At the coffee shop again, on my 2nd double latte. I've told them not to give me any more, no matter how I beg.
My long run of sunshine continues. I kayaked most of my usual route down the Chippewa River a few days ago. I say "most of" because I took the 3-hour cruise instead of the 4-hour, because I wasn't sure my back could take the longer one. I've been in varying amounts of pain since I've been here, taking the maximum allowable doses of Aleve and/or ibuprofen, icing, heating, stretching. Seems like the same lower back stuff I've had for many years, but more intense, and usually it goes away after a day or two. I don't like this.
The thing that seems to help the most is bicycling, and I was briefly pain-free after a 54 mile ride yesterday..... well, lower-back pain-free anyway. I'm used to always having shoulder pain when I ride. Sigh. This is not going to get any better as I age, is it?
My dad, who can barely walk anymore, has one of those electric scooters to get around inside the house. It was passed down to him from his deceased wife, Shirley, and I'm not sure how long she had it, but it's probably at least 10 years old, and the seat cushion is all cracked and coming apart and patched with duct tape. You'd think it would be a simple matter to replace, but no. I found an aftermarket cushion, but it's too big, as they've changed the seat design. Yes, one could probably get it reupholstered, but that would mean my dad would be without transportation for some amount of time, not really an option. So I guess the only remaining option is to order a whole new seat, which is about a third the cost of a whole new scooter. He nixed that idea, but I think I will go ahead with it and call it a father's day present.
Tomorrow I'm off to New Buffalo, Michigan to meet up with bike riding friends for a few days. I've never spent any time in that part of the state, the extreme southwest corner, so am looking forward to exploration and of course visiting with friends. And getting away from Faux News.
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