Happy June/Happy Pride

Sorry for my absence but my body hasn't been functioning as it should. An x-ray showed no arthritis in my hand 💁; so the next step is to see a neurologist. But after a 3 week head cold along with debilitating pain in my right hand and arm (to the point where I couldn't use it), I'm now beginning to feel better. Aging sucks!

I've eaten boring food and watched boring TV, so I've nothing exciting to share on that end. We've had 2 days of sunshine sandwiched by 16 days of cold and rain. Still I've gotten out for my brookside walks a number of times. It's fascinating to watch spring wake the earth: the unfurling of a fern or the lifecycle of a Dandelion bring such delight and hope.

And the community garden is coming along beautifully. It needs to be weeded again soon. But all the neighbours join me in saying what a joy it is to look outside and see the blooms (especially on these rainy days). 

The local committee has been doing inspections and repairs of the units. Mine is due to be painted very soon and I'll finally say goodbye to this sad, dingy yellow. Now, I'm someone who likes to surround herself with colour; but seeing as this space is much smaller for me and I have a lot of colour in my furniture and accessories, I have opted instead for a neutral white color! (My kids are shocked!) The colour I've chosen is called Persian Cat, and I like it because the sample seemed to change with the light; sometimes it had a slight green tint, other times a slight blue. Once the painting is finished, I have a few other small esthetic changes to bring to my space to make it more ME. 

I hope your health is good, my friends, and that summer has already arrived where you are. 

And a Happy Pride month to everyone. Remember: choose love. 

Namaste y'all! 💕

 

Now that I'm retired, I've made a plan for my days: I'd rise early, meditate and stretch, eat a healthy breakfast, take a walk, spend my afternoons on chores, and then reward myself with a relaxing evening watching Netflix or Prime. Doesn't that sound good? Doesn't that sound productive and healthy? But life doesn't go as we plan.

I spent the past 2 days resting because my back pain flared up again after pulling my 18 month old grandson on his sled. It never hurts while I'm doing it; it's always the next day. And seeing as I've never done that particular activity before, it's not like I should have known better. Sigh! It's just another thing on my list that I have to remember to not do because of my back! (It's a long list.)

But this morning, I felt much better. I meditated, I stretched (a little), I ate my yogurt and fruit. So, the next step is to go for a walk. And after 2 days of inactivity, I was anxious to get out that door!

                           Oh! Yeah! Newfoundland weather!

Well, perhaps I'll just wait until the snow let's up. And if it doesn't, then I'll have to settle for walking round and round the outside of the senior's cottages. But I must get out for some movement and fresh air. I don't know about you, but if I don't move often, my arthritis will act up, I have trouble sleeping and I'm oh so crabby!

In the meantime, there are other things I can do:

• 
  I'll go through my recipe binders and remove the ones that I've never tried (and probably never will)
• I'll write up a grocery list

But my first priority will be to make myself a latte and catch up on new blog posts. 

Stay warm and dry, my friends!

Namaste!

I disagree with the Romans ......

Hibernia, the Land of Eternal Winter,  

was the name given to Ireland by the ancient Romans. But they had obviously never been to western Newfoundland!

Boy oh boy! It's hard work staying on top of one's mental health when all around is cold and snow. And I'm not talking about small stuff! The temperatures for the past 3 weeks have averaged -17 Celcius (approx 1 degree Fahrenheit). Today is -15 with a windchill factor which brings the temperature down to -31 C (-23 F). In these temperatures, even road salt doesn't always do its job; the roads are greasy-feeling beneath one's studded tires (law here in NL). 
As well, here on the west coast of Newfoundland, the snow doesn't stop falling:  I mean really! It snows every single day! It's not always a lot of snow; and we get days with periods of beautiful sunshine (but never a full day of sun). And those periods of sun are usually followed by periods of grey skies and blowing snow. And then there are the snow squalls which can be pretty terrifying as they blow up unexpectedly. My 10-12 min journey home at the end of the day can contain a snow squall sandwiched between sunshine! Sure makes life interesting!

And while the rest of the world is talking daffodils and mud, we will still be talking snow for at least another month and a half. Oh dear! It's around this time of year that life becomes particularly difficult for me (and others, I presume). Cabin fever can be a reality even in the middle of a city!

So, how does one keep up one's spirit? 

Artwork by Mark Sheetey

For me, it involves lots of determination, perseverance and some encouragement -- be it friends, uplifting quotes, meditation and/or prayer, music, or even the occasional tipple or toke (legal here in Canada). Whatever way one can, one crawls doggedly towards the light!

(Other than the dark hair, this picture could totally be my doughy-white arse crawling towards what I hope is a travel agent with a ticket to a hot country with free bar and room service!)

As I always mention, self-care is a huge part of how I get through these long winters. Even in the coldest of temperatures, I try to get outside each day, even if it's only to stand in the driveway for 5-10 minutes. I try to open my windows for a little every day to let in some fresh air:  Mother Nature is so important. I remind myself of the blessings and advantages I have; I try to eat well; I have successful methods to de-stress. But it's almost always a decision I have to make daily to do what I can to keep my head above it all. And my living and spending most of my time alone with another 2 months of winter still ahead means I have to work extra hard. It can be exhausting. 

But isn't it worth it? I mean, if the alternative is crying in the corner, rending my garments and gnashing my teeth, I'll choose laughter and dance every time.  

So, here's to my fellow 'winter workers' who like me are fighting daily to be positive and optimistic .... or to just hang onto your branch .... but are doggedly crawling towards the light. 

Hang in there, Babies. WE ARE WORTH IT!

I'm Back

I've finally healed enough to type (and it's extra physio). It's been a very difficult 10 weeks. There are so many things that are affected by a break that no one is aware of until they're in the midst of it.

Here's my neat little Frankinstein scar covering my metal plate.
Soon I'm going to see if I can single-handedly wrist-hold a magnet!

I broke my wrist on Jan 22nd; had surgery on Feb 6th and got my cast off 2 weeks ago on Mar 21st. In between the break and the cast coming off there was, understandably, considerable pain. The doctor gave me an opiate for pain, but I didn't see much difference and I was quite wary of increasing the pills as they're so addictive. So instead, I smoked an Indica strain of cannabis; it helped me relax and took away 60-70% of the pain which meant that I could rest.

And rest I did! Wow! Your body goes into healing mode and all a person does for the first 3-4 weeks is rest. Getting all the pillows into an appropriate pattern to allow me to rest and support both my arm and back needed strategic planning and design! And thank goodness once again for Netflix and Crave TV which helped to entertain me.

I only missed a total of about 3 full weeks of work. Then I went part days:  my co-worker picked me up in the morning and my landlord brought me home at about 3 pm, exhausted and in such pain! But I was glad to get out of the house and didn't cuss too much at having to type one handed. I've been back full time for 2 weeks. Friends and family have helped to feed me; and I bought a lot of frozen meals so my diet suffered along with my hand. But I was happy to not have to prepare many meals myself.

I broke my foot 10 years or so ago and wasn't able to walk, of course. But did you know that when you break an arm or wrist, not only can you not use that particular limb, but you can't do a number of fairly important things. 

• I couldn't style/dry my hair, put backs on earrings or do up clasps on necklaces, or wear any pants that had zips or buttons.
• I couldn't butter bread. (All my aprons have permanent grease stains on the belly portion from attempting to butter 'n' jam my toast.)
• I couldn't chop veggies or slice bread. When I wanted to quarter an orange, for instance, I used my elbow to stabilize the orange and a bread knife to saw through. Exhausting!
• I couldn't wear a mitten or glove and had to wear my oversize ski jacket both for fit and so that I could cover my cold little cast fingers.
• I couldn't do up my bra; so it had to be fastened first, put on over my head (inserting my casted arm first) and then carefully, painfully pulled down into place. This took upwards of 5 min work and I always needed to rest afterwards.
• My back was bruised and hurt for a whole month after the fall. And I had to keep my arm elevated as much as possible. So, there were no soothing, rejuvenating epsom salts baths. And drying oneself after a shower was a long, hard process.
  
• AND it doesn't stop when the cast comes off as you now have to re-teach your arm/hand joints and muscles how to work. Nothing would move and the muscle pain is pretty awful. I'm doing my own 2x a day physio; and after 2 weeks I can touch my thumb to all my fingers and can curl them half way. Still not too much flexion in my wrist, but there is improvement every day. This week, I can use all my fingers to type (but I make a lot of mistakes with my left hand.)

Needless to say, breaking a wrist/arm is a tough go, but I'm on the mend. Thank you for entertaining me with your blog posts; and hope to begin blogging again soon on a more regular basis.

Here's hoping spring will come to my province soon to brighten my days and allow me to walk again. 

Ciao bellas!

Snowy Update

I'm back after recovering from a fairly minor yet terribly-inconveniencing viral infection; and I'm ready to rumble!

Rumble with the season, that is!


Yes, Christmas is fast approaching. I've most of the shopping done; next I'll be planning my cooking and baking lists; then the decorating will happen. After 2 years back home, I think I can finally remember that there's only one person in my house, and I'll be sharing sweets with my siblings. So hopefully, I will not go overboard with the baking as I have in previous years. Let's see -- Some kind of shortbread (traditional or with a twist?); some kind of fruity/nutty sweet (dark fruitcake or mincemeat?) and one more treat (cheesecake squares? lemon squares? Decisions, decisions!). I'm still missing my darling international children with their treats, especially my German girls; so I have an idea that I may try chocolate-covered Lebkuchen myself! Hmmmm! We'll see.

The weather here has certainly been Xmas-like. From Nov 11th until this past Sunday, we experienced 4 snowstorms and I had 3 extra days off work! Even for snowy Newfoundland, this is unusual! This is end-of-January weather. Thankfully, the gods blessed us this week with sunshine and a little rain to wash away some of that snow. Still, this is what it looks like here today.

Corner Brook, Newfoundland CANADA - November 27, 2018

Those mountains in the background will retain their snow until sometime next July! (Then I'll climb to the top again.)

TTFN. I'm gonna get back to making my lists (and checking them twice). 

Still Crazy after all These Years!

The weather here in western Newfoundland has been wonderful for the past couple of weeks: sunny day and cool evenings are perfect for my tastes!

I'd been nursing a sore calf muscle that I believe was the result of walking twice in one day; neither walk was particularly strenuous, but I'd been suffering chin-splint discomfort in my right calf: so I decided to stop walking for a week. Then after doing the hike with my brother and my usual easy walks at home, I felt I was ready for a more challenging hike this past weekend.

My memory bank told me that last year's Corner Brook Stream Trail hike was a really easy one because it was one of two done on the same day. So, I thought I'd add the Ginger Root Trail to my hike because it actually which meets up with the CB Stream Trail. And according to the map trail map I found, it was a 4 km return hike. 

I think I misread, and it was actually 4 km ONE way! Just before I reached the falls, I began to suspect it was longer than I'd anticipated ...... but of course, it was too late to turn back then.  

It was pretty difficult, uphill almost all the way over rocks and tree roots; but I knew the falls were waiting for me. I ate lunch at the top, all alone, the sound of the falls in one ear, birds singing in the other. I stayed for about an hour, and it was blissful. The weather was cool at the start -- perfect for climbing -- and the woods were alive with bird song, squirrels and a number of friendly toads. It was warmer on the descent; so I spent some time talking to those creatures on my way down as I needed someone to commiserate with over my folly (and none of those creatures judged me). Here are some of the highlights of my hike. 

Here I am 4 days later and only now beginning to recover from what turned out to be 9.5 km (6 mi) of walking! Egad! 


My feet didn't suffer as I have good hiking sneakers. But my legs, butt and lower back were been seized up tighter than an 8 day clock, and I've been waddling around like Jemima Puddle Duck! 

Oh the follies of the growing-elderly!

I should be recovered enough to take on a small hike this weekend .... fingers crossed and brain engaged this time round!

 

Hibernation Weekend!

Feeling a little world weary and worn from my illness, I decided to spend my weekend focusing on self care. This required a little preparation. So the first thing I did was to call any of my peeps who might worry if they didn't hear from me.

You can see where my interests lie!

The second bit of prep work was more enjoyable. I took Friday  afternoon off because the sun was shining: I'm extremely fortunate to be  able to do that occasionally. I really needed to walk, so I parked the car at one end of West Street and walked to the library in the cold, crisp air. After loading up on magazines and cookbooks, I walked to one of my favorite cafes where I ate a delicious falafel wrap and sipped my latte while sitting at the window with the sun pouring in. I felt like a lazy cat! 

Back at home, my self-enforced hibernation began with couch time. Soft music was playing, I had a cup of lemon ginger tea and I took my time going through a few of my library finds. A not-too-far-in-the-past Zoomer magazine featured these talented ladies from "Alias Grace". (If you haven't seen this series, I encourage you to watch it. It was wonderful!) And look at the way Margaret Atwood stands her own in that amazing jacket. I want to have that kind of confidence and presence when I grow up!

Saturday was National Cheese Day; so brunch was baked brie with cranberry marmalade. Yummy! I spent the whole day zig-zagging from yoga to reading cookbooks; shovelling a path to the car and sitting on a snowy bench with my face to the sky catching snowflakes; and arranging and pasting to bring my journal up to date. That evening I re-watched one of my kid's favourite movies, Totoro. How great it was to revisit that after so many years:  such a gentle sweet movie. 

Sunday I decided I really needed to get out of the house and walk again. So, in spite of the weather, I dug out my snow pants, dressed warmly and walked until my legs ached from trudging through the deep snow on the road's edge. I stopped and sat on these steps, looking down at the icy water in the bay and listening to the surf. It was very calming.


The walk back home was a little more difficult because I was walking directly into the wind and it was a fair trek back! But I wrapped my scarf around my mouth, and focused on deeply breathing in the wonderful fresh air, on the feel of my arms swinging back and forth as I walked, and how warm my body felt in spite of the cold all around me. Back in the warmth of my little cave, I felt so glad I'd done the walk. 

I cooked a pork shoulder with apples and cranberries and roasted potatoes for my dinner. And that evening as I watched Star Trek Discovery and Victoria, I slowly ate one of the gourmet chocolate bars my daughter had sent me for Xmas.



OMG! This bar was wonderful. The quality of the chocolate was sublime. And no one flavour was overpowering but they were perfectly melded: the raspberry being the first flavour to hit you, then the subtle hint of rose water, and finally those delicious chewy fennel seeds at the end. Pure luxury!


In terms of rejuvenation and peace, the weekend was a complete success. I feel so much better this morning, more able to face the work week and the challenges that often come my way.

How do you recharge? Do you sometimes feel the need to "hibernate"? 

Whatever you do, I hope you got to practice a little "Hygie" this past weekend.


  

Smiling from the Deep Freeze

It seems that we're all experiencing terribly cold temperatures this winter. The news is full of stories about this. We should be used to it here in Newfoundland; but although we're used to lots of snow, it doesn't usually get this cold this early in the season.These are February temperatures! This morning it's -9 C (15.8 deg F).  My car was parked at the bottom of my hill, so I dressed with extra layers and care to make the short walk down.

I'm healing from my bronchitis. But try as I did, the side effects from my daily asthma medication were too harsh. I was unable to function yesterday afternoon --  in such pain and even my eyesight was affected! So, after checking with a local nurse, I stopped taking them last night. It's so hard to be positive and optimistic when you've been ill for so long and the meds are making things worse. But I tried my best.

In spite of the cold weather and my ailments, I went outside both Saturday and Sunday to get some fresh air and natural light. The sun even came out for 20 min which was wonderful! The snow was light and powdery, making it easy to clean off the car and easy to walk in. I stood in the driveway and turned my face to the sky and just luxuriated in the chill in my cheeks and the wonderful feeling of warmth in the rest of my body. I so want to enjoy this season. (And I'm pretty sure there's still time to do that! Egad!)


When I went back inside, I put on my new purple fairy-slippers and ate soup and hot buttered toast. Yummy! Saturday I spent the afternoon watching cooking shows on Public Television. And Sunday afternoon, I took a much needed 2 hour nap. I feel very fortunate to be able to do these things. Living alone has many perks!

Today my focus is on continued healing. I'm looking for pockets of sunshine and positivity. I often find these when I read your blogs. So, I'd like to share this one from MA at "On the Bright Side" (http://goodmorningsmiles.blogspot.ca/). This is a good one practice any day of the week! 

Decide to be happy today, to live with what is yours – your family, your business, your job, your luck. If you can’t have what you like, maybe you can like what you have.

Just for today, be kind, cheerful, agreeable, responsive, caring, and understanding. Be your best, dress your best, talk softly, and look for thebright side of things. Praise people for what they do and do not criticize them for what they cannot do. If someone does something stupid, forgive and forget. After all, it’s just for one day.

Who knows, it might turn out to be a nice day.

Cheers! And keep smiling!

More Non-Scents Please!

When I began blogging, I vowed to try to always be positive. No one wants to hear you griping and complaining, right? 

So, I won't talk about what a terrible Christmas I had because I was sick from the 20th of December on and am only today feeling like I'm on the road to recovery. I had asthmatic bronchitis which was brought on by an asthma attack I experienced while at a lovely Bethlehem Night at a local church. People and their perfume, aftershave and hair spray! I think most people think that if you're asking them not to wear scent that it's a personal preference. But no, for some of us, it's actually life threatening. My immune system is already compromised, and an asthma attack weakens it further.



I won't talk about the terrible/wonderful drugs they give you to heal and all the side effects.

No, instead I shall wax poetic about the joys of recovery; you know, when you can begin to enjoy being sick. Like the lovely feeling of being able to breathe again. Or the deliciousness of being able to savor a piece of hot buttered toast with crunchy peanut butter. And how nice it is to enjoy lying on your couch wrapped in a faux fur blanket, hot water bottle at your lower back and wearing the prettiest pair of fairy-shoe-like crocheted slippers from your eldest daughter (who never gives gifts).

I shall say how fortunate I was to be able to catch up on almost every movie from the 90's -- Beverly Hills Cop, 16 Candles, Breakfast Club to name just a few. (I was raising children in the 90'd so I missed most of them.) 

I shall speak of the comfort of soup: turkey noodle, bacon and red lentil, Mulligatawny, French onion; these are the food of the Gods when you're sick. And it's totally okay to eat 6 or 7 bowls a day -- totally guilt free food!


I shall sing the praises of TV's Gusto and the Food channels ..... and for the lovely Jamie Oliver for keeping me sane when I'd had it up to here with 90's movies! 

And I shall state that endless days all alone feeling like crap meant I could indulge in hours and hours of videos from when the children were young. After all, no one else wants to watch 10-12 hours of someone else's kids, right! And oh! Sigh! How uplifting it was to see young, wrinkle-free, slim Sandy who had curves instead of happy lumps 'n' bumps. What a dish I was/am!

I am so happy to see the back end of last year! But in spite of the scale for 2017 being heavy on the negative side (it was a very rough year for me), it wasn't all bad. And this FB meme summed it up perfectly. 

For anyone else who didn't get to experience the joys of the season, I hope this will lighten your heart as it did mine.

Happy New Year, everyone! 

Time Keeps on Slippin', Slippin', Slippin' .....

How fast does time fly these days! Remember when we were younger and the days spread out before us like a never-ending road. Now when you blink, a week has past! How does that happen (especially when you're NOT having fun)?

I do remember though how I've told myself for the past couple of years to get certain Christmas chores done early because time does creep up on me. 

• So, I've composed my annual letter and sent my packages overseas ('cause Canada Post is so expensive, one must use the "surface" mail and it takes 6 weeks!). 
• I've addressed my Xmas cards (and now they're ready for their individual 'personal' notes and to be stuffed into envelopes). 
• The few gifts I buy these days are purchased.
• And I've baked and wrapped my Xmas cakes. 

But every year, American Thanksgiving comes and I'm running round the house saying "OMG! Only one month until Xmas".  I don't stress about it; after all, my life has gotten a lot simpler these days and less is expected of me at Xmas. But it does motivate me to make my list of Xmas Musts and try to make a time schedule. And I think we all can agree that all sorts of additional stuff crops up at this time of year that will take our precious time in other directions.  So, I try to be as organized as possible.

But I still haven't found a way to slow down time. I've read quite a few articles on this subject and have adopted suggestions such as these by becoming more mindful. I don't overfill my days; I've culled my Facebook list of 'friends' and I limit time spent with the negative people in my life that can't be cut out (read 'family'!). I've organized and simplified. But time keeps on slippin', slippin', slippin' ... into the future.

The passage of time is one of the few things in life that we can do nothing about! We can only find ways to enjoy the ride as much as possible. I'll just keep on trying.

I hope you do too. In the meantime, let's hear a little Steve Miller.

Yeah! This makes me feel better!

Ah, the joys of aging! 

Have I mentioned the issue I have with scent? For the past 3-4 years, I've slowly developed a severe sensitivity (allergy?) to scent: perfume, after-shave, hand creams, etc; detergent, cigarette smoke, gas and diesel. I can actually feel those things in my nose and throat and at times, all the way down to my lungs. I get an immediate headache and stomach ache; and if I'm exposed too long or the scent is very strong, my sight will be affected and I will develop a migraine that could last for days. It's a serious issue.

I've also been developing noticable respiratory problems over the past 2 years - wheezing in my chest, persistent cough and clearing of my throat (which is never fully cleared), and recently, some added difficulty in breathing. But after 6 or 7 years, I finally have a family doctor. I'm on the list to see a specialist; but in the meantime, he's prescribed asthma meds; one for emergencies (like when I climb mountains) and a daily puffer, Symbicort.

By Day 2, I had to cut the Symbicort dose in half to 1 puff 2x a day. The side effects are more tolerable then. AND it's working already! I can breathe easier, no chest congestion, even my singing voice has improved. (Now I only have what I call the old lady tremolo, so I only sing in the car with the windows up!)

Side effects, you say? 

Well, there's the headache, nausea, leg cramps, heart palpatations, constipation, flu-like aches, terrible back ache (additional to what I already experience from my injury), constipation, killer heartburn and bloating. AND I hear I'm in for some additional weight gain! Ain't that grand!

(If anyone has any advice to pass on, please do so.)

So, while for my body to adjust to the meds and come into greater balance, I search for more natural ways to deal with the above and ways to make myself feel better. This week's weather has been a bonus: we've had sunshine and high temperatures (for the region and season). I've been taking extra care with my diet; practicing mindfulness, prayer and meditation; and trying to get enough sleep. (My sleep patterns are also affected!) And I'm being more careful about my dress; we all know how wearing something we love can alter our mood. 

Yesterday, I put on my comfy thrifted leopard print shoes, my double strand of sparkly purple glass beads, and a newly acquired, thrifted floaty top in a rusty-red color. 

The color helped to brighten my day and put a smile on my face. You can't even tell that my head hurts, my arms ache and my bloaty belly hurts.

After all, it was 18 deg C (64 deg F) and sunny. 
What's not to be happy about?

• So, how do you deal with those downer days?

(Now excuse me: I have to go drink my daily glass of prune juice.)
Ahhhhh! The joys of aging!