Lake Padden, a month later

Lily at Lake Padden this morning

It was just a month ago that Lily and I had joined the Saturday walking group and my hip seized up on me. I've been dealing with it ever since, and today was the first time I felt I might actually be able to keep up with the Saturday walk's fast pace. At least I could make some decision about it and turn around at any point if necessary. Lily and I joined the dozen or so ladies and started our walk with excitement, enjoying the lack of rain, since it rained on the way over to the lake. I can also hear rain on the roof now, but I'm warm and cozy inside. We've continued to have lots of rain; you can see the grass is pretty soggy looking behind Lily.

I made it around the lake once without having to stop, although I was slower, at the end of the walkers. I decided not to make the second loop, though, since of all the exercises I do, fast walking causes it to hurt the most. On the way home, I asked Lily if she would stop with me at the local marijuana store, so I could pick up some topical ointment for the hip. When we walked in, I was surprised that it wasn't busy. The guy behind the counter was very helpful. He told me that he just yesterday received a new shipment of "Flow," which he says is his best  seller.

I have used some other topical cannabis ointments, so I knew they can be very effective, but this one is twice as expensive, so I was hesitant. But after reading the directions, I decided to give it a try. The part that convinced me was this: "Flow CBD gel can be applied to sore muscles, arthritic joints, minor burns and abrasions. Effects can be felt within seconds of application." Here's more information if you're interested. Unfortunately, you can't get it outside of Washington State and unless you're over 21.

I came home and dropped my drawers and massaged the oil into my hip area. Yep, I could feel the warmth, so I pulled everything back up and sat down to write this post. As I sit here, I can feel the continued warmth, and lo and behold, the pain in my hip is very much less!  Apparently it reaches its maximum strength after about an hour and maintains its effects for several hours longer. I'm sold! And in the time it has taken for me to write this post, the pain is completely gone. Yay!
:-)