It has been a rough week, with my SI joint stubbornly hollering abuse at the rest of my body. Any progress made on my various work and creative projects feels dreadfully slow, but I am also dreadfully stubborn. 15 minutes of printmaking, 15 minutes of patchwork, 15 minutes on the day pack, and so forth... I am determined to continue working on the enamels while we have such pleasant weather.... much easier to cope with the kiln when the temps are in the low 70's than in the high 90's.
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~ out and about ~
milkweed blossom... don't see many of these, but here and there around the neighborhood some folks have planted milkweed, maybe for butterflies, maybe just for pretty.~ out and about ~
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Today, despite the painful back, I managed to cut off the top of the dead clerodendrum and put it in the green waste wheelie bin. It will take more effort to remove the lower half, which is thicker than I want to try sawing right now. It was very obvious that there was no life in the cambium, alas. At least the two offshoots seem healthy.
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The other thing I have been doing better at lately is to use the things in the fridge to create future meal "components" to make meal prep easier... Saute up a bunch of veggies and I have dinner or breakfast on the hoof as it were, and adding a scoop of cottage cheese or a bit of cooked meat or scrambled egg makes an easy meal. And now that it is summertime, blended fruit and cottage cheese and gelatin makes "faux cheesecake" another easy meal. All of these are easy to portion out, and I am hoping will create a positive change in the health metrics I track every day. I like to eat well, and finding things I enjoy that also mean I don't have to cook several times a day is a boon.
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Unfortunately my back is still intensely painful, so much so that it is affecting my ability to focus and function. Sometimes what seems like a small movement causes me to cry out involuntarily. The stretch that seemed so useful on Tuesday helped not at all yesterday, alas. I have made an acupuncture appointment for next week. In the meantime, my yard remains half cut back and half dreadfully shaggy, and I am dragging myself through my usual tasks and work at less than half speed. I have been attempting to include some outdoor walks and bike riding, as those are the activities and postures that are the least painful. Sitting down is quite excruciating, and lying down isn't much better, which is playing hob with my sleep.
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June SMART goals (x=extra)
| # | THINGS MADE | THINGS FIXED | THINGS GONE |
| 1 | some quilt squares | tea rose temperature | rose and grapevines |
| 2 | tinyprint fox | partial backyard mown | some grass |
| 3 | arm protectors | Acantha cereal bowl | some more grass |
| 4 | moar quilt squares | - | recycle bin |
| 5 | tinyprint fan | - | yard waste bin |
| 6 | x | x | yard waste bin |
| 7 | x | x | recycle bin |
| 8 | x | x | x |
| 9 | x | x | x |
| 10 | x | x | x |
| 11 | x | x | x |
| 12 | x | x | x |
| 13 | x | x | x |
| 14 | x | x | x |
| 15 | x | x | x |
today's gratitudes -
1. managed to cut down half the clerodendrum and stuff it into the green wheelie bin
2. made pineapple cottage cheese "faux cheesecake" yum yum yum!
3. found a replacement buckle for the day pack project
Time of Isolation - Day 1089
Oy! I finally caught up here and saw that the problem is the SI joint. Oh, my dear, I am so sorry! I had SI joint problems back in 2020...so.much.pain. I worked standing up. What finally helped me the most...besides a handheld tens unit that I think I wore all day every day for a week or maybe two...was a small ball (it might have been a pickleball? It was inflatable, like a volleyball, so was quite firm). I would put it between my low back and the wall and just roll it around for 3 minutes or so whenever I could. YMMV. Hope you find some relief!
ReplyDeleteLisa's suggestion is so interesting...I had SI joint issues, but back when I was running marathons. If one runs 80 or miles or more a week, one deserves to have SI joint problems. :) I'm just kidding. I'll be honest that what works for me with those issues is yoga and building strength in supportive muscles, so when you are better if you can perhaps find a helpful physiotherapist or someone who could give you exercises, maybe that could help you too. Take care!!
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