Hands.

It's been a bit chaotic lately. I spent Saturday in Mistress Keilyn's kitchen helping with the Twelfth Night feast. Fifty seven pies, 20 pounds of rice and various plating and scullery tasks later I was pretty darn beat. The major pains were mostly my back and feet which is not suprising after nearly 9 hours standing in the kitchen.

Sunday, of course I had to make up for all the chores at home that didn't happen Saturday. So I did load after load of laundry, did some kitchen prep for the week, a bit of light cleaning and un-decorating from Christmas. The back was still a bit iffy and the upper arms hurt (stirring 20#s of rice will do that) but by the end of the day it was clear that my hands took the biggest beating.

Even today they were still stiff and swollen with a variety of cuts and burns (a couple of which turned inflamed and a bit infected). The worst is a burn down the side of my hand. It's amazing how many things get braced down the side of my hand. Cutting meat, for instance is currently a bit of a challenge.

My hands are always a bit of a problem. I suffer from Trigger Finger, which causes the middle joint of several of my fingers to lock up. They are also a bit arthritic, I think. I find it very hard to cope when they get like this. I can type, for instance, but I can't grip very well.

This is the very reason I stopped volunteering to be head cook for events. My heart and mind can cope, but my hands just can't.