I found a kitten in the road today.
That has nothing to do with my hips, I know, but was a welcome distraction.
I was on my way home from the gym, where I had been lifting weights and doing abs to get ready for surgery, see this is hip related, when I saw something in the middle of a busy intersection. I figured it was just socks or rags, but no, on closer inspection, it was a kitten! I couldn't just leave it without checking if it was alive, so I hit my hazard lights and jumped out of the car, being careful to get the attention of the other drivers who would otherwise run me down. When I bent down to check, the kitten scurried away (alive!) but only partway across the road. Damn! If it had crossed the road I would have been off the hook. Now I knew it was in decent shape and still in danger. I went in pursuit and scooped it up and took it back to my car.
Went home, unloaded perishable groceries, yelled until son woke up to help me find the kitten, who was now somewhere in the car (where?), put it in a box and get it to the vet for evaluation. The vet looked it---her---over and said she was fine. Six weeks old.
So now she is living in my shower until I ascertain if she is lost or abandoned. I think I have a new pet....
(FWIW this happened to me three years ago at an even busier intersection. That time the kitten had been hit by a car, had a broken leg, and was harder to capture. But we did catch him, and several thousand dollars later (!) we had a new pet. I am a sucker for kittens.)