Rufus and I will be toasting the new year with cool sips of water, we are both teetotalers.But we wish you a safe and happy night however you celebrate. Happy 2009!

     
    In August, I noticed my left shoulder hurting more, but thought it was arthritis, though it felt a bit different. By Sept. I realized it was something else, since it was getting so stiff & painful, I could hardly move it. Everyday activities became incredibly difficult; dressing, brushing my hair, shampooing, even fastening the seat belt in the car, all caused severe pain when I could even get my arm to work. When I went to the dr., she diagnosed it as rotator cuff syndrome and recommended physical therapy, which I began in Nov. and have been doing twice a week since.It seems like more people than you realize have had PT at some point in their lives, for a variety of reasons. I'd never had it, so it was a learning experience.
    One of the most impressive things is how versatile everything is. The PT room is full of all sorts of equipment, but they have ways of modifying the exercises so you can get the same effect at home using ordinary things such as a jump rope, a towel, an umbrella, etc.They do supply the stretchy banners, which look like bright colored crepe paper, but works like a giant rubber band, which the patient knots & lodges in a closed door to pull on. Each time I go, they give me a xerox of the new exercises I've learned, so I can do them at home. It's takes about a half hour to go through them all. Then I put a bag of frozen veggies on my shoulder to reduce swelling.
    Besides the exercises, the sessions also consist in two things that can't be replicated. The therapist massages & stretches my shoulder muscles until I think she will twist it off. Then they attach electrodes that sends signals to the muscles which is supposed to relax them. I call the electrodes "the creepy-crawlies", because it feels like something is crawling over my skin, which is alternated with the feeling of mice dancing and someone poking me with a pencil. These sensations rotate during the 20 minutes I spend attached to the electrodes. It takes a few sessions to get used to the sensations, which are gradually increased over time. The whole process is very low tech in this age of million dollar machines. The idea that change can be effected by pulling & stretching a part of a person's body repeatedly is very organic and old-fashioned, but in the best sense of the word. Though it is weird to have a stranger manhandling one's body like that, but maybe that's just me. lol
    Apparently all of this is helping, since they took measurements after I'd been attending for about a month & said things had improved either 20 degrees or 20%, I don't recall which. But I'm pleased with any improvement. Monday will be my last session for the year, but they will be consulting the dr. to see if she will prescribe more or try something else, such as corisone shots, because not only do I have the rotator cuff syndrome, but there's some joint freeze as well. Doesn't that sound like I'm a half melted snowman?

           MERRY CHRISTMAS ! ! !

     Here's my humorous deconstruction of the poem 'Twas the Night before Christmas on the literary website if you'd like a chuckle, here's the link=
http://vulpeslibris.wordpress.com/2008/12/22/twas-the-night-before-christmas/

  However you celebrate, I hope you have a wonderful holiday, filled with laughter, gifts and lots of fun!
     

  To all of my Jewish friends:

Here is my display from last Saturday's "Christmas in the Barn" in a nearby suburb(Avon). It's an 8 foot table & I tried using every inch, even scattering pine cones around to make it more woodsy. I had the same spot as last year, but my table was arranged better this time.   
        There was 56 crafters in the show, more than ever, but the crowd was not as big as last year, nor were sales as good, though most of us got our table fee back. A couple people did really well; the lady to one side of me selling sewn towels & sweatshirts face and the one across from me selling doll clothes. I think they were for the American Girl dolls, since they were much larger than Barbies. Her stuff was priced at $10-$20 per outfit & she must've sold a couple hundred dollars worth. I keep reading that people are only buying the essentials, but doll costumes certainly don't fall into that category.      The last hour of the show was dead, because a big snowstorm was moving in & driving home in it was a challenge. There was no traction at all. My sister had arrived to help take down and pack my car & was supposed to come back with me to carry stuff up to my apartment, but she began sliding & so went straight  home.  
   Though I barely made more than my table cost, the people who run the show are nice & it's a festive atmosphere.

                                                               
The holiday craft show is this Saturday & I seem to be farther behind than usual in preparing for it. I have a list with only a few things crossed off & others that are almost done, but never seem to get finished. Maybe they will all get done at the same time? I need to load the car on Thurs. and set-up is Friday afternoon, so I'm down to the wire here. Eeeeeeekkk!!!
   Last year I made a decent profit at "Christmas in the Barn", but this year, with the slow economy, I'll be happy if I just make back my table fee. I'm going to reduce prices on some of the older works & am considering having a 10% off sale the last 2 hours of the show. For the first time they are having a door prize raffle, so I'm contributing one of my eagle prints,which might make folks curious to see my other work if they notice it on the table.
   There will be about 50 vendors in 2 sections of the church buildings, plus a dining area where people can buy homemade soup & cookies, which is extremely popular. The show runs from 9am to 3pm and it's a festive & fun atmosphere. I'll post some pics next week. My sister will be helping me pack up afterwards, thankfully.
   Wish me luck!