I have not been able to do any sewing or much of anything since the middle of March when I finished Illegitium. Although it isn't very big, apparently it is enough to completely wreck my right arm. I am right handed, do practically everything right handed, but my arm is so painful from shoulder to fingertips that all I do right now is read. I went to my primary care doctor who thinks it is a rotator cuff issue but since I really cannot tolerate surgery again, my only recourse is rest and at some point in the future a steroid injection.

So as a cautionary tale I warn everyone not to take using your arm as a given or overworking your arm as a sign of dedication. This sucks!

Trump sucks, too, but at least some of his chickens are flying in to roost. Good that most of the action right now is in NYC--they know him best.

 Yes, we did feel and hear the earthquake yesterday here. Unfortunately, at least for our little family, it was also a very bad day because we had to have one of our cats put down. Our boy, Tom, 20 years old mostly Siamese cat, suffered from kidney issues for about two years, getting Ringers lactate infusion once a week. He stayed pretty happy and active for most of that time but went dramatically downhill this week. There just aren't any other options and pets cannot live forever. Still we are bereft and weepy right now.

Tom was sitting on my lap at 10:23 which was when the first earthquake happened. There was not a whole lot of ground shaking or anything but there was a fair amount of noise in the creaky old house built of stone. No discernible damage though. We felt the 4.8 at 10:23 but did not feel the milder earthquake later in the day.

I have been forcing myself to wait to start a new project because finishing the small Illegitimi quilt did a number on my right arm. Sometimes when I get near the end of the project I get a little carried away with finishing and don't pay as much attention to the mechanics as I should at my advanced age. So I have been suffering from tendinitis and tendinopathy for  a couple of weeks. Once I am more or less repaired I will make my husband a quilt featuring his favorite dog, our old border collie who has been in dog heaven for several years. 

My arm problems weren't helped by my long competitive swimming career but what really brought the issue to the fore was having polished black granite in my old house in Utah. Keeping those counters polished led to most of the recurring issues although doing my own plastering and sanding, in addition to the hand sewing, was also a contributing factor. So take heed because this is not a whole lot of fun. Since I cannot sew right now, I have been reading a lot of books in addition to the literary journals and other periodicals I get. I used to be timed at reading more than 500 words a minute so having a good public library nearby is a wonderful resource for me. When the weather is nice we even walk there as it is only a little over a mile away. The weather hasn't been that nice so far this year but we did get one library walk in last week.