Summer Days

I am anxiously awaiting the wallpaper I ordered for my dining room. I decided to do one wall to see if I like it, but I've always been pretty good at envisioning what something will look like, and I believe the wallpaper I ordered will look lovely. If not? I'll peel it off and keep searching for the wallpaper that will ultimately work.

The last couple of days I've been going through the house and collecting anything that has run its course for me. A blue wooden rooster with part of its beak missing. A sailboat I bought years ago while on vacation in Michigan. Books I've read and won't read again. Pictures I've had on the walls for years that no longer move me. My hope is someone else will enjoy these little things as much as I have through the years.

I've not gotten much gardening done so far this summer. A few pots of petunias and a small area of nasturtium is about it. I finally blocked off the garden closest to the garage to keep Sunny out. He's a digger and has totally ruined three of my flower gardens that had been established. Now that the one space is blocked off, I can get in there and plant again. Maybe daisies. Maybe another pink rose bush. Maybe some hardy Russian sage (which I had but were killed because two of the dogs decided they were perfect for peeing on).

The last couple of days have been hot and muggy. The boys and I have been hanging out inside, trying to stay cool. I've not cleaned the air conditioner yet, so I'm relying on overhead and floor fans to move the air about. I also opened the basement door and situated a fan on the steps to move the cool air up and into the kitchen. This has worked nicely to keep the main living space cool throughout the day. My goal one day is to finish part of the basement so we can go down and enjoy the cool there, but for now, since I'm dishing out a chunk to do the roof in the next few weeks, the basement will have to wait.

I saw a chiropractor on Monday. He took two x-rays of my lower back, and when I saw them I about started crying. My lower spine is in bad shape. The chiropractor said he's seen way worse, which wasn't reassuring as I gazed at what can only be described as a hot mess. Up to this point, the thought was I merely had a herniated disc. The x-rays show much more damage -- deterioration and the L3 is off to the side and tilted. It's no wonder I was in excruciating pain back in March and early April. While that pain has subsided, the pain in my hip and leg hasn't gotten better over the last two weeks, but it hasn't gotten worse, so there's that. It's just constant and I'm beginning to learn how to live with it. I was frank with the doc -- I'm afraid of getting any kind of adjustment before Funny Delightful Son's wedding in early July. He was totally okay with that and said there are ways to manage the pain beyond painkillers, which I've stopped and haven't taken for two weeks now, so next week we'll start with some exercises and acupuncture. After the wedding, I'll make a decision about how to proceed.

So I'm just going about my days slowly, trying to get things done here and there. I've learned that so many things I used to worry about are not worth worrying about. I've also learned it's perfectly okay to merely sit in the chair out back and watch the swallows swoop through the air after bugs. In the evenings, the swallows leave and the bats take their place. Every now and then, the white and black cat who seems to be long to no one pads across the just-mowed field, stopping to sit or lay down.