Manual laborers

We are not.

Yesterday Taciturn went to work clearing the waist high thistles in our backyard. He did this five years ago when we first moved into this house--but the recalcitrant tenants never did any yard work so T gets to start over. About four hours after he finished, his lower back went into awful spasms and he cannot stand up straight. Even today, he walks bent over and bow legged, as his thighs also are asking him, "What in the hell did you do to us yesterday!"

I passed on taking a photo and publishing it. I hate to take advantage of his distress.

While he was clearing thistles, I went to work vaccuuming with my new shop vac in the utility room where the mouse detris was, then went to work in both of our garages to clear spider nests and cobwebs. I stretched to get to high places, contorted, bent. I'm also moving pretty freaking slow myself. I feel worse than when I practiced yoga for the first time in two years this past Saturday.

HOWEVER--the garages look really good (for garages), the utility room looks great, and since the carpet cleaners came yesterday, the carpets and ceramic tiles look great. Unfortunately, they could not get all of the black from the grout as the dirt is too ground in. Maybe in the next year I'll bleach the grout. Bring on the furniture!

And none too soon. My pirated Internet connection is now working only intermittantly, so I'll be happy to get a permanent one at my house in just under two weeks.