And another month is well upon us

Another month and new beginnings for me. I finished my 8 weeks of Pulmonary Rehabilitation and I know how to breathe now; it's in through your nose and out through your mouth with your lips pursed. That's hard to turn that into an unconscious habit. But, I'm trying.

I also began driving once more. My pain hasn't left me but I am well aware of any deficiencies I might have after taking pain meds and I'm comfortable with that. Being able to drive again gives me an incredible feeling of freedom. I don't go very far, just to the gym and back  3 times a week. And I go to the Art Center once a week. A distance of 4.5 miles. The gym has made me stronger but I have a long way to go if I want to make it back to my prior life. I started Rehab by walking at 1.2 mph on the treadmill. In 8 weeks I was able to double that and that - 2.4 mph - is where I am. I use a pulse oximeter every few minutes while exercising and it's my blood oxygen levels that I watch. When they get down to 91, I slow down a notch until I have it back into the range of 93 - 95. Because of my prior marathon training, my pulse rarely goes over 85. The last time I was in the gym, before I ended up in the hospital a few times, I was doing 4 mph and going up a 3 % grade with no problem.

The valley is free of smoke these days and there is talk of rebuilding Paradise after the Camp Fire. I would be surprised if that idea had more than a few followers. The fire exposed a lot of sins in its path. No sewers is a big one. There is the rebuilding of there water service. And there were numerous illegal dwellings as well as roads to serve those houses. Building codes weren't always enforced. I am reminded of the fire every morning when I open the door to let the cat out; the early morning air smells like a fire that has been extinguished with water. 

I was using my nebulizer a little while ago, something I do 3 times a day using Albuterol to expand the airways of my lungs. As I was using it I was reminded of my mother having one for me when I was quite young and had asthma. The nebulizer was made of glass. The one I use today is made from some type of medical grade plastic. I was struck by the fact that we didn't have plastic in the early 40's. I'm sure there was some kind of plastic around then but it wasn't an ordinary consumer item. Bakelite was a type of plastic material and one of its uses was making jewelry, such as bracelets. I 1940 Ford had no plastic except for the Bakelite used for the distributor, coil and other parts that were in close contact with electricity. I am sure I have forgotten some other uses but I do know that plastics were not commonplace and glass was. Every once in awhile I will see some current use object and then find out that it has been around for longer than I have. I am always surprised...