Believe it or not, my life now centers around the pool at the local YMCA.  Yes, you read that correctly.  Barbara and I have staggered across the YMCA parking lot many times this month to try out the different water aerobics classes offered each weekday morning.  Or we’ve slept a little later, gone to the “free swim” time and walked or jogged at our own pace.

We’ve just finished up our fourth week and we are still learning how this whole thing works.  Today was our first low-intensity class designed for those suffering from arthritis.  No music or jogging, but lots of stretching and swimming.

I tried “Bob”‘s popular dance class (in the water!) at 8 AM Monday morning.  It was wild and fun–imagine 20 senior ladies singing along to the Beatles “I Saw Her Standing There”–but I’m sure I overdid it.  Those early classes with energetic Bob will have to wait for a while.

We’ve done jumping jacks with “Kathy” and jogging with “April” (lovely, enthusiastic ladies).  And we’ve really enjoyed our private “walking in the water” time where we get to chat non-stop until an hour goes by and we realize we’re freezing and exhausted.

By the time I’m home, showered and have wolfed down an early lunch, it’s time for a nap.  And let me tell you, I have the best naps in the history of Napdom.  I don’t move again until dinnertime–which means heating up a bowl of soup–and then I’m on the couch with Banjo Man for the evening.

We call that February.

I’m hoping to be accepted into the LIVESTRONG program for cancer survivors next week.  It’s a 12-week program to develop strength and stamina, which means eight of us will be in a gym twice a week with our very own personal trainers.

Wish me luck.

Banjo Man is home after his mini-break in Nebraska.  He flew home a day early due to fears of a big snowstorm in Chicago, so he was happy to be safely back in his office again.  All was right with the world.  I made a big pot of cauliflower-leek soup and a big pot of butternut squash (with white beans and apples) to welcome him home.

I accomplished very little in the days he was away.  I had a list of optimistic good intentions and projects, but reality intruded.  The quilt remained without borders.  The pantry stayed jammed with “stuff”.  The violin stayed silently tucked in its case.   In my defense, I went to the Y to swim twice, helped my mother one long afternoon and actually drove to Walmart at 8:00 Sunday morning to buy five things (it was my own personal test, having not done that since April, and it went well).

But I did clean out the upstairs bathroom closet.  It took four days (an hour each morning) but here it is:

BEFORE:

AFTER:

I didn’t do a complete purge of unwanted things, but I got rid of enough stuff to make things more organized and accessible.

Small steps.