Onions are Healthy!!

I've just been reading about the health benefits of Onions. Wow, I am going to make sure I eat more of this super food!! The one web page I've read so far summarizes the health benefits of onions in this way:

Onions, and other Allium species, are highly valued herbs possessing culinary and medicinal value. Some of their beneficial properties are seen after long-term usage. Onion may be a useful herb for the prevention of cardiovascular disease, especially since they diminish the risk of blood clots. Onion also protects against stomach and other cancers, as well as protecting against certain infections. Onion can improve lung function, especially in asthmatics. The more pungent varieties of onion appear to possess the greatest concentration of health-promoting phytochemicals.

For more interesting reading, go to their site and read the entire write up.

Quote

Our greatest weakness lies in giving up.
The most certain way to succeed is always
to try just one more time.


Thomas A. Edison

Christmas Gifts

How was your Christmas this year?? Did you spend time with friends? With family? Both? Neither? What kind of gifts did you get... if any? Did you get a computer, cell phone, other electronic gadget, make-up, eyelash growth products, chocolate, money? Any of the above? None of the above? All of the above? LOL, okay, so I'm playing with you, it's always fun to laugh with people.

I had a really great Christmas for different reasons which include, but are not limited to the following:
- My sister M and her husband R are in California and Arizona for about 6 months this winter. About 3 or 4 days before Christmas, I got an email from M saying that R had to be rushed to the hospital with a burst appendices and undergo surgery to save his life. All went well and Christmas day M emailed that he had gotten released from hospital that morning, they spent a quiet day at their RV and with friends they travel with.
- My older brother T and his wife A were up from the lower mainland and I got to see them Christmas Day. On top of that, they gave me a pair of Vintage Motorcycle Saddlebags!!! T thinks they are off a 1945 Harley Davidson, though isn't positive about the year. This really shows their love for me and their support of my riding my own motorcycle (trike).
- Spending time with my niece, T's daughter, Becky is always cause for joy, and this Christmas I got to do just that, as well as give her my first spinning wheel. I bought this wheel many years ago at a local auction and after a year I found someone to teach me how to spin wool on it. It is a Traditional style spinning wheel, hand made by Jorgen Almas, a man who lived in Enderby, the town where Becky grew up. On the bottom of this wheel is his name and that this wheel, this 153rd, was made in August '77. Becky was born in February '76. Eventually I moved up to a more modern style of wheel and didn't use this one anymore, though still kept it as it meant a lot to me. Now Becky was thrilled to receive it as she and her mother want to learn to spin and to weave.
- Mom gave me $100 to put towards something I'd like. She was thinking maybe an MP3 Player. My friend Dan just came home for a couple days, he's working away for awhile, and gave me an MP3 Player, lol. So I will likely spend that $100 on something for my trike as I plan to do lots of work on it before summer.
- Dinner at my nephew Denny's (eldest sister's son) with him and his family as well as Mom.
- The entire day with Mom. This is my 56th Christmas and it's the 55th one I've spent with Mom.
- Open House at my brother T's mother-in-law's home, lots of friends and family as well as great food. This month has been hard on the diet!!

All in all it was a wonderful Christmas!!

Super Foods

I really enjoyed the TOPS News (magazine put out by TOPS) article on The TOPS Ten Underappreciated SUPER Foods. As well as getting TOPS News in the post, members can also go to the TOPS website, sign in and read this magazine online. Mostly I like to curl up with the paper issue, though there are times when it's good to be able to read it on the computer. I was hoping I could copy/paste this article here for you to read, but no go, and I can't just give the link to the page as you have to sign in to get there... soooo, I will just tell you what the super foods are that they talk about.
- beans
- celery
- garlic
- onion
- peas
- black pepper
- bell pepper (all the colors)
- sunflower seeds
- sesame seeds
- canned tomatoes (I don't know why the specify 'canned'. Why not fresh? Personally, I believe fresh is always more healthy than anything canned, frozen, cooked, processed, etc.)

The article tells different reasons why these are all good for your health; things like antioxidants, fiber, vitamins, protein, help reduce cholesterol levels, help balance blood sugar, cancer fighting properties, etc etc. I eat a lot of beans, especially since I became a Vegan and it's winter time. I make different variations of multi bean soups so not only do I have a quick, easy to reheat meal in the fridge, but it's always very tasty and healthy. Among many other things in the current pot of soup, the super foods in it are: beans (an 18 bean mix of dried beans), celery, onion, black pepper (fresh ground), bell pepper (red and yellow), and a jar of home canned tomatoes that was given to me this fall. I made this huge pot of soup today and ate some this evening. Tomorrow I will put some of it into containers that will go into the freezer as there is just way too much of it for me to eat in the next few days. It will be great to have a bunch of it put away for other winter days.

I will make sure in future that I eat many more of the foods from this TOPS list. Some will go into my next batch of soup... and some will be eaten in other ways.

Take Off Pounds Sensibly

For 2 years now I've been going to TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly). In the first year I lost 20 pounds though in the second year I gained about 10 of them back. I think it is time I get serious!!! In my TOPS club there are several who have been going every week for a lot longer than I have and I think will be going for many years to come and stay around the same weight they are now. There also have been some who reached their weight loss goals and have become KOPS (Keep Off Pounds Sensibly). Every month TOPS puts out a magazine that each of us members receive in the mail. This magazine gives us information on weight loss as well as shares stories with us written by people who have lost a lot of weight. TOPS has helped many people to shed the extra pounds and become much more healthy, but TOPS can't do it for us. We have to do it for ourselves!! I have to do it for my self!!! I love eating and I don't like exercising and yet I have to find a way to eat less and move more. Oh Joy!! Maybe writing here can help me with this road I must go down.

Potato Leek Soup

I got this recipe from VegWeb.com a thought many might be interested in reading it and perhaps even making it. I plan to try it, though I will use less of the olive oil, perhaps half of what is recommended in the recipe and if that's not enough oil to saute the onions and leaks, I can add a bit of water. Olive oil is much healthier than most other fats, and yet it is still fat. Let me know what you think of this recipe.


Potato Leek Soup

Ingredients (use vegan versions):

1 medium onion, chopped finely
4 small leeks or 3 medium ones, chopped finely (use white parts mostly)
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 medium potatoes, peeled and finely sliced
3 cups water (the water should almost cover the ingredients)
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. In a large pot, add the olive oil and saute the onions and leeks for two minutes. For leeks, you may use the green part, but this will change the flavour of the soup; you can use the green foliage of the leeks in a stir fry. Add the potatoes to the pot, and also the water.

2. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes, or until cooked (potatoes are soft) Remove the pot from heat. If you have a hand blender, let the soup cool and then blend until smooth. You may wish to reheat the soup. Season with salt and pepper.

3. If you do not have a hand blender, with a ladle, scoop up the chunky parts and process in a blender or food processor until smooth. You may need to do this in two parts, so have a bowl ready in which to transfer processed soup. Once all the soup is processed, mix it to the liquid left in the pot, and add pepper and salt.

Source of recipe: My recipe; learned how to make potato leek soup before I was vegan. This recipe is a simplified and vegan version.

Makes: 5-6 servings, Preparation time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 15 minutes

Cat on the Move

My friend Cat has been looking for a small apartment or even a room that is "frbo". She recently separated from her husband and moved to a rental room in a house where she was very unhappy with the living situation, with the landlord, the other tenants and the rent going up a significant amount starting on the second month of living there... so she moved out and went to another rental room in someone else's home. Cat was so looking forward to the move, was so excited that she'd be in a good home and just a week or so after moving in she was told the house had just been sold and she would have to find another place to live. She had never even been told the place was for sale, so was very surprised and disappointed. She began to look around this area again, then found that her daughter and family were moving out of this area, so she decided to do that too. I'm not sure where her family is going, but Cat is headed to a mid size city further north of here where she has lots of biker friends. I am sad she's leaving... and wishing her the best. Wishing my friend a joyful life.

Veganism Explained

I found a good write up on the internet of what Veganism is about. Put simply, it involves eating only plant based foods and nothing of or from animals. In more detail, here is what I found on the internet site Simple Vegan Recipes:

Veganism

Vegans eat all sorts of plant foods - fruit, vegetables, nuts, grains, seeds, fungi - and avoid foods made from dead or living animals - meat, eggs, milk, milk derivatives such as cheese and yogurt, or honey. Someone who has not encountered veganism before will ask, ‘Well, what DO you eat?’ The only non-animal foods a meat-eater tends to come across are the vegetables that accompany their meals. However, there is a wide variety of vegan foods with a diversity of flavours and textures. The important point to grasp is that going vegan is not just taking vegetarianism a step further. Going vegetarian tends to involve simply removing meat from the diet and abstaining from products that contain slaughterhouse products. Becoming a vegan, on the other hand, is a very different process where one adopts a whole new cuisine and which touches every area of life.

If you want to find out more about Veganism, visit the Vegan Society. They provide lots of information including the Animal Free Shopper, a comprehensive list of products sold in the UK that are vegan.

One farmer says to me, "You cannot live on vegetable food solely, for it furnishes nothing to make the bones with;" and so he religiously devotes a part of his day to supplying himself with the raw material of bones; walking all the while he talks behind his oxen, which, with vegetable-made bones, jerk him and his lumbering plow along in spite of every obstacle.
~ Henry David Thoreau (author of Walden and Civil Disobedience, 1817 - 1862)

A Healthy Choice

About 3 months ago I started to eat Vegan. Oh, I'm not 100% yet, but in the mid 90% I'm sure. Well, less during December, yet still keeping in with it pretty well. Mostly, I eat Vegan though when I eat out at someone else's place or at a restaurant it does become a challenge. Still, I do manage to stick to the Vegan plan, though I am getting a bit tired of Veggie Burgers, haha. I love drinking tea with milk in it and at home I use Soy Beverage instead of cows milk. When I'm not home I end up using milk or cream, depending on where I am and what they have available. My Mom is trying to support me in this life style change for which I am very grateful, though I can see it is hard for her since she doesn't really understand what I can/will eat or not eat. I guess I need to give her some recipes that she can make, and in the meantime, I will take food for us to eat.


"It takes a little work to be a vegan, but now it's really possible to have tasty stuff and it's better for you. I say the best test is go as far as you can and see how you feel. Personally, I feel great."

~ Grace Slick

My Day... Good and not so much

Yesterday I got to stay home for the first time in awhile, and the early part of today as well, then had to go to town to the final fitting of my new upper denture. While in town, I met with Wendy, a former friend, to return 2 movies and a book I had borrowed some time ago and had tried to return but we were unable to connect until today. I also stopped at a dollar store for some TV cable connectors, and candles as part of some gifts I'm putting together, and a grocery store for just a few things like cranberry sauce for tomorrow's pot luck luncheon.

At home, I've checked my emails, read a few posts on Facebook, read a bit about carpet cleaners durham nc, and looked up a few vegan recipes. I also made a nice hot cup of tea and sat down on my couch to drink it... only to spill the entire cupful all over my couch, coffee table and laminate flooring. I cleaned that up and moved furniture around a bit to get the tea that went under the couch and coffee table. Now my living room is all askew and needs to be put back together or finished being re-arranged. I think I'll move everything to different spots and wash the floor.

«There is force in the universe, which, if we permit it, will flow
through us and produce miraculous results.»
— Mahatma Gandhi —

My TV

There is a list of things I've wanted for awhile and this year I was finally able to get myself a few of the things on that list. Sort of like getting myself early Christmas presents. One of the things on that list was one of those flat screen lcd tvs. Well, the one I got isn't an LCD, it's a plazma which my friend Dan says is not as good as the LCD... yet I am really enjoying sitting here in my living room watching my 51" flat screen TV!! I also picked up a good, used treadmill that I have in the living room so I can watch the TV while I walk on the treadmill. I am in the process of changing around some of the furniture in my home, so this evening I can't do the treadmill unless I want to look at the wall, but in the next day or two I will have the TV on the other wall and all will be good again. For now, my back is aching too much to walk on the treadmill anyway.

Got something accomplished here

Even though my back has been rather painful today and pain in the upper legs, I managed to get some work done in my house.... thanks to my friend Ray. I had mentioned to him one day a couple weeks ago that I wanted to move some furniture in my living room, so he came over today and we got some of it moved. I kind of wished he'd have picked a day when I had less pain, but once we got it done I sure was glad I didn't say "No, not today." I really appreciate the help, and it feels really good to have at least a small part of my home cleaner and more organized than it has been for awhile. It seems I take 2 steps forward and 3 or 4 steps back with trying to get this mess under control. Having physical and moral support from a friend really helps a lot and gives me hope that I will indeed eventually over come this monstrous problem!!

My day shopping

Being Thursday, I went to TOPS this morning (down 1/2#... not a lot but better than a gain), then for lunch with 'the ladies'. As often happens, I also went to the Bargain Bin (2nd hand store) with some of my TOPS friends. I've been staying away from there a lot lately as I am working at getting rid of stuff, and am not wanting to bring more home!! Anyway, I've been wanting a queen size duvet cover as I was given a duvet that didn't have a cover. So guess what I found at the Bargain Bin!! Yup, a queen size duvet cover... totally new and still in it's original package!!! Regular price $186.99.... It was priced $20.00 and since all the items in that area were 1/2 price today I got it for $10.00!!!! WoHOOO!!! I love a good deal!!! I also got a pair of short leather winter boots, 2 pairs of earrings, a set of 3 small canisters (very handy for various bulk foods), a blouse, a large bed sheet that appears to be nearly new, an eagle patch (Harley style, says "Ride Free" and "Motor Cycles") I'll give to a Harley friend at Christmas.... total cost $19.00!! Not bad!! Being as I am short and my cupboards are high, I was also looking for one of those 2 step stools, and will have to continue to look. I already have the duvet into it's cover and my bed looks great. Can hardly wait to slide into it tonight.

One of Life's Concerns

A dear friend of mine has recently ended up going off work and onto disability. For now it's 'short term disability' though will likely become 'long term' as the problem will not likely be resolved by end of January. He has 4 bulging discs in his low back and thought that was why his legs, especially the left leg, has become very weak and his feet partially numb. However, when he saw a surgeon in September, he was told that the bulging discs are not the cause of the leg problems and he was referred to a neurologist. He was put on a long waiting list, then got really lucky when there was a cancellation and he was the only one available so got in in just a few weeks. The neurologist wants an MRI done, but there are several things my friend needs done before he can have an MRI because in summer of 1985 he was shot. He was standing outside a night club talking to a friend of his and they were both shot by some crazy guy with a shot gun that peppered both men with a lot of pellets. Luckily, they both survived, though still have a lot of pellets in their bodies. My friend has at least 2 pellets in his head and over 20 more in his right arm and leg. The doctors need to know where the pellets are and if they will be moved to vital organs with the magnetic pull of the MRI before they can proceed. My friend may need surgery to remove pellets before the MRI can be done, then once the cause of his leg problems is found he may have to have spinal laser surgery. With each test done he lets me know what is happening and what's up next as we wait to find out whether or not he will ever improve or just continue to deteriorate. Wish him luck!!

Blogging Goal

I used to do a LOT of blogging. I wrote many posts and visited many other people's blogs. I also participated in writing challenges as well as photographic challenges. I very much enjoyed all of that, though found eventually my life changed and I no longer had the time for all those countless hours each day to be spent on the computer. Since then, I have largely gotten away from blogging. I find that this is a sad thing, and I desire to do more blogging again. Oh, not as much as I once did as I still have much to do in my 'real' life, though still I do want to blog a bit more again than what I have been doing this last while. So, I set a goal to do at least a small blog post each day, on each of my 2 blogs... and some days to do even larger posts.

It's November 12!!

Today is November 12, 2o11 and with several Christmas ads already on TV, I have been thinking about gifts for people I care about.

I think I will be baking cookies to give to Phil... and to Ray, 2 friends of mine. Maybe I'll even give some cookies to another friend, Dan, though any time he's visiting if I offer him anything to eat he always refuses it. He loves candy so I could buy him a big bag of it, even though he is well able to buy them himself and always does. I think earrings for Joyce... not sure what I'll give to Cat as she's a new friend and I'm not yet sure what she'd like. Also there's Pat, Pauline and DJ to think about.

As for family... I gave a gift of homemade jam and Christmas motif Jam Knives all in a basket to my sister Marcy & husband Randy in October before they left to Arizona for the winter. My brother Terry & wife Alana will be up for a few days. I'm thinking of getting them some kind of dragonfly as when I was in their home in October I noticed a couple dragonfly ornaments, so I know they like this sort of thing. For Mom it's not easy to know what to give. Since she's 88 years of age, buying for her is a challenge... I guess since she's a great grandmother, it's sort of like needing grandma gift ideas, LOL. I bought Mom a nice rose broach that came with a story of the Christmas Rose. I think she'll really like that. I am thinking too that I will donate some money to the Food Bank in Mom's name and give her a copy of the receipt in a card. I've been thinking I could give one of my spinning wheels to my niece Rebecca as she just moved back to this area and into a new home. I know her mother spins, so think Becky might enjoy being able to spin too, or at least enjoy this beautiful, hand made traditional style spinning wheel as a decoration in her home. I'm not sure how many other family members will be around for Christmas. Apparently, Terry & his family will all be spending it at Alana's family's cabin in the woods. Mom doesn't want to go there as she feels it would be too hard on her to go on a rough road, even in my 4x4 and even though it's just a very short distance off the main road, so probably it will just be her and I for actual Christmas day since I can't go knowing Mom would be home alone on such a day. Someday all too soon I will be alone on Christmas day, for now I will enjoy each time I get to spend it with Mom before she 'moves on'.

My Day Today

My day today:

Planned to do: 30 minutes on treadmill.... laundry... clean chinchilla & rabbit cages.

Actually did: did 3 loads of laundry - washed/dried/folded/put away... cleaned all 3 chinchilla cages and 1 rabbit cage, gave the chins their dust baths, topped up water bottles... talked on phone to George for 4 hours while I did the laundry, talked on phone for 1 hour to Ray, talked on Messenger with Dan for undetermined time twice, thought about Mark and wondered if he'll be coming over this way any time soon and if he has bought another truck yet. (I have one I will sell him, lol)

All that is on top of 'every day stuff' like feeding birds & cat (rabbit & chinchillas get food dishes filled every few days as needed). My dog, Indaway, is inside now and just finished eating his dinner or raw turkey. Oh ya, including feeding myself, haha.

Doing dishes was something I should have done and would have done, though didn't get to. They'll still be there tomorrow. I am disappointed that I didn't get on the treadmill today, just couldn't fit it in. Guess I could have done that while on the phone, if only I had thought to do so.

So... my 'To Do' list for tomorrow will start with 30 minutes on the treadmill and do the dishes. Fold more laundry tops the list too. Then work on cleaning the kitchen.

Sharing

Yesterday I spent time with 2 different gal friends, then went to visit my Mom. They all live in a small town about 25 minutes north of where I am, so it's good to spend a whole day there and see different people. After Mom & I went for a drive and ate dinner out, we went back to her place to relax and play Tri Onimos, a game we both enjoy. While I was there, my great nephew Dustin phoned and after talking to Mom for awhile he and I had a nice phone visit. Dustin has just started a new job and was saying that this is currently a part time job and that he has also been offered a full time job at another company in another town. He has been putting resumes in at many different places in hopes of getting employment. We talked about the pros and cons of each of the jobs and how he can make the decision as to what he can do. We also talked about joining the military and I told him that if I was young again I would seriously consider joining the military so I could learn to fly a helicopter. I think it would be awesome to be a chopper pilot. It I had done that when I was young, I now would be retired with full military benefits and be working for a private company bringing in the big bucks. Another thing I would seriously consider if I had it all to do over again would be Veterinary Services Jobs. I love animals so think that working with them and helping them to be healthy would be a good career for me. I have lots of pets and often have wished I knew more thank I do about animal health care.

Polls

On Facebook, I asked my friends:

Which way do you think my nick name looks better?? This is for putting onto my "nick patch" on my vest, for writing stuff, maybe even for painting on my trick or truck!!

The choices were:
- GypsyGirl
- Gypsygirl
- Gypsy Girl

So far there are 2 votes for GypsyGirl and 1 vote for Gypsy Girl. The latter is from a woman who IS a Gypsy, or at least a member of a Romani tribe, so it kind of means a bit more than the first 2 votes... sigh. I do seem to have the spirit of a Gypsy. I am the free and fun type person who can't stand people trying to control me. I love to have a good time, I love to be out and about, not sitting at home... well, for the most part anyway, though there are days when I do just want to stay home alone. Anyway....

Now I have a question for you. Which type of computer do you prefer??
- Acer laptop?
- hp desktops?
- Dell laptop?
- Mac desktop?

Leave your answer in the comments!

Share the wealth!!

I'm just sitting here looking around at things in my living room. I have quite a few plants, as well as several cages of birds in here with me. I'm thinking that after I get back from Vancouver I could do some work on some of these plants. The Dieffenbachia sure could use with being cut down, it's stalk being cut up into pieces that would be planted to create new plants, and the base of the plants left in the ground to grow a new top or two. This will make the plants I choose to keep look better than they do now, being long and leggy like they are. It also will create lots of other plants. So what will I do with so many Dieffenbachia plants? When friends come to visit, I'll send plants home with them. Share the wealth!!

Getting A New Truck!!!

Currently, I drive a 1992 Ford Ranger XLT 4x4... and I love it. I have been trying to remember just what year I bought this truck who I named Vaquero (Spanish for Cowboy), and I don't recall though it could be as much as 10 years ago now. When I got him, he looked great and he has always been a super dependable truck. Now, with over 320,000 kilometers on him, he is rusty so doesn't look so good anymore, yet still he is super dependable and still is a pleasure to drive. I took Vaquero off the road in June, switching the insurance over to my trike. All summer Vaquero sat in my yard waiting while I rode Phoenix. On October 1, I decided it was time... it was cold and rainy, not the type of weather I wanted to ride the trike in, so I changed insurance from Phoenix back to Vaquero (from trike back to truck). I went out and put the key into Vaquero's ignition, turned it and VROOOM, he fired right up, happy to be alive and running again!!! I totally love this truck!!!

As much as I love Vaquero, the time has come to replace him, so taking into consideration how much I've enjoyed our years together and how dependable he has been and still is, I decided to go with another Ford Ranger 4x4. This time it will be a 2008 XLT with power windows and the 4 door extended cab. He has all the features that I wanted... and already he has a name!! I was telling my friends on Facebook about my new truck and posted a photo of this Grabber Orange truck. (Grabber Orange is a rare color... only 618 of them were put out in 2008 and fewer in 2009). My friend Brooks referred to this truck as Orange Julius... so I've named him Julius!!

You may have noticed a theme here... I always have male vehicles, not female, and yes, I name them too.

And here he is.... Julius!!

This is the photo my brother took of Julius when he, Terry, went to test drive the truck for me. You see, I found it on Craigslist and it's in Vancouver. Terry lives in the lower mainland so was able to go check this out for me (a wonderful big brother, don't you think), and said I'm getting a really great truck. Tomorrow I will drive to my bank about 1/2 hour north of here in the small town where I once lived and my Mom still lives. I will get a bank draft to pay for the truck and have a short visit with Mom, if there's time. Then back home where friend Ray will pick me up and give me a ride to the Greyhound Bus depot where I will begin my 9 hour bus ride. Terry will pick me up at the Vancouver bus depot and we'll drive about 45 - 60 minutes to his & Alana's home where I'll spend the night. On Wednesday I will meet with Vic, "the seller" and get all the paper work done, the truck paid for and all that stuff... then off to insure the truck. I will then begin the drive back home. The trip home will take quite a bit less time than the bus ride down will take. Well, unless I stop along the way to visit some of my triker friends, lol.

More about Fall Jobs

In the next couple days I have to clear out a room in my home that I've been working on for some time now and just need to do the last bits. I need to sort/bag all cans and bottles to take to the depot and sell. I need to clean a LOT of stuff out of the carport to make room for my trike to be put away for the winter, and for pellets to be stored so they can be used for heating my home. I have a lot of yard work to do as well, tho I know the chances of me getting that done are slim. The plums are nearly done. There are still loads of them in the trees, but with all the rain we've been having the plums have been splitting, so my jam plans are falling apart in front of my eyes. I want to make a lot so I can give a bunch away as Christmas gifts and have a good amount left for my own use. I also wanted to put plums in the freezer to use during the winter months. I guess I'll have to do what I can for now and do more next year.

Fall Jobs

I've been working as much as possible over the last few days, getting read for winter. There is just so much to be done before the weather turns colder and my low back hurts so much that I'm having a real challenge with doing the work. Having deteriorated discs and arthritis is not fun... no, really, it's not fun. Anyway, I've managed to make some plum jam and pick enough plums to make another batch and even have some on the stove right now, cooking down so I can put them through the sieve to remove the pits. These are small plums so the pits either have to be removed this way or by using a cherry pitter tool to push the pits out. Yes, these plums are about the same size as cherries. I did a bunch of dishes and cleaned out the sink tht has been heaped with 'stuff' for months. This place is such a mess and I so need to get it cleaned up.... and I hurt... and I am overwhelmed. I need to be looking for a new vehicle as my old truck is getting... well.... old. He's rusty and has fairly high miles so needs to be replace. I don't want to have to install/uninstall snow tire chains every time I enter/leave my driveway, so will for sure be needing a 4 wheel drive. I'm looking at getting a nice truck. When I take breaks from working to rest my back and hopefully reduce the pain, I do some searching on the 'net for my "right and perfect" truck.

Damson Plum Jam

Today one of the things I did was pick a bunch of my Damson Plums so I can make a bunch of jam. Every few years I make a bunch of this jam and it lasts me long enough that I only have to make it every few years, lol. This year I plan to give a jar of it to each of a few of my friends for Christmas. Hey, what else do you give men that have a lot more money than you do and already have about everything they need?? Give them something to eat... right? Maybe I'll even bake something for them, or give them crackers or something to put the jam on. Ah well, will think about that later. For now I have jam to make!! Then I'm going to come back to my computer and do some research. I love searching for things on the 'net. Tonight maybe I'll look up fluid tech, and for sure I want to look up information on the treadmill I just bought. Got a great deal on a good used treadmill that is now the 'main focal point' in my living room. Hopefully I will use it for what it is meant, rather than for gathering dust and "stuff". I need to get healthy!! After too many other thoughts over the years, I had forgotten just how much sugar to put per cup of plums in the jam, so I was able to look up recipes on the 'net and found that people use lemon juice in their plum jam, some also use a bit of cinnamon. I'll try these things this year as I make several batches of jam.

Seasonal Thoughts

Do you realize that today is September 21st?? That means that it is just 2 days until it is officially Fall or Autumn, and it also means that Christmas is just around the bend. Yes, just 3 months and 4 days from this moment the 'big day' will be over for all who celebrate that holiday. This also means that if you do celebrate Christmas, it's time to start thinking about Christmas Card lists as well as Gift lists. What will you get for those loved ones on your list?? Here are a few ideas just in case you need some help:
- car parts
- motorcycle accessories (big hint)
- maternity clothes (not for me please)
- scarves, mittens, hats (blah blah blah)
- jewelry
- poinsettia or Christmas Cactus
- iPod, iPad, iWish

If and when I think of more I'll let you know. I don't yet have a clue who I'll buy for or what I'll get them. I usually make my gifts and don't yet know what that could be this year.

Christmas is Coming

Every year at this time I think of the upcoming Christmas season, of whom I should send Christmas Cards to, and whom I should be what gifts for. Unfortunately, I always end up thinking too long and not getting the cards written out so they can be put into the mail. Yes, I think about Christmas, yet I don't want it to actually happen, I'm not a big fan of winter. At this time of year I am still riding my motorcycle and wishing summer would come back so it would be nice warm riding weather for so much longer. Now it is getting chilly and I am forced to think about how I must soon put the trike away and put the truck back on the road... but not until after October 1st as that is the date of the next Santa Toy Run I plan to ride in.

Gardening

My garden didn't do well this year. I think it's because of all the rain we got earlier in the summer and nothing at all was growing right. Out of all the plants I bought or grew from seed, not one vegetable was showing up on the vines or stalks, so I ended up just giving up and not bothering to water it any more. Oh, I wish now I had still gone to that part of the yard to water as there were other things like 3 kinds of mints growing in tires and a few other herbs in pots, but I didn't have anything much in my raised bed gardens. I had wanted for so long to have raised bed gardens so I could grow my own veggies and had no way of building my own, no one to help me, so I brought home some old bathtubs, rocks, soils I purchased and planted my gardens in them. The first year I got a bit to eat, but not much. I think a pedestal bathtub would look really good out there with food in it too, but I've decided that next year it will save me a lot of money to just go to the Farmer's Markets to buy my food rather than wasting all that money on seeds & bedding plants and water just to get nothing but disappointment.

Traveling Thoughts

It's 8:42am as I start to type this post.... I didn't sleep much last night as I am excited to be heading to Omak to spend time with a friend of mine. I've never ridden my trike anywhere near this far before, so this will be a new adventure. From where I live it is about 2 1/2 - 3 hours to the Canada/US border, then likely that much again to Omak. I've driven down there before but don't remember how long it took me to get there, and that was in my truck which is a lot different than riding a trike. Now all that I have on the road is the trike and it is so much easier on gas than the truck, so I'm off and riding. I will stop from time to time and take a break. I think I can ride non-stop for about 2 hours. By that time I will need to stop for gas in the trike and will take advantage of that to rest a bit. Before I go I am putting some padding on my hand grips to hopefully help my hands to not hurt so much. They've been very stiff and sore lately and my doctor suggested I try bigger hand grips, also suggested that vibration could be part of the problem. So for now I am putting water pipe insulation foam things on the existing hand grips to see if that helps and if it does I can buy new grips. This stuff should also help absorb vibration. Guess I'll see if it helps or not. Wish me luck, lol.

Riding Friends

One evening this summer I was visiting friends from my motorcycle group, All Canadian Riders Club, and we were sitting around Shane's outdoor fire pit, talking and visiting not only with people from out club, but also friends of Shane's that aren't in the club. I really love getting to know new people, especially those that ride motorcycles. Since I quit going to church and started riding my own trike I have found a whole different world and that these people are more caring and supportive than the ones that I met through the church I belonged to for many years. When I was riding last year and got hit by a car no one from church came to visit... but some other friends did and riders were among them. Also, when the insurance company finished with my trike I was able to buy it back from them and bring it home.... some of my ACRC friends came with truck, trailer, strong men and brought the wreck home for me so I could use parts from it to build a new trike. Now that's friends.

Leaving for Omak

I am heading to Omak WA today, going down for Stampede Weekend. I didn't go last year though for about 5 or 6 years before that I went all the time. Before I head out I have to make sure all of my animals have loads of food and water, way more than enough for the 3 days I'll be gone. Whenever I go like this I make sure I give them way more than they need.... just in case. I also have a 16 year old young man coming by to play with my dog while I'm gone. I don't want Indaway to be lonely so want someone to come visit him, though he too will have way more food and water than he actually needs for 3 days, and Brock will know where the water hose is to be able to give Indaway fresh water.

Another thing I will do before I go is to get travel health insurance, sort of like getting life insurance with no exam, just in case I get injured or killed riding my motorcycle in the US. Any time one crosses the border from Canada to the US it is a good idea to have travel insurance and though I never have gotten it before I will this time. This is the first time I'm going on my motorcycle and last year I found out just how easy it is to be hit by a car. Now I know that 80% of crashes involving motorcycles involves cars hitting the motorcycle. I don't like those odds and do my best to protect myself.

Men... and Women

I read this somewhere and thought I would share it with you, lol.

---------------------Men---------------------------

--------------are like apples---------------------

----------on trees. The best ones-------------

--------are at the top of the tree.-------------

------Many ladies don't want to reach-------

-----for the good ones because they--------

---are afraid of falling and getting hurt.----

---Instead, they get the rotten apples-----

---from the ground that aren't as good,----

---but easy. So the apples up top think----

---something's wrong with them when in--

----reality they're amazing. They just-------

------have to wait for the right lady to------

------- come along. The one who's-----------

-------------- brave enough to-----------------

------------------climb all-------------------------

------------------the way-------------------------

-----------------to the top------------------------

----------------of the tree.-----------------------

P.S. I know where you can get a ladder??? :)

I think it also works in reverse... Women being the apple at the top of the tree and men being afraid to climb so high.

Online Auction

I was checking out my Hotmail to see if anyone had sent me an email or anything and I clicked on an ad for an online auction place. Just out of curiosity, mind you. I went there to see what they had and what kind of prices things are going for. I would really love to get an iPad one day as I saw one a guy had and thought they are really cool and as my laptop gets older and needs replacing I think I'd rather get an iPad than another laptop. First though, I will do a bunch of research to make sure it really is what I want and that I get it for the best price I can. I see that an Apple iPad 32 GB Wi-Fi sold for $22.53. One catch though.... on top of what you pay for the item you also pay $0.60 per bid and this could add up pretty quickly if you have to bed a lot to get the item. During the last 10 seconds, if you bid a penny or more the timer resets to 10 seconds then ticks down and say it gets to 5 seconds remaining and someone else bids a penny, the timer resets to 10 seconds. This can go on for quite some time.

I can see where it could be a lot more pricy than it appears so I would be leery to bid there unless I had lots of money available.

Gear Up!

I took this photo last evening, 8 motorcycles and there were 10 people including me. We were on our regular Monday evening All Canadian Riders Club ride. Shane, one of our riders, said that with it being so hot he didn't understand how I could fully gear up... chaps, jacket, gloves as well as my helmet. Most of the other riders wore only short sleeve shirts and jeans, only one other than me wore his leather jacket, but no chaps.

If you read my blog often, you know that 11 months ago, September 10, 2010, I was riding my trike (3 wheeled motorcycle) when I was hit by a car. All summer long I had ridden in muscle shirts, spaghetti strap sun tops, or bathing suits with my jeans. I loved the freedom of riding like that and the resulting sun tan, the best sun tan I'd ever had. Yes, I knew it was not a good idea to ride without protective gear, but hey, I ride a trike!! Far safer than 2 wheel motorcycles!! I still believe that 3 wheels are safer than 2... and I know that when a car hits you, you are 'going down' either way. The day I was hit I was wearing my leathers, thank God!! In fact, I had been given a pair of chaps about 1 1/2 hours before I was hit, so I was fully geared up proudly wearing my new chaps as well as my jacket and gloves... all leather. Yes, I was still fairly severely injured, yet I know that had I been wearing my usual summer attire, I would have been injured far worse!! The scrapes on my helmet show where my head would have been damaged if I wasn't wearing the helmet, and I know that my skin would have been off my body and all over the road if I had not been wearing leathers. So often I see people wearing shorts, tank tops/t-shirts/hip hop clothing/flip flop shoes/and other things that are not appropriate gear for riding motorcycles. I wish I could make people understand that you never know when someone will hit you or when you might hit loose gravel and go down, so you must always wear protective gear!!

My Triike

About 2 weeks ago I had some problems with my trike. While I was riding it, the frame broke!! There were 4 bars going from the motorcycle to the car axle and the metal on one of them broke while the welds on 2 others broke. I am so very grateful that the other bar held together. I did not want to take it back to the people who had built the trike for me since this was not the first problem I had with their work, so I took it to a fellow that does motor home repairs as well as lawn mowers and golf carts. He really seems to know his stuff and did a wonderful job not only repairing the breakage, but changing the frame somewhat to make it stronger and better so this does not happen again in future. He also did not like the way the back brakes were done, so he changed some on them too. So far I have no reason to complain about his work and every reason to be grateful he was available to do the job when I needed him. It's a good thing I am a member of some motorcycle groups, social riders getting together to enjoy their motorcycles, as that is how I met this man.

Indaway

I've been trying to get photos of Indaway, but that is proving to be a challenge. He refuses to stay still long enough and always wants to come too close to the camera. I thought maybe if I fed him, but he kept moving while he ate too. So here are the best of some really poor photos of my dog.

Eye Glasses

As some of you will know, I ride a motorcycle with 3 wheels, also called a trike. I find it a great way to get around all summer long, though on rainy days like we are having this year, it's not quite so pleasant as it is on sunny days. In cooler months, I drive a pick-up truck which I love, though I find the trike is much easier on gas than the truck is, so that's a nice change for the summer as well as the trike being so much fun.

Recently I decided to get a new pair of eye glasses as it's been a number of years since I got the last pair and though the prescription hasn't changed much, the lenses were rather scratched so needed replacing. I must admit I would have loved to get a pair of prescription goggle glasses, they would be so great for riding the motorcycle and would protect my eyes from wind, bugs, etc. However, I really did need glasses for wearing all the time, not just for riding my bike. Maybe next time I can get both.

5 pounds gone

Last week when I went to my TOPS meeting, I registered a 5 pound loss. WOW, was I happy!! It was over a 3 week period, mind you, but still it was wonderful as it's been some time since I had a good loss. No, I did not take diet pills, but have been using more fiber in my foods. I also am eating less. I know I must move more in order to wear off the excess body fat, and to lower my cholesterol levels, but I just don't seem to be able to push myself enough. Speaking of pushing myself, I really must get going as I have a chiropractor appointment this after noon and want to be on time for it. Who knows, maybe I'll even get a short walk in somewhere along the line.

Quote

Our bodies need real, fresh food to maintain health.

~ Louise L. Hay

Indaway

I love my new dog, Indaway... though have discovered that during the time I had no dog my life has changed more than I realized. I don't really have time for a dog anymore, or at least not during the summer months. I am, most days, off somewhere on my motorcycle rather than at home with a dog. I used to take Reba with me in the truck most everywhere I went year round, but now during the summer I no longer have the truck on the road, I change the insurance from the truck over to the trike (3 wheel motorcycle), so I can not take Indaway with me when I go. Also, some places I go do not allow dogs. For example, the end of this month I want to go to Rock Creek, BC to Boogie Bash, a motorcycle event where dogs and children are not allowed, just adult humans. I need a doggy sitter and the one I thought I had is no longer available to me. Sadly I may have to stay home that weekend instead of going off with friends to have a good time. Not only does this dog get in-da-way when I'm trying to do house or yard work, but it appears he also will get in-da-way of my life at times. As much as I do love Indaway, I am thinking about how wise it is to keep him.

Dreams

You know how sometimes we have strange dreams that we can't understand? Well, I don't often remember my dreams, but from time to time I do. Imagine waking up and realizing you've been dreaming about shopping in stores and on the internet, looking for good laptops for students. Hey, I don't even have children and not even one of my pets is going to school, though the dog might have to go this fall. Even if I decided to take Indaway to dog obedience school, he would not need a computer. So yes... a strange dream indeed. Since I got Indaway, about 3 weeks ago, I've worked with him just a little bit and he is doing very well considering I don't do as much as I should with him. He is now just turned 7 months, so did have some knowledge before he got here, but he is learning the little bits I try to impart to him. Unfortunately, he does have a tendency to run off to play with other dogs, even if I am calling him to come back... so he will never be loose in the yard again. He is either in his pen or on a lead attached to me, or a chain in the front yard if I'm out there doing yard work and too busy to keep hold of him. I live on a very fast, busy highway and I have already lost too many animals to it, not taking a chance with another. That would be a night mare!!

Passwords!

I used a program to clean up my computer. It seems to have worked. It erased all my saved passwords and user IDs, so now I am having a real challenge getting back into many places. This is a challenge!! I had to reset my password to come here. Now it's done and I have to run off to town. I'm late!! Be Back later!!

Indaway

If there was a trophies for the dog that got in the way the most, it would be won, hands down, by my new dog.  Now I really understand why, even though they had named him Bear, they called him Indaway.  This dog is always in the way whenever I try to do anything.  If I want to get something done in the house or outside, he has to be locked up or chained up to keep him safe and out of my way.  He got away the other day and very nearly got hit by a car on the highway out front of my home.  I saw it happen and was so scared for him!!!  Thank God they managed to avoid hitting him, and Thank God they were the kind of people to want to avoid hitting him.  Believe it or not, I have seen people that would swerve to hit a dog rather than swerve or brake to miss one.  Indaway is such a sweet heart.  He is currently laying on the floor near my chair, chewing on a bone I gave him earlier.  He has a lot to learn, and already he is a good dog... will get even better as he settles down and as he learns more.

Strange Weather Patterns

This year the weather has been so unusually cold and rainy.  It is getting frustrating and many people are experiencing problems with depression due to the lack of sunshine and warm temperatures.  Many people are having to turn their heat on in June when we usually are using air conditioners around here.  I wouldn't mind getting a small infrared heater to be able to take the chill off in my home without having to light my pellet stove. I can put on an extra bit of clothing and this helps a lot, but my birds are tropical and need to be fairly warm to stay healthy, so it is important to not let the temperature in my home drop too low.

While some of us are in unusually cold weather and flood conditions, others in the world are suffering from unusually hot, dry weather and praying for some rain and cooler days.  The world is truly in upheaval.

A Wonderful Announcement

I just want to tell you all that I have a new 'guy' in my life.  A wonderful new dog!!  His name is Indaway and he is 6 1/2 months of age.  Indaway is 1/8 King Shepherd and 7/8 Rottweiler, so he looks like a Rottweiler but has longer, curly hair, and one little white spot on his chest that I didn't even know was there until today.  He came to live with me 9 days ago and has already been acting like a guard dog, barking to let me know when someone is at the door, or stopped at the bottom of our driveway.  He will be very protective of me and this is a great thing.  He has a lot of growing to do yet and is already a fairly good sized dog, so will be a real big boy when he's at full size.  I hope he is like Reba was in respect to knowing when to be nice and when to be protective.  Reba loved everyone and was such a sweet, loving dog, yet if she sensed any danger she became very protective of me.  I will soon take some photos of Indaway and post them.

Cel Phone Fiasco

In February I decided to enter into a new 3 year contract so I could get a new cel phone. I looked at a few and actually wanted to get one of the blackberry phones, but when I was talking to the gal at the Telus booth, I was told that you HAVE to have internet with one of these phones and i didn't want to pay the extra for internet hook-up on my phone when I have 2 laptops on internet. It just doesn't fit into my budget at this time. I ended up getting a nice phone with a slide out querty keyboard and liked it a lot. Last week I went to wash my jacket, checked all the outside pockets and forgot to check the inside pockets. My cel was in one of those unchecked pockets and ended up in a sink full of water. As I hand washed the jacket I felt the phone. I got it out right away and put it into a bowl of rice to dry it out, but unfortunately that wasn't enough. My cel was dead!!! Thankfully, a friend has given me his old cel to use until I can afford to buy a new one again, or to pay to restart my contract and get another free phone. I will be more careful from now on and make sure I check all pockets before washing things. This jacket is the only one I have that has inside pockets.

Gardening Pleasures

I am interested in different aspects of personal health care and tend to do a lot of reading and research along these lines. I also need to loose weight. Blood sugars and cholesterol levels are important for me to be aware of and to keep in good control, so I usually eat with these things in mind. Oh, I have the odd slip, like a hamburger for lunch yesterday, but I don't allow myself to do that very often.  I haven't taken the time to research diet pills for women, but I read about better ways to garden and grow my own organic vegetables.  I have been eating my own freshly grown spinach for about 2-3 weeks now,  and lettuce and kale for the last week or so. I really enjoy growing, picking and eating my own food as it is so much fresher and healthier as well as flavorful than what we can buy in the stores. I am even thinking that it would be good to start growing my veggies in the house during the fall & winter months when I can't grow it outside.

Thinking About Cards

I'm thinki8ng that, being involved with 2 motorcycle riding clubs and the BC Interior chapter of Association for Injured Motorcyclists, it often would be good to have business cards.  For example, when I see classic motorcycles parked somewhere it would be good to be able to leave a card on the bike, letting the owner know about the BC Classic Motorcycle Club. I have been thinking about designing my own cards, then either printing them on my own printer or looking into getting professional business card printing.  I think likely the professionals would do a better job.

Gardening - Seeds

I am pretty new at gardening.  Last year I did grow a small garden that was fairly successful, more so than ever before, so I am encouraged to grow more this year.  I planted lots of seeds in the house this winter and had far more success with then too than what I have had in past years.  Usually after spending all that money on seeds & starting them in the house I still have to buy bedding plants as nothing I grew from seed was usable.  This year I have lots of plant to move outside and will be doing so this coming week, though with this unusually cold weather I think I will cover them at night for awhile, just to be sure.  I was just reading about saving my own seeds as I plan to cut down on the expense of buying them.  At $2-4 per package for just a few seeds, I think it will be a good idea to harvest seeds.  I just read about doing so for spinach seeds and see the plants have to be picked then hung in to dry.  I have a small metal building in my back yard, near the garden, that will likely be a good place to hang the spinach plants when the time comes to do so.  For now I am greatly enjoying the fresh spinach I pick for my salads or smoothies.  I might freeze some later if I don't eat it all first.  Today I picked a bunch of it to take to Mom when I go visit  her shortly.  She will use it in smoothies as well, and will cook some too as that is the way she enjoys it while I want mine raw.  My kale & peas are coming nicely and the mixed lettuce that I planted is ready for me to dig into now.  I love having my own fresh veggies and could/would only grow them in raised beds.

Feeling Really DOWN

I have been working very hard at getting my trike on the road by this weekend and now I must accept that it won't happen.  After my trike was destroyed in a crash I bought a new bike and used many parts off the old one to build another trike and it is all done and ready for the road except now there is a problem with the wiring so my lights are not working right and my trike can not be put on the road.  I am so very sad it's incredible.  I also was hoping a special friend of mine would make it over to visit for the weekend, though he has truck troubles so won't be coming. I am so sad that not even a nice everlon diamond knot would cheer me up and I really like sparkly jewelry.  It's so sunny and warm, just the weather I have been wishing for and yet I now wish it would rain since I can't go for a ride on my trike now.

Firefox 4

Today I upgraded my computer to Firefox 4.  It said it would be faster to load and easier to use.  Well, so far I agree that it is loading faster, so that is good.  However, it will take a while to get used to some of the changes.  I like that the tabs are now on the very top, though keep going to find them where they used to be out of habit. It took me a terribly long time to find where they moved the Refresh button to, and now that I know I still keep looking where it used to be. Many things have changed in Firefox and it will take me a bit of time to catch on to it all, but know I will soon enough.

Spell Check

It's a good thing that computers have spell check as I'm not the greatest speller.  I always did well in English class in school, though never that well in Spelling class.  I find that the English language has a lot of strange glitches in the way they spell things and even the little verses that we learned in school only apply in some cases.  For example:  'i'  before 'e' except after 'c' works in lots of cases though there are acceptations to that rule. I also find it odd that words that sound alike aren't spelled alike (though ends with 'oh' sound.... go also ends with 'oh' sound as does snow).  I find it irritating when people write things wrong due to lack of knowledge of grammar and such.  For example: when someone writes 'I looked out and saw there car drive up'.  It should be 'their', not there.  There means 'over there' and their (notice the i is not before the e even though there is no c.  See, broke that rule.) means belonging to a person or people. They're is another often misused word which is short form for 'they are'. Their/there/they're!!  I think most people need more than spell check on their computer, some could really use a merriam collegiate dictionary!

Spring Cleaning

This is the time of year to throw away the old and welcome in the new. I've been cleaning my home and my yard which is a huge job that is very necessary. Having been injured and sick for some time, I have let things go around here and it is feeling really great to be getting a few things done. I look forward to having a clean home and a pretty yard again. Being spring, it's also time for putting away winter clothes, donating what I don't want anymore, bringing out warm weather clothes and donating what doesn't fit any more. As well as clothing, shoes need to be checked over to see what is good and what needs to go. A good pair of shoes can cost what seems to be a lot, but will last longer than cheap ones and is better for your feet. As a diabetic, I know it is important to take good care of my feet. I also want new sandals for the upcoming summer. I've been wearing my old ones and they really need to be replaced this year.

Cholesterol

I don't like taking medications for things unless absolutely necessary, and even then only for a short time. Unfortunately, I've been taking a mild dose of anti-depressant drugs for some years now and I would really like to get off of them.  I believe that I may not be here now if I hadn't taken them, and yet I don't want to take them for the rest of my life. I now am faced with having high cholesterol and my doctor really wanting me to go on statin drugs to lower it.  If I go on them I will likely never get off of them and this really bothers me.  It has been 2 years or more that the doctor has been pressuring me to go on them and me refusing and wanting to get it down with diet and exercise but the numbers have gone up instead of down.  I know I'm not doing enough with the diet & exercise thing and I must do more.  As much as I don't like taking any kind of meds, I must admit that I am wondering about some kind of diet supplements because I know that getting my weight down would probably make at least some difference. The most important thing for me to do is get off my computer, get off my butt and get moving!!! Walk, swim, ride my exercise bike... any of these would be a really good thing, I just don't seem to be able to motivate myself right now.

STUCK in an ELEVATOR!!

Well it's been an interesting day today. Among other things, I went to my Dr. appointment and the cel died just as I was going in. (Was only down 1 bar dang battery not good, only a month old). After the appointment I go to leave and the building decided to take me hostage!! Yup, going down 1 floor in elevator and it suddenly stops and nothing happens when I push any buttons. I said to myself "Self, I think we're stuck in the elevator" or something sort of like that. ;o) Thankfully the "Help" button worked and I got to talk to a guy and tell him what was happening and what city I was in, but not the address b'cuz I don't know it. I also told him my Dr.'s name and said to call there and get the address. Anyway, it took awhile but finally 2 repair guys turned up and broke me out of there. First time anything like that ever happened to me. After that I went and did a few hours volunteer work and am now home relaxing with a cat on my chest.

I'm not really sure how long it was... seemed like a long time but could only have been 30 - 45 minutes. Hey, could have been worse, there could have been some weird, smelly, freaky person in there with me. Haha. I sat down and read some ...of what I had been given (info on cholesterol) and then did some meditation, relaxation stuff. I have a mild issue with claustrophobia, but thankfully it didn't rear its ugly head today.

Thanks everyone!! I'm just really grateful this didn't happen to me a couple months ago, before I started 'doing the work' for the PTSD. I was so stressed out and coming apart at the seams that I might well have flipped right out. I was wondering why this happened to me, even when I was sitting there on the floor of the elevator I was wondering (I believe there is always a reason things happen, always something we are to learn) and finally I see what it well may be about. Maybe it's to show me just how far I've come in my healing, how I have returned to my 'pre-trauma' calm self. That makes it something to be grateful for.

Happy Easter Everyone

May you and yours have a basket full of joy and prosperity!!

HAPPY EASTER!!

Quotes

~ Eventually you will come to understand that love heals everything, and love is all there is. ~ 

 

Gary Zukav

~ Loving ourselves is the miracle cure we are all looking for. ~ 

 

  Louise Hay

My Want List

There are a lot of things I would like to have and some things I think I might like to try out.  This list I am about to make will include both.

- a new trike
- work done on my truck
- a new laptop computer
- new furniture
- new kitchen cupboards
- to try using hgh
- to have a deck or patio built in my back yard
- a water feature in my garden/yard, with fish in it
- to travel to other countries
- to meet some of the people I have a Facebook friends
- have someone come in regularly to clean my home

Some of these things I will get and some not likely, but hey, first the dream must come before things actually show up in your life.