Fridays are for lovers....

I love this picture. One of the first times I went out with my dearest husband, we saw a double rainbow over the ocean. I thought then that it was a sign....lol

We had a very old married people kind of a day today. The kind where we worked in the yards and gardens side by side, talking and making some decisions about some things, thinking about the future... looking around at our little piece of heaven and being really grateful that the tornadoes yesterday passed us by. I love my life. I love my dinky little home with the beautiful trees and flowers that I have planted. I love watching my dogs escape the heat and humidity by splashing around in the pond. I love seeing the beautiful tiny eastern bluebirds that are here now, and trying to distinguish them from the indigo buntings, which are an even more brilliant shade of blue.

I am blessed by sitting on the porch of my house and reaching over on the table there for the Big Book that is always there. I am blessed by phone calls from women who trust me enough to tell me their problems and let me help them explore solutions. I am blessed by their very presence in my life.

I am grateful that my husband is long time sober and loves me and isn't afraid to show it or say it. I am grateful to be able to share this great life with him. I am grateful that we have the kind of marriage where we don't say ugly things to each other or hurt each other...that we have one rule in our house. That is: To Be Kind. In 17 years together (next month, on my AA anniversary) I can count on one hand the number of arguments and disagreements we have had.

I am grateful for our wonderful neighbors, and that we have had wonderful neighbors everywhere we have lived. I hope they know how much I love them...

I'm feeling a little sappy tonight. lol I'm afraid I am going to have to have surgery on my knee...it's hurting real bad lately. Tonight hubby was massaging my feet and legs (I did way too much mowing today...sigh) and when he touched my knee I cried out. He said -Hey, your knee feels really hot...it's inflamed. I had arthroscopic surgery on it about 10 years ago, and they said it would be good for about 10 years. argghhhhh....

On a brighter note, I have now lost 12 pounds. Thanks simply to juicing and eating more vegetables. Steveoroni...does that medifast really work? Do you buy the whole meals or just the shakes? I know that all this extra weight I'm packing around is not helping my joints one iota.

I'm grateful to be blogging and grateful to be sober and just darn grateful to be grateful.


Well, all my doggies and kitties are in, so I guess I can go to bed now. Hope everyone has a great weekend....


Namaste.

My Monday

It was a me-me-me day today. Needed some downtime and time to relax, so I headed off for the nearest college town and got me some manicure and pedicure action. It was wunnerful. Then I did a wee bit of grocery shopping and then came on home. I have been listening to music and cooking and having a grand day.

I will be home all day tomorrow until time to go to the class. I have about a thousand tigerlilies to get in the ground and 2 sedums (autumn joy, the dark red one) and a few other odds and ends as well. It has rained most of today...just a soft rain mostly, with a little squall tucked in here and there for good measure. I am amazed at the plant growth in the past 2 days. You can't even tell the yard got a haircut on Saturday, and my clematis is taller than the trellis!!! The pea pods in the garden are almost 2 inches tall. The grreens are coming up nicely, and am just starting to see the beets too.

I have a sick kitty...not eating and vomiting from time to time. May have to take her to the vet...

Scarey thing, this swine flu outbreak. Head of the CDC was saying today that it won't do any good to wear masks, and I haven't any idea what the death toll is up to now. And then an earthquake on top of it Mexico City. Prayers being flung about the Universe for everyone to be safe. There are reports of the same flu in Israel, CHina and the United States. This couold be some kind of a deal. Hubby works with some guys that were taking a trip down to Cancun in 2 weeks. Not any more, probably. I need to get online and read the latest info... I just happened to have seen CNN when I was having my piggies attended to. We haven't had a television now for over a month. It's been an incredible blessing.

I'm ready for bed. Just stopping in to finish up my day in the right way. With a gratitude list:

1. I am healthy
2. I am sober.
3. I don't have to pretend to be someone I'm not anymore.
4. I am absolutely loved beyond a shadow of a doubt.
5. If my life were any better, I maybe wouldn't be able to stand it!
6. My relationship with Creator grows more every day.
7. I am blessed today.
8. I know that it's hard to be hateful when you're feeling grateful.
9. I have found a place where I fit, and it's called Alcoholics Anonymous.
10. I never have to drink again if I don't want to.



Namaste.

Wild and Wooly Wednesday

It was a mildly satisfying day in which I did almost none of the things on the list I so carefully crafted. I did cook a lovely pork shoulder roast, with potatoes and tons of carrots and celery and onions in it. I had it in the crock pot by 8 AM and it was cooked to perfection by 6. It was half of the one I bought yesterday...

I did call the plumber around 8:30 AM and they didn't call back until 4:30 to tell me they were too busy to take the job and would have to pass. :( I called 2 other places in the area, and neither of them called me back. It's more than a little frustrating. NObody much works on these pumps anymore except the old farmers who still have wells on their properties.

Rereading my post from last night and all the great comments, I thought--Yikes. What did I say?? Days like that don't seem like such a big deal really...they just happen and sometimes my reactions are just a little...well....extreme (?) maybe. I rarely get wiped out emotionally like that anymore, and when I do, it just feels like time for a cleansing. I read somewhere (Psychology Today) years back, that they had done a study on the chemical content of tears. Seems that when you cry for different reasons, the chemical make up of the tears is different. I found that fascinating. That maybe when you got overloaded with a certain neurochemical, it would cause things to happen in your brain that would make you cry to release some of the toxins. So when I meltdown like that from time to time, I think it's just my brain/body's way of saying " Hold it--lets lower the level of (???) in here! " I love to think of the human body as being some kind of efficent mechanism with all kinds of built-in failsafes.

So, anyways...today I lugged a 5 gallon bucket filled 3/4 full of water from the pond so I could flush the toilets. The waters very clean and it works well. That I do this kind of stuff freaks some people out, I know. They cannot imagine living like this, they tell me. But it's just like camping. Or anytime there's a power outage from storms or tornadoes. The pump is electric, so no power=no water too. I think it's kinda cool to know that I can survive no matter what comes down the pike. The only problem is lugging a bucket of water like that up from the pond, across uneven ground, with doggies jumping and chasing and playing all 'round my feet makes for a good chance of injury. And of course I strained my back, even though I was trying to be careful. Then I had to sit out on the front porch reading for the rest of the afternoon, while the crockpot did all the work making dinner. I did get up and sweep the front porch, but then I was right back down on my fanny again, taking it easy.

And now here it is, bedtime and all's well. Still a little sore, but I'm taking care of it. The dishes are all done, the husbands lunch is all packed. The kittens are all sleeping in a little pigpile. All the dogs and cats are in for the night. I have been listening to a CD of The Age of Modern Composers: Dvorak, Grieg, Ravel, Elgar and Rachmaninoff, to name a few. It is lovely and relaxing and the perfect follow up to the Miles Davis Cool Blues CD I listened to earlier.


What a blessing to be able to hear and appreciate good music!
What gratitude I have for my own capabilities !
What blessings are these furry babies of mine !
What gratitude I have for sacred spaces !
What blessings come in the arms of spring !



Namaste.