Buried Treasure

We rebuilt a couple of raised garden  beds. We've been poking at it for weeks, but this weekend we really dug in (pun intended!) and got the job done before the expected cold weather arrives.  I'm so out of shape that a couple of hours of digging around in the dirt and burying treasures caused me to wake up in pain today.

My allergies flare anytime I spend much time outdoors too, but sometimes I just have to live. By the time church was over today, all the pain had settled in as a near-migraine headache. Seeing tree shadows on the road as we drove along really increased the sick feeling.

I came home, ate lunch, took Excedrin and Diet Coke, and headed on out to work. I hated doing it on Sunday, but that ox was thoroughly in the mire!  Anyway, the headache is gone, but I bet my body is going to be aching tomorrow.

I'm using "borrowed" pictures becasue it's dark and cold and I can't really go out and take pictures right now. Or at least I don't want to.

These are great to work with, and don't have to be "perfect" to look great--as long as they are straight.  We stained ours with a redwood stain.   https://www.lowes.com

This isn't ours, but it's close to the color we stained ours. Besides the pretty color, we hope it will make it last longer.
https://removeandreplace.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/DIY-Landscaping-Timbers-Raised-Garden-Bed_11.jpg

And that buried treasure I mentioned? I put a protective layer of chicken wire over it to keep pesky thieves from digging it up, and I have great hopes of a beautiful garden of crocus, narcissus, daffodils, and tulips blooming from early spring into early summer.  

https://www.agardenforthehouse.com/2019/10/squirrels-stealing-your-bulbs-heres-help/

https://newengland.com/today/seasons/fall/keep-squirrels-away-from-fall-bulbs/


These sites say squirrels don't actually eat bulbs, but believe me, they've taken and/or eaten every single tulip bulb out of planter boxes before. Gophers like them too. One year all my bulbs came up in a cluster, and I dug down--and down--about 12-15 inches--and found them all gathered in a gopher burrow.  On the California ranch where I grew up, Mom always thought it was the deer!  I bet it was gophers! There were plenty of them out on the ranch. The dogs would chase out deer anyway.  Either way, she found better luck with things like Vinca.

I'm back.

As my husband would say, I'm also front.

I'm sides, and middle, and back and front...and there's plenty of all of it to see.

I've had a couple of health scares which I won't detail right now, but I have decided it is once again a priority to take care of my body. Not just to get thinner, but to be healthy, to be fit.

More to come.

Baby, I've Been to the Beach in Boston

We went to Boston for the weekend, where we got to visit with our son's family. One of the children is a baby we had not met for the first several months of his life.  We were so delighted to become acquainted with him, as well as spending time with the rest of the family.

Because they rely solely on public transit, we walked, rode buses and trains, and took a couple of Uber rides.  I am thinking of walking to work from now on if the weather is nice. The only problem is that it will require rising a half hour earlier than I do now. I have to fight Mr. Night Owl even more if I am going to do that.

We went to the beach. I decided not to be self-conscious in my Hawaii-explosion swimsuit that I picked up at Walmart recently.  I just went right out in the water and hung out with the kids, helped build a sandcastle, picked up a few shells, and had a great time.  At the end of the time, I stood there in the warm ocean breeze with the sun on my shoulders and the sand under my feet, and I felt good. I felt genuinely good, and happy inside.  Some things just feel right, you know?

I didn't even know there were beaches in Boston, though in theory I did know that it was a harbor city...I only wish one thing. I wish that the beach name started with a B, because I could have added it to the alliteration in my title.

No, Offense, Grandma...

When I was visiting family last month, they all came over to the hotel for a get-together and swim. After I changed into my swimsuit, my 11-year-old grandson looked at me, and said, "No offense, Grammy, but I'm glad you're working out."

Out of the mouth of babes...I took no offense, but merely said,

"So am I! And I've lost 30 pounds so far!"

He was suitably impressed by that, but obviously I still have a way to go, as if I didn't know it already.  Meanwhile, I think it's perhaps time for a more flattering swimsuit.

Ashes

My burning commitment to get up at 5:00 and meet some of my daily goals fizzled out during a night of poor sleep, until upon awaking there was nothing left but ashes and a small ember of hope for another day.

Coming Back after Ten Days

Whew!  I got a cold and it knocked me flat!  I'm over the worst of it at last, but still have little energy. I come home after work every day and collapse.

Yesterday I decided to work out no matter what. I had awakened in pain, but I figured lying around all day wasn't going to help, but I ended up taking a nap for about 3 hours of the afternoon.  Finally, around 4 p.m., I selected a one-mile gentle walk DVD and started in.  It was hard! I did feel better afterward, and was looking forward to a shower.

My husband came in and said, "Let's go for a walk."  Okay, my shower can wait. This sounds serious, like he has something to talk about or something.  So I grab my keys, and we head out the front door--where I see friends waiting in their car. Husband tells me, "We're going out to dinner with friends." I waved at the friends and dashed back in the house to change my clothes. No way I'm going out to dinner in my workout clothes.  Time for a quick "sponge bath" and a fresh, pretty outfit, and off we went to a delightful dinner at a Japanese place.

I woke up much more pain-free today and I'm enjoying my Sunday and looking forward to a good yoga workout tomorrow to limber me up.

TGI--3 Day Weekend!

I enjoy my new job, but my body has not adapted well to the schedule.  I still have a cold that won't quit, but I am taking advantage of the weekend to rest a lot. That's all.