Tag Archives: massage

Yet Another Rainy Day

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Yet another rainy day.

I just got back from my massage. I really didn’t care that today is rainy because I always feel SO much better after my wonderful massage therapist, Lynn Moody, 479-629-7601, finishes with me. Ahhhhhhh!

My main exercise since the 17th has been a series of squeegeeing, mopping, then toweling the porch floor each time the rain stops. The wind makes the rain come in and then the water sits there. I’m trying to lessen the damage as much as I can by taking care of the water as soon as possible between deluges and storms. We’re supposed to have two more days of this, and then MAYBE a 3-day-respite before the rains come back. I don’t remember our having quite this much rain before.

I will also try to harvest some lettuce if the rain will allow. We’ve been enjoying a combination of head lettuce, spinach, and buttercrunch lettuce from our garden with our dinners. :0)

I have on my to-do list today a return to my afternoon yoga practice. I’ve been so busy the last few weeks it got lost in the shuffle and my body is noticing. Hopefully, I can get in a nice session of stretching to finish off the good Lynn did with my massage this morning.

Also on the list is playing in my art room. I’ve been watching some demonstrations of acrylic pour art, plus another technique you can do with pieces of the pours that are left over. I’m a bit intimidated, to be honest, but my mouth waters as I watch what the artists are doing.

I’m trying SOME of the techniques, easing into this slowly. I’ve started a piece with my Unicorn Spit paint. I just put a coat of varnish on what I did yesterday. When that dries, I plan to paint some flowers, and then use the crackle paint on the background. Finally, I will use some metallic paint to highlight the cracks. Fingers crossed that it turns out SOMETHING like what my brain is picturing. :0) It’s such FUN to play with the colors!

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Thoughts on a Thursday 3-11-2021

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Some of my body parts are ripening more than others today.

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I had a glorious massage this morning. My massage therapist had surgery early in November, and it was last month before she was able to give massages. The ice and snow made us reschedule, so this morning was my first massage in a LONG time. She told me she didn’t remember me ever being so tight and knotted up, and I’ve been going to her for several years. I knew I had been under some pressure, but as she worked on me, I could feel it. One place in particular, I almost came up off the table. I felt SO much better after she finished.

I came home, fixed us lunch, and then spread out under my throw in my recliner. I slept for 3 hours! I guess this is the first time in awhile I’ve felt really relaxed. I feel almost as if I could simply slither to the floor out of my chair right now. :0)

My husband and I had our first COVID vaccine shot last Monday morning. They are doing a mass injection effort in Fort Smith through Health Depot, one of our local pharmacies. I happened to call at the right time and was able to get an appointment for 11:00 on Monday. We used the GPS to find the church where the injections were being given. I had no idea what to expect, how long we would be there, etc.

What we found was a delight. We went into the church, filled out a two page form and were immediately told to go to one of several stations in another room. I sat down, got my shot, and was asked to go sit in some chairs and wait for them to bring my IDs and a card. We waited maybe 5 minutes. A man came, gave everything back to us, explained that we had an appointment to get the 2nd injection on March 29th at the same time and place. And that was it. We were there maybe 10 minutes total. The shot didn’t even hurt!

For the next couple of days, our arms were sore, but that was it. I feel so lucky to be able to get this protection and that we lucked into a place that was so well organized. We are in the high risk group as far as dying from the virus, so my mind is resting more easily now, too.

Right before I took my nap today, my husband had propped the back door open. Soon after we started eating our lunch, a sound came that was music to my ears – the generator turned on for its weekly test! We now listen each week to make sure it’s working. This probably won’t last forever, but it’s so comforting to know that we have backup power if we need it. AND I don’t take for granted the fact that we had water throughout the ice and snow storms where so many good people around us had pipes that burst or no local water at all. Things are starting to get back to normal now, but it’s another thing for which to be very thankful.

I hope that good things are happening for you, too.

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Exercise?

“Exercise” –

ekser,siz – verb

a verb, believed to be a myth

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I love this picture. I’m still smiling. :0)

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My elliptical trainer is in our garage. It’s the only place we could put it where it would not be on carpet and wouldn’t take up too much room. Therefore, the outside temperature affects my willingness to use it. Most of the year, this is not a problem. My husband mounted a nice box fan on the wall in front of the elliptical. I can turn it on all spring, summer, and fall to make it more comfortable to be out there. I have a problem when it gets too cold in the winter.

Right now it is 27 outside. Even with the effort on the elliptical, I freeze. I use that as an excuse not to do it. That works for today, and possibly tomorrow, but my excuse won’t be good when it warms into the 40s and 50s by the end of the week.

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I AM doing my super gentle yoga for old broads daily, though, and that is truly helpful. Without it, I tend to fold up like a tent. I notice this in particular when I have monthly massages. My therapist spends a lot of time pulling on arms, legs, and head, trying to ‘pull my head out of my rear’ (if you’ll pardon the expression) because I tend to implode. Right now I’m not getting my massages because my therapist is recovering from surgery. I’m hopeful we will be able to resume in February or March, when she is feeling sassy again.

My yoga is not the ‘fold-yourself-into-a-pretzel-or-paper-airplane’ type. It’s good, quiet, long, gradual stretches that make my body say, ‘ahhhhhhhh!’ when I finally am able to relax into each pose. I move into it as far as I can, then just BREATHE. I can FEEL my body giving a bit at a time, stretching more and more. I started my practice a few years ago, when I was 71. I’ll be 74 in March, and I’m hopeful I can continue this the rest of my life. I want to get and stay as flexible as I can. It also helps with my back, plus my balance.

I am trying to do some walking, but again, the weather is a factor. I’m not desperate enough to get out my “Walking-with-annoying-Leslie’ DVD yet, but it may come to that as winter sneaks in.

I hope you’re trying to take care of yourself, too.

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Ahhhhh!

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I’m leaving shortly to have a massage. Ahhhhh!

My wonderful massage therapist will be having surgery very soon, though, and the recovery time is pretty long, so this massage will need to last me until February or so. My wish is that the surgery goes smoothly and that she heals thoroughly, feeling good again.

I was going to call to arrange to have our fall checkup on our geothermal system, plus our quarterly bug spraying, but both companies called ME to schedule! We had the geothermal check yesterday and are good to go now through the winter into the spring. Not only is our guy super competent about how our system works, but he crawls up into the attic to change out one of the filters for us – saving my husband and me the chore – AND our dog, Amber, is in love with him. She wags her tail so hard the whole time he is here that she sleeps soundly after he leaves. He always stops to talk to her and give her a lot of love before he leaves.

Our fish are swimming around in a sparkling clean tank again. They thanked me in their way, for the nice digs.

Our weather has warmed up again, so we’re able to open doors in the afternoon, airing out the house. :0) I’m hoping to be able to do some work outside this afternoon.

I hope that you are having a great day, too!

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Rain

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I’m getting ready to leave for a much-needed massage. It looks like I’ll get a second shower, too, as it’s dark outside with thunderstorms predicted. I’m not water-soluble, so I’ll be happy if there is no hail associated with the storm.

I’ve been working hard lately cleaning, so I’m hoping to reward myself with time in the art room this afternoon. I have a new design for earrings in my head, and I would like to see how it goes. :0)

Our irrigation system brains in the well house keep getting zapped by the various short power outages we’ve been experiencing lately. We ordered a UPS (uninterruptible power supply) lately and my husband put it out there and hooked it up. Hopefully, now we won’t have to reset the thing over and over again. Fingers crossed.

I gathered some tomatoes yesterday. Most were the size of cherry tomatoes, but I will happily use them in salads. Nothing else from the main garden at this time, except some good-looking weeds.

I hope that your day is filled with fun.

 

 

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Nice Morning

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I had a lovely massage this morning. I asked her to just leave me there and let me drift off to sleep, but she made me get up, pay her, and leave. Imagine that! She is truly a miracle worker. I feel a lot better.

It was getting dark as I left – at 11:00 in the morning!  I got home just before storming started. I shut the garage door, and closed up the house. It has rained, but it doesn’t seem to be severe at this point. We have more waves of storms coming this afternoon and tonight.

I chatted with our son in Thailand this morning briefly. There is 12 hours difference in our times, so we have to chat quickly sometimes. He sounded really happy. He said, “last night when i was falling asleep i was listening to the rain, and i think i heard some kind of religious singing from somewhere, maybe the nearby wat, and i was feeling the breeze from my fan, and i thought to myself how fortunate i am.”

We are on our official whole first day of the South Beach Diet today. (We started after lunch yesterday.)  So far, we’re doing fine, although we’re fumbling around some. We like the shakes, and the ‘ice crushes.”  Mine are chocolate, of course. :0)  I got home from my massage late for our morning ‘snack.’ We went ahead and did that, deciding we would delay lunch for an hour or so. I have keto chili in the crock pot for one of our DIY dinners for the week. I’m interested to see what we think of our lunch options.  I have found that their ‘peanut butter bites” (a package of small cookies) is delicious. I am trying to record what I eat and drink on the tracker on their website. It’s different that the other I have been using, but I’m determined to make it work.

I received one of the new wooden earring shapes I ordered yesterday, and am eager to get up to the art room to see what I can do with it. :0)

I hope you’re having a wonderful day.

 

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Life of a Slug

 

Yesterday I emulated a slug.  It was a wonderful day.

 

Life Time Athletic

Arkansas is reopening, so I was able to have my first massage in three months. AHHHHHHHH! Each part of my body let out a big sigh as my therapist, Lynn Moody, found another tight or sore spot and eased our the kinks. I tried to get her to just let me sleep there when she finished, but she calmly, sweetly, told me I had to get up and go home, and gave me an appointment for next month. :0)

When I got home, I fixed lunch. We ate, and I thought I would drink a cup of coffee and watch the news on TV. The next thing I knew, it was an hour later.

I did only what was needed yesterday, taking another nap in the afternoon. The life of a slug is sweet!

Today Lunch Bunch is trying to meet at the Pizza Barn. It rained overnight, and it’s looking like it might rain again. We were planning to eat at one of the picnic tables they have put in their parking lot, but that might not be in the cards. Kay is calling to find out if it would be possible for us to eat inside if it’s raining. The jury is still out on whether we can finally enjoy a meal together or not. I usually hug them – but I’m learning to hold my hands behind my back to remind myself to take care of each of my friends.  If not this week, then maybe next week. Till then, we’ll just have to say, “Hi” on the phone.

I’m hoping to get up to my art room this afternoon, since it looks like the work in the yard and the garden might not be possible. I want to start painting a new group of wooden earrings – these with posts – so I can add this option to my Etsy site, Eyecatching Earrings .  I’ll show you pics when they are listed.

Today is rainy, windy, and raw. I’ll get together the makings of keto chili in the crock pot for tonight.

I hope you can find some joy today.

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Ahhhhhhh!

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I just got home from having a massage. Ahhhhhhhhhh!

It has been two months since I had one. I had to call and reschedule the original appointment because of my food poisoning episode. THEN the rescheduled massage was canceled due to the roads being dangerous to drive because of Mother Nature. The subsequent appointment was canceled due to my wonderful massage therapist getting the flu. So TODAY – when I looked out the window and saw our yard covered in WHITE – I groaned.

I dressed and came downstairs quickly to look on the computer to see if Greenwood Schools were canceled. If the buses won’t run, WE’RE not going to drive. I couldn’t find any notices, so when I took Sweet Molly out this morning, I looked around and saw that it was the PERFECT snow – the yard looked pretty, but the porch and sidewalks were free of ice. HOORAY!

The driveway had some snow, but the snow tires on the truck weren’t really needed. The streets were clear.

My wonderful massage therapist laughed as I groaned as she found all the places that needed her so desperately. She is really good. I felt limp as a noodle by the time she finished. I tried just saying, “Good Night,” hoping she would just leave me. No luck there.

I’m home now and will eat lunch soon. I have to say that having a massage is one of the best ways to start a day!

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Thoughts on a Friday – 12-20-2019

Kanno Hisao

Yesterday I had a wonderful massage, exchanging gifts with my massage therapist and friend, Lynn. It was special for a THIRD reason – she had a CD of Christmas music playing.

I have discovered that I have a HUGE pet peeve – jazzed up (screwed up) Christmas music. I want people to just play or sing it the way it was written. I guess that’s limiting for the artists, but it’s my opinion they should be singing for the listeners, not for their own amusement or amazement. The really beautiful thing was that the CD she played was a series of instrumentals, with different instruments used for different verses of the songs, but played straightforwardly, purely, BEAUTIFULLY.

Lynn and I shared that one of our gifts to each other was that we were singing along MENTALLY, rather than aloud. :0)

I enjoyed every minute of the massage – as I always do – but this time was truly special with the absolutely lovely traditional Christmas music. I felt joy in my heart along with the easing in soreness. Those are true gifts.

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“ME” Day

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I didn’t plan it this way, but it all came together so I’m enjoying a luxurious “ME” day today.

I’m home from a glorious massage.  Not only did she find and fix all my sore or bunched-up spots, we exchanged Christmas gifts. I have the best massage therapist/friend in the world. If you’d like to contact her, her name is Lynn Moody, and her phone number is 479-629-7601.

I’m relaxing now with a cup of coffee and enjoying time at my computer.

I have a hair cut this afternoon, so that’s the second part of my “ME” day. There is nothing better than having someone you trust cut your hair. My hair is thin, fine, and generally worthless. It only does bad things on its own. My stylist understands what I’m dealing with, is very tactful about it, and realizes that he has to CUT my hair so it falls into place with a quick wash and blow dry every morning. We enjoy having a miracle worker. (My husband says our stylist ‘heals’ him.)  If you’d like to contact him, his name is Michael Remillard. His shop is Tangles, and his phone number is 479-357-9305.

The rest of my ME day includes 35 minutes on the elliptical trainer and then about 30 minutes or so doing yoga stretches.

I may melt into a puddle in my chair when I finish.

AHHHHH!

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Thoughts on a Thursday 11-21-2019

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I started my day with a glorious massage. I was still having problems from all the leaf mulching I did, even with pain gel and yoga, so it was especially appreciated today. My massage therapist, Lynn Moody, 479-629-7601, truly has a gift for finding sore spots and making them give in to her healing hands.

We’re having a Holiday Open House at Rags & Roses, the local shop where I’m sharing a booth with my friend, Carla.  The Open House is this coming Sunday from 1-5. The address is 100 North Main. There will be food, door prizes, photos with Santa, a musician who plays guitar, fiddle, and mandolin, plus all the nice things people are selling in the booths. I went today to make a contribution to the door prizes. Tomorrow I’m taking an assortment of the new wooden earrings I’ve made recently. They are for sale on ArtFire, too. If you would like to look at them, here they are – ArtFire.

We just had lunch and I’m about to head up to my art room to play. I’m planning to paint another journal, more note cards, a tote, and start more earrings – all with my Unicorn Spit Stain/Glaze. I love that stuff!

It’s getting dark outside, looking like it’s about to pour. We’re supposed to get a lot of rain between now and the end of the day Friday, so it’s a great time to be inside.

Hope you are staying warm and dry, and that you have something to do that makes you smile.

 

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Thoughts on a Thursday 10-24-2019

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I’m in awe of people who can create .gifs like this.  You can almost HEAR the rain!

I just came back from having a glorious massage by my therapist, Lynn Moody. She is so kind and caring, as well as a master at finding all the tight, sore spots, knots, etc. and making them go away. AHHHH! If you’re in the  Fort Smith/Greenwood/Hackett & surrounding area, call for an appointment. Her number is 479-629-7601. You’ll never stop thanking yourself.

I’m working on another wooden plaque using the Unicorn Spit stain/glaze. I think I’ll have it finished by the end of the day. I’ll take a pic to post here.

I will never be an exercise ‘enthusiast.’ I don’t look forward to it, and still have to be determined to make these sessions priorities on my daily to-do list. But I have to admit that I’m still shocked that my BODY told me it missed my exercise sessions on Monday, when our dogs got into a fight and my day was spent trying to tend to our smaller, elderly dog, Molly, instead of anything else. (She is stronger each day, is eating and drinking and able to go outside with me. Whew!) My BODY complained about my lack of exercise! I felt sore, stiff, and creaky Tuesday morning, and MUCH better after I did my NOW usual time of 35 minutes on the elliptical and 35 or so minutes of stretching yoga. So my attitude has changed from “SHOULD” to “NEED.” This is a sea change for me, and I’m pleased to recognize it.  So today is gloriously physical with massage, elliptical trainer, and yoga.

I’m looking for a good beef stew that fits my keto-macros needs and will be accepted by my husband, who truly loves traditional beef stew I’ve always made, full of potatoes, carrots, etc. I tried one recently while our son was still home. My husband ate one bowl, said, “hmmph” and wasn’t interested in eating more of it. Our son and I ate the rest, thinking it was really pretty good, but until I find one my HUSBAND determines is YUMMY, the hunt continues. I’ll get more serious about the hunt right away because our temperatures are dropping around here, and my husband is looking for comfort food.

I wish you a happy, healthy Thursday.

 

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Thoughts on a Thursday 9-26-2019

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We’re having a quiet, soft rain this morning. I can HEAR the flowers, grass, and trees saying, “Ahhhhhh”

Centre of Excellence

I am leaving for a massage as soon as I finish this post!  I’m REALLLLY looking forward to it. Lynn Moody, my massage therapist, is a true miracle worker.

Since it’s raining, I’ll concentrate on inside stuff today, plus my elliptical trainer and yoga.

I’ve been showing you gorgeous melted crayon art lately. I ordered two melting tools recently, and I’ve been watching YouTube demonstrations on different techniques. I’m like a kid at Christmas, waiting to be able to play with them in my art room!

I hope that YOUR day is relaxing and fun.

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Massage, Fish, and Tax Prep, Oh My!

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My day started super-nicely with a massage by my massage therapist, Lynn Moody. She’s absolutely the best. She tackles an old lady with lots of aches and creaky bones and I emerge smiling and relaxed. I just wish I could afford to have massages more often!

My Aquarium Club

My poor fish are swimming around in cloudy water, so on my list, as soon as I finish this post, is to go vacuum out their tank, change the decor, and get them back into a clean, fresh tank.

Get It Back Campaign

Most of the rest of the day will be spent continuing our tax preparation. I’m making good progress. Today is medical stuff and extraneous things, and then I’ll be on the finish line, adding my information to the booklet our CPA provides. I’m hoping I’ll be finished with everything, waiting on our info from Schwab, by the end of the week.

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Progress of a Sort

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I have a good start on the ‘reboot’ of my low carb eating and exercise plan now.  I’ve been good for a week now, even managing to lose a bit of weight when we went out to eat. I lost 3 lb this week. My totals are: a loss of 17 lbs and 10.5 inches. I’m still playing catch-up and re-lose from my ‘stumble-and-splat’ when I was concentrating on my husband’s need for low or no sugar, rather than paying attention to that AND low carbs. Lesson finally learned.  I’ve also learned that just working hard isn’t a good substitute for actual exercise.

I’m finding some low carb recipes that are real winners lately. My husband is requesting that I include them on the menus for the week! I’m trying to post – if not the entire recipe – at least the link to it. (One lady asked me very nicely to only give the link to the recipe on her website, rather than posting the whole thing with credit, so I’ll comply.) You can find some of them under two categories here: “Cooking/Canning/Recipes/Low Carb” and “Cooking/Recipes/Low Carb Lifestyle.”

One thing that is really helping me keep my head on straight on how many carbs and calories I’m eating is the MyFitnessPal.com website.  This has the best database of foods I have found. On other websites, you have to list each ingredient in a recipe in order to get a total carb count. I just don’t have the patience for that. On this website, you type in what you hope to find already listed. If it isn’t there, you can add it, all on one short form and then click to share it with others or not. This is really great. They also have a reasonable exercise database. You can record what you did and the number or reps or time you spent. I’m trying to stay under 40 carbs and 1200 calories per day. I can change what I’m planning to fix for dinner so that I stay on track. I like that a lot.

For exercise, I’m on my elliptical trainer in the garage most days. I also do careful stretching via yoga, concentrating on trying to convince this old body to RELAX. After all the work I’ve been doing cleaning out my house and working in the yard lately, I find this takes longer and longer. I just hold a pose – breathing into it until I feel my muscles ‘give’ and I’m comfortable. This is helping me feel better. Today I had extra help with that because I enjoyed a wonderful massage! My therapist, Lynn, really listens and does all she can to help me. Today we discovered that most of my sore muscles were on my right side – I guess from all the hauling of Mel’s Mix to the garden. I’ll have to concentrate on carrying the basket left-handed and see if that helps. :0)  If you live in the Greenwood area, you can contact Lynn Moody at 479-629-7601 or via email at lynnmoody42@yahoo.com. I’m so lucky to have found her.

I feel good that I’m again on the way to getting the lard off and feeling better.

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Brrr!

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We’ve had two pit bulls and they’ve been the best pets, so when I see a cute pic of a pit, I just melt into a puddle.

We bought quilted “coats” for our pit, Bambi, and Molly a couple of years ago. They look cute, but the dogs didn’t seem to like them much, even though they weren’t restrictive in any way. Amber is finally not panting when she comes in. This seems to be the weather she loves. They go out as many times as they want during the day. At night they sleep in the utility room – Amber on one side of the gate and Molly on the other – so both can rest.

It got down to 29 degrees F last night/this morning. I had the lettuce covered with a sheet, but it was looking a bit stressed when I uncovered it this morning. The high is supposed to be 38 today, so I’m hoping that the sun will make the difference in keeping the poor lettuce going.  I’ll look at it this afternoon to see if I can harvest some of it today.

I had a glorious massage this morning!  I bundled up in a new jacket (one that is quilted, but very light and warm) plus a new white knitted hat with a pom pom on top.  My wonderful massage therapist is a friend, as well as therapist, so we exchange gifts at Christmas time. She gave us a beautiful assortment of nuts (since we can eat that with our low carb lifestyle) plus a gift certificate to the restaurant we go to each week for Lunch Bunch!

I’m very lucky to have such a kind, caring friend who is able to find sore places I didn’t even realize I had and make them go away. I look forward to my massage all month, knowing that I’ll feel pampered and wonderful – ready to tackle what life has to offer.

Have a fun, warm day!

 

 

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Good Thursday Morning

Once a month I have a wonderful massage. I look forward to the next one just as soon as the one I’ve had is finished. My massage therapist is the best. Lynn Moody has the Town Square Day Spa in Greenwood, Arkansas. If you’re in the area, the spa address is 320 South Coker Street in Greenwood. Her phone number is 479-629-7601 and her email is lynnmoody42@yahoo.com.  If you’re not in the area, I’m sorry. You’re missing a really class act.  She listens, she cares, she is an expert at helping you when you hurt, and makes you feel absolutely relaxed and good if you’re just needing a good massage. She is worth her weight in gold.

I used to feel massage was an expensive luxury. If the bottom fell out of the world, I would have to give it up, but otherwise, it’s high on my list of wonderful things to do for myself. I feel good. My attitude is so much better. It definitely keeps me healthier. If you’re wavering about the whole idea of massage, my suggestion is to dive in and prepare to love it.

 

When I came home, my husband was in the ‘check-off-stuff-on-the-get-ready-for-winter list’ mood.  We decided to change the tires on the truck – from the regular tires to our snow tires. We do this ourselves in the shop. When we bought the Honda Ridgeline truck in 2006, we bought 4 extra wheels and 4 snow tires. We had the tires mounted on the wheels and stored them in the garage. Today we did the change in about 45 minutes from start to finish. We both get a lot of exercise, and we save money not having to pay someone else to do the tire change. We’ll change back to the regular tires in mid-March.  About half of the time was moving stuff in the shop so that we could drive the truck inside, and then putting things back to rights when the tires were on and the truck was outside again. We did about the best we’ve ever done. No yelling, no injuries, no tears, no problems with equipment not working, no surprises. YES!

This afternoon we have our geothermal guy coming out to check our equipment to make sure all is good for the fall and winter. We had a geothermal heat and air system installed retroactively in 2010 and signed a contract with Air-Pro Heating & Air Conditioning Incorporated to come out in the spring and then again in the fall to be sure things are working as they should.  This is a great company. The men are knowledgeable, know exactly what to check for, and are very nice, as an added bonus. If you need anyone to come and help with problems, their phone number is 479-646-9699, and their address is 9109 Zero St., For Smith AR 72903.  They can fix any problems they find and you feel safe after they finish looking at things.

A great morning and a good day. Great weather, too!

I’m planning to make us some lunch and then see if I can do any good with our push-around weed whacker this afternoon. My husband has running that out of gas for the winter on his to-do list, too…

Have a wonderful day!

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A Nice Thursday

Today has been a really nice day.

The weather is a bit warm, but not enough that we’ve had to close up and turn on the a/c. Doors and windows open are a wonderful change, and the ceiling fans make it very comfortable.

I told you about the deer I saw on the way to my massage. My massage was particularly luxurious today because my back stopped hurting. I didn’t have to consciously try to relax into the massage. I could just ENJOY. AHHHHHH! Thank you, Lynn.

I have a list as long as my arm of things that need my attention. I let a lot of them slide while I was hurting, and so I’m trying to take a few each day until I’m reasonably caught up again.

 

The aquarium water looked  a bit murky, so I siphoned out 3/4 of the water, wiped the inside of the tank, then replaced the water with treated water that has been breathing and aging for several weeks. I changed the filter and turned everything back on. The fish seemed happy with my attention.

 

Since our temperatures are supposed to get more fall like early next week, I finally took the time to scrub out Amber’s kiddie pool. I had emptied it and left it upside down, but then hurt my back, so it was not only yucky, it had been rained on so there was a small lake weighing down the BACK of the pool. I scrubbed it with a broom and Simple Green, then hosed it out, turned it over, and scrubbed the back. I carried it around to the garage and put it between my counter and my elliptical trainer until I bring it out again next Spring.

I harvested two tomatoes from the planter on the east end of the house. I still have no idea if the two new tomato plants will do well or not. I’ll need to remove the old plants soon.

I still have two things on my list for today –

  • I learned that taking the planter tray of seedlings out onto the deck to get more sun and maybe some rain was a disaster, so I’ll clean up the planter and put it away.
  • Amber has developed a fun new hobby – digging! We dug out our two Rio Samba bushes recently in preparation for planting new ones early next spring. We’re also using some of the soil in the brick planters to fill mole, Molly, and Amber holes in the yard before replenishing the planters with fresh potting mix. Amber found them and has had a GREAT time digging in the planters. She comes to the door, looking innocent and sweet, with a black nose, mouth, and front feet. I’ve had to get a washcloth and towels to clean her up before I can let her back into the house with us. I haven’t been able to catch her doing it yet; but when I do, I’ll have to warn her, and then zap her if the warning isn’t enough.

I hope you’ve been having a fun day, too. I can’t wait for the nice, cool, fall weather!!

 

 

 

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Filed under Challenges, Gardening, Housekeeping - Maintenance, Square Foot Gardening - Raised Beds

Birthday Celebration Redux

Happy Birthday – Pinterest

 

LAST Friday my husband took me to dinner at one of our favorite local restaurants. We had a glorious NON-low-carb, decadent dinner PLUS I had a big delicious piece of chocolate cake with chocolate frosting. I received birthday cards and lots of well wishes from my friends. I even bought several necklaces to enjoy. It was a very happy celebration.

TODAY my good, long-time friends, Kay and Linda of Lunch Bunch, celebrated my birthday. I received some really pretty birthday cards, nice presents, and they bought lunch for my husband and me!

This afternoon I get a massage. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

After I made sure I didn’t have to add ANOTHER year to my already-impressive age, I totally relaxed and enjoyed feeling special.

I’ve had quite a bit of love, attention, and nice gifts in the past several days. I could get USED to a celebration every Friday….

ClipArtKid

 

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Filed under Childlike Fun, Delightful Surprises, Friendship

Riches and Roadrunners

Friends at Lunch - Pinterest

Friends at Lunch – Pinterest

I’m feeling rich today. It started with Lunch Bunch – a group of friends that my husband and I enjoy every Friday at the Pizza Barn in Greenwood, Arkansas. I don’t know how many years we’ve been doing this. The group started with just three of us – three ladies having lunch. The group has gotten larger, and then smaller over the years, but my husband became an official “Lunch Bunch Member “several years ago. It’s a great time to catch up on what has been going on. We give comfort when needed, and share laughs a lot.

We did our errands and came home. I noticed this as we drove into the garage –

 

Purple Iris

Purple Iris

We have beautiful iris, some of which bloom twice each year, but I don’t remember any blooming in February before….

 

Daffodils

Daffodils

This bunch of daffodils was blooming in the back yard, close to the place where our land stops being a yard and begins being woods.

 

riches-roadrunner-factzoo-com

FactZoo.com

While I was taking pictures, a roadrunner came into sight. (I couldn’t act fast enough to capture a picture, but the one above gives you an idea.)  He would run a few steps, then stop, His tail would come up and his head would come up. He would hold the pose a few seconds and then put his head and tail down and run a few more steps. He did this wonderful dance all the way across my line of vision as I held my breath.

 

riches-spinachsprouts

The spinach seeds are sprouting! These are the seeds that I soaked in water for 30 minutes before planting. I don’t know if the sprouts will continue to grow, or if I’ll have something to plant, but I’m excited that I finally got some sprouts!

And finally – I’m feeling rich because I’m going for a massage today.

 

My wonderful massage therapist fell and broke her arm badly last year. She has had to have three surgeries since then. She faces a fourth surgery in the near future to hopefully get things finally back to normal with no pain. She is now giving one massage a day and I lucked into an appointment for this afternoon.  My body is already sighing in anticipation!!!

What a rich lady I am!

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Filed under Delightful Surprises, Encouragement