Mojitos ahead

I have less than a day left of work, and it's on to the long weekend. Ohmygosh, I'm so excited. It's going to be all about the sunshine, baseball, park walks, Mojitos with some Cuban rum, a lit fire, a good book, and a get together with good friends. I'm planning on getting the house cleaned first thing so I don't have to think about it again all weekend long. I cannot wait. These are the days of summer I wait all year long to get back to. It's going to be spectacular.

Respite

Since I got all those shots in my lower back, I've been able to take advantage of living with less pain, and do some things. And it's been just the little things - like sitting and watching the birds, or reading a book. It's been taking a walk around the neighborhood. It's been cleaning out space in the basement for C-man's 'cave'. But it's all those little things that did nothing but cause pain before, that add up to a lot. The peace of mind and ability to focus are both things have been incredible. Being almost comfortable in my own body is something I haven't felt in so long, I had forgotten that every second of every day isn't difficult for everyone else.

Because chronic pain is real. So, so real. And not just the pain itself, but the prison it creates. It's like living in a world where someone is always screaming in your ear, but you're the only one able to hear it. And then somehow, you're supposed to go about your days, acting like it isn't there. You're supposed to not flinch when you hear it. You're supposed to just sit still and listen and focus, lest you be accused of being disengaged. You're supposed to just be 'normal' like everyone else, when in reality, nothing could be further from the truth.

I am not living pain-free right now. Far from it. But the fact that I've gotten some relief has given me such a better perspective on this past year and how bad the pain had really gotten. So many give in to the pain and choose other less helpful paths. I understand it. I really do. But for now, I'm just thankful to have a piece of a respite.

Working for the Weekend

• We are down a Chromus in the fish tank. Mr Pickles is suspect #1, but so far is mum.
• I rode a bike around work today in the sun in between meetings. That made me very happy.
• I'm hoping to get some hosta planting and book reading done this weekend.
• C-man's cast is so loose, he can take it off. We're going to get him a new one on Monday.
• That means he'll have this next one for 2 weeks. Gosh, it's been nice to have him get new casts throughout this process. It's so much cleaner and not so smelly.
• THIS instagram feed makes me smile. Hard.
• Stupid Brits. Honestly.
• I'm really looking forward to my Friday night G&T. (smacking lips)

Wordless Wednesday: Friends

Sweet relief

It's been almost a week since I got those dreaded injections into my lower back, and I'm stunned. Stunned because I'm actually starting to feel better. The pain is not entirely gone, but it's so, so much better. And the relief I feel isn't just in pain, but in the overall anguish. Sitting, moving, doing anything really, isn't something I need to consciously think about. I still do, of course, because it's such a long-held habit. But I don't HAVE to, because it isn't going to cause me deep pain.

Wow.

The impact it has had on me has been incredible. Not only am I not planning every second of my movement across the course of a day, I'm not worrying about how much energy I'll need to conserve for later on. I'm able to sleep for actual stretches of time and don't feel like a half-drowned cat when I wake up. Breathing doesn't hurt. And I feel like I want to smile - something I haven't felt like doing without forcing it for so long. It's incredible.

I don't know what the future holds. I know I can't continue to have injections the rest of my life. But I do know that this, at least, is a temporary relief. And it also means it is the real problem for my back pain, which helps guide future treatment options. And that, is a true relief.

Happy Friday to you!

• I feel a bit better today. Still really achy, but not in that I'm-going-to-barf-any-second kind of way. That's an improvement.
• It's C-man's last day of video game development camp. He has really enjoyed his time there, but is looking forward to getting to his 'regular' summer camp next week.
• The weekend is supposed to be beautiful, weather-wise. My house is a pit, so I'm hoping to rip through that quickly tonight and spend the rest of the weekend enjoying being outside.
• With a gin and tonic. Man, I've started to really like those.
• Happy Friday to you.

Better days ahead

What a miserable couple of days. Yesterday, I went in for my steroid injections into my SI joints. 2 shots and about 10-15 minutes they said. Right. 8 injections, almost two hours, and a lot of bruises later... It was painful then, and it just aches now. I think I've been so tense, sitting through meetings, that my head really hurts too. I really need to go home. Except I won't. I'm off to a baseball game that my kid isn't even playing on. Sigh.

Speaking of my kid, he got re-casted yesterday. The swelling in his hand went down, so they gave him a brand new pink cast. And then one of the idiots on the baseball team wrote marijuana on it. We turned that into a row of flowers. C-man was annoyed with the kid.

So here's to tomorrow being better.

Tuesday's Haiku

Damn rain kept me up

No amount of Advil helps

At least there's coffee

Another day in the life

• Beerman's at jury duty today
• C-man's at Day 1 of Video Game camp. I don't know what that is, really. But so much for limiting screen time this summer when I send him to camp to stare at one.
• I finally finished watching the last season of Mad Men. That really wasn't worth it.
• It's been weird with no baseball. I mean, we still go to the Nationals games, but the intensity just isn't there. I don't know if I like it or not.
• I think I need to look at when I can get a week off this summer.

Happy to be summer

The end of a weekend is always a bit sad. But it feels good that it's summer. And for now, I'm going with that.

This is what I know

Beerman is still sick. C-man's wrist is still broken. It's hot out. Gin and tonics taste tasty. And 3 of my 4 hives have queens and are cooking with honey.

Summer ahead

5th grade is done. As is C-man's career as a Catholic School kid. Next year, he's moving to a bigger, public school with more choices and no uniform. I really can't blame him, as he's quite social, and just wasn't that connected to the other kids in his class. At least the school is in our back yard, and he can just walk to and from class now.

In the meantime, that means we're on Summer break. I still have to go to work every day. But there's something about not having the school pressures and enjoying the late sunsets that just make everything so much nicer and calmer.

There you have it

It's Monday. C-man's wrist is still broken. Beerman is still sick. And for some reason, Beasley was up barking a bunch last night. (He's typically a quiet dog, too!) So there you have it, Monday.

End of a season

Friday night, we spent a lovely time at the beer garden with the neighbors. That is, until C-man and his friend, returned to our picnic table, C-man clutching his wrist, hyperventilating a little. (In between gasps, he proudly reported that he'd done the 360 off the swing at its highest possible arc, but fell forward, slamming his chest into the ground on top of his wrist) After about 10 minutes of not calming down and claiming the pain to be unbearable, we spent the rest of our Friday night in a South Side urgent care. (Who knew in a metro area this size that there'd only be 1 urgent care facility open after 7 p.m. on a Friday?)

The result - a broken radial left wrist fracture. They temporarily hard splinted it, and we'll have to get it casted this week. So down goes the final moments of baseball season. And at the start of summer, he's more than a little disappointed to know he'll be stuck in a stinky cast. But there you have it - a stupid stunt ending in a cast.

On this Friday...

C-man's baseball team is terrible. He's been doing fairly well, especially at catcher, but is so discouraged about it all. They keep getting slaughtered, and it's demoralizing. I'm really worried it's ruining his love for baseball. He's already refused to try out for the post season team, even though two coaches have asked him to do it. It makes me sad.

In other C-man news, I think he's going to make the switch to the bigger public school next year. The curriculum isn't as rigorous as his current situation, but I think the social benefits outweigh any of that for a 6th grader. And really, he doesn't have problems academically, so that's not at all a worry. Plus, it's in our backyard, which is nice. I think it's interesting that he's so sure of himself at 11. I really appreciate that.

And now, let's all rejoice that it's Friday. Ahhh...

Rainbows and Lights and a Win

Last night, C-man got to play under the lights at Helfaer Field, in the shadow of Miller Park. It's an annual event, with a big pizza party after, and is always loads of fun with his team and bunches of friends. The Nationals won. Something that means little, since this game is technically an exhibition. But it's always good to hit well, catch well, score a bunch of RBIs, and come out ahead anyhow. The weather was great. The only potential issue was the 15 minute sprinkle that passed. But even that gave us rainbows to look at. It was a great night.

Tonight, we're back at the park. 5 games and a tournament to go.

Forward

Another holiday weekend has come and gone. This one was fairly uneventful. C-man was/is sick. We had some friends over for dinner. I saw my bees. Beerman got the drip system working on the garden. And we move forward.