Got X-rayed, and on the way home I wandered around Ace and bought groceries at Owen's.
Didn't hurt to get on and off the table. And hardly any pain — not really quite pain — to hold still. Only one position; I think they moved the camera instead of me. Meant to ask what the table was; felt like steel, but I'm sure that some of the pictures were taken through it. I'm hoping to hear about it on Monday.
I was in the building from 10:43 to 11:52; not at all bad for a place that doesn't require an appointment and has a great deal of paperwork to fill out.
Call duly came through on Monday, and today I confirmed an appointment for two more tests on Thursday. I'm planning to ride in for a blood draw in the morning, and ride in for the tests on the next day. Might get some exercise after being dismissed on Thursday, but tomorrow I have to get back in time for a financial appointment. And on Thursday I might be feeling rotten.
I'm becoming confident that the pain in my left knee is a separate issue. It improves a lot when I put a hot starchy-seed bag on it, which doesn't sound like something caused by a remote nerve. Worse, whenever I do that, my other knee asks for the left-overs. (It usually settles for a warm hand while the bag is on the left knee.) Perhaps I should buy some cheap rice and make a pair of bags.
Spent the whole morning inside, but got some walking done. I sorted papers I'd cleaned off the floor of the sewing room, and nearly everything I picked out of the pile had to be taken to another room. I'd expected a small number of categories that I could sort into piles, but everything was its own category. Well, I did put a lot of stuff into the recycling bin, and there was a pile of Hoosier Farmers to be taken to the emergency room.
Slept well at nap time — no expletive-deleteds trying to sell stuff on my emergency line. Been a while since I got a good nap. I had a couple of ah-ahs getting up, and was glad the walker was right there for the first few steps, but that worked out almost at once. I think I'll go out and haul a half wheelbarrow of dirt, if I can find the dirt when it has dried to the same color as the sand. We could *really* use a spit of rain!
Forgot my prescribed exercises until a little while before supper time. I think they are doing good.
Tried to do exercises while waiting for the blood draw; couldn't remember all, so I did them again after supper — then put the sheets in a folder on the bike for tomorrow.
After all the sitting in the waiting room, the short drive was not very comfortable.
I was in the Byer building from 9:52 to 12:26. I left the ER with a box lunch at 12:37, sat on the bench under the walnut tree from 12:43 to 12:53, and was in Owen's East from 13:03 to 13:52.
Dave was prepared to come for me in the truck, but it turns out that an MRI is very restful. My leg threatened to resent lying still after a while, but I staved it off by concentrating on the almost-pain in my rotator cuff. The various noises made by the magnets also held my attention.
I did my prescribed exercises in the waiting room. Some embarrassment, but I waved the instruction sheet around at intervals.
Needed needlework, but my waiting-room stash is deficient in small-to-carry projects that don't require intelligence, so I settled for books.
Some garden work; not much because of the heat. Didn't get to the prescribed exercises until after supper. Used the small step-stool to harvest onions; had some slight difficulty lowering myself onto it for the second session.
Farmers' Markets tour, 10:00–13:00
Hit a few garage sales, bought cottage cheese at Owen's West, checked out the second-hand store where the indoor flea market used to be on Prairie Street, bought a "white chocolate" bar at Sherman & Lin's.
I hope that planning a dump tour with return through Sprawlmart for tomorrow isn't rash. My knee has been sore at intervals all day.
No complaints from the knee, and I got home in time to have a nap before supper.
Left at 10:15, Owen's 10:28–10:24, left ER at 10:50, Goodwill 11:11–11:25.
Wasn't hungry, so without a glance at the three restaurants, I went to Meijer for a snack. buffalo chicken bites turned out to be stuffed with cream cheese, celery, blue cheese, and jalapeño. Pretty good, but it sat heavy for a while.
Also found the grater I've been hunting for months, or is that years. Well, not *exactly* what I had in mind, but it's just one grater, and it does not puree. 11:32–12:33
Missed the turn onto 75N and went nearly to Center Street before I had it figured out. In Aldi 13:17–14:15. Retraced my steps to Center and crossed 30 on Old 30.
Got home about 15:05.
I'm planning to ride downtown both tomorrow and Saturday. Tomorrow to look over Ace's shut-down sale (only a sob, not the aauugghh! that met the news about the Great Wall), Saturday, the usual farmer's markets tour.
Awk! Forgot my prescribed exercises. And it's eleven, whine, but it's not going to get any earlier.
To Ace Hardware, with return on Harrison Street.
Left at 10:39, was in Ace from 10:55 to 11:45, didn't record stop at garage sale, left Owen's at 12:21, got home at 12:40.
Farmers' Markets tour was rained out.
A mile of extra exercise when I forgot my cell phone and had to go home and get it. Probably two miles less exercise when it started to rain and I dashed straight home from Grace campus. Climbed both sets of stairs, did pushuplets in both, did my eight exercises in Club 56.
Indoors the whole day, except for an occasional dash to the garbage pile.
Dress rehearsal for Thursday's appointment for physical therapy. Took me from 10:51 to 11:11 to ride from home to Health and Wellness. Was in there for three minutes — she verified that I had an appointment and gave me the forms ahead of time — lucky, that, because I had to look up some of the answers.
I'd been in Owen's for a while when I wrote down 11:45, so I don't know how much using the Beyer Farm Trail added to my time. Left at 12:28 and got home at 12:40.
Spent the morning shortening the sleeves of my yellow-orange jersey and the evening pumping up tires, packing my attaché case, laying out clothes, etc.
Also typing the above entry to clear out my notebook.
on the bike 08:05 – 08:22
Was in the Wellness Center until 09:41. Had to stand up frequently while waiting for my turn. I don't think I could have sewn; kept putting down my book. (It is a very bad book.)
I left Owen's at 10:13, and got home at 10:41. I think I'd been unloading groceries for a while before I wrote that time down.
No physical therapy until after I see the back surgeon. He said one of the exercises on my sheet was a no-no and three weren't doing anything. Doubled the reps on the first three of the remaining four, and told me to exercise twice a day instead of once.
I wrote on the paper I'm going to take to the back surgeon that I don't do strenuous, but when it was misting rain and threatening worse at start time, I did strenuous. But it took only three minutes off my time. But three twentieths is fifteen hundredths — fifteen percent isn't all that bad. Rain cleared up about the time I hit McKinley Street.
Leg hurt no worse when I arrived than when I started. Pushing pedals didn't seem to change the pain. Continued to ache until late in the day. Was clear at bedtime, but when I got up on the twenty-seventh, it was sore. Cleared up enough that I didn't notice it when cultivating half the garden, but was back with a vengeance after my nap. Just checked (27 July at 3:57): it feels *much* better when I stand up. I think I'll finish the garden.
Did cultivate the rest, pulled some more weeds, cultivated and raked the new asparagus bed, and hauled the tub of used cat litter to dump on it.
That folding hand truck is very handy, and would be even handier if I remembered that we have it more often.
I think I forgot to rake the crushed corncobs around. I'd better run back out and do that.
I hope that I remember to stop at Ace and at the barbecue in the fairgrounds on my way back from the farmers' markets tomorrow. And I'd better stop at Owen's too; the stuff in the freezer is getting rather picked over.
Weird. The first time I got up in the night, I just barely made it to the walker I'd left on the other side of the room, despite strategically-placed furniture. The second and third times, no difficulty at all. The fourth time, I'd been in bed only a few seconds.
My leg hurt a little when walking couple of times, and my knee aches while I'm typing this. Perfectly comfortable when I stand up.
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Knee didn't hurt until I read the above! I put a rice bag on it a while ago, and that helped. I think that it also helps that I'm wearing a flannel gown instead of muslin grubbies that barely cover the knee.
Hit Owen's, Lowery's, a "barbeque" at the fairgrounds, and Ace on the way home from the farmer's markets. Didn't buy goat's milk to drink because I'd packed tomatoes on top of my ice, so it would have been a great deal of trouble to put away the left-overs. Didn't have a lot of ice, either. Leastways I didn't have much after parking in the sun at Ace.
Left 10:17. First market 10:13 – 10:43. Arrive Courthouse market 11:02. Depart Owen's West 11:45. Junk shop 11:55 – 12:03. Lowery's 12:08 – 12:22. Already had my nachos at 12:42; left fairgrounds at 13:00. Ace 12:14 – 13:31. Got home well before 14:20.
I should type this in the morning, when I can still remember how I slept. IIRC, pain was horrible the first two times I woke up, but hardly any when I woke up for the day. I took my exercise sheet to church and did them in Club 56 after the service. Also climbed to the prayer room and did twelve pushuplets. Walked back and forth a bit more than I had to.
Wandered around a bit getting to Grace Campus, and took the Heritage Trail to Boy's City instead of Union Street. There were more pedestrians on the trail than usual — i.e., some.
I was in bed for eight hours, and asleep most of that time. I got up three times and didn't hurt once! In the leg, that is. My right shoulder hurt ferociously the first time I got up; the rest of the night I was more careful how I arranged my arm.
Yesterday I remembered my exercises before I had my clothes off and had to do them in the hallway. I think that not doing them immediately before I went to bed contributed to the excellent night.
Slight pain on sitting, in the thigh and the knee.
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Then I couldn't get comfortable at nap time, gave up after three quarters of an hour, and barely made it out of bed. Once I got erect, my leg hurt so badly that for an eternity or three all I could do was hang onto the walker and hope the spasm would pass. Once I could move, it didn't take long to walk it down to a mild ache, and I've put the walker back beside the bed.
Now I feel up to ironing a shirt and the hems of the muslin sheet, but I'm going to begin while sitting down. Thank goodness it's so easy to switch my ironing board back and forth between sitting and standing; I can't do either very long.
I called Fort Wayne Orthopedics this morning, and I don't have to collect my images at the Byer Building. So I can be calm about having to wait until Friday to ride a dress rehearsal to make sure I can find the place. Be a switch to ride up Orthopedic Drive feeling that I have a right to be there — I took a short cut through the DePuy campus once, and felt the eyes of security cameras all the way to the gated exit.
I just noticed that Commerce Drive connects to Orthopedic Drive. But inside the gate. And Satellite View shows that the part of it between 30 and Old 30 is entirely parking lot, which would be why I hadn't noticed it. Man, the roof of DePuy-Synthes Joint Reconstruction is cluttered!
The forecast now says that Thursday is likely to be passable: probability of rain doesn't get above 22% until four o'clock. But Thursday is "thunderstorms" and Friday is "partly cloudy". Saturday and Sunday are "Mostly Sunny"; I must think of some place to go after church.
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Shirt ironed sitting down (changed height halfway through), sheet-hems ironed standing up. Ditto the sheet-folding afterward.
And my leg doesn't hurt. There's a streak of ache across the back if I stop and look for it.
In bed for eight hours, most of it asleep. Needed the walker when I got up to take pill, got up for the day easily.
Was almost ready to get up from my nap when a spammer called. Almost couldn't get my hand on the phone. Hurt to get out of bed, hurt to stand up. But I'd left my clothes in reach, and by the time I got them on, I could walk.
Raked mulch in the asparagus bed with the little lightweight shrub rake and walked around in the yard in the morning.
My hip hated sitting long enough to type this and the sun is shining, so I'm going to push the cultivator around.
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That didn't take long, and I feel better. I'll put the slicing hoe on and loosen the mulch on the asparagus bed when I finish complaining about Google Maps.
The evening paper (which is supposed to be a morning paper) contained a leaflet advertising Pierceton Days this weekend, so I'm trying to revise my dress rehearsal on Friday to include a snack in Pierceton. Google will let me come in DePuy's back door, but it won't let me go out that way!
Rough guessing with Pixel ruler makes Google's route nearly a mile out of my way. I'll divide the ride into two parts when I calculate my mileage.
It's a glorious day out there. I should have scheduled my dress-rehearsal ride for today instead of tomorrow. Still supposed to be clear through Sunday, then rain on my wash on Monday.
Oops, that's rain on my ride to the back doctor on Monday. I really hate to show up for a medical appointment in a car. But the appointment is at 1:45 and the probability of rain doesn't shoot up to 44% until 2:00, so odds are I can get there, and I've got a major mending project in my bag for waiting out a thundershower.
The garden could stand another cultivator push.
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I got about seven hours of sleep last night, no pain when I got up to take my Levothyroxine. Some pain on rising. Leg was sore for a while after I did my morning exercises. Had a great deal of trouble getting off the floor, but walked easily once up.
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Slept well at nap time, some pain on rising, leg still sore. Woke up not liking to sit, and that has lasted all day.
Grump. I went to Pierceton Days intending to buy an apple dumpling with home-made ice cream at the Harvest Church booth. Free United Baptists were there instead, and I had to settle for fries with cheese sauce.
It took me twenty-four minutes to get from home to Fort Wayne Orthopedics, so if I leave three- fourths of an hour before my appointment on Monday, I should be fine. The appointment is at 1:45, so I should roll out at 13:00.
Google makes it 3.3 miles, which works out to eight and a quarter mph. Not bad when most of it was through Sprawlmart.
And indeed, there is a good route from DePuy's back door to Pierceton. I stayed on Old 30 to 325 E. I was getting a bit fed up with Old 30 when I got to Hunter's Ridge, and pulled off to consult my map to see whether it was a corner-cut like Vicky Lane. The only place it led was back to where I'd been.
I followed 325 to 100 S and stopped at the Animal Welfare League, where a kind woman filled my water bottle (which I'd forgotten to top off before leaving Fort Wayne Orthopedics) and I left a $5 tip. Then I followed 100 S to the end, and took 600 E to Van Ness. I caught up with a giant transformer on Arnolt Drive, but eventually it passed a side road and I was able to get past it. When I left Pierceton, the truck was inside the substation and a crane was visible. Between heavy weights and high voltage, I thought it wise not to indulge my curiosity.
The other transformer was still parked on Arnolt Drive. Three guys in black uniforms and reflective vests were nearby in the hot sun.
Google makes it seven miles even from DePuy's back door to Pierceton.
And 9.3 miles from Pierceton to Winona Lake. I stopped at Aunt Millie's Outlet, Ritter's frozen custard, and Big R. I loved the pecans in the "german chocolate" frozen custard, but could have done without the blobs of caramel.
3.3 + 7 + 9.3 = 19.6 miles total.
No nap today, though I had short lie-downs before and after my shower. About six hours of sleep last night. I seem to have gotten away with riding under the influence. My leg hurt on the return trip, but I don't seem to have aggravated it; I even had less trouble than usual getting off the floor after my evening exercises.
I'm a little sore across the back.
Farmer's markets, 9:53 to 12:20. Filled up my panniers with vegetables and a watermelon, used that as an excuse to chicken out of going to Aldi. (Went by car on the eighth, and stocked up on heavy stuff.)
To the Back Door, 13:07 to 16:20. In Fort Wayne Orthopedics from 13:20 to 14:49. Came out with a prescription for yet another pill; didn't ask whether I get to stop it after I get my shot in the back the Monday after next. Paperwork hasn't arrived yet (Thursday, 9 August 2019).
Checked calendar before writing the above; "ribs" (yesterday's celebration at Ortho City Smokehouse) fits right in with all that medical stuff. My ribs, knock wood, are just fine. Took two months to stop hurting after I bruised them, but I haven't heard from them since.
Sweet Corn Charlies from 14:59 to 15:04. I bought a pepper. Fooled around at Sprawl One until 15:32, then went to Owen's to pick up my new pills and look for groceries they don't have. Got there before 15:46, left at 16:06, home at 16:20.
I'd better record exactly how much it hurts so I'll know whether the shot makes me better.
Morning Exercises
#1 Knee pull Left leg all right, right leg made left leg hurt pretty bad.
#3 Pelvic tilt Hurt -- it's too late to record how much
#4 double knee pull: hurt a lot at first, worked out
Sitting here to type the above hurts my thigh and knee.
#5 leg lift: left leg sore, limited by pain instead of stretch. Right leg hurts left leg, didn't feel stretch.
Getting up hurt more than the first time, walking back hurt, left thigh aches while I sit.
#6 knee cross: hurt, neither worsened nor worked out.
#8 shoulder lift: did not hurt
#7 wall push: standing hurt, each leg made it slightly better
Getting up about as difficult as previous time. Thigh hurts while typing.
No problem putting on pants, very difficult to put on shoes, and now walking hurts more but seems to be working out. Thigh not as painful while typing.
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Driving didn't hurt a bit. I went out by Wooster Road, and came home the shortest way -- though Garmin didn't believe that, and tried to steer me onto Parker and Argonne. I suppose that route is shorter when measured in feet.
My back hurt while loading the heavy groceries into the trunk, but not much above background.
My right knee hurt after I was through putting stuff into the freezer.
Typing this didn't hurt.
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Little or no discomfort at nap time. I lay on my back with pillows under my knees about half an hour before rolling over. Streak down left leg is . . . present upon walking, stronger when sitting, advancing to pain when I pay attention.
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Sat in patio chair to rip a seam, after fifteen minutes I had to stand up -- and purt'near couldn't.
5:57: Rode in car to west side of town, didn't hurt. Sitting on a bar stool hurt a little, but it was easy to stand up for a moment. I got up and walked around mostly for something to do.
Typing doesn't hurt -- so far. Back usually aches when I pay attention.
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First exercise hurt some, nothing noteworthy in the rest, not much difficulty in getting off the floor.
I worked up a sweat, and the exercises aren't that aerobic, and my sweat pants aren't that warm. I dried off soon after I got up. Before I finished the wall push, I believe.
Tired, not right in gut, when I went to bed at 10:30. At 11:30, pain in leg but better in gut and no trouble getting up and walking to bathroom. 12:?? still awake, pain worse, difficulty getting out of bed and walking, thought I'd never get off the toilet and wished I'd used my walker. Pain in knee while typing despite rice bag on it. 12:25 Will try again to sleep.
Up for the day at 7:50. First few steps hurt a little, no trouble getting out of bed. Vaguely recall a not-as-painful trip to the bathroom, thinking "I can remember 5:27".
8:55, time for breakfast. Exercises took ten minutes. Knee-pull hurt, leg sore when done, needed furniture to get up again. Felt that I *could* have risen in middle of floor with a little more determination.
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Tom-fool robospammer cut my nap short. I'm still cross at 3:47.
Cleaning out notebook; I put Aug 4 & Aug 6 in their proper order.
8:07 (20:07): no particular difficulties doing my evening exercises, not difficult to get up afterward. Left leg a little sore, back hurts a bit more than before.
No ambition for actual cooking, but I made taco meat for supper. (We eat taco toppings on tostadas.)
Leg hurt so much after morning exercises that it was hard to get up. I think the knee cross was the final straw. Wall push made it feel better.
Almost no pain from evening exercises, got up without using furniture, mild pain in leg.
Went away after sitting with a corn bag on my knee.
Slept well, no problem getting out of bed, mild pain while putting on left shoe.
Morning exercises didn't hurt much, got up without using furniture, but shouldn't have. Too much determination.
Leg somewhat sore. I think it will walk out.
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It did.
After walking a bit to find a place to cross the street, I decided to walk all the way to the library from the courthouse because walking is good for me. About halfway there, I realized that walking is not good for me when I'm pushing a road bike -- it makes me lean to the side.
I was gone a little more than three hours. I came back with a mild back-ache, which is still there if I pay attention. I felt tingling around my numb spot when I woke up from my nap. There's a sore spot at or near my illiac bump on the left. Can't feel the bump when I poke around. It has always been conspicuous.
I think I woke up sooner than I wanted to, or fooled around too long before lying down.
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took my evening exercises shortly after eight. Made my leg sore. I've got the small corn bag on it.
Slept well, no cripping around on getting up. Did my morning exercises on the landing -- Club 56 was locked -- after church. Made my leg sore, but not too much trouble getting up, with the aid of the fence around the staircase. Then I climbed to the prayer room and did pushuplets. Crawled to the chair to get up, as I didn't want to strain anything. I wonder whether the banner board has been there all along and I didn't notice it. It has had a ruler marked down one side, so somebody has been using it. There was also a small board for pushing under details, which I'd forgotten completely.
I stayed in the pew all through the service, but not without some major-league fidgeting. Attendance was light, so I had the whole pew to fidget in.
I found School Street on the way home, but not Hepsibah House. Oakhill Drive comes out behind ABC Industries, which I believe used to be American Brattice Cloth, which is why I never saw it from the other end. Google Maps claims that ABC's driveway is 4th Street.
I remember saying "a-a" at least once, but yesterday was a good day. I didn't even fidget much in the dentist's chair. We'll see whether I do as well today, when actual work is being done. Arriving by bike helps, I believe.
Slight ache in hip now; otherwise a good morning.
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Today was a very good day; slight ache across my lower back whenever I think to look for it.
I forgot my morning exercises, but the dentist left me alone for ten minutes to wait for the anesthetic to take hold, and I did them then. Remembered all without the sheet, too!
Had a little lie-down before supper, but I'm missing my nap. Don't feel like checking the asparagus bed or picking the kow choi buds.
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But I did check the asparagus bed. Morning will be soon enough to pick the kow choi.
The days I didn't report on were mostly good. Yesterday, in my hurry to get to Dr. Ashton's on time, I forgot my morning exercises and didn't think of them until time for the evening exercise.
The evening exercises went well, but this morning's hurt my leg more than usual, and I abbreviated the knee cross (I *must* find out what that's really called), which seemed to be aggravating it. I had to use a table to get up again.
No ride yesterday because of the rain. Tomorrow might be rained out too.
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Almost no pain from evening exercises, got up without furniture -- but I made a point of it.
Whole day spent indoors, but I did get some walking in while changing the sheets on a king- size bed.
Weather prediction for tomorrow looks pretty good.
Woke up with small pain down the left leg. The first exercise made it worse. I left off after the pelvic tilt to take poop powder, turn over my hash-brown patty, and type this. Leg doesn't like sitting, but isn't yelling about it.
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Harder to get up the second time, and this time my leg *was* yelling, but it walked out.
I'm giving thought to coming back from the farmer's markets by way of Aldi and Sprawlmart -- but if my panniers are full of tomatoes, the motivation required to cross 30 isn't there.
My hip is giving subtle hints that I should get up and finish dressing.
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Only one pannier of tomatoes, and that only half full, but I didn't feel like crossing 30 -- or doing much else. I'm beginning I should check "yes" on the "depressed" line of all these forms I'm filling out.
Sprinting across Winona -- I *think* it was Winona -- hurt, and my leg hurt the last mile or so of the ride.
I did stop in Owen's West and buy some stuff I didn't find in Owen's East, but none of the stuff in the deli cases appealed to me, so I ate a fruit-and-grain bar. I also had a "hash brown" at McDonald's after touring Central Park and the Biblical gardens. All the times I've been to Central Park, I never noticed that the entrance to Biblical Gardens is beside the pavilion. There is no access at all from the Gardens to the parking lot that I'd thought was the Garden entrance.
Also took a lap around Ace on my way home.
Today was Crack Candy day at the courthouse market. I also bought a pecan bar.
Major-league fidgeting in church, but I didn't have to leave and climb stairs.
Fiddled around finding the King's Highway end of the walkway to Heritage Trail; otherwise, didn't feel like extra mileage. Did pushuplets in the prayer room and my prescribed exercises on the landing outside Club 56.
Slight ache across lower back, and I have a stale- popcorn bag on my knee.
Slept pretty well last night.
Didn't get my levothyroxin until I was up for the day, and I lay on my left side for several minutes after going to bed -- and my reason for rolling over was *not* that I felt that I was injuring myself.
The shot isn't supposed to work that fast.
Even though Dave did all the work, I was tired when I got home and my nap didn't refresh me. Upon waking, I sat on the edge of the bed for some time, thinking "This is the exact moment that I have used up my tolerance to pain", and trying to express the exact moment (in the early sixties) when I used up my tolerance for loudspeaker music, so that I could use it to explain how I felt now.
I was actually tempted to sit in Dave's chair and play computer solitaire. Instead, I opened a can of fizzwater and sat at my own computer catching up on the Times-Union. I was over it by supper time -- I didn't feel like preparing liver and onions, but I did dress up our frozen sausage pizza with slices of pepper and onion. (I've been postponing the last slice of liver until a day when I felt like doing it justice for weeks.)
Depression is a known side effect of steroids; perhaps that period represented the time when the maximum concentration was passing through.
Today: back aches a little. I don't think there is extra at the injection site.
I peeled off the band-aid, only a tiny spot under it. I looked up how to care for a biopsy site, since my only instructions from Bojrab were not to soak it by going swimming, taking a tub bath, etc. I envisioned delicate work that I couldn't do without seeing what I was doing, but I need only wash with soap and water three times a day. I don't have to know where the puncture is, I can wash the whole back. But I did the first washing with peroxide on a washrag.
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Which, a futile attempt to find out why the betadine turned purple on contact with soap revealed, inactivated any betadine that remained in the wound.
I've pretty much learned my exercise routine. Left leg hurt very much when I rolled over at the end of the evening session, but I got up without using furniture.
While typing that I noticed that my leg didn't hurt, so I lay down on the floor and got up again. No pain, no trouble.
I was still awake when the computer struck six bells, but sleepy enough that I thought it unwise to get up and take my pill. Considered taking it at something past six, didn't actually wake up until after seven. Took pill at once; it was well over half an hour before I got around to eating.
Didn't notice problems at all -- egad, I forgot my exercises. And I'm all ready for my nap, pout. Not a good idea to lie down immediately after exercising.
Didn't notice my back in the morning, but when I squatted to pick up the cat, I thought it wise to hand him off to Dave before standing up. And my left buttock aches a bit now.
Dave reminded me of the scale while I was still naked: 160.8 pounds.
I forgot my evening exercises until after I was ready for bed, but slept well -- after lying awake for two hours. That was the trouble I've always had, not pain.
Woke up and got out of bed with only you-have-to-be-looking-for-it pain, but my first exercise (I *must* find out the names of these things!) hurt my left leg, and it's sore now. Not much trouble getting up, and #4, which I do third on account of #3 being bad for me, I have for some days been doing with my hands clasped around my knees the way the paper says. I had, with the physio's blessing, been putting one hand on each knee.
My rotator-cuff exercises hurt less than they used to. Perhaps the cortizone is getting up there. Or perhaps I've just noticed a very gradual improvement.
Just waved my arms around -- full range, and hardly any clicking.
All my fidgeting during church was prophylactic -- I think the shot is definitely helping. Still have a small pain at the center of the lower back when I look for it. Wound seems to have closed promptly and clean.
I didn't have any trouble with getting up after doing my morning exercises on the landing in front of Club 56. I also climbed the other staircase, and came down slowly a couple of times. Got in an extra mile on the flatfoot -- I arrived at church and realized that I'd forgotten my key. Luckily, I had left a few minutes early, so by postponing the fridge-maintenance until after the service, I was comfortably on time.
Hmm. . . I'm now feeling a slight sting at the center of the original back-ache, near the illiac bump.
I have five little slips that haven't been transcribed. None from yesterday; It rained heavily and a grumped around inside all day. And I had been *so* looking forward to the tomato festival.
But I did get a little riding in last Thursday.
Thursday was scheduled to be the last pleasant day of the week. I couldn't think of anywhere to do, but I did want some shelf brackets from Ace -- practically walking distance, but I don't have to come straight back.
I went to Zale's first, and picked up my AREDS 2 and Dave's prescriptions. Wandered about in Ace. Bought a nine-cent candy in addition to my brackets, which caused much consternation for the new clerk, who couldn't find it on the computer.
Then I noticed that the street beside Ace leads directly to the Beyer Farm Trail, dropped of some magazines that happened to be stuck between the layers of my newspaper insulation (perhaps I should store some literature there at all times, since it doesn't take up any room) at KCH, took the boardwalk and Arthur Street to Detroit, walked to the Chinatown Express (well, I walked for a while, then rode through parking lots), and ate an excellent bowel of wonton soup. I'm glad they were out of hot and sour.
Says here I went to the dollar store before going to Chimps -- I wonder how I routed that? Ah, my first chance to get out of the parking lots was Fort Wayne, my first chance to turn right was Park Avenue, that leads straight to Dollar General, and my first chance to cross the railroad is Scott Street, which comes out close to Chimp's. Across the street to San Jose where I bought spanish- style tomato sauce and Embassa salsa, and didn't buy jalapeños; regretted that and stopped in International Foods and they didn't have jalapeños, but somebody was setting up something or the other in the parking lot of Light Rail and I bought two red jalapeños there. We've eaten more than half of one, not much heat in it.
Left at 11:58, came back at 16:51.
After unpacking, I went back to use the ATM and buy supper at Kilaney's. Slip says I left the ATM at 17:14 and got to Kilaney's at 17:18.
Now I have four little slips, but I don't feel like transcribing.
On the other hand, Firefox is in "take five minutes to close a tab" mode again.
I'm losing my tolerance for heat; when I got home, my shirt was so wet I could hardly get out of it. I remember when my chief clue that I was sweating was a gritty layer of salt on my face.
I chickened out of chickening out of crossing 30 on Parker. I was really hot and uncomfortable, and my perishables weren't well insulated, and traffic on Parker *wasn't* backed up clear to Husky Trail, so I crossed 30 on Parker. Light changed just as I entered the intersection, but I was moving pretty fast from trying to keep up with the cars, and I was actually in the intersection (just barely) rather than merely committed to enter the intersection. Still didn't make it before the end of the yellow. but I suspect that, in preparation for the red-light cameras that by Providence aborted, the yellow was set a bit shorter than it should have been.
My back hurt all day, but nothing seemed to affect it. I avoided standing still. Lying flat on my back feels really good.
I'll read my notes tomorrow. I'm starting to notice that I didn't get my nap. I did get a quart or so of tea at McAllisters.
McAllisters experience detailed in the Banner for yesterday. If I go there intending to order taco salad, I'll bring one of the Aldi salad boxes and fill it with greens before I begin eating.
A dash to Owen's and back, with stops at the teller machine and Walgreen's. Left 11:42, home before 13:39, spent fiften minutes in Walgreen's, less than an hour an four minutes in Owen's.
Discarding little slips of paper. The report I wrote on Saturday 18 August didn't use any data from its slip, didn't need to. I put green strokes on both sides, in case I look into the wastebasket and see it back side up.
Slip for 14 August says it took me twenty-three minutes to get to the dentist (plus four minutes to lock the bike), and three hours and a half to come back.
Slip for 13 August says it took me twenty-two minutes to ride to the dentist (plus nine minutes to lock the bike), and thirty-four minutes to come back.
Tossing the times for 11 August.
I'll hang on to the slip for the dump tour (28 August) a little longer.
Now I think I have just enough time to lunch and rest a bit before my trip to the eye doctor.
I'm taking my calendar. I don't know whether to say "yuck, more appointments" or "yay, I'll be able to see". But I'm not expecting a *bunch* of improvement from getting the cataracts out, and I'll have to learn how to be far-sighted instead of near-sighted.
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I am committed. The pre-surgical evaluation is Monday, 24 September at (yuck) 08:15, and will take two or three hours.
I left at 13:36, arrived at 13:53, departed at 15:38, wandered around in Ace from 15:49 to 16:02, got home a little before 16:02.
So I need only allow twenty minutes to get to the next appointment, but I think I'll allow half an hour again -- I made all the lights.
The usual September Saturday. The usual pain in my back, sometimes noticeable. I remembered to do my evening exercises. I did the morning exercises before dressing.
I stopped at San Jose Carniciera on my way from the fairgrounds to the courthouse, and had lunch at Chinatown Express on the way home. The vegetable-mushroom soup was very good, but I could have used a heavily-buttered bagel with it. I came back by the boardwalk, and stopped at Owen's for a four-pound bag of sugar.
I was gone four hours -- left about eleven, got home about three. Missed my nap, so the Banner isn't going out today. Might spell-check it, though; I've got forty-five minutes before bedtime.
I saw some catnip in bloom on the short rise just beyond the bench on the Beyer Farm Trail. The bed seems to be well estabished, so it wouldn't be rude to steal some seed heads when they ripen.
I did my exercises before going to church and still had time to eat a packet of breakfast biscuits before leaving. I took a couple of food bars, but all I took out of the yogurt container was "smoked snack sticks".
I remembered the staircases just as I was about to lock the door behind me, so I brought the flatfoot back in and walked up each, doing the upper flight of each twice. Using "upper flight" loosely in the case of the prayer room. Both doors were open -- there was a wobbly chair in Club 56, which I hope Joe knows about. Except for the banners, the prayer room is free of stuff that belongs in the attic.
I seem to remember a blank space where the desk was. I guess they don't forsee anyone needing it for an office. But it may have been moved up against the pew. I don't remember noticing that it was gone!
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I have decided that nine p.m. is the proper time for my evening exercises, because it's about twelve hours after I get up.
And the cat always reminds me that it's nine.
Double take after feeding the cat yesterday: I thought of setting the timer, oops it's time for exercise, oh I'm not doing any until after the bandage comes off, I set the timer for the second treat. (He likes me to put a few drops of water on the crumbs he leaves. This also washes any missed medication off the bottom of the saucer.)
I have started a pain diary in 1918BOJB.HTM so that I can give a sensible answer when asked whether yesterday's injection helped.
The last two times I went to Aldi -- both on dump tours -- I crossed 30 on Parker. When I'm the third or fourth vehicle in line, it isn't horrifying the way it is when I cross the stop line just after the light turns yellow.
So I'd like to pick up more bread at Martin's after Saturday's ride, but riding that soon is borderline and sprinting is right out.
I was too busy getting ready for Wednesday's shot to write up Tuesday's
First I noticed "top tube TAPE", a reminder that a layer of electrical tape peeled off my cable guide weeks ago, and the hardware is peeking through. I notice it only when I'm mounting up, so I'm always not at home or on my way out, but making a note while I was at Goodwill did the trick.
Dave had bought white duck tape to repair his W flag since my previous repair of this covering, so I used that to secure the end of the electrical tape. I think next time I'll cut a big piece and bridge it over the entire top, with the ends down where they don't catch. Being slick, I think it would catch less wear. On the other hand, once the glue is exposed …
I don't appear to have spent any cash I didn't get a receipt for this trip, so on to the report.
I left at 10:44 and got back at 15:18.
Fourteen minutes to Owen's, by way of McKinley. Oops, 10:58 was when I left Owen's.
Twelve minutes to the ER, by way of Beyer Farm Trail. (10:58 – 11:10) That's 4918.4 feet, which an over-precise Web calculator makes 0.9315152 miles. Divide by twelve, multiply by 60: 4.7 mph. But I walked from the end of the smaller boardwalk to the ER.
25 minutes From the ER to Goodwill, by way of Beyer Farm Trail and Sunset. (11:16 – 11:41) Google says three miles exactly: 7.2 mph.
Left Goodwill at 12:04, arrived at Moe's Southwest Grill before 12:20 -- I think I was already eating when I wrote that down. The taco salad ("Close Speaker") came with the equivalent of a whole bag of tortilla chips on a plate; two of my fold-top sandwich bags accomodated them, but the next time I go to Moe's. I'll take a quart zip-lock. The salad itself was about the right size, if eaten slowly so as not to upset the digestion.
I was ready to go at 12:44, then sat back down and spent until 12:48 deciding not to go to Meijer.
At 13:04, I paused to write "Vicky Lane" in my notebook. 16 minutes, 2.2 miles, 11 mph.
19 minutes to Martin's (13:04 – 13:23), 2.1 miles, 6.6 mph.
Left Martin's at 13:45, left Aldi at 14:32, was in Ace from 1446 to 14:56, got home at 15:18.
Usual dump tour. I didn't have any bags, so I went up Lincoln Street to the ER. Only two Hoosier Farmers to drop off.
I have become jaded. I must make a special effort to appreciate the boardwalk next week.
It's hard to unload the right-side basket without bending over the bike. I felt a sharp pain when setting a beer mug down on the trolley -- sharp enough that witnesses asked what was wrong.
I didn't find much to fill the slot beside the box of coffee mugs -- just a lemon squeezer and a box of pastels. But I got three beer mugs into the cooler on top of the ice, emergency bars, and switchel. Had a lot of crumpled newspaper to dispose of after I unpacked them. At Moe's, I smoothed them somewhat and folded them to take less space, then left them at Aldi.
I think Moe has several dishes that are suitable if I don't eat the tortilla chips. This time I took a quart ziplock to put them in. I had two tacos -- last time I had a taco salad. The menu says "salads", plural, but "Close Talker" is the only one. I tried to find out what "close talker" is a reference to, but the word "close" comes right before "talker" on thousands of Web sites.
At Martin's, the crunchy-roll case looked rather picked over, so I took a tour of the store hoping that it would be refreshed when I came back. The tour reminded me that I wanted Brown Berry sandwich thins, so I'm glad I went. (Note: be specific when writing "bread" on a shopping list)
But the "crunchy" rolls were even more picked over when I came back. I bought a mini-sub roll labeled "hard roll" -- Dave plans to have it for breakfast with peanut butter, cream cheese, and canned mackeral -- and a sweet bun labeled "onion roll". I tore off a bite, said "yecch", and put it back into the bag. When I got home, Dave said "yum" and ate the rest, but he couldn't detect any onion flavor either. I saw a speck that might have been a piece of onion.
I forgot to note the time when I got to Aldi. Some day I'm going to measure how long it takes me to cross Husky Trail!
I had no trouble at all crossing 30. I was just far enough back when the light changed, and stopped a car length behind the car ahead of me so that I could start accellerating as soon as the light turned green.
I don't feel like calculating my distances and times tonight.
I went clockwise on this week's dump tour. I went out Pierceton to 250E, Robby Dr. to Wooster, 325E to Tractor supply. I decided to explore the access road to its end. Nothing really interesting. I took a lap around a furniture store, and realized that if I want an eighteen- inch table, I need to look at benches. The first connection to CR 100 N that I came across when coming back comes out right beside the animal shelter. I think it was just past the Kawasaki dealer. Which would make it just before if I go that way again.
Aha! It's an official right-of-way on Google maps, between Albertson Sport and Lake City Honda/Kawasaki.
I dropped off some canned cat food that isn't a treat for Al, then went as straight north as the roads would allow to 200 N. Recognizing the place where the farm stand used to be helped me see the turn onto 175 N. I miss the stop, but I never saw any sign that they were making a profit on it.
Dropped off stuff at Goodwill and had a cup of broccoli-cheddar soup at McAllister's. It would have been just right if I'd had a hard roll with it. It took ages to find soup on the menu -- I'd never have seen it if the Looky! Looky! sign hadn't listed broccoli cheddar soup, which set me to hunting for some indication of how much it cost. The soup menu was a sheet of typing paper on an easel on the counter, if I recall correctly. So I can't be sure I couldn't have had a hard roll. I settled for eating an almond sweet-and- salty bar from my emergency supply.
I've a lot of catching up to do. There are seven untranscribed notes on my monitor stand.
I think it was on Monday that we went to pick up the truck, and I drove the Corolla five and a half miles, stopping at Martin's for fancy bread and at Aldi's to stock up on frozen food. Dave suggested driving it in circles back here in the cul-de- loop, but it's long straight stretches that strain my rotator cuff.
It was definitely the preceding Saturday that we drove the Versa to Toyota to trade it in on the Corolla. I rode down Bell and Sunset to the farmers' markets, but forgot about Carniceria San Jose.
Hello, 4 September has alread been transcribed! Six to go. Miscounted, still six.
Sat 8 Sept 2015 -- farmers' market tour, stops at San José, Central Park, the library, and Owen's.
Tuesday 11 September written up; ends with "I don't feel like calculating distances and times". I still don't.
Saturday 15 September 2018 -- farmers' market tour; only note of interest is that I couldn't use my preferred parking spot at the library, but that hardly counts as bike traffic -- there is always at least one bike at the library during open hours, which is why that's the only place where I won't go in even for a moment without locking up.
Monday 17 September 2018 -- afternoon appointment with Dr. Rahn, who dismissed me to Darr's care. Recorded times are useless, but it doesn't matter because I'm not going back.
Write-up of Wednesday, 19 September doesn't mention that the catnip on the Beyer Farm trail was in bloom. Was still blooming the last time I went through, but there was a seed head that will be ready to steal tomorrow if someone else hasn't got it.
Saturday, 22 September 2018 -- farmers' market tour with a stop at the library. That was probably when I noticed the catnip.
This week was all doctoring except for washing clothes on Tuesday. Monday, evaluated for cataract surgery, and appointments made for surgery on Thursday and followup on Friday, and Wednesday was my last cortizone jab. The drug isn't cortizone, but its long name begins with those letters, so I assume that it's related. I don't think this jab is doing as much good as the first two, and it hurt, where the first two were "when does it start? We're done." Felt a little nauseated for a few minutes, too.
But I can see and I can pedal, and tomorrow I can leave the house for breakfast, not for jabs and eyedrops! I plan to resume my back exercises tonight (In about ten minutes; it's 8:51), but do only half the repeats and skimp on the holds since I've been off since Wednesday.
Still have surgery next Thursday, and followup on Friday. I'm staying off the fish oil until then; she said I didn't have to, but this surgery went well and I don't want to change any of the parameters.
The catnip seed still isn't ripe.
The biscuits and gravy at the farmers' market were good. The tomato vendor insisted that I take a couple of cookies home.
In transcribing slips of paper to clean up my notebook, I missed the one that was in the book!
Monday, 24 September, I rode to Grossnickel to be evaluated for my surgery. Dave drove me for the surgery and the followup -- mostly because they expected me to be too drunk to be responsible for myself. I was seeing well enough to ride on Friday, but asked him to drive me anyway.
I was gone today from 09:36 to 13:06. On the way from the fairgrounds to the courthouse, I bought refried beans and chili-pepper salsa at Carniceria San José. On the way home from the courthouse, I cruised through Central Park, but didn't remember that I wanted to see evidence of a second floor to the pavillion. Then I bipped into the library to fill my switchel bottle -- I'd made a pit stop in the park, but the fountain didn't flow high enough to catch even a drop in a bottle. I think I could have caught some in a cup, if I'd had one.
A poster said that the library is having a book sale on the last Thursday, Friday, and Saturday of October. One to five, nine to five, and ten to one.
I sat on the bench at the end of the boardwalk for a while, walked a bit north to see what was happening with the walls being built of stones caged in wire mesh, then walked up to the catnip patch.
I went into Owen's in the hope that they'd got some laundry starch in, knowing full well that they hadn't, but I can't just ride past. I found a package of three pork "country-style ribs" in the WooHoo bin of the meat department. "Country style" seems to mean that they take meat from between the ribs and get only a little bone. I squished them into a glass half-casserole dish that I bought thinking it was a shallow loaf pan, sprinkled the meat with smoked salt, spread a little barbecue sauce on it, and baked at 350F for an hour. It was delicious, and so were the vegetables that I coated with bacon grease and baked in a six-inch iron skillet. I held the asparagus and snap peas out and put them in fifteen minutes before the meat was done.
Reading the above reminded me that I'd stolen two heads of catnip seeds on my last visit to the boardwalk, so I got up and sprinkled them on Fred's grave.
I also learned that the stones-in-wire-cages walls are a City of Warsaw project. I believe that these are called "gabions". Wikipedia calls it "caged riprap". The project looks as though it will be very effective in controlling eroision, and doesn't look half bad. As long as the wire continues to sparkle, that is. It's probably galvanized steel.
The day before yesterday was Saturday. I went to the fairgrounds market, then to the dollar store where I bought a pair of sunglasses that didn't hurt my ears, then to the courthouse market. The weather was gloomy and threatening and my ear was still sore from wearing the safety-glasses shades, so I came home by Fort Wayne Street. Picked up some peroxide, peanut butter, and milk at Owen's.
Dumping the dump tour: I just discarded the slip for Tuesday 28 August 2018.
Wednesday 3 October 2018: The last day that my glasses worked: I got a new lens in my left eye the following day.
Left at 09:58, home at 15:18. Lunch at Panda Express, which still serves a Kid's meal of half an entree and half a side, but no longer has potable tea. I don't know whether the cookie no longer comes with the meal or the clerk forgot to give it to me. I went into Meijer for a change, and actually found what I was looking for! No muscat raisins, of course. The bike racks made a perfect support for the straw bales backing the halloween decorations, but I managed to squeeze into the square isolated by the decorations, and managed to force my cable between one of the posts of the bike rack and the straw.
I don't feel like a dump tour tomorrow, but Thursday looks like a good day for it. Tomorrow I'll do some local shopping for safety glasses and low-power reading glasses.
First to the tackle shop in Lakeview Plaza, then it wouldn't hurt to look in at Our Father's House, and I need some canned beef from International Foods, and Sherman & Lin's just because it's there. Then across the tracks to Zale's, and take a look at what's left of Ace since I'm right there, and end up at Owen's. I might go to Owen's first, since it isn't far from Zales, and reading glasses there should be cheaper, if they have any.
I suspect that the tackle shop is my only hope of safety glasses. And I haven't much hope of finding any that fit under a helmet, since you could hardly call them "safety" if they let in debris from the top and sides.
Found passable reading glasses at Sherman & Lynn's, and turned back. I also bought sunglasses that I like a bit better than my other pair, and wore them home. My new 1.5 reading glasses are good for the computer, but I have to push them down on my nose to walk around. I'll keep an eye out for benfranklin reading glasses, but it is no longer urgent. After all, I might come back from my appointment on the 29th with a prescription for glasses.
Don't want to spend *too* much effort on obtaining something I'll need for only twenty days.
Marked fabric for cutting out today. Stopped for fear of making mistakes, not for the back, even though I was standing up at a sitting-down table.
I'm planning a dump tour for tomorrow. Probably get a late start. I've packed beer mugs to dump, but haven't sorted out any magazines -- and it's Thursday, so I have a few chores to do first.
Been dump touring every Thursday. Don't feel like it on Tuesday -- or, rather, I don't feel like getting ready for it on Monday after washing clothes.
Today I came back by way of Tractor Supply and Big R. Google Maps says that is seventeen miles even. Since there were some hills while I was north of 30 and the route to Leesburg is quite flat, I think I can feel free to go to Duck Down and Above on the next dry Friday.
Calloo, Callay, oh frabjous day! I might get a prescription for glasses tomorrow.
Today, I climbed only one staircase and did only one set of pushuplets, but I climbed that staircase twice, and I got plenty of walking. It was raining, so I couldn't ride my bike, so I walked to church, and I spent a lot of time walking around the kitchen while we cleaned up after the soup-and-bread luncheon.
Being driven to my appointment tomorrow. It wasn't hard for Dave to talk me out of riding my bike.
Took my first ride with my new specs today, and walked to the church and back for supper. Didn't do much stair climbing, and stood too long while washing dishes.
I did do stair climbing on Sunday, but rode my wheelchair to church. I was worn out from the nature hike the day before.
The ride was just to Owen's, by way of Carniceria San Jose and the health-food store.
I don't *think* that I've been neglecting exercise as much as I've been neglecting this log.
Weather Underground says that the flakes of snow will change to rain and then stop -- it may already have stopped -- but sleeping all day Sunday did me so much good that I think I should rest today and tomorrow, I have a party at noon on Thursday, I need to make devilled eggs on Friday, it's going to rain on Saturday, not to mention the other batch of devilled eggs. (Donny asked for four dozen.)
Sunday another party, then begins a long stretch of an unacceptable probability of rain. When I finally get back on the bike, I'm going to have to start from scratch.
I'm coughing much less, but the sputum is yellow. Probably smart to go back to bed.
I've written off December, but tommorrow looks like a good day to take a working lamp to the recycle center. I plan to go by the Byer Farm Trail so I can leave magazines at the hospital.
I came back by way of the Beyer Farm trail -- and they were short of magazines; I wished I'd taken the time to hunt up more.
It's after midnight, so details will have to wait until . . . later today.
I did finally get rid of the lamp, and bought a bunch of stuff, including corn meal, when I stopped at Warsaw Health Foods for figs to make figgy pudding. I wish I'd bought some slivered almonds for the apricot-apple cake I intend to bake tomorrow. I'm not sure pecans will harmonize.
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I was tired when I got back, but it was nap time.
Some pain from saddle pressure. Began early in ride, but didn't seem to get worse.
I left at 10:32, arrived at Our Father's House at 10:44, was in International Foods from 10:52 to 11:02, arrived at the health-food store at 11:12, was in the library from 11:53 to 12:22, arrived at the recycle center at 12:34, remembered to note my arrival at Subway at 13:02 (I think I already had my food at that time), left at 13:19, left KCH at 13:41, left Owen's at 14:40, got home at 14:57.
So I was gone about four hours.
I'm spybotting JOYXP at the moment, so I'll measure the length of the trip later.
Google Maps says 8.8 miles.
More or less.
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2013 Rides
2014 Rides
2015 Rides
Part One of 2016 Rides
Part Two of 2016 Rides
Part One of 2017 Rides
Part Two of 2017 Rides
Part One of 2018 Rides
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