Snap Crackle Pop

I saw a cartoon the other day that showed two old geezers sitting on a bench. One says to the other," You know I never had these aches and pains when Nixon was in office."

Well, I never had them when Clinton was in office either. But right now believe me I've got aches and pains. My (insert any joint) hurts like I've been crumpled up and crammed into a trunk for a week. Jim wakes up in the morning to the sounds of my fingers, elbows, neck, back, and ankles popping and crackling before I am even out of bed.

This only happens when it's cold and damp. While I can't stand for long periods of time at any time of the year, come winter ...well, lets just say I get a lot of, crocheting and reading done! This past few months I've crocheted so many scarves, neck warmers, and capelets I'm considering opening an Etsy store like Fab Grandma.

Normally, if I'm going to complain, it is about my feet. I am a diabetic and have some nerve damage in both feet. I use gel soles and creams and lotions and am about to check out orthotics. Sometimes it feels like I'm walking on rocks all the time.


It makes me empathize with other creatures who have foot problems like this guy. Believe it or not he's wearing protective booties because he has bad feet too.I'm not sure if they are orthotics but they have to feel better than walking on all those cold stones bare web footed.

For the past few years my sore spots have risen to the level of my knees more often. I've been a bit slower getting in and out of the car and genuflecting in church is a bit of a penance. I never buy anything from the bottom shelf in the supermarket, no matter how good the price, because if I get down to get it, I need to ask some stranger to haul me back up! Still, I have to thank my lucky stars that no matter how sore they may get, they still bend in the right direction. At least they did the last time I looked.


Today's post is brought to you by my hips-both of them! Most of my owies are on the right side so I am careful to not stretch too high, turn quickly or put stress on those joints. On Saturday, however, I was trying to be a good co-pilot while Jim was doing a bit of Pay-It-Forward. He joined my father and several members of Old Newsie's church in helping to clean up the property of an elderly lady who was being threatened with fines she couldn't afford and nineteen days in jail if the lot was not cleared.

While he was gone, I decided to be a good RV co-pilot, after all, I'm not helpless! I would take on at least half of a huge task he had planned to do before theland clearing project came up. Without having to use a ladder or stretch too much, I could put the "shiny stuff" on the lower section of the RV in preparation for our trip to Arizona next week. Then Jim would only have to do the top half.

We had gotten six months of South Dakota wheat chaff, Nebraska corn silk, and Oklahoma mud scrubbed off the motor home the day before, so the timing was almost perfect -almost. It started to cool down from the balmy 78 degrees we'd had here in New Mexico for a few days and by the time I got around to the shady side of the rig it was just plain cold. I could feel my right hip beginning to twinge but I didn't want to quit.

Then I slipped - and pulled a muscle in my left hip!


No, those are not my hips! I couldn't find a picture that did mine justice so I had to borrow some from a dancer.


So now I'm in a ridiculous situation. I can't figure out which side to limp on and my almost 86 year old father has to help me out of the car. What's worse, while he's being very solicitous, I'm just positive Jim is storing up all the things he's going to tell me about how dumb I was for conversation starters all the way to Tucson!

See ya down the road,
Yarntangler