I'm almost afraid to ask

    Remember that I told you that my arthritis has been acting up? It was every other day that I'd be in pain and discomfort. Well this week has been different. Today is my 4th day in a row with little or no discomfort. I am speechless. I'm still doing the stretch in the doorway about twice a day, just to keep the shoulder joint limber.


    Yesterday I was amazed at my good fortune of three days in a row. Today I'm just flabbergasted. What I'm afraid to ask it this: What about tomorrow?


    Today I spent a lovely two hours with my good friend Bonny, she was having a barbecue and asked me to come. Her husband's family is a hoot and a half. I ate some salad that I've never even heard of before. It's an apple and snickers bar concoction, with a sweet creamy sauce. It looked like potato salad, but it was really good. It had cinnamon in it too. I also ate a hamburger, and some real potato salad. I wasn't fond of the potato salad as it had hard boiled eggs in it, and I don't like hard boiled eggs. At least it had onions and celery in it.


    I've been reading like a fiend, I'm on book 15 of the Anita Blake Vampire Hunter series. It's called The Harlequin. I just finished #14 this afternoon, after I got home from Bonny's. I can not state any stronger how great an author Laurell K. Hamilton is.


    I have these favorite sayings, I've said them for years. As I'm reading the series again, I'm discovering that I got them from these books!! I frequently use "Yippee Skippee", and my very favorite, "the ass-crack of dawn" is in there as well. When I worked nights it was the ass-crack of noon.


    And OMG it's September already! Where did the summer go?

Arthritis, another non crafting story

    A long time ago, perhaps as long as 15 years, I tore my rotator cuff. In my sleep. That's right, I went to bed just fine, and woke up the next morning in pain. I managed to ignore it for about 6 months before I nearly lost all use of my arm, and the pain could no longer be ignored.


    I had surgery to fix it. Fast forward about 6 or so years. Surprise! I developed Arthritis in my shoulder joint. They tell me it's common after joint surgery. They didn't tell me that little fact before I had the surgery, however.


    I learned that I must move the joint to avoid the stiffness and pain. For a long time it worked. Then abruptly it stopped working. If I sit for long periods, like when I'm knitting or crocheting, it really starts to hurt. The pain has even been disturbing my sleep. I'm a side sleeper. I start out on my right side, then move to my left side. I stay there until the pain wakes me up and I have to go back to the other side.


    Lately it's been so bad, I can't even sleep on my left side. I end up laying on my back, leaning to the left a little. However, I now have some help. A few days ago, my Hubs found one of the hand weights I had purchased for P.T. after my shoulder surgery. I cleaned it up, and I've been using it to exercise my left arm. It has really been helping. I am keeping it in the bathroom, and about every other time I go in there, I use the weight to exercise my arm, and move the joint.


    I hope to build the strength back up in that arm. I would be happy if it just quit hurting so much all the time. It is better already, however.