Let the snow days begin. . .

...been outside clearing paths and taking a breathtakingly beautiful walk in the snow.  It always lifts my spirits and brings me peace.  According to my snow gauge, four inches have fallen so far.  Why is it I almost always find myself humming and inclined to pick up my knitting when I come back inside?

Let there be sweet potatoes. . .

I am realizing it has been awhile since I cooked anything substantial.  Neither have I felt inclined to shop for groceries.  I went for days without milk simply because I didn't want to bother to stop at the store during my comings and goings.  I have been existing on odds and ends I've found by rummaging through the pantry and freezer.  As long as I don't run out of coffee and cat food, I'm good.  I finally gave up my procrastination and went to the grocery store the other day.  Today, I cooked although that was far from my intention as the day began.  As a result, I will be "grazing" on "real" food for the next several days; spicy meatloaf, marshmallowed sweet potatoes, "doctored" cottage cheese, and baked ziti, to name a few dishes that are now in my 'fridge.  The cooking frenzy all began because of a craving for a poached egg for breakfast.

Today has been rather morose and dark and drizzly all day.  It leaves me with the feeling of being suspended in the early morning hours even as the day winds down and the "legitimate" nighttime darkness sets in.  The melancholy music I've been listening to on Pandora contributes to my gloomy mood. Somehow, I am basking in it, though.  I guess I must need to feel this way occasionally. 

I even had odd dreams during the night.  But then, I guess dreams are always odd, aren't they?  I dreamed of poached eggs and in another dream segment, I was consoling an acquaintance - someone I hardly know (whose marriage, in reality, is solidly intact) because her husband was cheating on her.  In both instances, it's not hard to trace the origin.  First, I watched someone poaching eggs on a cooking show as I sat in the dentist's chair yesterday.  Secondly, after I went to bed, I watched a Dr. Phil segment which happened to be about a cheating husband's mid-life crisis.

Ah, yes...the dental visit.  I was really looking forward to concluding this implant process which began back in February.  However, the truism about things never unfolding as planned became apparent, once again.  There was a session of plenty of poking and prodding with no avail.  More gum tissue has grown around the healing cap and needs to be removed.  As a result, the implant "grand finale" is postponed until a week from this coming Monday and is getting uncomfortably close to cataract surgery day.  On that Monday,  I have a 10:00am doctor appointment in Binghamton, a 2:00pm periodondist appointment and a 3:00pm dentist appointment, both in Honesdale.  As for my minus-the-temporary-filling fractured molar, I need to set up an appointment with an oral surgeon in one of three cities - Scranton, Carbondale, or Binghamton.  It's a good thing I got those new tires!

I am oddly calm about my currently befuddled circumstances and that, in itself, makes me a little uneasy.  I keep waiting for the "other shoe to drop." Maybe...after all these years...I have finally learned to embrace one day at a time.  Yes...let's go with that!  Let's just say, "All will be well, for I have cooked!"  

Let there be poached eggs and sweet potatoes! 

Bumps in the journey. . .

...and so the appointments continue.

Nothing ever unfolds exactly as we anticipate; of this I'm certain.  It will be better or worse, or take a totally unexpected turn.  I "limped" through the week end with a temporary protective filling on what was left of my fractured molar while I considered the options I had been given. On Sunday morning as I reflected on the previous day over coffee, I was jolted from my contentment by a "rock" in my apple bread.  The "rock," as it turned out, was my temporary filling.  (Temporary is right; I had had it since Wednesday.)  And I had been so careful with it!  "Thank goodness tomorrow is Monday," I thought, anticipating that this latest "bump" in my journey would be behind me within just a few days.  "Maybe even by Monday afternoon," I let myself hope.  

Ha!  

First of all, my dentist is away until Thursday.  Second of all, I will most likely be referred to an oral surgeon (in yet another city) because of the affected area's proximity to my sinuses.  Then, who knows when that appointment will be?  As I stare at my calendar, I can't help feeling a bit anxious about how the next few weeks will unravel.  Will *I* unravel?  Wouldn't it make more sense if there were a central location where the oral surgeon, the eye surgeon, the dermatologist,  the periodondist, and the dentist could all attend to me simultaneously?  Wouldn't it be great to wake up and have the molar fixed, the cataract gone, the skin spots gone, and the implant in place...all at the same time?

Remember "Gunsmoke" - ?  Whatever was ailing anybody, unless the local barber could take care of it, the afflicted one would climb those outside stairs (or be carried) up to Doc Adams' office and Old Doc took care of them.  I'm not saying that would be my preference now.  I rather like the idea of an anesthesia that is slightly more effective than whiskey!  And the mortality rate was higher then, I'm sure.  But at least, back in those days, they didn't have to wonder which direction to head in.

It's amazing how mankind has used the gifts God has given in order to care for one another!  I am awed!  Despite all the negativity we are continually bombarded with, there is, oh, so much goodness to be thankful for!  I, for one, am grateful to live in this particular time and place.

...but I'm still looking forward to putting this "appointment maze" behind me. 

  

A good day. . .

...worked in the yard all day today.  Oh, my aching arms and back!  I cannot grip anything with my right hand.  My fingers won't work.  Hopefully, a night's rest will take care of that.  Otherwise, it will be interesting playing the organ tomorrow.

The time was well spent, though...peaceful and inspiring.  It feels good to let my thoughts free flow. I discovered that something has been burrowing under the grass where the new topsoil was spread.  The tunnels are pretty big for a mole but I don't know what else does that.  Some confused flowers are beginning to bloom in this unseasonably warm fall weather.  I was greeted by a charming primrose, a johnny-jump-up, a forget-me-not, and a bright yellow dandelion.  They think it's spring.  Boy, are they in for a surprise!

The plan was to divide my day so I wouldn't overdo, spending the morning working outdoors and the afternoon working on some knitting projects I have underway.  So much for that!  I should know by now that I don't know when to quit when it comes to yardwork.  I always want to do "one more thing." When the sun began to set and I realized I was very hungry, I knew I had pushed myself to the limit...again.  I was long overdue for sustenance since the slice of apple bread I had with my coffee early this morning was all I had eaten, so far.   I wondered what I had to eat that was readily on hand.  Not much, I discovered, so I settled for a can of Manhattan Clam Chowder.  I don't even like clam chowder but I ate it anyway.  It was either that or another slice of apple bread.  I don't even know what that soup was doing in my pantry, or how long it had been there.  I didn't check the date but I'm going to assume it had expired.

The next time I decide to divide a day's tasks, I think it might be a good idea to plan the outdoor work for the afternoon.

All considered, it has been a good day and I'm pleased with what was accomplished.  What will tomorrow bring?  I wonder......

Leaves. . .

My words of wisdom on living in the woods: 

"When life gives you leaves...make mulch!"

"Thankfuls". . .

I haven't been keeping up with my daily "thankfuls" very well.  That is, I haven't been taking time to post them.  There are so many. 

I believe there is always room for gratitude and although I know I fall short, that is what I strive for.  It's easy to be grateful for the little uplifting things that occur.  Autumn beauty, sunshine, time with friends.  The list is endless.  Then there are the not-so-easy things.  Illness, depression, loneliness.  That list is endless as well and they are the times when I know I need to search for the underlying joy.  One may question my use of the word "joy" but that would only mean that we have differing definitions.  To me, it is a tender, healing word that connects directly with my faith in God and timelessness.  Not the momentary feeling of happiness that comes when something feels pleasing.

Today I am thankful for the ever-present Joy that overflows, even through sadness.      

Appointments. . .

One appointment down and two more to go for this week!  I don't know how it happens but it seems as if all my appointments will invariably occur in the same general time period.  Add the appointments for the cat and the car to the mix and it makes for a cluttered calendar. The trouble is, only two of them take place in the same direction; thirty miles to a GMC dealer and to my dentist.   Oh, I forgot - my optometrist is there, too, so that's three.  Then it is forty-five or fifty miles in two other directions to my doctor and to the veterinarian.  I really don't mind the driving since it takes me through beautiful countryside and it gives me time to relax and meditate.  Besides, if I were free to indulge my own desires, I would probably be quite content to "hole up" at home in French Woods.

Thank goodness for my GPS!  (Kids:  That's the best gift you ever gave me!) Without it I would probably still be driving around Endwell looking for the dermatologist who used to be in Vestal. That's where I spent my morning. Good news there, though.  The "spots" I was concerned about were just benign (what I call) "old age spots" and they have been 'zapped' from my forehead with a "futuristic gun-looking thing" that I'll bet my grandsons would love to get their hands on.

For eight months now I have been going through a dental implant process. Although I find the procedure absolutely amazing due to the fine precision involved, I have to admit I will be overjoyed when that process has been completed!  Meanwhile, I have managed to do something quite disasterous to one of my molars.  I'm pretty sure it is cracked.  Hence, a dental appointment bright and early in the morning.  I would like to say I'm looking forward to it because it will be a relief to have it taken care of but all I can truthfully say is that I'll be glad when it's tomorrow afternoon!

Thursday, I have an appointment to have new tires mounted.  Where?  Next door to where I will have been to my dentist the day before.  A few days after that, back in the other direction for physician follow-up.  After that, finish up dental implant. Then pre-admission testing.  Then cataract surgery. Then...who knows?  That's as far ahead as I can think without boggling my mind.

I'm not complaining, mind you, rather simply trying to keep it all straight. My fear is that I'll get mixed up one day and drive for an hour only to realize I've gone in the wrong direction.

Or...won't my periodontist be very surprised when I show up with a cat under my arm?!     

Snowflakes. . .

Seeing snowflakes in the air always seems to lift my spirits.  Especially the first few of the season.  I will immediately notice my pace quickening and my heart feeling lighter.  I will begin to entertain thoughts of simmering homemade soup, knitting, and all sorts of other nesting activities.  I hope I never lose that!

Some of my favorite memories are of unexpected "snow days" when the kids were small.  I could hardly wait to bundle us all up and head outside where we would delight in making the "first tracks" in the, as yet, unblemished landscape.  And, of course, there would be "snow angels" and "fox and goose." If it was the "packing kind," there would be snowmen, snow forts, and snowballs for the dog to chase.  I never scolded them for eating the snow despite all I had read about how contaminated it becomes after it has fallen all that way through the germ-ridden atmosphere.  Phooey!  I think it's a vital part of childhood.  In fact, I have not ever known of a snow related childhood illness.

I'm not sure what the kids' recollections are of those special days but I am sure they remember them.  And it gives me great pleasure when I hear them passing on to their own offspring the important lesson:  Don't eat the snow if it's yellow!  

Thankful - Day 7. . .

I am thankful for the gift of music in my life; the way it expands expression beyond words!

Thankful - Day 6. . .

How thankful I feel to live in an age of technology that allows me to connect so easily with those I hold dear! 

Thankful - Day 5. . .

. . .so thankful to live nestled in the beauty of the Catskill Mountains!

Thankful - Day 4. . .

I am thankful for my cozy home full of warm memories of life well lived.

Thankful - Day 3. . .

Today and every day I am, oh, so thankful to be blessed with the gift of loving friends and there is never a day when I take that for granted!

Rainbow. . .

"Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth."
Genesis 9:12

Thankful - Day 2. . .

I am so very thankful for grandkids!  All thirteen of them, as well as the grandkids-in-law, and the three little "greats."  Today, more specifically - Michael, an awesome willing worker who helped make a tremendous "dent" in my fall yardwork. I could not have accomplished what the two of us did if I had been working alone.  

Another happy section of the yard. . .and a grateful Gramma!

It's "thankful month" again - Day 1

It's "thankful month" again!  Time for daily gratitudes.  Among many things, I am thankful today for an autumn that has been one of the kindest ever, so far.