Monday morning, I woke up craving pancakes. Now since
I am diabetic, I don’t have pancakes very often. It had been months since the
last time so I decided it would be okay to have some that day.
Now most people nowadays get their pancakes by
ordering them at the nearest restaurant (fast food place) that serves them. Or
they get a package of Eggos or Bisquick, whichever one they feel they have the
time and energy for.
Me? I got out the recipe book and started gathering
ingredients. Flour, sugar, salt, etcetera. I didn’t even get out a mixer but
stirred them by hand.
When it came time to cook them my daughter and I
discussed which pan we would use. Our largest frying pan is my cast iron. It’s
only about ten years old so we still season it regularly. My daughter keeps it
in pristine condition. It was already on the stove, so I just used that.
Once it was warmed up and prepped for cooking, I poured
four nice round pancakes into the pan. While they cooked, I set about getting
some eggs cooked to go with my pancakes.
Then I went to turn my four beautiful pancakes.
They stuck horribly. In the middle of trying to flip
them, I realized I’d been standing too long. I had to sit down, and Melinda had
to help me rescue the stuck pancakes. I found another pan to cook the rest of
them in.
The pancakes turned out fine, though those first four
were a mess. And if you are wondering, I only ate two, and both without syrup.
What wasn’t fine was my back.
Normally, when I stand for too long, I would sit, and rest,
for roughly at least as long as I’d been standing to give my back a rest. That
didn’t work on Monday.
After I’d eaten, I went to my bed where I could be
more comfortable.
While I was sitting there, I was fine, but the minute
I had to get up I could feel it. In my back and hips, even my knees. I didn’t
just strain my back. My arthritis was acting up. Going to the bathroom, which
isn’t that far from my bed, I was a stooped-over, little old lady, unable to
straighten up all the way. I wasn’t in excruciating pain. Just enough to know I
didn’t want to move much or far.
So, I was sitting in my bed, complaining about aching
joints and being unable to walk when my husband mentioned that his arthritic
shoulder was hurting. It was then I began to suspect that my issues were more
than just strained my back. So, I talked to my son, who also has arthritis, how
he was doing. He loves to complain so he had no problem mentioning that his
feet hurt more than usual. I’m sure we weren’t the only people feeling the
shift in the weather in our joints.
Once I realized I was miserable and in no mood to get
out of bed, I remembered that Jerry and I had plans for the evening. Going out
in the rain is one thing, but doing so when you hurt just trying to move? Yeah,
not fun.
I opted to stay home and rest instead. And I did feel
somewhat better on Tuesday. Not perfect. I still had some joint pain, but I
could walk normally. The rain is supposed to let up after today so hopefully my
remaining aches will let up soon.
On the bright side, somehow through all of this, I
managed to spark my muse enough to at least work on my fantasy for a few hours.
Mostly, I just read and edited the first eight chapters, but I have some ideas
for fixing some things going forward now.
Though, those weren’t my only options for spending a
lazy day in bed.
I could have worked on a couple of cross-stitches I
have. There is also the fact I have crochet hooks, knitting needles, and
knitting looms with enough skeins of yarn to keep me busy producing useful
things for months.
Or I could have just picked up a good book, or two. I
have piles of them including the nine new ones I got for Christmas and have yet
to even crack the binding.
I didn’t do any of that. What I did was get lost down
the rabbit hole. Somehow, whenever I open Facebook, I manage to think I’ve only
been on for a few minutes when it’s been hours.
I don’t suppose I’m the only one who spends too much
time on social media.
Smile. Make the day a brighter day.