Odd Week

It's been an odd week Near Philadelphia. Eleven days ago I awoke with a back spasm, the first (and with any luck the last) of my entire life. Two days in, I was seen by a PA in the ER who put me on pain meds and muscle relaxants. A few days ago I saw my family doctor who gave me some exercises to try. I'm glad to report that -- although I am not my regular self -- it is all somewhat improved. I no longer take the muscle relaxants during the day, I can drive short distances, and can almost foresee the day when it is over. 

My friend Vetch once had a terrible illness and she told me it had made her a better pastor because it gave her a new understanding of what some of her parishioners were going through. Perhaps this will make me a better hospital chaplain. 

I've spent more hours in a recliner during these eleven days than the entire rest of my life.Here are some of the things I've done during this Recliner Spell:

• Spent entirely too much time on Facebook
• Subscribed to The New York Times on line because I felt like Huffpo was starting to look too much like The National Enquirer
• Read a great deal of The New York Times on line and the paper copy delivered on Sunday
• Watched some Olympics and snarled at the quantity of commercial interruptions
• Took a vow not to post anything political on FB or to comment on anyone else's political posts for the duration of the Olympics
• Completed the acrostic in Sunday's Times
• Temporarily stopped following on FB a couple of people whose political stuff was beyond offensive; now giving them another chance
• Played a FB game called Toy Blast, reaching Level 72 and giving up because the stages with ice that melts and reforms make me hyperventilate
• Ordered and received some very nice clothes for autumn from Gudrun Sjoden
• Done some hand quilting on a project my sister began and cannot finish
• Cleaned off the Desktop of my Laptop, putting all kinds of things in a newly created folder called Desktop Stuff
• And in the process of that last, discovered these gems that I now shall share with captions only as needed:

My friend Pat posted this photo and I really think I would like to make something like this out of my scraps. Apparently so do a lot of other people Pat and I know.

SEVERAL people sent me this clipping of side-by-side dueling obituaries. Worth clicking to enlarge.

Yeah, yeah, CW fabrics, but what a great design! Someday.

Multiple Project Disorder, in case you didn't guess.

Yes, a rubber chicken in a wine glass.

I'd love to do something like this. Soon, too.

And during all of this time, my daughter and her family are on vacation you-know-where. Love this photo of Sam!