LOOSING GROUND

I just returned to Oshkosh after spending 9 days with my Mother. We were able to accomplish a few things that needed to be done (wills, POA, etc) and had some good meals. I made some fish tacos and they were good made from tilapia that I seasoned, and sprinkled with lemon juice and olive oil. I added some green onion, red sweet peppers, and mushrooms on top. I layered the fish in chunks in those new "stand-up" taco shells, the cooked veggies, some thinly sliced cabbage that I mixed with some shredded Romaine. I made a tomato/cucumber salad by dicing the two in 3/8th-1/2 inch dice, mixed with lemon juice and olive oil, thyme, salt and pepper, and the lovely Feta cheese and used this as a fresh salsa. It may all sound different but they tasted really good so I will do it again. And with the fish and all the veggies, not high on calories and fat content and that is a good thing. : )

The photo is of the Moon Flower my mom had blooming. Even in the drought she has a few plants that have made it. It rained off and on for several days the day I left. So that should help her yard. We also were able to visit my sister, Gloria in Corpus Christi. Hadn't seen her since the funeral last year. We also visited my step fathers gravesite so mom could have more closure. Gloria's care giver took the photo of us and wouldn't get close enough to make it a better photo. Gloria was in her wheel chair and I was trying to scrunch down to be in the picture.

On the way home as the plane was climbing out after taking off from San Antonio, there was a loud crack and we were either hit by lightening or it was VERY close. (Pilot hubby said if you can hear it, it IS close!) I jumped and yelped. Can't help but react after our rock in the RV windshield incident in Idaho, and the RV flat that took out the wheel well under my seat when a beer truck in TX tried to run us off the road and we picked up a nail or something. I am a jumpy person anyways to loud unexpected noises. : )

My title is Loosing Ground and the reason I was thinking about that subject is how we are not always aware of our limitations as we get older. We THINK about doing some activity. and assume we still can do it. But when we actually try, either we can't accomplish it, or if we get it done, it takes a physical toll on our muscles and bodies and it takes a while (sometimes a LONG while) to recover. For example...Going to see my mom, I had a smallish rolling bag, and I took a sport bag about 24" long and rested it on top of the other with the handles of the sport bag hooked over the hard handle of the rolling one. Now that doesn't sound like too much for a 67 year old to handle, does it?

But in the actual process, the bags have to be separated and lifted to be put into the van for the trip to the airport, then hefted out and put together to go into the airport, then separated and lifted to put on the security conveyor belt, then lifted off and put back together for the walk down to the gate, then separated in the gateway and the rolling bag put on the cart so that it can go underneath and the sport bag carried and put up into the storage bin above the seats. Then when I arrived at my first destination, I had to get my sport bag down, lift my rolling bag from the container in the gateway and put the sport bag on top and lift the handles over the other handle and walk to another gate where I had a second section of the trip to accomplish, and had to separate them once again for gate/side checking, do the carrying and storing in the plane and then collect them again once I had arrived at my final destination. That was on Sept 1. AND for the trip home, I had to repeat the whole process all over again! : ( That was my day Thursday.

So by Sunday, I was having pain in my right shoulder and shooting down my bicep towards my elbow and a slight pain in the left shoulder. The only thing I can figure out is that all that lifting and hefting and such strained my shoulder and muscles!!! And it never has before. I also have two bruises...one on my right forearm and one on my left shoulder. I put ice on both my shoulders off and on for about an hour last night and they are better today. So I guess I will need to hire a companion to accompany me on my trips (He better be good lookin'! I wonder if he can be a masseuse too? That would be helpful. : ) Just kidding! LOL Or maybe I will just have a set of clothes at mom's and then I don't have to haul anything much. Oh goody! I get to go shopping!