Wonder why I haven't been around to update my blog? Well, I got my driving privileges back on the 11th! I'm still sore from all the roaming around I did on the 12th...

My soft collar brace is now an on-again-off-again deal. Easy. When my neck is tired and sore from holding my head up I put the brace on. Having worn the full brace all winter, my neck muscles are a bit weak. Never thought it would be so hard just to hold my own head up. Reminds me of the little kid in Jerry McGuire who was always mouthing off about how much the human head weighs.

My frostbitten thumb is turning green again, as are all the plant starts we have in our indoor mini-greenhouse. Our garden will be about 4 times larger this year if dear husband is able to till up that much. He's an old fart, he tells me. Probably to postpone getting the tiller out.

Won't be long before I'll need to start mowing the yard. David, our next door neighbor to the east, is usually the first to pull his mower out of the garage - letting me know it's time! Each of the five houses on this street has at least 2.3 acres. We have almost 4 acres to mow, plant, seed, weed.

Mowing last summer and fall was extremely hard on me. The vibration from our John Deere rider made me ache all over, but it was especially hard on my hands and forearms. Surgery should have corrected that. Sounds like a post for next week... If David can wait that long to start mowing season.

I really don't want to have to mow until after it snows at least one more time. It always seems to snow in April in Ohio.

On another rant

Still no reply from Tripod. Thank God for my naturally very low blood pressure.

Shoulders are still hosting those pesky fencing elephants, but I was able to sleep in my own bed last night, which made hubby very happy. Now I understand why all the kids and company like our guest bed, though. Very comfortable.

Went without my neck brace for a little while yesterday. Won't do that again. Hubby washed my hair. There is just something about having clean hair that is always nice, even if no one sees it. Barbara Walters made a comment about that many years ago. She said it didn't matter what her dress looked like when she was on camera as long as her hair was clean. I heartily agree.

Dear husband and I will be going to Cincinnati this afternoon to a mandatory health insurance meeting. Probably won't be good news. His employer has graciously paid a large amount of our premiums and also paid into our HSA account. That might change. Just what we need is higher costs for my care.

On that note; I heard a rumor yesterday that when an employee is laid off for even a short while, the employer can no longer continue to pay the employee's health insurance - that it must go through COBRA - which not many can afford. That sucketh, folks. While Michael was temporarily laid off this past year, his employer paid our insurance. Beginning in February 2009, if the rumor is true, he won't be allowed to do that anymore. So if this rumor is true, the newly unemployed, even during temporary unemployment, will be doubly screwed.

We need to impeach everyone in Congress and the House and start over. Shut off their health insurance. Shut off their pension plans. Clean out their 401-K plans. Ours has been dismally attacked.

We the people, may never be allowed to retire.

Re the 2-hour ride to Cinci for this meeting: I'll be propped into position with at least 3 pillows to absorb some of the bumps in the road. Just going shopping for an hour 2 days ago has made my body ache. I felt every little crack in the road, every lurch at a stop light, every corner no matter how slowly taken.