Busy Life and I LOVE IT!

I'm excited this morning. So much happening! Last night's pod call - great pleasure hearing voices each month and tomorrow some of us will be together for several days at Folly Beach! This morning I'll drive to Asheville to get results of tests from Dr. Biddle. ------AND, finally woke this morning inspired to write in a different way. Read last night from Natalie Goldberg's book Old Friend from Far Away about writing memoirs. Now, perhaps I'll be able to get more words on paper. We'll see. ---ordered new brochures for The Pond yesterday. (Used this photo instead of the very old one.) Thanks to Kelsey Landis Haymond, my first-born grandchild who is now 16, for taking the photo. Hard to believe I've actually distributed 500 brochures in the last three years! Wonder where they all went?

Planting Lettuce

This morning I'm in my rocking chair on the porch watching circles form on the Pond surface as critters jump from beneath the surface or land on it. Everything is very green and still. The pollen has kept me from the porch till now. What a joy to be back! I have been hearing a low roar ever since I came out - I guess it's cicadas. Two geese were visiting but just flew away. Nothing else is happening. The cicadas are fading away. The bullfrog just made himself known. We may get thunderstorms today. I hope we do get rain. I'll be planting lettuce plants this morning and the rain will be welcome. I've never planted lettuce before. A couple of outer leaves are broken off the central stem so I'll taste them for lunch, Perhaps rabbits will get the others. The tiny grape tomatoes are not quite so bright green now. -----Life has been very busy so a day off is welcome.

Retreat at the Pond April 2011

A photo or two from the recent retreat here might be fun. Susan is giving Stacey a shoulder-neck massage. Pat is doing reflexology on Martha. All in all, it was a great fun three days and nights together doing yoga, learning stuff from each other, eating whole foods, and just being! It was so good to share with each other the quiet of the Pond and Yogatorium! Keep following the blog - another retreat weekend MUST be planned soon and you won't want to miss it.

Food and Family

Been reading a great book (if you're into food stuff) Michael Pollan's In Defense of Food - the substance of it - Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants. I can't recall reading one that makes more sense. Maybe because I agree with him. I have for a long while believed (even though not put into pracice) that growing up on a farm was a blessing - and having a mother who loved to grow food plants and preserve and cook and serve them - was a double blessing. I am once again vowing to eat more plants. Now that I have total control over all of my time - I may actually be able to pull it off. ------ The weather is awful - foggy and cold, at least to me it's cold, so I stayed home this morning while Susan and the boys went to Jack's lacrosse game and Luke to play tennis. Which gave me time to finish the book - and be with Gus a bit. What a great mini vacation it is to be with family! And, to have a great supper out at Jim and Nick's barbecue place. It always amazes me how many people there are here! And, as Luke said, it always amazes him how few people there are where I live. I love being able to savor both cultures, but I must admit, I'm partial to my little Cottage on the Pond!

Good Friday

It really is a good friday! I'm in Atlanta at Luke's home with a bit of time to myself so I'll say hello to each of you and a Happy Easter greeting. It's hard for me to believe how busy life has been the last couple of weeks and will continue to be! I'll return home on Sunday evening, go to Asheville on Wednesday for appt. with Dr. Biddle, then on Thursday to Folly Beach for a Pod Retreat! So, life stays exciting for me. ---- My new couch was delivered yesterday morning so I got a chance to sit on it a bit before leaving. I had been living in my Cottage for more than four years without one and finally now have one. Surprising how nice it sits! ----- Since I'm probably going to forego an extended vacation trip this year, Jim and I planted my garden plot with red, green and yellow peppers, okra, tomato, rosemary, thyme, parsley, basil and mint. So, of course, now I have to water plants! That won't keep me home for too long at a time, though it does add to my stay-at-home needs! Not used to that now that Quincy is gone. Strange how easy it has been to get used to my freedom. Hope you find lots of eggs!

Back to normal?

FINALLY - I'm back. Busy life for me lately. Before I forget, Andrew Weil in his "Healthy Aging" book says the CT test for plaque doesn't tell you exactly where (inside or outside) the calcium is. So, if we have a high score, it is not definitive.------ So, that's the way of tests - they don't give you all the answers. ----- The retreat was wonderfilled! Lots of meditations, yoga sessions, learning sessions, walks, eating good food, etc. When you are ready for a personal retreat, just let me know. ------ 78th birthday was fun Monday. Jim showed up and we went out to dinner - my first out to dinner in a while - also got many cards and fb notes. Also, long chats via phone with my two best friends far away Harriet in Albany, NY, and Win in Phoenix. And a couple of nearer friends. How delightful! ------ This morning I arose before dawn and watched the lighting of the sky. The mist is floating on the P0nd. Jim and I plan to do a little work on my herb garden - maybe - or maybe we'll just continue doing whatever pops into our minds as the day progresses. Both of us love being here on our old home place just BEING. Time for more tea. May your day be as good as mine will be!

Heart Arteries Plaque Test

Are you aware of a Calcium Scoring CT scan? I just had one done at my local hospital (cost me only $99 - no insurance coverage) and I am happy to report that my heart arteries are good "Looks like a very young person's score" she told me - a 50. Says she has seen some has high as 3,000. Heart rate at 55 also very good - See what yoga postures and meditation can do for you? at least it does for me! I did this at Dr. Biddle's suggestion to see if I really do need to be on Lipitor - and at least this test indicates probably not. I'll let him decide that, of course. Seems to me a great idea to have someone take a look. We're trying to test everything to eliminate any drugs I don't need and add any prescription drugs and supplements I do need. ------- Tomorrow my retreat sisters will be here! So, if I miss writing posts a few days, don't give up on me. I'll be back!

Big Projects are My Kind of Thing

My writing has expanded to include much more than I anticipated. So, I'm studying all of my old journals and digging up more info - amazing how little I remember accurately about what was going on even 5 years ago! My coach suggested that I write about my spiritual journey as well as the recent 4 years of living as a widow. That took me back all the way to 1994! So, I'm now in the process of trying to write very detailed outlines and once in a while a few paragraphs. I'm telling you this by way of explaining why I miss posting on the blog occasionally. I am writing almost full time now - especially in the mornings - and I find myself caught up in that. Here I am now at 4:30 in the afternoon with a short break before leading a yoga session. -----Life is good. Even though I sound as if I'm complaining about all the hard work, as son Luke said last night when he called, "Mom - I've been watching you a long time and you are always happiest when you are busy with some kind of big project." And, of course, he's right. Now I'm enjoying it so much I find myself getting annoyed when something else gets my attention - like for example, had to call repairman to get the AC running today. But it is, so I can sleep in PJ's again! Happy thought! Better night's sleep tonight. Hope you sleep well, too!

Hummingbirds are Here

A breakthrough. FINALLY, I've gotten some kind of an outline for a part of my writing. I'll see if I can turn that into some paragraphs now. But first, yoga session at 10:30 so I'll have a chance to let my head and body settle a bit before beginning to try to write sentences. ------Hummingbirds are here! I put up the feeder yesterday after seeing one hovering around the sunflower seed feeder and within an hour one had found it! This morning there are two. I'll try to find a photo of some I've taken before to show you. -----later - I've given up finding it - MUST organize my photos SOON. Be Happy!

Check-in

Just checking in - busy day of chores today - spring cleaning, laundry, etc. Randy has cut the grass for the first time. Spring has sprung! No brain left for philosophizing.

Slow Down

An old photo, but the message is fitting.

Busy morning already! Angie is doing some cleaning for me, so I've been clearing stuff off of counter tops and sorting and in general decluttering in front of her. The bathroom is now sparkling! What a joy to have four years of accumulated dirt removed! I do pretty well at keeping things clean on the surface, but every now and again, a deep cleaning is needed. And spring is a great time to do it.---- I've come up with a way to organize my book writing. Will talk with Lisa (coach) today and see what she thinks. How wonderful it is to have coaches! It seems to me to be a relatively new cultural event, but it makes so much sense. Being able to take advantage of the experience of one who has already been there and has figured out how to do it AND can teach it! It seems many of my friends have either a counselor, a therapist, a spiritual director, a coach or sometimes two or more of these! Actually, my spiritual director - Joan Borysenko - is a combination of all of these - I've got all the bases covered!-----And then, of course, there's prayer and meditation, my mainstay. Without which, I could not function.--speaking of functioning - my vertigo is basically gone. Just a very slight dizziness when I sit up from lying down. I am hearing all kinds of horror stories from others who have vertigo, but obviously a different animal from mine! It's been simply a reminder to me to SLOOOOOWWWW DOWWWWNNNN.

Hold That Pose!

Looks like severe weather coming tonight. But, today is spring-like! Yesterday was a fun one. Martha, Susan, and I met in 96 after church and drove to Greenville Dharma Yoga studio for a Yin Yoga class with Chris. He led us through some long-held poses - akin to restorative yoga. A new experience for each of us! ----- I always enjoy attending another teacher's class and always learn something new to try in my own classes. So, expect to see some longer-held poses! They lead to accomplishing that state of comfort that comes from "relaxing into the pose" the final goal for each one. ----- Now I'm off to Greenwood to lead a yoga session and take a swim. Too much pollen to walk outside these days and I desperately need more exercise - winter has been long - so I'll try a swim in the beautiful heated pool at the Y.----Have a GOOD WEEK!

Rambling Random Thoughts

Re-reading some of my writing and finding it OK. My brain seems to be working relatively well this morning so perhaps this will be a good writing day. First, yoga this morning with beginners and then - who knows? ----- Reading an interesting biography of Crazy Horse, the Lakota. Delightful change - of special interest the connection to the Earth - all of nature, for that matter. Making me more aware of such and grateful for where I live! The Pond, the quiet, the stars at night. It never fails to sadden me when I realize how many people never see stars outside their homes at night or experience silence. The light pollution hiding the stars in towns and cities would not be to my liking. Just rambling now. More rambling tomorrow.

Just a check-in

I'm up and running again. Yesterday was a good one - and this morning the sun is shining brightly with shadows of the trees covering the labyrinth. Soon the sun will be high and the shadows will disappear. I returned four and picked up four more biographies from the 96 library when I went in town to refill my thyroid medicine. It has been very helpful reading the biographies of others. It seems that each author has her or his own style and pattern, or no pattern is evident in some cases The organization is much more difficult than the words. I like that freedom. Now if I can just decide on my own pattern, I can move forward more rapidly. ----- Good yoga session with Martha last evening, although I still can't lie down without getting dizzy when I sit up. We're going to Dharma Yoga Studio on Sunday afternoon for a Yin yoga session with Chris. I went once a couple of years ago and thoroughly enjoyed his teaching so eager for another session. By Sunday I'll need a break. The writing went well yesterday and I anticipate another good day - we'll see. Time for tea refill.