Monday

If you're one of those people who leans toward arthritis (a funny image!), docs are always throwing therapy at you. I have had recommended: therapy for my back, therapy for my knee, therapy for my foot, therapy for my hands, and today -- a new one! Therapy for my neck. I almost called it off. My neck is feeling fine! Still, you can't just show up for therapy when you're aching. You have to be forward looking! You have to take charge!

So I went.

(After the morning rituals, including a lovely reheated Viennoiseries breakfast with a slowly mending Ed.)

Physical therapy for a neck is in the same category as spine therapies. As my older and wiser PT person tells me -- they're all related. (Then she proceeds to explain to me how they are related. I a little bit tune out on the details. She tells me she loves anatomy. I'm a more neutral on it.) But what surprises me is that for once, we don't really do exercises. She does all the work, with a lot of head holding and gentle twisting and sometimes I swear she is not doing anything at all, but then she comments how this is shifting, and she can feel that moving, and I believe her because afterwards I do feel, well, a little different. 

So, if someone recommends neck therapy for you, I say go for it! It's like an upper body massage without the essential oils and soothing music.

It does take time though. I am amazed, in fact, at how much time I continue to spend in clinics, considering that at this point, no one can tell me I am sick. We are constantly investigating! Indeed, they're still "investigating" the mystery illness from September. These people never give up!

It is, otherwise, a very quiet, very gray winter day. The landscape is at its dullest, even though I try not to use that word, realizing that a sleeping meadow or a collapsed flower field, or a dozing forest are all entitled to their rest period. Who am I to cast disparaging comments in their direction! Still, aren't you wishing we'd at least get some snow to add gentility to my farmette walks? I do!

In the afternoon Snowdrop is here. 

(against a gray-brown landscape)

This is a kid who really likes school, always claims to have 10 out of 10 days, bounces off without hesitation each early morning and yet, she is definitely counting the days til winter break. If I had to guess, it's the incredibly early start to the day and the tedious homework assignments that are off-putting for her. Honestly, I am with her, being one who could never understand why kids are loaded with additional work for the after school hours. I'm sure there is pedagogical logic behind it and maybe for some kids it's a necessary lesson in responsibility, but I would so much rather see a teacher merely say -- read a book and be prepared to tell us about it next week, than give out those ghastly sheets with sums and more sums and even more sums to do at home.

Ah well, the girl has plenty of time this afternoon to do nothing more than read and play here. Homework gets put off until... another time.

(ah, so this is where we can find color on a snowless cloudy December day!)

In the evening we continue the tradition of reheating leftovers from the weekend. An easy start to a busy week!