Smallpdf.com
It’s my husband’s 79th birthday today. On one hand, he doesn’t want to talk about it, celebrate or anything. On the other hand, he wants to be 80. He thinks THAT is a good age. Kay is bringing him a cake today at Lunch Bunch. I’m making him one of his favorite dinners – chicken chunks and soup with mushrooms and onions over rice – for dinner tonight. Our son just called from across the world (the middle of the night for him) to wish him a happy birthday and a happy day. I wish you could have seen the smile on my husband’s face and the light in his eyes.
A cold front came through last night, bringing cooler temperatures. No ice or snow, though, thank goodness, but the HIGH will only be 38 today. We’re not finished with warmer temperatures yet, but today will probably not be one where I work outside this afternoon.
metro.co.uk
Today is DAY 126 of my efforts to make daily yoga practice a habit/routine, and I held the plank pose for a quick count of 30 yesterday. I’m not sure whether the practice is becoming a habit or just a part of the day I’m determined to keep doing, but both Amber (our yellow lab) and Abby (our fat cat) seem to think that my getting on the floor is a signal it’s time to nuzzle and play. I hardly get my mat spread out and pillows down before both of them are there waiting for me to join them. :0)
My husband and I went for lab work yesterday in preparation for our routine appointments Monday afternoon. The clinic called me today to tell me I need to change my thyroid dosage, so we’ll be picking up a new trial prescription from the pharmacy after Lunch Bunch today, with another test in 8 weeks to see if the new dosage is correct. (Kind of like trying to regrow a nerve – slow and tedious until the correct dosage is found.)
My husband has declared our driveway pad detector dead and is in the process of ordering a new one. I found the paperwork, so we’re pretty sure we can get the same thing, or an updated version of the same thing, making the replacement pretty easy.
We have NOT found any evidence that any more critters are coming into the garage to get our cat’s food, so for the time being, we’re not having to set our humane trap. Here’s hoping the raccoon we caught recently didn’t have a big family who kept track of where he was going.
Enjoy your Friday.
Filed under Thoughts on a ________
Casey Rasmussen White – fineartamerica.com
“Autumn burned brightly, a running flame through the mountains, a torch flung to the trees.” ~
Faith Baldwin
eBay.com
“Fiery colors begin their yearly conquest of the hills, propelled by the autumn winds. Fall is the artist.” ~ Takayuki Ikkaku
marygibbsart.com
“Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns.” ~ George Eliot
“How beautifully leaves grow old. How full of light and color are their last days.” ~ John Burroughs
The high this afternoon is 53. The high tomorrow will be 38. Winter is coming.
Filed under Favorite Quotes, Seasons
American Kennel Club
I just came home from getting my November massage. Ahhhhhh!
I really used to think it was just a luxury. A nice way to pamper yourself.
After doing medical transcription and bookkeeping in Ft. Smith for 8 years, I was a mess. I had so much tension in my shoulders, neck, and back I was unable to pull a T-shirt off over my head. I didn’t sleep well and would just push myself harder and harder to get the work load done. (I did transcription for 8 busy general surgeons plus all their bookkeeping. I finally got some help, but my tension problems remained.)
I went to a doctor who recommended massage. My insurance didn’t pay for it, but I did it anyway, desperate for some relief. After weekly massages for 8 weeks, I was finally back to ‘normal.’ The therapist saved my life.
Then, I stopped working in Ft. Smith and so lost my easy access to a gym after work, and didn’t continue the massages.
I don’t know when I was lucky enough to find Lynn, my massage therapist, but I changed my labeling of massage as a luxury and pampering (though they are both of those) and started considering them in the light of taking better care of myself – something I needed on a regular basis – a way to stay healthier.
Benefits of massage
This is according to the Mayo Clinic, if you needed more convincing.
Selfishly, I wish I could get one more than once a month, but I’m very, very grateful for Lynn’s wonderful care.
Filed under taking care of yourself
lifestyle.livemint.com
I’ve added trying to hold the plank pose to my daily yoga practices. Opinions vary as to my efforts thus far.
GLASS HALF EMPTY: Pathetic that I’m only able to count to 27 while holding the pose. AND I’m probably counting too fast.
GLASS HALF FULL: I started with a count of only 10 and am now able to hold it to the count of 27 before collapsing. It’s all relative.
GLASS IS REFILLABLE: I’m slowly building a bit of strength in my core. Just like everything else at my age, it’ll take awhile to get to anything reasonable. I remind myself that when I first started with yoga stretches, I was unable to –
SO –
Today is DAY 125 of my daily yoga practice. I’m about to leave to get a glorious massage. I’m about the luckiest old lady on the planet. :0)
I hope that you are doing good things for yourself, too.
Filed under Attitude, exercise, taking care of yourself
It’s easy these days to be down. Things become more and more challenging, frustrating and downright scary in our world. It’s hard to listen to or read the news because of all the bad stuff.
It’s important to stay informed, but I’m determined to focus on the beauty around me – not to be a Pollyanna or put my head in the sand like an ostrich, but not to let it all stomp me into the dirt psychologically.
Every day I look at what talented people have created. I search for it because I find people creating music, books, paintings, photographs and sculpture so beautiful it makes me forget for a bit what a mess we are making of things. It doesn’t matter what the medium is. Someone can look at it and see it in a different way, seeing its potential and bringing forth beauty that makes you cry. What a gift!
People focus on making plants grow or practicing a skill until it’s an art form. Teachers light a spark that causes a fire in a child’s heart that cannot be extinguished. Someone’s speech makes you want to help or turn your life in a different direction.
The fact that we live on the same planet as these talented people is almost unbelievable, and yet it’s true if we only look for it.
We can realize that not everyone is rushing headlong into the scary. We can keep our eyes open, protect ourselves and our loved ones as much as possible, try to help in any way we can, and keep the faith.
As Anthony J. Dangelo said, “Wherever you go, no matter what the weather, always bring your own sunshine.”
Filed under Attitude, caring, Challenges, character-building exercises, Encouragement
Filed under Hamish Mackie Sculpture, sculpture
Country Living Magazine
Right now I’m trying to hold onto my sanity because our driveway pad detector keeps going off and there is no one out there. There is one good thing about it – when there is an actual vehicle, the alarms are more frequent and longer than the one at a time beeps we’re getting now. It gets on your nerves, though, kind of like water dripping on your head, one drip at a time, but relentlessly.
We were out first thing this morning to get lab work done for our routine doctor appts Monday. Hopefully, our health will be such that we won’t have to go back for six months. To give ourselves something nice after being good little people and getting the work done, we went to The Dari for a sumptuous breakfast before coming home. I had a really nice veggie omelette. YUM.
There was frost on everything this morning, but the sun was shining, so it seemed things were sparkling. It’s 38 degrees now, and it’s supposed to get to 49 this afternoon. If it actually DOES get that warm, I’ll try to get outside and get something done in the yard.
Santa Cruz Sentinel
As we approached the top of the driveway, a couple of deer leaped across in front of us. Such a beautiful sight!
Have a beautiful day.
Filed under Thoughts on a ________
National Geographic
We made a big circle in our errands this morning. As we were going down the driveway with the humane trap and the raccoon that was in our garage this morning in the bed of the truck, two deer jumped across the driveway.
Plastic Pollution Coalition
We got my husband’s haircut, then went to Ace Hardware. There we saw a friend we haven’t seen in a long time. He had a possum on his shoulder! The possum was pure white with bright black eyes. I spoke to both of them, but wasn’t drawn to try to touch the possum. We got two big bags of sunflower seeds for our birds.
Tahlequah Daily Press
We stopped at the local grocery store and then headed out of town to relocate the raccoon. We passed a dog who tried to chase the truck and then saw a bunch of rabbits running along the ditch beside the road. I had never seen that before.
When my husband let the raccoon out by the creek, he just walked out of the trap, not in a hurry. He was a big one, too.
On the way back to the house, we passed a pasture full of cows, and more deer as we got close to home.
It looks like the cold weather is bringing the animals out. My personal reaction was to fix us some lunch and then cuddle under my throw to take a nap. Later I’ll fill the feeders and also put out some suet cakes for the birds.
Filed under Amazing Animals
Filed under animal paintings, Mary Gibbs Art
Westitude-Louise Peterson-danescuptor.com
We got rain overnight and a freeze. I’m not sure about the freezing rain or sleet, but I can’t see any ice yet. No snow. So it’s gray, gloomy, and cold now, but we sure could have worse.
Amber started to bark last night – not a usual occurrence for her. We ignored her. This morning we found a raccoon in the humane trap we set INSIDE THE GARAGE. We had set the trap because we found evidence ‘something’ was bothering the cat dish, the small piece of carpet under the cat dish, the water bowl, etc.
We’ll leave in a bit for my husband’s haircut and errands, relocate the raccoon on the way home, and hope the trash can at the bottom of the driveway is empty and can be brought back up. I’m hoping this is the last of the raccoons for the year. We’ve had more than our share – this is #10.
Since the high for the day is supposed to be in the mid 40s, I’m not at all sure I’ll try to work outside this afternoon. I’ll see how it feels and make a decision later.
Have a wonderful day.
Filed under Thoughts on a ________
Filed under animal paintings, Mary Gibbs Art
Filed under sculpture, Simon Griffiths Sculpture
Last night we pigged out, watching the carefully selected previous episodes Paramount chose to get us up to speed before a double episode blasted us into the current season. To say we are addicted is an understatement, I guess. We tape it so we won’t miss it, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we buy any DVDs produced from the series so we can enjoy it well into the future.
A funny thing is we haven’t been enticed to watch the prequels yet. We may, in the future, but not right now.
Do you watch it?
Filed under Uncategorized
WJLA
This is the forecast for Greenwood, Arkansas this afternoon. Since I’m trying to work in the yard, I’m frustrated.
Trio Planters
Yesterday I went out to survey the damage of the freezes and found my sweet elephant ear leaves hanging dolefully down around the bricks of the planter. I spent a long time cutting each of the leaves down with a sharp knife either at the surface, or below, if I could. When I finished that, I raked up some leaves and put them in the planter. I’ll continue to do that, putting as many leaves as I can cram into it, trying to protect the elephant ear roots as much as possible for the winter. (I tried digging up the bulbs and storing them in peat moss in the garage as suggested one winter and ended up having to pitch the yucky, slime-covered bulbs in the spring. Ever since, I just cut them off and leave them in the planter, hoping to see spears shooting up in the spring.)
Elephant Ear Planter
It’s too cold right now to work outside. If it warms up between now and mid afternoon when the rain is supposed to start, maybe I can get more done outside.
I don’t think we’ll get ‘snowed in’ as such, but I really don’t want to be trying to horse the humongous trash container out of the back of the truck and getting it into place at the bottom of the driveway in the rain/freezing rain/sleet/snow this afternoon and evening, so we’ll gather our stuff early, leave it for pick up and get our mail mid morning, and then ‘hole in’ to see what the weather does. I’m especially thankful we have a warm, dry home on days like this.
I hope you’re safe and warm today.
Filed under Thoughts on a ________
eBay
I’m HOPING that our weather will warm up another 10 degrees so I don’t freeze my parts off trying to do some clean up in the yard this afternoon.
I would like to –
Those are the main things. If I can get them done, I’ll be very happy about my efforts to prep for the winter. I’ll try to do SOMETHING outside each day, unless it’s just too cold.
First, lunch, and then I’ll see what I can do.
Filed under Gardening
Freepik
Pollster: a person who conducts or analyzes opinion polls.
Talking heads: people who appear in television discussion programs and interviews to give their opinions about a topic.
I’m feeling quite hostile toward pollsters and talking heads right now. The polls I heard about, and the ‘experts’ to whom I listened, led me to believe/hope/expect what DIDN’T come to be. Not only were they wrong. They were dead wrong. They should be hanging their heads in shame.
I don’t know what their methods are, but they definitely need to go back to the drawing board and remain silent until further notice.
Filed under character-building exercises, Pet Peeves
Subhalaxmi Sahoo
jeannievodden.com
Rose Hips-watercolourflorals.blogspot.co.uk
Takir-deviantart.com
Filed under Watercolors I Love
creativeartworksblog 