I have been remiss in posting to the blog and I suppose the longest day of the year is a good time to catch up. We have pretty much settled into a daily routine and travel for outdoor activity is pretty much limited because I am still having leg problems. We do keep very active on an almost daily basis with bike riding, working out at the gym and swimming in the pool. We also play pickleball every Monday evening with Jeff and family on our neighborhood courts. (I have sat out the last few weeks.) Our pool is the perfect way to cool down after activity in this heat which gets above 110 every day. We also enjoy being under the waterfall which cools us down while providing a nice massage. We ride our bikes nearly every morning. I usually get 9 or 10 miles in before bidding adieu to Alesa so she can get her 10 to 15 in. She usually overdoes it a bit so, today we bought her an e-bike so she has help getting home against the stiff winds that usually come up every morning around 9 or so. We go to the gym with Jeff and he warms us up and then I do my PT while he and Alesa do cardio. He then rounds us up to do the routines he has us doing to build upper body strength. He works us hard! Had an appointment with an ortho-spine specialist today and, looking at my MRI, she said spinal stenosis was my problem. I continue to have pain down the front of both of my legs. I can control the pain to a degree but cannot walk any distance and have trouble sleeping. I have been prescribed Physical Therapy which doesn’t seem to help but I keep it up to maintain strength in my legs and my core. I was finally able to get an MRI and it looks like surgery is the only long-term solution. I wanted a neurosurgeon to review my case and perform any surgery that may be necessary so the VA has put me in for Community Care and I should be hearing from one shortly. It’s tough when you move into a new area and don’t know the medical professionals or enough people to get good recommendations. In the meantime, I will get a spinal shot to help control the pain. I am keeping active with normal daily activities and even changed the oil in the Explorer the other day. In other news we have replaced the carpeting in the bedrooms and closets, and we have a single-bowl composite sink setting on the dining room table waiting for the time and gumption to replace the double-bowl cast iron sink under the granite countertop in the kitchen. That will complete the punch list we had for improvements when we bought the house. We also bought a griddle and converted it to natural gas and Alesa has been busy trying it out with pancakes, burgers and many other treats. I have not used it yet, but my time is near.