And Now the Koilonychia

I woke up feeling rather good again today (oops, yesterday… its after midnight again).  That’s two for two now!  I didn’t want to jinx anything by saying the flare had for sure ended, but now I have the ultimate indicator that it has… koilonychia. 

It has been a while since I talked about this, but typically, after a “bad flare,” my fingernails will get these little sunken divets in them.  In fact, it has gone on consistently for so long, I’ve actually learned to rely on it as an “all clear” signal from my body that the flare has ended and better days are ahead.  So when I have a few not-so-bad-days during a flare, but no koilonychia, I know it isn’t over.  Earlier tonight (later last evening?) I was working on a hangnail and there they were… my friendly little divets!  I just tried to think of something to liken it to and rainbows were the only thing that popped in my head.  I would go with that, but I’ve only seen rainbows during very light sprinkles which contradicts the story about it signaling the end of a long, hard rain… and… well… it just doesn’t do my story justice.  Let me think… er… uh… mmm… fat lady singing?  Oh good grief!  You get the idea, I’m sure.

I wouldn’t feel totally honest here if I didn’t confess to feeling almost giddy about all this.  Wasn’t it just the other day I made a Christmas wish list and asked for another big reprieve?  Yes, Ouiser, there is a Santa Claus!  Maybe now I’m going over the top and will certainly jinx myself, but DANG!!!!  I feel like celebrating or something.

I was a bit worn-out today, but when I’ve basically sat on my hump or laid in bed for so many days, weeks… how long has it been?  Well, I’m gonna be a little low on stamina.  I know I over-did it a lot yesterday, so today, he, he, I over-did it a little bit more!  I hadn’t noticed the divets or I probably wouldn’t have been as restrained as I was.

I wanted to go outside today and do yardwork until my clothes were sopping-wet with sweat, my back felt like it would snap in two, and my hair was plastered all over my face.  Then I wanted to sit down and take long, slow sips of sweet iced tea and rest my tired, over-worked muscles.  I wanted to be lying in bed right now with my eyelids drooping from sheer exhaustion.  But alas… it rained.  he, he, he.  See… even that has me in freakin stitches!  We’ve not had rain for over two months and the first day I’m feeling able to get out in the yard and do some manual labor IT RAINS!  I even, at one point, felt compelled to lace up some running shoes and make a quick sprint down our road, but c’mon… let’s be reasonable Ouiser!  My knees grind like my great-granddaddy’s grist mill and even walking can be painful.  Ultimately, I settled on going out to lunch with my mother and son, shopping for some clothes for the boy, and, to feed the lawn and garden monkey on my back:  two fall-ish looking pillows for the bench on the front porch and a nice seasonal hanging for my door.  I could have went a little nuts when we swung in Wal-Mart and I walked past the Halloween aisle, but then I’d have to find a place to hide all my treasures as Owen and I have agreed to keep a tight budget till Christmas.  What’s more, we just had a show-down over him “embezzeling money” so I didn’t dare.  The pillows and door decorartion were on sale so nobody get out of joint on me!  I do get a weekly allowance/expense account, ya know.

So here I am.  Feeling too WELL to sleep for a change!