We don't need no stinkin' badgers

I think I may have used that title in a post many years ago. Not sure.

Yesterday, while walking to work, I passed that old garage. You know, the one that looks like it's been standing there for the past 127 years and by damned it's not coming down now. I caught something out of the corner of my eye, a cat, lying in front of 'Ole Shakey'. Turning my head to look at this rather massive cat, I recognized it as a badger.

A badger made me jump. I've always heard that they are fierce creatures.

I don't think I've actually ever seen a live badger. Certainly never this close. Turns out, I still haven't. For this one was already several hours past its sell-by date. Still, I had never been this close to a recently alive badger. The stuffed ones at the museums had been pushing up the daisies for decades before I ever glanced their way.


All this to say... passing the badger immediately made me think of "We ain't got no... stinking badges", which, in turn, made me realize that I didn't have my security badge for work. Already halfway into my 20 minute walk into town, (and don't forget, very very sore) I continued in, facing the shame of asking for one of the "I forgot my badge" badges.

So this morning, upon passing "Ole Shakey" and the-spot-where-the-almost-live-badger-once-lay, I once again thought of stinking badges and once again discovered mine to not be in my possession. Not wishing to go through the process of badge surrogacy two days in a row, I turned back home.

That's it really. No punchline. Rather dry, I admit. But that badger was huge!

a shoulder to cry on

This morning, as I rolled out of bed at 7am, which was really 8am, I carried Joel into his nursery. I was going to take him downstairs, but my body felt as though I had been punched while sleeping. I returned to the bed to set Joel down and do some morning playing. As I turned, something moved the way it shouldn't have.

So there I was, laying on the bed trying to hold Joel up with one arm and clutching the other against my body whilst trying to catch my breath. Something in my shoulder/back was sending piercing pains through my chest cavity.

I've spent my morning laying on heating pads, trying not to move to much. Meanwhile, we are trying to get packed for our holiday in Ireland at the end of the week. I've managed to book us two nights at Lake Windermere for our return trip and now I'm looking for a nice place near Blackpool.

I feel very guilty for being on my back while Janet is ironing clothes, feeding Joel, entertaining Joel, and generally looking after Joel. I know her day would be pretty much the same had I gone to work, but it feels much worse being in the house while she takes care of all these things.