I packed an impressive number and variety of activities into the weekend, which in turn inflicted upon my musculoskeletal structure an impressive number and variety of aches and pains. Considering that I’ve been an inert, deskbound mass lately, I’m lucky I feel as well as I do.
Saturday began with about an hour of leaf raking and bagging, followed by flower planting. I haven’t even touched my own yard and garden yet this year, so even that little bit of labor awakened some dormant muscles.
Next came horseback riding, which ended up lasting about three hours, rather than the hour I was expecting. Saturday was a gorgeous day to spend on horseback. We saw about eight deer and a wild turkey during the ride, not to mention lots of hawks and other predatory birds. I was riding a small, spunky horse named Josie who was not allowed to lead because of her penchant for leaping over streams and perpetrating other horsey goofiness. Her short stature saved me from a lot of tree branch scrapes, although I found a scratch on one temple the next morning as I applied moisturizer. (Downside of riding Josie: I had the song, “Josie” by Steely Dan stuck in my head throughout the ride – and now I have it stuck in my head again!)
By the time the ride ended, I was already getting some sore muscles in the area my four-year-old niece would refer to as the “booty.” By the next day, most of the muscle pain was centered on my upper back muscles and inner thighs, although I certainly have no wish to sit on any non-cushioned surfaces right now.
After we left the farm, my sister and I headed to her house so I could pick up my niece for our evening of fun. We saw “Home on the Range,” which my niece seemed to enjoy (she enjoyed the Skittles and popcorn anyway). After that, we stopped for pizza. By then it was so far past her bedtime that as soon as we got to my house, I got her into her pajamas, helped her brush her teeth, read her one story and then it was lights-out.
I went to bed within the next few minutes myself, and it was a good thing, too, because my niece woke me up at 6:30 a.m. (okay, it was really 7:30, but we’d forgotten to set our clocks ahead). I was moving pretty slowly, but managed to spend the morning watching cartoons and our DVD of “Shrek,” painting with watercolors, playing three rounds of a hiding-and-finding game my niece made up, and coloring on the back patio with chalk. My sister and brother-in-law came to collect their daughter and we all went out for a lovely brunch.
The activities continued apace, but you get the idea. Tonight’s plan: Christmas light removal (I know, I know!), roto-tilling and grass seed planting.
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