Day 438: Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day everyone!

Whether your family surprises you...

with food...

or flowers...

I hope you're able to spend it with those you love.

Hope you're having a great day.

Day 437

We (my mom and I) got back from Jackpot today. We took the back way home and I snapped some pictures along the way.

In the Snake River Canyon between the tiny towns of Buhl and Hagerman you'll find Thousand Springs. The Snake River Plains Aquifer runs for thousands of miles underground and the water eventually emerges and spills out from the canyon walls. I'm not sure it exactly springs from one thousands spots, but I'm guessing close to it.

I couldn't forget hubby, so I also snapped a picture for him. He's a fan of barns and I found a pretty good one.

Day 436

I hope yesterday it didn't seem like I was complaining about work. I love my job, I'm good at my job, and I'm respected at my job. And I'm ever-so-thankful that I have a job.

Remember, it was just a year ago I wasn't sure I'd ever work again. Didn't think it was in me. Didn't think I could get well enough, didn't think I had the stamina, didn't think I could regain my confidence. But I did in all those departments.

But things are changing at work and it'll be interesting how it all plays out. The only thing I know for sure about next year is that I'll have a job somewhere, doing something, and working more days than I did this year (which then translates into extra dollars).

Other things are changing at home, too. My father-in-law picked up the lift chair yesterday. That piece of furniture was where I slept after one of my shoulder surgeries and where I, even just a few months ago, spent my mornings to help get my back ready for the day. And now I don't need it anymore and it gets to go away. I have new routines in place for making my back make it through the day.

Like taking a shower in the mornings. Just a short couple months ago, I wasn't able to do that. On Day 364 I took a shower in the morning for the first time in years. Now those morning showers have become commonplace. Again, ever-so-thankful.

I even notice a difference with the gambling. Just barely a year ago when I went to the casino with my hubby my body really had a tough time. Not so much now. Granted, I did spend all day in the room catching up on my magazine reading.

Reading and looking out the window ever so often and making sure I chose my "Win-It Wednesday" winner. My magazines are all read up and are being passed along to my mom for her perusing, Paula O. gets a sunflower wall quilt, and I got to snap a picture of a tree loaded with pine cones. I just wish I could say I was loaded with money from the casino, but I can't.

But I can say... Congrats, Paula!

Day 435

I needed to escape. Flee, run away, hide, decompress, de-stress. I needed to clear my head and get my mind off of work. Knowing I had today and tomorrow off probably spurred my interest in escaping.

These last few weeks have been a marathon. Early mornings, late nights. 12-14 hour days. Even my weekends were not immune. My life has been juicing, work, juicing, work. My exercise bike has sat dormant for most of those couple weeks. I haven't even been able to carve out an hour between 5 AM and 11 PM to get on the bike. It's not like I haven't tried, but once I sit down to work after dinner I look up and it's dark and hubby is already snoring away.

When I used to work full time, our place of escape was always Jackpot. Gambling, whether we won or lost, always took our minds off work. And today I was oh-so-tempted to drive down. Distract myself with the pile of magazine reading I have to catch up on, distract myself with the book I started and haven't finished, and distract myself with the slot machines.

And unfortunately I gave into temptation. I figured driving a couple hundred miles from home would give me the distance I needed. Except on the drive down a work phone call happened. Then when I got checked in the room and was digging in my purse, a message that I needed to call school. Again.

It's my own fault. Next year I need to set some guidelines about contacting me on my days off.

I really don't want to feel so desperate that I have to spend my time here instead of my garden.

Day 434

I've got yard sales on my mind. Not going to them, but having one.

It has been probably close to 15 years since we've had a yard sale. Since that time we have accumulated a lot of stuff. A lot. A houseful.

When we bought this house it made sense to fill it up. We were moving from a place of less than 1000 square feet to a place of over 2000 square feet that also had a storage room off the carport plus an additional shed in the backyard. We had empty rooms here that needed furnishings and storage areas that needed to be filled up.

But now it's just the two of us (three if you count the cat) and we both (he's finally on board) are tired of the stuff. With no kids around, no grandkids yet, and hubby's retirement looming in the next few years we need to be thinking ahead.

My dream would be to sell everything (including the house) and move into a tiny little place. While that complete sell-off won't happen for a long time now, we can start working towards it. Maybe a yard sale is looming in our future. But before we even get to that yard sale, there are things I have others who are reading this right now might be interested in.

First up, a small sunflower wall quilt measuring 21.5" by 23". Made by me.

So let's make this a "Win it Wednesday". If you're interested in this being yours, just post here. (If more than one person is interested, I'll randomly pick a winner on Friday.)

Day 433

I can't wait until the May primary gets here. Actually, it's my mailbox that can't wait. Every day we get a couple of campaign fliers in the mail. We've gotten the same ones again and again and again. We've never had this many coming in before and I couldn't figure out why. Until I talked to hubby, Mr. American Government Teacher.

This year Idaho went through reapportionment. So all those folks who have kept their seats over the years and didn't need to campaign because their positions were uncontested in primary elections are trying hard to hold on.

And the stack of fliers we get every day is a testament to their persistence-determination-campaign contributions.

Just today the mailbox today held seven of those fliers, the highest one-day total so far.

Day 432

I had a feeling I might be off on the weight loss. See, hubs only weighs himself once a week and I've followed his lead. So the weight loss numbers I reported yesterday were a few days old. I should have waited and reported the new numbers we both earned today. Better numbers.

Hubs has lost four pounds this week for a total of 21 pounds. I lost three pounds this week for a total of 22 pounds. (And to think what we would have lost if we weren't going out to dinner so much.) But we're more than okay with the numbers. Losing weight and still going out to eat is a great thing - that's a lifestyle change we both can live with. (But don't tell too many people that today was Teacher Appreciation at my school and I had a piece of strawberry cheesecake.)

I also have another feeling. Remember the picture of the squirrel I took last year on Day 89? And the story I told about the squirrel ready to attack on Day 101? Well, I think he still has it out for me. Guess he thinks he needs to keep his eye on me when I'm on the computer. Thank goodness for the window between us.

Day 431

25 pounds.

Unfortunately I can't report that I've lost 25 pounds. Can't even report that hubby has lost 25 pounds. But I can report I've lost 19 pounds and hubs has lost 17 pounds in the six weeks since we started juicing. Not too shabby considering...

• We've eaten a bunch of times at Alejandra's.
• I went to Chinese with my mom and daughter.
• Hubby ate at a bbq at school.
• We had hamburgers one night.
• We went to Sisters and enjoyed marionberry pie and steak and hamburgers and pizza at dinner (along with the juice at breakfast and lunch, of course).
• My daughter kept me supplied with Peeps.
• The granola bars that have been sitting in our cabinet for months have mysteriously disappeared. (I only know this because I was hunting for one the other day myself.)

But we have been consistent in our juicing. Every breakfast, every lunch, and sometimes at dinner. Lots of veggies and fruits have permeated our systems. Kale, red and white chard, bok choy, spinach, cabbage, beets and beet greens, celery, carrots, zucchini, cucumbers, kiwi, apples, pears, lemons, grapes, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and red, orange, and green bell peppers. Pounds and pounds of them every week.

But where did the 25 pounds come from? That's the amount of just carrots we go through each week. The apple in the picture shows just how big of a bag that is.

Day 430

Let me tell you about Brenda.

Brenda works at Joann's fabric store. (Can you imagine working at a fabric store? It'd be like living at a buffet!) Sometimes people bring in pieces of fabric or some sewing they've done to match colors. Sometimes people leave those pieces of fabric behind. If the person doesn't return in a couple weeks, the fabric gets tossed.

But Brenda decided not to toss some fabric strips that were left behind. She decided to send them my way instead. Send them to me so I could use them in a quilt.

But here's the thing...Brenda lives in Alaska. And I've never met her. She's a reader of the blog, a viewer of my pictures. She doesn't know me from Jane Doe, but she was generous enough to send them my way. (Actually, she and everyone else who reads my musings probably do know me from Jane Doe. It's not like I hide much on here.)

So thank you, Brenda. Thanks for thinking of me, but more importantly, thank you for thinking of the child who will receive these strips in one of their quilts. Maybe in a border?

Day 429

I thought I'd already taken the last one. But I didn't.

When I headed to the grocery store this morning it was 62 degrees. When I arrived back home a couple hours later it was 45 degrees and windy. It's what happened in between that made me take it.

As I left the house I saw a wall of black clouds moving in. As I drove down the highway I considered stopping and taking a picture. I told myself a real photographer would stop. But I'm not a real photographer so I didn't.

When I got out of the store the wind had kicked up and clouds were swirling. I saw I had a message from my husband about the weather. He advised me to not to drive home yet, but also let me know I missed capturing a great picture of all the pea sized hail covering everything.

When I finally got home I figured the weather would have passed and there would be no record of the strong storm that rolled through the area. I didn't even get out of the car before I realized there was proof of the storm.

My poor tulips. They were so tall and proud just three days ago when I thought I was done taking pictures of them. (And just to think these tulips are under a tree. I'm sure if they were out in the open they would have been totally obliterated.) At least now they look like irises.

Day 428

Bless her heart, my little gal. After we cleaned up some vegetable beds and planted some seeds yesterday I had to head to school. Little missy took it upon herself to keep working on the weeds. When I came home I was shocked/surprised/excited at the work she had done. We now have only one bed left to clean up and then we can plant our tomatoes and peppers from the high school's greenhouse.

Except...

We picked up our plants we had growing there. Whereas last year we had a few dozen plants to put into the ground, this year isn't looking the same. The plants we planted this year were, uhmm... lost and/or moved and/or misplaced and/or sold and/or who knows what. And, uhmm...the plants we received aren't even the varieties we planted.

We have three big beds set aside for all those dozens of plants from the greenhouse. But now we have a change of plans. We can either let those plants have lots and lots of extra growing room or we can go buy some plants. With as many veggies we use each day I'm going for the latter.

Couple weeks ago

After kiddo's work

Plants. Just not ours.

Day 427

Daughter was home for the day. Being that it's May, that means only one thing. Time to plant the garden.

Hubby and I got the red potatoes in last weekend and we had someone spray down the weeds (or try to - some of those things are sturdy). Today kiddo and I worked at getting almost everything else planted. Our tomatoes and peppers have been growing in the high school greenhouse and should be ready for us by the end of the week. In the meantime we planted kale, chard, beets, kohlrabi, carrots, radishes, slicing cucumbers and pickling cucumbers, peas, and onions.

Even though the timbers are the old ones from the roses, I like the look. Sure looks better than just a couple weeks ago.

Before

After

Day 426

The quail have become like the bison in Yellowstone. Let me explain...

I used to be a consultant at a small school outside Yellowstone National Park. Over the course of a couple years I went into Yellowstone Park five times. The first time I was excited about the bison everywhere and took tons of pictures. The second and third times I only took bison pictures that were interesting (like bison with snow-covered backs). By the fourth time it became, "Oh, it's just a bison." No more pictures. By the fifth time, I didn't even take the time to go into the park. How many bison pictures does a person need?

The quail are the same way. Last year on Day 96 I took a picture of a pair of quail. This year on Day 414 I snapped a shot of a chubby looking quail. But now the quail have become so abundant and frequent I'm not even picking up my camera anymore. It has become, "Oh, it's just quail." (Now if babies come along, you can bet I'll pick up the camera again!)

Tulips are becoming another, "Oh, more pretty tulips". This will be the last picture of the year for tulips. (Please ignore the grass in the tulip bed. I am working on it.)

Day 425

It's working. The call I got from the rheumatologist's office confirmed it.

My inflammation numbers are down. Both tests, both numbers. The results are still way too high, but they are down. All without any arthritis medications.

Woo hoo! is all I can say. Might as well celebrate with a big glass of juice. And some sewing.

Day 424

Last year on Day 60 my husband forced me to go outside and I took a picture of our bleeding hearts. Here, today, almost a year exactly to that day I didn't have to be forced to go outside. I went willingly.

We planted potatoes and cleaned up some weeds. After working outside I sat in the shade of our patio and looked over at our bleeding hearts, thinking about last year. About how much has changed. About how I couldn't have predicted where I am now.

And even about how I look at things so much differently now than I did then. It seems to be more about the details nowadays, details I would have missed in the past.

Like with the bleeding hearts. Guess I never noticed that the same plant can have a different look depending on how much the bloom has opened. And that they really do look like a heart.

Day 423

I was planning on thanking my husband on today's blog. Thanking him for washing up and cutting the veggies for the week. (It's a long process when we use as many vegetables a day as we do.) He washed and cut so I could sew and sew. I was able to almost finish the second kids' quilt top in as many days.

But I also need to thank the kitty today, too. She kept me company, sitting in the window of the sewing room as I did all that sewing.

So when it came to the picture for the day the choice was easy. The cat makes for a much cuter picture than hubby and/or vegetables.

Day 422

I don't know why it took me all day, but it did.  It has been a while since I did a kids' quilt and I am SOO very out of practice, I guess.

After a full day of sewing, I finally have a top done for the Alaska group of Operation Kid Comfort. (I blurred out the faces for obvious reasons.)

Let's just hope the next one doesn't take the entire day!

Day 421

I thought today's word would be scolded. The doctor scolded me for going off all my arthritis medications.

But that's not my word. Cautiously optimistic are my words. The rhematologist is cautiously optimistic that my juicing and plant strong diet may reduce my arthritis symptoms.

According to the doctor there are some people - just a few - who respond to a balanced diet that limits salt, sugar, and fat. While joint inflammation might not decrease (and bloodwork numbers could remain unchanged), the pain and stiffness associated with rheumatoid arthritis might diminish.

I'm right on the border of having all the methotrexate (the chemotherapy drug) out of my system. According to him it takes several weeks for the system to rid itself of it. So now I'll need to be watching symptoms even more closely. If I notice an exacerbation in the pain, swelling, and stiffness I have to get back in and get on some meds. If things remain the same or get better, I won't need to go back and see him for another four months.

Four months is the longest I will ever have gone without needing to go to the rheumatologist. I'm quite pleased that he's allowing me the chance to make things better for myself without introducing drugs back into my system.

Who knows, maybe someday my body will be flexible enough to squeeze into a car I saw on a car lot today.

Day 420

Yesterday's word was jealously. Today's word is confess. As in I confess our sensible dinners are pushing the limit on what could be considered healthy.

We've been going out to dinner a lot this last week. To the same place every time - our local Mexican restaurant, Alejandra's. Best Mexican food ever.

We've had somewhat (maybe) healthier dinners. One night we had a couple chicken tacos with lettuce, tomatoes, and cilantro on a soft corn shell. We shared a chicken fajita burrito one night, a carne asada burrito another night, and tonight we shared what I think was the tastiest thing of all. Chile verde, tonight's special. The blend of the pork and tomatillo sauce was absolutely delicious! Probably the best $7.99 I ever spent.

So I confess - juice in the morning, juice at lunch, and Mexican food at dinner. Probably not the best way to eat, but other than having some cheese on top of the refried beans it can't be that bad for us, right?

Day 419

I've been feeling a tinge of jealousy here and there lately.

Jealousy over the power bill. Over the past seven years, our average has gone down. (I'm still obsessively tracking it.) While we had a lower March month this year compared to last, our daughter had a lower one than we've ever had since my tracking began.

Jealousy over the weight. Hubby is catching up to me in the weight loss department. While he and I don't differ in the juice we're drinking, he does eat more of the "sensible" dinner. And he's still losing weight at a faster rate. It's probably my own fault - he's more active with his teaching and I've backed off the obsessive bike mileage.

Jealousy over the energy level. Hubby is also feeling great and I'm trudging along. Not good, not bad. Just okay. I thought by juicing and hitting the plant strong diet my rheumatoid arthritis would be cured (or at least getting lots better). I'm not sure it's made that big of a difference.

Jealousy over the flowers that were dropped off at my house. Our vegetables are being grown in the greenhouse at the high school, but it was hanging baskets of flowers that arrived yesterday. The cooling system in the greenhouse is on the fritz and they needed somewhere to store the plants for the end of the year celebration for those teachers who are retiring/leaving. Sure are pretty.

Jealousy over the neighbor's tree. I don't know why I didn't notice how pretty the tree was last year, but it sure is nice against the blue sky.

Guess I better get more obsessive about my power bill and about biking, hope for the best at the rheumatologist's appointment this week, plant some hanging baskets for my house, and stop looking over into other peoples' yards.

Day 418

When I can't figure something out or have a question I seem to come here. Just last week when I couldn't figure out what tree was in the park, I posted the picture on Day 413 and you came through. The tree on that day - the one with all the pods - is a sycamore tree.

Here's another one for this week. Last year on Day 72 I took a picture of a tulip. Now this year I've gone crazy taking pictures of about every kind of tulip I have. All my tulips are multi-colored inside - I have none that are one solid color. So for those who have tulips or know anything about tulips, are all tulips multi-colored or are there tulips that are all one color inside? I usually just buy grab bags without paying much attention.

Guess I got lucky on those cheap grab bags.

Day 417

The cat needs to learn the hot mustard lesson.

When our daughter was little - only 3 or 4 - we had dinner at a Chinese restaurant. At that Chinese restaurant we had a little plastic cup of hot mustard sitting on the table. That little girl stuck her finger in the hot mustard. Stuck her finger in it and put that finger in her mouth. You can imagine what happened next, but that experience did teach her a lesson. Hot mustard was something not to mess around with.

Fast forward to the cat.

We've been seeing her go into the neighbor's yard. Every time the cat heads over there I tell her she's asking for trouble but she doesn't seem to listen. She's been jumping their chain link fence and roaming around in there. It's a big enough problem with her hanging out in someone else's yard, but an even bigger problem is that they have dogs. Several dogs. Small and noisy dogs. The cat is smart enough to only go in their yard when the dogs are in the house, but I'm a bit worried for her. If they happen to open the door and let the dogs out when she's in the backyard she's going to be in for some trouble. She climbs paw over paw, using the holes in the fence to get back over. A slow process. If those dogs come out, she's going to need to find a faster way back.

I had to stop watching and worrying. She made me too nervous. The hot mustard is going to get her soon.

I started watching the clouds instead.

Day 416

Busy as a bee. Busy as a beaver. I'm not sure which saying is the most appropriate, but one of them just has to fit. Yesterday and today (and tomorrow as well) are being spent outside prepping for summer.

Prepping the vegetable garden (which now, thanks to my daughter, has old the landscape timbers from the rose garden outlining the vegetable beds)...out come the weeds and the grass, in goes the Miracle-Gro garden soil, with seeds soon to follow.

Prepping the rose garden...clipping back the winter damage, getting rid of the weeds, adding in some fertilizer.

The never-off-my-to-do-list wildflower bed...dig out the daisies that have taken over, get those weeds out, clip out the old dead stuff, put sand in the paths to cut down on the muddy walks.

Tulips, tulips, tulips. Those lovely tulips have sprouted grass all throughout them. Grass that is doggone hard to get up without disrupting the pretty flowers. Patience, patience. And time.

Actually, busy as a wasp seems the best word today.

Day 415

It has been a rough year for the teachers and students at Marsing High School. A small school with large losses.

It started with my husband's mom.

Then it was the English teacher's mom.

Then it was the Science teacher's dad.

Then the school secretary's husband.

A recent graduate.

Another recent graduate.

And just this week a current student.

All during just this school year. All funerals.

When my husband received the call this week all he could say was, We need to get this year over with.

On this day with no school he should be at the funeral right now. A funeral for a 14 year old student. But hubby couldn't do it. Not again.

How do you explain such a rash of heartbreaking losses? It certainly makes everything else seem insignificant.

Day 414

I think our yard has become some sort of a playground this year. Every morning it's either the ducks or the squirrels or the quail or even the pheasant. Every morning some kind of creature is hanging around our yard.

Today we have a chubby Mrs. Quail (or is it a Mr. Quail?) and Mr. Pheasant. I don't know what we're doing to attract all these folks, but I'm not complaining.

Day 413

A little over a month from now hubby will be home for the summer. Last year I had all those days at home, by myself, with no one to talk to and I loved it. This year, even though I'm only working part time I didn't get many of those alone days. With the countdown to hubby being around 24-7 I wonder...how did I spend those few days I had alone this year? Couldn't tell you. How sad is it that I've already been back to work for nine months and never came up with a routine for my days off?

I think that's what happens living a day at a time. No thinking ahead, no planning. The day just happens and before I know it, it's over.

But hubby and I have started settling into a healthier routine. Juice for breakfast, juice for lunch. Walking afterschool. A sensible dinner. Tonight will be scrambled eggs with some vegetables wrapped in a whole wheat tortilla with some fresh homemade salsa.

Speaking of walking, when we're at the park there is this tree I don't get. It has these pods on it. Can anyone help me out on what kind of tree it is?

Day 412

My husband and daughter both wanted to have input in today's picture.

First, the daughter...
When we went to Sisters we left the kitty in the house. Alone. For three nights. Since kitty isn't used to staying home all day and all night in the house all by herself, we asked our daughter to cat sit one night. When our daughter got home and saw the list I left her she had two responses. 1. Mom, you guys spoil her. 2. I'm going to take a picture of that list and you better put it on your blog.

No, I won't put the picture on the blog, but here's what was on the list:

Kitty Schedule

• When you get here, let her out (even if she doesn't want to).
• 9:30-10 PM - let her in, feed her wet food.
• 4AMish - if she cries to go out, let her out.
• 8AMish - bring her in, give her loving, brush her, leave her in.
• Leave bedroom curtain open (she likes to sit there).
• Make sure she has enough food and clean her litterbox before you go.

Yeah, probably spoiled. (Update...I guess little Miss Daughter took her own picture of the list when she was home - and posted it on her Facebook page. Maybe I need to sign up for Facebook and see what else she's taken pictures of.)

Now for hubby's interest in the picture for the day...
When we got in the car in the morning at the hotel, we had raindrops sitting on the sunroof. The first morning I took a picture of the raindrop close up and hubby wanted it to be a mystery picture. I wouldn't do it. The second day we were there we had raindrops again, but this time they were frozen and had ice crystals in them. Again, he wanted it to be another mystery picture.

No need for guessing on mystery pictures. Raindrops on a sunroof. One with ice crystals, one without.

Day 411

More than once over the past few days I said out loud, "What kind of freaks are we?"

It started on the first day of our trip at the Safeway in Burns, Oregon. We plopped down fifty dollars on groceries. On fruits and vegetables. No meat, no bread, no beverages. Fruits and vegetables. As I loaded the bags in the back of the car, there was the juicer sitting tall and proud. (Yep, we brought our juicer with us.) What kind of freaks are we, carrying a juicer with us on vacation?

When we stopped at the park for lunch, I went to the ice chest and poured us each a bottle of juice. What kind of freaks drink a bottle of kale, spinach, carrot, celery, cucumber, bell pepper, apple, kiwi, strawberry juice in the park?

Then in Sisters I tracked down a vegan bakery. Me, searching out a vegan bakery. Not for the bakery items, but because I heard they had a fresh juice bar. Hubby and I each sat there, drinking our juice. His was beet based, mine kale based. We traded back and forth. Yum. What kind of freaks search out a vegan bakery for juice - and love it?




Then we headed to a local market and picked up vegetable chips. We sat outside on the bench, munching away. What kind of freaks choose vegetable chips over the chocolate that was at the drugstore counter?






Hubby kept reassuring me we aren't freaks. Just folks who have decided to eat healthy.

Stopping by my favorite restaurant in Sisters for the best dessert I've ever had in my life proved we aren't all that health minded. Every time we come to Sisters I stop at the same place and have the same dessert.

If you ever stop in Sisters, you have to go to The Gallery Restaurant and have a piece of their marionberry pie. Best pie in the world. Or at least in the United States. (Remember, I've been to all 50 states so I know what I'm talking about.)

Day 410: The Three Sisters

The Three Sisters are potentially active volcanoes in central Oregon. An old story suggests that the mountains were originally named Faith, Hope, and Charity in the 1840's by members of a Methodist mission. Three Sisters Mountains are a popular location for hiking, backpacking, climbing, and camping.

But right now, in the town of Sisters, they are best viewed by me - through my camera lens on a spectacularly beautiful morning. And best viewed with Canadian geese flying by.