Today has been a good day.

The weather was gorgeous, today. It got up to about 80º and was sunny all day... well since 1 pm when I got up. It's hard to get up earlier when I don't get to bed until sunup. I went out and had to do a little work in the garden. Since my physical therapist said no bending over, I did a lot of lunges and squats! I tried not to do any lifting, but that is a severe limitation on gardening around here. My son will be doing a lot more garden/yard work than he'd like -- at least until he gets a job. Unemployment being what it is here now, I don't think I need to worry.

I also got three loads of towels washed. They are drying very slowly. I'm guessing that means we need to get the vent pipes cleaned out.

The other thing I did today was sweep and vacuum my balcony. What a mess. Everything was covered in pollen. I also watered the plants there. I tend to forget about the poor things all winter. They are under the balcony roof, so they don't get the rain everything else gets. Actually some of the potted plants close to the house also need to be watered. The eaves and wind direction keeps them from getting rain.

Sp all in all it was a productive day for me. And my back does not hurt, which is a very good sign.

I think I'll read tonight. (If I don't let myself get caught up online.)

I haven't read yet. After I wrote that I went down to check the dryer and ended up doing some sewing. I mended a couple of things for my son and then started to work on my kitchen shades. I broke a needle and couldn't find more, so that ended that. Tomorrow I will get some needles.

I exercised at 12 pm! LOL actually that's a great time for me to exercise. I found the routine at SparkPeople.com. It's only 15 minutes, but a good workout. Good to get me back into shape. I feel good. I'll sleep well. On the schedule I've been on it's not really that late either. This is what the eastern sky looked like as I went to bed this morning:

I need to get up early tomorrow. (Well, 9:30 is early for me.) I should get to bed earlier tonight, but I don't know how that's going to work. I suspect I'll just be tired tomorrow. As hard as it is to get up on a regular day, if I have to get up, I manage very well.

I swiped this from reannon

Use this site to find the number one song on these dates, and post a clip. And a photo, if you have one.

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Went to the therapist today. I need to remember to do the simple little exercises she gave me. I did feel better (and worse) after I left therapy. The worse was my back, where she'd pressed it. The better was the leg/hip/foot pains. They're not gone, but they did feel better for a while. She confirmed my PC's diagnosis of both a back and a separate (but related) muscle problem. The back problem causes the muscle problem, but it's the muscle problem that is the more painful of the two.

So, today, after I got home, I have been sort of catching up with my Google reader. I say 'sort of' because 1) I still have over 200 posts listed and 2) several of the blogs in the Google reader are not ones I mean to read every time. With those, I just skim through to find the particular entries I'm interested in. But I also just sign up to read too many blogs!

I was good, today. I didn't add any more, although I did follow some interesting links. The thing is that the last few I read have been craft/fiber/art blogs. Now I want to get creative and it's just plain too late to start anything. Hopefully, the "itch" will carry over until tomorrow, when I might have an hour to spend with it. More if I'm lucky. In part depends on the chair in my sewing area. That's the way I'm leaning, but I could also do something with graphics here at the computer. As far as that goes, I have two short stories in my head that I could do a first draft of. If I try to start any of this now, I will be up until sunrise.

Although I don't mind staying up until three or four am, I hate to be getting up later than noon. (If I feel really good, I tend to linger even after noon, lately, because I know I'll hurt once I'm up, but that's a different problem.) The thing is, I'm still going to be up for an hour or so and my mind is thinking about doing something, not just thinking about doing something. So I'll read a bit.

The book that I started Sunday, My Sister, My Love by Joyce Carol Oates, is going much faster than I had expected. It's also not as depressing as I had thought. It could be. The topic certainly is, but something about the writing makes it not. I also like that Oates is playing a bit with her reader with this one. More about that when I do the review.

My cable cut off twice since I started this, so I'll finish up, now.

It's Springtime!

Link: /ow-aamp-reading-joyce-carol-oates

I am so happy (a relative term) to be seeing my doctor tomorrow and the physical therapist on Tuesday. Not that I think either visit will end the pain, but both should bring some relief. I would love to be totally free of all medications, but right now I'd like a stronger pain med. I took double last night and it helped, but my prescription is limited. I'm really hoping the doctor will up it for the next month. I'd rather be in labor than this pain. At least that was more or less all in one place. This feels like someone's trying to saw off my foot, kick me in the shin, nail into my hip, with fierce muscle cramps in my thigh and backside, and an ache along my lower back -- the only "real" pain (where something is actually wrong). Sometimes these are all at once, which is enveloped in an electric-like shock feeling (usually short, fortunately), sometimes it's a few, sometimes only one. The pain across the top of my ankle (sawing off my foot) is the worst, individually, though none of them is pleasant.

To keep my mind off the pain, I try to sleep, although I realized that I'm actually getting less sleep that I was a week or so ago. Sitting at the computer is no longer as comfortable as it was, so I recline in my recliner and read. I try not to get up too often, so I'm not drinking as much, but I'm also not snacking as much, either. Hurts too much to move. If I find a comfortable position, I DO NOT want to move.

All that whining just to say I read another book today. LOL. I'll have a review tomorrow. To tired to do one now. It's not the same as prattling on the way I do here. But I will say it was a good mystery and I plan to look for more in the series.

I've already picked up the next book. I'm 99% certain I won't have it done by tomorrow night. It's over 500 pages and smaller print than the last three books. It's My Sister, My Love by Joyce Carol Oates. The few pages I've read tell me it's going to be depressing, so I may end up reading a few lighter books before I finish this one. It took about two or three lines to figure out the inspiration for the story, although I only just remembered the name JonBenet Ramsay (I don't know if I spelled it right). It's fiction, merely inspired by that case, not based on it. Anyway, you can see why it won't be cheerful.

I got the book because I forgot to refuse my bookclub order. (Actually, I didn't forget, but the site was not working and I forgot to go back and see if they got my refusal.) I got another one, too and I hope it's more cheerful. I kept them because... Well, I'm sure I've already mentioned that I'm a book addict.

Also I've read so many times that Joyce Carol Oates is such a great writer. I haven't even read more than 3 or 4 pages, but I think I agree. I'll decide for sure after I've finished the book.

Now I must go recline again. I'll read a little and then try to sleep.

I was going to say TGIF, but around here one day of the week is pretty much like all the others. It'll be TGIT(uesday),  when I find out if therapy will help... maybe. It's always possible that I do the six weeks of therapy and still need surgery. I hope not, but the way the pain had gotten worse since last week, I dunno...

Because the only thing that feels halfway good is sitting still, I haven't done much in a long time. It annoys me... a lot. I have so many things I want to get done. Even simple things are hard, today.

OK I should focus on the positive.

1. We got to eat out tonight. We had Mexican. Mmmm.....
2. I also caught up with about three or four of you.
3. The weather is supposed to be warm this weekend.
4. Tomorrow is the Fred Meyer pland sale where we get our fuschias and geraniums (and maybe some other things as well). Last year we nearly froze picking out our plants, so warm weather will be nice.
5. I read a book and wrote a review, last night (previous post).

Picture Time!! Clickety click! (You're going to Xanga 'cause I don't feel like re-uploading the photos twice more.)