I Saw My Shadow. It was BIG! What Does That Mean?

Otto took me for a nice, long walk today! We walked down the street to the river, played catch with a brand new ball for a while ... until we lost the ball ... then along the trail by the river to Broadway, up the hill, down Broadway and then home. It was a good route in that Otto was all peed out by the time we got to Broadway so he didn't have to stop and pee on everything there. Along the way we met a beautiful Airedale Terrier who would have loved to romp in the snow with Otto. It was quite the trip for a farm dog like Otto, I think. The above photo is of Otto looking for his ball. We poked in the snow, dug, and kicked about for a long while with no luck.

When we got home, Otto needed a lot of affection so we sat on the couch together for a while and there was lots of hands on.

As much as I'm enjoying walking outside, it might be the cold that makes my joints feel worse. I felt quite crippled all afternoon. My arms and elbows especially feel stiff and not just stiff, but very weak. And, of course, I hobble about like an ancient person until I get moving. It's frustrating to me that not only is the joint problem persisting, but that sometimes it seems worse again. There doesn't seem to be any logic to it. Mind you, I've long stopped looking for "logic". If the Vitamin D boost was the reason for earlier improvements, I don't think it lasted, though I might be inclined to give it credit for the relative clearing of my brain. My mind still feels like it's operating on a much improved level compared to where it was before last week. I'm grateful for that.

I twisted off that last skin tag tonight! It was so ready to drop so I gave it a little help. All gone! Yeah!!

Tonight Laurel and I walked at the PAC (at the University). I, having been there twice by now, was able to show Laurel around. We walked for about 5,000 steps. Add that to my earlier walk and I did very good today! **a little pat on the back to myself** Once I get walking, you wouldn't guess that I have any joint problems at all. But the minute I stop, I start seizing up right away. When I got out of Laurel's truck, I shuffled stiff-legged all the way to the house. Unbelievable!! I just shake my head. I don't understand it.

I got comforting emails from Norma and Nora today. Norma told me of a friend of hers who experienced TJM (jaw problems) after she finished chemo, but that it eventually went away. Nora shared some heads-up experiences with Tamoxifen. I appreciate the information ... and the giggles. I'm always better off armed with information ... and giggles.

I should have got groceries today. Our cupboards are bare. But with the extra snow, I thought I would wait until tomorrow. And then, to top things off, a plough came down our street and pushed all the snow from the street up against any parked cars. It actually made things worse since were were all managing to get our cars in and out and maneuver the street since that big dump of snow ... until now. Digging out again!

Tomorrow ... groceries. And maybe those Christmas boxes? Don't hold your breath. I've been avoided them by giving my attention to some clutter in the family room. Clutter in our family room could take AGES to deal with!

Kevin and Otto have gone over to Dwayne's tonight so Otto can meet Dexter, Dwayne's bearded collie.

I have to tell you about the beautiful book that I ordered from Amazon and that came today. It's called Monday Hearts for Madelene and is by Page Hodel. Partial royalties from the sale of the book go to the Women's Cancer Resource Center in California. It's lovely and so is the story behind it. It's a Valentine Day present to myself. The following is copied from Amazon.ca.

When a person falls in love, the universe—and everything in it—come vividly alive. It happened to San Francisco artist Page Hodel when she found the love of her life, Madalene Rodriguez. She expressed her devotion in an unusual way: Early every Monday morning, Page would create a heart for Madalene and leave it for her to discover somewhere near her front door. Tragically, Madalene died of ovarian cancer less than a year after she and Page met. But Page’s love goes on, beautifully symbolized in the hearts she continues to create from a plenitude of objects.

I also bought the box of 20 assorted notecards depicting 5 of the images. After seeing these beautiful heart creations, I'll be looking in the pantry, drawers, cupboards, and the yard a little differently ... in a good way.