Kickin' It

I was jerked awake at 3 am by the sudden pounding pain in my back. As I slowly came awake, I remembered this same feeling -- being kicked between the shoulder blades by a mule -- the last time I had the spinal epidural. It's going to feel like this for about 24 hours before it eases off and then the pain from the injection goes away, as well as the pain in my neck that has plagued me for years.

Trade off?

As I wandered into the kitchen to check my blood sugar (the epidural spikes it) and make a cup of coffee to take back to bed, where a good book waited, I looked out into the yard and saw Mia, still sleeping by the fence, still waiting for her friend, George, to come back. It's been a full month, but Mia is not giving up hope. George did stop by a couple of times, bringing fresh, hot tamales for me and treats for Mia with him, but he only stayed a minute, not nearly enough time for Mia. His apartment is still empty, along with the rest of the property, but (so far) no one's done any damage, which cannot be said about other foreclosures in the area.

Guess it's time to shower, dress, and prepare to head up the hill to teach my one class. Then, I'm off until Monday as I already graded all the essays as I was following post-procedure orders to take it easy after the injection. Fortunately, doing so was easier with a stack of books bought at Border's with my 40% off coupon before heading back home yesterday. With the price of gase these days, it's important to bundle trips to be energy efficient.

It isn't easy being green, said Kermit, the Frog, but I do my best!