Despite the aches and pains, laundry duty called, and since we don’t have easy access to water and electric, we headed out to the nearest and only laundromat in Georgetown. What an awful place! By far the worst laundromat we’ve been to in our many years on the road. Machines were filthy (our first hint), the place was empty (our second hint), the prices were high for the size of the machines, the dryers only gave you 6 minutes per quarter, and the temps on the dryers were so low that even on high the laundry wasn’t getting dry! After 4 quarters, I was still taking out clothes that were wet and cold. We finally gave up, packed up every damp thing we had (not one thing had dried completely), and drove to the next nearest town south, found another very nice little laundromat, and in two more cycles, everything was completely done. The place was also clean and there were other people there, so that tells the rest of the story. The whole afternoon was in painful slow motion, but at least everything got done, which was the most important thing. We had stopped at the pharmacy on the way and loaded up with stick-on heat pads, Excedrin (which I’ve now decided is the best painkiller) and an Ace bandage to wrap my ribs, so by the time we got all that going, I started to feel pretty good about the time I needed to start folding laundry. Got back just after the sun set, got the horses fed, and settled down for the evening.
Archives for November 2011
Tuesday, November 8, 2011 – Recovery/Work Day
Despite the painkillers, I’m still in some agony every time I move, so everything is in slow motion right now. I did manage to take a much needed and long overdue shower, then did some paperwork before settling down to get caught up on my blog. Hubby ran into Georgetown to drop off some mail and get some propane (which we’ve been going through a lot of trying to keep me warm in my vulnerable state and through the cold weather). Not sure whether I cracked a rib or not, but there’s nothing to be done about it anyway except be careful. Doesn’t look like we’ll be doing any more riding any time soon. Can’t afford not to be at my best next week, so I’m not likely to take any more chances until I’m at 100 percent again.
Monday, November 7, 2011 – Ride Day at Last! But…
Finally woke up to a beautiful day, feeling well enough to venture out. Since the horse trail here is only a bit over 4 miles, we decided to give it a go. Everything was going fine for about the first mile or so, the horses were frisky after having been standing around for the past week, and I was feeling better, though still not 100 percent. We came to a nice stretch and did some trotting and a little canter, then walked a bit more, then came to another stretch where the horses’ ears picked up and they decided to canter. Unfortuntately, my horse likes to be in the lead, and when his mom passed him and started to pull away, he decided to play rodeo and pitch a fit. One second he was under me and the next second he wasn’t. I was up in the air and then I was hitting the ground hard. Probably hadn’t quite recovered enough to think that quickly to compensate, but whatever, I landed on my hip. Now that I’ve lost 40 pounds of fat, I don’t have as much cushion as I used to, and it was a hard landing. I completely had the wind knocked out of me, which was awful for about a half dozen breaths, especially considering I was still pretty congested from the illness. For a minute, I wasn’t sure I would be able to catch my breath at all. It was pretty scary. Finally I managed to pull in some air, which made my ribs hurt. I sat there for a good ten minutes just getting my wits about me before trying to climb back on board Apollo. Once I was up, though, my head starting swimming and my eyes got really sensitive to the light, everything seemed suddenly brighter. I had to climb down again, it was just too dangerous up there for the moment. I sat on the ground for another good 15 minutes or so before I finally felt well enough to get back up. It was better this time, at least my head wasn’t swimming, but I had aches and pains all along my right side. I gave Hubby my lead rope just in case (we have a McCarty setup), and we headed back the way we came at a walk, though both horses were still a bit frisky, which didn’t help, but they behaved themselves for the most part. Once we got back, I barely managed to make it inside, once more having to leave all the work to Hubby, for which I had already been feeling guilty about all week. I grabbed a few painkillers and lay down in bed again, and later when I struggled to the recliner, started alternating between heat and ice for the rest of the evening. That helped some, but there’s a possibility I cracked a rib. I’m certainly in for some bruising on my hip. Compouding the matter is that the right side is the one that has been screwed up for nearly three years, and I’m afraid it wrenched in even stranger ways, though I may get lucky and this wrenching will fix the old wrenching (one can hope : -). Anyway, this was the last thing I needed, to be laid up even longer! Now the occasional lagging cough of my cold/flu is just enough to send shooting pains all along my rib cage and right side. I’m just going to have to take it easy, considering we have a workshop to conduct next Monday!Sunday, November 6, 2011 – Shopping Day
Well, finally, I woke up feeling well enough to get out today. After a late breakfast (I still slept late, in keeping with best practices for conquering illness), we dressed and drove out to the nearby Wal-mart in Georgetown, DE. Didn’t have too much to buy, but we got the essentials, and it was great to get out of the house. A bit tired by the time we got home, but feeling much better than I had in what seemed like ages! Didn’t push my luck though, still went to bed early!
Saturday, November 5, 2011 – Another Sick Day
Spent yet another day in bed. At least I’ve started coughing up some mucus that’s finally loosening up a bit, and the fever seems to be improving slightly. Managed to help Hubby with the horses for a few minutes, which took a Herculean effort. He’s been so wonderful, picking up all the slack for me since I’ve been sick. It’s a miracle that in almost 26 years together, we’ve never both been sick at the same time, one of us has always been well enough to look after the other and the animals. Amazing! Nice to get outside, even for a few minutes, though. Progress is made, albeit slowly!Tuesday, November 1 – Friday, November 4, 2011 – Sick Week
Every day the same. Slept late, struggled out of bed for breakfast, crawled back in bed for the rest of the day until dinner, cuddled with a blanket in the recliner watching TV in the evening (we managed to pirate an electrical plug to an outlet in the lodge so we didn’t have to run the generators), then to bed early and sleeping late again. No noticeable improvement in my condition despite all the sleep. Struggling with a fever that’s been ranging from 99.3-102.9. Didn’t even have the energy to read, which is my one solace when I’m sick. Really strange, I seldom get sick, and this is the longest I can ever remember being sick without my condition at least progressing. But we had to move today, so I struggled out of bed to do my best to help Hubby (which, I’m sorry to say, wasn’t much), filling up with water and moving everything over to the campsite area. Took Hubby a long time to get a satellite signal, but it seems that had more to do with a bad wire than a bad sight line, though that contributed as well. He managed in the end, stubborn man that he is, and we spent the evening watching TV before once again getting to bed early.
Monday, October 31, 2011 – Happy Halloween! Travel Day to Redden State Forest
Skies were clear and cold, hard to get started, but we forced ourselves to get going pretty early anyway. Nevertheless, it was almost ten by the time we were departing the RV dump. The drive was a pretty easy one, with no problems getting lost. Fortunately Gracie (my GPS) got us here without any incidents, though a little later than we had hoped, around 3:30 or so. I felt terrible the whole drive, really under the weather, with the same symptons I’ve had all weekend. I let Hubby do all the running around to decide whether we were going to start in the campground or out by the lodge, which was more convenient to water. He ended up decided to the lodge, because of the water and because it had an easier shot for the satellite dish, so we filled up with water and headed up there. The ranger said we could stay there until Friday, but that since the lodge was rented for the weekend we would have to move then, which is fine with us. Our plans are in flux at the moment. So we parked behind the lodge, found two nice trees to highline the horses, and got settled in. I was in slow motion, though, I wasn’t as much help as usual because of how awful I felt. Finally got everything set up and settled in, hoping my health improves so we can enjoy our time off!