This afternoon I pulled a back muscle. This is not a promising start to the four day weekend. I had plans, you know. Serious housecleaning, the kind that involves a lot of scrubbing and bending. Planting the last of the now sprouting tulips and daffodils. Hauling boxes up from the garage so I can find my copies of Tad Williams' Memory, Sorrow and Thorn which I desperately want to reread despite having twenty new books courtesy of Ellie Lang (a parting gesture since she's leaving Random House). Mixing some cement and patching our back patio. Shopping for Christmas cards this weekend, not that that involved any exercise.
So I had plans, and unlike most Americans they didn't include spending all afternoon lying around the house groaning. Of course, most Americans were expecting the groaning to be the result of overeating. I did allow for doing some of that, but thanks to my back we had to settle for turkey and dressing (already lovingly prepared) with gravy out of a package I had on hand, and cranberry jelly out of a can. No potatos got mashed, the marvelous stock I made from the icky bits of the turkey was sealed up and refrigerated, ditto the pan juice with which I intended to make gravy, and John had to make the pie himself. I did manage to operate the mixer so we could have whipped cream on the pie. Other than that I have been flat on my back alternating between icing and heating my poor lower spine. I don't know what happened, but I very nearly couldn't get up from a squatting position after my lower back went kablooie. I still can't bend over or lift anything heavier than a fork full of pie to my lips.
Could be worse, I guess. I could have thrown out my back before I'd fixed the turkey and made the dressing. We could have had enchiladas and watched tv in our underwear instead. I'm sure that's traditional Thanksgiving fare somewhere in the US.
Anyway, here I am, Gimpy McFeeble, reduced to slothful sitting around the house for the remainder of my holiday. If I feel better tomorrow I'm going to visit my local drugstore and mull over their Christmas card selection. I always buy cards after Thanksgiving and work on them over the long weekend. I like to customize each card with rubber stamps, colored ink, and glitter. I really love giving and receiving holiday cards, so if you'd like to exchange cards with me this year please let me know!
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