One knee done, one to go - and it's bound to go much better this time. Janos has two total knee replacements, and the second time around was a completely different story, no complications, quick recovery. Conscientous rehab but not overdoing it is the key, and a little bit of luck.
We wish you happy cycling this summer, wherever your tour takes you!

Excellent news! All good wishes to Dodie and her support team/nurse😊

Happy to know that the operation is a go and Dodie will be fully functional sooner, but we will miss seeing you down here in sunny Mexico!

We will just have to have double portions in your honour! I had it for dinner the other night - yum!

Glad to hear Dodie is in fighting shape, ready and able to get that next surgery underway. Positive thoughts going your way for a speedy recovery. K&K

I’m so glad to hear that she’s getting in so soon. It seems likely that this time through will go much better for many reasons, including going in with more realistic expectations this time.

The Alps so soon afterwards though?

Good they got an early surgery date! Looking forward to the recovery!

Thanks Ardell. It's good to learn that you are enjoying riding with the Pedego.

Dodie is continuing to increase her distances, but very gently. As the blog mentions, we did decide not to push it, by heading off to Mexico with the unassisted Fridays. For a few hours, though, it was fun beginning to think about how fast we could gather the gear and leave. Now we are just thinking that if the doctors can schedule the operation promptly in January and if Dodie can rehab fast we would be in Austria by March.

Watch this space for news of when the operation happens and how the rehab goes.

so glad to hear the update I have been checking every day ... I just returned from two weeks of riding in Kentucky and Ohio with my regular group. I took the Pedego and thoroughly enjoyed it ...all paved trails and I did not have to worry about navigation😊 I am not tough like a Grampie but it sure is fun anyway. I hope all goes well for the second knee and I will look forward to a Grampie journal in the spring. ardell

Thanks, Steve. We could go on a looong tangent here, but instead, let me give you both an encouraging anecdote about knees: A decade ago, I joined a senior men's recreational hockey group. I was in my early 60's at the time. I knew some of the guys in the group, but one fellow, whom I didn't know, was on another level from the rest of us. He was in his late 60's, I guessed, and was smooth, fast and absurdly skillful. I asked one of my mates who he was. "Oh," he said, "Dan used to play minor-league pro hockey. It wrecked his knees, but here's the thing -- he's playing with artificial knees in both legs."

So, Dodie, you don't have to be smooth, fast and skillful on the ice. (I never was, even with two healthy knees!) But I hope it helps to know it can be done.

Best, John

Dodie also used this song to get her up hills in Spain. I think it also figured maybe at Stan's funeral or maybe at some Stan tribute. But then it would share space with Barrett's Privateers, Northwest Passage, Forty Five Years, etc. etc.

Thanks for your comment. I'm glad we are not the only ones who remember this wonderful singer.

By the way, there is a Petro Canada ad out right now that uses Stompin Tom's "My Stompin Grounds". A key line from that song is "Wherever you find a heart that's kind, you're in a part of my stompin grounds." But now, I'm wandering off topic! You might still like it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UzV-gN5IveA

Yes, the way healing happens is very encouraging. We are hoping the next one will also go better. We hope to better manage the drugs and physio, and be ready for cycle touring in good time.

Amazing how the body can heal itself after all that hammering, sawing, and pounding! Hope the other knee goes well. At least this time you have an inkling of what to expect.Janet

Hi Steve and Dodie, Just taking a breaking from winterizing chores and browsing Cyleblaze, and your title from Stan's song caught my eye. What a story from Dodie's crash in the Netherlands last year! Thanks so much for chronicling it all, Steve, and what can I say about your courage and resilience, Dodie?--you're an inspiration. The progress you've made since August is remarkable, especially with the time you've been down and discouraged. I'm sure you'll continue, and the tours will resume after #2 is sorted.

You did the right thing is choosing Stan's song as your leitmotif, BTW. You probably know this story, but just in case: I heard this on the CBC, must have been some time in the '90s, after we returned to Canada from many years abroad, hence a decade after Stan's death. There was an interview with a Nova Scotia fisherman whose boat had sunk in a gale, and he had survived--what?--eleven hours in his flotation suit, if memory serves. The interview asked him how he had kept his spirits us. He said he'd sung "The Mary Ellen Carter" to himself. What better tribute could a singer have?

Cheers, John

Oh! We wish you could go to Mexico! It would be so much fun to cycle with you two there! Happy to know things are moving along!