Friday, May 25, 2007

Long Weekend


Geraniums three...
Originally uploaded by Xena~
I'm looking forward to three days away from the office. Although it would be nicer if it was three days of 'what I'd like to do'. I know, I'm selfish,...son if you are reading this, it does NOT include you and your wife.
I'm talking about spending endless hours with MIL at her house, when I could be spending endless hours [yes even if it rains] walking the woods with Morris and my camera. Or riding my mule or Fred [he rocks!]

My shoulders and hands hurt like ... well okay fine.
I won't crab.

I'm just done with my midterms and am looking for a day or two of relaxing and chillin'.
I want to go play. Gosh, that sounds entirely selfish, eh?

Friday, May 18, 2007

Thoughtful morning....

Some days are pretty interesting. I have some time to kill before I hit the road and began to think of all the possibilities that are facing me today and tomorrow. I'm not afraid to admit that I am nervous as hell over it.
I haven't seen sis in years. What is she going to think of me?
Last night while packing, I realized that most of my clothes that were 'good' were hand me downs from her years ago. I really had to sort to find stuff she hadn't given me.
Now what's that say about me purchasing clothes?
Eh. Looks like I need to go see my daughter in law to go shopping some time soon.

I never did like my [maternal] family being on opposite sides of the fence. I'm hoping, dreaming, that today is the day we start to fix that broken fence.
Am I too much of a dreamer?
Time will tell.

Adventure on Mule-back


Who needs Gates?
Originally uploaded by Xena~.
We rode the bottoms out of our pants yesterday afternoon. And what fun we had doing it. Hubby rode Opal who happens to be an ex-champion at 'jumping'. When we were part way home, hubby decided to jump our mules back onto our own land so we could continue to Mushroom hunt in our back pasture.
Opal jumped like the champ she is and Fred was lazy about it. In fact he flubbed the first jump and ended up tangled in barbed wire. We pulled his feet out and jumped him again...he scraped his belly going over but upon inspection, he had no scratches.

We really had a great time and it was a great release of pressure from work, school, and whatnot.

I'll be going for an EMG on my wrists in two weeks..yum, that is where the tester sticks electrodes on you and zaps you to test your nerves!
Wow, I am soooo looking forward to that.
Shoulder surgery is being scheduled for some time this summer also. Yipee, now I have so much to look forward to.

I'm thinking I should quit school, work, ...and just ride...hmmm, what an idea.

Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Silence of Self...


Silence of Self
Originally uploaded by Xena~.
"To hate and not love is to be locked up forever in the lonely silence of self."

Author? I don't know.

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Codes? What codes?


Fred's eye
Originally uploaded by Xena~.
I have a love/hate relationship with my 'coding' class. I love the class really I do. Now if we could get an instructor to instruct it, that would be lovely.
I should have been suspicious when I read about 15 titles behind her name that she would know a ton of stuff about medical coding...but wouldn't know squat about teaching. A teacher responds to the students, guides the students, and even answers questions!
Nope not this one. This is the first crappy class I've had and I sure hope it doesn't screw up my perfect grade point.
Geeze.

On a second note, we went riding for hours last night until the thunder and lightening sent us home with two bags of morel mushrooms. It was hot sticky and humid...and we had a blast 'brush busting' in the back valley. Twice Fred [the mule] flushed up nesting turkey hens.
Now if you want to pee your pants, have one of those babies come blasting out of the brush right up at you! Sounds like a 747 with attitude!
Cool Fred and Badger. Not a wink, just raised their heads and ears. Good mules, good mules.

Monday, May 14, 2007

Mother's Day Fun


First he ran away with the Hedgehog
Originally uploaded by Xena~.
Had a nice quiet Mother's Day with hubby and Morris. No fancy lunches, no dressing up...although we did change the oil in my truck...ewwww, exciting!

Morris had a wonderful day playing and being part of a picture story that can be found here: Attack of the Hedgehog.

Hubby and I went riding right after supper until dark and had a blast. It was so enjoyable to have him along.
The morels are starting to come up now that we had rain and so it looks like we'll have some expeditions for mushroom hunting.

Looks like a fine warm day with storms for tonight!

Friday, May 11, 2007

I ride a Big Tall Mule...


Big Tall Mule
Originally uploaded by Xena~.
Okay so my shadow is big and tall.
Finally !!!
I got out with my mule and my faithful dog, Morris to ride tonight. This is what life is all about. It is better than a cold beer, better than chocolate chip cookies, better than ice cream....

I love to ride, can you tell? We enjoyed the smell of the wild apple blossoms, the cherry trees, and the crab apples. The honeysuckles are beginning to blossom on the hillsides, and I can sit back and relax and take it all in...with an occasional white tail deer or turkey crossing our paths.
Life is so very good.

Thursday, May 10, 2007

Crabby is as Crabby does


Dandy-lion eve
Originally uploaded by Xena~.
I had a pretty foul mood today. I shouldn't have, I aced two tests and turned in my homework that isn't due until Monday. I started on next week's assignments...then took a break and took a long hot hike in the woods.
I felt restless the rest of the day. I wanted to ride, I think that would have been good. I didn't get to though. I think that compounded my stress level...or crabby levels.

Well off to get some sleep if my shoulder will allow it. Tomorrow is my last scheduled PT appointment. I can't see throwing more money at a problem that won't get improved with Physical Therapy. I'm sure that is part of the Crabbiness. Giving up another summer of being partially laid up.
My luck would have it that they will want to do both the shoulder and wrist surgeries! Yikes! Well get them over with I say so I can reach my out of pocket expenses ...

That is depressing. I need to go to Happy Land.

Sunday, May 06, 2007

Morel Hunting


Morel Hunting
Originally uploaded by Xena~.
There probably is nothing more relaxing than walking out in the woods with Morris and hubby. We did that for quite a while on Thursday and found some nice Morels.

It eases the ache and agony that this new bout of 'being' old is giving me.
Friday the PT dude really did some digging under muscles to release nerve bundles? Now from what I understand that really hurts even if you aren't hurting.

I know I was pretty negative the other day--previous post. But the sun is shining, I rode my mule, I walked in the woods...
and I've done the homework for one of this week's classes.

Saturday, May 05, 2007

Round Two...


Evening comes...
Originally uploaded by Xena~.
Cha-Ching!

Frozen shoulder/adhesive capsulits has hit again with a strong g-force.

How fun. Do you know what it is like to be unable to pull up your jeans with great difficulty? To be unable to tuck your shirt in without making a mess of it? Can you imagine not being able to actually take the shift column on the steering wheel and drop it into drive with your right hand?... Nope gotta use the left.

Not to mention, you forget and reach for something and BLAM...instant 'white out' pain.
The PT dude is beginning to actually believe me when I tell him that this is an exact duplicate of what happened on the other side. He really wants to believe that he can 'fix' me with therapy.

I can have better results knocking my head against a brick wall these days.

Thursday, May 03, 2007

Spring


Emerging
Originally uploaded by Xena~.
Well Spring is here by golly and it sure is hard to concentrate on schoolwork. Coding is really a puzzler. It is like finding a needle in a hay stack. It takes real time and effort.
I like it.

On other notes.
My frozen shoulder on the right side is progressing 'nicely'. What do I mean by that? Well, it sucks and it is freezing up no matter how many stretches or exercises I do.
In fact, it looks like my endurance riding plans for this year are finished which has made me very very sad. Add to that continuous pain and you can get an idea of where I'm 'complaining' from.
Carpel Tunnel. Well it looks like I'll know more on the 17th. I don't like dealing with that issue either.
It isn't fun to have a numb thumb, or fingers that don't work well, and a grasp that is weak as a kitten.
Seems I turned 50 last year and everything is breaking down.
I wonder if I can get new parts at a body shop?

Despite all of these things I intend to keep my chin up with a lot of encouragement from a good husband. He keeps telling me things are not as bad as I think they are. He must be right, I am still getting up each day on the top side of the grass.