Thursday-8am

We've had some brief breaks in the rain...

...and glimpses of blue sky. 

But the storm clouds keep rolling back in. 

During one longer afternoon rainbreak Karma wanted to sit on the porch chair and watch the darting swallow shadows... 

...listen to the hungry babies chirp and look hopefully for bugs...

...before she decided...

...to settle in... 

...for her afternoon nap. 

Yesterday afternoon, though, was rainy and dark.  Yet Karma got it in her head she wanted to snooze on the porch chair.  She stood in front of it and cried, but I didn't want to take the cover off and have the chair get wet.  Well, when Karma gets an idea in her head she doesn't let up--and I live in an apartment building and don't want the neighbors complaining about my loud cat.  (And she gets very loud when she's trying to get a point across.)  So I relented--but just pulled the cover up over the back of the chair so it would be simple to quickly pull it back down if it started pouring again.  

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I no sooner get back inside and Karma's crying again out there.  Mind you, the porch carpet is all yuckysoaked and I wasn't happy gross-stepping across it in the first place.  But I started laughing when I saw that she was trying to climb up the back of the chair to get underneath the plastic chair cover.  She wanted to be IN the chair, but UNDER the chair cover--LOL!  Apparently she couldn't quite manage to do that herself yesterday like she was able to that one day a while back when I couldn't find her, remember?  I guess Karma didn't want to get wet, either--LOL!  I pulled the cover down over her and she slept out there all afternoon--thunderstorms and pouring rain and all.  :)

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And guess where she is sitting staring at me and, shall we say, relaying her porch request right this very minute?

What does she think I am?  Her cat slave?

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Okay.  

I confess.  

I just got up and let her out. 

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Anyways...I got my results for all my tests in the mail yesterday with a note from Dr. Sleckman.  All my lab tests were fine: blood sugar, blood count, liver & kidney tests.  Normal urine & thyroid.  All good.  I do have bone spurs in my knee (probably both because they both hurt and swell--well, so do my ankles, for that matter, and hips).  And I have arthritis in the facet joints in my lower back.

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I always look things up on the Mayo Clinic site.  It's what I expected--a degenerative lumbar issue usually caused by age or accident.  That fall on the cement steps over 20 years ago has definitely been an issue ever since.  First minor, but gradually increasing in annoyance--LOL!  Anyways, as I have said--it's the devil I know.  I just keep on with the stretching exercises and playing musical chairs.  When this damp weather lets up I know my bones will feel less painful and creaky.  

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The sciatica...well, they don't know it's chronic unless it lasts over two months.  Just need to do those stretching exercises and wait it out.  Since I've had some issues with the numbness that have come and gone over the last year or so--who knows?  Time will tell.  But that and the damp weather have thrown me off my snail game--LOL!

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It looks like it quit raining.  You can hear the smacky sound of wet tires in the parking lot and the workmen over at that apartment building.  The porch is so soaked that Karma's decided she's content to sit in the dry open doorway to listen to the babies and smell the wafting breeze.

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Oh-wow!  There was just a glimpse of shadow on the carpet as the whole room lit up for a moment--a quick morning greeting from the sun.  Maybe it will visit for a while today.  Maybe not.  Regardless, it's a good day.  Hope you have a good day, too.  :):)

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"When I count my blessings I count you twice."

Irish blessing