It's supposed to go up into the 50s this afternoon and we're due for heavy rain tonight.

So Tuesday I had my orthopedist appointment and they're going through the process to get the HMO to approve followup MRIs of my feet and ankles. My doc understands why I'm trying at all costs to avoid surgery and will just keep wearing the ankle brace and go back to PT later this spring.

Speaking of spring, more crocuses are popping up on the front lawn along with daffodils. There are baby leaves on more of the shrubs. Blossom buds are growing on the trees and shrubs. Yesterday was our first yard waste pickup of the year. I put out some of the twigs and branches from the winter storms that had been sitting in the pails. It's time for me to take the plants out of the basement finally and put them outside to get rained on tonight. They're starting to get baby leaves.

The pollen count is going up. My sister has been sneezing and coughing. Hopefully it's just allergies but I'm keeping my distance from her in case she has a cold. I'm still masking up in public indoor places to avoid picking up viral respiratory infections. What I don't need is to pick up something from her. She's not good about hand washing after blowing her nose. Won't use hand sanitizer either. So I'm washing my hands more and using more hand sanitizer after touching common surfaces like door handles and light switches around the house.

After my doctor appointment I went to Joann's and bought more worsted weight yarn in various colors for me and a couple of skeins of wool yarn for my sister. She sent me pictures of the yarn she got for me at her Joann's. She also sent me a picture of a knitting project in progress she's working on. That Red Heart granny squares yarn is tricky to work with to get the colors just right. I'm reading tips and tricks online where people vary the size crochet hooks they use depending on the round. I have crochet hooks in sizes 7, 9, 10, and 10 1/2 already, but ordered the other commonly used sizes from Amazon. Most will be delivered today. I like the traditional aluminum Susan Bates hooks, so that's what I ordered.

Yesterday I felt tired so I just ran to the supermarket for a few things. The bakery department had cinnamon brioche bread, which is new for them. I bought a loaf and it's quite tasty. This afternoon I need to run to Petco for the turtle's food. I bought blueberries at the supermarket yesterday and she ate a bunch of them last night.