Cloudless sky and dry roads; and I thought I'd be dreaming of a white Christmas!
Give me sunshine anytime, but in the dead of winter it was a Christmas gift come true.
No dirty slush or frozen fingers shovelling walkways; time to visit friends, family and relatives,
without risking life or limb, driving on slippery slidey ice. Oh what a great gift it was!
Much better than the week or so before, when a car slid into my rear, breaking the tail light lens.
The driver nonchalantly just drove on around me and went on his/her merry way, LOL
No time to bother, just increase both our insurance rates I guess. Took me by surprise, didn't
expect a hit and run driver, LOL. My son-in-law says he will fix it for less than the dealer.
The trade off was good enough, I got over it without much ado. I wasn't injured of course.
Hoosiers aren't usually like that.
Christmas is now past, and we are 1/2 way to New Years. Cold cloudy winter had us in its grip
since just after Thanksgiving, but yesterday and today has been sunny with blue skis, altho a bit
of wind now and then, and a big storm blew by the other night, with lightening and all! I thought
the roof was gonna blow off, but it only reopened that little leak over the dining room table, tsk!
Can you believe? Its been in the high 40's and there's another day of it coming, Hallelujah!
This brief reprieve from winter during Christmas and New Year's holiday's has made me
even more greatful , being added to the joy of being with family in our cosy homes.
Sunshine fills my soul like nothing else, except maybe a warm fireplace and snuggle company.
On Christmas day, we gathered at my youngest daughter Kira's home for the grand unwrapping
of presents round the tree, and brunch with eggnog and all. She said its now to be considered a
tradition since we've been doing it since we moved here from California. (Her home lends itself
better to entertaining a larger group, because of its layout.) I thought I would be having steak
at my home later on that day, but I was so exhaused from shopping and wrapping I wasn't able
to get to the store before it closed for the holiday, ( I waited for the last minute so they would be
fresh and didn't expect their earlier closing this year). So we located a restraurant that was open
and went out to eat instead. The food was good, and enjoyed by all, and I wasn't overwhelmed.
We didn't do Christmas Carols due to the fact that my children and grandchilden spent their
Christmas Eve at their dad/grampa's. (He still follows the tradition of not including me, that was
set by his second wife when she got mad at me for upholding my community property rights,
even though she has now passed away, tsk!.)
The other night I was lying in bed while falling off to sleep composing another poem in my head.
I didn't remember it well enough to write it down after I got up in the morning, but part of the
content is in this blog, just not written as a poem. I'm going to have to put paper and pencil at my
bedside now...not just in my car. Its when I am in alpha brain waves that this happens, and that
is when the driving gets more boring than the scenery or I am very relaxed and in a dreamy
state. I think I mentioned that I used to compose art works this way, because I am very visual,
And I was an amature artist that never took time to paint my oil paintings. Over the years, I
practiced using my weaker left brain more effectively, so now, I guess my verbal side took over.
It so much easier to be creative this way, LOL, I never was much for just sketching my ideas
quickly, but they are still in my head and I am actually a better artist than I used to be, after
taking the course in "Drawing On The Right Side Of The Brain". But thats a possible subject for
another blog. I am now in a better situation for having a steak dinner at my home on New Years
day instead of Christmas day, since I have more time to plan, more energy, and I know when the
store is closing fo the New Year's holiday. It will just be a simple carry-in but I'll broil the steaks
to order and bake the potatos. The following day, I start back on my Medifast diet, and plan to
follow it for a least 6 weeks. If it works well for me this time I will continue until I hit a plateau
or have lost a goodly amount of weight. If it doesn't result in a satisfactory weight loss after 6
weeks I will discusss the possibility of getting a lap band done. I am thinking this will be a
medical necessity now, if I don't get my excess weight off and keep it off. I will be getting back to
the gym and do the aqua aerobics as well. I am still into the salt/potassium thing, but I think it
helps with weight maintenance, but not so much with weight loss. But I won't make this into a
weight loss blog; soooo boring. Well thats all for now folks. I just noted that my blog has been
auto saved. I wonder if that means that everything I am now writing will not be included...I
hope it won't be trundicated this time.
Monday, December 29, 2008
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Blogging along....with more after Christmas
For those I have encouraged to follow my blogs, I am sorry that I haven't had time of late to
blog. With Christmas so near I have been very busy, and I'm still not ready for the big day! I
have been formulating a new poem, inspired by the shape of a leaf stenciled to the sidewalk by frost, then blown away leaving only the evidence that it had been there, and my ideas about the
many kinds of snow and wintery mixes that we have here and about how cold it has been.
The snow and ice actually evaporates instead of melting when its this cold, did you notice? (Only
those who live here, would, of course.) And I learned the other day that X in Xmas, actually means Christ in Greek. So those who criticize when its used need not worry. We are not taking Christ out of Christmas by using it.
Also, today I learned that the word Christ was actually the Greek word for the Mesiah, and the
term didn't originate in Jerusalam. Interesting what you can learn by watching these
educational channels on TV.
I shopped till I nearly dropped with my grandchildren today and came home and took down the
rest of the Christmas boxes so they could have bows and ribbons for their wrapping. (The
paper, sizzors and tape was already available to them, without much effort on my part.)
So now they are all ready, but I am still behind because I was too exhausted to do any wrapping
myself after all that, LOL. We had a very good time.
We plan a very nice Christmas. We will Gather at my daughter Kira's on christmas for the gift
unwrapping with the girls, (my granddaughters), and a carry in breakfast buffet, then later we
will have a steak dinner at my home, and maybe sing Carols if I can get someone to play the
piano. Emily, my eldest Granddaughter, can play some Christmas tunes and so can my daughter
Carol, but they may have performance anxiety and be reluctant to do it. And I am still looking
for the Carol book with the words, (but who doesn't know the words to Jingle Bells and Deck the
Halls and all those anyway, right? I'll let you know how it turned out next time I blog. Merry
Xmas!
blog. With Christmas so near I have been very busy, and I'm still not ready for the big day! I
have been formulating a new poem, inspired by the shape of a leaf stenciled to the sidewalk by frost, then blown away leaving only the evidence that it had been there, and my ideas about the
many kinds of snow and wintery mixes that we have here and about how cold it has been.
The snow and ice actually evaporates instead of melting when its this cold, did you notice? (Only
those who live here, would, of course.) And I learned the other day that X in Xmas, actually means Christ in Greek. So those who criticize when its used need not worry. We are not taking Christ out of Christmas by using it.
Also, today I learned that the word Christ was actually the Greek word for the Mesiah, and the
term didn't originate in Jerusalam. Interesting what you can learn by watching these
educational channels on TV.
I shopped till I nearly dropped with my grandchildren today and came home and took down the
rest of the Christmas boxes so they could have bows and ribbons for their wrapping. (The
paper, sizzors and tape was already available to them, without much effort on my part.)
So now they are all ready, but I am still behind because I was too exhausted to do any wrapping
myself after all that, LOL. We had a very good time.
We plan a very nice Christmas. We will Gather at my daughter Kira's on christmas for the gift
unwrapping with the girls, (my granddaughters), and a carry in breakfast buffet, then later we
will have a steak dinner at my home, and maybe sing Carols if I can get someone to play the
piano. Emily, my eldest Granddaughter, can play some Christmas tunes and so can my daughter
Carol, but they may have performance anxiety and be reluctant to do it. And I am still looking
for the Carol book with the words, (but who doesn't know the words to Jingle Bells and Deck the
Halls and all those anyway, right? I'll let you know how it turned out next time I blog. Merry
Xmas!
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Wow! I'm really getting good at this snow removal thing
Today, I got all bundled up to sweep the snow powder off the front walkways and my enormous driveway. I figured I needed to do SOMETHING to earn my lunch!!!( gotta get rid of the spare tire I've accumulated since it didn't use it as a floatie in the swimming pool yesterday. I must have looked like I was planning a long trip to point Barrow, Alaska. I should have poked my head out into the 16 degree weather first to survey the job. LOL, when I got out there with broom in hand ready for some vigorous sweeping, I saw, belatedly, that the powdery snow hadn't drifted over the work I had done yesterday, and that the tiny bit of snow melt that I had left had done the trick! I was all dressed up with no where to go!
Goldie was glad, because we spent about an hour playing fetch instead, but she was the one getting all the exercise, :-(. I still may go shopping today, but I'm not going to a mall for the walking, just to the grocery store for a few necessary items.) My soup would have tasted better had I done the exercise first, ( It always does), but the sourdough with cranberries and pumpkin seed bread, the slice of cantaloupe and the French Vanilla International coffee were still delicious, and I savored the fact that I'd frozen the soup while there were still vegetable from my garden being harvested for it. MMMM it is good to take the time to sit down for a warm midday meal. Another retirement perk.
There was a little sunshine this morning when I swept snow off the deck, but now the horizon is paines grey and the sky looks like frosted ice. Yesterday, there was a fine powdery snow raining down most of the day and even with drifts it wasn't much more than an inch of accumulation, but that time I didn't want to go swimming at the gym, because the snow had totally coated the roads, and I was glad that I didn't HAVE to drive on them. Another retirement perk!
Instead of braving the weather I curled up and watched a public TV station fun raising program, (they are always the best). This guy ( I'm terrible with names), has a lecture he gives called "Magnificent Mind at Any Age"He had books and CDs and stuff you could get if you called in and donated $360 to the station, but I'm just trying to scrape up the money for Christmas gifts right now, and thats mentally stimulating enough! I was impressed with his "12 Prescriptions for a Healthy Mind" Like: "Live Life Like it Ready Matters", "Use Brain Healthy Ways to Treat Pain", "Eat Brain Healthy Foods" (and don't smoke drink or takes drugs), and of course, exercise at least 30 minutes 3 times a week.( Experts say more than that now, however). But I really focused on the fact that he was saying," to recognise what you love about life, more than what you hate about it" Positive emotions have positive affects on the brain. And he said that when you stimulte your brain to develope new brain cells, such as learning to play piano or something, that it stimulated all the connecting brain cells and helps to keep them working well. Thats a good reason to learn to play the piano , even though I've been a musical dunce all my life, LOL.
But heres the real deal: I had an incredible insight, a real break through in understanding and accepting some things about my grandparents, myself and my mother. There was this anecdote the man told about RESILENCE , how he had been called to allay a boy's anxiety, pre-op. The boy had been born with a facial deformity and had undergone numerous surgeries since infancy and had faced them all bravely, and now that there were only a few of them left to restore his face to an acceptably normal one, it seemed he had reached his limit of endurance and might not be able to continue. With hypnotism, he was able to continue with the proceedures, and the man who treated the anxiety found the boy to have been very well "adjusted" in his life, and functioning like any other boy his age, and in some areas, he excelled. He followed the boy for a little while longer out of curiosity, because he wanted to understand the trait that had made this possible. He finally understood, that it was, in fact, RESILIENCE. The boy had been expected to have responsibilities and to accept all the challanges in life just like any other kid. There were no excuses, accepted, he wasn't pitied or coddled or treated like a poor invalid, who shouldn't be expected to do anything a "normal" boy his age could do, so he had to develope resilience, in order to accomplish what he had to do.
I suddenly was able to understand and accept the way my grandmother treated my mother who had had to endure preforming the duties of the first born daughter in a Mormon family with 6 siblings to help care for, even though she had been born with hip displaysia. The woman couldn't even walk untill she was 4 and had to learn while still wearing a hip spika cast from her chest to her toes. She walked with a limp after that cast was taken off and took up her duties and did what she was expected to, grew up married, and raised 3 of her own children, mostly without the help of spouses, none of which had become as resilient as she was. I had always had difficulty understanding why the grandfather whom I had respected could have forbidden her to marry, because it was his responsibility to support her, accoording to his doctor and his bishop. I had thought this to be a bit of hypocracy, since grandma had always told her that she was being expected to do her chores like any healthier child, would have been expected to do so, because when she grew up, the world would be unforgiving, and she would have to function like anybody else. Suddenly, I was able to see that grandfather had given her a choice! And she chose the more difficult path.
I had always kind of resented my mother's harshness with us children at times, and had seen a documentary on TV when I was older, how Kaiser Wilhelm had been born with a badly crippled leg, and forced by his tutor to do what was expected of an heir to the throne. The man was brutal and uncompromising with the boy, who found it difficult to learn to ride a horse and all that stuff that they had to learn in those days. Well The young Kaiser to be, did not have a choice, apparently, about having to be ready, and finally assumed the throne. And this had apparently made him a brutal man. I was thinking that this was cruel treatment, and I couldn't reconcile it with my perception of the grandfather and grandmother whom I had respected all my life. I suddenly had a flash of insight about it, after hearing this program on TV. I have learned an important lesson.
I had acquired this trait of resilience from my mother by osmosis as a child. It was transmitted to me by example. I always wondered, why I pushed myself to be just as athletic as any other kid and to accomplish everthing that was in my power to accomplish, even though I only learned in my mid 40's that I was born with minimal brain damage and a bicuspid aoertic valve. This was not picked up by the pediatrician Back in 1940, but when finally diagnosed, it explained to me why I'd had so many difficulties to surmount throughout life. I tired sooner than other kids because the major blood vessel coming from my heart to supply my body with oxygen was too narrow to function as well as theirs did, and I had to teach myself an alternate way of learning in order to read and spell, and finally, I excelled in school. Eventually I was able to understand and forgive myself for areas of dysfunction which I could not change no matter how much I had tried. Time management issues, right/left confusion and virtually all of the problems which others perceived as character defiencies were related to the dyslexia I'd experienced in grade school, as well as the whole spectrum of symptoms related to inperceptible minimal brain damage, and over time I had come to understand many of the emotional issues I'd had in retrospect.
And now I am able to pat myself on the back, because I have RESILIENCE and I have been able to overcome those difficulties all on my own. I think I'd have had a PhD by now, had this been detected and treated when I was a child...LOL I also feel thankful that my mother had that resilience which I had passively acquired. She wasn't hard on me, Like Kaiser's tutor, I just chose to be hard on myself. Well, I guess I have a fairly healthy mind, which is another new thing I've learned. But, staying home to watch TV instead if going to the gym yesterday, was not as healthy as getting some exercise. Too bad I didn't have any snow to shovel to make up for it.
There, see, I've taken a negative like having to shovel snow, and turned it around as a positive. The guy also said thats another thing we need to do for a healthy mind: "change the way you think about things", positive thinking actually changes the brain and heals what might be ailing it.
Like LEARNING, from experiencing a failed romance, to let it go and vow to change what went wrong or just find another who would love you and keep you. Its not healthy to leave it as a gaping, bleeding wound on the landscape of your life. Others will pick up on it, and shun a bleeding heart, that spilles over into the way you feel and act with people. Healing emotional pain is a talent that must be acquired, in order to develope resilience, so that one can experience joy again. According to Mormons and Objectivists, experiencing joy is the whole purpose of life. Not the effortless, hedonistic, temporary "enjoyment"of escape from life's ups and downs, nor mindless sensations from drugs, etc., but the kind of joy that comes from achieving happiness via our rational virtues. TTFN
Goldie was glad, because we spent about an hour playing fetch instead, but she was the one getting all the exercise, :-(. I still may go shopping today, but I'm not going to a mall for the walking, just to the grocery store for a few necessary items.) My soup would have tasted better had I done the exercise first, ( It always does), but the sourdough with cranberries and pumpkin seed bread, the slice of cantaloupe and the French Vanilla International coffee were still delicious, and I savored the fact that I'd frozen the soup while there were still vegetable from my garden being harvested for it. MMMM it is good to take the time to sit down for a warm midday meal. Another retirement perk.
There was a little sunshine this morning when I swept snow off the deck, but now the horizon is paines grey and the sky looks like frosted ice. Yesterday, there was a fine powdery snow raining down most of the day and even with drifts it wasn't much more than an inch of accumulation, but that time I didn't want to go swimming at the gym, because the snow had totally coated the roads, and I was glad that I didn't HAVE to drive on them. Another retirement perk!
Instead of braving the weather I curled up and watched a public TV station fun raising program, (they are always the best). This guy ( I'm terrible with names), has a lecture he gives called "Magnificent Mind at Any Age"He had books and CDs and stuff you could get if you called in and donated $360 to the station, but I'm just trying to scrape up the money for Christmas gifts right now, and thats mentally stimulating enough! I was impressed with his "12 Prescriptions for a Healthy Mind" Like: "Live Life Like it Ready Matters", "Use Brain Healthy Ways to Treat Pain", "Eat Brain Healthy Foods" (and don't smoke drink or takes drugs), and of course, exercise at least 30 minutes 3 times a week.( Experts say more than that now, however). But I really focused on the fact that he was saying," to recognise what you love about life, more than what you hate about it" Positive emotions have positive affects on the brain. And he said that when you stimulte your brain to develope new brain cells, such as learning to play piano or something, that it stimulated all the connecting brain cells and helps to keep them working well. Thats a good reason to learn to play the piano , even though I've been a musical dunce all my life, LOL.
But heres the real deal: I had an incredible insight, a real break through in understanding and accepting some things about my grandparents, myself and my mother. There was this anecdote the man told about RESILENCE , how he had been called to allay a boy's anxiety, pre-op. The boy had been born with a facial deformity and had undergone numerous surgeries since infancy and had faced them all bravely, and now that there were only a few of them left to restore his face to an acceptably normal one, it seemed he had reached his limit of endurance and might not be able to continue. With hypnotism, he was able to continue with the proceedures, and the man who treated the anxiety found the boy to have been very well "adjusted" in his life, and functioning like any other boy his age, and in some areas, he excelled. He followed the boy for a little while longer out of curiosity, because he wanted to understand the trait that had made this possible. He finally understood, that it was, in fact, RESILIENCE. The boy had been expected to have responsibilities and to accept all the challanges in life just like any other kid. There were no excuses, accepted, he wasn't pitied or coddled or treated like a poor invalid, who shouldn't be expected to do anything a "normal" boy his age could do, so he had to develope resilience, in order to accomplish what he had to do.
I suddenly was able to understand and accept the way my grandmother treated my mother who had had to endure preforming the duties of the first born daughter in a Mormon family with 6 siblings to help care for, even though she had been born with hip displaysia. The woman couldn't even walk untill she was 4 and had to learn while still wearing a hip spika cast from her chest to her toes. She walked with a limp after that cast was taken off and took up her duties and did what she was expected to, grew up married, and raised 3 of her own children, mostly without the help of spouses, none of which had become as resilient as she was. I had always had difficulty understanding why the grandfather whom I had respected could have forbidden her to marry, because it was his responsibility to support her, accoording to his doctor and his bishop. I had thought this to be a bit of hypocracy, since grandma had always told her that she was being expected to do her chores like any healthier child, would have been expected to do so, because when she grew up, the world would be unforgiving, and she would have to function like anybody else. Suddenly, I was able to see that grandfather had given her a choice! And she chose the more difficult path.
I had always kind of resented my mother's harshness with us children at times, and had seen a documentary on TV when I was older, how Kaiser Wilhelm had been born with a badly crippled leg, and forced by his tutor to do what was expected of an heir to the throne. The man was brutal and uncompromising with the boy, who found it difficult to learn to ride a horse and all that stuff that they had to learn in those days. Well The young Kaiser to be, did not have a choice, apparently, about having to be ready, and finally assumed the throne. And this had apparently made him a brutal man. I was thinking that this was cruel treatment, and I couldn't reconcile it with my perception of the grandfather and grandmother whom I had respected all my life. I suddenly had a flash of insight about it, after hearing this program on TV. I have learned an important lesson.
I had acquired this trait of resilience from my mother by osmosis as a child. It was transmitted to me by example. I always wondered, why I pushed myself to be just as athletic as any other kid and to accomplish everthing that was in my power to accomplish, even though I only learned in my mid 40's that I was born with minimal brain damage and a bicuspid aoertic valve. This was not picked up by the pediatrician Back in 1940, but when finally diagnosed, it explained to me why I'd had so many difficulties to surmount throughout life. I tired sooner than other kids because the major blood vessel coming from my heart to supply my body with oxygen was too narrow to function as well as theirs did, and I had to teach myself an alternate way of learning in order to read and spell, and finally, I excelled in school. Eventually I was able to understand and forgive myself for areas of dysfunction which I could not change no matter how much I had tried. Time management issues, right/left confusion and virtually all of the problems which others perceived as character defiencies were related to the dyslexia I'd experienced in grade school, as well as the whole spectrum of symptoms related to inperceptible minimal brain damage, and over time I had come to understand many of the emotional issues I'd had in retrospect.
And now I am able to pat myself on the back, because I have RESILIENCE and I have been able to overcome those difficulties all on my own. I think I'd have had a PhD by now, had this been detected and treated when I was a child...LOL I also feel thankful that my mother had that resilience which I had passively acquired. She wasn't hard on me, Like Kaiser's tutor, I just chose to be hard on myself. Well, I guess I have a fairly healthy mind, which is another new thing I've learned. But, staying home to watch TV instead if going to the gym yesterday, was not as healthy as getting some exercise. Too bad I didn't have any snow to shovel to make up for it.
There, see, I've taken a negative like having to shovel snow, and turned it around as a positive. The guy also said thats another thing we need to do for a healthy mind: "change the way you think about things", positive thinking actually changes the brain and heals what might be ailing it.
Like LEARNING, from experiencing a failed romance, to let it go and vow to change what went wrong or just find another who would love you and keep you. Its not healthy to leave it as a gaping, bleeding wound on the landscape of your life. Others will pick up on it, and shun a bleeding heart, that spilles over into the way you feel and act with people. Healing emotional pain is a talent that must be acquired, in order to develope resilience, so that one can experience joy again. According to Mormons and Objectivists, experiencing joy is the whole purpose of life. Not the effortless, hedonistic, temporary "enjoyment"of escape from life's ups and downs, nor mindless sensations from drugs, etc., but the kind of joy that comes from achieving happiness via our rational virtues. TTFN
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Who would have thought winter would be here so soon?
Well here I am again, rewriting Monday's blog. While it was still fresh in my memory, I went to MS Works and rewrote the poem that was lost in the ether, although no longer in the mood to create. While driving in the snow/rain on my errands today, I revised it while in a better mood, then corrected the print out I made of it, so I wouldn't lose my creation again, also having a printed copy will make the writing go faster, so I can't be timed out. ( If thats what happened, in fact).
As I was saying when the blog trundicated......
I brought Rob and Carol ( my eldest and her husband) each a plate of Thanksgiving dinner and also some goodies.
At dinner, we had a moment of silence for those who couldn't be there this year, and thought about them and spoke fondly of them, after the moment of silence.
Fred, my ex and his sister Julie, his brother Bud and his aunt Doris were able to come and have dinner with us. The turkey and trimmings were all delicious, mmmmm. I forgot to bring the turkey shaped bread that I got at the Great Harvest Bread Company, so yesterday I took it over to Saraj and her family, who couldn't come because it was held on the same day that her husband's extended family had their turkey day dinner. ( poor planning on my part) Unfortunately, we missed having their company at our gathering. It was such a big bread bird with tail feather rolls and all, that I couldn't have eaten it all myself, and Saraj's is a big family who can use that much food. I had carried so much stuff over to Kira's for the dinner, that 1 turkey bread really wasn't missed because she had regular dinner rolls too. Rhonda, one of Kira's other cousins, wasn't there because her boys were sick, and we missed them all very much too. We also missed the terrific brownies that Saraj makes and the pecan sweet potatoes that Rhonda makes. Rhonda, if you read this...please, pretty please, can I have the recipe?
Kira's husband Dave put up my Christmas lights Sunday afternoon during a lull in out little blizzard, and not a minute too soon. It got done just before the ground froze, otherwise we couldn't have gotten the stakes in to anchor the candy canes down.They now light up and line my walkway, and he wound the string of lights around the miniature pine trees in my flower bed. Thank you, Dave. Rob, Carol's husband ( a mechanic, as well as a retired chef), speeded up the idle on my car engine so it wouldn't stall in this weather. He collected only his turkey sandwich Thursday, in return. Thank you Rob. And thanks to Kira and Dave and the girls who hosted the extended family dinner Friday and prepared the bird and many of the trimmings,. Rob also taught my grandaughters how to safely chop vegetables and smash garlic and gave them some pointers about playing their instruments while he was there, Thursaday.
Bud was the life of the party after the rest of the extended family left Friday, and he played all the instruments in the house, tuned and fixed them and taught them some things about the instruments and about playing music by ear, that they couldn't have learned anywhere else. He also danced, played and sung, and found Dave a good radio site on the computer what plays all kinds of music. We really enjoyed his sing-along with the 50's tunes on that station, LOL. He was dissapointed that there was no turkey liver...too grizzly for Kira and Dave's tastes. I took the gibblets home and cooked them, made gravey and took the liver and some gravy over to him at his new apartment, Tuesday.
Well, heres the poem again: (Not an exact duplicate)
The turkey had hardly cooled when it struck!
Wet snow flocked the pine and bare branches, but there was a lull in the little blizzard,
barely enough time before the ground would freeze,
the pegs for the candy canes still to be set, strings of lights still to be wound round the trees.
My heart grew with excitement as the task was being completed,
as if I was just a little kid feeling that Santa would soon be here....
Soon the flakes flew again and the fence was splattered with it as if it were
whipped cream sprayed from the last of the can.
Goldie frolicked and snuffled for her ball under the snow,
the grass had already been covered white, as we played fetch while getting the mail.
Starting toward Petsmart in a Christmas card scene,
I could only have dreamed of, and wished for, as a child,
when living in southern California, where this could never have been,
I tried not to hurry and skid all about.
Before the bags could be thrown into the backseat:
food for my golden retriever, and Georgie Girl, tortus shell cat and George, my ginger tabby,
all winter froze and snow turned to fine power.
I watched it slither toward me as I tried not to slide all the way home,
and I couldn't help thinking it looked like sand shifting on the Saharan dunes.
Glowing red and white candy canes lining my walkway in front of my warm cozy home,
and sparkling rainbow twinkle lights on my tiny flowerbed Christmas trees,
greeted me in the dusk as I arrived, as if singing: Let it snow, let it snow,
and all was merry and bright.
This is not as good as the original, but has much of the content that was in it.
I took gingerbread bagles from Panara Bread to Kira's family and Carol and her husband after errands today. I loved them so much when I sampled them in Indy that I had to have one to take home for Wedsnesday's breakfast but couldn't help eating it on the way home. I got a few more for myself here in town and took them home as well as sharing my delight in them with my family. Also I noticed a tea at Sunspot yesterday, when I was there for lunch and a class on growing this strange nutritious/therapeutic mushroom. Its from Republic of Tea, and called "Comfort and Joy". Its just a little $5 tin of black tea with cinnamon and clove spices flavoring it, but I am sure it is as delicious as all their products are, and I just couldn't resist giving one to Carol and one to Saraj when I was on the West side yesterday. The name itself is soooo wonderful to contemplate, while curling up in front of the TV on a cold evening, and the aroma must be ever so nice. There are so many good things in this world, that I wanted to share a little of my own joy in it, with family. Thats all for now folks, TTFN.
As I was saying when the blog trundicated......
I brought Rob and Carol ( my eldest and her husband) each a plate of Thanksgiving dinner and also some goodies.
At dinner, we had a moment of silence for those who couldn't be there this year, and thought about them and spoke fondly of them, after the moment of silence.
Fred, my ex and his sister Julie, his brother Bud and his aunt Doris were able to come and have dinner with us. The turkey and trimmings were all delicious, mmmmm. I forgot to bring the turkey shaped bread that I got at the Great Harvest Bread Company, so yesterday I took it over to Saraj and her family, who couldn't come because it was held on the same day that her husband's extended family had their turkey day dinner. ( poor planning on my part) Unfortunately, we missed having their company at our gathering. It was such a big bread bird with tail feather rolls and all, that I couldn't have eaten it all myself, and Saraj's is a big family who can use that much food. I had carried so much stuff over to Kira's for the dinner, that 1 turkey bread really wasn't missed because she had regular dinner rolls too. Rhonda, one of Kira's other cousins, wasn't there because her boys were sick, and we missed them all very much too. We also missed the terrific brownies that Saraj makes and the pecan sweet potatoes that Rhonda makes. Rhonda, if you read this...please, pretty please, can I have the recipe?
Kira's husband Dave put up my Christmas lights Sunday afternoon during a lull in out little blizzard, and not a minute too soon. It got done just before the ground froze, otherwise we couldn't have gotten the stakes in to anchor the candy canes down.They now light up and line my walkway, and he wound the string of lights around the miniature pine trees in my flower bed. Thank you, Dave. Rob, Carol's husband ( a mechanic, as well as a retired chef), speeded up the idle on my car engine so it wouldn't stall in this weather. He collected only his turkey sandwich Thursday, in return. Thank you Rob. And thanks to Kira and Dave and the girls who hosted the extended family dinner Friday and prepared the bird and many of the trimmings,. Rob also taught my grandaughters how to safely chop vegetables and smash garlic and gave them some pointers about playing their instruments while he was there, Thursaday.
Bud was the life of the party after the rest of the extended family left Friday, and he played all the instruments in the house, tuned and fixed them and taught them some things about the instruments and about playing music by ear, that they couldn't have learned anywhere else. He also danced, played and sung, and found Dave a good radio site on the computer what plays all kinds of music. We really enjoyed his sing-along with the 50's tunes on that station, LOL. He was dissapointed that there was no turkey liver...too grizzly for Kira and Dave's tastes. I took the gibblets home and cooked them, made gravey and took the liver and some gravy over to him at his new apartment, Tuesday.
Well, heres the poem again: (Not an exact duplicate)
The turkey had hardly cooled when it struck!
Wet snow flocked the pine and bare branches, but there was a lull in the little blizzard,
barely enough time before the ground would freeze,
the pegs for the candy canes still to be set, strings of lights still to be wound round the trees.
My heart grew with excitement as the task was being completed,
as if I was just a little kid feeling that Santa would soon be here....
Soon the flakes flew again and the fence was splattered with it as if it were
whipped cream sprayed from the last of the can.
Goldie frolicked and snuffled for her ball under the snow,
the grass had already been covered white, as we played fetch while getting the mail.
Starting toward Petsmart in a Christmas card scene,
I could only have dreamed of, and wished for, as a child,
when living in southern California, where this could never have been,
I tried not to hurry and skid all about.
Before the bags could be thrown into the backseat:
food for my golden retriever, and Georgie Girl, tortus shell cat and George, my ginger tabby,
all winter froze and snow turned to fine power.
I watched it slither toward me as I tried not to slide all the way home,
and I couldn't help thinking it looked like sand shifting on the Saharan dunes.
Glowing red and white candy canes lining my walkway in front of my warm cozy home,
and sparkling rainbow twinkle lights on my tiny flowerbed Christmas trees,
greeted me in the dusk as I arrived, as if singing: Let it snow, let it snow,
and all was merry and bright.
This is not as good as the original, but has much of the content that was in it.
I took gingerbread bagles from Panara Bread to Kira's family and Carol and her husband after errands today. I loved them so much when I sampled them in Indy that I had to have one to take home for Wedsnesday's breakfast but couldn't help eating it on the way home. I got a few more for myself here in town and took them home as well as sharing my delight in them with my family. Also I noticed a tea at Sunspot yesterday, when I was there for lunch and a class on growing this strange nutritious/therapeutic mushroom. Its from Republic of Tea, and called "Comfort and Joy". Its just a little $5 tin of black tea with cinnamon and clove spices flavoring it, but I am sure it is as delicious as all their products are, and I just couldn't resist giving one to Carol and one to Saraj when I was on the West side yesterday. The name itself is soooo wonderful to contemplate, while curling up in front of the TV on a cold evening, and the aroma must be ever so nice. There are so many good things in this world, that I wanted to share a little of my own joy in it, with family. Thats all for now folks, TTFN.
Monday, December 1, 2008
Waxing Poetic
Another great thing about being retired, is that you have time to notice the beauty all around you, and in my case, I get into those poetic moods, and the words just spill across my brain. Usually I can't write it down and then by the time I get home, the mood has changed , and alpha brain waves aren't there to spill them out onto paper. Fortunately, while I was driving my granddaughter Emily to the movies to see "Bolt" a couple of weeks ago, I got this great poem going in my head and was able to get her to write it down while I drove:
Fallen leaves everywhere, as far as my eye can see,
like big autumn colored snowflakes covering the ground and rustling along the street.
Making the treetops bare from the twirling brisk wind up there,
their stark branches revealing the empty birdnests heralding winter to come,
except for a hearty few who cling for their dear lives, the leaves make this
an autumn rainbow, that swirls along with us as my Altima swishes by.
Well, I read some more of that book on the sodium/potassium cell pump, and it really is profoundly important to ones health to keep the ratio of sodium and potasium intake at about 2 to 3 times the potassium to one sodium as measured in mg. I am still reading and absorbing the information and plan to apply the recommendations and follow the plan he outlines in the book, but to go all the way with it I have to have it sanctioned by my cardiologist, who I won't be seeing until spring. For now, I am just cutting the amount of sodium I consume and eating potassium rich fruit and vegetables, and as I think I mentioned, it has already had a dramatic affect on my blood pressure. I'll report more about this in my future blogs. I expect to have a significant decrease in my risk of heart attack, stroke, and development of diabetes Mellitus in the future, as well as reversal of metabolic syndrome and slowing of osteopenia to forestall osteoporosis. It has already reversed a trend to high blood pressure and dare I hope? it will have a significant affect on my lipid profile. It might decrease my LDLs ( the bad cholesterol). This is what one would expect of a new wonder drug, right? No, just an easy change in what one eats...not a weight loss diet, no hungar pangs to be expected, just a little attention to finding products one likes with less sodium in them. The book has lists of food products and their sodium content as well as foods with the amount of potassium in them, which makes this easier. It can be purchased on Amazon.com, if anyone is interested. (I don't profit from sharing this information) Again, its called: "The High Blood Pressure Solution, A Scientifically Proven Program For Preventing Strokes and Heart Disease" By Richard D. Moore, M.D., PhD.
Well, of course, it helps to be retired, because I can devote attention to stuff like this, which I'd never have had time to do while I was working a 40 week, day in and day out. Well I have another poem, but will end this blog and start another, since this one has gotten so long and has taken so long for me to write.
Fallen leaves everywhere, as far as my eye can see,
like big autumn colored snowflakes covering the ground and rustling along the street.
Making the treetops bare from the twirling brisk wind up there,
their stark branches revealing the empty birdnests heralding winter to come,
except for a hearty few who cling for their dear lives, the leaves make this
an autumn rainbow, that swirls along with us as my Altima swishes by.
Well, I read some more of that book on the sodium/potassium cell pump, and it really is profoundly important to ones health to keep the ratio of sodium and potasium intake at about 2 to 3 times the potassium to one sodium as measured in mg. I am still reading and absorbing the information and plan to apply the recommendations and follow the plan he outlines in the book, but to go all the way with it I have to have it sanctioned by my cardiologist, who I won't be seeing until spring. For now, I am just cutting the amount of sodium I consume and eating potassium rich fruit and vegetables, and as I think I mentioned, it has already had a dramatic affect on my blood pressure. I'll report more about this in my future blogs. I expect to have a significant decrease in my risk of heart attack, stroke, and development of diabetes Mellitus in the future, as well as reversal of metabolic syndrome and slowing of osteopenia to forestall osteoporosis. It has already reversed a trend to high blood pressure and dare I hope? it will have a significant affect on my lipid profile. It might decrease my LDLs ( the bad cholesterol). This is what one would expect of a new wonder drug, right? No, just an easy change in what one eats...not a weight loss diet, no hungar pangs to be expected, just a little attention to finding products one likes with less sodium in them. The book has lists of food products and their sodium content as well as foods with the amount of potassium in them, which makes this easier. It can be purchased on Amazon.com, if anyone is interested. (I don't profit from sharing this information) Again, its called: "The High Blood Pressure Solution, A Scientifically Proven Program For Preventing Strokes and Heart Disease" By Richard D. Moore, M.D., PhD.
Well, of course, it helps to be retired, because I can devote attention to stuff like this, which I'd never have had time to do while I was working a 40 week, day in and day out. Well I have another poem, but will end this blog and start another, since this one has gotten so long and has taken so long for me to write.
Monday, November 17, 2008
its great to live where there is FALL.
I'm from California where the season changes are barely noticeable. I moved here permanently in October of 2003, but still can't get over how beautiful it is here in Lafayette. while out driviing this evening, the sun brightened the sky in the west briefly through a hole in the snow cloud cover, and it lit up a golden tree so that it was alm0st magical in the way it glowed. I was listening to Enya's "Listen to the rain" on my car CD player at the time, and the emotional experience was bordering on euphoria. It was a nice finish on a cold cloudy day which had been spiting little specks of snow and a tiny bit of rain from time to time. I even marveled at the sound of rustling leaves in my daughter's yard as I pulled up in her driveway and got out of the car. So many shades and kinds of leaves, have fallen or floated into her front yard. After dropping off some bread that I got her at Aunt Millie's outlet over by Unity Medical Center, using my marvelous senior discount, I visited with Emily and April, my terrific grandaughters, and held their little Chiuaua, Spike, who happily licked my cheeks, and I talked with my daughter and her husband and petted their cat, Gert. I just can hardly believe how fortunate I am, to have such a wonderful loving family. I only stayed a little while, gave the girls big hugs then went back out into the cold dreariness feeling all warm and happy inside. I didn't stop by to see my other daughter and her husband on the short drive home, because I was a little tired and hungary after going to the Silver Sneakers luncheon at Newtone gym, because it was just cheese, crackers, fruit and bottled water and I went swimming afterward, then did some shopping at 2 stores. By the way, if you are insured by Medicare, and you get the AARP medigap policy, the membership at Newtone is free! I met a nice lady there who is very fit, and she has been balancing her sodium and potassium all her adult life. She said she will support my new exercise program by going with me on Monday's and Thursdays to the water exercise classes in the evening. I was just lacking in motivation to get going again since the Left partial knee replacemnt I had mid-August. That was a real break to meet her there. I finished reading the biophysics part of the book I got at Sunspot after the lecture about balancing one's intake of sodium with potassium: "The High Blood Pressure Solution" Whoa! its profoundly important to avoid the intake of so much salt, that we just take for grated in all the processed food that we eat today along with the salty snacks we are so used to. It would take so much potassium rich foods to balance it all out that there wouldn't be time in a day to eat it all! I stopped eating salty food and stared eating potassium rich foods, and in just one week my blood pressure was 110/60 taken in the pulmonary doctor's office during my biannual appointment to be followed for asthma and sleep apnea. My blood pressure hasn't been that low since I was a child! This balancing act between sodim and potassium in every cell of our bodies is necessary to to keep the cells charged so that they can absorb just the right amount of Calcium, sugar, magnesium, insulin, and hormones. When its all in balance the way its supposed to be, there are wide ranging health benefits. I know, it sounds like just another diet fad, or some alternative medicine gimmick, but it is well supported with research. It just hasn't been publicised enough to be in the mainstream literature yet. Its hard to understand the literature that supports it unless you have medical training, but that was my forte in nursing school; I was a whiz kid at organic chemistry. You know, the Kreb's cycle and all that...that which happens in the mitochrondia ( the cell's energy generator, that takes substances removed from the blood derived from what we eat,and turns it into the products that support life: such as ATP~P~P, which contracts muscle cells when the P is split off.) See, its hard to understand, right? But, not enough potassium, and the cell energy is weakened. It can' t absorb enough sugar, so we get insulin resistance (metabolic syndrome), and gain weight or get Diabetes Mellitus. It causes constant contraction of the smooth muscle that constricts the blood vessles ( high blood pressure). It takes calcium out of the bones, (Osteoporosus), can lead to thickening of blood vessel walls over time which narrows the lumin (the tunnel through which blood flows), and lends to the cause of stroke, and heart attacks. It also leads to excessive LDL cholesterol, (the kind that clogs the arteries), also furthering the build up of plaque inside blood vessels and contributes to stroke and heart attack as well. Thats enough to scare me right out of eating potato chips, and popcorn at the movies, right there! Wow how exciting is that? Man, this is earth shaking research results. They actually outlawed the sale of salt or salty foods in Sweeden ( a socialist state can do that), and all these health problems subsided. These are not empty claims, its all medically valid. I don't know why Dr. Weil the integative medicine doctor hasn't gotten onto this and publicized it. I personally think I could design a weight loss diet that really works from the information in this book. But I have to finish up my Medifast products first and discuss it with my heart doctor. ( I also have a metal heart valve that I'm being followed for at the Lafayette heart Institute). That was a problem that resulted from a birth defect). Now, you may be wondering, at this point, how could anyone be so happy with all these health problems? Well its easy. I'm glad to be alive in spite of it all, and I can afford good medical care so the problems are all under control and so not very bothersome. Again, I feel so fortunate. Tomorrow will be another day of adventure at Sunspot. They say there is no free lunch...LOL bu7t they feed us a healthy lunch so we can try their products and don't charge a cent for that or the lecture, and it senio day so I get 20% off on anything I buy that day. (I always get the kettle corn popcorn ( less salt than movie popcorn so I can take my own, and the soy milk thats on sale there), and I might try something new introduced in the lecture and luncheon. The lecture tomorrow will be on integrative therapies. Some stuff I take with a rain of salt...(can be a little quacky at times), but its always good to learn about alternative, as opposed to mainstream medical stuff, because it pays to be well rounded in one's knowledge base as a nurse. Even though I'm retired, I try to stay informed. So, I hope my readers learned something useful from my report on that book, which I'd not have learned had I not heard it at Sunspot. Ta Ta For Now.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Sometimes I feel like I died and have gone to Heaven
I really don't think there is a heaven after life, because how could things be better than this? Since I've retired and all my time is my own, and I have everything I need, I just wonder why I forgot the event of my death, because if there ever were a heaven, this is it!
Sure, there are aches and pains that just seem to come with the territory, and my knee still hurts almost 3 months since I had surgery on it, but hey, its strong and holds my weight so that I won't fall when I go walking and theres pain medicine when I need it. I have a physiciatrist (thats a Doctor of physical medicine, not a shrink), who once gave me a diagnosis of fibromyalgia, but retested me later and said she was wrong. I think my osteoarthritis aches and pains were just more intense that particular day when she first tested me. My fat cells just put more inflamitory chemicals into my body from time to time. But I have empathy for those who do have fibro. Thank you for the book, Diane. I was able to see that I don't fit the fibro diagnosis.
Life is so beautiful, that I just don't notice discomfort as much as I guess I should. And I know I don't have enough fear, because when common sense says I should be, I'm just not afraid. endorphans shoot into my bloodstream everytime I see a beautiful red/gold tree in the fall and the Currier and Ives snowscapes here in the Lafayette winter, robins and bunnies in the spring and my hearty vegetables growing in summer.
There is more than enough to do. I don't miss the backbreaking work on the floor of an acute care hospital or any mean customer who wants nurse to be just as miserable as they are, LOL.
Thats all in my past and inconsequential now, and when there is too much to do, I can just decide not to do it, LOL. There are so many things to do, its hard to decide which ones to chose, but thanks to a fellow blogger here, I've chosen this Blog to do.
I think this is a little like journaling only its shared with others immediately. I think I have acquired some wisdom in my life to share with you, so it probably won't be too boring.
I take in the free lunch and lecture at Sunspot on senior Tuesdays, and heard a great talk last week on cell chemistry. Really! It was great. This research scientist: Richard Moore, who got his graduate education at Purdue University and is now living in Northern New Mexico, was only here for his annual physical, graciously accepted the invitation to speak for us. He is 89 and looks and acts like hes about 60 years young. I bought his book: "The High Blood Pressure Solution, A Scientifically Proven Program For Preventing Strokes and Heart Disease." He spoke on the role of sodium in the body's cells and the importance of getting the correct ratio of potassium to salt in your diet. He even went into the importance of other minerals such as magnesium and calcium and their significance in diabetes, obesity and osteoporosis. He has been researching for about 40 years and I think he is really on to something surprisingly great!
Since I am always on the trail of the cure for obesity, ( from my photo, you can see why), I was especially interested in its implications in his work. He hasn't been able to popularize his ideas, but I know in my bones that it will be a new wave leading to solutions of many of America's health problems in the future. The reason why fruit and vegetables are so good for us, for instance, is that the American diet is too full of salt. Vegetables and fruits have so much potassium that they are necessary to counter-balance all that sodium so that our cells can work properly to keep us healthy. Just a low salt diet isn't enough. You can't just take over the counter potassium to get enough, and you need a doctor to participate if you follow Dr. Moore's recommendtions. The book spells out everything you want to know about it. I think they still have some copies at Sunspot on the west side, on Sagamore across from the new Dog and Suds.
I haven't read and "digested" everything in the book yet, but next time I blog, I might have some personal integations from it as it relates to Metabolic syndrom, obesity, and osteoporois to share. I am so fortunate in enjoying the aquisition of knowledge that I can't resist sharing my learning adventures. I hope it gives you as much joy as it gives me. TTFN
MonkeyMiller
Sure, there are aches and pains that just seem to come with the territory, and my knee still hurts almost 3 months since I had surgery on it, but hey, its strong and holds my weight so that I won't fall when I go walking and theres pain medicine when I need it. I have a physiciatrist (thats a Doctor of physical medicine, not a shrink), who once gave me a diagnosis of fibromyalgia, but retested me later and said she was wrong. I think my osteoarthritis aches and pains were just more intense that particular day when she first tested me. My fat cells just put more inflamitory chemicals into my body from time to time. But I have empathy for those who do have fibro. Thank you for the book, Diane. I was able to see that I don't fit the fibro diagnosis.
Life is so beautiful, that I just don't notice discomfort as much as I guess I should. And I know I don't have enough fear, because when common sense says I should be, I'm just not afraid. endorphans shoot into my bloodstream everytime I see a beautiful red/gold tree in the fall and the Currier and Ives snowscapes here in the Lafayette winter, robins and bunnies in the spring and my hearty vegetables growing in summer.
There is more than enough to do. I don't miss the backbreaking work on the floor of an acute care hospital or any mean customer who wants nurse to be just as miserable as they are, LOL.
Thats all in my past and inconsequential now, and when there is too much to do, I can just decide not to do it, LOL. There are so many things to do, its hard to decide which ones to chose, but thanks to a fellow blogger here, I've chosen this Blog to do.
I think this is a little like journaling only its shared with others immediately. I think I have acquired some wisdom in my life to share with you, so it probably won't be too boring.
I take in the free lunch and lecture at Sunspot on senior Tuesdays, and heard a great talk last week on cell chemistry. Really! It was great. This research scientist: Richard Moore, who got his graduate education at Purdue University and is now living in Northern New Mexico, was only here for his annual physical, graciously accepted the invitation to speak for us. He is 89 and looks and acts like hes about 60 years young. I bought his book: "The High Blood Pressure Solution, A Scientifically Proven Program For Preventing Strokes and Heart Disease." He spoke on the role of sodium in the body's cells and the importance of getting the correct ratio of potassium to salt in your diet. He even went into the importance of other minerals such as magnesium and calcium and their significance in diabetes, obesity and osteoporosis. He has been researching for about 40 years and I think he is really on to something surprisingly great!
Since I am always on the trail of the cure for obesity, ( from my photo, you can see why), I was especially interested in its implications in his work. He hasn't been able to popularize his ideas, but I know in my bones that it will be a new wave leading to solutions of many of America's health problems in the future. The reason why fruit and vegetables are so good for us, for instance, is that the American diet is too full of salt. Vegetables and fruits have so much potassium that they are necessary to counter-balance all that sodium so that our cells can work properly to keep us healthy. Just a low salt diet isn't enough. You can't just take over the counter potassium to get enough, and you need a doctor to participate if you follow Dr. Moore's recommendtions. The book spells out everything you want to know about it. I think they still have some copies at Sunspot on the west side, on Sagamore across from the new Dog and Suds.
I haven't read and "digested" everything in the book yet, but next time I blog, I might have some personal integations from it as it relates to Metabolic syndrom, obesity, and osteoporois to share. I am so fortunate in enjoying the aquisition of knowledge that I can't resist sharing my learning adventures. I hope it gives you as much joy as it gives me. TTFN
MonkeyMiller
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