Tag Archives: taking care of yourself

August 19, 2020 · 11:41 am

Planning for FUN

Freepik

Managing stress is super-important.

Stress crawls into all your nooks and crannies, wreaking havoc in your mindset, your health, your ability to function. It colors EVERYTHING – painting with a broad brush.

I’ve been having some, due to various things, such as having to have one of our dogs euthanized due to cancer and health issues with my husband. I’ve been aware of it, but have just shoved it down deep, staying busy – rather than actively trying to deal with it. I finally decided to get proactive when my doctor asked how I was and tears sprang up.

Now I am thinking of ways I can help myself. My situation is not going to change. In fact, it will get worse. I’m actively gathering ideas for what I can do to take care of myself so that I will be strong enough to deal with whatever is ahead.

  • Value the family members and friends who care. They allow me to vent whenever I need to – I try not to abuse the privilege – but knowing they are there is everything.
  • Make a plan for each day, listing ONE thing I would like to accomplish. (Today it is listing my newest earrings on EyecatchingEarrings at Etsy)
  • Eat right and exercise daily ( we are on Month #2 of the South Beach diet. DIY dinner tonight – bacon-wrapped chicken breast and salad – now that the main yard cleanup is finished, I’ll go back to my elliptical trainer and yoga)
  • Dive into a good book daily – I’m enjoying the Rise of the Iliri series by Auryn Hadley. I’m on book # 6 now.
  • Spend time in my art room – Even if it’s just messing around, something usually grabs me. I play some of my favorite music while I’m up there, making it a double-escape, creative time.
  • Work in my garden or flower planters. Right now we’re having a bit cooler temperatures with lower humidity, so it’s lovely outside.
  • Listen to music. I either arrange a mini-concert of some of my favorites via YouTube, or spread out in my recliner and plug myself into my MP3 player.
  • Actively plan for FUN daily – something that brings me pleasure – for the moment or longer term.

AND, as I do these things, my problems lessen – allowing me to get a better perspective and be thankful for all I have.

I hope that YOU can plan for some FUN in YOUR day, too!

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August 16, 2020 · 10:53 am

“Things You Deserve”

Nanea Hoffman-Sweatpants & Coffee

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August 8, 2020 · 2:29 pm

Earning Gold Stars

Penn Fitness Warehouse

My first gold star for the day was my practice on my elliptical trainer.  I made it to 35 minutes today! This is the first time in MONTHS that I have made it this long, so I’m feeling good about it. I have a box fan attached to the wall in front of the trainer, so I don’t melt into a puddle out in the garage. I also have my MP3 player, with some of my all-time favorite music on it, to listen to. Pretty nice set up, except for when it’s really hot or really cold.

 

 

Bored Panda

I am about to go do my yoga practice for my second star of the day.

I do about 30 minutes or so, mostly of old lady stretches, but also abdominal exercises of various types. I am beginning to feel a difference in how my body is reacting to my practice, after about a month of practicing daily.  I am still fighting general stiffness everywhere (I AM old, you know) but I feel looser, and I have less discomfort. I definitely feel more relaxed after I finish.

I am happy about my daily exercising now. I’m trying to stay motivated, listing elliptical and yoga on my to-do list each day now.

Time for my yoga practice!

 

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August 4, 2020 · 10:34 am

Getting the Lard off Progress Report

Early Morning Showers

I’m feeling good that I am “back in the saddle again” on my efforts to get the lard off and get stronger. I fell off, using everything excuse from the pandemic,  to my husband going to the store with me, and back again, but the fact was I had stopped exercising and I had gained some of my lost weight back again.

We signed up for the South Beach Diet Plan, deciding we would try that for two months to get back on track. It was the closest to our keto eating plan and would remind us how we are supposed to be eating, hopefully giving us a boost. The second month’s order should arrive any day now.  It’s a good thing. We are down to meat sticks and some shakes, so I am DIYing a lot now.

 

To date – since my lardiest – I have lost 36.6 pounds and 40.45 inches. I’m working my way back down to where I was before, and I feel really happy about that.

My exercise regimen – motivated by gold stars on my desk calendar – is helping me feel stronger, a bit more energetic, and definitely looser and more flexible.

Penn Fitness Warehouse

I’m trying to do my elliptical in the mornings, since my trainer is in the garage. I won’t get it done in the morning today, but I can do it when I get back from errands. I started a couple of weeks ago, at 10 minutes. I’m doing 20 each day now.

 

You Tube

I am doing about half an hour of yoga stretches plus abdominal exercises each afternoon. I have no clue why I tend to ‘hunch up’ during the day, but I’m almost looking forward to my yoga sessions now, where the first thing is to lie flat on my back, trying to get my back muscles to relax. Thankfully, this is accomplished more quickly now and I am seeing progress in my ability to push a bit farther into the positions, breathing into them. I feel relaxed when I finish, and pleased with my efforts.

By the end of this next month on South Beach, my husband will have probably met his weight goal. I would like to lose another 30 pounds. I am seeing progress on both the scales and the tape measure, plus I feel more in control.

taolife.com

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August 2, 2020 · 11:06 am

Frustration

tvoydosug.com

We are about to begin Month # 2 on our South Beach Diet. We have not yet received notice that our orders have shipped. We are down to meat sticks and shakes, and we will use these up while waiting for our new food. I did the DIY meals in the program (2 dinners, 2 lunches, 2 breakfasts, 2 morning snacks and 2 afternoon snacks each week) but I will be doing a lot more until we receive the next shipment.

One good thing is that my husband appreciates my cooking even more now, since we are eating strangely most of the day. :0)

Another good thing is that I am VERY aware of portions. Example: I cooked Suzanne Ryan’s “Bacon-Wrapped Cheesy Chicken” (Simply Keto) last night. We each ate one half of one chicken breast and some fresh tomatoes on the side.

A third good thing is that my exercise efforts are going well. I have done my elliptical trainer every day this week, plus a session of yoga stretches. I will finish off the week today, earning two more gold stars for my desk calendar (a total of 14 stars!)

On the 5th I will post a progress report on my efforts to lose the lard. Hopefully, we will have our new food order, and I can post some good results!

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August 1, 2020 · 11:08 am

Yoga Progress

doyouyoga

Tomorrow I will finish three weeks of doing a 30-minute-or-so session daily. I think it was last year when I discovered SixtyandMe.com   That led to me finding and ordering the “Gentle Yoga” DVD with Cat Kabira teaching basic stretching techniques for ‘mature’ women – even though who had never tried yoga before. I wasn’t interested in trying to fold myself into a paper airplane or tie myself up into a pretzel shape, but I WAS stiff, sore, and feeling pretty brittle. I worked through it, and then decided to simply do the poses that seemed to help me the most rather than having to find time to play the DVD. Cat stressed that it was the PROGRESS that mattered – not whether you actually aced the pose to PERFECTION. I did well for awhile, and then just quietly stopped doing it. My reasons are stupidity and lack of sufficient motivation.

Three weeks ago, when we had decided to do the South Beach Diet plan in order to ‘reboot’ our efforts to commit to the keto eating plan, relearn ‘portions,’ smarter choices, etc., I also decided that I would get back into my yoga.

 

 

After three weeks, I am starting to feel some progress!  I am 73 and RELAXING is a difficult thing to do. Just lying down flat on your back on the mat doesn’t sound like much. It IS – when several areas in your back are clenching. After a minute or so of CONSCIOUS focus on relaxing and breathing, the discomfort and clenching goes away. I am also seeing progress in several of the stretching positions. One came just yesterday. I’m lying on my back with my arms on the floor above my head. I pull up my right leg, bend the knee, lay my leg to my right side. I can DO that on my left. On my RIGHT, that was really uncomfortable. I’ve been doing it anyway daily for 3 weeks, breathing into it and not pushing myself, just breathing into the discomfort and trying to relax. Yesterday I was able to let the leg down almost completely onto the floor without pain! HOORAY!!!!!! I feel better when I finish my stretches, so that’s a wonderful thing, too. Even my husband is trying to encourage me, asking me if I’m going to ‘yoge’ today.

I’m giving myself a gold star for every practice. Likewise on my elliptical trainer session in the garage. I’m going for stars 11 and 12 for the week today.

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July 30, 2020 · 11:26 am

The Miracle of Music

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Music is a quality of life thing. I have seen the faces of people I love when one of their favorite songs plays. They are transported back to a time of wonderful memories. They smile. Their eyes get dreamy. And the feelings simply spill out. It’s a beautiful thing.

I’ve seen people in nursing homes ‘come alive’ when their favorite music is played. The years fall off. Their eyes are animated. Some will actually get up and dance. Those who cannot still ‘bop’ in their chairs.

Music is a miracle.

I create ‘mini-concerts’ via YouTube when I have the time, giving myself a needed rest and relaxation. I choose one musician I love and play a medley of greatest hits, or combine several. By the time I am finished, I feel renewed, ready to tackle whatever awaits.

We are rich when we can ‘teleport’ to when we were teenagers. or escape via the lyrics of a beautiful song, or bop along with favorite tunes that DEMAND you get up and shake whatever you have. (I’m glad no one can see me do this, too!)

How lucky we are to have so many talented people who give us joy!

 

 

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July 26, 2020 · 10:58 am

Diet Progress

You Tube

Weight comes off MUCH more slowly than it goes on. The older you get, the harder it is to get the lard off.

 

Lovethispic.com via Pinterest

 

In our current quest to get ‘back in the saddle” of the keto eating plan, my husband and I have signed up for two months of the South Beach Diet. That is the closest plan of prepared meals to how we are trying to eat. We are about 2/3 of the way through the first month.

So far, we have each lost 5 lbs. We are not very pleased with the number of choices on the food plan, or the taste of many of the entrees. We DO really like anything they offer that comes in a small cup and the shakes. My husband really likes the candy bars ( both snack and entree) and I love the small bags of nuts. Otherwise, it’s a very good thing we have fresh, ripe tomatoes to eat alongside the entrees for lunch and dinner.

That said, the first month is helping me re-realize what a “portion” is. We were eating many of the right things, but we glossed over – or ignored – the portion amounts. When we are doing the DIY dinners, lunches, breakfasts, and snacks each week, I am trying to pay particular attention to how much I am serving.  Also, my husband is saying he will cooperate with not throwing things we shouldn’t be eating into the grocery cart. If they aren’t around, they can’t call to you from the pantry…. “Linnnnnnnn dahhhhhh!”

By the end of the second month (approximately mid-September) my husband may REACH is weight loss goal. We have talked about the fact that his ‘cooperation’ will need to continue so that he can KEEP the weight off. I have consoled him by pointing out that he can increase enjoy some fruit then, and that we may buy the candy bars he likes A LA CARTE from South Beach to tide him over, or to simply keep a supply for him. He also readily admits that he really likes many of the recipes we have found by Suzanne Ryan in Simply Keto.

For example, I have Suzanne’s recipe for Keto Chili in the slow cooker right now for one of our DIY dinners tonight.

I will earn Gold Star # 7 this afternoon with my yoga practice.

Next week, I will TRY to add a few minutes of my elliptical trainer to each day. It’s very hot here, and my trainer lives in our garage, so I’ll have to get out there early and limit the minutes I spend – Maybe I’ll try Mon, Wed, and Fri to start. I figure that even though I won’t be doing 35 minutes out there, anything I’m doing is better than none.  AND, if I do the time out there, I’ll give myself another Gold Star!

My weight loss journey will be much longer than my husband’s. That’s okay. If I am seeing a reasonable amount of progress – either from the scales, the measuring tape, or my flexibility – I will try to “keep on keepin’ on. “

Wish me luck?

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July 20, 2020 · 10:08 am

Relaxxxxxxing Jaw – Relaxxxxxing Face…

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I failed to make time on Thursday, but I did 35 minutes or so of Gentle Yoga stretching every other day last week – earning 6 gold stars for my desk calendar.

I don’t know why the actual silly gold stars are motivating, but they are for me. I’m not sure what that says about me, but – hey – it’s working.

My biggest problem in getting back to my “old-lady, not-REAL-yoga-as-I-think-of-it” practice (standing on your head, folding yourself up like a pretzel) is that I am all hunched-up, stiff, and creaky again.

123RF.com

I don’t know what it is about getting older, but I have observed that people seem to ‘draw up’ as they age. Hunching over, taking smaller, hesitant steps while walking, moving more slowly, turning inward. The tendency is to end up in a ball.

Right now one of the things I’m working on is relaxing when I lie flat on my back on the mat. That doesn’t sound like much, I know, but it is for me. I have to start with a wedge pillow under my neck. I breathe into the position, trying to concentrate on relaxing my jaw, relaxing my face, actually letting the wedge pillow support my head. Yeah. I’ve gotten that bad.  I then trade the wedge for a sofa pillow and do the same relaxing. Finally, I can lie flat on the mat with no pillow. Each position is like this, with parts of my body either clenching up or yelling at me as I try to get into the stretches. I am concentrating on just doing what I can do, trying to push just a tad more with each day of practice.

I’m making progress after the six days of practice last week. I’m still stiff, but I can relax more quickly now into each pose. I keep reminding myself that Cat Kabira, the lady on the Gentle Yoga DVD, stresses that ATTEMPTING each pose, and holding while you relax and breathe into it, does your body good. As long as you are doing the best you can, your body will eventually ‘yield’ and release the muscles.

OshiPrint.in

I’m going for 7 stars this week.

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July 12, 2020 · 2:27 pm

Today’s Tomatoes

We had a nice bunch of tomatoes ripe today. I now have a bowl of them, plus a container of much smaller, cherry type tomatoes that I will eat with other raw veggies as snacks. This is one of our favorite times of the year. We are rich in tomatoes!!!!

 

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July 12, 2020 · 9:57 am

Swimming Through the Confusion

I told you that my husband and I are doing two months of the South Beach Diet in an effort to get back on track on our keto eating plan. Yesterday I finally figured out that we should be eating PHASE 1 foods for two weeks (until the end of next week.)

I went onto the website in order to ask a question about the snacks and the soups. Some of the snacks didn’t have any stripes and said nothing about what phase they were, plus the soups said nothing. They are short-handed there, I guess due to the coronavirus, so it took a long time to reach someone. After the chat, I am more confused than ever.

She said, “We aren’t doing the phases anymore.”  All the stuff I read and printed the day before stressed staying on Phase 1 for two weeks, so I asked again – getting the same answer.

I am still going to mainly try to stick with stuff marked Phase 1 until all is gone, but won’t stress over eating a Phase 2 thing, when needed.

If you read what is provided on the website, there are a number of other discrepancies; one example being the use of salt. In one place it stresses you should look for “low salt” canned veggies. In another, it says ‘feel free to use salt liberally.’  I am watching my salt, so I will continue to use it the way I am now.

So far, I’m happy that we are trying to get back on track with our keto eating plan. We are getting a much-needed wake-up call regarding ‘portions.’ We are learning to plan ahead better so we have healthy snacks. (My husband was happy with his DIY celery and cream cheese snack yesterday afternoon.) I made a salad to go along with our ‘Texas Chili” entree last night.

I am hoping that by the end of the two months on the program, we’ll be better able to handle things on our own again, having received a boost from the good people at South Beach.

 

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July 11, 2020 · 9:55 am

AHA!

 

I told you yesterday that I felt dumb because I finally noticed – after 2-1/2 days – that “Phase 2 and enjoy with Phase 3” was printed on my husband’s package of pancakes.  Intelligent woman that I am, I thought, “Maybe we’re screwing up.” I spent a half hour or so finding some information on the South Beach website and printing it. I spent another hour or so reading the information, discovering that

  • Amazingly, we are in Phase 1
  • We are only supposed to be eating/drinking Phase 1 stuff until the end of next week
  • We are right that the DIY part (2 breakfasts, 2 lunches, two dinners, and two days of snacks each week) started at the beginning of the program

I separated the aqua-striped packages (Phase 1) from the purple-striped stuff (Phase 2) in my husband’s box, and then did the same in mine. I did the same with our frozen foods. There is a bit of confusion, as the soups don’t say what they are, and it is unclear about the prepared snacks, but I will see if I can reach someone to talk to on the website today.

I told him we are only eating and drinking BLUE stuff – except for DIY meals and snacks – until the end of next week. (Actually, we’ll continue until all the BLUE stuff has been consumed -whenever that is – before going on with Phase 2.

My husband is still upset that so much chocolate stuff was included in his box, when he carefully ordered what he wanted. He really doesn’t like chocolate, and has no patience with the coronavirus causing supply chain problems.  I have given him the vanilla stuff they put in mine – also not ordered. He will have to make do with some of the chocolate stuff if our supplies don’t last until the end of the month.

I have gone onto HIS account page and MY account page, making sure that he has no chocolate ordered and I have no vanilla – with high hopes.

My husband only has about 10 or 15 pounds to lose to get to his goal, so he is much more cavalier about the diet than I am. He wants to cancel after the next month’s order is confirmed as shipped.

I have more to lose than that, but I’m hoping that this two-month ‘pay attention’ time will remind us of things like eating something sensible every few hours to avoid hunger, to eat reasonable portions when we do eat, and to avoid things we know we shouldn’t be eating.  I will continue to use the carb tracking they provide, whether we are eating the prepared foods or not, as I am more likely to keep with the program doing that.

I am trying to walk for 10 minutes 3 times a day, as they suggest. I’m also doing a half hour of “Gentle Yoga” stretches daily. (I think that the 70+ times I have to get up and go to the bathroom each day, due to all the water I’m drinking, should also count as exercise. :0) )

Fingers crossed.

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July 9, 2020 · 12:44 pm

Nice Morning

Can Stock Photo

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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July 1, 2020 · 9:28 am

Fingers Crossed

Pinterest

Our good plumber is supposed to come today to help us figure out why the hot water in our shower is cutting off mid-shower.

We have a tankless water heater. This allows us to have all the hot water we need, regardless of how many things we run during the day or even at the same time. We are getting all the hot water we want downstairs, and in the sinks upstairs – but not the shower.

With the pandemic – plus the hot weather and working outside , we are taking even more showers than our usual one a day. My husband thinks we need a new water pressure tank in our well house. The job is too large for the two of us, so we have called our wonderful plumber to come take a look and see what he thinks will solve the problem.

I’m hoping that tonight I will be able to take a nice shower with hot water to rinse with, rather than cold… Fingers crossed!

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June 27, 2020 · 9:54 am

Smile

Douglas Horton-keepinspiring.me

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June 25, 2020 · 9:31 am

I’m Back!

Eternally Sunny

I am back to the land of the living today, after sleeping half the day yesterday and then TEN hours last night! I have noticed that since I am a MATURE woman – aka “old broad” – it takes me a lot longer to bounce back after getting sick. (Another one of the many perks of getting older.) I actually feel some energy this morning!

I will still take it easy today, doing stuff in our home office, rather than doing yard work or heavy stuff inside.

I hope that YOU are having a good day and staying healthy.

 

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June 17, 2020 · 9:26 am

Do That

Oberlo

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June 17, 2020 · 9:07 am

Relief

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I told you that when we were at our routine doctor appointment Monday I received a pneumonia booster shot.  My doc also wanted me to get an A1C to check for pre or actual diabetes this time.

My husband has Type II diabetes (although he will deny this and say he just has a ‘sugar problem’) so we have cut out as much sugar as we can – opting for the keto eating plan and he is on medication for the condition.  It scared me that she wanted me to have this test.

The nurse called first thing this morning to tell me ‘there is absolutely NO sign of diabetes or pre-diabetes’ on the test. HOOOORAAAAAAAAY!

I will give my arm another day to stop hurting, but I am planning to do more spraying for weeds and do a careful session of Gentle Yoga this afternoon.

For an old broad, I am doing well. :0)

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June 16, 2020 · 11:25 am

Protection

Yesterday when we were at our routine doctor appointment, the nurse said I should get the follow-up booster pneumonia shot. (Prevnar 13) I got the original one sometime in the past, so I said, “sure.” She gave me the shot, and I have to say I have never had a shot hurt less.

Later my arm got REALLY sore. It not only hurt at the injection site, but halfway down my arm. It was not red or swollen, though. By evening I couldn’t lift my arm without pain. I griped and moaned to my husband, who looked at it and couldn’t see anything.

I slept badly. Every time I moved, my arm hurt and I awoke. Since I apparently move a lot when I sleep, I didn’t get any rest at all.

This morning I was still in pain, so I sprayed TheraWorx on my arm and gingerly rubbed it in. When we got downstairs, I took two Tylenol. I felt like I had been run over by a truck, so when we finished our morning chores, I went to sleep in my chair. I slept for almost 3 hours.

SOMETHNG I did worked. My arm still feels a little bit sore, but nothing exciting.  I no longer feel as if I were run over by a truck. I am actually getting hungry for lunch soon!

If I had it to do again, I would have done all of the above last night when the pain first started. I’m glad I have the protection.

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June 12, 2020 · 10:09 am

My New Mantra

Positive Energy via Michael Remillard

I’m older than dirt and I have yet to even come CLOSE to doing this.

I have always admired people who calmly decide what is necessary in any given situation and do it.

I am TRYING to repeat this every day in an effort to FINALLY be able to remain calm and function like a normal human being with more than one brain cell before I croak.

Example – Years ago, my husband and I lived in Tulsa, enjoying our very first house. Our property had a garage apartment that we rented out, happy for the extra income.  I came home from my job as a teacher one day to find smoke coming from the garage apartment. Like a complete ditz, I called my mother before calling the fire department!

clipartkey.com

My mom was stopped by a policeman on her way to our house. The cop said, “Where’s the fire, Lady?”  My mom, answered, “At my daughter’s house!”  He waved her on without giving her a ticket.

The two renters had renter’s insurance, our insurance enabled us to rebuild the garage apartment, and I was able to handle all the details of that without problem.

If you have a similar problem, feel free to print the image in this as your reminder (as I have) and say with me, “One of the best lessons you can learn in life is to master how to remain calm.”

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June 11, 2020 · 12:08 pm

Thoughts on a Thursday – June 11, 2020

Photo via J. Robert Bennett

Isn’t this a wonderful photograph? I don’t know who the photographer is, but Robert Bennett devotes a lot of his time to protecting wildlife and posts the wonderful photos he finds.

Depositphotos

We have had a busy morning. We caught Raccoon # 5 in our humane trap overnight, so we drove out to the spot where we relocate raccoons and he leaped into the small stream with great energy. (My husband put the trap in the middle of the deck floor, but this one apparently moved it so much trying to get out that he got close enough to our grill to trash the cover.  We will just live with the trashed cover until next year, since the damage is at the bottom of it. ) We are HOPING that this is the last of the family and that we are now free of the sweet, but destructive critters now – at least until next year…

While we were out, we went to the clinic to get the lab work needed for our doctor appointment Monday. Of COURSE, they didn’t have authorization for MY lab work when we went in, even though they called to confirm the appointment for Monday. I have a GIFT for having my paperwork, authorizations, etc. lost, or the statistics that should apply to me, NOT…. I have hoped that I would finally get old enough to outgrow this ‘gift” …

We are finally out of the intense rain we have been having. The weather is gorgeous right now. Sunny, nice temperatures, and low humidity. We have our doors open and are really enjoy airing out the house and enjoying the breeze.

I plan to spray another container of weed killer today, plus do some weed whacking. All the rain followed by sunshine has caused a huge spurt of growth that we are trying to keep under at least reasonable control. My husband just finished mowing the yard a couple of days ago and it already needs to be mowed again.

First, lunch!

Have a wonderful day!!!!

 

 

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June 8, 2020 · 10:59 am

Acceptance

SayingImages.com

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June 4, 2020 · 9:16 am

Today’s Forecast – Massage and Rain

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I’m leaving in about 20 minutes to get my massage for the month. I couldn’t be looking forward to it more.

I lucked into Lynn Moody, one of the best massage therapists – and people – on the planet. She finds all my sore areas – and they are legion right now – and kneads them out of me. The only problem is that once I’m like a bowl of jelly on the table, I have to get up and drive home.

If you are in the Greenwood, Arkansas area, call Lynn Moody, 479-629-7601 and prepare to be healed.

Warning: It’s addictive.

 

 

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June 3, 2020 · 9:01 am

Take Time

SayingImages.com

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April 17, 2020 · 11:26 am

Suggestion

Lisa Bearnes Richey

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April 15, 2020 · 11:35 am

Remember

Chrissie Anderson Peters

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February 11, 2020 · 10:36 am

Live

Scary Mommy Tweens and Teens via Linda Orell

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February 6, 2020 · 12:15 pm

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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January 17, 2020 · 5:09 pm

Out of Order

Actijoy

 

I’m sick for the second day. I think I got food poisoning. Anyway, ‘Phase 2″ was today, so I’m drinking lots of water and resting this afternoon and this evening, hoping I’ll feel sassy again tomorrow.

I hope you are doing well.

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December 18, 2019 · 11:31 am

Thoughts on a Wednesday 12-18-2019

Kanno Hisao

The gray, rainy days have finally stopped, giving way to sunshine! It really lifts my spirits.

I earned two gold stars yesterday – one for doing 35 minutes on my elliptical trainer and the other for doing about half an hour or so of my yoga stretches. I put the gold stars on my desk calendar as a motivation to get off my rear and actually DO the exercises, rather than simply thinking about them or talking about them. Will try for another 2 stars today.

This afternoon my husband has an appointment with our primary doctor – the first since he suffered the stroke and we saw everyone trying to do whatever was reasonable to keep him from having another. I’ll be interested to hear what she thinks about how he’s doing, if he needs to change any medicines, and what she thinks the prognosis is for the future.  From my perspective, seeing him every day, he’s almost completely back to normal now. He gets his words garbled every once in a while, and I type for him if he wants me to.

All is good as we prepare for a quiet Christmas. We will actually celebrate with our various friends between tomorrow and Christmas at different times, leaving only the meal Christmas Day. I’ll make another turkey for us. We’re together. We’re doing fine. That’s all the gift we need.

I hope that you are having a wonderful, sunshine-y day.

 

 

 

 

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October 11, 2019 · 6:30 pm

Yoga as Therapy

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After acting like a slug most of the day due to my back reminding me that I MIGHT need to remember my age, I did a S-L-O-W careful yoga session this afternoon.

After initial protest at lying flat on my mat, my body slowly breathed a sigh of relief. I didn’t do my normal routine today. I just did what I though I needed, doing several poses over and over again, feeling my body finally start to loosen up.

I knew yoga was good for me in general. As we age our bodies stiffen up. We tend to hunch our shoulders, and protect ourselves from possible harm by moving more slowly, shortening our steps, tensing up if we feel our balance might be in jeopardy.

Now I’m beginning to consider the therapeutic value of my yoga stretching. When I’ve overdone and my back is yelling – as it was today – I spent most of the day trying not to move so much. Resting is good, but it seems that if I had made it a point to do the yoga stretching this morning, rather than waiting until late this afternoon, I might have had a more comfortable day. Food for thought, anyway.

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