I have no photographs from yesterday. How did this happen?
Yesterday morning I drove out to visit my people and half way down the road, I discovered that my body is not ready for the driver’s seat yet. But I had promised so I continued. When I got home, I did only critical things like waters then I banished myself to the couch (without moving) for two hours. By then it was almost dark and very slowly I went to feed out. Eleven eggs yesterday and a sore Celi.
I Am fine standing, lying, sitting on the edge of a chair, I can even bend a little more but no car. No shopping (Oh the horror if it! Laugh.).
My eldest son said to me a few days ago.
“You know what your biggest problem will be?”
“What darling” I said, the phone in one hand and the poker for the fire in the other.
“You will feel better and think you Are better.”
“If I feel better I won’t be better?”
“No, you will still be healing. And you can easily break the bone all over again if you are not careful, especially when it has only just finished knitting. Then you will be less than better. ”
“Does it do cable?” I opened the fire door and poked at the embers to let in some air.
“What?”
“The knitting bone. Can it do cable, I have always been useless at cable. I can knit and purl but cable.. “. I hung the poker back up with it’s other cast iron sisters on the special cast iron daddy stand. And studied the fire wood pile left for me by some sweet soul who thinks the fire box is three inches longer than it actually is.
“Are you listening to me?” he said.
“Of course I am listening darling, you are the master of the broken bone. We all listen to you when it comes to broken bones and then breaking them again. How is your floating collar bone anyway. Aha.” I spied a nice fat piece just the right length. ” So how will I know when I am better?”
“You have to listen to your body. Then add two weeks.”
“I am listening to my body and it says it needs a drink.”
“You can’t drink and take pain relief.”
“I know, that’s why I cut down” I picked up the piece of firewood one handed and swung it into the fire box. It flew in sideways knocking a handful of embers flying out onto the floor.
“On the drinking?”
“No darling, what a horrible thought, the pain relief.” Licking my fingers and picking up the embers that had flown out, I threw them back in. My mouth tasted sooty. I pulled myself up and kicked the last few little fire starters onto the tile. I bashed the wood a few times with the wood fire door then latched it shut.
“You shouldn’t drink and take pain meds, Mum.”
“I know darling. I don’t drink ALL day.”
A paternal pause. “Well, remember what I said. This is going to take time. You have to be patient.”
“I know darling but patience is so tedious. I can’t just lounge about like some kind of Roman whore-house mistress forever. My hair is not right for a start. I have nothing to wear. ”
“One more week at least. Ask The Fellowship for another reading list. They are all good readers.”
“Ah. Now that is an excellent idea.”
Do you remember our last reading list? You all wrote your suggestions and then I created a page for all of us to print out. Wait there, I will find it – so you can see where we left off last year. Here it is – 95 books to read. And yes I have about read them all now, it was a year ago after all.
So if you have a book you recommend – put the title and author in the comments lounge today or tomorrow. And I will make us a new list. And copy it into the next days post. Just in time for the holidays. That should keep us out of trouble for a while!
Oh, I am looking forward to this!
your friend on the couch,
celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
109 responses to “So: What are you reading?”
I do hope you listen to your son, get well soon. I’m reading a trashy lawyer novel but it’s easy and I really don’t have to pay too much attention. 🙂
same here…my weakness is trashy historical romance novels. I love cowboys! 🙂
🙂
Hee hee, loved the telephone conversation between you and your son.
Book: Life of Pi by Yann Martel
Have a lovely relaxing day on the couch C.
🙂 Mandy xo
😦
Went to see my Mom who has had 2 vertebra let go in her spine in horrible pain and now with Sciatica the two of you are like me not good at feeling helpless must push forward and make our bodies remember how tough they are. 😦 Been in the pain like you have gone through and so glad mine has lessened some praying you will feel better soon. I know the horror also of sliding across a seat with pain so bad you think you shall pass out and I did it to go to Physical T to get better I think not. Rest and no movement is how a body heals but I personally know why you and my Mom don’t. Be well Celi
That’s what happened to me, at the beginning of August, and I’m STILL unable to drive – and an awful lot of other things. REST all of you, even though it is uunbelievably frustrating and inconvenient..
Books: my house is FULL of books and I am re-reading lots of old favourites: Maeve Binchy (light-ish for when you need cheering up)) Ken Follett: The Pillars of the Earth and World Without End – gripping history.; Dick Francis – who always comes with me to hospital – I must have about 30 books of his, probably read at least 5 times each;
At present I am reading a lot of pretty gruesome mysteries. Then I plan to re-read Howard Spring and Dorothy Dunnett (historical).
On your old list, Wolf Hall (Hilary Mantel) was on it twice, and I am staring at it on the top shelf still unread, to be remedied! Lindsey Davies about ancient Rome, very funny but not always meant to be! That’ll do to be going on with.
Have restful reading fun,
love,
ViV
excellent
read 4 times
still chuckleing
I was worried about you when I read your last post about all the things you were doing. I think the hardest part of recovering is after the initial pain gets better and fools us into thinking we’re perfect again. You son gave you terrific advice about allowing another 2 weeks to heal.
The Roundhouse by Louise Erdrich.
Yes, listen to you son…that is some very good advice there 🙂 I am looking forward to reading the book suggestions as I haven’t been reading much outside of blogs and academic articles these days!
I want that kitty! But I’ve already got 2 kitties… Maybe I need a farm. No, bad idea. Maybe I need a large farm like area so that I can have herds of kitties 🙂 Good morning c.
Yoiks! I am flat out reading the Sunday paper which takes me all week…… I always fall asleep reading. However, I do buy books – they look lovely in a bookcase and, one day, I wont be able to scoot around the property like I do now and then will be the time I will get to read all my books – and get back to piano practice and the quilt and, and, and I will never have enough time. If you are enjoying the odd tipple or two now, never fear, you can join me in abstaining for the month of February and all will be forgiven. Joy
Sometimes your children really do know best! And your comment about a Roman Whore House Mistress made me smile (twice) – first because of the image it conjured up and secondly because the (not very good) book I have just finished reading was called Mistress of Rome – about a slave girl and a gladiator with lots of rumpy pumpy, fighting and bonkers emperors and senators. I realised it wasn’t quite my thing…back to a nice Agatha Christie for me 🙂
LISTEN TO YOUR SON,,,!
Have you heard the saying ‘you can take a horse to water but you can’t make it drink’……stop being so stubborn, thinking that you can run around when you have not healed properly…gawd.. you only did it last week…give your body a chance… listen to wise words of son. And get better..xxxxxx
I am reading Gone With The Wind and sincerely wishing I had it in e-format. Holding that tome open is a chore! I cringe when I hear the spine crack.
I’m also reading “My Life in France” by Julia Child. It’s wonderful!
We will take your wonderful writing without pictures. Unfortunately, Son is probably right, darn it! So to make the waiting easier, a book list will be wonderful. I am just about to begin my annual being able to have time to read books again. I have had time for a couple this fall though: The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak, is really really good, and The Big Burn by Timothy Egan. this is nonfiction, about the birth of the Forest Service and the huge area that burned an area the size of Connecticut in the Northwest: Idaho, Washington, Montana and BC in the early 1900s. Talk about political intrigue today…It was no different back then!
I second The Book Thief 🙂
Hold your horses there Celi! Stop trying to gallop before you can walk, and heed the advice from your son. OK nagging over.
What am I reading – oh gosh I never stop reading! So far I have 350 books on my Kindle and because I read lots of ‘The Chronicles of….” and Trilogies I have to keep track of them, so have put them in a table in Word. They are mostly fantasy and contain Dragons, Trolls, Elves, and all other entities that are not around in this world. I suppose it is my way of escaping this mad, mad, mad world LOL. I will send you my document and you can take your pick.
I just finished “You’ve Gone Too Far This Time, Sir” by Danny Bent and now I’m reading “One Summer: America, 1927” by Bill Bryson. Both wonderful…
Carry on healing… patience, patience…
God bless you for posting this. And the library has it on CD too. I love to hear the sound of Bryson’s voice. Thanks,
One summer [America, 1927] / by Bryson, Bill.
Anything by Bill Bryson really….