This past year, Pete and I have been dealing with health-related issues. I do not think that this is age related, rather it’s circumstantial. He’s had to deal with a torn meniscus in his knee, sciatica, and numb wrists.

Pete has been going to physical therapy for the knee and sciatica problems, and recently he had carpal tunnel surgery on his left hand, in hopes that this would take care of the problem.

Overall, he’s getting better but soon he’ll have surgery on his dominant hand. This will be after school gets out because then he won’t have to write. Also, after the Science of Reading symposium.

I am going to have to assist him with the gardening chores. Tonight I got a message from our friend Bill who said that he won’t be hauling away our manure this year. So perhaps I will load up the truck and we will drive to Bill’s place and do as he’s done in the past and put it on the far side of the road. This way, the wildflowers will get a much-needed soil amendment boost.

Pete building hay shed

Now me. I was told last fall that I have a tear in my hip labrum and perhaps a bone spur. I’d been to the chiropractor who first diagnosed this, then went to the orthopedic surgeon who verified this. I continue to go to physical therapy – I need to complain more because my hips do feel really tight.

I also continue to have neck/headache/ear/toothaches. I can’t identify the problem. The dentist said that the problem is not tooth related. This is very intermittent. Today it was particularly bad. I am going to get a physical in the next few days and see if the physician’s assistant has any idea what’s going on. I may be referred to a nose, ear, and throat specialist.

So these are the things we are dealing with. Interesting, they are not slowing us down, although Pete did go bicycle riding and later said that he felt numb in one wrist and that there was pain in the other.

I mentioned that my head was hurting but didn’t make a big deal out of it.

No, our ailments have not slowed us down much. Today I cleaned the upstairs, vacuuming – I didn’t do a great job, just an average job because I wanted to get outside.

I cleaned the interior of the goat pen – it seems like I did this recently. The last time the bottom layer was frozen. This time it smelled like ammonia.

Now if Sassy is pregnant, and she gives birth inside, it will be clean environs. If she is not pregnant, she will at least remain comfortable. I also cleaned the horse enclosure, in fact a few times. The siphon worked limitedly. There was some water at the base of the pen, near the pit this afternoon. We went for a ride. When we got back, I noticed that the water had drained off; all that remained was a coating of ice.

I finished cleaning the goat pen this evening.

I’m staying put tomorrow. I am now going to be more guarded with my time, but this is a subject for yet another dispatch.

Next: 96. 4/7/25: Down in the Old Hotel