Crick in my neck and prose from my dad

For those of you reading this who may actually be FROM Indiana, let me assure you, a small stream is not running through my neck. I have a stiff neck, a sore neck, and have had for the past three days. Let me tell you: though it has only been three days, I have major sympathy for people who must go their whole lives with chronic pain, because I am WIPED. OUT. If I sit very, very still for about 20 minutes, the pain will finally subside to a dull ache. But it's very hard to sit still for a whole 20 minutes in my house, and of course, after the 2o minutes is up, I have to go do laundry. Or feed the kids. Leo has been pretty good about helping the last few days, but unless he doesn't go to work at all, he can't do everything that needs done. He has thrown laundry in for me, but I still have to fold it. And if he's not here when it's mealtime, well...

I went to see my chiropractor yesterday for a regularly scheduled appointment, and he hooked me up to the muscle stimulators, on my neck and upper back instead of my lower back where the contacts usually go. OH. MY. BLISS. I let nurse turn up the juice a bit higher than I normally would, and did not regret it. Mild electrical current making the muscle in question twitch...I never imagined it could feel so goooooooooooooooooooood. But it was only for 10 minutes, and then I had to go home. He also adjusted my neck, and it helped a TEENY bit. But it's bad again today. I'm going back Thursday. It's got to get better. I can't live my life motionless on the sofa.

Got an e-mail from my dad this week that I have to post. I am reluctant to do so, because I'm not even asking his permission and can't, since he doesn't even know this blog exists. But, this was pretty funny. I had even heard both stories already, but the way he tells them makes them even funnier.

This past Saturday I had the privilege of watching my grandson, Andrew, play in his first game of “team” basketball.

You have not lived if you have not seen a group of 4, 5, and 6 year old boys and girls play their first “team” basketball game.

They are being taught that it is good to share the ball with your team and you should not be surprised if a person wearing the same color shirt actually throws the ball to you. On the other hand, you should not intentionally throw the ball to someone wearing a different color shirt. You should “guard” (i.e. stand close to) the person who wears a different color shirt but the same color wristband as you have on your arm. The coaches arrange for one player on the other team to have the same color wristband on his/her arm as a player on his team. (I say arm because wrist bands can cover a good part of the arm of a 4 year old.)

Scoring is not expected from every player because many 4 year olds (Andrew, for example) cannot heft the ball more than half way up to the basket. A couple of 6 year olds may be able to accomplish this feat. If this does occur the coaches of both teams, who are also the referees, are required to yell, “Everybody, run to the other end.” (except., of course, the person “dribbling the ball”, which means bouncing the ball occasionally).

Andrew may or may not have actually touched the ball during the time he was on the court, but this huge smile never left his face. (He is in better shape than some of the others.) His team, the Pacers, and the other team, the Spurs, ended up tied at 16-16. Which is about 30 points more than the adults probably expected to see on the scoreboard. The game on the other half of the court ended at 4-0. It was huge fun for everyone who did not fall and hurt their knee or elbow.


Another brief story from Andrew’s Sunday School class. A boy told his teacher he needed to use the bathroom. The teacher asked, “Number one or number two?” The boy, who was not in on this bathroom code, thought for a moment and then answered, “Number three!”