I woke up with a stiff back yesterday. I’ve had lower back pain for a couple of days. I think it’s due to inactivity rather than something I did to strain it. I sat in front of the TV all day Sunday and that’s when it started bothering me.
Yesterday was one of those days that flew by without anything really interesting going on. We received our mail which was forwarded from our service in South Dakota. That’s always a highlight. Donna was happy to find a royalty check and I was happy to receive the business cards I ordered from Vistaprint.
Card looks grainy in this photo – actual cards are semi-glossy and smooth
Donna and I rode the scooter to do some banking at the Chase Bank in town. The route we took had us riding on Edison Highway which had been freshly oiled in preparation for repaving. Not a good surface to scooter over.
We found the bank on Mount Vernon Avenue. Once we were finished there, we rode north about a mile to a Mexican restaurant Donna scoped out online. The Loma Linda restaurant had good reviews, so we decided to have lunch there. I had the chili verde burrito which was huge and served with rice and beans on the side. Donna ordered the camarones (shrimp) soup. She wasn’t too pleased with her choice. She said the shrimp had been way overcooked and the zucchini and carrots in the soup were large chunks that needed to be cut into smaller pieces before they could be spooned up. My lunch was very good, though I’m not used to eating such a large portion. Of course, no one forced me to eat the whole burrito, but I did. I was uncomfortable for most of the afternoon.
From the restaurant, we rode back down to the Albertson’s grocery store near the bank. Donna shopped while I sat on a bench outside in the shade. My back was so stiff that walking was a chore. We managed to pack several bags of groceries on the scooter. We filled the underseat compartment, a tote bag between my knees and a large backpack.
After we returned home, I thought a martini would be in order – for medicinal purposes. Before I could make a martini, I needed to replenish my vodka supply. I remembered passing a liquor store near here. I went back out on the scooter to the store. It was a poor example of a liquor store. They only had a few brands of vodka, mostly pints and half-pints and no potato vodka.
I went to two grocery stores and found poor selections again. I rode west on Niles Street and stopped at stores displaying liquor signs. In California, it’s usually easy to find liquor retailers. I found plenty of retailers – they just didn’t have what I was looking for. I phoned Donna and told her I may be out for longer than I thought. Then I used my smartphone to map liquor stores in the area.
The 10th(!) store I stopped at had an ancient guy behind the counter. I told him I was looking for potato vodka, preferably in a 1.75 liter bottle. He said I should go to Rite Aid. I asked him if there was a Rite Aid in the area. He said “Yes, they’re everywhere.” Then he just stood there looking at me. Apparently that was all the direction I was going to get. I thanked him and walked back to the scooter.
I started to loop back towards the RV park. I saw a CVS store, right next to the bank where we were this morning. I went in and found Blue Ice American Potato Vodka (made from Idaho russet potatoes). This became my new favorite when I found it in Grand Junction, Colorado. It’s hard to find. I’ve only found it in one or two stores since then. I bought two bottles.
I came home and watched the Formula 1 race from Monza, Italy on the DVR. The martini hit the spot. My back didn’t bother me so much. Donna made a quinoa salad with feta and mint for dinner. After the huge lunch, a light dinner was perfect. Afterwards, we walked a lap of the park.
I still have a sore back this morning. We started the day with a delicious, nutritious breakfast featuring crustless zucchini quiche with bacon and tomato wedges on the side.
Crustless zucchini quiche
Backache notwithstanding, I need to start to prepare for travel today. We’ll head down to Tehachapi tomorrow.