Just as I was about to accuse my body of letting me down, I remembered that I haven't been very kind to it lately, either. Other than trying to eat more healthy (and less unhealthy) food, and walking a few blocks several times a week, my neglect has been fairly comprehensive.

When I woke up this morning, my legs felt as if they'd been pounded with rubber mallets all night (after running from here to Petaluma and back). I seemed to be feeling every muscle in my body, and my head felt as if it were stuffed with cotton. I had to take inventory to make sure all the parts were working. Then I went over what I did and didn't do yesterday to land me in this position.

First of all, and most importantly, I didn't overeat. I didn't snack before the burgers and dogs were grilled and ready, and I had only a couple of cookies afterward, despite the fact that the dessert table was filled with things I love. Chocolate cake, cream puffs, pies of apple and berry, Rice Krispies treats. Out of all that, I ate two cookies. They were big cookies, but I had only two.

The other thing I didn't do was drink too much. One margarita, and that was just to be polite. Okay, one and a half, but only because Suzanne was being polite enough to take one, but not foolish enough to finish it. No beer, and that's major. Some people had to take naps between dinner and fireworks, but not me.

So I should be in great shape today, right? I had to think back to sitting cross-legged on the corner of the deck. I think there were a couple of times I couldn't stand up because the whole lower half of my body had gone to sleep. Plus, I spent some time, probably more than I should, crouched in the grass playing ball with the kids. I had to fold myself up to get down to their level.

Looking back, that appears to have been my biggest mistake, although I wouldn't have done anything differently. I don't get that many chances to play with the little ones any more.

And then there were the two cups of very strong coffee I drank while standing on the curb in the chilly night air watching the fireworks. That could explain why I was able to stay up until after one in the morning finishing last night's entry, and then another couple of hours trying to come down off the ceiling. It's not a hangover of the conventional type, but it feels like one. If I were to make any resolutions based on how I feel today, it would be to lay off the coffee. Next time I'll just take a sweatshirt instead.

If I'd been keeping myself in better shape, I might have been able to withstand whatever I did to myself yesterday. The stiffness in my legs didn't get any better as today wore on. In fact, it kept getting worse, and I couldn't do anything about it. I couldn't walk it off, because I could hardly walk at all.

As soon as I got up this morning I knew that I would spend the day doing next to nothing. I didn't even bother putting my shoes on, except to limp out to the street to get my mail this afternoon. Tomorrow I'll see if I can put my body in motion again. Today it was having none of that.