Bad back

Today's list was

1. Clean bathrooms
2. Bake cherry almond bars
3. Walk dogs
4. Buy eggs, and some fish to cook for dinner
   

It was going to be a fairly easy, fairly fun day. I actually like cleaning bathrooms because it usually involves minimal decision making. You shine the porcelain, throw out the empty bottles of stuff, change the towels and you're basically done.

However, somewhere along the line, my neck went out.

Badly.

So I am stuck in the recliner, taking pain meds and applying heat. Except, the hot rice bag I was using started to hurt me because of its shape and weight, so I switched it for a light, summer scarf. The pain meds--along with the pain they failed to handle and a bunch of tea and vitamins --upset my stomach. I wondered if I were going to vomit until about 1:45 p.m. when I forced down a sandwich.

My neck muscles are so hyper-sensitive, chewing and swallowing that sandwich was excruciating. Another excruciating moment was this morning after my shower when I was applying moisturizer to my face. Pushing the moisturizer back onto my face with my fingertips was an incredible strain on my neck and upper back. Needless to say, I am not wearing any makeup.

For a long time all I could do was sit here in my recliner, staring at the striped wallpaper and obsessing over the dirty toilets I am not cleaning. Then I fell asleep a little bit.

I wish the massage therapist would call me back. She will call when the worst of the pain has passed. I know because this is my life and I've been living it long enough to figure out how these things work. Anyhow, I am probably too sore to get any worth out a massage today. How's that for looking on the bright side?

Staring at the wallpaper stripes gave me time to think and to get annoyed with Piper who would not stop licking his paws. I don't want to take him to the vet again. I spoke sharply to him and told him to knock it off, and it reminded me of how cross I used to get with my children when they were little and Shawn was on a business trip and my back went out. That used to happen quite often, and I am sad that it did.

Now I have my netbook in my lap. I am a poor typist ordinarily, but I am particularly bad on this little guy. Even so, I am thankful to have something I can do. Piper has stopped licking his paws and is sleeping next to me, breathing hard. Jon is roasting coffee beans in the kitchen. It has been a long time, maybe even a year, since my back has done this, and for that I am thankful. It used to happen every 4-6 weeks.

Life is not so bad.