Another week with nose in book or eyeballs on screens.

 

Good luck watching TV if Rubia decides she wants this seat!

Let's see... I finished reading Listen to the Marriage, by  John Jay Osborn.  This book had been recommended back in the Spark days by WATERMELLEN (if I recall correctly).  I purchased it back then, but didn't actually start reading until recently.  It takes one through marriage counseling, one couple, from the counselor's office point of view.

What did I learn?  Mainly insight into the failure of my own marriage.  We're approaching the 20 year mark since the divorce now.  Would I do anything better if I could roll back the clock?  The unanswerable question, isn't it?

I continue to crawl through An Immense World, by Ed Yong.  Just finished the chapter on touch and flow senses.  All of this material is interesting but it takes me a while to absorb it.  My goal of getting back to reading, at least to the extent of 12 books in 2023 is moving in the right direction.

Over this past weekend I re-watched the movie Sully, which stars Tom Hanks.  I have watched him in so many roles, and his breadth of range as an actor and dedication to his craft shows.  But this movie is so packed with details.  Remember, this event (the miracle on the Hudson as it was dubbed by the news media at the time) happened in 2009.  It's been less than 15 years and it is murky in the collective memory by now.  

However, back in the day, I flew on a lot of those regional jets, back and forth from Binghamton, NY to Baltimore, MD.  USAir was the main connecting line that connected Binghamton to the wider world.  So when this water landing happened and the late night TV started putting on the flight attendants, I had my eyes peeled looking to spot whether I had flown as a passenger with any of them.  I was checking out the props for familiarity with the aircraft I knew so well from the cabin.

Tuesday morning offered a brief glorious look, both to east and west as the sun came up, but now it's a cloudy morning.

To the East, it was bright!

And the orangey hues were reflected in the west.  The two photos were taken just a minute or two apart.

I may or may not have mentioned that I fell off the non-existent intermittent fasting wagon, about a month ago.  It started with the Girl Scout cookies, but it did not end there.  I did try a re-start 3 days later, but that fizzled.  Today, having ordered my dress for the wedding and reception, and also remembering WHY I started this in the first place (digestive issues)... I am sipping my tea, three and a half hours into my first fast.  I also took a nap this afternoon.  It's time to re-start!

Oh, and many of you who follow Sally's blog ( Sally's Princess Blog ) already know that she's doing a bit of drawing for me, in her playroom!  I am so excited, and when she posted a video of progress on Carl's puppy picture... well, I was so bubbly, I had to share it with the bride to be.  So much for keeping the present a surprise, Barb!  But I love that photo so much and it is emerging as a great colored pencil drawing, and I can't say enough about Sally's talent!

Support your friendly creators!  However they let you do so!

That's about it from here for now.  Hope all's well in your corners of the world, whatever the crazy weather is doing in your own backyards!  

Life is good.  Keep Sparking!

Daily Gratitude, week of February 26 - March 4, 2023

 Another week, another chance to find what's good in our lives, one day at a time!

Sunday, February 26, 2023

Today I am thankful for the little spurs of "things to do" that keep us putting one foot in front of another.  A couple days ago, it was the need to replace a couple of light bulbs.  It sounds small, but it gives a person something to build on, if motivation for the day is lagging.  Job done, automatic reward!

Monday, February 27, 2023

I spend a lot of my year being thankful for sunshine, but thinking about the rain on the roof, that's something to be grateful for, too.  I'm thankful that rain that came overnight here. 

Tuesday, February 28, 2023

Thankful to put February behind us, thankful for a beautiful sunrise to start this last day of the month.  I guess I am grateful for time-keeping and calendars in general.  One of the earliest forms of planning and prediction, I remember my uncle (who was a farmer) keeping detailed notes on his calendar of how the weather, his labors, and the management of his land interacted.

Wednesday, March 1, 2023

Marching into March, I am thankful that Spring is about to Spring!  I am thankful for "every day is a new opportunity" or as it was expressed in Anne of Green Gables, "a new day with no mistakes in it"!  

Thursday, March 2, 2023

Today I am thankful for health.  'Nuff said.

Friday, March 3, 2023

Today I am thankful that I've lived in this body long enough to recognize the seasonal patterns, and to have learned coping mechanisms.

Saturday, March 4, 2023

Today I am thankful for my local appliance repair guys, and for having found them.  My plumber recommended them and they made me aware that I did not HAVE to replace my washing machine, which was 20 years old at the time (in 2020).  Today they are here and telling me I don't have to replace my 'fridge (which is 23 years old).  Life is good, and I am grateful.

Tomorrow we'll start a fresh new post for the gratitude, day by day!

It's been a minute...

Sunset's a little later each day now.  But just as pretty!

Friday the 10th was the bone density scan (every two years), and the mammogram (every year).  Sigh.  Not terrible, but not fun, either.  But done and dusted, and the results were as expected:  no surprises.  Keep up the weight bearing exercise, the calcium and D supplements, etc.

On Super Bowl Sunday, I had Puppy Bowl XIX on one screen, and pre-game football on another.  Even though I'm not a huge fan, KC is one of our "local" teams.  So I was happy when they won.

On Valentine's day, I bought myself flowers, which is always a cheery thing.  They lasted about a week before drooping, and I finally pitched them on Wednesday the 22nd.

I could feel the weather front coming through in my sinus passages when I got up Wednesday the 15th.  Also got a text message from my kid sis that due to the forecast, we would forego the regular weekly sister walk.  Same thing on Wednesday the 22nd, as it's starting to slick up out there again (storm #2).  Get home safe is the priority!

Most bizarre episode related to my eye appointment on the 15th!  I was not on their calendar!  I ended up leaving without seeing that eye doctor, with instructions to contact them AFTER I'd seen the other eye doctor in July.  OK, then!  But strange.  I was there when the appointment was made.  I put it in my phone calendar as it was made.  If they canceled it, you'd think they would have notified me?  Regardless, I came on home.  And found the card they had filled out for me, confirming the appointment, but so goes it.

That same afternoon I found out two things:  I'm on the permanent list of mail-in ballot requestors... my form showed up in the mail.  And the forecast was about on target for the beginnings of the snow.  In with my own ballot request form was one addressed to my neighbor around the corner (they can stick together), so I ventured out to make sure it got to her.  Which is how I found out the weather was starting to happen.

Thursday morning the 16th, I was wakened from an odd dream to find the drifts building outside.  The wind picks the fluffy white stuff up on the roof and whirls it down to land in "the usual spots".  So, yes, we got the predicted snow.  Ten inches worth.

I cleared the sidewalks, but left the drive to do on Friday the 17th, as my ankl griped.  On Friday the 18th I finished the side of the driveway behind Dexter, and by afternoon, it was dry concrete.  

I continued in "cave" mode over another weekend, and was glad to have the trainer back in town in time for Tuesday the 21st session.  Time to get back into a routine!

Wednesday the 22nd I had a canine visitor, who took over the house for a few hours.  It got slick again (another storm?  yes, another storm), so son ended up with a canceled appointment and Carl got to head home early!  Yes!  Not that I would want to give up Carl so soon, but that my son will be safe home and not out on slick roads.  He had to drive quite a ways for his first appointment of the day, and is ending his day a few hours early because of that cancelation.

We played in the back yard, and tossed the indoor ball a few times, and watched TikTok videos of other dogs and cats... the one that most got his attention was when the cattle dogs were being commanded by whistles.

But I got my canine fix, and I won't go adopt a dog of my own as long as I get enough "Carl time" mixed in.  Next I stepped out on the deck to let the cats know he's gone and they can return to take over their castle.  Sure enough, they had not gone far, and came right back in.  They are not so dumb as to stay out in the cold and wet.

That's about it from this end.  I need to go play catch-up on the blogs of others!

Life is good.  Keep on Sparking!

Gratitude week of February 19 - 25, 2023

 

Time to start a fresh week of gratitude.  Small things or large, what's lifting your heart today?

Sunday, February 19, 2023

Keeping the Valentine's flowers in the spotlight, these are from Sunday morning.  I am grateful for their resilience and cheeriness!  

Monday, February 20, 2023

Today I am thankful for another beautiful sunrise, and the increasing minutes of light in our days.  Spring is on its way.

Tuesday, February 21, 2023

Today I am thankful the trainer is back in town, ready to get me back on track and in the routine!  He and his family had a fine time in Orlando, Florida (saw lots of great photos on Facebook), as did a couple of other friends who were in Mexico over the past week / weekend.  February is travel season from here!  While I did not travel, I got my virtual travel through the travel of friends.

Wednesday, February 22, 2023

Today I am thankful for how learning builds upon simple concepts.  Counting is a simple concept.  Upon it, all of arithmetic is built... addition and subtraction, multiplication and division are all shortcuts for counting.  Higher math builds further upon these concepts.  Proofs or tests, everything, builds upon counting.  When all else fails, we can count on the beat of counting.  

Thursday, February 23, 2023

Today I'm thankful for endorphins, and how my body responds to a workout.  I am thankful that the streets were not so bad for the drive over to the trainer's studio, and that I'm safe at home in the warmth again.

Friday, February 24, 2023

Today I am thankful for a nature that wakes up hopeful and optimistic.  Perhaps that's what mom was referencing when she called me her "happy baby".  I regularly quip that there's not much in life that a good night's sleep doesn't improve.  And it's true.  Waking from a good sleep, it's easy to see hope in the sunrise.

Saturday, February 25, 2023

Today I am thankful for opportunities to continue learning and thinking, well into our senior years.  Technology offers up games that teach... current example is something called Chrono, which gives you three tries to get six historical events into chronological order.  

Game Link here

Tomorrow we'll start a new weekly gratitude post.  I do hope that everyone is doing well, as the sunlight increases!

Another week of gratitude February 12 - 18.

 

I'm putting the cracked corn bag as the week's theme, because Paula said she likes polka dots!

Sunday, February 12, 2023

Today I am thankful for the vigilance of NORAD, and that I feel I can trust them to adjust to the world as it is these days.  I well remember my young son heading off to basic training, and his desire to serve something bigger than just self-satisfaction.  There still is a quality of honor, and I am thankful when I see it in the younger generation.

Praying for our leaders' wisdom, and for peace in the world.   

Monday, February 13, 2023 

Today I am thankful for the distraction that sports gives us, the joy of "Chiefs Nation" winning the big game Sunday night, and the amusement of the Puppy Bowl promoting adoption of shelter pets.

Tuesday, February 14, 2023

Today I am thankful that the grocery store offered a discounted price for roses today.  Put them in your own vase, and life is good!

Wednesday, February 15, 2023

Today I'm thankful that the snow storm won't hit us until after my eye appointment.  We've dodged several bullets in terms of winter storms this season, but we really need the moisture, so I'm just thankful for the personal timing and hope the snow does come in volume.

Thursday, February 16, 2023

Today I'm really, really thankful to be retired and not have anyplace I have to go today.  The snow is 10 inches high on my deck, and we have about 3 hours snowfall remaining in the forecast.  Schools are closed and those of us luck enough to be safe and warm and sheltered are also rejoicing because we really, really need the moisture!

Here we have the drift on my front steps!  I'm grateful for its beauty and that I'm free to appreciate it.

Friday, February 17, 2023

Today I am thankful for sunshine, even though it is cold, and a second day to work on clearing off.  I gave up after about five sessions yesterday, with only about a quarter of the driveway cleared, but thankfully, all the sidewalks.  My ankles were calling it "done for the day".  Ankles? Seriously?  Yes, ankles.

1 p.m. Friday!  Ominous snow overhang, but you can see the drive is cleared enough to get Dexter the Honda out.

Saturday, February 18, 2023

Today I am thankful for getting to the point in my life where I feel OK about taking breaks.  Breaks from snow clearing.  Breaks from cooking for myself.  Breaks from blogging... whatever... "a change is as good as a rest", right?

And that wraps this week of gratitude.  A fresh new gratitude blog starts tomorrow!

Now that I've had time to assimilate...

 

What WAS that?  The radio silence?  The melt-down?

Carb-loading, see-food eating, after last blog's big walk around the lake.  It was "only" 2.2 miles, but it's farther than I had been walking on the regular, and you'd think I'd run a marathon or something!

I do know better, but I didn't behave better, and I grumbled in my dark-cloud of self for a few days.

Anyway, Wednesday morning I started to pull myself out of it.  Sunshine helped.  Mild temperatures.  A sister who came over to drag me out of my shell.  All those things help.

To be honest, I've had episodes like this my whole life... I'll be super productive and feel like I'm making great progress, and then... "crash and burn"... "fall off the wagon"... "retreat into my cave"... pick your favorite phrase.  When I was a teenager, I would feel terrible about this and think I was a hopeless case.  I would have new hope with each productive phase and then horrible guilt feelings when the down times came.

I got nicer to myself as I started to understand these cycles, later in life.  Letting go of perfectionism is not easy, but it is so worth it.  When you feel like you might be letting people down while you soak through a mood, well, it can be discouraging in more than one way.

Patience does bring a renewal.  I do believe that my default mood is an upbeat one, but I also know that there will be these times of not so much.

This particular one?  I had been intermittent fasting for 99 days, and I tossed that out the window for three.  Well, if I can be consistent for 99 days and only have 3 before getting myself back to myself, I'd say statistically, I'm doing OK.

How about y'all?  Do you have swings in behavior and mood?  Are you quick to forgive yourself and recover?  Do you expect that down times will come, and prepare for them?

Meanwhile, do the best you can, right where you are, one day at a time, and we will go on... because Life is Good!  Even if it has times of resting in the fallow field. Spark on!

✨💖🔥

Daily Gratitude - February 5 -11 edition

 

A fresh new week to be grateful, friends!  What are you grateful for today?  A "happening"?  Your health?  Some small convenience or pleasure?  Other people being kind?  Animals who keep you company?  Employment?  Financial stability, even if stretched?  A skill or talent you've learned or been given as a gift?  Something you just appreciate for its beauty or the joy it brings your way?  So many things one might choose!

This post will grow over the week, then a new one will begin next Sunday.

Sunday, February 5th, 2023

Today I am thankful for music.  As I've been streaming the mystery series Endeavor, I've been aware of the classical pieces, be they sung by the choir or performances in the background of the stories.  Movie scores make the stories in film more exciting, more poignant, more romantic, scarier, etc.  Music speaks directly to our emotions, without pausing for thoughts to form into words.  I am grateful that my parents insisted we all learn to play an instrument, too, so that we could appreciate the work that goes into creating such beauty.

Monday, February 6th, 2023

I am thankful for the time and space to "crash and burn" when I need to do so.  I had been so productive and busy for so long that Sunday and Monday that's pretty much what I did.  Remember to breathe.

Tuesday, February 7th, 2023

Today I am thankful for wisdom to baby the body when it complains.  Today (and for a while) it's been an ouchy ankle.  

Wednesday, February 8th, 2023

Today I am thankful that the ankle is feeling better, and for that matter, better enough to go for the regular Wednesday sister walk.

Thursday, February 9th, 2023

Today I am thankful that moods and emotions are temporary things, and that we don't have to be "up" all the time, but can return to the brighter times, as when a cloud passes.  There's something to the faith that the sun will rise, that Spring will come, that an injury will heal, and that perfection is not required of us.

Friday, February 10th, 2023

I am thankful that the annual "scans" are done with for now.  And that they went quickly and smoothly today.

Saturday, February 11th, 2023

Thankful for sunshine on a Saturday morning, and that we made it to another weekend!

Tomorrow it will be time to start a fresh weekly post!

Half of a new weekend (Friday and Saturday)

Back to the quilt photo for today, because the chore of the day was washing the bedding.  Including the pillows, which I swear I bought before I found out the company owner was off the walls down conspiracy theory rabbit holes and insurrection planning.  They are still very fine pillows, washable to re-fluffed pristine-ness.  But I'm not sending any more money that fellow's way.

I was hungry this morning for something a little different and had a grilled cheese sandwich for breakfast.  I declared it a carb renewal day, in my mind, with a baked potato, and my goulash for additional eating before closing the window at 12:45 p.m.  I feel well fed, not over-fed, and that's where one wants to be.

Friday afternoon was swallowed alive by the taxes.  I was printing out receipts and forms I receive online and using the tax software to enter and calculate.  I guess I must be some kind of control freak because I do my own, don't hire a pro.  The one time I did hire a pro to do our taxes, he messed it up, but I'm satisfied with my tax software.  

I'm not quite as much a control freak as my brother was.  He not only volunteered to help others with their taxes, but he also critiqued the tax software for not handling things in quite as precise detail as he would have liked.  And his sisters all smiled and nodded.  Tax software handles most of what I have to deal with.  It's an annual double check (for me) that I know where the retirement finances are coming from and that I'm doing my bit giving back, too.  I still have one major tax report due, and it's coming in about a week, but now I know that when it comes, it will be a simple matter to finish up.

Saturday morning I was doing a bit of digital cleanup, and tripped over this old collage from my first triathlon, in 2012.  Ten years ago last Summer, it was.  Oh, my, the memories.  This is my "fall down seven times, get up eight" series.  You see, when I took that fall, I wasn't too far from the finish line, and it was right in front of a professional photographer.  As I was getting up, shaking my finger and laughing, I said, "if you took that photo, I'll buy it".  I was true to my word.

This is not the only time I have fallen while racing or training.  Those falls, especially the one that resulted in six stitches and a concussion, are one of the major reasons I no longer race.  But the bug starts to bite me when I'm feeling good, or when I get new running shoes.  As the gal who fitted me on Thursday afternoon said, "we still feel like teenagers", and that's something my mother used to say, too.  You don't notice it until you get a bit older, but when "nothing hurts", you really do still feel like a teenager.  Of course when the joints ache, you sometimes feel every day of your lifeline, maybe even longer!

Saturday was also grocery day.  There's this feeling of accomplishment because I remembered to pick up a birthday card and actually got it in the mail... I'm usually terrible at this sort of thing!

Felt so proud of me I decided I deserved a reward walk, so I put on the pink mud shoes.  And went and walked around the lake, casting a thought toward the ice fishermen out there in 49℉ temperature with some open patches of water in parts of the lake.  But then again, it's been good and cold for a matter of a couple of weeks, so the ice is probably pretty solid.

It was a longer walk than I've done recently, but felt OK.  There were muddy spots, and icy spots requiring "penguin steps", and lots of other people also taking advantage of a nice day.  Dog-walkers, baby strollers, even some runners including a shirtless young man with admirable delts who whizzed by as only the young and immortal can!

Home again, back to my streaming of Endeavor, and thinking of brewing some Earl Grey, and contemplating an early bedtime.  It's been a satisfying Saturday.

Here's hoping for a satisfying, peaceful weekend for all who drop by to read, doing what it takes to preserve health, physical, mental, emotional and spiritual.

Life is still good.

Keep on Sparking!

🔥👀✨💖

Unexpected day off

 

I was still sipping my first coffee of the day, the one I drink black so that my fast extends a bit.  The phone dinged with a message... turns out the trainer has a cold, so, no scheduled workout today.  

My reaction was somewhat like a kid with a snow day... what will I do instead?  Maybe do a little lifting on my own, but in my mind, I'm thinking, "I need new running socks." (The ones I put on this morning are developing holes in the toes.)  "And a new pair of running shoes, it's been nearly a year."

Meanwhile, on the back deck, we had a visitor!

This one is a regular.  What usually happens is that The Prisoner takes exception at some point and chases him off.  They can be together peacefully for a while, but eventually, The Prisoner expresses himself.

Rawoal! 

Onward with Thursday.  I did a few reps of weights, and paced steps in the house.  

Then I followed through on my desire to go shop for shoes and socks.  I hadn't bought any in the store for a couple of years.  Last year I had ordered them online, delivered to my house.

But today, I wanted to see the people, and try on the shoes.  The shop owner, Lori, was in today, and we hadn't seen one another in quite some time.  She was petting a visiting canine, and I stopped to greet "Mocha" who was being socialized by her runner humans.  The name seems quite appropriate to her coloring.

As for the shoes, here are the ones that came home with me.  One Nike, one New Balance.  Both neutral running shoes.  And three pair of crew socks, to replace a few pair.  Funny, clothing does wear out!

I spent quite some time in the shop, visiting, and telling my little old lady tales to a new audience.  It's the staff's fault... they ask leading questions, and I'm off and running, so to speak.  Tried on three pair of shoes, taking a jogging lap in each, and brought two home.  They gave me a nice clearance price on the Nike pair.

Once home, I've already put those Nikes on for an indoor jog.  There's nothing quite like new running shoes to lift the spirits and the motivation to move!  At least for me!

Here's hoping you all are doing your own best to take good care of that precious gift, the one and only body you've been issued for your lifetime.  Nutrition to support your immune system, plenty of hydration, remembering to breathe, a bit of activity, and rest... all important to balance our lives.

And Life is good.  Spark on!

🔥👀💖

Daily Gratitude as January ends: January 29 - February 4, 2023

 A fresh new week in which to be thankful for life.

Sunday, January 29th, 2023

This morning I am thankful for a fresh new day, for no "accumulated" new snow, and for central heating, as the great cold snap has arrived.

Monday, January 30th, 2023

This morning I am thankful that failure to publish is not a crime.  Turns out I didn't put this out on Sunday, as I should have.

I am also thankful for a pleasant "family" outing to the movies, with no mishaps.  I am thankful that I looked trustworthy enough for a lady walking with her cane asked me to assist her off the curb, even though my left ankle was kind of acting up on me.  I am further thankful that ankle did not collapse and tumble the both of us!

Tuesday, January 31st, 2023

I am thankful today for hot running water and how good a shower feels after a good workout.

Wednesday, February 1st, 2023

Today I am thankful for my Wednesday afternoon walks, and for sunshine for today's session with a sister!

Thursday, February 2nd, 2023

Today I am thankful for the whimsey of Groundhog's Day.  Of course the movie of that name adds a whole new layer of whimsey, and leaves us thinking about do-overs.  Face it, we all get many, many do-overs and chances to "do better" over the course of our lifetimes.  My mom got advice from a wise person in her life about why we hang around the planet, "you either have something more to give, or something more to learn"... so I'm thankful for that opportunity to give and to learn, as each new day dawns.

Friday, February 3rd, 2023

Today I'm thankful for "the evening and the morning"... i.e. the separation of time into days and nights.  The King James version of Genesis tells the creation story in poetic terms, "the evening and the morning were the first day".  And day by day is how we build what we later come to recognize as our own lifetimes.  I am thankful for life.

Saturday, February 4th, 2023

Today I'm thankful for memories, and the things that trigger, preserve, and reinforce them.  I was doing a little digital cleanup, and found a ten year old collage of my first triathlon outing.  And another from the year before that, a half marathon with a Spark friend.  I have my computer wallpaper set to a photo of myself with my brother at a 5K, the last time we were together in time and space.  One can be transported... this is time-travel in a good sense.

And that wraps another week of gratitude.  New post coming on Sunday!

Happy Rabbit Day

 

The first of every month is rabbit day, according to my mother in my youth.  Traditions vary, but our particular one was to have "rabbit, rabbit, rabbit" be the first three words you voiced, to ensure good luck for the month.  Old traditions die hard.  I found myself voicing the words this morning as I stepped on the scale, before I even spoke to the cats.

I decided to use the little rabbit vase as my photo of the day, too, as I mused that not only is this Rabbit Day, it's a Rabbit Day in the Chinese Year of the Rabbit!  Does that make it extra lucky?  Let's hope it sprinkles happiness on all our days, this Wednesday!

A fellow triathlete I know has a German Shorthaired Pointer.  I've met this dog and love her as she reminds me of my own Diamond Dot.  Bella recently had surgery and is home recovering now, and it brings back memories of Diamond's last year.  I found tears stinging my eyes as I viewed a photo of Bella on Facebook, resting.

It was a good day but can't think of much to say about it.  Did laundry (which always repeats, right?)  Cleaned the hydrators in the 'fridge, wiped down the shelves.  Hardly blog-worthy, but stuff that needs doing.

It was a beautiful afternoon for an outdoor walk, with only a couple of icefields to navigate in our 1.3 miles.  The sidewalks aren't open yet in the block leading to the park, but the road is, so if we're careful, we can walk our "old" route.

Success, hugs, and the Ace is out the door and headed home.  And I'm headed up the stairs to brush my teeth and get ready for bed with the news in the background.

Here's hoping your "Rabbit Day" was as pleasant as mine was.  

Take care of yourself, best can do, and at the close of day, appreciate that whatever it was, was enough.  You are worthy!

Life is good.  Spark on!

💖👀🔥