Random Acts of "Kindness"

DRIP DRIP

August 20, 2016

DRIP — before going out to the camper, I retrieved some food from my shelves in the basement. Only to discover we had an uninvited guest who had helped itself to Robin’s dog food. Of course I wasn’t pleased. I moved assorted packaged edibles into hard plastic storage bins and placed some tasty treats in their place.

DRIP — DRIP Robin discovered a tiny skunk who was living under our room addition at the camper. Not quite nose to nose but too close for comfort, Robin got her first bath. Then she discovered a ground hog that stayed just out of her reach. It also is living under our room addition. Roommates or Condo?

DRIP — DRIP — DRIP Uninvited guest in the basement does not like the green treats I put out. It was trying to eat Lipton tea. More stuff packed. Personnel at Ace Hardware said rodents get used to poisons after a month and ignore them. I had not picked up the poison left from our last guest — my mistake. Old fashioned trap with peanut butter provided a tasty last meal.

DRIP — DRIP — DRIP — DRIP I needed brown rice for a soup I was making. I keep both short grain and long grain brown rice in separate glass jars. I must have had my glasses on because I saw clumps of rice in the jar. Further investigation confirmed the fact that both jars of rice were infected by bugs, even though I had placed bay leaves in each jar. It must have been the day or the week — Robin’s Milk Bone biscuits were also infected by black bugs. ALL RICE AND BISCUITS WERE REMOVED, JARS WASHED. I’ll wait until the fall, and cooler weather before I replace the rice and biscuits.

DRIP — DRIP — DRIP — DRIP — DRIP Enough already! A squirrel chewed through the screen in our kitchen. Luckily my husband saw it as it entered and the squirrel left the same way it had entered. My fault again — I had cleaned out the fridge and left the bag of stuff on the kitchen counter near the open window. It must of been very fragrant to attract the squirrel. We have lived in our house over fifty years and never had a squirrel in the kitchen before. I picked up ammonia at the store and plan to put some between the new screen and window to discourage further entrance — at least for a while. I’m glad my husband came into the kitchen when he did, it would have been more fun than we needed if Robin had seen the squirrel. She is ALWAYS chasing them.

We might try ammonia on rags under the room addition at the camper to discourage our occupants. The last thing we need is skunk perfume.

I’m hoping the DRIPS have stopped for awhile. This is more fun than I really want to have. My energy has left with the high temperatures and high humidity. Listening to the news, I learned that the corn crop is partially responsible for the humidity. Because of new farming practices, more corn is being planted, yielding higher yields, and releasing more moisture into the air. Good for the farmer and the people of the world. Not necessarily good for the climate.

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BE NOT AFRAID

August 13, 2016

This is the title of a religious song that I first heard when I planned to publish the story of living with Pap’s Alzheimer’s disease. “Be not afraid, I go before you. Come follow Me.” I almost said that it was a new song, but my father passed over more than 20 years ago. He definitely isn’t gone, I’m reminded of my “friends in high places” regularly. Which in my life is a good thing.

I had a warning storms were coming into my life. THANKFULLY THEY ARE NOT HEALTH CONCERNS. I have the ability to turn a tiny bump into a mountain in the blink of an eye. When there is only one problem at a time, I have a better chance. When they pile up, it is harder for me to relax. Even if I have done my best to solve it, and am waiting for the results, they continue to surface like the bubbles in the boiling hot pools in Yellowstone.

Many of my warnings come from the bible. When I open to Job or the furnace in Daniel, I am aware that storms might be coming.The verse often hints at the severity of the problem. Am I proclaiming God’s strength in Job, or listing shortcomings. Have I pointed to the beginning of the furnace where there are three walking or to the ending where they have an angel with them and are praising God?

I won’t list the turmoil in our life right now, I’m sure you have enough of your own but thankfully God is in charge. I needed to tell our neighbor about an upcoming project. He is in Arizona and I didn’t have his phone number. Luckily I opened our curtains and saw his tenant outside. Not only did his tenant have the needed phone number, he will be able to unlock their gates when we have our tree trimmed.

Some of it is just little things — temperature and humidity levels in the hundreds that continues for days. Strong storms when we have a leak in our roof. A flash of lightning that looked like it hit our house. Thankfully that was just a reflected light. (We had a lightning strike hit our house when our children were young.) The car battery loose.

While the bible often alerts me, as well as my book Queen of Angels, they also remind me that God is in charge. “Who made the world a desert? ” Daniel 3:28. “The Lord goes forth like a hero.” Isaiah 42:13. “saying to the prisoners, come out.” Isaiah 49:9. Church is often in the mix: “Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.” Psalm 138

The key is to be aware of the interactions in my life. To keep my eyes wide open, the blinders off. To have courage — God is in charge.

I read something interesting last night. It was in the June 30 issue of Woman’s World. I often buy the magazine but don’t often read it cover to cover. Trying to get rid of some of the clutter on our table, I scanned quite a few of the magazines and found this. “Taming tension with red meat. Eating 16 oz of beef or pork weekly could help you feel less stressed in as little as five day. Red meat is rich in iron and all nine essential amino acids which together relax tense muscles. ”

After the birth of our four children, my request to my husband was for an Italian beef sandwich. I’m often looking for leftover beef in our fridge or getting a hamburger. Makes sense now.

The problems in our world make the problems in my life extremely small. OUR WORLD NEEDS OUR PRAYERS! Please join me! Years ago I read that a group of people joined in praying for the world during a crisis.

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PRACTICING

August 6, 2016

It wasn’t that long ago when I answered a question that asked me to list the 10 most important people in my life. The answer/question that made me pause was when I was asked where on the list I was. OF COURSE, I WASN’T THERE AT ALL. And I will have to admit that most of the time, if I am planning meals — I don’t stop to think of what I am going to eat. Since I’m sodium restricted, I CAN’T eat many of the foods that are my husband’s favorites: hot dogs, bratwurst, ham, biscuits and gravy, etc. At the same time he doesn’t care for fresh vegetables or salads.

But I’M PRACTICING. We had two of our younger grandchildren at the camper for a week. I actually made a list of the meals I thought I would make. I was proud of myself when I asked myself what I was going to eat and actually bought the foods I needed. It is a step in the right direction. And since that week, I’ve noticed that I’m including myself more often.

UPDATE:
WEIGHT — sadly no progress, but I haven’t added anymore that has stuck for more than a few days. And I’m not giving up.
PAIN — I’m glad to acknowledge that apple cider vinegar and honey, twice a day seems to be working.
Although I still have some pain, it is not as constant or severe as it was. Hopefully this will continue. I will admit that if I forget and only have the mixture once during the day, or forget completely, pain reminds me of my forgetfulness.
EXERCISE — at the camper I did a complete set of Aging Backwards only once, Water aerobics 3 times. Back home I did a complete set of Aging Backwards, both muscles and bones. I noticed that I didn’t have pain in my shoulders that night and the pain in my left knee seems to be improving. I don’t know if I’m more flexible but I’ve decided to keep practicing.

The synchronicities in my life often make me smile. This week, I remembered I used to make a tuna macaroni salad when my kids were small. I thought it would be a healthy meal for me with the high temperatures, I wouldn’t have to cook for myself. I didn’t find the recipe I used to make, but I improvised, and it is tasty. The tuna salad is NOT on my husband’s menu. When we have been out of town, it takes me a period of time before I’m caught up. During that time, I don’t take time to read my e-mails. Tonight I was trying to catch up. Over the week, if I had been checking, I would have seen tuna fish macaroni salad recipes on line at least two different times. And I smiled.

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ICE

July 30, 2016

There is no warning — doctor’s appointment, test results, accident — nothing like that, life is normal — no warning that I’m walking on ice and I’m about to fall through. All of a sudden I find myself in this black hole that I can’t crawl out of. The news on TV doesn’t help. Actually I try to avoid the news but it finds me. Policeman killed in Texas, Hundreds killed in France, Police killed in Louisiana — the world in which we live desperately needs the HELP OF GOD. Or has He/She given up on us. I DON’T BELIEVE THAT FOR AN INSTANT.

Normally when I find myself in a black hole, I avoid people and definitely WRITING. How can I stay positive? How can I write anything of value that would help either myself or others? Interesting questions — NO ANSWERS or are they? This morning getting ready for church I opened the bible to: Isaiah 49: 9 ” saying to the prisoners: “Come out.”

Good! I will admit that this didn’t necessarily help me. Come out from where? Am I a prisoner? But it is my custom to read the whole chapter. “The Lord called me from birth.” I will admit that gave me pause. I’ve read this before, and usually think “I’m in trouble now!” Did it HELP? I am sure it probably did — because I’m sharing this ramble with you rather than hiding under the mess of stuff that is my life. Recently a person about to retire shared his plans with me — he has two pensions which he is banking. He plans to work another year before he retires to Phoenix where his grandchildren live. I’ll admit that sounded wonderful, maybe? This gentleman sounded like he liked to go places. My husband likes to drive but he is particular about the food he eats. When we were in Texas he DID NOT LIKE THE FOOD available there. Traveling with him is interesting unless I’m doing the cooking. Are we supposed to travel — good question? How? We lost our motor home in the tornado last year.

Now I’ve stated before that I do not hear or see “my friends in high places.” But they get their messages to me anyway. Recently I’ve been getting hit on the head A LOT. It might be because I have not been writing.

Whatever the reason, it is comforting to me that I have “help” in higher places. Recently we were at the camper and I noticed a woman pushing an enclosed stroller. As I passed by I noticed she had dogs for passengers. I just had to stop and talk to her. I’m glad that I did. She noticed my shoes and told me of a source of the shoes I was wearing. A) I found them comfortable. B) I didn’t think they were expensive and didn’t know how I would get more. Question solved. Just a little “help.” As you can tell, I NEED ALL THE “HELP” — I can get.

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AGING BACKWARDS

July 23, 2016

I was intrigued when I learned of the DVD. I was very happy when the person who told me about it, followed up with an email with the correct title and presenter. Instead of debating for weeks, I searched, found and ordered right away. In fact, it arrived before we went back out to the camper. It traveled with me. And I actually opened it and tried out the first exercise before we even left.

It was a good thing that I did. Exercise clothes that I previously been able to wear were impossible to remove. My shoulders have tightened up, as well as other body parts. Since I had advanced warning, I was able to bring clothes to exercise in.

The exercises are extremely gentle. I have trouble getting down on the floor. The first time I did the floor work, I sat on the couch. I have since been able to get down onto the floor, getting up is still a major problem. My knees don’t want to support my weight. My right leg doesn’t bend like it used to. I’m guessing that the stiffness in my body contributes to my feeling of being old. I’m hoping that as I become more flexible, that feeling will pass.

Each time I have done the exercises – one compete set is for muscles, the second for bones and uses a chair for bar work — that night various body parts protest that I moved them. I have done the complete series 6 times now. Either I’m trying harder or working more of my body parts because various muscles let me know they I worked them. I’m hoping that getting up from a chair will be easier, as well as getting out of a car. “My friends” are very happy that I’m moving. So far I do two sets, one for muscles, the next day one for bones and I’m allowed to take the next day off. We will see how long this lasts.

This is the beginners set. We will have to see if the powers that be decide I need a more advanced set. I would really like to be able to get up from the floor unaided and out of a chair. I would like to use the reclining chairs at the pool. Of course, I would like my knees to work like they used to and be able to take my clothes off, UNAIDED!

AGING BACKWARDS — I’m ready!

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ANNIVERSARY

July 16, 2016

On June 22, 2015 a tornado damaged more than 700 acres at Woodhaven Lakes at 7:50 PM. A double trunk tree fell on our motor home, causing it to be the poster child of the tornado. The picture of the motor home appeared front page on three newspapers and had its own spot on television. We also lost more than nine trees on the front of our lot and more behind. We were fortunate to be home that night. My husband needed a new prescription for his insulin and our doctor was on vacation. When we bought our lot, it was for the shade — now we have sunshine, plenty of it. We have planted five new trees — four survived the winter. Flowers that need the sunshine now have a space in our garden.

We have vacationed at Woodhaven the week of Father’s Day in June for more years than I care to count. My husband has always enjoyed good fishing, summer vacations haven’t really started yet and the campground is quiet. I noticed that the anniversary of the tornado would be that week but didn’t think anything about it. No cause for alarm.

Monday, June 20 had a full strawberry moon on the solstice. It was beautiful. I captured the rising of the moon on my camera. I’ve learned that in olden times, the Native Americans picked strawberries to the light of the moon. I also learned that there wouldn’t be another full moon on the solstice for 50 years. I don’t think I will be around then.

Storms were predicted for June 22. I turned our weather radio on. The weather person explained the meeting of the cold front coming into the area with the warm front and the possibility of tornadoes at the junction. Sadly the junction was in our area. The tornado sirens went off at 7:30 and we moved to a safer place. I stood in the shelter of the comfort station talking to others with my eye on the sky while my husband sat in the car listening to his ham radio with our dog. I will admit that I sent a few prayers up for safety from the storms. Thankfully the tornadoes stayed to the north and south of us. There were four touch downs in our area, 18 tornadoes sighted to the south, four doing significant damage. Security came by to tell us the danger was over.

The question now is — will we be at Woodhaven June 22 in 2017? Time will tell. The weather has become more violent world wide. I miss old fashioned rain.

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QUESTIONS

July 9, 2016

It is very helpful to have “friends in high places” — at times. I ask a question, or I wonder about something, or I have a problem and need a solution. Often the answer arrives in the near future. I hear something on the news, or from another person. A letter arrives in the mail, or a magazine. The method of delivery changes with the situation. And sometimes, the answer doesn’t come at all. It is not a given that I will receive an answer. So when I do, it usually comes as a surprise.

The reverse is also true. When I should be doing something, and DON’T, I’m pestered. Things fall onto my various body parts. I get hit on the head. And I don’t always know what I’m supposed to be doing. When I am slow to respond, the actions continue. The problem might be my weight — it is still too high. The problem might be my shoes — already worn. The problem can be anything — sometimes I can’t figure it out.

Recently the pain in my knees, shoulders and hips has been an issue. A friend at the VA clinic suggested I take 2 TBL of organic apple cider vinegar with 2 TBL of honey. I increased the amount of vinegar right away but the honey became an issue. I was getting honey everywhere when I tried to measure it so I just squirted the bottle. Evidently I wasn’t using the proper amount of honey. When he asked how it was working, I hedged my answer and he replied that honey was VERY important. I have increased the amount of pressure and amount of time of adding honey so hopefully it is closer to 2 TBL. And I’m noticing the difference.

I’ve also backed off on my cherry smoothies only to have the pain resume. I’m trying to make sure I don’t skip too many days in a row.

Recently we were at the camper, and I was in the pool talking to a woman. She had watched a program on public television that concerned the flexibility of the body. She was impressed and ordered the DVD. I’ve noticed that I’m having trouble getting out of the car and off the chairs at the pool. Our sofa has become a challenge. The fact that I’m losing my flexibility doesn’t fill me with warm fuzzies. I have added tai chi back into my morning routine. I have also added leg raises and stretches to my evening routine. They might not be enough. More exercise might be required.

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I DID IT!

July 2, 2016

Feeling old, temperature at 93 degrees and rising. Did I really want to go downtown? Blues Fest weekend — 33rd to be exact. My husband does not like crowds. He is not really into the Blues, Country is his music. Did I really want to go downtown? I knew asking him to go with me in the high heat, and crowds was not good for him. For years I never went down to attend the FREE events — because he didn’t want to go and I didn’t go without him.

One year, their 25th to be exact, I decided to wander down and have been a regular attendee since then. I realized that I really like Rhythm and Blues. Of course there is not much in the way of music that I don’t like. Heavy Metal might be one. The first time I went down, I got in line for the concerts at Petrillo Music Shell, sitting off to the right, three to four rows from the stage. I have enjoyed watching the signers (words into motion) and listening to some of the great Blues artists. Koko Taylor, Muddy Waters, to name a few. I have stayed late and wandered home after dark. I have spoken to people from England that planned their vacation to be in Chicago for the Blue’s Fest.

This year we were back in town. My husband had doctor appointments scheduled for Friday and Monday. Saturday and Sunday were free. The forecast for Friday was in the 90’s. So was Saturday. A cold front was coming in Saturday night so Sunday was scheduled to be cooler. Both of my knees didn’t like me. My good (?) knee tangled with an underwater swimmer in the pool and was damaged. My left knee was still protesting when I wore shoes that affected my knee and hip. Reason told me to stay home.

If you have been reading my thought rambles for some time you are probably aware of the fact that I am stubborn and often don’t listen! 93 temperatures weren’t going to keep me home. I promised to drink plenty of water, stay in the shade and be aware of how I was feeling. I asked which stops had elevators downtown and walked a little farther to avoid taking the stairs. (Both coming and leaving.) I planned to wear new shoes so as not to cause any more injury to my body. I thought carefully of the clothes I was wearing to protect myself from the sun. I decided not to carry a chair — it would be too heavy, I would look for places to sit down. From past experience I knew that sitting on the ground was out, I’d never get up.

I realized that I had been on my feet too long and looked for an empty spot on a bench when I entered the park. Right in front of my eyes was a spot — I asked if I could sit down and was told that I could only until the photographer returned. When he returned, I was invited to stay. THANK YOU!

The gentleman was originally from Illinois, but moved to California where he recently retired. They bought a RV with a toy compartment for his Harley and wander the country visiting Blues Fest’s and Harley Davidson meets. His companion was from the Monterey Bay area. He grows strawberries by the Salinas river. I met my husband in California, our eldest daughter was born in Carmel. I felt right at home — the music was good, the shade comfortable — I stayed until the set was over.

I always wander the whole Fest, checking out the food, the artists. They had amazing FREE rib samples. Wandering here — there, I realized I needed to sit down. Lines where forming for the Music Shell and possibly because of the heat, instead of just one, many lines had formed. I joined one and got FRONT ROW seating. (Sadly my camera was at home.) I totally enjoyed the national anthem sung by Nellie Travis in a beautiful red, blue and white gown. (Sunday I complimented her on her singing and appearance. I asked one of the venue operators to pass on the compliment but it was suggested I tell her myself.)

This has passed the word count I usually use so I will quickly end this. Sunday was cooler, my husband joined me and carried chairs. We used the elevator again and spent time in the shade and also the sun. I saw people that I knew. We didn’t stay for the evening performance and we walked back to the Library to take the elevator. Combined total steps for both days was 37,867. I couldn’t believe it. I’m TIRED but I sure don’t feel OLD!

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PERSISTENCE

June 25, 2016

I have been trying to lose weight for a very long time with NO SUCCESS. Imagine my surprise when the scale actually registered a lower number again and then again. I haven’t increased my exercise — in fact, because of the pain in my knee, I’ve cut back. I was getting more than 10,000 steps a day. Now I’m lucky if I get 7,000. While I’m no longer going down, the temperature has risen and the little bit of sodium in my diet equals a weight gain.

I don’t know what is causing this weight reduction, I think it might be a combination. Because of the pain in various body parts I have a cherry – chocolate smoothie for breakfast. The chocolate comes from unsweetened cocoa. I was adding one scoop of protein powder until I read that in order for woman over 50 to lose weight, she should have 25 – 30 mg of protein at each meal. Now I have two scoops of protein with a cup of almond milk. Cherries are supposed to be helpful with pain. Studies of cocoa have found that it may reduce the risk of heart disease and cognitive decline. Two weeks after starting this smoothie, I received an invitation to join a study. I would have to give up the vitamins and stuff I’m currently doing in order to take their pills for four years. I’m going to stay the course with what I’m doing, not take the chance that it might be a placebo.

Since my knee was yelling, a man at the veteran’s clinic shared an idea that is supposed to help with pain. Two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar and two tablespoons of honey in water. I’ve taken one tablespoon of Bragg’s apple cider vinegar, one or two times a day in water to help with my digestion. So I increased the vinegar to two. When I added the honey it went all over the counter and other places so I just take the bottle and squirt a bit into the warm or hot water. I’m trying for twice a day. It is supposed to take a month before I’ll notice a difference.

The third part of the equation is a mixture of 4 oz cranberry juice in 28 oz of water consumed during the day. The mixture is supposed to dilute the bile in the body, helping it to flow. The article I read suggested having the juice of half a lemon in water in the morning. Since I’m already doing the apple cider vinegar, I haven’t added the lemon juice. Since the temperature has risen, I’m considering adding dandelion tea to the water to help with water retention.

I’m hopeful that this combination will continue to help my weight decrease. This summer is supposed to be very hot. Less weight on my body parts will help I’m sure. Stay tuned. Up or down, I’ll share the results.

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CONFUSED

June 18, 2016

In the early days of my trying to understand the messages that I received, I was hit on the head a lot. I remember the trunk of our car closing on my head when my husband was trying to contact me. I remember branches of a tree falling on my head, and the colored pencils I was using, all rolling off my table because it was time for me to do something else. The one that stands out the most is when the toilet seat fell on my head at Menards. I dislike getting hurt and I do my best to try to be alert and pick up the messages as they come in.

Now I’ll admit that they don’t come in plainly, in English, telling me what I’m forgetting to do or possibly what I should be doing. I’ll also admit that I probably wouldn’t listen which is what causes me to get hurt. When I read the article about the Universe Yelling, I knew that often it is talking to me. I also thought I was paying attention! WRONG! Stuff started falling out of the freezer downstairs. Hitting my foot — slipper socks — no protective shoes. Then a bag of chili fell on top of my head. I thought I deciphered that one correctly and had a single serving of chili soup for lunch. WRONG AGAIN!

Hindsight — I think the message trying to get across was that I was wearing my shoes too long, throwing off my knee — hip. OUCH! Two weeks and my knee is still whimpering, at least it is no longer yelling or screaming. My new request, prayer, pleading with the COMMANDER of my life is that if we are to stay in this house, I need to be able to navigate the stairs.

I’ve cut back on Robin’s walk — one block instead of two. Now I take off whatever shoes I’m wearing in the house and put on slipper socks. I would go barefoot but I’m still wearing my lovely compression sexy socks. I’m trying to pay more attention to the wear on my shoes. My knee improves, then something painful happens. And I’m back butt down, feet up again. Still trying!

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