Hobbling through summer

I was really looking forward to summer. Summer in Calgary can be fun. Loads of sun, festivals, river rafting/paddling, cycling, and of course the stampede. We live inner city, so can get to most events and activities in under a 30-minute walk. And since I’m working remotely and flexibly, I anticipated lots of extra time with favourite/only grandson Alex (and his parents, of course!). I know we’ll miss him once Life: Phase Next begins so I planned to jam in lots of memory-making moments while we were still around.

Fate (foolishness?) had other plans for me. On a rainy Sunday at the end of June, while Ken was busy teaching his final Red Cross course, I joined Alex and his parents at a trampoline park. What could possibly go wrong?

By that afternoon, I was on crutches with my knee wrapped in a brace, facing recovery from an MCL tear. So how to recover quickly and still enjoy as many activities as possible, including a four-day Alex/grandparent weekend?

I’m still working on the recovery part, but we managed to cover a lot of ground and have a lot of fun during our four-day weekend thanks to creative transportation options that reduced the walking requirements. We took in the Stampede Parade (bus there, car2go home), pancake breakfast, Spruce Meadows show jumping (thanks to the courtesy shuttle that provided a ride from the parking area into the grounds), and even enjoyed a few hours at the Calgary Stampede. A kind-hearted volunteer took pity on me and drove us in a golf cart from the parking lot, through the cemetery,  to just across the street from the gate. Just inside the gate, wheelchair rentals. Humbling, but oh so necessary. And an added bonus–wheelchair rides are a great way to keep track of a preschooler in a crowd and get lots of cuddles.

I’m not sure when I’ll be able to bend my knee into a canoe or kayak, or even get it to rotate enough that I can pedal my bicycle, but I’m sure going to try not to let it get in the way of summer fun and family time. I think I might pass on trampolining for a while. Maybe rock climbing or skydiving would be fun?