What are U doing today? (Ongoing thread) Showing 3,151-3,200 of 8,509

[Jim]

Yuck. Bad backs are horrible. Sorry to hear about it, Werner. Get better soon!

[Werner]

Thanks, Joy and Jim!

[Nina]

Werner, my grandson who is a P.T, advises put ice on first and then heat to relax the muscle. I use a small bag our daughter made for us filled with field corn and heat in the Micro for one minute/40 seconds and that formula works. Be sure to put your feet up.

[Jim]

Marg uses a bag I sewed up & filled with rice instead of corn for heat. What did we ever do before we had microwaves?
;-)

[Werner]

Thanks for the advice, Nina and Jim! Actually, my back has responded very well to the Biofreeze (which we've been able to discontinue) and to the Ibuprofin; it's still somewhat sore, but I can stand erect without pain and it doesn't cause discomfort to bend and lift things.

Relaxing the muscle does help the pain. When it was at its height, Barb advised me to relax my body, and I found that instantly eased it significantly.

[Jim]

Sitting doesn't help. I read somewhere that sitting was harder on your back than standing.

[Werner]

Jim, it probably depends on exactly which back muscles are strained. Usually when I'm having a back problem, I find sitting easier than standing, IF it's a solid or even hard seat that provides good support. But when the soreness was at it's worst, sitting on anything that let me sink into it sent the pain into hyperdrive.

My next door neighbor had serious back problems for years, and had to frequently alternate between sitting and standing --doing either unchanged for very long caused him increasingly serious discomfort.

[Nina]

We got one half inch rain yesterday. Today it sprinkled as we left our house and drove a block and a half into a downpour. It never reached our street. We are almost eight inches low on the rain gauge and expected the next six days one hundred and by Friday one hundred and seven. Aren't you glad you aren't here?

[Jim]

They keep telling us we're going to get rain, but we haven't seen any yet.

[Nina]

Our daughter lives about ten miles south of us on a small horse farm experienced a storm yesterday that blew away her pool chair, took down several branches and they are still looking for their fence post caps but she says she is happy not to walk on grass that turns to dust.

[Nina]

Trivia: Who among you knew that the term "best seller," originated in an article in The Kansas City Star in 1889?

[Jim]

We were supposed to go for a trail ride today, but didn't. It was too hot & got cancelled. It went up to 95 by 10pm. This afternoon we FINALLY got some rain & it cooled down 20 degrees in the first 30 minutes. We got 1.25" thankfully. We're still dry as a bone, but thankful for the relief.

If it's cool enough tomorrow morning, we're going to school Chip over some straw bales & the dog's agility tunnel in preparation for a show either next weekend &/or the following one. I'm hoping to take him into the 2' green jumper division after doing cross rails to warm up.

Horses are weird. They see hay & straw bales all the time. If I pull up with a load of them, they'll 'help' me unload them. If they can get at one anywhere around the barn, they'll munch on it. BUT, if we set it out in the middle of the field or try to make a jump out of them, they suddenly become frightened of them. It's as if the bales turn into aliens that might eat them.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Nina wrote: "Trivia: Who among you knew that the term "best seller," originated in an article in The Kansas City Star in 1889?"

I didn't know that, Nina. Thanks for the info.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Interesting about the bales, Jim. Maybe the bales in the field look work to them... all that jumping. :)

[Jim]

We had a good ride this morning. I set up 3 more jumps with scary stuff & took Chip over them. One jump was made of hay bales & that wasn't bad. Another was a red container with plastic feed bags on either side, again, no problem. Just putting some extra burlap over the standards of one of the regular jumps was very spooky at first, but the winner was the tunnel. It's actually one of those nylon tunnels for kids to play in, but we use it to get the dogs used to them for agility. It took us a few minutes of looking & sniffing before Chip decided it wasn't going to eat him. Then he tried to chew on it. I wonder if there's some goat in his family tree.
;-)

[Nina]

Good luck Jim with the shows. Seems as if Chip has afforded you a great deal of pleasure; perhaps vice versa.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Jim, I wish Chip good luck with his jumps. You too!
Do horses have as good a sense of smell as dogs?

[Jim]

I like to think Chip likes it here with us, Nina. It's certainly more interesting than just standing around in the same field with nothing to do as he used to. He does have to work a bit, though.

Chip did fine with the jumps. I think the sense of smell of horses varies a lot. I know it does in dogs. One of ours doesn't seem to have a much sense of smell than we do. I've read stories about horses out west tracking someone down by smell, but have never noticed anything terribly superior about it. I'd guess it's pretty good. Supposedly their laugh, when they stick their lip out & up, is their way of smelling better.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Jim, do horses really laugh? :)

[Jim]

Sure seems like it to me, Joy. 'Experts' say not, but then I've seen studies that say they don't really see some colors, either. From what I can tell, they certainly do see them all.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Maybe some horses have a better sense of humor than others, just like people. :)

[Jim]

That's a fact. They all have very different personalities. Blue is a real joker, Topaz is a curmudgeon, & Speedy is a horn dog. Erin had to clean his sheath tonight & that something that Speedy likes way too much. None of the others get as randy as he does about it. We think he might have been used as a teaser at one point. It warped him.

Cutter is kind of a bumbling idiot most of the time, unless he gets a chance to run. Then he's like a huge cat. Chip is nice enough, but hasn't formed too much personality yet. He's coming along, but has to hang out with our motley crew a while longer. He's more of a loner & reserved still.

[Jim]

We're FINALLY getting some rain! Yay! The storm went south to our east, cut west, went north & finally came over us. I think it was lost.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Jim wrote: "That's a fact. They all have very different personalities. ..."

We see that in dogs too. It's even interesting to note the difference when you hand them a small treat. Some dogs take it very gently from your hand. Other dogs snatch it so quickly that you fear they'll take your hand with it! :)

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Jim wrote: "We're FINALLY getting some rain! Yay! The storm went south to our east, cut west, went north & finally came over us. I think it was lost."

Glad to hear you had some rain. We had a good rain storm here yesterday. It cooled things down. The day before that our temp went up to 94, unusual for Lake George. But it was a great day for swimming and floating around in the water on an inner tube. Ah! The kids are camping and I spent the day down at their island campsite. It was great. I dream about days like that all winter!

[Nina]

I envy you both; no rain here; worst drought in fifty years and the temps almost as bad as when they started keeping records; two weeks of one hundred degrees or more; all next week the same; Monday, 105 or higher..We are like captives but grateful for air conditioning. No relief in sight. Bah Humbug. I opt for November. Unlike you, Joy, in winter I hope to forget this summer...Back to reading and writing my memoirs. I have already completed five family genealogy books and a scrapbook with memories and mementoes and pictures for each of my children and two of my grandchildren. Also, I have a scrapbook of most of the houses I have lived in before and after children and one on the trips I took with my husband and chldren in the States and recorded written memories and pictures of Europen trips. I have also many garden books. Does this sound like that is all I ever do? I did none of this when I was raising six children and caring alternately for eighteen grandchildren; plus, dogs and cats and one husband. So, now I'm only a recorder, a reader and a gardener and still try to be there for the family...The End.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Nina, you are an inspiration with all you do and have done! I'm sure your family will always appreciate all your memoirs and records.

Try to keep cool.

[Nina]

Thanks, Joy. My daughter who is the children's librarian says when I die she is going to put on my tompstone; "She didn't die as she still had one more thing to do." That might be true. But, aren't I lucky, both my husband and myself are still vertical.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Nina wrote: "Thanks, Joy. My daughter who is the children's librarian says when I die she is going to put on my tompstone; "She didn't die as she still had one more thing to do." That might be true. But, aren't..."

Nina, that's a great epitaph! LOL

For my epitaph, I thought a good one would be:
"Was it them or was it me?" LOL

Yes, we have to be thankful for our long lives, especially when I think about some of my friends who died so young.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

How's this for an epitaph:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"When I am dead, I hope it may be said,
'His sins were scarlet, but his books were read.' "
-Hilaire Belloc
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[Nina]

I had heard that one before and liked it; also, the one you picked for you is clever. Hope they aren't used for either of us soon.

[Werner]

Nina and Joy, we hope you're both with us for a long while!

I may be online only sporadically for the rest of this month. Rachel arrived last night to stay a few days, we're leaving for Fulks Run on Wednesday (returning Sunday, July 29) and my surgery is set for July 30.

Joy, re message 3174, in that context I always have to tell Princess, "Leave the fingers!" (Intact, that is. :-) )

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Nina wrote: "I had heard that one before and liked it; also, the one you picked for you is clever. Hope they aren't used for either of us soon."

I hope so too, Nina! LOL Many of my relatives lived well into their 90s and my aunt lived to be 104! So I'm optimistic. :)

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Werner wrote: "Nina and Joy, we hope you're both with us for a long while!
I may be online only sporadically for the rest of this month. Rachel arrived last night to stay a few days, we're leaving for Fulks Run on Wednesday (returning Sunday, June 29) and my surgery is set for June 30...."

Thank you, Werner. I think you meant to type "July", not "June".

Good luck with your surgery! We'll be thinking of you.

[Werner]

Thanks, Joy, and thanks for catching that typo! Yes, I'm not going to do any time travel; I was just typing in too much of a hurry. I've corrected it just now.

[Nina]

"One touch of nature makes the whole world kin."
William Sahkespeare...Still miserable weather here but literally we are "weathering" the one hundred degrees and higher; next week 108 predicted. When will it end; that is the question on everyone's mind these days..I water, water water my flowers and some seem brave enough to keep blooming. Wish me rain..

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Nina, have you tried doing a rain dance? :)

[Jim]

I tried the rain dance - I sprayed herbicide on some weeds & it rained on them to wash it off.
;-)

[Jim]

I came off Chip for the first time tonight & landed on my shoulder. I tried to pony Speedy back into the barn, but just as I got on Chip, he spooked & I almost came off. I grabbed on tight & we made a few fast strides, but I was still off balance when Speedy stopped. That was all she wrote. I'd forgotten I had his shank still in my hand & was just too far off to the side. Big boom & I whacked the side of my head, too. The little bit of rain we got doesn't seem to have softened the ground much.

Had a good ride after that, though.
;-)

[Nina]

No, I haven't tried a rain dance. I thought I was doing good at my age to carry watering gallon cans about fourteen times a day, then my husband figured out a hose connection so I don't do it every day..Maybe a dance would be the right solution.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Jim, hope you didn't hurt yourself.
Maybe you should stick to knitting. :)

[Jim]

Joy, if you ride, the only question is when you're going to get dumped, not if. Comes with the territory. My left shoulder, forearm & knee are all feeling particularly creaky this morning, but I'm sure they'll get better as I do stuff to work them out of it.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Jim wrote: "Joy, if you ride, the only question is when you're going to get dumped, not if. Comes with the territory. My left shoulder, forearm & knee are all feeling particularly creaky this morning, but I'..."

Well, I ain't doing any riding anytime soon! LOL

Hope your creakiness doesn't last long, Jim. :)

I'm afraid my arthritic creakiness is here to stay, but I have to admit that I do feel better after moving about more. If I remember correctly, the cause of the arthritic pain in the joints is the accumulation of something* in them and activity lessens the accumulation in some way.

*Now I'm wondering what that "something" is. I must research that sometime.

[Jim]

Joy, as I get older I find the soreness takes another day to peak, but I am definitely feeling sore on my entire left side today, especially the shoulder & knee. The head is just fine, of course.
;-)

I took easy today & didn't go to the show. Not sure if the knee would work in a saddle, but Marg went & got a champion in her division. It was a long day, though. She left here at 9am & didn't get back until 5pm. That's what I hate most about showing.

The dogs & I trimmed the north hedgerow then I hopped on Chip to give them a run around the place. Chip & I galloped around the north field & Lily had a blast running past us. After lunch, I got a couple of wheelbarrow loads of manure out of the pony paddock. With 2 of them in there & not much rain, it really builds up. I just did it a week ago.

Thursday all the Purple Martin's left. Marg said she saw them circle in a flock then head south. They haven't been back, so I took their houses down & cleaned them today. There were a few sparrow nests in there & the dogs were happy to help me with them. Baby sparrows & eggs are wonderful snacks!

I turned a nice persimmon bowl today, too. It dries really fast & is a lot softer than I thought it would be. Unfortunately, this tree had a rotten spot in the center, so it makes it a bit difficult at times. Looks pretty cool, though.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Jim, it sounds as though you all had a busy day.

Why did the Purple Martins leave?

Congrats to Marg!

[Jim]

Not too busy, Joy. There's always plenty to do. I am a bit stiffer today, but nothing has seized up.

Purple Martins are migratory. They usually don't leave until August. They're 2 or 3 weeks early this year. Maybe it's the drought or the storms we've had.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Jim wrote: "... Purple Martins are migratory. They usually don't leave until August. They're 2 or 3 weeks early this year. Maybe it's the drought or the storms we've had."

Yes, that's probably why they left early. I never thought of that.

Hope you'll be back to normal tomorrow.

For several weeks we've been babysitting our son's old dog, Alice (German Shepherd mix). Sometimes she has trouble getting up or going up stairs. It's sad to watch her struggle. Other times she's more lively. Like humans, old dogs have their good and bad days. When she sees a squirrel, she REALLY perks up! :)

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Take a look at our newest group member, Xiri. Her profile is:
http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/96...

I notice that she has joined 245 GR groups!
See the listing here:
http://www.goodreads.com/group/list/9...

Why would anyone do that?

[Werner]

And I thought I was spread pretty thin when I still was in 18 groups....! :-)

[Mary JL]

What am I doing todauy? Staying inside my air conditioned house. The projected temeprature is 104 degress and we have had not rain for over three weeks!