270 - Am I bovvered? Only slightly...

In the immortal words of comedian Catherine Tate on the news that I'm back up to 270 lbs, "Am I bovvered?" Only slightly, because I know it's only a temporary condition. Apparently, my weight has fluctuated between 260 and 270 pounds for the past four or five months now and it's currently at the crest of one of those small waves. It'll come down again soon as the effects of my new swimming regimen take shape. And, literally, they are taking shape as I seem to be able to more easily fit into clothing and my face is looking slightly thinner despite the scales saying that I'm gaining weight.

Since my last blog post, there have been a few developments. My fractured humerus (broken left arm) has almost completely healed. I've been able to safely ride my motorcycle again since the end of July. I can tie my own apron strings behind my back with a little extra effort. I can drink from a cup with my left hand normally now. I can scratch the top of my head with my left hand now - even if I can't put that hand all the way down to my shoulder blades like I can with my right hand (almost, but not quite). Importantly, I've been able to sleep on my left side for a few weeks now, which is SO much better than before. I've even had a few nights of sleep in my hammock without any arm discomfort.

The most significant thing that is left, in respect of my arm, is that the range of motion isn't what it once was. Evidently, there is some scar tissue that is affecting the tendons of the rotator cuff. It's still getting better. I'm only about 10% "disabled" in my left arm now compared to the right, and that percentage is getting smaller all the time. To give myself the best chance of returning to normal, I've started swimming regularly again, which has already helped me - even in just the two weeks that I've been going. The trouble is that I prefer to go early in the morning, while most people are still asleep in their beds, but I'm still in a job (at the moment) where I work until midnight or later. So my sleep schedule is a little disrupted.

The scorching hot summer has been and gone, and the inevitable forest fires are dying out now. I've been on a few hikes recently, including to the summit of Mount Helena again:

At the summit of Mount Helena last Friday

As Google Photos reminded me this morning, it was two years ago today that I was last up there. I've been to Polebridge, next to Glacier National Park, recently. Last month I was in northern Wyoming and south-central Montana. At the end of July, I returned to Blodgett Canyon to hike all the way to the waterfall (five miles there and five miles back). While the weather remains favorable, I really want to make the most of these last few days of summer (the fall equinox is on September 22nd).

I hinted at "priorities for the next two or three years" in my last blog post but didn't have time to elaborate. I had been having a dilemma between my desire to achieve the big, hairy goals (PCT hike to Crater Lake, 600-mile bicycle ride, and climbing Mount Hood) and my desire to settle down a bit and become an integral part of my home community in the wonderful city of Missoula. The clarity came when I decided that - after a couple of tumultuous years of change - I really need to settle down and become part of the community that I am living in. A second "lightbulb moment" 💡 came this week when I finally figured out that I'll be happiest working in the voluntary sector. Having been in the public and private sectors for most of my adult life, I believe I'll find the greatest satisfaction helping and benefiting the public without thinking about making a profit from it. Now I have to position myself so that I can achieve that goal in the next five years.

I've also been thinking about this blog and the website. I've been wanting to incorporate more recipes and more photographs. I also want to freshen up the links to low-carb resources (the "Eat Right" part of this site's name) and to good exercise tips (the "Get Out Of Breath" part). Watch this space!