Back in the Saddle Again!

Finally! I was able to return to work today and resume my duties as an air traffic controller after nearly 2 months away on medical leave. It feels nice. Not that I didn't appreciate my job before being sidelined as I was but I appreciate it even more now.

I showed up at work this morning to report to the Quality Control office for some 'other duties', running short on sick-leave and intending to either get my clearance to work traffic again within the next few days or reluctantly submit my paperwork and retire at the end of the month. Fortunately for me, I received a call mid-morning telling me that I was being reinstated and that I was free to resume my work as a controller. I quickly stepped outside to text Tammy and tell her the good news but decided to call her instead. This was something we both really wanted and a text message just wouldn't do it justice. She was very happy too!

I'm not ready yet. I'm just not. The widget on my phone says 291 days until my final day. I'm good with that number as it allows us to take care of some loose ends financially and that to me is more important than the easy life. That will happen soon enough all on its own.

I'm getting a jump on this year's yardwork with the nice weather we've been having for the past week. I think this may be the earliest I've ever put fertilizer down. I even found time to transplant some hostas this afternoon. I'm too good at putting that job off until the next year or the year after that. Done!

The pups are digging this nice weather too. I'll send them out on the deck to bark their little heads off for a few minutes before giving in to their pleadings to come back in and have a bite of whatever I'm munching on.

I'm ramping up both my outdoor walks and rides. I'm struggling with some knee pain but I'm determined to find a way to make this new normal of mine work. I can't recall if I mentioned this here previously but I'm under strict doctor's orders to no longer use NSAIDS because they interfere with the anticoagulant I'm taking. They were my go-to medication to alleviate much of my knee pain. I'm allowed to use Tylenol but it does little if anything for me so I'm resorting to glucosamine/chondroitin with hopes that it will provide some needed relief. I'll report back later.

We just got a call from Rachel. I was sitting here blogging while messaging with her on Facebook when she suggested that she call instead. Great idea! That wasn't quite the highlight of my day but it was close!

Video of my Jordan Loop from a couple afternoons ago...

Comments

Jackie said…
SO,SO Happy for you! A huge weight lifted for you I am certain. Talk to you soon.
March 17, 2015 at 10:44 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

David Crowder Concert, NWA188 and Photo Review

Image
I got up from laying down after the all-night shift Thursday morning and figured I'd better get a ride in while I could because the forecast wasn't looking so good. The temp was just above 40 with a northeast wind steady at 15 mph under overcast skies. 40 degrees is very reasonable cycling weather but the key is to be somewhat chilled when you start out. Being warm and toasty at the beginning leads to being sweaty, cold and clammy before the ride is over. While putting air in my tires before leaving I could tell that I needed a lighter top layer. I'm glad I made the switch. I loved the ride  ( Strava link ) and would like to have gone further but David Crowder was playing at our church and I didn't want to be late getting in line for some good seats as it was general admission. I considered a quick detour by Hosanna on the way home to get a pic of their tour bus but I figured I should really act my age. The concert was worth every penny and better than any of the o
Read more

Riding, Retirement and a Home Revisited

Image
I skipped out of work a couple hours early today to take advantage of some mild weather. I took the pups for a walk then headed west on my bike putting my heart, lungs, and quads through some paces. It felt so nice to be out there. I'd have stayed out longer but I had to be back to take Rachel to dance class for 5:00. It's possible that today will be the last time I'll have to take her to class if she passes her road test this Thursday. I'd like to have taken some time to hose down my bike. It's full of road salt and that can't be a good thing. Every large vehicle that went past me had a cloud of salt dust trailing in its wake and settling on me. I'll spend some time cleaning it tomorrow and have it ready for a ride on Wednesday after work. Speaking of work—I've been kicking around the idea of bidding on a staff job. Believe me, it's not something I want to do. It's about self-preservation. I want to work another five years to get Rachel thr
Read more

My Bicycle Ride to Babbitt

Image
Wow, what a trip. In planning for this ride, I figured I’d have only two weekends this summer when our schedules could come together to give it a go. The first of those two times came and went two weeks ago when a steady north wind kept me grounded. There’s no way I could have gone the distance into the wind, and what I was really hoping for was a stiff southwesterly breeze, but that wasn’t in the cards either. After looking at the wind forecast on Wednesday, I told Tammy that it looked as though we were looking at another no-go. I’d been watching the forecast the previous 5 days, and they consistently said to expect a light wind from the southeast. It wouldn’t be a headwind but wouldn’t be much help either. I came home from work on Thursday morning and looked at the forecast again, but it hadn’t changed. I got a couple hours of sleep, then woke up to work in the yard. Then, I decided I wouldn’t let the lack of a tailwind keep me from going…just so long as it wasn’t a headwind. I tol
Read more