Hips - my life (getting it back): November 30 2014 - walking, and leaves. Beautiful

November 30 2014 - walking, and leaves.

I'm walking - not every night, but usually a mile.
In the summer, it's bloody hot here, and now though it's not cold (Cool and damp, but not too cold for a good, brisk walk, certainly!)
Two things tend to keep me from doing it every night, even though I have the time. THey are legitimate, not excuses...
Though my city of Sacramento is a beautiful place, it is also, of late, with more social struggles (mostly based on poverty and greed) a little bit less safe after dark. I used to walk after dark all the time, but less-so now. I wouldn't even classify it as "dangerous" - just - a bit less safe. I get home from work after dark, so - tricky. (I am no morning person. Getting up early is not in my DNA).
Fear of slipping on wet leaves is the other. Though we are in drought, it has finally begun to rain a bit, and with it, the leaves re finally dropping. Many people "on the grid" of downtown/midtown Sacramento keep their leaves swept off the sidewalk, but some do not, and now it the time it's hard to keep up with. So when I go walking, as I approach a wet sidewalk with layers of leaves, some several days or more old, it just looms like a monster. I have conquered most of my fears, but with the new fancy hips, this one - falling - is new and real.
I am top- heavy, and with that, my peripheral vision around my feel is not great - so i for most of my adult life, I have been prone to tripping and falling. It used to be a joke with my Murphys Creek Theatre family - I started beginning the summer by warning them - "I usually fall once or twice every summer - it looks alarming, but it's harmless, I promise." I might scrape a knee a little bit, but nothing bad.
Then the hips started to show their colors, I developed the limp, and it got a little less amusing.

So now - falling? No joke whatsoever. I've done it once since the new hips, and that will be plenty, thank you. I was very lucky not to damage my replacements, though the bark on my shin (If you've read posts from spring 2014) brought me the lovely "Shin Divot" ulceration, which took several months and some serious treatments to heal.
The very real possibility that I could damage the hips by falling is legitimately frightening, so when I approach those wet leaves, my tendency is to want to cross the street... but instead, I focus even more sharply, get very mindful, and walk across them targeting the least thick areas, and stepping as though I were on ice - straight down, and pushing off gingerly. It seems to do the trick.
But it looks like, until the days turn again, walking will happen mostly on weekends during the day (Dusk is fine, and beautiful), or perhaps with a friend.

All that said, I did my mile yesterday, plus about another half block. Took some lovely photos along the way, as well!(see below!)
Today, just now, in fact, I only made about nine blocks. That's OK! For some reason, I was pretty winded today, and I pushed beyond the 8 blocks where I was when my body started whining to go home. That's still 3/4 of a mile, and I like that!
I always push a little further than my body wants to go - just a bit.
I didn't get on my 'bike yesterday, as I have begun Christmas knitting projects... but I fully intend to tonight. It's only 5:30... it's on the docket. Dinner just needs warming, so that won't take too much time...

... later in the evening... Dinner consumed in a timely manner, a good solid vigorous half an hour in on the 'bike, and five inches of a sock, done! hurrah! Need to boil some eggs for lunch, and I'm set for a new week. I will miss the 4-day weekend, though!