Non-news, guests, travel for Victoria, work

My visit with the doctor yesterday was a bit of non-news. She did not offer anything to me that the chiropractor had not already suggested. I asked her if the current pain was likely a lifelong condition from this point forward. Her answer was, “Pretty much.” Pain management was the main topic of conversation but not a path I look forward to walking for thirty years. Nothing in the three bulges along my spine or arthritic buildup in several areas of the spine are bad enough to require surgery. In fact, the doctor said that there is nothing, even in the area causing me the most pain, that could be surgically corrected. That is not bad news but it is not good news either. No surgery works for me. No pain would be better.

For improved health reasons, Mama and I will make the required diet changes to alkalize my body, I will add the herbs to combat arthritis and we will move forward. I will take what analgesics I must when I must but nothing expensive of invasive. The doctor asked to see me again in a month but I will not likely go back until I have to – whether for my back or for some other reason. I told Mama that although I creak and groan when I work, I always feel better for having moved and bent and stooped and straightened in the work. So, I will keep working and do my best during the recovery to not hurt myself further.

Kaylen and Brianna came over last night for supper and we grilled some burgers and steak. Mama fixed some of the best potato salad she has ever made. We had made a crock pot of black beans and served them as well so there was plenty to eat. My only regret is that we did not have time to water the yard plants and we did not take the time to put the hay in the barn. (But last night was time to visit and I was hurting badly enough that I did not want to risk lifting pallets and bales of hay and alfalfa. I can do the work, but I have to move slowly and carefully as I do it. Being on a tight time table is not optimum for the lifting and twisting work needed to put the bales where they need to be. Hopefully, we will get the hay put up this evening before church. That will give me an hour to do what would normally take twenty minutes.) We had a good visit that stretched later into the evening than we had expected. Mama and I finally got to bed a little before 11 pm. I was wakened by my alarm this morning. That does not happen but a handful of times year.

Mama and Victoria will be watching the Echevarria kids today. During all that activity, Victoria will be packing to fly to Chattanooga to spend the week with Cori, Nate and the kids. Cori and Nate will be in their final week of training with BIMI and having Victoria there to watch the kids will save them several hundred dollars in child care services. Why a mission’s organization would charge their own missionaries for child care services is questionable but that is how things are. Victoria is not complaining. She gets the kids all to herself for a week. Mama is the only one complaining. She was planning on us driving Victoria over and the two of us driving back but work and money constraints prohibited that. Besides, they will be here in September for a few weeks as they attend meetings in our area. We can take our time and visit then. Additionally, Brittany is more than likely within a few weeks of delivering the twins and I know Mama will be needed there for that. I would like to be able to visit for a few days at the birth and since we cannot spend our money twice, I would like to save it for that event.

Mama is off work for the summer and she is thrilled about having the extra time. But being off also means that she will not be getting a paycheck. That, she is not too thrilled about. Even though the checks she gets are not a whole lot, she did enjoy getting them every week…and it helped. She enjoyed giving her tithe. She enjoyed having a little bit of money of her own to spend as she liked. People keep asking her if she will continue working at the school and she is unsure how long she will do so. Next year she will work but the following years are not so settled.

We will take it one year at a time.