The spring blossoms have all perished, thanks to the recent snowfall. This area of rural Tennessee is officially blossomless.
Today the temperature has soared to 73 degrees (that's Fahrenheit, for those of you in Madagascar). It's warm and muggy and feels like June.
BUT
here comes the inevitable "but"....
freezing temperatures are predicted again by this coming weekend. That puts the kibosh on any chance of seeing spring blossoms. They can't tolerate this insane temperature fluctuation (and neither can I). I'm used to California and Texas, where April was almost summer.
So how was my Easter? Boring and painful. A grey, chilly, cheerless day.
I'm always in pain with my "bad" back, but I made the mistake of lifting some heavy things and sustained a major strain.
How major?
Major enough to make me limp, wince, and undulate like Quasimodo.
I only threw in "undulate" because I hardly ever have an opportunity to use the word.
On Sunday night I opened the window in my bedroom to get some air, and immediately got an incredible allergy.
For the next several hours I sneezed and undulated.
Don't attempt to visualize that.
Change of subject
For the past few weeks the readership of my blog surged, over a thousand hits for every post. I figured it was a mistake. My charm couldn't be that irresistible. Maybe.
Then I wrote the post about the cows and my readership dropped to nearly zero and has stayed that way. I'm not seeking an explanation. I'm only stating a fact.
So what's the deal with the header photo that I used?
It's a picture of my cat Scratch eating the Easter tulips when I lived in Texas. I posted it several years ago but figured I'd use it again.
I'm starting to bore myself, which is a sure sign that I should say au revoir for now.
That's one amazing image of Scratch. Those eyes!!!
ReplyDeleteI don't recall seeing your post about cows, but I've been missing a lot of brain cells lately. (Aside: Suppose stress causes dementia?)
Undulate? I like it! One of those funny words that sounds dirty, but isn't. Pity.
I have no doubt that stress contributes to dementia. I lost half my brain cells due to stress (and the other half from alcohol...).
DeleteI luv that photo of Scratch. Her eyes were glowing from the camera flash.
Hi Jon - well, it's been rotten weather here as well if that helps any. It snowed like a bugger on Easter Sunday. Unbelievable ! Everyone was pissed off.
ReplyDeleteBlossomless at this time of year is more than aggravating. We seem to be getting more and more rotten weather each year. Time to move to Tuscany, or someplace with actual spring like temperatures all year round.
Rest that back. Maybe try heat or ice to see if anything helps.
I innocently thought Tennessee was a mild state. The winters aren't harsh here, but I'm sick of the cold and damp. And it's bizarre to have snow in April.
DeleteI have far more back trouble than I ever write (complain) about in my blog. I'm actually nearly a cripple since I fell on the ice. This latest back strain merely compounds my eternal misery (how optimistic is that??). The best thing I can do is rest.
And perhaps hibernate until July.
Or move to Tuscany??
Maybe your readers were busy for Easter. I don't know why anyone wouldn't like cows.
ReplyDeleteI think a lot of people were busy during the Easter holiday. I've always liked cows - - they are great neighbors.
Deletescratch looks gleeful eating the tulips. whats not to love about cows? sorry to hear about your back pain. nothing worse in the worls other than back pain.
ReplyDeleteFortunately Scratch didn't get sick from munching the tulips. I'm always hesitant to have house plants now that I've got three cats. I'm so used to having back pain that I'd probably perish instantly if I was pain-free. This latest strain has merely served to enhance my agony....
DeleteJon, I believe eating tulips is how cats conduct Eucharist. I also suspect they pray to remain cats. Take care of your aches and don't overdo. Cats taught me that too.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately cats haven't learned that tulips can be more toxic than bread and wine.
DeleteI'll try not to any strenuous things - - which means that the cats will probably be cleaning their own litter boxes...
Just imagine we are having almost same temperature, I am in Australia. Jon , Madagascar has hold fascination for me since childhood .all that sugar and vanilla makes life more exciting. Dash of both in tea. Sorry to hear your back is hurting, rest will help. Take care mate.
ReplyDeleteI don't know much about Madagascar, but strangely enough it was the first place that came to mind. I also don't know very much about the climate in Australia - but I think winter will be arriving in a month or two (am I right???).
DeleteSugar and vanilla in tea sounds wonderful. Today I had tea with honey.
That constant pain is awful. Lifting something heavy when you already always have back pain can set it off for days, for sure. I have degenerative spine in my lower back--in other words, crumbling bones--LOL! So I can relate. I know it sucks and the yo-yo weather doesn't help, but spring will come...eventually.
ReplyDeleteThe cold weather is probably harder on the old bones, too, right? At least I have heard a lot of people say that. I have never noticed much of a pain difference between hot or cold weather. My pain fluctuates more depending on activity. *hobble-hobble*
Love the picture! Cats are always into something. They keep us on our aching toes--LOL! ;)
I must admit that cold weather bothers me much more now than when I was younger. It seems to stimulate (enhance?) pain. Also, it's EXTREMELY damp here. I miss the bone dry West Texas climate.
DeleteI've always had trouble with my spine - but two serious falls have made things MUCH worse. About twenty years ago I fell down a flight of stairs while carrying a heavy vacuum cleaner. Here in Tennessee I fell on the ice and re-injured the old spine injury.
I guess all we can do is rest...and wait for spring to eventually warm up...