Saturday's Scribbles on Sunday

Good Sunday to you on Memorial Day weekend.  A good amount of rain this past week has made everything so many beautiful shades of green, our trees are full, the neighbors flowers are blooming and with our doors open we are really enjoying our favorite singing Wren who comes yearly to nest in the birdhouse Joel made.  Loving May!

This past week we were able to start getting what we need to renovate our upstairs bathroom.  Came home with a tub from Home Depot and floor tile from Menards.  Finding the right vanity top/sink combo has been more challenging, but we will persist in our search.  The upstairs bathroom is a 1980's black and white explosion that hurts the eyes.   There is a high old jet tub that this vertically challenged person has trouble getting in and out of.  At my age it is risky every time I shower.  After 18 years we have decided enough is enough and will renovate.  Exciting!

This has been a season of Okay then. I think about when I had a good eye report and lymphedema report and two days later end up in ER.  Or something as simple as making almond bread for myself and then cookies for Joel and then when I was doing clean up I noticed that a piece of the rubber spatula I used to scrap both the bread and cookie bowl was gone.  Okay then.  I warned Joel about it and said a quick prayer that neither of us would eat it.  A few hours later Joel bites into a cookie and there it was!  Yay,,.no worry of swallowing it.  Good grief.

Thursday I got a letter from the clinic  where the Holter results were to go, with a report that said, "It was good to see you in our office.  Your echocardiogram came back okay.  Let me know if we can be of further assistance." So, here's the thing....I DID NOT see the doctor and I DID NOT have an echo.  Okay, then.  

We decided to just go to my appointment the next day and get it figured out.  Friday I saw my primary doctor to find out the results of the Holter monitor.  My primary doctor retired over a year ago so I scheduled a physical with a new one in the same clinic for August.  When I had called for an appointment we learned my OLD primary was helping fill in and I asked to see her for the Holter results.  She knows me well.  She spent a great deal of time with me, thank you Jesus.  And told me the other doctor had made a mistake in sendng the letter.  Can't say I have much confidence in the "new" primary?  Hmmmm   While there I mentioned my up coming physical and my retired primary said she could do that when I asked her....Yay.....We talked a long time about the results as they found no sign of a heart problem.  Most of the palps I felt did not even show up on the Holter.  With how we know it started and what I know helps it or triggers it and the test results,  the consensus is that it is from anxiety.  Okay then.  Now we have a place to start from.

So we decided to get our 2nd boosters Friday also since I got a nod from my doctor.   Neither of us had side effects except tiredness from our first booster, so we expected the same.  Joel was a bit tired, and me?  Hit by a train with headache, chills, aches and pains, fatigue, etc.  Okay, then.  Saturday was spent horizontal, but Sunday I started to feel better.  There are other examples of this season of "good...good.....BAM" but what we are holding on to is the fact that it works out for good.  God is in the midst of it all whether a trip to the ER or a piece of spatula found in a cookie!

Getting back to hearts, I have been reminded a few times of the vision I had of Jesus walking up to me, reaching in and taking my heart out.  He cupped it in his hands and when he opened his hands a fluffy little newborn bird was in his hands.  Soon the bird flew off....and I heard the word "freedom".  When palpitations want to speak loudly I remember that and give thanks that God has my heart.  The verse He gave me that same week is one I have memorized.  "The heart at peace gives life to the body."  Proverbs 14:30.  Thank you God.   

We hope you have had a good Memorial Day.  Maybe some grilling, some family or friends gathering together, and time to remember what this holiday is all about.  Today I am grateful  for those we honor on this day , for good reports, for side effects that go away, for grilled burgers and crisp salad on a warm day, for the way God speaks to me in pictures and videos,  for finding the piece of rubber in a cookie bite, for Sunday worship from home, for finding tile and a tub, for the promises of God...and so much more.

Enjoy the week ahead!

Saturday's Scribbles

Good Saturday to you on this crisp May morning where temperatures are back into the low 50's for highs...at least we are not dealing with snow like parts of Colorado...or intense heat like the Northeast.  Yeah, Iowa isn't so bad............We are enjoying all the spring flower in our neighborhood....the now 2 baby bunnies that are nibbling on our hosta plants (!) and the birds we have nesting in our trees and birdhouses.  Sadly, one bird died on our front porch yesterday.  A starling....we are not sure how?  Maybe hit the reflective glass of our front storm/screen door.  Poor thing. Life is what happens while you are making other plans.....

Speaking of plants, we have greatly enjoyed the Dutch tulips blooming in our dining room...watching a pot of dirt grow in two weeks into 10 beautiful coral tulips that brighten our days!  Thank you B and K.  This can so relate to our own growth as God's kids!  Beauty from ashes!  Dirt to "fruit".

Speaking of life and plans, it has been another week of doctors for me.  Good news?  The glaucoma is holding steady.  The Dr. said to me, "I don't know what you are doing, but keep doing it."  I replied, "Praying.  I am praying."  He said, "Well that is good of course, but besides that you must be eating right, exercising, etc."  Evidently even though I feel frustrated at the downhill progress of my eyes, the eye specialists I see think I am doing surprisingly well.  Okay then. A different perspective is needed by this lady.

Wednesday we headed over to the Mayo Lymphedema Clinic and heard good news again.  To my surprise and the PT's, my arm is doing really really well and the test they measure my body fluid/resistance by showed extremely good numbers.  I am now in a smaller size compression sleeve and having to wrap this arm only 2x a week...and then 1x.  Yes!  So more good news.............and a different perspective needed by this lady who could not see the progress.

Friday at 5 am found us at the ER after a long 12 hours of heart palpitations which were more intense as the hours after midnight went by.  Having my heart monitored, and x-ray, EKG, blood work and exam told us the heart looked just fine.  The doctor asked me if I had any new stressors in my life.....then went on to say, "Your heart appears strong and solid but with all you have gone through in the past few years, it looks like anxiety could be the culprit."  This did not surprise Joel or I but ending up in ER did.  I am on day 2 of wearing a monitor to rule out any hidden heart issue so will see where this leads, but again I will say.........it looks like a different perspective is needed here.

We looked at a different house yesterday.  A couple we know in the neighborhood association where we live is moving closer to their grandkids (and daughter) and we were able to get a tour of their home.  It is absolutely beautiful inside.  Such high end finishes and updates.  We have been asking the same questions.....Can we afford to move and is this area where we are to stay?  As we pray about this,  I started giving thanks for where we are for now, for what we have, always,  AND for what God has planned for our future.  

Earlier this week my mind was on those people killed in the grocery store in Buffalo, NY...and in church in CA.  Seriously, just going about their business and some evil person with the spirit of hatred on him decides he will pick up a weapon and kill others.  Just like that.  Shopping or worshiping and your precious earthly life is gone, cut short by a madman. (I have stopped watching the news) This kind of too common event can make the whole world seem unsafe.  I still hear the words of one woman in NY who said, "I will forgive this man. For me. For my sake I will forgive him..  He can't change who we are to each other."  A Heavenly perspective we all can embrace.

It might be a little obvious that I am in a reflective place today.  A few hours in the ER will do that for you.  Actually the whole week was like God opening my eyes to having a better perspective on things.  Remembering that all things work together for those who love the Lord and are called to His purpose". Seeing all things through His eyes.....from a Heavenly perspective.  From a "my cup overflows" perspective, ya know?  From a baby bunny's perspective of trusting that what he needs will be taken care one day at a time.  Even if our hostas are part of his meal plan!

So today I am giving thanks for good reports, for things "not found", for soothing music on Alexa, for Lisa Harper teachings that make me laugh while learning, for Dutch tulips in my dining room.  Grateful for a great, efficient ER, for bunnies, for sunshine and rain, for stocking up at Trader Joe's.  Grateful for Joel's endless love and support, for God showing me a different perspective, for phone calls, texts, emails, and French toast and bacon for a Saturday supper!!

Enjoy your weekend! 

Saturday's Scribbles

It is a beautiful day here in our corner of the world with temps rising to 81 degrees before heading back down tomorrow to "normal".  The trees are  filling out and growing grass means lawns are being mowed, and flowers planted.  Our baby bunny continues to give us endless entertainment (especially for Joel).  I love sitting in the living room and hearing the birds talking in the mornings.  They are as happy as we are to have winter behind us.

Speaking of that, we had three days this past week where temps hit the 90's breaking records.  Humidity was high too so we mostly stayed inside.  We had scheduled an  A/C check so it was good to know that was ready for the heat.  Strange weather for early May.

Speaking of strange weather, one of our families went through a nasty storm on Thursday and a tree fell on their house.  No real damage to speak of which is amazing.  All around them and in a nearby town there was flooding, damage to roofs, houses, farms, etc.  Not good at all.  We are grateful they are all doing well and got off "so easy" with just one tall old pine tree down.

Speaking of old, I am feeling that way this week, I have not fallen on the roof,,,haha.... but have been hitting the sofa pretty hard the last three days.  Yesterday we went to Verizon to get a screen protector and have someone help me activate voice texting as it would not work.  We have to stand and wait for our turn but after a few minutes I told Joel I had to sit down....now.   Been a very long time since that has come up, but afterwards I told Joel I still wanted to go to T J Maxx to shop....stubborn is a word that can be used to describe me.....I prefer tenacity.  Ha..... It meant the rest of the day and night were not good .  Doing some research for answers i learned Lymphedema has it's own set of symptoms...more than just swelling of limbs or chest wall.  Huh......did not know this.  That took me back to when I went to the breast clinic at Mayo where I sat with a Nurse Practitioner who looked me in the eye and said, "Look, you have been through six surgeries in 9 months, you were on oral chemo for 6 months, then chemo IV's and radiation after a double mastectomy.  Now you are on an anti-cancer treatment.  You nee to be gentle with yourself.  You body is doing the best it can.  Things will not come back quickly and some things will change."  I have fought hard to be here but forget the toll it has taken.

I'm thinking there are others who may be going through tough times...cuz if you are living, you WILL.  Don't expect too much from yourselves,  don't force your body to do things it is warning you about.  Accept where you are right now...don't resist, but take the present moment and just breathe into it.  I will add, don't give up before you get your miracle, but enjoy every step of your journey. And isn't every day a miracle to behold?!  So many journeys are cut short.  If we have learned anything from this pandemic this should be it.  Life is precious.  

So last Sunday was Mother's Day and we actually went to nearby Clear Lake to a Local Lutheran Church of Hope site.  I needed to be able to raise my hands during worship!  It was a good thing.  Grilled pork chops, phone calls, and texts made the rest of the day special. I was expecting pansies from Joel but got a runner for the front entry instead.  We have been trying to find one that works.....bought the wrong one....Joel searched and found a great match to the rug that is in front of the closet.  He has good taste! Well, in some things anyway!  Ha,..  It was definitely a nice surprise. We went together and purchased the pansies on Monday together!

Love the new rugs

Pansies

So Joel has been spending as much time as he can outside...yardwork, porch sitting, and his latest project.  He rode his bike a couple of times and today is doing the floors in our house.  This takes awhile since we have 5 levels of floors.....It is a complicated floor plan.  Basement, landing with half down bedroom, main level, half up landing and bedroom, upstairs.  Yeah....if you are wondering why these two oldsters are living in such a house at our age?  So am I!  Ha...

So this week I am grateful for new rugs, pansies that remind me of my mom, a new phone case, baby bunnies, my hubby doing floors, Mother's Day worship, Dutch tulips that are growing fast, phone calls, texts, and emails, the power of prayer, homemade bread, a hubby who can still run up and down the stairs, open doors and windows, knowing..."this too will pass", family being safe in the storm, comfy sofas, and so much more.......

Enjoy your weekend!

Saturday's Scribbles

 

Good Saturday to you from our corner of Iowa where sunshine is bringing endless shades of green to the outdoor world after so much rain.  We have a new "resident" in the backyard that provides  entertainment for my hubby.  A baby rabbit has joined the pack and comes into our yard to graze.  He is adorable of course!

Speaking of yards, Joel has been busy this week making a rock area up front of the porch where we tried to lay sod last year.  Complete failure so we decided to go with edging and rock.  The neighbor wanted to get rid of a pile by his driveway that was left from his last project, so Joel has been using the wheelbarrow to bring it to our yard.  Then sifting it through a screen sifter he made to get rid of the layers of dirt....washing it thoroughly over and over and then drying it some and putting it in the area.  This is day 3 of the project.  He is enjoying it all, especially being outside!  With a temperature of 70 forecast for today he will not be in until supper I am sure!

Last Sunday night our oldest son arrived late in the evening for an overnight visit.  He had been at his daughter's game and came for the night before heading to a second college softball game on Monday....then driving all the way home later that night.  We had such a nice time visiting on Monday morning.  We were both very sad when he left and not ready for him to go.  We realized we had only had three people visit us since last December....My sister and brother-in-law came for a couple of hours, and then our oldest son.  That is so not okay......my hubby does not swear but he is known to say, "damn cancer" or "damn covid". He says that is not swearing ~ it is cursing these evil diseases.   Both have limited our lives too much.  We can all relate on some level.

Joel got his second shingles shot on Tuesday in the morning and I had an eye shot in the afternoon.  Neither of us thought he would be affected that quickly but he was feeling funky by that afternoon and that night and the next day he was napping ...2...3...4....times.  By Thursday he was much better and ready to get outside!  BUT Thursday we spent a few hours getting me a new phone and getting help from our favorite computer repair couple to get it working well!  The old one was 5 yrs old and had zero storage space left.....Our Verizon store did a poor job of helping us.

Hot pink tennies a bit worse for wear!

This has been a week of roller coaster rides with this ol' body but I walked 35 minutes all but one day.  I did not walk Thursday and it felt so weird.  Seriously, it had been a couple of months since I had not walked every single day.  Now when I don't walk everything feels out of sync.  I think that is probably true for most patterns we set up in life.  It is odd when they are missing..........I know I have written about it before, but Holy Spirit spoke strongly to me about walking ten years ago and I continue to make the effort......the first time He spoke to me I ordered hot pink tennis shoes and sat them by my recliner to remind me that I WOULD be walking again.  (battling Lyme)....The first time I made it the 5 minutes down to the river and 5 minutes back we celebrated!!!  My goal at present is to walk 45 minutes....then the sky is the limit!  ha..

Tomorrow is Mother's Day.  My mother died 20 years ago this June at the age of 92.  She struggled with addiction to alcohol through out my childhood so my two older sisters helped raise me.  Joey, who was 15 years older than me, (Gr. Jo to my kids) mothered me and I lived with her and her family at age 10 and then again at age 12 until I went off to college.  My sister Jan who is eleven years older than me, also mothered me while she was at home and a couple other brief times in my childhood.  I am forever grateful to these three women and how they shaped my life. BTW,  My mom stopped drinking at age 59 and was a wonderful grandmother to our kids.....and our relationship was restored too.  God is so good, isn't he.  Thank you mom, Joey, and Janey, for teaching me about life, teaching me about courage and survival, teaching me how to dance, play rummy and yahtzee, laugh, love God, and pray.  

Today I received in the mail a box with a surprise inside....a pot with bulbs to grow an indoor Dutch tulip garden.  Some of the shoots are already visible and we are excited to watch this unfold....It was from our oldest daughter and son-in-law and grands and what a delight to open it!  It isn't warm enough to have flowers outside just yet so this is May in a pot on our table!  

Mothers come in all ways, in all shapes, and in all sizes.  None is perfect, no not one.  But God loves moms so much and I pray that each of you as moms, or having moms, are richly blessed by our God who created moms for his children.  Happy Mother's Day!

Speaking of mothers it brought to mind a woman I have been watching on YouTube ~ Lisa Harper who is a dynamic, funny, deeply smart Bible teacher and who makes the Bible and daily living come together so well.  I thought of her because at the age of 57 she has an 11 year old daughter from Haiti that she adopted as a single mom.    She is so good to listen to!  "Try her, you might like her!" In some ways she reminds me of our oldest daughter who teaches Old Testament at her church, etc.  I have always wanted to sit in on one of her studies!

Today I am grateful for moms that come in all ways, shapes and sizes, for a new phone, for a visit with our oldest son, for emails and texting with family,  phone calls with family and friends, for how hard my hubby works to take care of our home and property, for doors open and fresh air coming in, for a baby rabbit to enjoy.  Grateful for Lisa Harper teachings, grilling pork chops, bulbs growing in my house, and so much more..............

Enjoy your weekend!