Last night I went riding with Pete. My stirrup leathers were too short. I didn’t stop to readjust them until we were midway through the ride. I lowered them just one notch. I continued on, knowing that they should be lowered another notch.

I was cramped and felt pain in the S.I. joint. My hip did okay, but my lower back muscles bothered me today. I had a hard time standing in one place (beside my standing desk) this morning during a Zoom meeting about our federal funding. Such things always go on a bit long, even if they don’t take much time.

After, I felt like crap, so I did some body work (a body scan), and I took two Ibuprofen. And an hour later, I felt okay. I continued to feel okay enough so that I agreed to go for a ride on Raudi this evening.

I again readjusted the stirrup leathers, and this time I got them just right.

On Alys's favorite trail

Off we went. Pete rode Tyra. We rode our trails and then took the trail to the bench trail turnoff. I was apprehensive because I ended up feeling so bad yesterday. I did feel a twinge in my hip towards the end.

That I was tense didn’t help matters at all. It was for this reason that I rode with my seat out of the saddle. When I got off, I could stand (this was the litmus test). And right now, I am not in pain.

The real test will come in the morning, when I get out of bed. If I feel okay, I will later go for another ride. I think, the more I ride, the better off I am going to be. Walking too. And today I did not lift any books; although I did resort some, which involved getting onto my hands and knees. Uhh uhh.

I do not know about the CTR. I did say to Pete that if I’m not able to ride, that I will be his support, and Tyra’s support, person. So what I’m doing here is turning this into a win-win situation.

I am working at doing this with the book project, too. It took a while (this is my narrative take), but I have regained my status as the leader of the pack. I say to people, I am the one in charge, and believe it. This is a first for me; that is, to assert my authority as the executive director.

I sometimes wonder if my one close relative, my sister, who has known me since I was three years old, if she reads these dispatches. If so, then she has an idea now about my physical and mental ups and downs. I suspect that she’s having hers too, since the weather where she lives, Portland Oregon, has been in the triple digits. I wish I could send her a truckload of snow. She could use the water to water her plants.

Next: 189. 7/11/24: Phew