problems with mud

 I didn't write a post yesterday, didn't feel up to it. (No, not because of news of the world, though given the Chevron decision of today I'm going to have to basically put a big asterisk on a lot of the environmental policy I discuss).

I spent most of this past week sorting through the soil I collected the previous week. The way I do this is to wet it down heavily, and then examine it under a dissecting microscope (at 20X mag; 30 makes things harder to find, actually) and move the soil around with a dissecting needle and then grab any invertebrate I find either with the needle (for the really small collembolans - they're dead at this point so they don't jump away) or forceps (for things like isopods) and add them to the preservative.

I did all six samples - two on Monday, two on Wednesday, two yesterday. Driving home - well, I felt like I needed a "treat" and we'd also had a very dirty rain so I decided to run through the "disco" car wash (they use LED lights and they play thunderstorm sounds in the rinse section).

I don't know if it was the scent of the detergent on top of everything else, or having bent in a non-ergonomic position over the microscope all week, or exposure to whatever allergens got through my N95 mask from the soil, but driving home my chest got VERY tight. I worried briefly - I know heart attacks in women don't present like in men - but given that the pain moved around a little, and didn't center on my left arm and shoulderblade, and I had had it before in this situation, I tried not to worry too much.

It calmed down eventually (after I got home) and today it's better, I just have a little lower back discomfort (PROBABLY from how i was sitting but this is also a warning to drink more water, given that kidney stones can start as vague lower back pain)

***

I did a full-length workout yesterday and again today, and I can still walk reasonably comfortably (I was even better yesterday after doing it very first thing) and I am very hopeful that the lingering pain I've had is just that the bone bruise still hadn't healed 100% and that if I build those muscles back up the slight meniscal damage (which I could already have had, that knee hurt occasionally in the past) won't matter. 

But I didn't do a lot today, I guess. 

Watched a lot of Bluey episodes, I've found I've lost any tolerance of late for news. Knitted a little on the mitts but they're still not very far yet.

Midday I realized I HAD to get out of the house even though it was very hot out, because I was starting to feel trapped - I start to get flashbacks to 2020 when there were weeks where I didn't leave the house and where I effectively spoke to no one, and that was bad.

I contemplated going to Michael's but meh, it was after 1 pm by then, and it was hot, and they're a half hour away (just to get there) and then I'd have to park and probably walk (and I guess it's a payday weekend so going grocery shopping after wouldn't be fun).

The frustrating thing about here is that there's effectively nothing close. There's the tiny "mercantile" over in a small town about 15 minutes away, but I went there like last week and I doubt they have anything new. And I was at the quilt shop here recently and shouldn't buy more fabric until I get the Moominhouse done and can actually work on quilts again. North of me there's really nothing; west of me you either have to go over a scary bridge or take a roundabout route that's twice as long and then drive an hour to the next nearest city there. 

Then I remembered the town to the south, near the casino, that had an "Amish" store (food products - some cheese but mostly jams). Then I remembered they sometimes carry canned spiced peaches, which I like, so I figured maybe I go there.

I did. I got the peaches and also a jar of apple-cinnamon jelly. I contemplated getting a cinnamon roll but didn't.

I contemplated driving to Michael's FROM THERE because they're fundamentally halfway but I didn't like the idea of getting onto the interstate from the nearest exit (which is difficult, and it looked like traffic was very heavy). So I took a leisurely route home on a road I don't think I'd ever taken before (but my guess was good, it let me out on the road that becomes Main Street. 

But yeah, I wish there were more nearby running-around things to do. If my knee weren't slightly crunchy these days and if it weren't dangerously hot, I might do some hiking or walking, but that's not possible right now. And there's not really anything much cheap or free. 

I did see that the fireworks stands are now open, I take this to mean that I'm going to have interrupted sleep for the coming week. I wish people would ONLY shoot fireworks off on the Fourth (I don't love the noise, but okay, let them have that day) but some years it's been loud for an entire week. 

But I am definitely feeling cabin fever, given the lack of places to go (and a couple places I might have, have suffered tornadoes and are not open for business!)