Feeling very zen, as the summer wanes

All substantive chapters of the diss are finished now, so for the next three months or so it's revisions and writing the introduction and conclusion.

Also, the day after tomorrow, I embark on what will be my last year of teaching at Camosun College. I'm teaching a course on literary traditions, which allows you to pick your own topic. Mine is "heroes." Not real-life heroes, but those larger-than-life literary ones that, as Diana Wynne Jones writes, go out there and fight all your battles for you. My reading list, novels: A Wizard of Earthsea, Frankenstein, Nimona, The Homeward Bounders You knew I had to put DWJ in there somewhere, right?, and Archivist Wasp which, if you haven't read it yet make a point of going to Amazon or wherever you can and getting a copy and reading. NOW. Plus we're going to read some bits of Gilgamesh, Beowulf, Taliessin, The Wife of Bath's Tale, Lanval, and some sundry short stories and poems. I hope it goes well.

This brings me to the "zen" part of my post. Some of you may know, or remember, that I've had both hips replaced because of arthritis. Well, two years after my second hip replacement, one of my knees gave out. Turns out that the pain everyone said was "referred pain" from my hip was actually real pain from a gimpy knee. A month or so ago, I could hardly walk. Since then, I've been given some effective meds and have got back some mobility... not all. Today, I took Baggins (the bearded collie) for a walk in the forest, and perforce used a cane and a knee brace. I had to walk very slowly and carefully, but, you know what? It was lovely. I walked slowly and with intention (not to trip and fall) along the path and so much enjoyed just being there. Baggins? He doesn't care how slowly I walk. He just loves to rootle around in the bushes and sniff and sniff and sniff and just be there for me. The whole experience makes me grateful that I can still get out there in the woods with my beloved dog, but also think "ok, if I have to slow down, maybe it's not all bad."

Anyone have any suggestions for where I can get a kick-ass cane? Something with a dragon handle, I think.