izzady

Joke stolen from the_siobhan, because it was too good not to.

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This is the final tally! Let me know if you want to check in late or I missed you somewhere. trobadora is doing January, so head over there now. Good work everyone! \o/ I didn't manage to write on New Year's Eve, though I did successfully make soufflé for the first time--turns out it isn't difficult. But I did write on the 1st, more than an alibi sentence at least.

Now back home, which is a relief. Farm things done:
- Moving part of a pile of gravel from one place to another with a shovel and wheelbarrow (gravel is HEAVY).
- Pruning down the grapevine that was already here when we came. It's a Vitis labrusca 'Zilga', very hardy, but we only got one cluster of grapes on it this year (rather sour ones). But I think that was our fault for not pruning it in the summer, so it was just a mass of leaves.
- Pruning some wild hazel bushes into a vase shape which is supposed to make them yield more nuts.
- Feeding the ducks! And talking with the ducks! Awww, I've missed them.
- Making pickled beetroots.

Tally:
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Becoming a Supple Leopard: the ultimate guide to resolving pain, preventing injury and optimizing athletic performance by Kelly Starrett (2015)
This book has changed my life. I know I sound like I'm doing a paid promotion or like someone who's joined some weird cult, and I know the book has kind of a silly title, but it's true. My mind is blown.

The thing is, I've had problems with stiffness and muscle ache for years. I've been trying to deal with it by exercise and stretching, but while exercise is obviously good for a whole host of reasons, it doesn't solve the problem of stiffness/muscle ache. And stretching doesn't do much, either. I've also gone to a massage therapist, which does partly help, but it's temporary and also costs a lot of money. And while the guy is much better in the practical application of massage than others I've gone to, and I like him, still I'm reluctant to keep going to him because he does do some things with a large application of force and I doubt his medical judgment (to say the least). In the last few years he has begun to spout conspiracy theories about vaccines and only drinks warm water because, as a man, he needs the yang energy.

Anyway, I figured the stiffness and muscle ache was just middle age and at bottom I just had to suck it up. Turns out THERE ARE EFFECTIVE TOOLS TO ADDRESS THIS THAT I NEVER KNEW ABOUT! Also they're cheap and I can apply them myself! I honestly feel like someone prone to headaches who has just, at the age of 46, discovered the existence of painkillers. But better, because this isn't a drug.

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Day 28: Alibi sentence. Still lots of family time, now at my parents' place, so no farm news. How about you?

Tally:
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Day 27: the_siobhan, badly_knitted, goddess47, trobadora, sylvanwitch, sanguinity, china_shop, chestnut_pod

Day 28: luzula, china_shop

Day 24: No writing, also I didn't have time to reply to comments because my sister's family is here and it takes up all the time (in a very good way!)

Tally:
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Day 25: luzula, sanguinity, sylvanwitch, trobadora, goddess47, china_shop,

Day 26: china_shop

Bonus farm news: I love my sister. <3 Also, she gave me heirloom bean varieties for Christmas. She definitely knows me...