First hike post-surgery

North Bottomlands Loop, Howard Buford Recreation Area, March 1

Yesterday was a big day for us. We got out of the house for a non-medical trip! Our first hike post-surgery on a lovely day—we drove out to Howard Buford Recreation Area (Mount Pisgah) and took a leisurely but steady stroll around the North Bottomlands Loop. Mrs. Random had her left drain removed earlier in the week, and she was able to put the remaining tube and bulb into a small fanny pack—very discreet. It was the first day of meteorological spring—complete with buds popping, and bugs and birds whizzing about, as if to emphasize the seasonal transition.

My camera was popping, too. It felt great to be out on a nature hike snapping shots of trees, clouds, puddles, big landscapes, and little birds. It had been a bit since our last hike, so we are both feeling it this morning. Not sure if we’ll get back out today or just chill and regroup. But we are anxious to get back to our hiking routine, as well as all our other routines interrupted by Mrs. R’s operation!

I’m mostly getting my money’s worth from the MLB-TV subscription, catching chunks of baseball games here and there. Last night I watched a complete Giants-Dodgers spring training game played earlier in the day. I’m slowly filling my mostly-blank mental database of players. I’d say probably ninety percent of them are new to me, maybe more, after my five-plus years away from the game. The Giants signed 42-year-old Justin Verlander in the off-season, so there’s one name I’m quite familiar with!