Stiff Neck

Yes, I have a stiff neck. It had been bothering me for several days, but I went to the chiropractor last Friday; I felt tons better after that. I went again on Monday, but do not feel as relieved as I did over the weekend. Seems like if I sleep wrong, or bend wrong, of look at at someone wrong, I end up with a stiff neck, then tightness between my shoulders, and of course the headache. That's funny that I said/wrote that; Drew always says he has, "the headache". Not a headache, but the headache. I did not mean to say I had the headache, only that when I get stiffness in my neck and shoulders a headache always follows. So the headache simply meant the usual headache I get with stiff a neck and shoulders.

I bathed the dog today. Ha, what a project. First, I had to find her. Lucy usually hangs out in or around the barn in the mornings until I am done with the chores. When I go to the house she will go to. After I had finished everything else I had to do today, I decided she had smelled horrible long enough. Of course at this point she was no where to be found. I phoned down to the house; she was with Ned. He was getting ready to go to class and said he would drop her off on his way out the driveway. He did.

I finished up a few things, then started calling her so I could get her scrubbed up. I was already getting tired, but was determined to complete this task. My smelly yellow dog had vanished. (Later taking to Ned he said from the moment I called him earlier to bring her up she had begun acting sheepish. He had to trick her into even coming to the barn, almost as if she had heard the word BATH.) I continued to calle her name several times, getting a bit more stern with every holler. Still no dog. After a few minutes or so I figured she must have taken off for the house. Remember at this time I did not know Ned had trouble getting her to the barn in the first place.

Oh well, another day. I walked back through the barn, checked every one's water and headed for the truck. Huh, there was my wayward dog sleeping, or fake steeping under the truck. She heard me calling and ignored me, blatantly. Oh yea, she was getting a bath today. I reached in the truck and retrieved her leash. Snapping it onto her collar we headed back into the barn and straight for the hose.

I began to gather up doggie shampoo, a bucket, sponge, stuff I would need to scrub a dog. Lucy thought her and I were headed to the house, she was happily padding along beside me. Until she saw the bucket. Already having hooked the leash on her collar, I was trying to fasten it to a pipe near the hose when she made her escape. Heading across the yard for the house, she should have kept running. Buy now I would have given up and called it a day. Instead she crawled into the gator parked under the pavilion and hid, yes hunkered down behind the seat and hid. Her leash hanging off the side was the tell tale, tail.

Needless to say she got her bath today. Four scrubbings later, a few fleas remain, and a faint odor lingers. But, I was not to be outwitted by a sneaky dog, even if she is cute and clever. The worst of it all was I had to undress on the back deck, just my soaked to the skin, wet dog smelling jeans. But still I kept my eyes peeled for passing motorists or incoming visitors as I thew the soggy pants on a lawn chair scurried into the kitchen. I headed straight for the shower. I needed at least four scrubbings...and a nap.

Photo taken at an earlier dryer time....