Remission Over

LF Recumbent Bike

Out of the blue, on a day I had things to do other than go to the gym, my sciatica awoke and kicked me in the butt, clenched my calf and sent an angry message down my foot to the first metatarsal (big toe). I'm back to gulping several ibuprofen tablets each morning and again at night. I haven't been to the gym since last week. I managed to go today, after the long holiday weekend where it mostly rained. Also over the weekend, my dogs participated in a terrible game of pass the not-quite-dead juvenile squirrel that another dog had somehow caught at the dog park. 

We managed to get the dogs secured and scooped the injured critter into an unused dog bowl while we frantically called every animal rescue and rehab we knew. We did make contact with the wildlife division of the DEC who connected us to the answering machine of a local rescue, but ultimately said that "Maybe let nature take its course." The squirrel expired. The woman whose dog caught the squirrel first was so upset she might not come back to the park for a while. We did try to help it. Juveniles get squished by cars all the time. Or eaten by foxes, coyotes, bobcats, bears, hawks, feral cats. We have them all. 

It's that season where miniature versions of woodland creatures wander into the road to play in traffic. I encountered a suicide squirrel on my way to the gym today but I hit my brake in time to allow it to run directly in front of me for several yards before it wisely decided to make a sharp jag into the woods. The pickup behind me probably thought I'd lost my mind, unless they had witnessed a tiny creature darting off the passenger side. Unlikely though. But this is the season that if the car in front of you suddenly hits their brakes, there's a good chance there's a juvenile in the road. It could be goslings or a cygnet. Or a family of possums or raccoons. 

I got to the gym late and my sciatica made me limp. The elliptical machines were all occupied, as I knew they would be--I didn't bother waiting for them. Instead, I did an easy 15 minutes on the step machine (dropped the speed from 5 down to 3), wrestled with a few pull-ups (but damn that right leg really hurt doing it), and then settled into a lazy recumbent bike for another 15 minutes. I did not work up a sweat, but my cheeks flushed from the effort. Later, when I checked my FitBit, it registered a high of 122 bpm, hardly considered an exercise-worthy rate of respiration. 

The gym was instructing a new cleaning girl when I entered. By the time I got to the Aerobics Room, she was in there with her vacuum cleaner. I managed to push my mat out of her way with all my gear on it like it was a pool raft. Got everything done but skipped the Bird Dog planks because those always seem to make sciatica worse and there's no reason to aggravate an already inflamed injury. I do not feel better having gone to the gym. I just figured I needed to stay active to keep from descending into a complete slug. 

Common Milkweed

Meanwhile, my college kid has an internship that starts in a few weeks, in a place where they know no one. It will be quite challenging for them, but at least I think I've secured a reasonable place for them to live for the summer, not too far from the company. It's not walking distance, but doable by public transportation or taxi. Kids are different from when I was their age. 

Sundews

I remember going out to California or Florida with a duffle bag, some savings and a bus or plane ticket. I would know one person and maybe they would put me up, but mostly not so I'd find a summer sublet and a job. And made it back to the East Coast in time to start the Fall college term. My parents weren't involved because I didn't want them to be. In hindsight, terrible things could have happened to me, but they didn't. Now, I worry about my kid, wanting them to be independent, but worried about terrible things that might happen. 

Meanwhile, I've put half my venus flytraps outside with my fingers crossed that marauding woodland creatures will not be grazing on them. I've kept the other 3 pots inside under a grow light, along with some sun dews (also about to flower again) and my kid's nepenthes (pitcher plant) which seems happy enough to form new pitchers at the end of its leaves. Something has already taken bites out of the milkweeds popping up all over my yard. It's been so hot that the milkweeds are budding before they're barely 2 feet tall. Normally they don't flower for another 2 feet of height. We got some weird weather coming this summer.  

Nepenthes

26 May 2026 1:56-3:05

Tuesday post 3-day holiday

Sciatic flare up w toe & calf & glute

Matrix StairMaster (R) (2:00-2:15)

Manual timer 13 + 2:35

Speed 3 (38-36) / 2 (24) / 1 (20)

Steps 542

Floors 33

Cal: 86

Hr 119

HGPU 15 (right leg!)

LF Recumbent Bike

Manual 15 min + 3 cool down (18 min)

Level 1

Distance 1.36

Calories 67

HR n/a

FitBit Hr: 44-122

20 Piriformis/Hip flex

10 Hamstring stretches

DeadBugs 20 x 5 

10 Piriformis stretches

Child’s Pose

Cat/Cow stretch 12

Child’s Pose

Fire Hydrants 30 x 2

   Skip Bird Dog Planks 60s x 2

Arm rotations 20

Push-Ups 30

Air Squats 25

Standing Cross Body Knee to Elbow 12 each side

Neck Stretch / eye yoga