Spring?

I took this yesterday in the backyard.  Looks like spring, doesn't it?  It even felt like spring most of this week, but today, it's 32 degrees with a wind chill of 21 degrees.  Last night, a cold front blew in with gusts of 50 miles per hour.   The winds deposited several items of trash in our back yard.

New house update:   we still have stakes and pink string.

Back update:  slowly improving.  I can now walk and stand for a longer period of time, but the pain always returns.  This is a different injury than I normally have in the back.

Church update:  Revival begins tomorrow and continues through the next Sunday.  The pastor's father is here, to preach and Brian will lead the music.  It will be a long week for me.  Archie and I went out to eat at a nice restaurant last night (we had a gift certificate) as a special treat before next week begins.  

Tuesday, I went to a photography class at the local scrapbook store.  A gal from the local camera shop taught it.  She give each participant a detailed list of their own camera's features, goes over how to find the features and gives us homework.   We go back in two weeks to review the homework and get more ideas.  Surprisingly, my little point and shoot camera has lots of features I never knew about.  Today, Archie's supposed to take me out to do my homework.  I did some of it last night, taking pictures of Mark, eating his supper, using different lighting settings.  Now I have pictures of him in color, B/W, sepia tones, with a tungsten setting (he's blue) and flourescent setting (he's red.)  At first, he protested that he wasn't doing anything special, so why should I take pictures of him.  But after I explained, he was fine - he normally loves to have his picture taken.

Slow Going

I had hoped to post a picture of a hole and accompanying pile of dirt, but so far, nothing.  We did have some rain this week, which prevented the basement guy from digging.  We do have stakes and pink string outlining the basic shape of the house.

Last Saturday, I pulled a muscle in my back, (while doing laundry) which should be better by now, but it isn't.  In fact, the injury is different than usual this time - I can stand up straight when get up from a chair, but the longer I'm up, the more the back hurts and I become stooped over.  Usually, I can't stand up straight when I get up, but the longer I'm up, the straighter I become.  I saw the doctor on Wednesday and all he could suggest was some pain medicine.

Scott is home for the weekend - he's at work right now.   Angela is applying for jobs at various summer camps.  Mark has applied for an internship at two places - the economy has companies cutting back, it appears.  

Archie and I exchanged Valentine cards this morning, but I'm planning a meal in tonight.  We've eaten out a lot this week because my back hurts so much.

City Okays Plans and Other Updates

That's right - the city of Enid finally approved our building plans and granted our builder, Joe, a permit.  He says that if it doesn't get too muddy from the forecasted rain, that he and Otto, the basement guy, will get out to the lot next week  and stake out the basement to make sure that's where we want it on the lot.

Down in the back - today I stood up from getting clothes out of the dryer and pulled a muscle in my back - the same muscle I always pull.  Now I can't stand up straight.  Tomorrow, I have morning offertory so I get to sit through the sermon, twice, and my offertory is on the piano so I'll have to run back and forth, while stooped over - should be interesting.  Just give me a couple of days and I'll be fine.  

Knee - this week I discovered I can go down the basement steps using both legs.  (Those steps are VERY steep.)  That means my knee is bending further than it has in over a year and it's getting stronger.  FYI - I tore the meniscus in the right knee in June, 2007, in Israel.  After fooling with the orthopedic guys in Enid, I finally went to the McBride clinic in OKC and got a correct diagnosis, then arthroscopic surgery in January 2008.