Overcast, 23º, 3 or 4 Inches Of Snow Late Afternoon

8:00

I got up at 6:45, gingerly, and came downstairs to turn on the coffee, radio, and settle in on the couch just as the the lake was becoming visible, colorless, grays and dirty whites, a couple guys out fishing already.

Yesterday was a total waste, as I spent the day trying to get comfortable on the couch, on the floor, wherever my back felt better.  We were able to get into to see PA at 1:15.  He checked me over, sees no tears of serous damage to my back or groin, gave some pain killers, a steroid pack, and a shot in the buttocks. He thought it might take a week or two to heal, no skiing for a while, perhaps yoga in a week or so.  Not what I wanted to here but it does not look I have anything serious like a hernia.  To celebrate nothing serious, we stopped at the Lighthouse Grocery and had the butcher hand cut us four nice big pork chops for dinner, something for me to look forward to at the end of a uncomfortable day for me, Evie too as she has to wait on me.  Enough about my troubles.

It ended up being a pretty day outside, lots of snow, blinding white whenever the sun came out, little wind, perfect for winter activities.  Evie mostly kept up with the snow shoveling, her exercise for the day.  I have been reading a couple of books on and off, two non fiction, the other a George Pelecanos novel, set in Washington, DC, in the 1990's.  He's an easy read, great at creating the inner city drug and crime world.  The other book I am working though is medical doctor Atul Gawande's BEING MORTAL: MEDICINE AND WHAT HAPPENS IN THE END.  I have read a couple other books by him and he's a rare find, a doctor who is not afraid to 'think differently' about medicine. This book looks at how to make the quality of life better for those with age related frailties, serious illness and approaching death, not the happiest of topics.  Our only excitement of the day was occasionally taking a photo of a bird, the lake, and, later in the early evening, the full moon rising over Long Point. It would have been neat to cross country ski on the lake at that time.

Moon Over Long Point at 5:58

Moonshine

Moon Glow

We did relax for a bit with a glass of wine and commiserate over a wasted day, before Evie  breaded, fried up and baked the pork chops.  We had a salad, some leftover potatoes made into potato pancakes and of course the chops, with apple sauce, a must for Evie.  And we watched three more episodes of The Americans, catching up on Season 2 as Season 3 has already begun.  We went to bed early as we were both really tired from doing practically nothing.  Nothing more tiring than that.

I feel better this morning, less discomfort in the back, though my hip flexor is still painful, making it difficult to get up and down. I think the medicine is beginning to take effect.  I just need to be patient, rest and enjoy the day inside, hard to do.