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Lessons learned this week...
Walking is good for me. Walking is very good as long as I walk on dirt or grass. I actually missed walking this morning because it has been raining for hours, but I’m looking forward to getting out as soon as it is clear. Walking has become a good habit, one I look forward to each day. I’ve also lost two pounds and I attribute that to being more active. I’ve also walked behind a mower for about three hours this week. :)
I cannot resume yoga until I get lighter and healthier. Oh, I can do some of the standing poses that I remember, and I can stretch, but I can’t get down on my mat. My current physical problems make it too painful to get down and up from the floor. Part of that is the fact that the front of my left leg is sore from the fall, part of it is arthritis. I did do some much-needed stretching this morning and it probably wouldn’t hurt to find my hand weights.
I have developed terrible posture because of my foot. I need to stand up straight, look forward, and walk as naturally as possible. I saw myself in the mirror yesterday and was appalled. I should heed the advice of my little home extension booklet “Here’s to You With Poise” (1977): “Poor posture can play havoc with your figure. But good posture can make the imperfect figure look better and an already good figure look its best. You will look taller if you stand up straight. Those extra inches around your waist and stomach will disappear like magic.”
I feel better and eat less when I drink plenty of water. One of the problems that I have at work is not being able to just leave class whenever I need to go to the bathroom. Consequently, I don’t drink as much water at school as I do at home. I can already tell the difference. I usually drink two 20oz bottles of water in class. Sometimes I drink another one on the way home. This week I have been drinking three times that!
I leave you with some advice from 1890:
From The Welcome Baking Powder Encyclopaedia of Cookery and Valuable Recipes- Containing More Than Twenty-five Hundred Recipes for Cooking Every Kind of Meat and Fowl, Making Soup, Gravies, Pastry, Preserves and Essences, and a Chapter on Home Duties, Dress Making, and Being Your Own Doctor.
Page 273
Leanness
Is caused generally by lack of power in the digestive organs to digest and assimilate the fat-producing elements of food. First restore digestion, take plenty of sleep, drink all the water the stomach will bear in the morning on rising, take moderate exercise in the open air, eat oatmeal, cracked wheat, Graham mush, baked sweet apples, roasted and broiled beef, cultivate jolly people, and bathe daily.
Page 275
A Healthful Appetizer
How often we hear women who do their own cooking say that by the time they have prepared a meal, and it is ready for the table, they are too tired to eat. One way to mitigate this is to take, about half an hour before dinner, a raw egg, beat it until light, put in a little sugar and milk, flavor it, and “drink it down”; it will remove the faint, tired-out feeling, and will not spoil your appetite for dinner.
Be kind to yourself today. Don’t expect perfection.
Each New Day
Sh-h-h-h, I’m whispering this morning and knocking on wood. Feeling good, not even sore. Will go for my walk soon and this time when I return to the yard I will keep my walking stick with me. I usually leave it by the door when I’m in the yard. Not anymore. New plan- walking stick or hoe in hand at all times! Oh, I should take a picture of my “walking stick”. It is a mop handle with a butterfly net attached to one end! Lol Just don’t ask…
Had a nice surprise yesterday. Robert and a friend stopped by to work on my mower and also did a little fishing. I told him I would post a photo of him because he doesn’t read my blog. I don’t know why he doesn’t find his mom’s life simply fascinating.
More flowers blooming each day! I love going out in the morning to see them. Also watching two bird nests. The wren is rather indignant because I keep taking pictures of her nest. I’m waiting for baby heads to appear. The bluebird is getting used to me now that I’m in the garden plot each day. She actually sat on the box yesterday and watched me. The kildeers were back in the yard yesterday.
The little vegetable garden is evolving and beginning to look like it might produce a treat or two. I actually pulled a radish yesterday. Did you know you can cook radishes? I saw this recipe for Sautéed Radishes and Sugar Snap Peas with Dill demonstrated on television. Might be worth a try!
Off to walk. Remember, each new day is a gift. Open yours with respect and appreciation. Enjoy!
Good, good morning!
Oh, what a great way to start the day…very little pain, just a slight allergy cough, and two pounds lighter! It doesn’t get much better than that. At my age if you don’t wake up with at least a few aches and pains you aren’t living.
I’m going to start you off with a little soapbox lecture this morning, brought on by comments from a couple of people this week. Do NOT blatantly lie to your children! I threw in a qualifier because we all lie, and of course we lie to our children. Its human nature to “soften the truth”, “leave out a few details”, and “put a positive spin” on things when the “truth and nothing but the truth” would hurt our loved ones. However, I’ll be specific and give you three lies you shouldn’t tell a child:
1. This won’t hurt. This applies almost equally to physical and emotional situations. Better to state the obvious, “yes, it will hurt but it must be done” (shots and other medical/dental procedures) and explain how you and the doctor will make it as comfortable as possible. Or “yes, but you are strong enough and brave enough to do it anyway and I’ll be right here with you” (leaving someone, pet dying, divorce). Painful situations, especially emotional ones, are teachable moments when we can let our child know that there are ways to get past the pain and go on with life. No one gets a free ride, and if you tell your child that something “won’t hurt” and it DOES, what and who will he believe next time?
2. I’ll be right back. For most children, this statement means within five minutes. Do NOT tell a child being left at daycare, school, camp, Sunday School, or with a babysitter, that you will be “right back” if you will NOT. I can’t tell you how many people have used that line and left me with a sobbing child who had no clue where his parent suddenly vanished to or when that parent would return! For some reason parents, and a few grandparents, are particularly prone to do this in the church nursery. They put the child down, let him get engaged in playing, and then sneak out. Not a good practice! Your child will become even more clinging, fearing that you will suddenly disappear into thin air. Let your child know where you are going, specifically when you will be back, and then return on time. Do not give in to fits, tantrums, or begging. Be firm, but be truthful!
3. No, I’m not _____. Fill in the blank with hurt, angry, sick, upset, crying, wrong, sorry, or anything else you think a parent should not admit. I was very guilty of this when my children were young. I didn’t want them to think their mom was sickly, ignorant, or emotional. I wanted to be their “rock”, the one who was always calm and rational and right. Didn’t work out that well! You can’t really fool children very often. Of course children don’t need a lot of details about adult matters or situations, but they can sense when you are hurt, angry, or sick. Much better to be honest about it and let them know that you are handling the situation. Sometimes it is even good to let them know how you are handling it.
So…let’s just all be a little more honest with the children today.
I’ll be out in the garden for a while today, and then I’m going to paint my great-grandmother’s chairs. I’ve also picked out a similar “retro” chair at Lowe’s and will be bringing it home next week. I doubt that someone will be sitting in it fifty years from now, but I will enjoy it while it lasts. J They just don’t make things like they used to!
I’m parked until Tuesday. I hate traveling anywhere on holiday weekends, especially ones like Memorial Day that involve a lot of drinking. I don’t understand why everything enjoyable has to be celebrated with alcohol. I can already predict that there will be at least one alcohol-related drowning at the lake. Happens nearly every year. This is supposed to be a time when we honor our departed loved ones, not join them due to sheer stupidity.
Happy birthday again to my Aunt Juanita! All of Mom’s sisters mean so much to me.
Be safe. Be truthful. Have a wonderful day!
These boots...
When I was sixteen I appeared on our high school stage with four other girls and belted out “These Boots Were Made for Walking”. Go ahead, get it over with, laugh out loud. What can I say? We were young and it was the sixties. We wore short skirts and white boots and we were probably awful, but no one cared. We had a great time and so did the audience.
Yesterday I bought these boots at Tractor Supply. They are most definitely made for walking…in the pasture. Not stylish, but oh so practical. I’m hoping that when I’m in the mood to walk to the pond I will not be so fearful of snakes and other critters. Summer brings out the coward in me and I’m not the least bit reluctant to admit it.
Just so you know, yesterday WAS a day like no other! Lol I wore myself out and Karen asked me why I was working so hard on vacation. Beats me. The warm weather revs my motor. Anyway, after a morning at home of computer work, paying bills, and writing notes, I spent a couple of hours at the genealogy library, followed by errands to Jay’s Nursery, Tractor Supply, and WalMart. By the time I got home it was 3:30. By the time I got everything put away it was 4:00 and I realized I’d neglected to eat lunch. So…quick snack followed by feeding the cats and fish. Started some laundry, watched thirty minutes of television and rested my foot. Checked and answered some email. Mowed part of the lawn, worked in the garden until 7:30. Put out food for all the critters. Talked to Karen. Made some dinner. Watched CSI. Checked email and FB. Shower and bed. Whew! Remind me to rest this weekend.
Seriously, I’m just trying to wrap up a few projects and get the garden to “maintenance” level before we leave for Vermont. Also need to paint the lawn chairs, caulk the tub, clean a closet, put more shelves on the back porch…okay a few more crazy work days and it will be nothing but long walks and cool lemonade. Lol
The flower photos today are all Oklahoma wildflowers. Some are available as seed from Wildseed Farms in Fredericksburg, Texas. I’ve ordered from them for fifteen years. Great company- great seed selection! Most of these photos were taken along the side of the road. I’m not certain of the identification of a couple of them. I don’t always have to know…just enjoy.
I’ve been walking every morning this week. Still haven’t gotten to the yoga video- time just gets away from me- but I did wash my mat. That’s a start isn’t it? I will get to it. I will. And once I get started I will make it a new habit. After yesterday’s walk I managed to take this cute frog picture. I’ve seen the frog each day for at least a week and he finally decided to pose for me!
I’m off to town today to work on the one flowerbed that I still maintain. After the whole mowing fiasco with the City, I turned in my “volunteer gardener” badge! But I’m still attached to the flowerbed by the theatre, because it was the first, and because the owner is so nice. The City stays away from that bed because it is too small for heavy equipment! Today I’ll be “tweaking” a bit and adding some wave petunias.
Take a walk today, with or without boots, and see what you discover!!
P.S. It is a LOT harder to take a picture of the "moonrise" than the sunrise, especially when you are too lazy to go back into the house to get the tripod!!
A day like no other...
We take our time on earth for granted. We wake up each morning and go through our routines as though today will be like all the rest. We plan where we will go and what we will do and what we will eat and watch and even say. Yet each day is unique and precious and should be considered a gift. After all there were over six thousand people in America who may have wasted yesterday, and it was their last…
My day has begun like no other day this week. There is a heavy fog on the pond. Buddy is sitting on the side steps enjoying the sunrise. A bird is singing from the top of the chimney. The woodpecker is having some breakfast. And I am experiencing something we seldom have in May…stillness. There is no wind this morning! The heavy grass, wet with dew sits silently waiting for the warmth of the sun to dry it.
So…we will see what blessings the day brings. This is the day that the Lord hath made. I will rejoice and be glad in it.
Lesson from a Lazy Gardener
Behold Bryan County’s laziest gardener. I’m thinking of asking our friend Sherry to make that an official competition title for the Master Gardener’s annual Spring Fling. I have some serious skills in the field of laziness, and I have the pictures to prove it.
Several years ago I wrote an article about gardening styles. I put it on a page that you can access there on the left, but read it later. I can honestly say that my style has stayed the same over the years, but some of my methods have changed dramatically. I credit my years here on the prairie for that.
I have long accepted the philosophy that a weed/grass/wildflower is simply a plant found in the wrong spot. We think we are “all that and a bag of chips” as my granddaughter would say, because we can generally force plants to grow where and when we want them to, regardless of Nature’s intentions. When I lived in the city I was much more inclined to do just that. I was more of a “make a plan, sketch it out, make it happen” kind of gardener. Now I’m more of a “let’s see what happens” gardener, and that suits my lazy soul just fine. I thought about that as I worked in my flowers this morning. In years past I would have cleared the flower bed, added more top soil, sketched what I wanted to grow, and where, then purchased seed or plants and carefully put them into their new home. This morning I was content to remove some of the grass and weeds, scratch at the soil between the perennials and throw out a handful of seeds. I also made a note in my head to move some daylilies to the back of that bed as soon as it is safe to move them.
I have taken laziness to its ultimate with my seed scattering. I mean honestly, who digs seed holes in nature? Answer: animals and water. And they are both pretty sloppy. So I scratch the soil with my hoe, throw the seed around, and sprinkle with water. Done.
My seed mixing is also the result of calculated laziness. I used to plan and plot and prepare for each flower. If a plant failed to thrive where I placed it, I felt like a failure. What had I done wrong? How could I correct it? What did I need to do to make that flower grow there? Now I simply don’t care. I leave a lot of planning to the plants. I buy the seeds I want. I divide them into two groups- sun and shade- then I mix all of the sun seeds into a bag and all of the shade seeds into a bag. I throw the sun seeds into sunny beds and the shade seed into shady beds and “see what happens”. If a plant fails to thrive I hardly know it. If it does well, but I don’t like it in the spot where it chose to grow I can always move it. If it does well and multiplies, or makes seeds, even better.
I can play around with seeds and annuals and take risks and let my garden evolve. I invest a little more money in perennials, so I’m more careful with them, but I still try to be a touch lazy. I stay with tried and true perennials that are likely to do well in our heat. I don’t try many fussy plants, or plants that are clearly better suited to other climates and conditions. I don’t want to waste my time and effort constantly coaxing a plant along.
I like “free” plants, so I seldom turn down the offer of plants or seeds from other gardeners. If it does well in someone else’s garden, chances are it will do well in mine. This is only my third year here, so I need all the free help I can get until my own plants become more established and I’m able to take cuttings and seeds from them.
I used my lazy skills in the vegetable garden this year. I had some grape boxes that I’ve been dragging around for thirty years and they are getting a bit old. So I used three of them for little planters. I have radishes in one, basil in another, and sweet peas in the third. To fill them I simply put paper in the bottoms, placed a bag of soil in each box, and slit the bags open. Pulled back the edges and cut them off. Used a fourth bag of soil to top off the other three, and then planted.
My last lazy lesson is, don’t be so worried about a few weeds and grasses. Like I said, they are only “bad” because they are growing where I don’t want them to grow. After all, this wasn’t a bare spot of ground to begin with, so actually I am the intruder. I am the one who needs to work to defend what I want to grow. Everything else out here is just doing what it did for a hundred years before I got here!
If you need proof of my lazy wisdom I give you the example of the two plants I studied this morning. The white one is a plant I bought at Lowe’s for $2.50. The yellow one came up wild beside it. There are lots more in the pasture! Now I think it is quite ironic that the two are so similar and growing side by side. I can’t see any obvious advantage that the store-bought one has over the other in terms of beauty. Can you? Sometimes Mother Nature is just a whole lot smarter than I am, but I’m trying to learn her tricks. I’m too lazy to do anything else.
Cow vs. Horse
Apparently there was a minor confrontation Sunday night between one of the cows and our Mustang. The cow was clearly the victor. Gary did not discover the damage until he got to work and looked at the car in the daylight. He called me and asked me to meet him after work with the truck so he could get the supplies for a little “car corral”. So that became our evening project. Now the Mustang can rest easy. And Friday it gets to visit the shop!
Still waiting, waiting, for the ignition switch for the mower…..
I bought a fire-proof safe yesterday. I’ve been feeling uneasy about having some original photos and documents just sitting around in albums. Going to move some of them to the safe. I’ll feel better, especially during vacation. I know Robert; you think I live my life in fear. Not really. I’m just careful.
These photos are proof that I can never just walk down the road!!
Trying New Things
Since today is supposed to be about food, let me just say that the raccoon is having dog food, bird seed, and leftover sweet potato fries for her dinner. And yes, she is stuffing those fries in her mouth as quickly as possible! We ALL like to try new things.
I tried three food products last week that were new to me. The first was Thomas’s Bagel Thins. They are about half the plumpness of regular bagels, while retaining the same circumference. They have 110 calories, 1g fat, and 210mg of sodium. Not bad for a bagel! And the same great taste as the regular size. Be careful toasting them since they are quite thin. Crispy in no time at all!
Finally tried Greek yogurt. I had to wait until our store started carrying it. First choice was Dannon Greek Yogurt, plain, 5.3 oz. I’m a big fan of plain yogurt and often buy Dannon plain to put on fruit. The Greek stuff has 80 calories, 50mg sodium, 0 fat and 160mg of potassium. Let me just say “WOW!” The texture alone is worth the price. So much creamier. Why? What do they do to it? The taste is also milder and I would imagine that more people would eat this plain flavor, with or without adding any fruit.
Gary and I are both big fans of Alexia foods. Last week we tried Chipotle Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Vegetables (corn, black beans, peppers,onions). The frozen veggie mix comes with a packet of infused oil that gives this side dish its wonderful taste and freshness. It’s going to be a regular item on my summer shopping list. One cup has 160 calories, 6g fat, 190mg sodium, and 480mg potassium.
A few updates. No, I have not had a soda since December. Haven’t even been tempted. I drink a little lemonade now and then. Cranberry or orange juice for breakfast. Tonic water sometimes, to help with leg cramps. Lots of water, iced tea, and coffee during the day. With the summer heat taking over, I will probably limit my coffee to the mornings, but I have been known to have a cup or two in the afternoon, while sitting under the cool breeze of the air conditioner.
I’m still working on my walking plan. I am too much pain at the moment to give it much thought, but in another hour or so I will be ready to walk down the hill. That is my summer plan. Down the hill to the cattle guard each morning, even if I walk at a snail’s pace for now. I will also be mowing this morning. I figure that thirty minutes behind the mower counts for something! The part for the riding mower is scheduled to arrive today, but even with that we will still have some push mowing that must be done each week.
I am also going to attempt a return to yoga. It’s the only exercise that has always helped me with strength and pain relief. I have three videos that I’ve used in the past and I’m going to give the easiest one another try this morning. I’ll let you know how that goes. I’ve just decided that if I have all this time that is mine to schedule and consume, I might as well devote some of it to my own improvement.
That’s it for today. Just a few new things to try. And you can consider the flowers “eye candy” so we can say that today’s post is all about food! J Enjoy your day! You know I will…
