Wearing the Redskins Coat and Feeling RG3's Pain on a Spring Walk

It's been hard to keep up the walking and the blogging lately. There was the horrendous fire last weekend that left nearly 200 nearby residents homeless, and the ensuing recovery effort. Thank goodness many individuals, businesses, and organizations are pitching in to help those displaced. Unfortunately, we still have high winds and low humidity, so the fire threat remains elevated.

With the winds yielding wind chills in the 20s this morning, I was tempted to bag the walk and to shoo Superdawg out into the woods to take care of business. But we decided to forge ahead and be brave. I put on my heavy-duty Washington Redskins coat and tightened the hood around my face to protect against the chill.

My garb made me think of Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin, III (RG3), currently rehabbing his surgically repair knee. He made it exciting to be a Redskins fan again for the first time since the 1990s -- leading the Skins to 7 straight wins and the NFC-East championship before his already injured knee horribly collapsed under him near the end of the playoff game against the Seahawks.

I think of RG3 not only because I am a fan, but because my own damaged knee is about as ineffective as his was on that final play. As we got halfway out in our walk today, my knee just about shut down completely. It really doesn't hurt so much as it just doesn't work. I seriously thought about calling home and asking for a lift home. However, we managed to hobble home. Sadie and I both limp -- two old dogs, well-matched, kindred spirits.

When April begins, we will be in the countdown to my total knee replacement, and I will chronicle what goes into that procedure, in hopes that it may be helpful to others facing this challenge to remain mobile in their senior years. I will use RG3 as my inspiration in a few months of rehabilitation. He has been tweeting his positive thoughts. Meanwhile, lots of pretty birds soon will be flying back from their winter vacations in the tropics, and there will be lots of happy sights to report from whatever walks we can complete.

© Robert G. Holland   2013