The books I read for April 2019, the special breakfasts I had, the “stuff” we got rid of during our town’s Spring Cleanup Week, the movie we watched (Bumblebee) that was a pleasant surprise in a franchise we despise.
April started out with car and doctors’ appointments back-to-back for both me and my wife and then her 49th birthday the first Saturday. We didn’t go to my usual breakfast place for brunch in a neighboring town, but went to a restaurant in our town, with my parents, sister, nephew, and niece surprising my wife there. The food was very good and the company too. Later in the day, we got together with neighbors to play 500 Rummy, with my wife appropriately winning in her first ever win with the neighbors, who are hardcore cardplayers.
Then the month went a little haywire for the next two weeks as I was, and still am, dealing with a badly bruised left knee. After some miscommunication (some admittedly caused by me) and bad customer service experiences at our local health center, I am getting the knee addressed. An X-ray was negative for broken bones, I was given a two week dose of prednisone, and this past week I had an initial assessment at physical therapy. Based on that evaluation, minor injury and probably not anything torn, I was given exercises to do at home and then check in with my primary in six weeks unless it gets worse before then.
The third weekend was a long weekend for me as I took Good Friday off, ostensibly to go to a Good Friday service, but in reality I didn’t. I stayed home and finished Leaving Church: A Memoir of Faith by Barbara Brown Taylor, which I had been reading for Lent, and started All Things Wise and Wonderful by James Herriot that I plan on finishing this weekend. Then last Saturday, my plan was to continue my impromptu Easter Triduum Readathon, but I didn’t read at all as the weather, which was supposed to be rainy all or most of the day, took a turn to being nice.
I literally got out of town, went to breakfast at my aforementioned usual breakfast place in a neighboring town, happened upon an Earth Day event in the town’s park, and then came home to put mulch on the side of a driveway we share with a neighbor, much of my energy thanks to the prednisone I was taking. Also thanks to the energy, I ended the month doing a little extra cleaning around the house, including organizing a book shelf.
May begins with our buying a new lawnmower and then my first mow of the season, which I usually dread, but might dread (and hate) less (slightly less) than normal now with the new mower. Winter is finally over and spring is here – at least in reality. In fake world, winter is still going until at least mid-May with the final season of Game of Thrones, which we are watching and enjoying so far.
Otherwise mid-May should be uneventful for us, leaving me time to adjusting new daily routines that I’ve been attempting to develop in light of my wife and I “giving up” Facebook in March. Since last fall when I started using a CPAP machine, my daily routines already have been changing. Thanks to actually getting rest, I usually now get up earlier than I did, meaning I have more time to do more things than I did before. Those things include reading and walking, especially as my knee improves.
May ends with a three-day holiday weekend, and even though I work on the Tuesday after it, the library where I work is closed that day for staff to work on a few projects we couldn’t otherwise. So basically it will be a four-day break from patrons, which although their presence obviously means job security, it is nice for an introvert like myself to be able to have a chance to breathe without all the extra people…
…bringing me back to my One Word for 2019:
How was your month of April? Read any good books, seen any good movies and/or TV shows, listened to any good music? What was the highlight of your month? What are you looking forward to in May? Share in the comments.
This post is part of The Sunday Salon, that was created in 2007 to spark conversations about books and book-ish things. It now can be found each weekend at the blog Readerbuzz, where you also can post a link to your blog.
Still an unfinished person... 
Sorry to hear about your knee. I’ve had a couple of knee operations so I can sympathize. Just stick with the PT exercises. I look forward to hearing how you like James Herriot’s book. I recall liking it very much but it’s been a long, long time. I too will break out the lawn mower sometime in May. We got a freak snowstorm last night so it’ll probably be late May till I mow. Sometimes I don’t mind the mowing. Enjoy your May.
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Wow, you’ve been busy. I hope your knee feels better soon! I’m also watching Game of Thrones and waiting for spring. It’s still kind of cold here and might snow again.
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I think we’re over the snow…finally. Spring is here, but it’s in the form of rain. I want to see the sun again.
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I hope your knee is doing better. I’m hoping to continue trying to catch up on all the TV shows on my DVR. I spent my Sunday doing a marathon of Station 19. A really good show. Hope you have a great week!
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You have been one busy man. I hope your knee heals quickly. My husband has used a CPAP for years, he couldn’t use it right after his back surgery and we sure could tell the difference. At first, I thought it was pain causing his irritability and not being able to sleep, but when he was cleared to use it again it was a huge difference. A good nights sleep is so important for healing and daily life. Take care of yourself.
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Thanks, Lori. Knee is slowly getting better. And I can’t believe how much the CPAP has helped either.
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The bruised knee sounds painful. I had a frozen shoulder for a while, but physical therapy helped.
I like your One Word. Mine for this year and last was CONNECT, but I need to do more IRL connecting.
Thanks for visiting my blog.
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A bruised knee. I dealt with that a couple months ago and it is PAINFUL! I iced and elevated for days and dealt with the pain for about 5 weeks then I noticed it felt better. Good luck! Spring has definitely sprung here in Santa Barbara, but this weekend our puffy jackets are back out as it is drippy. Very unusual for us.
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Sending good vibes that your knee recovers sooner rather than later. A friend of ours wrenched his a while back, but he won’t rest it enough then complains that it hasn’t healed. I think his wife might chop his whole leg off soon!
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Thanks. My knee is getting slightly better. Not going anywhere today so that should help too.
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March was the crazy month for us this year and I feel like we were finally able to catch our breath in April. My reading has been satisfying this month, too – nonfiction, memoir, new fiction, and backlist, too. I like the variety… need to remember that when choosing May books! We’re having dinner with friends tonight and then a (blissfully!) quiet weekend. Hope the exercises from PT are helping your knee.
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What was your favorite book this month?
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I’d say Burial Rites by Hannah Kent right now, but still hope to finish one more book before the month is over…
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I’ll look for it at the library today.
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At the end of next month, my husband and I will have been retired a year. Retirement has been much busier than I had expected. April was absurdly busy; I don’t plan to have another month like April. This weekend will be the epitome of busy, as we have somehow signed up for volunteer work Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. I think today will probably be okay, as we are helping birders count the birds they see and tallying that for them, but on Saturday and Sunday I will be doing animal face painting. That is a lot of face painting, I think. I hope I can manage it.
May looks like things should slow down. I plan to try to finish the last six books on my Classics Club list—they are all short—and get a new list of fifty books ready. I have never read so many wonderful books as I have on my Classics Club list. It’s a work-in-progress, too, which helps keep the choices fresh.
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Wooo hoo for retirement… And that sounds like a lot of face painting. Good luck.
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I will say this, you seem to adapt to change pretty well. I don’t, initially. It takes me some time to settle into it or to rant about it and then move on.
April was a blur. I’ve not been feeling great. I fear the lupus has returned but I am not going there yet. My son’s show opens this weekend for two weeks and the my daughter’s show opens for one week. Then, she begins another show and then college classes to make room for all her extra curricular activities. I really should have just put that kid into a performing arts school. She has really good grades in science and math but all she wants to do is perform and she has gotten so good.
This morning my work just announced a major re-org. Yep. Again. My stomach has been in knots but for now I don’t think I am a part of this, although very little info was provided.
May. It’s a mad rush at the end of a school year. My daughter’s show, three choir concerts, a choral competition and then all of the banquets for choir and theatre. Plus finals and papers and all the stress that goes with them.
I am just really happy with my reading these days. I have been reading some good stuff.
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I think it’s more that I “eventually” adapt to change. I rant too. Just not publicly…usually. I’m sorry that the lupus might be returning and hope you can get some relief and somehow from it. I know on a very small scale about work changes beyond your control. I empathize with you and have been there with the knots. And May for you? Whew. Try to take time for yourself sometime amongst all the commitments. But I know it’s not easy. As for your reading, I did see from reviews that you have posted that you have been reading good stuff. Hope your May as good with reading.
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