The weather has not been festive; it’s gloomy and raining, unlike the typically hot and humid weather during Chinese New Year. But it suits my mood.
My Jam Shop, DIY project #25, has been my bright thing so far. There are a few more steps to go before it is complete.
However, I am skipping a few things because I do not want to stress myself or add to the non-festive mood.
I had a follow-up appointment at the hospital last Friday, and all are fine with me now. Phew. I only have to continue my meds, and the road to recovery is clear.
Technically, I’m not supposed to drive or go for long car journeys nor exert myself yet, i.e., no golf for a while. So I’m staying put, not going anywhere to usher in the Lunar New Year of the Water Rabbit.
And to keep myself busy, I have decided to finish up the DIY miniature that has been sitting on my table for months, a wise decision to minimize my dependency on my iPad Mini constantly.
There’s progress, and I should be able to display this with the rest of the completed sets. Yay. However, I’m wondering whether I should immediately jump into the next one – DIY project #26. Hmm. We shall see.
This year’s Lunar New Year is happening too fast, way too fast! I find myself not ready in terms of preparation. But I suppose it’s okay given the circumstances that I was in last week.
In my state of being a sloth, the Water Rabbit is hopping in at a breakneck speed! There’s hardly space to catch my breath. Sigh.
I have been moving ever so slowly ever since my return on Saturday. It’s at an unbelievable sloth’s pace. Although I feel fine, perhaps I am not quite yet.
I don’t think I should move around too fast or too much because, at times, if I move too fast, my head feels lightheaded!
Sometimes, even at a tortoise’s pace, it’s too much for me. So a sloth I shall be, and a sloth I am until I am off my meds and able to move around more steadily and comfortably.
The back pain I mentioned at the beginning of the year led to more than what it was. One should not assume and brush things aside when in pain, be it a nagging back pain, pinched nerve, or pulled muscle. Initially, I thought with rest, the pain would subside, and I would be fine. But no, it was far worse.
For more than a week, I experienced excruciating pain five times which had me almost keeling over each time it hit. Something is not right with my body!
I consulted a doctor friend verbally and then saw three doctors for the recurring issue. And I also did several blood and urine tests to identify the problem.
And what a problem it was – I had kidney stones. Dang! By Thursday afternoon, the urologist specialist I visited ordered a CT scan to be done. And that evening, I was hospitalized. Everything happened very fast!
The next day, I underwent a cystoscopy and had the stones blasted to smithereens. Being sedated in the OT room, I could hardly give a first-hand update on the situation then; hence no story on Friday.
I am home now and recuperating well after being discharged on Saturday afternoon. I am thankful all this is behind me by now and in time to get ready to usher in the Lunar New Year of the Water Rabbit!
So my new routine is now checking up on Itsy every morning. This morning, I was aghast because it’s a mess out there. What is going on?
I think the weather has a part in this mess. Perhaps the rain and wind have compromised the web, and Itsy decided to expand upwards. And debris has stuck on the web, thus making it look itsy bitsy messy. Sigh.
It’s hard to take a picture of the scenario because the iPhone XR can’t capture the web well, especially with the busy foliage background.
I hope Itsy can clean up the debris and make its home nice and clean again. With the situation as such, I have to check on it more than once daily!
Since discovering our new spider resident, I have had a new morning routine when I come downstairs. I’d open the front door every morning to look for Itsy. Yes, I’ve decided to name our Golden Silk Orb Weaver spider as such. And it’s not easy to see it because of the busy background foliage.
So I use a set of binoculars instead! It’s funny because I’m a mere few feet away, yet I have to use the Bushnell binoculars. I hope the neighbors on the opposite end do not think I am spying on them. I am simply spying on our spider in the front garden. Hahahaha.
The long-legged spider is one fascinating critter. Every morning, I check on it, and its intricate web has grown. It is certainly making a home in our front garden.
We managed to take better-angle photos of it, and hubby and I decided to google more on it to be sure of its species. And sure enough, photo evidence on the internet supports our initial assumption that it is a golden silk orb-weaver spider.
Commonly found in warm regions, we are lucky to have one in front of the house because some cultures believe such spiders bring good luck. Wow. They symbolize prosperity, abundance, and happiness in many parts of the world. However, it is up to one to believe the significance.
In reality, it is simply beneficial to have them around. I hope the female spider will continue to spin its complex web and nab pesky flies and bugs in the garden. It’s a win-win situation. Less pesky insects for us to deal with, more food for it to survive.
I should name it. Hahaha. Any suggestions?
There is a new resident living with us! And it’s a creepy crawly long-legged spider. Yikes. While it looks like a Daddy Long Leg species, I suspect it may not be. I tried googling what species, and so far, it’s not easy to narrow down.
I dare not approach the spider any closer to take a better picture for fear it may jump at me. Then again, if it did, would I be empowered with superhero spider power? Hehehe.
One thing is for sure the critter is not an itsy bitsy spider because the legs are darn long, and it looks scary. Shudder.
The New Year started off with a bang, literally. Fireworks went off at the stroke of midnight, and 15 minutes into the new year, the fireworks continued. We have gotten used to this, having firework displays close to home.
For many years, we don’t even have to drive out to join the merry-making crowd to see the colorful displays and usher in the New Year. The comforts of home, especially from the bedrooms, give us the best views without the crowd and sweaty bodies.
My New Year did not start so smoothly. I injured my left knee while golfing. To make matters worse, I pulled my back muscle too. And at the end of the New Year game, I was in excruciating pain from the back injury. During lunch, it was horrible; I was nauseous and could not eat. We left so that I could recover from this unexpected ordeal.
I felt like a machete was chopping my back repeatedly. Even the painkiller could not help. Why is my New Year kicking off so dramatically? Ugh. Thank goodness all that excruciating pain subsided with rest and some roll-on medication. Lesson learned: do not pull weeds at awkward angles before a golf game. Happy New Year, people!
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