Mother's Day 5/14/17

Happy Mother's Day! 5/14/2017

How does this "widder lady" spend this Mother's Day?

Mother's Day Poppy 5/14/2017

Our original plans to go to Swampwater Grill on Kellogg Avenue were scrapped due to Marshall's not being well - having the flu/cold bug again. He also didn't want to expose me again to any more "bugs" either. And, it certainly would be putting others "at risk" from a possible germ-laden sneeze.

Today began with my early morning (5 a.m.) breakfast of blueberries, almond milk, soft boiled egg with a couple pats of butter. I usually drink a bit of water and then return to bed for more rest.

I checked my cell phone for email, Facebook and Twitter notifications. This morning I was alerted to a "LIVE" broadcast from China BARF (reestablishment of the old Silk Way). I watched an incredible LIVE performance of Chinese ballet, contemporary opera singing, Libestraum played by an "awesome" pianist, acrobats and traditional Chinese opera. The staging and sets were spectacular.

And right there in the front row was the Chinese president, his wife and Vladimir Putin, himself!

I was amazed to realize that I was just one of the few 700 or so people signed up to watch it my phone!

Morning progressed. I watched more morning television and received a special phone call from my sister in Florida. Happy Mother's Day!

Finally I "put myself together". I had a morning snack of a hard boiled egg and some celery sticks. I put some laundry into the washer. Then it was soon time for my chicken salad (from the health food store) and Kukicha green tea. I enjoy having my salad in a wooden bowl which gives me a "sense of Zen".

For today's gardening project, I dug up Vinca vines and put some into the window boxes alongside my home. This is an on-going project. I'm looking around to see what plants I already have around here that are deer proof perennials. Some 4 o'clocks have come up from last year, so I transplanted five of them into the big pots on the patio.

Later I watched a PBS Sunday "soap". I charged the battery on my camera and took a lot of pictures of this year's Iris, peonies, poppy and roses. The huge white Iris didn't bloom this year. Maybe it's a biennial!
So now, I'm writing this blog and will add a photo of the poppy in celebration of this special Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day! 

Onward!

I've been sick! 5/8/2017

It's been months since I've felt 100%. I usually am a high-energetic, productive human being!

However, this winter I caught "the bug" that was "going 'round" and I do believe it got the better of me in spite of all the daily healthy choices I make each day. I'm not a "pill popper" nor do I subscribe to the yearly flu shot. I figure my own immune system can knock out anything if given the chance.

When I'm sick, I rest. Chicken soup works, too. I get my weekly B12 & B Complex shots at our local health food store. I also get a magnesium shot at least once a month. I stay away from sugar and stay grain free (Wheat Belly Lifestyle). I exercise by walking laps around the driveway, doing arm pushups, lifting light-weight bar bells and sometimes I use the Pilates machine. I also go to the acupuncturist once a month to keep my system "in balance".

Usually "all is well" with me. After recovering (or so I thought) from the flu bout, I developed an on-going case of vertigo. It remains, but I am adjusting. I have friends who  have friends that have dizziness, too. I ask a lot of questions about their experiences with it, what advice they've received from doctors, etc. I know that it is gradually subsiding and isn't debilitating for me. I just am careful about how I move my head about and don't do any quick bending. My friend will be bringing me copies of her exercises to help, too.

When I turned 80 in January it seemed logical to get my eyes checked. I hadn't gone for an exam for several years, but my glasses worked "just fine". The ordeal of changing glasses started with getting an exam at Walmart's, where my former optician no longer worked. I was told by the employees that that doctor had taken his records with him and so they had no record of my past prescription. Fine!

So I got my exam and new lenses put into my sturdy frames. Being generous, I donated my extra pair of glasses which I never worn for the Lions eyeglass donation box. And, I didn't ask for the lenses back. So I was stuck with the new glasses and immediately having problems adjusting to the new prescription. Now I'm sitting close to my computer screen and adjusting to shadow letters. I did go back to double-check the status of these glasses, but everything came right back at me - same prescription, but further request for me to check out a growing cataract! What next? I ask, What next?

Not satisfied with those results I immediately called Lenscrafters where I used to get my eye exam and eye glasses. Because it was a "slow Tuesday" they could examine my eyes if I could "be there right away". I went and repeated the exam with only a slight difference in the prescription. And, again, I was told to go and get a consultation for the cataract situation. And, so, it went! And, so I will call for the consultation after asking several friends for recommendations for their best referral.

To top all this nonsense, I developed a UTI! To "go" further into all the details of horrible pain and suffering through two rounds of antibiotics, etc. I finally got "relief" by asking for help from friends at our local health food store - d mannose, oregano oil and advice. I seem to be "on the mend" with all the input from family, friends and doctors. Finally! Finally!

Onward!