Another fall...

Ok, so no one in my family has never, ever called me Grace, for one reason, I'm constantly falling.

Yesterday, I go feed/water the chickens and notice one of my hen has 11 eggs and she isn't sitting on them, so I go gather the eggs (in my shirt), go get some hay and as I'm ducking to enter the pen to put them in a nest, bam, it happens, I trip and I had two choices (1) drop the eggs and catch myself, or (2) hit the ground and save the eggs. I, of course, saved the eggs, and planted my left knee in the ground. I was thankful for two things, (1) the ground was soft from all the rain (thank you God!), and (2) it was on the 'good' knee, which might not be so good if I keep falling on it!

I go gather up my two brooding hens who will sit anytime of the day, month, year, and put them on the eggs and to let them decide who's going to be the momma. Wouldn't you know it, neither one of them want the freakin' eggs! Now what kind of brooding hens are they? Usually they fight over a nest of eggs, but nope, not yesterday and not this morning. So I let them out of the pen and I'm hoping beyond hope, one will decide she'd like to be momma and when I get home she'll be sitting. We'll see! If there are no takers, I'm afraid I'll have to disgard them, and I hate to do that because they belong to Chester, my gorgeous Americauna.

I just don't have the time to incubate them, so....

I do have one more brooding hen, my game hen, Topper (named that only because she's a blue top game hen - and I couldn't think of anything else at the time, grin). Only problem is, I can't just pick Top up and put her in the nest, she'll eat me alive, remember, game hen, they aren't nice chickens, AT ALL! So, maybe I'll wait until she goes to roost and I'll go get her and put her on top of the eggs, maybe that'll work. I just hate to put her over them because I have to fight her to get my hands on them to tame them down, urgh.

Anyway, maybe Angel or Muffy will decide they really want to be the momma and go sit.

Until next time....

Cleared for running...

Saw my chiropractor this morning, and he has cleared me for running Sunday. THANK YOU GOD! I was going stir crazy not being able to run all week. I'm now officially a week behind in my training, argh!

I was also cleared for a yoga class this Tuesday, yeah! I'm so excited.

Now, I just need to find a second job to pay for the continuous use of the chiropractor. After 2 visits, $102. Dang, what did he have to do? But I'm not going to complain anymore, my back feels wonderful and I can breath and that's all that matters, for now anyway.

I did make an appt to see him Wednesday, 'cause I always pull my tail-bone out when I do yoga...yuck, I know, but it makes the rest of my body feel good.

(Donna, I'm running Sunday after church, call if you wanna meet me and do the trace. It's a 1.5 mile, not including wu/cd, about 1/4 mile each, so it's a short and easy one, and I'm sure it'll be slow due to being off this week and still nursing the rib head.)

Until next time....

Angry rib-head...

This is a story about my rib-head, so enjoy....

Saturday we all load up and go to Tylertown for our annual July 4th family get together at my uncle's house, and to introduce Lily to all the family.

I'm in the house helping get the food on the tables and my mom yells "Your Aunt Dee and Uncle Milton are here and they have something for you." I wash my hands and head outside thinking my aunt had made some wonderful dish (she's Filipino, and can cook a brick-bat), and as I rounded the house, there it was, a chicken carrier with a chicken in it. My Uncle proudly pulls out this beautiful white, black-tipped Japanese bantam rooster. He was a beauty! I give hugs and ask how much I owe him and they say nothing it's your birthday present. Now I'm really excited! I move him out of the carrier and put him in one of my uncle's little pens out behind his barn and feed and water him. He's good until we leave!

After all the fellowship, food and fish lies, we pack up and I almost forget my rooster. I go running around back and get him out of the pen and put him back in the carrier.

Needless to say, I think this was his first time in a carrier because he didn't know how to stand up in it, so I took him out and held him on top of the carrier all the way home (60 miles). He was a happy little camper and slept most of the way home. He'd had a long day and was tired, no doubt, as were we.

I get him home, but him in his new run and he makes all the rosters start crowing. Mind you, he doesn't even have his crow yet. He's only 4/5 months old, he'll start crowing soon enough I suspect.

At dusk, I go get him a girl and put her in with him, so he's not alone. Chickens are flock animals, they don't like to be alone, just in case you were wondering.

Then Sunday morning, I get up, go feed/water, and he's as happy as can be. He's still not sure about the hen in the run with him, but he'll learn - trust me!

I go inside, very proud of him. I take my shower and get ready for church. As I bend over to reach for my church clothes, I hear something pop and I can't move!

I scream for Michelle and she tries to work it out, but it's no use. She never learned how to put rib-heads back in while she worked with Dr. Rapetti (God rest his soul!). She does her best, and I'm able to stand up, but I end up going to church with fioricet and flexiril and an ice pack.

I spend the rest of the weekend nursing the back. Unable to run, unable to do anything but sit up straight, or lay flat.

Turns out me holding the rooster all the way home was what pulled the rib-head out. I was in such a strain and didn't know it.

Now I have to find a chiropractor to put it back in so I can get back to running! TODAY!

Oh, btw, I named my rooster, Gemmi, cause I'm a Gemini and that was as unique as I could get. Laugh!

Until next time....

Ok, so this has nothing to do with my 1/2 marathon training, but...

it is a funny story!

So most of you know I have a pack of dogs, well I have 2 chichi's (Samson and Maebelle) and my parents have 3 mixed breeds (Teddy and Bubbles, 1/2 jack russell, 1/2 fiest, and Molly, a chiweenie).

Well, Samson is allergic to everything under the sun, including himself, so he's a steroid junky, and on the chunky side to be a chihuahua. (We won't talk about that!) Now, Samson has two types of food that he likes and everything else be dam*ed! He LOVES table food and Beneful (incredi-bites, the tiny version of the regular Beneful), oh and he will eat little Cezar in a can (at 70cents per can, I can't afford that for him and Bella, so he doesn't get it.)

Well, he's still chewing his feet and licking his knees/elbows, whatever you call it, his legs?! I go see our vet, Dr. Chip, yesterday after work and tell him the steroid treatment isn't working and we have to do something different 'cause Sam is blowing up and hassling like he's going to have a heart attack.

Dr. Chip tells me, it's his food, you have to change his food. Inside I'm thinking yea right, he'll starve to death before he eats that canned food you want him on. He's 10 years old and he ain't changing for no body or nothing! Period!

I listen as he explains this and that and we decide Sam is probably allergic to either the beef, chicken, or even the lamb they make the dog food with, but he assures me the venison should do the trick. Ok for you country folks, venison is deer meat. I'm thinking, heck if I can buy my dog deer meat why can't it be legal to buy me deer meat?! Anyway, back to the topic, Samson.

Dr. Chip gives me a can on the house, and tells me to try it, so I get home and show Sam the can and I can see the look of doubt in his eyes. I talk it up and tell him how good it is and then I set it in a chair beside my purse, and I eat dinner. The entire time he's looking, and I can see the wheels a-turning. The entire time I'm praying, Dear God plz let this work.

I open the can and dang it smells good, and all 5 dogs find me in a flash. Where they all came from I'll never know, their noses smelled it son!

I take a spoonful out and give it to Sam, he scarves it down, without even tasting it. Ok, so I put some in a saucer, and warm it up just a tad, and he eats it like he's on death row and it was his last meal. BINGO! I found something he liked. So I pass a spoonful around to all the other dogs - dang, they love it, too.

I'm just glad I didn't bet my paycheck that Samson wouldn't eat it; otherwise, Dr. Chip would be getting my paycheck come tomorrow.

So I called the vet this morning, and told Rebecca, the receptionist, HE LOVED IT!

Therefore, afterwork, I'm off to the vet again to get some deer meat in a can and some dry food, too. I'm sure this is going to set me back a few bucks, I may need to get a second job to feed my Samson.

If he's lucky, he has 4, maybe 6 more years with me, so I'll do what I have to do to make him comfortable, so he doesn't itch all the time.

I'm crossing my finger and praying this is the missing link.

I'll let you know how it goes....

Two-week follow-up...

Ok,it's been exactly two-weeks that I've been training and last Saturday (18 June) I took a spill in the chicken yard on the right side, landed on my bad knee. Now for those of you who know me, know on Mother's Day, I was going to mow my mother's yard for her so it would be nice and pretty when she returned from the motorcycle ride with my daddy. And well the lawnmower treated me like a horse and rider and threw me off backwards on my left side. So now I think I'm even injured! LOL!

So I'm running with an even bummeder (yes I know it's not a word, I have my degree in English, but I can make up knew words, it's called creative writing, consider this a creative piece, grin). My whole right side is in major pain, and my neck is killing me and I have a headache to prove it. But Sunday after Sunday school I put on my big girl panties (sorry guys!) and off the the track I went. It would've been ok, except the track in Sumrall, has an elevation from h*ll! And I had to pull HARD to climb it, but I did my 1.5 miles as scheduled (per my runkeeper training instructions) and the knee complained the entire time, but I persevered.

Yesterday, I get to the gym, because it's run day again, and realized I didn't have my ITB. Geez, am I trying to continue to injure myself?! So I dress out anyway, and run the low elevation 'track' so I don't have to pull the small hills that would've put my knee out of commission for good. It's sore today, but nothing I can't handle.

Oh, btw, I took some meds for the pain, so maybe it will help the knee!

I'm going to run the 1/2 marathon, even if it kills me. I have to now. I told my dad about it on Father's Day and asked him to come (I never ask him to come to my races). He said he wouldn't miss it, we'll see, I may hold him to it.

Oh, and for those who read this, if you could say a prayer for John Caleb who is doing a great work in Haiti, he would greatly appreciate it, I'm sure. God is teaching him to be a great follow of Him! God bless you JC!

Until next time....

1/2 marathon training

Ok, so as Saturday was my birthday, and my last year in my 30s, I decided a few months ago to train for a 1/2 marathon.

Training starts today! I'll report once a week or so, and let everyone know how this goes. I'm doing the Jeff Galloway run-walk-run because I've learned with this fibromyalgia, I can not do day after day of running, it breaks down my body too fast and I can't recover properly, so I'll run-walk-run, every other day and train my way to that 1/2 marathon finish line.

My ultimate goal though, ia a full marathon on my 40th! I may have to have Coach Becky for that one though, we'll see.

If I can get my body to hold up and let me re-train it to exercise, I'll be a happy camper. Cross your fingers (and toes if you can), and say a few prayers.

Until next time....

20 May 2011 - Bike to work Hattieburg

Well as I live in Sumrall, the title should be Bike to work Pinebelt! But oh well, I'll be biking to work on the 20th. Remember, say a prayer for me. I haven't ridden my bike in a long time - no time to ride! Or should I say, I don't tell people no; therefore, I have no time to ride.

Maybe I'll ride my bike all week, weather and body permitting!

Whoop! Whoop!