Back to the Past (or What a Pain in the Butt)

Ever have one of those friends that always ALWAYS posts negative things on their facebook, twitter, or blog?  Dontcha just hate that?  They really bring everybody down, and everybody that might actually care about their problems already knows about them.  Of course that's usually because those people ARE the problem, but I digress...as usual.  Today, I am one of those people.  Ta-Daaaa!

People who know me (and unfortunately for them, lots of folks who don't) know that I have been suffering from spine problems for years.  I have even had two spinal surgeries to try to alleviate the severe pain in my lower body.  The surgery was a success and after a period of physical therapy and whatnot, I was relatively pain free for quite some time.

That time passed.

I then tried the spinal injections to ease the ever increasing pain.  It lasted only a very short time.  You see my body metabolizes pain meds very quickly, and becomes accustomed to new meds after only a short time.  Sucks to be me.  (I could never be a junkie cuz I either would never get high or I would need massive doses immediately.)  But know my old friend is back. As I wrote on facebook recently:

Pain

That friend that warns us;

That spur that goads us;

That tormentor that robs us of dignity;

That inquisitor that tortures to shake our faith;

My companion for these many years:

May you return to Hell.

I am truly afraid that another surgery is coming and I fear what it will do to me.  But I can't take my meds correctly or I can't wake up on time or function properly until after about 10:00 AM.  I can skip some of the meds and substitute Irish whiskey, but that can really become a habit after a while, too.  And even with all these things, I hurt.  Worse at night while I try to sleep, but most of the day as well.  I hope this counts as paying off karma, 'cause then I'm set.

Anyway, I put it down in writing so I don't have to carry it on my mind all the time or share it with friends who love me but really get tired of hearing about it.  "In the end, we are all just stories.  Make yours a good one." -#11

Ice Trucker? or Kill the Groundhog!

This post is late by about two weeks.  That was when my wife Kathy and I went to Saledo, Texas USA to visit her family at her sister's new house on a hill. It's a beautiful house and they are lovely people.  We had the four Fs of successful gathering: Friends, Food, Family, and Fermentation.  Wonderful time well spent.

We went, rather unusually, in my truck instead of the car because we would be bringing back some ceiling fans.  Not really important what we were carrying, but that was the excuse for the truck.  A foggy Sunday morning arrived, and after breakfast we felt it was time we headed back home to stay ahead of the weather that was predicted.  "Could be a little ice if we wait too long."

As we were loading the truck, the first tip tip tip tap of sleet began to slowly enter our consciousness.  Few and far between so not a major concern.  Down the rollercoaster steep driveway to the road and away we go. By 20 minutes into the already three hour drive, the tip tip tap became tappitytappitytippitytappity boom...times ten.  It was a thunderstorm of ice!  We could barely see.  The ice began forming a coating around every exposed surface, but I'm a fairly careful, confident driver so we're OK.  Then the freezing weather began to have an affect on the engine.  Please make it home!  I have a rehearsal at 2! 

We made it, but I'm just about ready to barbecue that damn groundhog.  The ice in the bed of the truck was so thick that it remained for several days, even after temperatures returned to abnormal.  So done with the Texas winter.