08-08-2026 — Frozen Harvest

Howdy all. Another summer day here in heck-slovia. May rain tomorrow. I hope. I did get outside long enough to replace the batteries on one security camera — that camera seems to eat them quickly. And, I did bedding laundry. Earlier this morning I did a quick garden peek and harvest. There are little peppers on the plants now. If the weather holds, I may actually be able to harvest some, and freeze them for the winter.

Some of the tomatoes look a little sad, but they taste fine. And I grabbed a few onions (mostly cleaned in this photo) to freeze with prior pickings of tomatoes.

My first frozen tomatoes and onions for the year.  About a gallon in each of the Two gallon bags. 

And I really need to harvest more potatoes.   The plants are pretty much done. Same with the onion plants.

Can’t seem to find my potato bucket.   Maybe I’ll do that harvest in about 10 days.
Ah, Brother says he has the bucket from when I gave him potatoes. I guess I’ll need to wash out another bucket that’s in the garage.

I did do some research on why my back is hurting.

Here is an AI write-up after I answered its questions. “““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““

Alternating paraspinal muscle spasms refer to sudden, involuntary contractions of the deep supporting muscles running vertically along both sides of your spine. When these spasms swap sides, it means the underlying physical stress is shifting back and forth across your lower back. [1]To help you understand why this feels like a sudden punch and why it moves from side to side, it helps to break down the anatomy and mechanics.

What are Paraspinal Muscles?Your paraspinal muscles are two thick columns of muscle that frame your spinal cord. They act like guy-wires on a sailboat mast, keeping your spine upright and controlling how you bend or twist. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

Why It Feels Like Being "Punched"A spasm is not just a standard muscle ache. It is an intense, sudden clenching where the muscle locks up completely. Because these deep muscles sit directly against the spine and are packed with nerve endings, a sudden, violent contraction triggers an instant, severe pain signal that mimics the shock of a hard physical blow. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

Why the Spasms Alternate Sides At 71, carrying significant extra weight around the midsection creates a unique mechanical environment in your lower back: [1]

The "Tug-of-War" Effect: Excess abdominal weight constantly pulls your pelvis and lower spine forward. To keep you from falling over, your left and right paraspinal muscles have to work in overdrive, pulling backward with massive force. [1]

Shifting the Burden: As you move, sit, or shift your weight, one side of your back eventually gets completely exhausted or overstretched. When the muscle on that side can no longer handle the load, it fires a violent, protective contraction (a spasm) to stop the spine from moving. [1, 2]

The Counter-Spasm: Once the first side locks up, your body naturally shifts your posture away from the pain to protect it. This instantly transfers all the heavy lifting and physical stress to the opposite side. Soon, those newly overloaded muscles fatigue and spasm, creating a frustrating, alternating cycle of pain. [1, 2, 3, 4]

Safe Ways to Break the Cycle When a paraspinal muscle is actively spasming, the goal is to calm the nervous system and persuade the muscle to relax. [1, 2]

Gentle, Flat Movement: When a spasm hits, your instinct may be to freeze. However, sitting completely still or lying in bed makes the muscles tighten further. Taking a short, slow walk on flat ground relaxes the nervous system and tells the brain the area is safe, helping the spasm drop down. [1, 2, 3, 4]

Targeted Heat or Ice: If the spasm is sudden and sharp, applying a cloth-wrapped ice pack for 15 minutes can numb the intense pain. If the area feels chronically stiff and locked up, a heating pad will increase blood circulation and help the muscle fibers loosen. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

Supported Seating: Avoid soft recliners or couches that cause your lower back to sag or round, which stretches the paraspinal muscles to their absolute limit. Sit in a supportive chair with a small towel or lumbar roll placed right at your waistline to absorb some of the mechanical load.

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Put at a simple statement or two. It hurts because I’m a fat old man that won’t stop doing stoopid things, and the only way to recover is to stop doing stoopid things, and do smart stuff that everybody knows.

As for the part where it says to walk when you are having a spasm, who are they kidding? I “freeze” because it hurts like I pissed of a donkey standing behind me. I can’t walk. Shoot, I can’t breathe..

Fortunately, it is slowly improving, in spite of my stoopidity, and it may soon be slight enough so I can Enjoy Life