“Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky.”
– Rabindranath Tagore
Artwork – Leonello Calvetti
“Clouds in the sky very much resembles the thoughts in our minds! Both changes perpetually from one second to another!”
– Mehmet Murat ildan
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“When I do not walk in the clouds I walk as though I were lost.”
– Antonio Porchia
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“Clouds are on top for a reason. They float so high because they refuse to carry any burden!”
– Jasleen Kaur Gumber
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“She danced wild across the evening sky, dispersing clouds with the frill of her gown.”
– Meeta Ahluwalia
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I got the idea to look for images in the clouds for the blog because it’s what I do when I’m walking on the treadmill for a mile each day. Since we go every morning, I have seen all the videos on the treadmill (or at least I THINK I have) and my attention has turned to the skies, rocks, and plains. It’s fun to let my imagination play as I walk, seeing images of animals, people, faces, etc. floating in sky, hidden in rock formations, emerging from the greenery beside the paths… They are always changing, too, so my mind sees new things each time!
My throwing the windows open to the wonderful breezes has come to a pause at least until the end of April, if not more. My air filters are already reading higher than normal with the windows closed, so they are having to work harder than they have been. The Chiang Mail Air Pollution Real Time Index says, “176-unhealthy” – with 200 being “very unhealthy.” So windows closed, air filters and a/c on. We will go out as little as possible during the worst of it each day.
Brian opted out of the gym this morning. That made me feel better, as I was up, dressed, and ready for the gym when he texted me. I’m not the ONLY one having to opt out from time to time. He is fine. He has been working very hard at his computer lately and I think it caught up with him. We shared breakfast as usual and will see each other again later today.
I went ahead and did my water bottle exercises this morning after breakfast. I have my yoga mat set up for a nice, long, slow, yoga-stretches session later this morning or this afternoon.
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This is Khun Nong’s card for tomorrow. People in Thailand don’t celebrate “Easter” as such – just the kids hunting for Easter eggs part.
I’m doing my normal Thursday prep for her to come tomorrow. I’ve made the bed with fresh sheets, put out fresh towels and gathered the trash.
We will take this for “Harvey’s Happy Wall” at the nursing home when we visit Saturday
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I’m having a happy time trying to sketch what I call a slice of a Thai street that combines many of the things I like about the creativity, color, and effort to preserve trees here. The sketch is the best I can do right now, so I’ll paint it and see if it’s okay.
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Walmart
The other day on a walk, Brian and I saw the most wonderful thing – big garbage trucks go by pretty constantly to keep up with everything, and a group of a bunch of young boys are hanging on the back of each, jumping down the minute the truck stops, grabbing bags, throwing them into the back, then scrambling up onto to the truck for it to continue to the next stop.
When a truck stopped, we just idly watched the boys jump off, but suddenly there were bubbles flowing everywhere! A boy had a bubble stick. When he saw us, he waved the stick, starting the beautiful sight, grinning at us as he did it again before he lost his spot on the truck. I’m so happy that he could make his job a happier one. What a delightful moment for all of us!
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This little bear is sitting to the left of my computer monitor as I type One of my good friends suggested that I take care to bring ONE completely frivolous thing that I loved with me as we packed our ‘one-suitcase-and-one-backpack’ each to move to Thailand. I took her advice and brought this sweet bear I have had for years and years. It fits nicely in my double hands, softly furry, articulated so his arms and legs can be positioned, looking at me with his big, all-knowing eyes and allowing me to rub his pudgy belly. This has been a life-saver for me, quietly calming me down when I need it. I highly recommend this idea to anyone suddenly down-sizing, going on a long trip, or changing lifestyles in any way.
I opted out of going to the gym this morning. I got up and dressed as usual, but I didn’t sleep well last night for some reason and just felt ‘off,’ so I texted Brian and set my alarm, crawled under my throw on the couch and zonked out. ONE SECOND LATER, the alarm went off, showing me an hour had passed and it was time to get ready to share breakfast with Brian.
It’s very hazy outside and the air pollution website is saying it’s in the ‘unhealthy’ region, so we will stay inside, safe with our air filters and a/c for the day.
I will take it even easier than usual (is that even POSSIBLE? 😜 🤪 😂) and enjoy my day.
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Brian was unimpressed, but if you look just between the red fish and the blue fish in the lower center, just below the red fish’s mouth, you will see a tan/brown circular type shape. THAT IS THE MAJOR TURTLE’S FOOT!!!!!
In the upper right, just below the fish in the corner, you will see ‘THE EDGE OF HIS OPPOSITE ARM!!!!! These are the ONLY two spots the main focus of this puzzle is showing, but I’m excited that he is finally emerging.
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iStock
I’m trying to get started on a sketch totally outside my comfort zone today. I’m going to be TRYING to show the flavor of some of the shops in Chiang Mai, hoping to capture the creativity, uniqueness of them. Wish me luck. This will take me some time. I’ll probably switch to easier things and opt for doing something fun in the meantime – then going back to add a bit to the more serious sketch…
I love the feelings this creates in me. Calming and dreamy.
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I painted 4 thank you cards for my housekeeper, Khun Nong, yesterday. My son and I talked about my doing this last night as we shared dinner. He thinks it’s a bit ‘weird’ that I leave a card for her each week, but added that he thought it was probably something she thought was nice. I told him that I don’t care if they all wind up in her trash can when she gets home. I just want her to know that I appreciate what she does for me each week and don’t take it for granted.
I have a sketch rattling around in my head today that I’m going to try to get started on this afternoon. It is totally outside my ‘comfort zone,’ but we’ll see what happens.
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Today’s visit to my husband at the nursing home was a bust. He was tired and not inclined to talk. He wanted to watch TV. We held his hands and did that. He watched with great attention although he doesn’t speak a word of Thai. When I kissed his head on leaving, he leaned into me and said, “Thanks for coming.” That lean and the 5 seconds made the trip worth it.
This is another sample of the beautiful flowering trees in Chiang Mai. I don’t know what it is, but the vibrant color of the blossoms that had fallen took my breath away. I had to stop and take a picture.
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I talked to my good friend, Carla a couple of days ago. She had the really difficult job of telling me that Jet (aka Monster Cat) whom she adopted when we were moving to Thailand, had died. I’m sad, of course, but more filled with gratitude and love for Carla, who provided a wonderful home with lots of care and love for Jet, although Jet made it difficult at first. What greater gift could a friend give than to take the worry of finding a good home for her cat out of the picture? Jet won the lottery on family and home with Carla. RIP Jet.
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My latest painted sketch. I also drew 4 thank you cards for my housekeeper, Khun Nong, and will start painting them today.
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I’m closed up in my condo today, due to air pollution index in the ‘unhealthy’ range and my air filters already showing elevated readings. I also had a loud PING!!!! alert on my phone, alerting me to the PM2.5 status of the air quality. I’m am so happy that I have good windows that seal well now, good air filters, and my a/c is working. HOORAAAAAY!
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I will enjoy writing blog posts, working on my jigsaw puzzle, painting, and whatever else occurs to me to dive into today. I hope your day has been a stellar one, too!
I did my mile at the gym, ate breakfast with Brian, put my wash out on the drying rack on my balcony, and have been at the computer, catching up on email and doing a bit of research.
It’s hazy this morning, so my windows are closed and air filters on, but it’s light enough to flood my little condo with light and lift my spirits. I plan to at least start painting one of my sketches today and work on my puzzle. (I’m finally making more progress.)
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Shout outs to Cathy and Nora today. They are both in tough situations. I’m sending my thoughts and prayers.
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I can’t tell you what a thrill it is to be able to walk into a store, be able to choose clothes you HOPE might be big enough, find they ARE – some even TOO big – and walk out of the store with some new clothes.
I’m grateful to Walmart for allowing me to cover my lard for several years, always having things that I KNEW would cover me. I’m even MORE grateful, now that I have lost 93 pounds, not to have to buy my clothes there now. I’m still “covering up” – though in much smaller sizes – but now because a Shar Pei dog looks like my sibling now.
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In my current status as ‘much-pampered-lady,’ I will enjoy the mocha that my son, Brian, orders for me when we’re home, rather than out for the day, and I will sip that with a smile as I start painting a sketch…
“Yes, a chair. A wonderful, beautiful, fat, soft, armchair. We will get one covered in velvet with roses all over it. We are going to get the best chair in the whole world.” – Anonymous
Walmart
“Oh, Peter, to think we’ve got a magic chair- a wishing-chair!”– Anonymous
We visited my husband this morning. Most of the time he didn’t make any sense. We just each held a hand and listened, responding the best way we could. At the end of the visit, he wanted some French fries, so Brian arranged for some to be delivered. While I was kissing him goodbye, he said, “I spend half my days remembering how good our time together has been.” I lost it. Harvey’s nurse kindly sent us a video we saw on our way home, showing him eating the fries and saying they were ‘good.’
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LOSING THE LARD PROGRESS REPORT for March –
Giphy
I am 5’4″ tall (and shrinking). As of this morning, I have lost 93 pounds (down from 205 to 112) and 87.7 inches. I am 2 pounds away from my maintenance weight goal, after over two years of trying.
Kudos go to our son, who has been my gym buddy and who has helped me cut my portions on food intake and who has been my supporter since we moved to Chiang Mai last April. He has taken me to doctor appointments to establish a baseline and helped me with supplements to improve my health. And, with all this, he still manages to treat me to mochas or chocolate drinks in the afternoons to reward my efforts and keep me motivated.
I’m between 19 and 20 on the dreaded BMI chart finally, in the ‘healthy’ range. When I started two years ago, I was in the 35-36 area. ‘obese.’
I’m almost to my weight maintenance goal now. I’m concentrating on continuing to eat right, but not worrying about every morsel that goes into my mouth.
I’m adding to my exercise regimen every time it seems reasonable, trying to add things that will help my efforts to improve my balance issues, increase my strength, stamina and flexibility, and promote relaxation.
Hopefully, by the end of April, I’ll be able to report that my weight loss goal has been met!
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I hope that you are having a stellar day and evening.
I had a wonderful massage this morning. My regular therapist was still gone, but will be back tomorrow, according to Khun Sulee, the therapist who has been taking Khun Weaw’s place the past 3 weeks. I made sure she knew how happy I was that she agreed to do my massage this morning and did such a great job.
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As I told you yesterday, Brian and I have a very busy day today. Once we leave, we won’t be back until dinner time.
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I am trying a supplement and thought I would share it with you. It’s called Beet Root Powder. I may be the last one to the party on this, but I read information on it not long ago and wanted to add it.
Sunshine Market
“Beetroot powder is a nutrient-dense, vibrant red superfood made from dehydrated beets, often used to improve athletic performance, boost circulation, and lower blood pressure. Rich in nitrates, it offers a mild, sweet flavor suitable for smoothies, juices, sauces, and natural food coloring. It is commonly used as a pre-workout supplement or to add nutritional value to meals.”
Key Health Benefits
Boosts Exercise Performance: High nitrate levels can improve oxygen usage, enhancing athletic endurance.
Lowers Blood Pressure: Known to support cardiovascular health and increase blood flow.
Nutrient-Dense: Contains essential micronutrients that support heart and gut health.
Cognitive Support: May aid in increasing blood flow to the brain, improving cognitive performance.
What are the top 10 health benefits of beetroot?
Rich in protective antioxidants. …
May have anti-cancer properties. …
May have anti-inflammatory properties. …
May lower blood pressure. …
May improve exercise performance and support energy levels. …
May improve digestive health. …
May protect the gut.
AND – “MAY” make me look like Julia Roberts!!!!!! 😜
(It didn’t actually SAY that, but with all the OTHER stuff it may do, I’m willing to believe it’s possible…)
I couldn’t find any downside unless you take more than the recommended dosage, so I started it last night.
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This is my latest painted sketch.
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I hope your day and evening is great. Pass the smiles around!
“If you have good thoughts, they will shine out of your face like sunbeams, and you will always look lovely.” —Roald Dahl
I’ve been getting ready for my housekeeper to come tomorrow – changing the sheets on my bed, gathering trash, getting out fresh towels…
Do you realize what i just said? “Getting ready for my housekeeper to come tomorrow.” What a joy this is. I’ll never even really get USED to it, much less take it for granted. I’ve never been able to afford to have help. All I have to do in my sweet condo now is keep things picked up. “My housekeeper” handles everything else, and she is quite thorough. I’m absolutely thrilled. 🤗
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Lingokids
I’ve been doing a bit of sketching, but I haven’t had a chance to paint any of the sketches yet. I’m hoping to make some time this afternoon.
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I am FINALLY beginning to make a bit of progress on my puzzle! You might notice a small detail – I haven’t even BEGUN to put the big turtle together who lives in the middle of this. He is hiding in a gazillion pieces and I’ll have to work my way to the center before he emerges…
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Tomorrow will be a very busy day.
We go to the gym first thing as usual
Shower and share breakfast
I go for a massage (Ahhhh!)
We go to the big mall to the immigration place to finish renewing Brian’s passport
We may do a bit of shopping at a clothing store we both like after
We will come home – but to Brian’s place – where I have stashed my stuff so we won’t bother Khun Non who will be cleaning my place
We will gather our things to go to the cafe to wait the rest of the time while Khun Nong finishes creating her miracle.
I will sketch, read, hopefully getting my favorite seat where I can watch the traffic
We will go back to Brian’s to share dinner
I will come home. (WHEW!)
I say this because I MAY be able to write a post tomorrow or may not, depending on timing.
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“There comes a day when you’re gonna look around and realize happiness is where you are.” ―Chief Tui, Moana
We are just back from going to see Khun Nan, the lady at the agency who helps us get our visas and handles our 90-day-reporting required in Thailand. Brian said when he first got here, he and his friends had more challenge than they wanted trying to be sure they were legal. The Thai government is really serious about making sure that everyone is here legally. You carry your passport everywhere, having to show it at the doctor’s office, for example, and for other services. Since you never know when it will be required, you carry it all the time.
Brian needs to renew his, and the 3 of us needed to file our 90-day reporting, so Nan busily shuffled papers, made copies, had Brian sign all the paperwork, etc. He paid for everything and we go to the 2nd floor of the big mall this coming Friday afternoon to finish the process. A person from the office will meet us there and get us through whatever is needed.
Brian has some kind of “VIP” visa. I have a “retirement” visa, and Harvey has a “medical” visa. The requirements for each are different. We have to be careful to note when to contact Nan again for an appointment to do whatever comes next. We think she is worth her weight in gold.
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I’m planning to work on my jigsaw puzzle
and do some sketching this afternoon,
One Green Planet
and today is yoga stretches,
plus my Qigong video.
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The pollution index changed fast this morning. I opened my windows when we returned from the gym. When I went up for breakfast, Brian was cautioning me that the index was bad this morning, since his air filters were “complaining” a bit. I came down, closed everything up and turned the filters back on. They shot up to the high 50s. That’s the highest I have seen them. It’s already 93 outside now, so I guess we’re officially into the ‘hot and hazy’ season now. I’m grateful that I have good air filters and an a/c that works now.
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“Remember, you’re the one who can fill the world with sunshine.” ―Snow White, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves
Each of these is special to me because I am transported to a different place, having an emotional reaction to the photo. These are not simply awe-inspiring – they are breathtaking.
“Random Funny Memes” – BoredPanda.com – Adelaide May Ross, Mantas Kacerauskas, and Rugile Maityte
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Complete Wellbeing.com
We visited Harvey at the nursing home today. It was the best visit we have had in a long time. He remembered that Brian had arranged for French fries to be delivered to him yesterday. He said he shared them with his nurse. He was telling us that they ‘came in through the window,’ but that was minor compared to the pleasure he experienced. He also told us our visits were the high point of his day. We were really happy that we could brighten his day a bit.
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This is my latest painted sketch. When I finish with my blog posts for the day, I plan to try to do some sketching.
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I decided to bring my family into my condo more by putting their pictures up around the mirror in my bedroom. The pictures had been in an envelope in a drawer, and I decided that this was a quality of life thing for me, something that would make me smile every day. It’s not ‘pretty,’ and “House Beautiful” would probably not approve of the decoration idea, but it’s MY condo and I love it! 😁
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Brian will bring dinner to my place this evening. After we eat, we’ll back up the data on my phone and my computer and then chat – the best part of my day.
Today at the chocolate place I broke Brian up by sneakily giving him back an empty gum packet after we finished our chocolate. I don’t manage to fool him very often, but this is an ongoing thing between us. Today I was successful, and snorted when I saw the look on his face. He threw the little gum packet at me in disgust while I simply lost it. The ladies at the counter had no idea what was going on, but were smiling just because I was laughing so hard.
Today while we were walking, Brian teased me unmercifully about ‘falling over things that weren’t there’ on the sidewalks. I told him huffily that they had a conspiracy going on to trip me on the only spots on the sidewalk that were smooth…
This is the stuff that makes me rich. The fact that Brian and I can enjoy each other every day now is a gift beyond price.
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“Now, think of the happiest things. It’s the same as having wings.” ―Peter Pan, Peter Pan
When hard things happen to us in life, it’s understandable to feel as if there will never be an end to the difficulty, problem, pain, depression, snow-balling effects and more. We want to crawl away somewhere, cover up our heads and simply hide to protect ourselves.
Jesica’s words here are profound. You might not be ready to read or hear them in the middle of what is happening, but her words are true. What you’re going through is awful, it hurts – maybe more than anything ever has before – but you WILL come out on the other side. There will be reasons to smile and even laugh again. You will find beautiful things that help, wonderful people, new hope for the future. IT. WILL. COME.
My personal example is that we had our daughter, Jade, after trying to have children for a LONG time. I had two miscarriages, then we had our son, Brian, and then another miscarriage, and finally our beautiful Jade when our Brian was two years old.
To make a long story shorter, while I out taking a community class and my husband, Harvey was babysitting, our Sweet Jade died. It was concluded by the coroner that Jade died of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
Our pain was so great we both seriously considered suicide. Seriously. Neither of us could handle the intense loss, the huge hole in our family, our son’s understandable upset.
Finally, we realized that the reason we had to go on was to help each other deal with the loss. We had a wonderful son to raise. We needed each other.
The thing we learned is that even when a cannonball has gone through you at point blank range, there is SOMETHING way down deep inside that gives you the strength to go on. It’s a step by step, very gradual process, but it is there and it will show itself.
In our case, the pain remains. The mystery as to what kind of a young woman Jade would have become, what she would have wanted to do with her life, remain, never to be answered. I think of her often, but more as to a lost opportunity to have known and loved her as she grew, rather than only my personal loss.
We had new chapters open up as the time passed, culminating in our move to Thailand to be close to our son. Being apart from him, even though he’s a really good communicator, was a big part of my life. Being able to get to know him as an adult now on a day to day basis is one of the best gifts I have ever had. It’s so much fun being with him. He makes me laugh until my stomach hurts and I have to beg him to stop. We’ve begun to tease each other unmercifully, an act of friends, not mother and son. He gives the best hugs on the planet and I now get them several times a day. We help each other with the emotions of trying to help my husband in the nursing home the best way we can. We are stronger together as a team.
Life is chapters in a book, according to Jesica. I think it’s helpful to look at it that way. Some chapters will be hard, will make us cry, will make us redefine what our priorities are, but the following chapters will give us new reasons to enjoy all that we have.
“Random Funny Memes” – BoredPanda.com – Adelaide May Ross, Mantas Kacerauskas, and Rugile Zemaityte
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My latest painted sketch
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It occurred to me that I hadn’t seen any hummingbirds, and I thought of trying to hang up a feeder on my balcony. I researched and found that hummingbirds are only native to the Americas! There are, however, “Sunbirds” here. One is called an “Olive-Backed Sunbird” and the other is called a “Green-Tailed Sunbird.” They are best seen at high elevations and in local parks. So, my thoughts about a feeder on my deck are not reasonable. 🥲
Olive-Backed Sunbird -BirdGuides
Green-Tailed Sunbird – eBird
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Harvey’s nurse wrote to Brian, saying the French fries were delivered to the nursing home yesterday and that Harvey enjoyed them. We were kind of hoping for a video of him enjoying them, but that didn’t happen. We also don’t know if he connected the fries with the fact he told Brian Saturday he wanted some or thought they had magically fallen out of the sky, but his day was brightened by a kind act by Brian, and that’s priceless.
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ABC Pediatric Therapy
I will try to do some sketching this afternoon. I’m finishing the painting of my last sketch, so I need to get my pencil going. I’m also going to concentrate on trying to make progress on my puzzle. Such a nice afternoon ahead!
“If you see someone without a smile, give them one of yours.” ―Dolly Parton
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