Lion and I had an exhausting weekend. Unfortunately, it wasn’t because of any sexual adventures. We were running errands, doing chores, and buying a car. We both took naps on Sunday afternoon. Lion’s been in more pain and I don’t know what my problem was. It was just nice to snooze together for a while.

Lion’s shoulder pain is now heading south to his elbow. I don’t think it’s because of a new injury or even worsening of the old injury. I think it’s because the cortisone shot is definitely all worn off and now the pain can go where it wants. I’m glad he only has to wait a few more days for the surgery.

Now that we’ve solved the problem of transportation, we can relax a little bit before the surgery. One more chore has to be completed that requires both of us. The rest of the chores would go more smoothly with Lion’s help, but I can manage them myself for the duration.

I don’t expect Lion to be frisky for a few weeks, at least, because of the pain and the “heroin” he’ll be taking. It’s unclear to us, and everyone is different anyway, how long he’ll be in huge pain. Some people say three days. Some people say three weeks. I know he’ll be hurting after each physical therapy session. That’s because his shoulder will want to hide in the corner and sulk. Once he starts moving it, it will complain loudly. Lion did say yesterday that the pain afterwards can’t be too much worse than what he’s been feeling lately. Fingers crossed.

My job, aside from taking care of Lion physically and emotionally, is to decide when the rules, FLR, and domestic discipline can start up again. There’s no doubt we’ll have some miscues along the way. He might feel great for a few days and we’ll decide to start, and then maybe he’ll feel worse. The main thing is to not lose sight of FLR and DD. We can certainly still talk about things throughout his recovery. He’ll have more time to read and discover new things he wants to try once he’s ready.

I just hope Lion doesn’t feel any pressure to get back to normal. He can give me a Lion weather report any time he feels the warm, gentle breezes of horniness. I won’t rush him. We’ll see how things go and, most importantly, talk about things. Lion’s need time to heal as much as they need sex.

One of the most difficult problems we had to solve before my surgery was finding a way I could travel. Mrs. Lion has a big (high off the ground) one-ton pickup truck. When we rehearsed my one-arm entry, it became painfully clear that getting in was going to be a problem. Mrs. Lion suggested I needed a step that would make climbing in easier. We tested her theory with a step stool we use to reach our trailer hitch (we have a fifth wheel). Voila! It worked. Problem solved; well, maybe.

I’ve always loved sports cars. I’ve had a range of them over the years. Shortly after it came out, I bought a Nissan 370Z. Years ago, I had a 240Z, so going back to my sports car roots was wonderful for me. After a few years, the effort of getting in and out of the car, not to mention the road noise, was wearing on me. Yes, it was great to take the “Z” to the track, but commuting on bumpy roads was taking its toll.

In 2012 I read an article in “Road and Track” that put the 370Z head to head with a Mustang. They were dead even in handling. I mentioned it to Mrs. Lion. She has always loved Mustangs. Truthfully, I had never given them any thought at all. After all, it’s a Ford. Well, we drove my Z to a Ford dealer to look at a Mustang and ended up driving out with a red 2013 GT, complete with racing stripe. It was a joy to drive and the car absorbed a lot of the road noise. Its design had higher, easier-to-get-into seats.

I’ve been considering the practicality of my beloved Mustang. It gets about 20MPG and my daily commute is 25 miles each way. It isn’t so much the cost of gas, but the Mustang has a small tank that just won’t last for a full work week. I had been contemplating the idea that I could get a more “grown up” car. But, I didn’t see any particular reason to let go of my toy just yet.

Then, the upcoming surgery  brought home the fact that even when I get some use of my shoulder back, getting in and out of the Mustang will be difficult. I researched cars I could deal with owning that have more upright seating and easy entry and exit.

On my business trips I’ve rented a variety of cars. Some are small-to-medium-sized SUV’s. So, I wandered over to the Consumers Reports web site and checked out SUV’s. I landed on the Toyota RAV4 hybrid. I know, it’s the opposite of my beloved Mustang. The review was positive and, while not a Mustang in terms of 0-60 (4 secs for my GT), its 9 sec time isn’t bad for a commuter.

Ok, the idea of going from the Mustang to a Toyota SUV was not a bit appealing, but it wasn’t so crazy to consider. So I asked Mrs. Lion if we could go to our local Toyota dealer to see what a RAV4 looked like in the flesh. We took Mrs. Lion’s truck. I didn’t want to take a chance my Mustang could be kidnapped and replaced with a Toyota.

It turned out that the SUV was very easy to enter and exit. It was comfortable. And, the high end models had all the toys I like. Mind you, I still wasn’t excited at all about trading my Mustang. But, I had to admit that getting better mileage and easier access were good arguments for at least seeing what it would cost to switch.

I’m a pretty good negotiator. I do it often at work. Couple that with my absolute indifference about owning the RAV4, led to a long conversation with a dealer that had no weapons against a customer who he couldn’t excite about owning the car he was selling. In the end, I bought the RAV4 Hybrid. It’s basically a Prius on steroids. The hybrid RAV4 is actually faster than the all-gas model. Unlike the dreary Prius, the RAV4 is programmed to use the electric motor to add power off the line.

By mid afternoon, we went home and returned to the dealer with my Mustang. A short time later, we were home with a RAV4 in the garage where my Mustang used to live. We spent some time learning where the controls are for various things. I made an effort to review the user manuals. Toyota provides over 1,500 pages of instructions. Sure, I’m going to read all that. Oh yeah. Maybe one day. Fat chance.

Yesterday, I stowed the stuff that was in the Mustang in the new car. We took it on a shopping trip. Transportation, post-surgery, isn’t going to be a problem.

I am left with the memory of that wonderful V8 growl. It’s been replaced with the whine of a hybrid.

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Lion has been in quite a bit of pain lately. It’s become quite clear to him that he has to do this surgery at some point in time. Luckily, we solved the transportation issue. Lion can safely get into my truck using an extra step. He’s also taken steps to make his sports car more accessible, but I’ll let him tell you about that. I think the last hurdle is gone.

Not quite. Obviously, there’s still a lot of fear of the unknown. He’s not afraid of the actual surgery. That’s the part that would be freaking me out. He’s worried about the pain afterwards and the recovery time. I’d be less worried about that part. See? Opposites.

I’m less inclined to rush back to work after that first week is over. Given the way my bosses have been treating people, I don’t feel the need to go out of my way to help them. If things fall apart, oh well. I gave them a few options and they chose poorly. Lion has top priority. I won’t leave him alone for long periods of time until we decide he’s ready to be alone. Quick trips to the store for milk or prescription refills should be fine. He will not be a drooling, comatose mess, but he’ll still need help.

Lion had a bucket list, of sorts, of things he wanted to do before the surgery since he won’t be able to go out for long periods of time in the near future. We went out to one of his favorite restaurants on Thursday, and last night we hit a casino. Unfortunately, we both lost some money in a short amount of time. The casino seems to have tightened its slot machines and payout is very limited. It’s less fun when your money just goes away with very few winning spins.

We were tired when we got home. We have a lot of chores and errands on tap for today. The main focus is getting the last of Lion’s ducks in a row. I hope we’ll get in some play tonight, but we’ll have to see what the pain and energy levels are.

My job is to arrange ducks. That is, accomplish large projects with a minimum of churn. I make sure that I am aware of risks and have contingency plans to mitigate damage that might occur. No, I’m not a project manager. I used to be one. I’ve moved up a bit in the world. The ducks I arrange now are more like geese; they are larger and the consequences of errors are much larger.Anyway, I find it impossible to avoid arranging the ducks involved in my upcoming surgery. It’s what I do.

So how does a professional duck arranger end up in a Female Led Relationship? By definition, I have no control over any ducks when Mrs. Lion calls the shots. It’s difficult for me to be in that position, but worth the trouble. You see, Mrs. Lion may not understand exactly what I do, but she knows I’m paid to make things happen the way I want them to.

FLR is a nice balance for my professional duck arranging. At least, that’s what I thought when I suggested it. So far it’s proven to be a correct prediction. Our progress in FLR is slow and not without bumps. My upcoming surgery is a big speed bump. It’s too big for me to just surrender and trust Mrs. Lion will make everything ok.

That doesn’t mean she can’t do just that. She is incredibly smart and a virtuoso at improvisation. If I were a more perfect lion, I would just do what I am told; go to the hospital and trust Mrs. Lion can get me home and keep me comfortable and fed. Deep down, I know she can. But then I’m not evolved enough to accept this when it comes to such a huge impact event in my life. No. I have to arrange the ducks at home.

It’s to Mrs. Lion’s eternal credit that she puts up with all my thrashing. The problem for me is that there s a very narrow gap between whether it is worth it to get the surgery or better to just deal with the pain. Yes, it hurts. But medication can keep it under control. On the other hand, the injury is a traumatic tear that can be repaired quite easily. Waiting another year will change that easy repair into a risky procedure.

Which way should I arrange those ducks? The lowest risk arrangement has me coping with the pain. It’s cheaper, has lower risks, and  requires little change in the way we live. The ducks are much more difficult to arrange for the surgery. Failure to get them in the right positions can result in a great deal of pain, the inability to take care of myself, and even inability to get home from the hospital.

Mrs. Lion and I have worked out possible solutions to the most serious issues. This weekend we will deal with transportation. I hope we will also do more traditional play and teasing as well. We’re still the same kinky couple. We’ve been taking a break to help me manage something that truly frightens me. I’m not easy to scare and I am not a bit used to feeling fear.

I’ll let you know how our latest duck arranging goes. Stay tuned.