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Musings on anything. |
 My blog was filled up. I'm too lazy to clean it out. So I started a new one. |
| I had washed all the winter weight sweaters and put away long sleeve shirts. I've been running ceiling fans to avoid AC. But today, it was cold! I put on a long sleeve turtle neck and a sweater and wore a jacket when I left home. Fortunately, I did not leave any plants outside over night. I have taken a few out just for the day recently, but returned them before dark. Today, they stayed inside. I didn't do any yard work because of my headache, the pollen, and the temperature. I keep my gardening gloves and a few hand tools handy, the hoe and the rake just outside the back door. I even bought potting soil yesterday. I guess I was anticipating a little too soon. I enjoy seeing the budding trees and the blossoms blowing in the wind. If only the pollen did not affect breathing and watery eyes. Oh, well, beauty of the earth comes with a small price. For tonight, here at home I am sitting by a small space heater, and I am wearing a fleece jacket. Is there such a thing as an Indian Spring? |
| I am trying this heart healthy routine, but not excelling at it. Eggs and potatoes without table salt are not worth eating. I do yard work, the easy stuff, until my back hurts. I am getting my minimal steps in. My goal is to do more, seven days a week. Tonight I fixed boneless chicken breasts with cherry tomatoes according to my rehab lesson book. I used garlic powder, onion powder, paprika and Mrs. Dash lemon pepper according to the all purpose seasoning directions. The recipe called for freshly squeezed lemon juice and vegetable broth. I served it with quinoa, raw carrots, and a spoonful of black beans for contrast. It was okay, but seriously, it needed salt! I didn't add any. And I had enough left over without quinoa to make several meals for the freezer. I am feeling guilty about sitting so long at my computer. I should get up and stretch more. My Internet access is so slow and lousy. I need to make a change but have been dragging my feet. It could be worse, and it always ends up costing more each month than what you are told. So I sit in anticipation that any moment my program will come back up. I went to the library last week to use the computer so that I could print something. I was amazed how quickly I could get through all my usual things. Better Internet would be a big time saver and get me on my feet more often. So I have to do some stretches now and walk up and down my hall a few times before getting ready for bed. Improving my sleep habits is another item on my lifestyle change list. |
| When I consider how much stuff I throw away when cleaning, or how much I take to Good Will, I wonder what I was thinking when I spent money on such useless temporary stuff. If only I had been willing to pass my impulses and live a more spartan life. I'd have more money now and would have less junk surrounding me. And some of it was given to me. Why do we give each other such trinkets to collect dust and lose our fascination. They tell us that the younger generations don't want to inherit our junk. They don't want great grandma's crystal cake plate the way we baby boomers coveted one. They don't want the hand woven baskets made by an ancestor or the treasure purchased by Uncle Sonny when he was a sailor in the Orient. They don't even want the china and silver that we craved when I was in college. I sometimes watch The Collector on TV. Those collections are only of value to other crazy collectors. I had a brother who invested in comic books and toys because he thought they would be worth some money some day. He died in 2012 a little on the poor side. I researched the comics which are all printed after 1992. There are about 5000 of them. Worth the cover price today because of people like him. Only the older ones in mint condition bring in good returns. All the ones I inherited re in individual covers, about 100 per plastic box. Most are unopened. Doesn't improve the price. He also had unopened toys from McDonald's happy meals, and several thousand Hot Wheels, still in original wrappers. Nobody wants them. I wish I had kept my money and practiced more will power. I wish my brother had kept his money and led a more abundant life. I wouldn't feel swamped with decluttering chores in my old age. |
| I've always made Easter baskets for the kids in my family. There's a lot of them. A nephew who is in the same age bracket as great nieces and nephews, and now there are two step children in the picture. This year I am taking the easy way out. No baskets, no candy. I am not allowed to have candy and I have no will power. I conquered Halloween candy and have overlooked Valentine's. But I can't resist Easter candy yet. I crave anything by Cadbury and Reese's. There are solid chocolate crosses and hollow chocolate bunnies. The only way to behave is to avoid having them in the house, and save a little money at the same time. As for Easter dinner, I am not allowed ham so I wont cook one. I can't afford lamb, now that I know how to butterfly a leg and cook it. I don't want to fix a turkey unless I know for sure I will have company. They are last minute people; I like to plan. If they understand I'm doing low sodium cooking and no frying and pushing fruits and veggies, they probably aren't interested anyway. If the only brother I have left out of three comes with his family, we might have Easter pizza and no candy. |
| Headaches can be debilitating. You actually feel sick on the stomach with some of them. Pollen doesn't help if you already hurt. I have learned that all pain relievers have side effects. You have to choose the one you are willing to tolerate or that your doctor allows. My neurologist prescribed CoQ10, magnesium, and B2, all Over the Counter. She said once the pain starts they don't help, but they can help prevent a migraine. The cardiologist made me stop magnesium because my counts are too high without supplements. B2 or Riboflavin doesn't hurt anything and the coQ10 helps digestion. So they are regulars every day. However, my head hurt any way, after almost a year with no migraines. Tylenol gives temporary relief. I know people who get no relief from anything, so I am sympathetic to those people. I am limited to the number of Tylenol I can take in a 24 hour period. Even Tylenol, a gentler pain reliever, has its pitfalls. When taken too much or too frequently, it damages the liver. Too many Tylenol can also aggravate blood thinners, which I am on forever. So I try to be stingy with them, but sometimes the pain is just too much. Massaging the back of my neck helps a little. Ice and heat don't help. There's always something. |
| Today's nutrition class was a gross out. I've always washed my produce with plain water to remove sand, etc., I know a lot of people touch the tomatoes, apples, and other lose products, so I'm conscious of germs. However, I found out water is not enough. Some people rinse in vinegar first, then several rinses of water to get rid of the vinegar. Some people mix baking soda in. This breaks down the wax on fruit and cucumbers. It's a start about hand prints. There are also bugs on fresh broccoli, especially from farmers markets. And grapes have a film on them. Bananas have gnats living in the top of the peel, but I think I've heard that before. If you don't like the idea of vinegar on your fruits and veggies, there are actually produce washes available in the produce department. My guess is that vinegar is cheaper. Apparently, I've been consuming a little wax and many germs despite rinsing everything first. I prefer fresh to canned or frozen, but I might rethink that. Yuk. |
| Someone asked that question Sunday. Of course, one person said, "In scripture". There was a lot of hemming and hawing. A few said positive results from medical tests. One person said, "In our children". Another thought that observing people helping those in need was a sign of hope. There is also nature. Life goes on. The trees are budding in many colors. Some are blooming in white or pink and letting the wind blow their petals like snow down the road. Jonquils and hyacinths are casting yellow everywhere. My pink camellias are beginning to show blooms not ready for opening. The crocus are finished and gone, but the lilies are busting through the ground with their green stalks. The days are longer, and we can go outside without heavy jackets. Spring is here. What did the poet say? Hope springs eternal in the human breast? No matter the circumstances in our lives or the community, or the world for that matter. Hope is all around us, if we just open our eyes. |
| Ok, it was rainy here today. I could not go outside to rake leaves or just walk, except to the mailbox between drizzles. I watched "Grease" for the umpteenth time, but I do like to see men dance. I even got up to dance with a very slim young John Travolta in Greased Lightning. It won't add more steps o my Fitbit, but it did involve stretching. I did not get down on the floor with the backup dancers because I knew I'd never get up. I did have to sit down afterwards and catch my breath. It was not on a commercial free channel, so I did get up and walk in circles during the breaks. Maybe I'm not completely inactive. I'm having fish and salad for dinner, so maybe that's healthy. Breakfast had the unhealthy egg and grapes. Lunch was almost healthy. But there was more fruit after that. I like to snack on radishes and grape tomatoes. But if someone offered me a Kit Kat, I wouldn't say no. I am taking my blood pressure every morning and recording it, a new procedure for me. I am totally self-absorbed these days and hope to get beyond it some day soon. |
| You probably have heard it said that on a healthy diet, if it tastes good, spit it out. That may be true. No processed foods. I am addicted to processed foods, like pot pies, and instant noodle dinners. No, no, no. And no Chik Fil' A. They used to say no Big Macs, but apparently the nugget has moved them down the list. No sugary drinks, no carbonated drinks, no salt added. Carry your own low sodium dressings to restaurants. No fried foods. No Chinese food unless you are really picky when ordering brown, un-buttered rice and avoid soy sauce dishes. And no guacamole anywhere! How long can you stand unsweetened oatmeal every morning? I think I like pot pies because they have gravy, at least the store bought ones do. Gravy, cheese, and chocolate are my favorite foods, just not all at once. They are not allowed any longer. Woe is me. I have to restrict my bread intake. Skipping butter and mayo is not a problem. I had already cut back on meat, with only the occasional slice of bacon. but the bacon is out now. Even chicken and turkey from the deli because of the sodium content. And if I indulge in the occasional dessert or treat when visiting, I must exercise immediately. Not to burn off calories, but to fire up the sugar content. You don't want sugar stored in your kidneys after taking a lot of heart medicines (years worth-I was never advised that I was trading a functioning heart for damaged kidneys). So now I'm drinking mostly water, eating boring meals, and exercising a lot for an old woman. I guess there's always a trade-off when it comes to medicine. Very little comes without side effects. Thank goodness smoking and alcohol were never a problem for me. |
| Spring has sprung. I have to make daily trips to the side of my house, by the AC unit, to look at my Easter lilies coming up through the ground. You put one plant in the ground, next year, you have several. In nature, they bloom in June, not at Easter. The deer will eat them when blooming, but they leave the leaves alone. Hostas and tulips they eat to the ground. I watch the irises coming up like watching water boil. I dread the ants that will come with the fragrant peonies. I also dread the honeybees that infested my windows last year and mosquitoes which try to make me miserable and run me back into the house. For now, it's just the pollen to dread. Then there's the creeping charley that has taken over my lawn, creeps under the landscape timbers and tries to root in the flower beds. This year, I have a rose bush that leapt up this winter and threaded itself through the roof of a birdhouse. The birdhouse needs some repair but I hate to cut the rose bush. It's unique. I am limited in what I can attempt until I get a release from my cardiologist. But I'm anxious to get to my yard work and reorganizing my laundry room. Soon, I hope. |
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