Frigging OWWWW!!!!

I've had back problems for as long as I can remember. I think I did myself an injury when I was about five years old. I was running along and my foot went down a hole. All I remember is a searing pain, a loud clicking noise, and not being able to stand up for 5 minutes.

So I've had a weak back pretty much all my life. I have a constant dull ache at the base of my spine that never goes away. Add to that the lack of activity and weight gain that comes from not having a job, and you can probably guess my back is getting worse.

Well, last night, Sunny left for work and I decided to watch a movie. Then I made the mistake of falling asleep on the couch.

I woke up this morning and the entire lower left side of my back is just on freaking fire. Worst thing is that in certain sitting positions the pain goes back to it's normal dull ache and I forget about it...right up to the point where I stand up, or lean or bend to pick something up.

Not a happy bunny.

In other (good) news, yesterday morning, I finally got the frigging squirrel that likes to eat holes in the roof above out bedroom and jump up and down on it. In all seriousness, with no exaggeration, it sounds like someone is dropping a bowling ball on the rooftop.

After lying in bed for an hour, constantly being woken up by the booming noise, I got up, got dressed and went outside with my rifle.

The damn thing saw me, and ran across the treetops into the woods behind my house. I followed it, lost track of it, so just decided to hunker down, remain perfectly still and wait. I was just about to give up, when I noticed a branch about 60 yards in front of me sway. Then the little bastard ran out onto the limb.

So I pumped up the power on my scope to 9x, flicked off the safety and lined up on it's head. One shot and it dropped like a rock from the tree.

Well, I recovered it, came back to the house, dropped it by the front door and went inside to ask Sunny if any of her relatives like to eat squirrel. (Apparently, it's a southern delicacy, and country-bred squirrels are meant to have a really nice, rich, nutty flavor). Then, too late, I remembered I'd let Buddy out as I'd come in.

By the time I'd gotten outside, he'd eaten the thing whole.

Well, at least it didn't go to waste and someone got a good meal out of it. I guess that's why Buddy gets so excited every time he sees me go outside with my rifle:

"Dude, whatcha shootin' at that paper for? Ya can't eat it! You wanna head over to those woods and bring me back some tasty, tasty squirrels."


-Footnote : If you're feeling sorry for the squirrel, let me put it this way to you. If a giant rat was eating numerous holes in your roof and was scrabbling about every time you tried to get some sleep...would you have any problem laying a trap for it? Probably not. In my book, the 'cuteness factor' doesn't make it any less of a destructive pest. Apparently, they're good eating too!