Just Keep Working

My shop opens to the east so in the morning the sun pours in and I put my tomato starts on the front steps. In the afternoon I am looking out on the lovely day but I'm in the relative dark. It was hard to work today and I didn't get nearly as much done as I expected to.

Two years ago I was working in constant pain as I learned all about disk injuries (ignoring them is a really bad idea) and now I really have to pay attention. You might be able to see in the picture that the disk between L4 and L5 just completely split open and spilled out its Jell-O and they had to pick it out like crabmeat (that's how they described it). My sciatic nerve was being compressed bigtime and I was losing function in my left leg. All my disks are compromised, of course, because: gravity. And slumping. And working too hard for too long and thinking I am strong enough to carry sheets of 5/8" plywood and such like.

I can work for a couple of hours, depending on the tasks, and then I have to do some McKenzies and sit down for awhile. I've adjusted, and enjoy the breaks, but I used to work 14 hour days during the months of May and June and in early July I would barely sleep.

Guess that was the pattern that did me in. I would still do it if I could. I kind of do...on the breaks I'm usually just switching to some kind of work I can do sitting down. I do manage to get most of the things done on my list each day, week, and by the deadlines. Not without some anxiety of course. I love those nights when I work all night in my dreams.

But it isn't like it was that year, thank goodness. I really was stupid about it, just didn't know what was going on inside my body and didn't have time to find out. As it was when I finally had to have surgery, I squeezed it in 3 weeks before Holiday Market and then did the recovery in January. Dangerous stuff. So many of us in the crafting world have worn our bodies out. Farmers too.

My mom's side of the family homesteaded in Nebraska and I have always thought of myself as a farmer. I'm more passionate about blueberries and eggplants and birds than I am about many things. I watch weather constantly and know the name of just about every plant I have ever seen here, in Delaware where I grew up, in Colorado where I worked in the botany lab of Colorado College, and everywhere I go. I have to identify the plants, though I try to refrain from collecting them now, unless I need them to do some art. Lately most of the products I make are decorated with drawings of plants, too. Birds are harder, but plants are fun to draw.

But today I made hats, new hats for Market and the Fair. I did one that says "bike everywhere" with a picture of my bike on it, and a version with my trailer too. I did one that says "Geezer Gone Wild" for my collection of hats for old men. I made one that says "Ordinary Hero" which kinda chokes me up a little. I hope it brings me some great stories when people buy it as a gift for someone. I'll edit in some pictures after tomorrow, because I already packed everything up and my back says I can't lift any more things today. Except a spoon for some frozen blueberries I got at the Farmers Market last week. I'm getting more tomorrow, they are really good.

This week my family wanted to know what to give me for my birthday. I had a really hard time thinking of anything, and said a card would be fine, etc., etc., but my brother challenged me to think harder. Finally I realized I have always wanted to take a hot-air balloon ride, a real one off the tether. I hope I can talk someone into coming with me. It seems like a perfect choice: a rich life experience, something that is on my list of 100 things to do (made way before that got called a bucket list) and something adventurous but not adrenaline-producing.

I still might hang-glide someday, but maybe not. Maybe I will just dream of flying as I have since I was little. I really don't enjoy rousing up my adrenals and never have. Probably that is one reason I like work so much. I can use it for an excuse for a gazillion things I don't really want to be challenged to do. Sorry, gotta work.

I guess it is a good thing I am not a farmer, because I would now have to be more of a manager and tell people what to do and where to do it. I still climb my trees to prune them and can keep up with the weeds and flowers in my yard, and every year I expand my gardens to take up some more of the grass. I need to give up mowing the lawn by giving up the lawn.

I don't think I will go out tonight to pick off slugs and weevils and cutworms though. I have to take a hot bath and go to bed early. Tomorrow the plan is to spend some time on the east block so I can scope out how the weather works over there. Tuesday Market is moving over to that block and I want to find a good spot with shade, but not too much of it. It starts on the 4th, coming right up. Not quite sure how I am going to fit that in, but I suppose I will somehow.

See you tomorrow. Come and tell me something amazing and maybe I will mention you in here. (That's for you, Rich). Just sayin... (actually that was another hat I made today, as per Jan's request).