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Owwww. Ow. It all started with bulb planting. We have this yard, see, that's been kind of a mess. Stuff grows in it, some intentionally (planted by other people before we got here), some unintentionally (weeds, how I hate thee) and one thing really intentionally (the lilac bush I bought and planted spring before last that not only didn't die, bloomed a little this past spring and everything). The main reason it's been a big mess is because half the beds were totally overgrown with grapevine and poison ivy run amok, and I kept trying to pull those down and save the flowers and I ended up with poison ivy twice and it just didn't work, the weed pulling. So we asked the guy who mows our lawn (I guess he's our landscaper, but all he does is mow the lawn and rake the leaves, and I think "our landscaper" sounds fucking pretentious, so I'm not going to call him that) to clear the overrun beds. He did it fast and cheaply and they were all nice and empty except for a few bushes/shrubs of various types. We could have just sown grass seed (and did in parts) but I like flowers, and I wanted some. Greg doesn't much care but he was willing to buy in to my flower desire and even pretended to be interested when I asked him what kind we should get. We already had red and yellow tulips and daffodils and rosebushes along the side of the house (planted by the previous owners) but nothing left to flower in the main yard except the lilac bush and the other flowering bushes. I ordered a bunch of bulbs online: 10 each of these tulips and these tulips; 25 of this Asiatic lily mix; 5 of this tall, amazingly beautiful Chinese Trumpet lily; 25 of this iris mix; and then 25 each of these three teenier flowers. The first time we tried to plant them I was running a high fever; we only planted the tulips and the tall lilies and starflowers before we had to give up. Sunday, though, we finished almost everything else (I can't decide where to put the Spanish bluebells so they're still in the fridge) and now we just wait for spring to see what happens (frankly, I'll be thrilled if half come up since this is our first attempt). Bulb planting is something you need to bend down to do, so I spent most of my afternoon crouching or kneeling in the dirt. Sunday night I realized that this was going to cause a problem. Monday morning walking was difficult. Sitting was difficult. Standing? Difficult. The muscles in my butt and the back of my legs apparently didn't enjoy the bulb planting very much. As I say in the title of this entry: owwwwww. Going up flights of stairs? Owwwwwww. (Did I mention we live in a two-story house with basement? And I work in a two-story office? Owwwww.) This morning I still hurt when I woke up, but I dragged myself from bed at 6:30 and began my tenure at my new gym. I have finally realized that my energy level hasn't just been crappy for months, it's been crappy for almost two years. I can't function at 65% physically and mentally anymore. Three doctors have told me to get a regular exercise program, and so I am going to. I joined a spiffy new gym that has lots of classes and a huge weight floor and two rooms of cardio machines, each with its own separate digital cable-equipped television monitor. I don't enjoy exercise, so I'm going to start building the habit with three elliptical trainer sessions a week. After the holidays I'll add weights and classes to the mix, once I'm used to going. I don't mind the elliptical but I have to tell you, it really does take your mind off it to watch TV. It's much easier to watch cartoons or the Today Show than it is to try and read while you're moving up and down. However, the moving up and down? Doesn't so much seem to have helped my soreness. Owwwww. |
