The lighter side, what do you do for fun?

General
1

Wake up, groan *oh man, my footies are killing me* stagger around the room. Yep, going to be another day in paradise, and it's getting to be a daily thing. I know I'm not alone, slogging through the day in varying levels of pain and all. Lots of bad day. However, I have good days, and even on crappy days I'm stubborn enough to try to do what I enjoy no matter how it hurts. I know I'm not alone in that, either, we're a tough bunch!

So I'm nosy, what do you guys (and gals) do to keep yourselves busy and brighter spirits? Most everyone does lots of things, but I'll just start with a few I really enjoy.

I'm a hooker...oh wait, I mean I crochet, a lot! I also collect yarn (also a lot) that I SWEAR will eventually become some sort of crocheted item I may or may not end up giving away, because hey, you can only have so many hats and afghans...though giving them away does mean losing part of the yarn collection :/ Sometimes my hands hurt so much I can't crochet, or I can only do a few stitches and have to stop. Other times I'm good and zip along only to have my lovebird grab the yarn and unravel a huge amount of yarn as she runs away with it.

Today I went blueberry picking, which wasn't easy with swollen and I ended up having to cup the clusters in my hands and fiddle to get them off the bushes. Didn't matter, I was happy out in the sunshine and I always like going out and picking veggies and fruit. It's fun to go out, and I also enjoy cooking, canning and making stuff with it. It reminds me of going out as a kid and doing it, too.

When I'm feeling ambitious I go to the cemeteries and take pictures of headstone and record graves, then I add them online. It's relaxing, but I also like the alone time. It can also be nice because it gives me some exercise, I can go as slow or fast as I want, and if I feel like crying because I hurt or upset over things I can cry my eyes out and no one will bat an eye. No one ever bothers someone crying in the cemetery!

As a bonus, I've got a picture of Boo my assistant lovebird, on the Super Mario afghan I made

238-Bootheassistant.jpg (1.43 MB)
2

I'm with you-wow it's so nice to forget the painful feet and tipping over taking those first steps in the morning! Don't you take a biologic, oh look, ac?

Me too, I mean just going ahead and doing things, despite the pain. It can help get ones mind off the pain, that's for sure... Especially if the pain is dull. The sharp, hard pain is what can really get to me, and I bet the rest of you, too! When I had that terrible neuropathy in my feet I honest to god kept saying it wouldn't hurt as bad to have someone take an axe and just chop them off!! I've had horrendous back pain, too, which those of you with AS can identify. Looking back, you think, how did I make it through that? But somehow we do--we have to be strong people, because it is a disease that can getcha in the pits physically and mentally!

I LOVE your afghan!!! Wow!!! I tried teaching my 10-yr old grdtrs how to crochet a few months ago, but my fingers were so stiff it was difficult and I think I just got them all confused. Years ago (at least 35) I did a little knitting-very little--a sweater booties and cap for our first baby, and then attempted crocheting. I think I'd be a better hooker hooker than a yarn hooker!!! ! Actually, I did end up making a really pretty lacy granny-square afghan, which I am very proud of and which is still displayed on a sofa in our basement-out of sight of anyone visiting our home. :-(

As far as cemeteries-hmmm, we do that on memorial day. I drive by the cemetery my dad's in, and I always blow a kiss and say hi daddy, I miss you! I drew portraits for cemetery stones for about 10 years. It was a very interesting job. I still have a copy of each of my drawings. I did about 1,000 of them before the company I worked for shut down. It was a really nice job--I love drawing faces, so it was fun and easy for me. I forgot where you live-but if you're in the U.S., they're scattered all over the country--I don't even know where exactly, but when I visit cemeteries in other towns, I look for them. 1,000 portraits aren't that many when you think about the millions of grave stones there are-so it would almost be like finding a needle in a haystack.

Keep up the discussion people-it's fun hearing about everybody's story.... I should be mowing the lawn before the dew settles, but I'm just too interested in lwpa Hahahaha!

3

I'm on Remicade, which helps but then I get the "oh god I smell like remicade!" complex. I never thought about it before, but after infusion I smell like remicade, and today after blueberrying I was all sweaty and gross and could smell the remicade. I had a coworker ask why I smelled funny a while ago and I said it was from my meth lab hahaha.

If your grandkids are interested in learning crochet and your hands aren't cooperating you could also have them learn some of it on youtube. That's where I learned a lot of mine, the internet!

Doing pictures for the cemeteries sounds like an awesome job! I'm jealous!

4

Really? I wonder if I stink from Enbrel! I know my hair stinks from the tar shampoo. I think my boss has hinted it stinks cuz she's made comments that she can smell hair 10 ft away! She's very fussy. I did notice a metal taste in my mouth after my first Enbrel shot, but not since then.

Well, driving to pick up our grdtr a little bit ago, there was this beautiful pink sunset between some clouds, then an open sky, but in the east, enormous, magnificent thunderheads reaching way high in the sky. It was amazing, so I just HAD to stop alongside the road and attempt to take some pics. I was already delayed from being on lwpa, so my daughter is texting me like six times asking what's taking me!! Haha, I kept giving her lame excuses, all the while trying to get some good pics, but my IPhone was almost dead and none turned out very well :-(....but the whole time I was thinking what a great job it would be to be a full time scenic photographer.

Yeah, the drawing dead people job was cool--wish I was still doing it!


oh look, a chicken! said:

I'm on Remicade, which helps but then I get the "oh god I smell like remicade!" complex. I never thought about it before, but after infusion I smell like remicade, and today after blueberrying I was all sweaty and gross and could smell the remicade. I had a coworker ask why I smelled funny a while ago and I said it was from my meth lab hahaha.

If your grandkids are interested in learning crochet and your hands aren't cooperating you could also have them learn some of it on youtube. That's where I learned a lot of mine, the internet!

Doing pictures for the cemeteries sounds like an awesome job! I'm jealous!

5

I didn’t know remicade had a smell. I would happily take that smell over the lingering skunk residue I’m currently inhaling (read my blog…)

For fun I like to do all manner of house-related stuff. I used to so a lot of it but after I gutted and renovated a home and got the Tshirt and tool belt and power tools to prove it I’m somewhatn less ambitious these days. Puttering in the flower beds and finding projects to do are fun. I also like to quilt. I make baby quilts for my expectant friends. I have one to make before my friend pops out #3 in a few weeks. I have a feeling the quilt might be late.

Balancing fun stuff with the urge to veg out and do nothing after work and working out has proven difficult. Kudos to all who are more productive. I’m with Grandma J! I like coming here and watching Netflix.