Pinecone Oark Sparkles and I Nap

Thursday began with a walk in a nice comfortable temperature (18°), but I could barely make it up the hill. I had to stop a few times. I am keeping a diary of these problems to take to my pacemaker appointment in 2.5 weeks.

I watered all morning after the walk, and then I got started on schlepping the piles of detritus from Wednesday’s raking to the dump in the forest part of my yard. In the afternoon, it was only 26°, so it wasn’t as onerous, working outdoors. But I lack endurance and strength. I shuffle into the house to rest. I walk like an old, old man.

I’m confident that this situation can be fixed with a tweak to my pacemaker. If not, wood chopping and stacking is out of my life. I will have to hire people to do that work in the future, but for now I am hoping I can get back to who I was just a couple of weeks ago. By the afternoon, I was needing to rest often, even though the wheelbarrow loads were very, very light.

I am very pleased with how much better the yard looks after all the raking and toting I’ve done. Pinecone Park looks so clean! But the work in this heat drains me. I am a zombie in the evenings, parked on the chaise and falling asleep watching television. I get so weak that I can’t lift the cover of the spa to get inside. Instead, cool showers being calm and refreshes me, as does sitting in front of the fan after a shower.

We walked with our friends on a flat trail today, and then I came home to do more yard work. I will whack and rake the last part of the yard today, and that task will be done. But I will work cautiously and monitor my intake of water and electrolytes. Next up is fertilizing everywhere, but it is an easy task compared to raking and toting. I had plans to saw some old branches I have stacked behind the fence, but I shall do nothing strenuous until I have seen the pacemaker technicians.

I am feeling very old, and very vulnerable. I’ve lost confidence in my heart. This current issue with arrhythmia is my sixth. All my cardiac incidents have been mild, but I’m feeling very vulnerable. I learned early, thanks to Doris Day, that “whatever will be, will be.” I focus on the positive and I take things slow. I love these sunny and warm days. I love tinkering around the yard, and I love meandering through the forest with Her Highness. I wish I’d discovered the tranquility of rural life a long time ago. It is heaven on this island.