After having the steroid injection in my back in May, I got some relief but not a lot. The next step was a nerve block. Yesterday they injected 8 places in my lower back with something like novacaine to see if there was relief from the deadened nerves. The deadening only lasts 4 hours but in that time you are supposed to do the activities that hurt your back and see if there is any improvement. I was very pleased that the pain was about 80% better. The next step is to go back and burn the nerve that had been deadened. This is supposed to last for 6 months to 2 years. The doctor seems to think that my problem is arthritis which is the worst at the lower 3 vertebrae and that I don't have any narrowing or anything more serious. I do have 2 herniated discs but they are not causing as much problem as the arthritis. While arthritis will not kill you, it sure can slow you down [which annoys me] so I want to do what I can to improve the situation.


Our 5 pair of California quail are still coming around for goodies, but there are about 3 females that are not here. Presumably they are sitting on eggs. One of the males was sitting on the fence near where I think his female has her eggs so caught a quick photo of him. They sure are pretty birds.

Our neighbor was digging up some lavender from her yard that had spread beyond where she wanted it. We went over, brought it home and Dan planted it in a garden spot that should be perfect for it. It tried to grow it in Oklahoma but never had much luck. Too hot I guess.