Groundhog Phil saw his shadow yesterday and that's not reassuring. Temps are slated to dip into the negative double digits, making our small town colder than the city of Buffalo, a place notorious for deep snow and lake-driven wind chill. It's courtesy of the polar vortex that has Florida seeing more than frost in the orchards. I wonder if iguanas have fallen from all the palm trees. It's been so cold without respite that nothing has melted and snowbanks are piled high, obscuring vision at intersections.
The dogs go to the park later in the morning when temps at least rise into the teens. Single digits are a worry for frostbite. Last week there was at least one pup to play with. This week there is no one. Uncharacteristically, my dogs now tell me they're ready to leave the park after 45 minutes. They're bored. And cold. The snow is deep and there's no one to make trouncing in it worthwhile. Yesterday, we found a dead bird right on the "trail" up to the shed. Mostly intact with feathers everywhere in the snow, it was a large yellow-tailed flicker with an egregious wound to its neck. Most likely an interrupted hawk attack.
I moved the body to outside the park fencing, but not roadside as I didn't want any critters colliding with traffic while searching for a scavenged meal. The last thing I wanted was my dogs playing with the carcass although I'm not sure they were all that interested. What got them excited was finding a feral cat hiding behind the trash bin when we went for a walk this morning. Thank goodness I had a good grip on both their leashes as the cat zipped out and ran down the road.
The gym wasn't too crowded when I finally arrived. I really tried to push myself on cardio so that worked out okay. Again, pull-ups really suck once I get past the first half dozen. The pain from my calf and lower back, along with the numb foot really makes the next half dozen difficult. I make it to 15 and it's definitely not pretty. I do a few of the stretches I learned at Physical Therapy and most of my routine in the super cold Aerobics Room.
Dead Bugs, Bird Dog planks, push-ups all aggravate my sciatica, or vice versa. The sciatica makes doing these movements so much more difficult than they should be. I worry that I'm losing upper body strength and vow to make time to get a session of the DB routine in, maybe Friday.
I went for the long awaited MRI yesterday. They call it an "open MRI" because you're not being inserted into a closed tube, but honestly, it was more like being rolled into a panini press with a huge white flat plate inches from your face. Yeah, the sides are open but since you're not supposed to move, you don't appreciate any "openness" and even with earplugs and headphones, it is still really really loud. I closed my eyes and focused on breathing, like a meditation. Then, after it was done, I got a CD to bring home. The doc will get a report. I viewed the images but I wish I knew what I was looking at!
I'm worried that I'm possibly having an allergic reaction to the Alphagan P in that I've been unusually tired, even after a long nap. Some glaucoma patients report that their meds make them barely able to get out of bed. I also feel more susceptible to colds, or maybe it's just being out in freezing weather everyday with the dogs. My eyes are sporadically itchy and that could be a reaction.
Or it could be that since all my meds reduce eye fluids to reduce eye pressure, the results are ultra dry eyes. But not just eyes. Dry mouth is constant, and lately, although my nose runs all the time, my sinuses feel really dry. I'm not sure how that's possible! But it could also be the ridiculous low humidity that accompanies cold winter air.
My skin is disintegrating and I'm slathering moisturizing creams and petrolatum every few hours to tamp down the incessant flaking. Every time I change my clothes, it's like I shook a snow globe in the room. Today was balmy with a peak of 33 degrees. The rest of the week will rival Antarctica, but without the penguins.
4 February 2026 1:09-2:26
Less Frigid Wednesday
Bare Basics w sciatica
Precor elliptical #1
Program 2
Time: 30 + 5 (5290)
Distance: 2.75
Cal: 300
Precor HR: 145, 182-73
Fitbit: 43-134
(right foot numb)
HGPU 15 (w/ sciatica after 11 )
20 Piriformis/Hip flex
10 Hamstring stretches
DeadBugs 20 x 5 (sciatica!)
10 Piriformis stretches
Child’s Pose
Cat/Cow stretch 12
Child’s Pose
Fire Hydrants 30 x 2
Bird Dog Planks 60s x 2 (numb right foot)
Arm rotations 20
Push-Ups 30
Air Squats 25
Neck Stretch / eye yoga
