A little less sore this morning and hopeful of getting over this spell of back pain.

I was faced with an interesting challenge: bringing cookies to the Kenney Ridge Christmas dinner without any eggs. And without overdoing so as to bother my back. I made delicious pancakes with the one egg we got Saturday. Then I mixed the dough for Jam Kolaches (no eggs).

We headed to UUFA, riding with Dan. Ray taught Sunday school, with no voice, and I sat in the pews. It was one of my very favorite services ever, with some awesome music, about God, strangely enough, and questioning his existence. One of the songs was "Dear God," which ends with "I don't believe in You," a clever and moving song. After the service, there was the annual meeting, a real trial sometimes. We had to approve the budget and changes to the bylaws, as well as hear a report from the Goal-Setting committee. The usual suspects (Jane and Wilma, for instance) raised questions that had to be responded to, but everything was approved unanimously.

Ray was feeling very bad by this time and didn't say a word all the way home. He went straight to bed without eating anything. I had some lovely leftovers and continued on my quest. I rolled out the jam cookies and put them in the oven while I was talking to Molli. When I hung up, I found I was supposed to put jam in them and fold them over before I baked them! Oh, dear. I didn't have much to offer and now I had screwed even that up. I put little circles of jam in the middle of the cookies. Then I had time to mix up one more thing that didn't use eggs, an interesting apricot bar with coconut and a rich crust. It took a little longer than I would have liked. The day was clouding over and getting cooler. While it was baking, I put up the chickens and changed my clothes, brought in the laundry, and got ready to go to the party.

Ray got up as I was leaving and seemed much better. He wanted to come with me, but we decided he really shouldn't. I put everything in the car and drove to the community center. I brought my cookies (some still warm) in, and a bottle of white wine I put in the fridge. Then I walked over to Karen's to feed the pigs, who were happy to see me and my scraps. I snuck in Karen's house and changed out of my jeans and dirty shoes, grabbing an empty plastic bag for them from her counter. Then I walked over to Steve and Shannon's house for the appetizer course. Most of the snacks were gone, but I had some wine (the same red Acorna that we drink at home). The house was small and crowded, but lovely. You have to walk up some very steep stairs to get to the master bedroom, which is like a secret lair. Downstairs, there is one main room, a small bedroom, and a lovely bath. The kitchen is wonderful; Paul made the rustic custom cabinets.

After a bit, I walked along to the community center, where people were starting to gather, but no one had begun eating. I spent some time with my favorite little girl, Adah with the bright eyes, playing a card game we invented as we went along, with Mike Conroy, and having a lovely time. We got to eat after a bit, turkey among other things. I was pretty restrained in terms of carbs, so I could have a little pie: blueberry and squash plus cherry crisp, with homemade organic whipped cream. The cookies were very well received, and there were plenty of other desserts, of course. I left pretty early to come home and see how Ray was doing. He had especially enjoyed the apricot bars! He was doing pretty well and had worked up an appetite. After a couple game shows, I went to bed and to sleep by 10 ish. Then we got up at 4 or some ungodly hour. Of course, he had not slept well, since he had slept so much during the day. Oh, well.

Another fun and busy day, but I was very afraid my back was going to give out, so had to try to take it easy and still get things done!

We were somewhat taking it easy in the morning--I put some bread to rise and was looking at cookbooks and reading e-mail, when suddenly it seemed we would be late for pilates. No walk, left the bread rising, but got there in time. In fact, there were only four of us and it was really good. Ray told Amanda about my back issues and she did a lot of good work on it. She said when it "goes," it's usually not the triggering event, but something in the previous day or two (like sitting in the Classic Center for hours).

We went by the Farmers' Market and it was surprisingly busy, with more things than you would expect. I bought some sweet potatoes and some small eggplants. Keyshona Armstrong was playing and I really liked her.

We ate some delcious leftovers for lunch. Captain was there; he has lost his free internet connection. I think the student who was "giving" it to him is gone home, but will hopefully be back in January. He did some laundry too, but was too beat to hang it out. He went home and I hope is feeling better today.

Ray and I buckled down to getting ready for dinner guests. I baked the bread and started the soup by soaking and cooking garbanzo beans. We tidied a lot and then we went to feed the pigs. When we got back, I picked some lettuce and spinach, which he washed for me. I worked on the soup some more and took my bath. We told them to come at 5:30, because it is so hard to find us in the dark and dark is early now. Ray cut up the cauliflower for me. I finished the soup, except for the tomato that went in at the last minute, which I chopped up ready and waiting. I got the cauliflower started and they arrived. We took just a minute to glance at the chickens and the gardens and then they came in. It was pretty warm in the house from the sun and the cooking.

They brought some wine and an appetizer--brie and cherry paste with little toasts to eat it on--delicious--and they helped us with the rest of our preparations. Well, Barbara did. Ray and Robert spread cheese and cherry paste on toasts for us and filled our glasses. She was an excellent helper. She peeled and cut up the apples for the apple crisp, while I mixed up the topping. We got that in the oven and she grated the cheeses for the pasta. We put the soup in the tureen Amelia got at Thanksgiving. I had already set the table with the Christmas plates and glasses, napkins and utensils. She filled the glasses with ice and water. Ray served the soup and put the pasta on to boil. I cut up some fresh bread and put it on the table with butter. We had a lovely time. Everything was delicious and not really stressful. We played a round of Wits and Wages between dinner and dessert and Barbara beat us all badly. I think Robert had 4 points, I had 3 and Ray had 1. We only played about 4 questions--Barbara must have gotten 4 points on every one! A genius or just really lucky? She is someone I knew from Mothers' Center years ago who has started coming to the Fellowship in the last year. I had never met her husband. Their oldest child is Molli's age. We talked about everything. He is a professor of Forstry. They spent a year in Australia a while ago. They live out of town, toward Watkinsville, on 30 acres, in an octagonal house that I can't wait to see. They have platned pecans and fruit trees, too. Never had trouble with deer until this year, amazingly.

They left about 9; it seemed much later, and I went right to bed, not from exhaustion, but to protect my back. They wanted to help with the dishes, but Ray said no. He didn't do much, though. I think he was asleep before I was. I woke up at 3:30, but managed to sleep a little more before I got up at 5:30. It still aches, but I am not as worried about it now. We'll see.

I made crackers yesterday morning. I've never done that. The hardest part is rolling them out very thin and cutting them with a biscuit cutter and putting them on the cookie sheet. They were good, but not perfect. The first batch wasn't cooked enough, despite cooking them twice as long as called for, so they are a little soft and biscuity. The second batch is a little overdone, so they are hard and crunchy. But the flavor is good and I like the idea. I will try again, maybe with a different recipe.

Ray gave a final test at 12:30. I went in with him and had lunch with Janna. We did a little Christmas-related shopping that was quite fun and I picked him up again and we came home. I cut all the chard I could find, but the chickens have been eating it. If they would neatly choose one stalk and eat it all, it would be easier, but they had holes in them and pieces missing, so trimming them was a bear. The dish was not as good as the last time I made it, but we were able to eat before 5. This is good because we had to get the chickens in the coop, change our clothes, feed the pigs, and go downtown to volunteer at the production of A Christmas Carol that my Dad was in.

Captain on the far right, with his back turned.

It was the last show and was well attended. My friends Deb and John and Becky and Kent were there, which was nice. My Dad remembered his lines, spoke loudly and clearly. He had a cold, as did Scrooge. As part of the Ensemble, he wore black sweatpants and a black shirt, which was not a particularly flattering look for him, but perhaps I have never seen him look like that before. The play itself annoyed me somewhat. The "playwright" messed with the story, adding narrators and a sort of Greek chorus, as well as Kelly as a somewhat anachronistic bag lady character, who spoke to the audience, saying, "that's my cue" and "this is making me hungry--how about you?" People seemed to like it, but it was kind of distracting to me. I didn't really get into the story. There was a violin in the background, which made some people hard to hear. Of course, as a volunteer, I didn't get the best seat in the house either.

Captain on far left (with his coat on after the show outside)

Anyway, now it's over. Captain can sleep all day if he likes and hopefully he will feel better and not be too let down. We were home before 9. I made it through Wheel, but fell asleep during Jeopardy. So naturally, I woke up again at 4:30. I need to break this cycle--a nap, maybe? Not likely.

Still feeling it in my back, but no spasms and not limiting my activities much. Captain says he has a cold and Ray thinks he is coming down with it. A little tickle in my throat. We'll see if the vitamin C can keep it away.

Baked Moravian Ginger Cookies (no eggs) that I had mixed the day before. Interesting. They look a little like graham crackers. 

I went to town with Ray in the morning as he prepared to give a test. Mailed four save-the-date cards. It turns out they are oversized, so cost as much as letters (44 cents). This is not a huge deal, but I asked the printer when I picked them up. And I would think the designer would have known. Not only that, but the post office branch (in Add Drugs) was out of 44 cent stamps. He put a 29 cent, a 10 cent, and a 5 cent on each of them. Of course, I have 44 cent stamps at home I could have used any time. Well, if we want to mail any more, we don't have to come to town to do it. I have about 10 cards left.

Went to the library and got a few books. I was sitting there and said hello to someone who was in Mothers Center with me years ago. She retired at 62 and is living in subsidized housing on social security. No car. She had walked to the library and I gave her a ride back downtown. She says yoga has helped her adjust. She has a 5-year-old granddaughter she babysits a lot. I admit, it made me feel very wealthy and well off. Thank goodness for Ray's job and insurance and retirement.

I met Becky for lunch and it was delicious. We had a good time, as usual. I went to the Athens Land Trust to take a look at the house plans they are going to be building next year. They have a small subdivision that they bought (?) when it was foreclosed on. They had a competition for affordable house plans and picked the three best entries out of five submitted. They are pretty cool.

Picked up Ray and headed home. Sunny and nice inside but low 50s out. Made soup, including turnips we bought Saturday at the farmers' market. Turns out Ray loves turnips. I did not know that, all these years. Planned dinner for Saturday. Put the chickens up. Took the turnip greens to the pigs. Ate supper, watched TV, knitted, went to bed before 9. Tried to stay awake because Molli was supposed to call at 9. If she did, I missed it.

Better, but sore and nervous about doing anything that might set it off again. Ray went in for a little while; it was reading day. My Dad came by after his performance. It went well, but he is tired and thinks he is coming down with a cold. He begged off the rehearsal last night so he could go to bed at a reasonable hour. He had me make him tea with honey and lemon (and bourbon) and rested a bit before he went home to eat and sleep.

I wanted to make cookies, but there were no eggs. I kept going out and checking. I let the chickens out, although it was dark and rainy. I had the impression they wanted me to do something about it. I made a chocolate eclipse cake for potluck. It was still warm and delicious and very well recieved. They didn't know that it has no eggs in it and not much fat and uses sour milk. I finally found a cookie recipe with no eggs that I mixed up and put in the fridge to chill. I will cook them as soon as it is light.

Ray was home for lunch, just after my Dad left. At 5:15, we got the chickens up, took the trash to Nancy's, fed the pigs, and headed to potluck and choir. Watched a little TV, knitted a little, and went to bed about 10. Slept well until 5:30. Freezing out this morning.

Bummer! I took a little walk and a long bath, called Jean and got out of going to help her, and went back to bed with my iPad and a "snake" I had heated in the microwave. I was pretty good. I got up and ate something and walked over to the community center for a finance committee meeting. But I couldn't sit in the chairs there and I couldn't stand. My back started spasming again, so I came home and took some more pills. I slept most of the afternoon. Ray came home. I went downstairs and sat on the couch while he made supper--leftover chicken with beans and cheese in tacos. Yum. We watched some TV and went to bed before 10. I was surprised I didn't have trouble falling asleep, but I did wake up around 4 this morning, not surprisingly.

Weather was a little sun in the morning, then misty and rainy all night. But it's warm enough out that we didn't need to light a fire. Ray taught his last class of the semester. Now for the exams and the grades.

Well, I guess it was time to pay the piper.

Ray helped me thrash around, cleaning up and getting ready for my small group meeting and party here. We had a lovely time, each reading a holiday story (two about Hanukah). I read Nellie's Christmas Eve. I thought it would be funny. I thought I had gotten past the point where it would make me cry, maybe tear up a little. I bawled and could barely get through it. I should have picked something else. I guess, the fact that my Mom is "what some people call dead" made the story more emotional. We exchanged white elephant gifts. I love to pass something on to someone who will enjoy it. It would have been more fun if there had been more than five of us. Only four stayed for a holiday lunch. It was interesting. Deb brought a green salad. I made winter squash, someething we serve at Christmas. Heather brought frozen pigs in blankets, which were tasty (from Steaks of Omaha), and Victoria some pita chips and purchased hummus. So there was some variety. I also had made apple muffins for the group to eat. Heather brought her coffee maker and coffee. After lunch, three of us went to visit the piggies. It was a good walk and we stopped at the Community Center briefly. The facilities committee was meeting, so I officially requested to rent the building for a wedding reception March 31. They will get me a usage form as soon as they make one up.

After Deb and Victoria left, I tidied a little and then sat down for a while. My Dad arrived soon after and I rested on the couch and knit some. I began to realize my back was hurting and later it developed into its full-bore throbbing spasms. The last few times, I have been able to bypass the worst of it, with heat, I guess. I wanted to be cooking and doing other things I had been too busy for, but all I could do was sit, lie, walk and cry. My Dad left and Ray came home. I asked him to make dinner that I had planned. I didn't want to take my strong medicine because I was supposed to do my second sleep study. I still thought I could get it to go away on my own. At 7, I called the doctor's office and got the on-call service. They told me I had to wait until 8 when someone would be in the office--or I could leave a message someone would get in the morning. Not  helpful. I took the muscle relaxant, thinking that would be less likely to mess with the study. I wasn't sure it helped at all. I ate a little. At 8, I called and got the same recording. I called twice more and never got to speak to anyone. So I packed up my things and Ray drove me there. The same technician, April, let me in. I told her about my back and asked if I could take the hydrocodone. She called and let a message for the doctor, but he didn't call her back either. She decided I should go ahead and take it, since it didn't seem like I would be sleeping without it. It took a long time to take effect and I could still feel the back pain come and go, but I got sleepy. So she hooked up my wires again and put a mask over my nose. It blows warm air into my breathing passages to keep them open. You have to breathe through your nose, which was not hard. I slept well--of course, it could have been the drugs. Ray came back and got me at 5:30 this morning and we both went back to bed.

I am up now, stiff and sore, but no spasms.