During the heat of mid-afternoon yesterday, I was sitting at my computer in the rig and felt a little twinge in my back. That little twinge would become very important today, but I’ll go into that later. Emma and I hopped into the car and took a drive on the refuge roads that are under construction. There is one spot where the road makes a 90* turn with a water structure on the left side of the road.
I like this particular spot because there is usually some bird action going on. Yesterday, it was a little blue heron looking for an early dinner.
The birds tend to stand on a ledge of the structure to hunt for fish. It’s hit and miss, and this time it was a miss.
Then the bird hunkered down a little more for a better shot.
What a balancing act! But what about results?
Aha! Victory!
Don’t lose it now!
Time to get the fish into position.
Almost there!
Gulp! The fish goes down sideways. What a moment in time. It’s these little ordinary occurrences in nature that make my time here so worthwhile for me. I feel like I’m one lucky person.
Fast forward to this morning. As I was brushing my teeth, that little back twinge turned into a full blown back cramp. Man, that sure hurt, and resulted in me struggling to be able to walk. I was almost in tears as I tried to take Emma for her first outs. I barely made it down the rig stairs. All I could manage was to hook her up to her outside line, and try to crawl back into the rig. Dang! There went my plans for a hike on the Skillern Tract today. The last time I had a back problem like this was 30 years ago. I spent a lot of time in the horizontal position today for some relief. I’m hoping I’ll be back to normal by this weekend to work in the VIS. I’ve decided a little pampering is in order for me. I don’t have time for this!
Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later, Judy
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Fabulous shots of the GBH!!! I love to watch them fish, they are so stealth, especially when they were at my pond after my goldfish! ;-)
ReplyDeleteAwesome photos! Assuming you've got a muscle pull - Ibuprofen round the clock and dry heat (legs elevated).
ReplyDeleteYou also need some muscle relaxers. Can you visit a doc-in-the-box and get some Flexiril? Good stuff to have on hand.
The first GBH I saw was in one of our Koi Ponds. I was so excited! Little did I know that the culprit would eat every Koi we had. Then we bought a scare crow! It was motion activated and every time he came back, he got a "shot" of water.
ReplyDeleteoops .... sure your back gets better! quickly!
ReplyDeleteLack of Magnesium brings on cramps for me. So I try to remember to take some every day, then the cramps stay away.
ReplyDeleteHope you feel better soon.
Happy Tails, and Trails, Penny, TX
Some say heat but my physio SIL says cold is better for muscle spasms and maybe alternating it with heat. Amazing pictures today.
ReplyDeleteI feel for you. Getting older is not for sissies!! I hope you will be better soon.
ReplyDeleteAwesome photos. Hope your back is better real soon.
ReplyDeleteLove the photos - priceless.
ReplyDeleteAre you sure it is not a disk? Take care and stay down for a couple of days. Is there anyone that can help with Emma for a couple of days?
I hope that your back is better soon. Take it easy.
ReplyDeleteCan you say kidney stone? Let's hope not! A muscle pull will be a blessing. Take care...jc
ReplyDeleteMy last bad back was in 2006 when for no reason I had a terrible spasam while skiing. The ski patrol took me down the hill in a basket. That was the last time I skied.
ReplyDeleteI do hope it gets better real soon! Pain is the pits.
Great picture of the Blue Heron! Hope I get to see one day.
Amazing photo sequence! You're very lucky to see this little scene and to be able to capture it. So wonderful! Here's hoping your back is better very soon!
ReplyDeleteWOW...so sorry to hear about your back. I hope the pampering will do the trick.
ReplyDeleteLOVE the photos. You are a very talented lady!
You've had so many stressful issues lately, you really do need to pamper yourself and do some positive thinking that all is well.
ReplyDeleteYou could start with those fabulous photos - how in the world do you get such once-in-a-lifetime shots??? Beautiful! :)
Hope you have something to take for your back pain. That is no fun. I think you have really earned some time off for good behavior here!
ReplyDeleteGreat fishing pictures!! How about a deep massage for your back? Hope you feel better real soon.
ReplyDeletegreat bird shots as usual!...hope your back is better in the morning!!
ReplyDeleteI love your bird shots, just perfect!
ReplyDeleteI've had back problems--it's no fun. Sometimes cold packs help, sometimes a heating pad helps, and usually taking a muscle relaxant helps. I can't take anything except Tylenol, and that helps me, too. GREAT photos of the great blue heron and its catch of the day!
ReplyDeleteSounds like you may have pinched a nerve. Believe it or not, a Chiropractor may be able to sort that out. (Been there, done that). It's like when you get a "stiff neck", it's your body's way of saying, "Stop doing what you're doing".
ReplyDeleteWhen I asked my GP about a Chiropractor, he said "Oh, I don't believe in Chiropractors", kind of like the way you'd say you don't believe in ghosts.
As it happened, a friend of mine was seeing a Chiropractor, I got the name and made an appointment. (This was after six months of suffering with my own Doc not being able to do sweet bugger all except prescribe some sort of anti-inflammatory drugs that didn't really do anything).
So happens it was covered by my plan at work, and even if it hadn't been, it was well worth it.
I meekly suggest you give it a try.
Like the Blue Heron photos. I know how skitterish those birds are at a human approaching. Also know that great feeling and excited concentration that goes along with each and every one of those photos. Some of us are so fortunate to have this hobby of photography:)) Good luck with your back. Understand that pain all to well having had sporadic and severe lower back pain over the years. Totally imobilized and taken by ambulance to a hospital one time. Also don't discount kidney or bladder stones. Happened to me in Colorado one time while traveling and I ended up in Emerge!!
ReplyDeleteJudy
ReplyDeleteGreat shots of the Blue Heron. I hope your back gets better real soon..........
Love the heron pictures. Take care of your back. You certainly deserve a little pampering!
ReplyDeleteHope your back gets well fast. You have had a lot of stress lately and that could be the problem. But don't to long to see someone about it.
ReplyDeleteYour pictures are fantastic, thank you
Great sequence shots of the GBH bird eating. Hope your back gets better.
ReplyDeleteI really need to get a better camera so I can get closeups like you. I have a pic of a Blue Heron today on my blog taken yesterday at a NWR in Delaware. I was wishing then for a closer shot.
ReplyDeleteThis morning Leonard almost hit a Bald Eagle when it swooped in front of him here in rural Cumberland County NJ. It was just 2 miles up the road. How exciting. I didn't know we had any that close.
Beautiful shots of the blue heron. So sorry about your back, we sure hope it feels better now and that you are back to your normal self.
ReplyDeleteKevin and Ruth
www.travelwithkevinandruth.com
Great photos! Makes you envious of the blue heron's back, being able to twist around like that.
ReplyDeleteI feel your pain, my back acts up every once in a while and causes me pain in two places: a pain in the back and it's a pain in the a**. ;c)
I well know about back pain. I have DDD and scoliosis, add the heavy trays from the restaurant...and well u get the pic.....some of the moves the physical therapists gave me was to lie flat on back and slowly one leg at a time try to bring knee to chest....it helps to stretch out the muscles that have cramped or tensed up because of the pain.
ReplyDeleteHeat/cold...every one has a different opinion on that one...I would go w/what makes you feel better.
Take care and hope u are pain free soon,
I had a severe back spasm (in the shower; at least you were dressed!) the day before leaving on a driving trip. My chiropractor had me stop every hour and lay on the back seat with my legs up on the back of it--sort of a sitting in a chair position except horizontal. He also gave me one of those support belts like the crews at warehouse stores wear to wear when I would be standing any length of time. Those two things really helped me. I hope you find something that helps you.
ReplyDeleteJudy,
ReplyDeleteI hope you find relief ASAP.
Judy...gorgeous photos of the blue heron! I will repeat what everyone keeps saying...you are so talented!
ReplyDeleteI hope your back feels better very, very soon!
Judy-thanks for the blog comment and finding me so I could find you. Those were a fantastic series of pictures. The best I've ever seen of a catch and eat.
ReplyDeleteYou have had a lot of diagnoses on your back from your hoards of followers. I hope it is just a pulled muscle and am anxious to hear you are back on your feet. In the mean time, I've got a lot of catching up to do on you and Emma
Sherry
www.directionofourdreams.blogspot.com
Howdy Judy & Emma,
ReplyDeleteSo sorry to hear about your back.. I'm crippled with my back, so, know what you're going thru..
Tylenol will help!! Those are Al quality pics of the little blue heron.. FABULOUS!!! I don't understand he did that balancing act and caught the minnow!!! Please, give Emma a 'ear-scratch' for me, and give that pain to that ol'pain in the neck MURPHY!! You've had enuff of that guy!!!!
Best muscle relaxer is a shot of booze! Acts fast and doesn't leave you with a drugged feeling like meds. Been doing this for years since I was in a car wreck at 27.
ReplyDeleteAlso, stretching helps.
Ann
BTW, been reading your blog for several years. You are one gutsy woman and I love your pics.
ReplyDeleteAnn
You should work for NatGeo...amazing photos...I am the queen of kidney stones...They usually don't cause spasms...they give you constant pain in the lower middle, on one side or the other..as in where your kidneys are located...McGuyver had spasms that sent us home last winter..I sure hope you get some MD help if you need it.
ReplyDeleteHope you are feeling much better by now! I looked at this on my phone and had to look again on the computer to see those pictures!!! I watched an Ibis catch a fish recently and it wasn't able to get it turned to swallow... it was standing in water. It walked, with the fish tight in it's mouth, over to the sand and finished it's maneuvering. I think it knew the fish would get away in the water, but not on the sand!!!
ReplyDeleteWould you email me please with the type of camera you have? I remember when you got it last year while you were at Red Rocks!
Fabulous shots of the GBH!!!
ReplyDeleteTours and Travels
Those shots were amazing!!! I'm duly impressed with your skills and timing!
ReplyDeleteAs for your back, I sure how you are resting well, and can get back on the trails again soon.
Love the bird pictures you take and post. Really good job! (sorry about the painful back - hope you get well and stay well!)
ReplyDelete