Tag Archives: yoga

September 12, 2022 · 9:25 am

Happy Monday 9-12-2022

Inkognito-17822-PhotobyTweeling17-Flickr-SuzanVisser – Morgentoilett-17822

Are you brimming with energy, eager to start a brand new week? Neither am I. :0)

I’m still licking my wounds received from my “weeding-the-garden/harvesting-the-sweet-red-onions” project. Even though I was careful, hosing down the remaining garden boxes with Seven, I got bitten/stung by several ants on my right arm. So now I’m sporting BOTH arms swollen and pink with raised welts and stings. I’ve tried popping the little bumps to get the stuff out, but it seems to make it take longer to heal, plus I read that spreads bacteria and might lead to infection, so now I just take my allergy medicine, wash the area well, take Tylenol, and put anti-itch ointment all over the area. My husband winces in sympathy every time he looks at me. I did get the project finished, though, and will rest today.

123RF.com

My long-time Lunch Bunch friend, Linda, is not doing well. Her daughter is trying to get her to a doctor today. If she can’t, she’s taking Linda to the hospital. I’m hoping someone can figure out what the problem is and do something to make her feel better.

I wanted to share this with you. The contestant is from Ukraine. Rea Garvey (coach) and his wife found a family in Ukraine and have opened their home to them. He wrote and sang a song to try to convince Yasya to choose him as her coach. There is still good in the world.

Yoga Journal

Today is DAY 59 of my daily yoga practice. I really wanted to skip it yesterday after two sessions weeding the garden and the ant bites/stings, but I did it anyway. Today should be easier, since I’m taking it easy today.

Make this the best day possible.

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August 27, 2022 · 10:56 am

Sunny Saturday 8-27-2022

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I think this photo is stunning. I almost expect the birds to move their heads! Incredible. Speaking of nature, we’ve seen deer on the way to town three days in a row. I’ve already told you about the doe and fawn we saw. Then, when I was on my way to my massage Thursday morning, there was a doe standing beside the road. She was by herself, or at least I didn’t see any other dear or fawns. I drove really slowly past her. She just looked at me. She was beautiful. Yesterday, on the way to Lunch Bunch, we saw a deer who gracefully jumped in a big arc over the road to the other side.

Pinterest

Today is DAY 43 of my daily yoga practice, trying to make it a HABIT. So far, I can say that my yoga practice takes priority over other activities each afternoon. I feel happy that I’m doing something good for myself.

Produce Market Guide

I only found one ripe tomato on one of the plants in the niche planter beside the house yesterday, and it wasn’t in good shape. I’ll look again to see if there are any green ones that might ripen, but it looks like I’ll need to schedule pulling out of the tomato plants for the year. I will also schedule harvesting the sweet red onions – the last thing in our raised-bed square foot garden – soon. I might have to wait until next week to get these two things done, but they’re on my list.

Alamy

My books don’t look this bad, but I haven’t really been careful about storing new books – and I have a bunch – plus we haven’t been donating books as we usually do, since our local library suspended their book sale fundraisers for about a year now. They just started accepting donations again, so I’m getting serious about going through my books, starting in my bedroom and working my way down, going through everything, gathering books for donations, reorganizing the rest. This is a big project, but I’ll just do what I can each day until it’s done. I’m lucky to have the ‘problem’ of more books than I can handle right now, and I need to share the wealth. :0)

Freepik

We slept later this morning than usual. The conditions were perfect for great rest, but I was shocked at the clock when I woke up enough to care what time it was. I leaped up, threw on clothes and went down to let Amber out. She was patiently waiting, and I feel guilty we made her wait so long. I did our normal morning stuff, and then cut up stuff for a chef salad with chicken tonight, plus a peach for our dessert.

Amber and I tried to be quiet in the office to give my husband a chance to sleep longer. I was working at the computer when Amber started huffing and puffing and running around the way she does when she’s excited. My husband came down the stairs then.

We’re having a nice, sunny Saturday here. I hope you are enjoying yours, as well.

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August 18, 2022 · 9:59 am

Thursday 8-18-2022

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Hi! We’re having another ‘cool’ day, at 86, for the high this afternoon. We tried to just have open doors and ceiling fans yesterday, but it was too humid. It’s humid again this morning, so we’re going to keep the a/c on, but I’ll take it. Such a nice relief.

Active Babies – Smart Kids

I had a good time in the art room yesterday and finished the cards that I hope my friend will like. I sent her pics to see what she says.

Facebook

Today is DAY 34 of my daily yoga practice. I’m having to push myself again, because my hips and knees have been talking to me for the past several days, but I’m concentrating on slow and steady, with fewer reps to get me through it.

Times of India

I’m now muttering to my scales that I don’t appreciate “sarcastic scale humor” whatsoever, but mine is delighting in its newfound ability to smirk and laugh at me. One of these days, I’ll wipe the smile off its face.

Nizar Fahmi

Just as I’m finishing my ‘last’ Linda Thomas paperback, I received part of my new order of her books yesterday. It’s getting harder to find used paperbacks by Linda Thomas, but I’ll redouble my efforts when I start getting low again. Right now I feel rich in books. :0)

One of the things on my to-do list today is to work on reorganizing some of my books. Hopefully, by the end of the day, I’ll have a better handle on things.

Have a wonderful day.

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August 14, 2022 · 9:32 am

Sunday Thoughts 8-14-2022

Redbook

Good morning! I wish I were with this seal, enjoying the ocean. Did you wave back?

YARD – I’m about to go outside and finish the weed whacking I started yesterday. My husband mowed yesterday, so when I finish, it will look like someone cares around here again. It’s actually cool right now, at 76 degrees F., so it shouldn’t be bad to work.

Blue Bird Corporation

SCHOOL – School starts here in Greenwood tomorrow morning. There is one main road between our home and the larger road that goes to town, and having two schools on this road has been a real problem. It’s not so much the school buses, but what my husband calls, “the mommy traffic.” The moms come to pick up their kids from school and they quickly clog up the school driveway in front of the schools. Then they think nothing of spilling out onto the road and blocking through traffic.

The biggest problem, other than being really annoying, is that emergency vehicles are unable to get through, so if you have a fire, need the police, an ambulance, etc. you’re out of luck. I wrote a very careful email to the administration last year, pointing this out, and asking if more parking could be set up for the moms off the road so that the stalled cars didn’t put the community at risk.

A kind lady wrote me, saying they were discussing staggering the start and stop times at the schools, hopefully improving the problem. We still avoid leaving the house either before school starts or when it is due to let out, but we haven’t been caught in the traffic since.

Robert Henri-art by Dori Patrick

ART ROOM – Once or twice a day I go up to my art room to add another layer to the Christmas cards I’m painting for my friend to send out this year. They’re starting to come together, and I do a lot of grinning because each part is so much FUN. For awhile I can put everything that is bothering me aside, concentrating on colors, design, sparkles, and more. Such a beautiful break from ‘the world that is too much with us.’ (I guess my middle name should be ‘Ostrich,’ I spend so much time escaping.)

BoredPanda.com

DAY 30 – Today is day 30 of my daily yoga practice – an effort to make my yoga sessions ‘habit.’ Lately I’ve had to make choices as to whether to do my practice or not because inadvertently, I run out of afternoon time. I’ve made the choice to ‘YOG’ as my husband calls it, so I’m keeping my priorities straight.

Weed Whacking Awaits….

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August 11, 2022 · 9:13 am

Thursday Thoughts 8-11-2022

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Good morning! A more ‘regular’ summer day here. A definite relief from the record-breaking intense heat warnings or flooding downpours. Downright boring!!!!! :0)

Kidadl

Since I felt good yesterday afternoon, I started making the Christmas cards my dear friend asked me to make so she could send them to her friends. She liked the ones that I just finished, but she understands that I can’t make the same thing twice, so I’ll try to come up with something similar.

Lawford Mead Primary School

I’m still jubilant that our trash is GONE. I HOPE that one day I can almost take the trash being picked up on trash day for granted, but that certainly is not yet. I’m hoping that this was an awful glitch in the system and that it won’t be repeated anytime soon. Meanwhile, I don’t have to drive down, armed with another leaf bag, prepared to spend half an hour gathering the trash that has been strewn all over the place by animals overnight. Hooray!

40 Aprons

I told my husband that my plan was to make a huge tuna casserole for tonight – enough we can enjoy it tonight and have several individual serving meals for other nights. He liked the idea. :0)

House Beautiful

I checked to see if we had any ripe tomatoes. I told you earlier that the large planter of tomato plants was done. We still have a couple of plants in the ‘niche’ planter tucked in beside the house and porch. There are green tomatoes, but nothing ripe now.

Tenor

Today is DAY 27 of my daily yoga practice.

The Spruce Eats

A shout-out to Susy and Bobby. I hope they enjoyed every bite of their steak breakfast this morning. You’re both in my thoughts.

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August 7, 2022 · 9:53 am

Lazy Sunday 8-7-2022

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Slow start to the day today. I got up before my husband, did our morning stuff, and he came walking blearily into the office to say “Hi” a few minutes ago. I slept well, but I’m not feeling like chasing any tigers this morning.

Awesomelycute

I’m happy all the way down to my toes because my husband again told me last night that he is proud of my yoga efforts. (Today is DAY 23. )

“What’s the 21 90 rule?“ (On forming a new habit)

“The rule is simple enough. Commit to a personal or professional goal for 21 straight days. After three weeks, the pursuit of that goal should have become a habit. Once you’ve established that habit, you continue to do it for another ninety days.” – if this is true, my yoga should be a ‘habit’ by now and I’m into ‘doing it for another 90 days.’ :0)

Austin Children’s Academy

I dreamed about a couple of tweaks to the Christmas cards last night. Otherwise, I left them flattening yesterday. I should be able to finish them today. Then I’ll work on cleaning up the art room to clear the decks for whatever comes next.

I wish you a happy Sunday.

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August 6, 2022 · 9:39 am

Good Saturday Morning 8-6-2022

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I wish I woke up eager to start the day, a smile ready. Instead, I always get up reluctantly, grudgingly, putting one foot in front of the other, trying to get morning chores under control quickly and then enjoy a cup of coffee.

Today is much nicer because I just finished chatting with our son. Before he moved to Thailand, he set up a secure chat program for us, as well as a conference call program, so we can have good communications even though he’s all the way across the world. He has recently purchased a condo and is having it renovated. Huge new windows have been installed that will be much more efficient and make his condo much quieter from the outside traffic. He’s now going to set up a 2nd bedroom to be a combination office and music room. I’m eager to see how he sets it up. We can type-real-time with each other, plus send pics, leave messages and pics, plus actually visit on video when we’re all up at the same time, so I get everything but his stellar hugs. Can you see me smiling?

Empowered Parents

Yesterday I got the Christmas presents I’ve made for friends protected from the elements and stored safely until gift-giving time. I also got some work done on the inside of the Christmas cards I’m painting. I may be able to finish them today – except for flattening them again.

Now Cook This!

I’m using the chicken we brought home from yesterday’s Lunch Bunch and making what we call “Main Meal Salad” for dinner tonight. I’ll sneak some extra veggies in there. My scales are finally beginning to notice my efforts on eating – or NOT eating – and I’m on DAY 22 on my daily-yoga-practice goal. (Picture my husband cheering me on in his recliner while chomping on some Fritos . :0)

Enjoy your Saturday.

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August 5, 2022 · 1:30 pm

More Fun Friday 8-5-2022

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We are home now from our travels today.

Everyday Psych

Lunch Bunch was a joy. Everyone was there for the first time in several weeks. All were feeling fine. We enjoyed a fun conversation with lots of joking and laughing and just the happiness of sharing time together again. Bud and Kay both have birthdays in the coming week, so next Friday will be celebration day.

We did our errands without incident – the exception was that our trash has still not been picked up. The lady said with the heat, they are picking it up earlier and there was a note saying our trash wasn’t there in time. I told her that we put it out first thing and that usually it’s still there in the late afternoon. She put in a second work order and hopefully it will be gone tomorrow.

Sawyer

I’m about to head upstairs to play in my art room. I’ll store the finished tote bags and work on the inside page of the Christmas cards. Things are starting to come together. :0)

http://www.pinterest.ph – Cat GIF Central

I’ll do my DAY 21 yoga practice late this afternoon.

I hope your Friday is a fun one.

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August 3, 2022 · 8:51 am

Wonderful Wednesday

PBS – Shutterstock

I say, “Wonderful Wednesday” because I’m leaving in less than an hour to get a haircut. I look like a dandelion gone to seed right now and saying that I can’t wait to be ‘healed’ is a vast understatement.

It’s going to be hot today (102 degrees F.) with unknown heat index – SURPRISE! – but we might get RAIN tomorrow, so I have hope.

I’m looking forward to playing in my art room this afternoon. The jury is still out on whether the cards I’m trying to paint will be ‘keepers’ or not, but I’m having a great time experimenting with different ideas and techniques. One of the reasons I start making presents and cards for Christmas so early is that what I’m ABLE to do doesn’t match what I would LIKE to do, and so several false starts are inevitably involved.

Our tomatoes are mostly gone now. I have a few that may ripen, so I check the plants every few days for treasure. I will soon pull up the sweet red onions from the garden to start them drying.

I’m on DAY 19 of my yoga. I’m determined to keep on keepin’ on until this practice becomes as ingrained as brushing my teeth in the morning. This practice, I think, is one of the keys to my health, my ability to do what I want without a lot of pain. I want to live a long time so I can continue to annoy my husband. (53 years and counting…)

I hope you have something fun planned for today, or if not – you have a pleasant, happy Wednesday.

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August 1, 2022 · 3:45 pm

Fun Afternoon

Bruderhof Communities

I’ve been having a fun afternoon.

Once I finished vacuuming the first floor tiles and carpet, I made our lunch and then did the first of the month stuff. Then I headed up to my art room to see what I thought of my efforts yesterday on making Christmas cards for my friends to go with their presents.

So far, it looks like I have an interesting start to the cards that might work. (I used bleeding tissue paper on card stock yesterday and left them overnight to dry.) I took off the tissue paper this afternoon and am now trying to get the card stock to lie flat. (I put a gazillion sketch pads on top of the pile of them and will leave them until tomorrow, when I do the next step.)

I also took the tote bags I finished painting to spray the first side with some protective spray that will help avoid stains and increase the lasting power of the paint. I’ll spray the other side tomorrow.

I spent some time clearing off my drafting table so I have a good space to work tomorrow.

Now I’m going to do yoga practice # 17 and then dive back into my book.

Lovely afternoon!

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July 31, 2022 · 9:30 am

Happy Wet Sunday

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I’m a happy camper this morning. The doors are open. The ceiling fan is on, spreading fresh, cooler air all through the house. It’s only supposed to get to 89 today, with a chance of some good rain. Yea!!!!

Ben Grantham-Getty Images-iStock Photos

Today is Day 16 of my attempt to make daily yoga practice a habit. Yesterday I was running out of time and chose to do yoga practice over spending time in my art room – an amazing decision for me! I ended up making a smaller-than-normal space in the office because my husband was watching a rented movie in the living room where I normally practice. The practice went well and I was happy to add my sparkly star to my desk calendar. :0)

Today is the last day of July. My only ‘accomplishments’ for the month are

  • the decision to try to get into a ‘yoga habit’, plus 16 days of yoga practice so far, increasing the time
  • I made 8 Christmas presents for my friends
  • I changed to the Mediterranean style of eating, deciding to significantly increase veggies and fruit
  • My thyroid hormone is under control again (actually took 8 weeks)

Make this a good day!

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July 12, 2022 · 9:27 am

To ‘Yog or Not To Yog”

Get Healthy

I’m expanding my afternoon yoga practices, finding new poses on the net, plus in the Big Yoga book I bought recently.

Just a pose or two at a time added to the ones I already do. It’s making for a better and better session, one that makes me feel loose and relaxed.

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June 20, 2022 · 2:18 pm

Monday, June 20, 2022

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GOOD/BAD NEWS – Most of my hard work for the day is done. I plan to relax, cool off, and do my yoga stretches this afternoon to un-kink my sore, creaky body, then take a nice shower before bed.

We gathered the trash this morning and that will go out tomorrow. I just finished vacuuming the first floor tiles and carpet. The carpeted area includes the foyer, our office, and our living room. The tiled areas include the pantry, kitchen area between the living room an the dining area, the utility room, and two half baths.

I had to switch to my larger vacuum when my battery-powered one died after using up the half hour’s worth of cleaning you get on a full charge. Even with the air conditioning on, I’m slightly out of breath, having to wipe my head, face, and neck with paper towels, and am drinking lots of ice water.

I’m appalled at all I pick up in the vacuum canister. Even my husband is impressed when I show him the trash can into which I empty the canister each time I finish vacuuming. I honestly am amazed that we still HAVE a dog and cat with all the hair I vacuumed. And then there’s the pollen and dirt that blows in every time the doors open… I’m glad I have good cleaning tools, but it almost gives me nightmares how MUCH ‘stuff’ that comes up. :0(

I don’t think a team of experts coming in every day to clean our house could keep up with all of this.

mematic.net via Gina Rodgers

We think we may have come to the end of the “nursery” of raccoons we have relocated this year so far. We’ve continued to set the humane trap, but haven’t caught anyone in several days now. My husband even refilled the bird feeders again for the first time in a long time yesterday.

I’m planning to check my garden later this afternoon, when the heat has decreased a bit. I’ll see if I can get pics. We’re hoping to have some ripe tomatoes, too, in the next couple of weeks. Fingers crossed.

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June 20, 2022 · 9:37 am

Whoa

Outlander Katon Twitter

You’re as old/young as you feel – well, I’m about 110 this morning.

I really pushed hard to finish deep cleaning the master and guest bathrooms upstairs yesterday. I rested in-between sessions, but over half the day was spent up there. I washed the whirlpool tub, then really scrubbed the redwood surrounding it, something that hadn’t been done in a long time. I then pulled up the rugs and the sticky things keeping them from sliding and hauled them into the bedroom. I washed the baseboards, then vacuumed the floors. I washed the floors, then put the sticky things and rugs back down. Finally, I vacuumed the rugs and put things back where they belonged. Things look and smell good now.

I started stiffening up right before bedtime last night, didn’t sleep well – unable to get into a comfortable position – and ended up reading downstairs for an hour or so early this morning. I’m still stiff and sore this morning. My poor old body seems to have really noticed all the bending over double, getting down on hands and knees, hauling of heavy rugs, etc.

Today I’m going to take it easier, only planning to gather trash and vacuum the tiled areas on the first floor today. I’ll also plan to do a long, slow yoga session this afternoon to see if I can get some of the kinks out. :0)

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June 18, 2022 · 9:22 am

Achieving Balance

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I am finding some good answers on what will work best for me as far as eating and exercising, getting healthier, more flexible, and feeling good.

Last night we were simply heating up individual portions of things I had cooked before and frozen. Cooking another veggie seemed too much, so I just got out some of the raw veggies I cut up recently and have been eating with dip for snacks to put to the side of the plate. I asked my husband if he wanted some, and he said, “Sure.” Later, when we were eating, he said they tasted ‘good.’ :0)

So, I’m consciously eating more veggies every day, less meat (used mainly as a flavoring now, some fruit, nuts, avoiding added sugar, salt, most white things, except for one dinner roll – a thing to which I look forward. I’m trying not to eat snacks, or anything after dinner. Many times I’m successful.

I’m consciously more active. Right now I’m in a cleaning mode. My house keeps asking, “Who IS this?” I’m working on really deep cleaning our master bathroom. It’s large – with a room that has a double lavatory and countertop, a whirlpool tub, and my walk-in closet. Another room has the toilet and a shower. I’ve been doing the minimum for a while, so I’m trying to DEEP clean it this time.

I’m adding some new poses to my yoga routine in the afternoons, though late afternoon is the best time to be outside working in the garden or my tomatoes or my yard, so I’m having an internal fight over this one. So far I’m doing one or the other, but I would LIKE to do both. I’m working on it.

The result of all this is I feel better. I’m sleeping better. I’m starting to lose some of my lard. Win/Win/Win.

Balance is all.

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June 15, 2022 · 9:23 am

Wednesday Thoughts

M D Parr-Getty Images-flickr.com – martinparrsnaturepics.com

We have gone from monsoon type, flooding rains (12 inches in one week) to ‘excessive heat warnings’ (heat index of 118) to regular mid summer temperatures and no rain here. The only thing is that summer hasn’t officially begun yet! Kind of impressive. I’m just happy we have air conditioning and can insulate ourselves from the worst of it.

I’ll go and get a haircut in about half an hour. Right now I look like a dandelion-gone-to-seed with hair everywhere. When Michael finishes with me, I’ll still look like me, but it will be obvious someone had a plan. :0) I’ll do a couple more errands and then come home in time to fix our lunch.

We didn’t catch a critter in our humane trap overnight, but ‘someone’ was eating sunflower seed, triggered the trap door to close, but didn’t get caught. We’ll reset the trap nightly until we get someone else.

I’ve been spraying weeds lately, trying to get all the super-growth of greenery due to the rains under control. I’m making slow progress since it’s so hot, but I’ll keep at it, a bit at a time. I’m going to check my tomato plants and my zucchini plants today to see if I need to do anything.

I’m feeling good about my eating plan now, including as many veggies as I can each day, enjoying some fruit again, and watching portions, trying not to snack. My scales showed some progress this morning, so that’s a step in the right direction, too. I’m reading my new Big Yoga book, too, trying to find poses to add to my regular yoga practice. I’m planning to do the short online videos (warm up, balance, and weights) today, too.

We’re hoping our good plumber will be able to make time to help us this week with a 2nd line in the well house so we can irrigate our front yard planters automatically. I’m watching my elephant ear plants in particular. I’ll need to take water out to them if our guy can’t get here in the next couple of days.

This week is flying by! It seems I was just talking about Monday of another week and we’re already to Wednesday. My too-long hair is blowing as the time flies past.

Enjoy your day.

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June 14, 2022 · 12:01 pm

Busy Tuesday Already

bromebirdcare.com

We just returned from running errands this morning.

We caught raccoon # 7 overnight in our humane trap. He was a really big one. He was docile, though, so we drove out and relocated him several miles away from us. I think this may be a record-breaking year for raccoons for us. The memo has definitely gone out that the Lewises have good sunflower seeds in the feeders. I just wish the raccoons could learn to share and not trash the feeders. We spend a lot of time repairing the feeders, plus we have to leave them empty until we catch the newest culprit in the humane trap.

We left our trash at the bottom of the driveway for pickup, noting that, even with the washed out parts on one edge of the driveway due to the incredible rains we’ve had (12 inches in one week!) the driveway is still in the best shape it’s been in forever. Jeremy Young did a miraculous job spreading the crusher dust for us so we could get down and up our driveway again. We marvel each time we drive on it.

We got our mail, went for a haircut for my husband, a shot for him, and then back home in record time. We’re going to have lunch in a minute and then rest a bit before tackling our afternoon.

Mother Nature is giving us a break today. It’s merely ‘way too hot’ outside, rather than ‘excessive heat warning’ today. I’m planning to mix up some KILLZALL and see what weeds I can murder this afternoon. We’re down to zucchini and red onions in our garden, plus the two planters of tomatoes now. Both are on automatic watering systems, although that seems almost like a joke right now, with all the rain we’ve had. Our plumber is trying to get her this week to arrange line #2 in the well house so we can have automatic watering in the front planters, too.

I got a new book on Yoga in the mail today. It’s called, Big Yoga – A Simple Guide for Bigger Bodies by Meera Patricia Kerr. It provides a gentle program for a healthier body, greater flexibility, and a peaceful mind. Since I’m both older than dirt and have a larger-than-I-would-like body, I’m going to dive into it and see what I want to add to the half hour of “Gentle Yoga” positions I’m doing that I learned from Cat Kabira in her wonderful DVD.

And that’s my morning. Have a wonderful afternoon!

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April 21, 2022 · 1:29 pm

Pat, Pat, Pat

Tenor

I did three short exercise videos this morning – ‘warm-up,’ ‘stretches,’ and ‘weights.’ (30 minutes total)

I JUST finished doing the week’s ‘2a workout’ from morelifehealth.com – 30 minutes.

So I’m patting myself on the head a bit. :0)

Soon I’ll walk out to the garden to see what needs doing, then back out to the tomato planters and further out to where our greenhouse used to be, then back again. I’m trying to do that several times each day when the weather is cooperative to round out the mix of moving more.

Later I’ll do 30 minutes of ‘senior’ stretching yoga to finish off my exercising for the day.

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April 10, 2022 · 3:59 pm

Whew!

Terri Smith

I just came in from hauling and spreading six 40-lb bags of potting soil, 3 in each of our two brick tomato planters. That’s the end of the soil hauling. The next three days are supposed to be stormy/severe weather, so it’s likely I won’t be outside more than is absolutely necessary until Thursday. I’m hopeful we can get our tomato plants then and I can get them planted.

I did my weights exercise video before I worked outside. I’ll rest awhile, drink a bunch of water, then do my yoga stretches. The dog in this gif could be Amber. She is just larger. :0)

Giphy

All I have to do for dinner is put the rotisserie chicken in the microwave and put salad dressing on the salad. Yea!

I hope you’re enjoying your Sunday.

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April 8, 2022 · 9:44 am

Fun, Freezing Friday

The Humane Society of Greenwood

I just learned we’re supposed to have a freeze tonight. UGH. I’m hard-headed, so after Lunch Bunch, I’m going to check for head lettuce and zucchini plants to put in the garden, anyway. When we get home, if I’m successful finding them, I’ll plant them, weed the raised garden boxes, and then cover them with sheets tonight.

I’m getting to the end of WEEK 2 on my eating low-carb and ‘moving-more’ efforts. I’m gradually changing my eating habits, relying on MyFitnessPal.com to plan what I’ll eat for the day to make sure I’m under my calorie and carb limits.

downshiftology.com

Though I told my husband he can eat what he wants (within reason, since he’s Type II diabetic), he says, “I’ll eat what you eat.” So today at Lunch Bunch, instead of the breaded, fried chicken tenders with honey mustard we have been eating forever, we’ll have a hamburger patty, side salad with blue cheese dressing on the side. Tomorrow I’m making low carb spaghetti. I’ll fix macaroni for my husband and Zucchini ‘noodles’ for me (Zoodles). Please see pic above.

Pinterest

I’m also doing well on my ‘moving-more’ efforts. I’m doing my yoga stretches every afternoon after my other strenuous activities are finished. I’m doing weights exercises with a video for seniors I found online. (I also found several other videos he has done, and hope to incorporate them into my day soon.) Finally, I’m working outside every day the weather is cooperative. Today, for example, when we’re back from Lunch Bunch and errands today, I’ll use the wheelbarrow to move four or five 40-lb bags of potting soil out to the tomato planters I weeded yesterday, prepping them for the coming tomato plants. I’m going to try to find zucchini and head lettuce plants while we’re out today. I’ll plant what I can find, then weed the planters, then plan to cover them up tonight to protect them as much as possible from the freeze.

The Senior Alliance

I wish I could show you a pic of my friends at Lunch Bunch, but I’m respecting their wishes and their privacy. Today is a special Lunch Bunch. It’s our waitress’s birthday, so we’re bringing her gifts to celebrate. She’ll be surprised, and she’ll be reminded how special she is.

Enjoy your Friday.

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April 7, 2022 · 11:43 am

A.M. Weights – P.M. Yoga

Medical News Today

A.M. – I’m doing weights exercises daily now, using a video created for seniors. He is recommending 1 lb weights, but I’m using my 3 lb weights at this point. It’s a short video – about 10 minutes or less – and is easy to follow. At some point, I’ll switch to 5 lbs weights.

crazybonezskeleton.com

P.M. – I’m doing about half an hour or so of senior yoga stretching every day now. After doing the weights in the morning and yard work in the afternoon, the yoga really helps me relax and stretch things out again.

I won’t say I’m looking FORWARD to exercising. I’m a died-in-the-wool sloth. But, I will say I feel better now that I’ve been doing this every day. I think it takes 3 weeks or so to build a ‘habit.’ I’m on week 2…

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April 1, 2022 · 9:37 am

No Dancing for me Today

Clinical Back Pain Advisor

I spent two hours yesterday weeding our rock beds that run along the front and back of the house. I finished, and even my husband was impressed, saying they look, “Great.”

The only problem is that my back is NOT so pleased with my efforts, even though I sat on my garden stool part of the time, used a padded knee pad part of the time, and stood part of the time, trying to vary my position often to avoid problems.

NEXT time I’ll only do the front OR the back, not both in one day.

Maybe I can do TWO sessions of yoga stretching today….

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March 29, 2022 · 10:32 am

Yesterday’s Small Triumphs

Sharefaith Media
  • I managed to bake some really low-carb dinner rolls for our dinner. (I’m trying to replace the deli/bakery dinner roll we’ve been eating.) They were okay. I will continue to look for a recipe we like better, but this would work. :0)
  • I also cooked a Sausage, Egg and Cheese Bake recipe for a low-carb dinner. It was as good as we remembered. I froze the leftovers into individual containers so we can have two more easy dinners from one cooking session.
  • I got a gold star on my calendar for doing a good session of yoga.
  • I mixed and sprayed two gallons of weed killer under the planter boxes in my raised bed square foot garden. I’ll probably need to spray at least one more time, but I have a good start on it now.
  • My husband mowed our lawn for the first time this season. He had to air up the mower tires first, having to repair a leak on our air compressor in order to DO that, and then get the mower running – always a headache after it sits all winter, but he prevailed and it now looks like someone cares, at least a little, about our yard.

Today I’ll try to weed whack all around the front and back yard to complement the good job my husband did on the lawn. (I have even more motivation than usual because we have a 90% chance of rain tomorrow.)

Happy Tuesday!

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February 19, 2022 · 9:43 am

Ah, Sunshine!

BoredPanda.com

It’s chilly now, but it’s supposed to get into the 50s this afternoon. Ahhhhh. Nice weekend ahead for us and I’ll take it. I’m afraid I’ll have to reschedule my happily-anticipated massage on Thursday of next week – if the weather people are right – due to forecast ‘wintry mix,’ (especially ice), on Wednesday and maybe Thursday, as well. Did I tell you I’m ready for spring?

I’m feeling good today, having lost a bit more poundage – almost 4.5 lbs this week – and I did my yoga practice again yesterday. I’ve decided I will try to do my yoga each afternoon. I’m feeling less stiff and sore and hope to improve my practice each day.

I thanked my lucky stars when I discovered Cat Kabira a couple of years ago. I found her on a website called Sixty and Me. I bought the DVD they were selling to get seniors into yoga. I didn’t want to wind myself into a pretzel shape or fold myself into a paper airplane, but I did like the idea of getting and staying more flexible, alleviating pain, and improving my balance.

I now do my own thing on yoga stretches, but the thing that Cat stressed was that no one gives you awards for putting your hands flat on the floor after touching your toes, or bending forward while sitting and putting your face on the floor in front of you. (Good thing!) :0)

The thing that is important is that you stretch yourself in that DIRECTION and then breathe into it. You will improve as you learn to relax into the positions and you will get the same benefit as if you HAD touched the floor. THAT freed me from feeling defeated before I started.

As I’ve told you, I’m a champion hard-head, so I have to keep reminding myself that the benefits don’t continue if you don’t practice. So now I’m almost starting at square one, stretching TOWARD where I would like to go, trying to get my poor, sore and stiff body to relax into it once again. I AM starting to feel a difference, and my husband noticed I was doing better yesterday.

I’m on a roll with my determination to ‘shut my mouth and practice yoga daily.’ Hopefully, I can keep this going.

BoredPanda.com

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February 18, 2022 · 9:30 am

2 of 3

The Economic Times

I was able to get and print 2 of the 3 things I need from our investment accounts this morning. As soon as I can get the third, we can bag up or tax stuff and take it to our CPA. I always feel so much better when my part of this is done for another year.

I have all appendages crossed that our weather cooperates with me so I can get my massage next week. We’re supposed to get rain Monday and Tuesday, with a possible ‘wintry mix’ Wednesday, just in time for my massage on Thursday. My body would really be grateful if we can keep that appointment.

I’m doing better with my yoga, though. I’m starting to loosen up again, although it will be awhile before I get back to where I was. Why do I have to prove to myself over and over again that this old woman really NEEDS these stretches? I could win a prize for ‘hardest head’ I think. I’m also doing better at keeping my mouth shut this week. I’ve lost 2.5 lbs and hope to continue this, earning gold stars on my calendar. :0)

We’ll leave for Lunch Bunch in about an hour. It was SOOOO good to finally have most of us there last week. I just got a text saying two of us won’t be there. :0( Hopefully, Kay will be there.

I hope you have a wonderful Friday.

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February 16, 2022 · 10:10 am

Thoughts on a Wednesday 2-16-2022

Petr Vaclavek – Dubanci.cz

We have some interesting weather here in Arkansas the next couple of days. We have a ‘wind advisory’ today – even warning about being watchful of gusts when driving! THEN we have ‘heavy downpours,’ ‘thunderstorms,’ and possible severe storms late this afternoon and overnight, a cold front moving in tomorrow, with possible FLURRIES (It’ll be in the 60’s today…). It’s ‘hold-onto-your-hat weather!

I MAY finish the infamous ‘Find-My-Desk’ project today. My husband mentioned that he saw there was a piece of furniture under the piles yesterday, but then his intelligence kicked in and he wisely shut his mouth rather than adding to his observations. :0)

Tenor

My simultaneous ‘Shut-My-Mouth-and-do-More-Yoga’ project has a good start now, though the results may not show for quite awhile.

youshouldgrow.com

A third project I’m beginning to think about is my Raised-bed, Square-foot Garden project for the spring. I’m getting out my grid paper and will start to plan what I’ll plant and where I’ll put it in the garden. This is all based on where I put things last year, so I’ll have reasonable crop rotation, and then I want to have a ‘square’ between like plants (like I don’t plant broccoli plants in adjoining squares) so cut down on any disease problems. I use up lots of grid paper as I dream, making notes on when I should start looking for plants in our local stores. I want to be ready to plant broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce, and spinach, for example, as soon as I can get them into the ground. I’ll group them so I can cover them each night with tarps until the weather is more cooperative, making their growing season as long as possible.

As soon as I finish at the computer, I’ll get to work on my desk again. I’ll post pics when this project is done. Have a wonderful Wednesday!

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February 14, 2022 · 10:37 am

Back on the Wagon

Dogster-shutterstock

Okay. The Super Bowl is over. I love it that they were so evenly matched. I was happy the Rams won because they won it the same way they got to the Super Bowl in the final game that won their place there – a come from behind win. I switched allegiances several times during the game because I love a really close, nail-biter game more than anything. (My husband is still rolling his eyes because I liked the uniforms of the Bengals MUCH better than those of the Rams.)

We enjoyed our splurge dinner of chili mac with onions and cheese, thoroughly enjoying every forbidden bite. :0) Splurge mode is officially over now. I’m using cronometer.com to track my eating. I’m still trying to work out how to eat the foods that are supposed to be good for my husband’s and my various health concerns – building a master list of foods to INCLUDE as often as possible and ones to AVOID. I’m adding to it as I read more and reprinting the list so I can keep it on the fridge to remind me.

I have a yoga session on my calendar for today. I’m also going to include a walk out to our shop and back each time I take a break from my ‘find-my-desk’ project started yesterday and continuing until the emergence of an actual piece of furniture, rather than a pile of STUFF.

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February 4, 2022 · 10:39 am

Aging

email from a friend

My yoga is helping me a bit – when I get off my duff and DO it. I noticed last night that when I got up from reading in my chair, I was stiff and sore until I had walked quite a bit. My husband remarked that I hadn’t been ‘yoging,’ which is true.

crazybonezskeleton.com

When even HE notices a difference, I need to get my rear in gear. This afternoon. No excuses.

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January 7, 2022 · 9:03 am

Friday Yoga

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The three-times-a-week yoga stretches are helping this sweet old lady loosen up. I’ve lost 3 lbs this week, too, so thumbs up. :0)

Speaking of feeling a bit ‘long-in-the-tooth’ lately, three things:

Thing One – when we were looking for a replacement cover for one of our kitchen fluorescent fixtures lately, a kind guy was trying to look it up for me at the service desk at Home Depot. When he told me he couldn’t find the one we needed, I realized that our fixtures are over 30 years old, installed in 1987 when we built the house – and older than the nice guy has been alive!

Thing Two – shortly after my husband and I married, we decided to try building a digital clock, building one with the use of a Heath Kit. (I’m probably showing my age again, but Heath Kits were popular back then for the fun of learning a bit about electronics, and having things you couldn’t afford otherwise.) I learned about circuit boards, learned to look at various parts to install, learned to solder, etc. My husband kept trying to prepare me that the clock would need a lot of trouble-shooting to get it to work and that things almost never worked the first time. Can you imagine his face when it worked perfectly the very first time we plugged it in? :0) We’ve had this clock with us ever since, most recently living in our entertainment center in the living room. We noticed it was losing time – something it has never done. We reset it several times, and it kept gradually going off the right time. I was a bit sad that we need to shop for another clock now, but realized that it lasted over 50 years!

Thing Three – The latest heart throbs are younger than our son….

bd-weird

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July 7, 2021 · 10:21 am

Dumbbells

Today is DAY 2 of working with weights in addition to doing my daily yoga practice. Monday went well, though I had to push myself to do 10 repetitions of each exercise on my list. I wasn’t sore yesterday, and that was encouraging.

Today I AM sore, and that shows me my body noticed I did something out of the ordinary. That also tells me I need it and will do it again this morning. I’m planning to do the weights (5 lb weights) 3 times a week, MW&F and see how I do with that. I will add more exercises and more reps as I can.

I feel good that I’m trying to get stronger.

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June 29, 2021 · 11:41 am

Attitude

LoseWeightFast-blogger

Today is DAY 4 of my new motivation to lose my lard and increase my flexibility and stamina.

I’m feeling good about things, even though I didn’t shed any weight yesterday. I will ‘keep on keepin’ on,’ one day at a time, looking at each one as a day to maybe lose a bit and work on getting stronger.

Tenor.gif

I’m doing my yoga-snack-water thing each afternoon. I have some sore stomach muscles in particular, a sign that my body recognizes a change. That’s GOOD. I’m finding it easier to get out of my chair, get my yoga mat and get started. Once I finish, I get my husband his bagel with cream cheese, chives, and onion, and I get MY snack of some raw veggies and a bit of dip, plus a bottle of water.

My husband, of course, isn’t even trying to lose weight at this point, or exercise, but is ahead of me on weight loss. I’m trying to be adult enough to realize that each person is different, that men seem to lose weight more easily than woman, and hitting him in the mouth won’t solve my problems. :0)

I have my desk calendar set up to get my stars for doing what I should today, and it makes me smile when I earn them.

I am feeling more in control of my habits and I’m pleased I’m doing some good things for my health.

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