. It is tremendous how much dogs love their walks. What joy it brings them. My gang can hardly stand the excitement. I barely get my shoes on and they're shoving their way out the door. If only the simply things in life made all of us just as happy. Sometimes we get caught up in the forest for the trees. Or the trees for the forest. Whatever.

Last night, on our way back from the dog park, Laverne found a ratty baseball by the field. She pounced on it with her big cat paws and held that ball in her mouth all the way home. Boy, she couldn't wait to get back so she could tear up the ball!!! Normally she strolls & saunters home, but last night she pulled and ran all the way. Poor Milo and Shirley, they couldn't sniff leisurely because Laverne was on a mission! What is usually about a 15 minute walk home from the park was done in about 9 minutes. It was hysterical. I guess you had to be there.

The minute she got back home she settled in with her newfound treasure. Went to town on it and pretty soon the baseball skin was off and she was intent on dismembering the innards. A lot of baseballs are tightly wound string on the inside. I heard a gagging sound behind me while I was in the kitchen, looked over, and there stood Laverney with a looooooong baseball string trailing from her mouth. She had the sweetest look of helplessnes on her face,

"Uhhh, Mom? Help?"

The other end of it was stuck somewhere deep in her throat. I screamed for Ed (my hands were full) who came to his little girl's rescue.

That was the end of Laverney's treasure. Threw that baseball out immediately. She was so sad, searching for it all over dangnation, even though she nearly choked herself to death. Not to worry, Mama did manage to get a quick picture of it earlier in the evening. She was so darned proud of her treasure. I'll print this photo and frame it for her. "Laverne & Baseball...Forever."

Speaking of my Laverney, she's fallen asleep here on my foot. No matter how early I wake up, they're up. The girls follow me into the kitchen, get their morning banana (God help me if I've not gone grocery shopping!), go pee, and then follow me around until I settle on a chair. Then, inevitably, Laverne falls asleep with her head on my foot. I'm going to hate waking her, but Mama's got to get to the gym.