Tuesday, March 21, 2023

Toy time

 Here is Frank. He is leading his troopers. I don't know if Frank really knows where he is going...


Frank needs more riding lessons. He crashed the Speeder Bike.



How embarrassing!


Joan of Arch!


I really like this figure. A female knight!

Joan of Arch in Film Noir


Fred the Fly


Friends out checking the last of the ice in the creek as it melts off and enjoying the sunshine.



Last but not least...HO Scale people.

What is she doing in my coffee scoop?




Hopefully, this gives you a distraction and makes you laugh.




Monday, March 20, 2023

Motivation

Sunday was cold and windy. I had so much to get done in the morning which included electric fence repairs. 

My Grand Plan was to head out early to the Reserve and see if I could spot red wing black birds and maybe check out the ponds to see if any geese or swans had arrived.

All that went ka-put. After lunch I had to call my elder friend in Alabama. She was having a bad day so we talked for an hour. She is in her mid 80's and was telling me that she had not gone out to do anything in weeks. She forgets to eat, she is isolated she says, and depressed. She used to be a librarian, so I asked her where the nearest library was. Her answer was 3 blocks. I asked her if she'd go to the library and just go find a book and sit at a table and read. 
Why? She asked me. I told her...so she could be around other humans. 

I asked her to visit her meal site once this week and text me what she had to eat. I gave her two assignments or as I called them: Challenges for Motivation. 

I had to agree to let her set a Challenge for me too. She wanted me to send her a photo of me in Mobility Class. 

So today I was at CF and did Mobility Class afterwards. My coach Angie took these photos for me.
Mobility Class:

Shoulder Rotations

After class. 
One of my little pals, 
coach's daughter.


Am I going to be successful in helping someone a long distance away get Motivated? I sure don't know, but I like my Alabama friend. It is unfortunate that she has no immediate relatives to help her look out for herself. She is also fiercely independent so it is hard for her to ask for help.
This is the woman who was Captain of an Oil Rig in the Gulf when she was in her 30's. Mind you, that was over 50 years ago!

So. After my motivational talk. I packed my camera bag and headed out the door in the late afternoon to get myself moving.
I knocked off another section of the KVR Trail Challenge and enjoyed fresh cold air. I took what I think is a boring trail. It was so far from boring!

I will let these photos speak for themselves. This is along what is called the Old Harrison Trail. It leaves the Visitor Center and heads down towards the valley. It was a road once upon a time. On one side, it is marshy and wet, on the other side there are rocks and trees.
The huge surprise was the icicles on the rocks.

With the recent alternating snows and rains water has been seeping from the rocks around pines clinging to the rocks...




I found two pairs of Canada Geese:


I saw red dogwood, the pussy willows are starting to blossom, and there were some other trees budding that I couldn't ID.


I even took a photo of myself next to the Kickapoo River and sent it to my friend to make her day a little happier?



I do wonder how I can help my friend and motivate her to go to the meal site and interact with others. 

I know motivation has to come from within and cannot be forced. 

Sigh.

I am a curious person who likes to explore and be social too. I cannot imagine losing something so precious as motivation. It would crush my life.



Saturday, March 18, 2023

What now?

Last year, I saw an Endocrinologist who put me on another bone med for my severe Osteoporosis.

 Per our agreement in May, we decided to go off the medications 'short term' (her terminology ~ mine was...Never!).  -- I called that discussion -- What Next?

So with that out of my mind and feeling much better, I went back to the gym and started with Mobility Class and then talked with a coach about doing exercises to Challenge my Bones and improve balance, strength, and increase core muscle strength in my lower back and hips. 

After 8 months of working one on one with a coach, I've gone back to the regular classes.

I modify my workouts to suit my abilities. I feel confident and strong. Yippee me!


Then I got this letter yesterday in the mail.

Emily E Peterson, PA-C has asked you to schedule an appointment in April. Please call------ at your earliest convenience.

Talk about out of sight out of mind. I had wished the problem away even though I am well aware of it. Especially while running up the driveway yesterday and leaping over a patch of ice to find myself on another 
patch of ice. Boom. 

I didn't fall apart. I rolled and came up trotting never giving it a thought.

I guess it is time to have a chat with the specialist again and see what she has in mind. In my mind, I want to wait for another bone scan before anything else occurs. Since I am not on specific medications for severe osteoarthritis, the insurance won't cover a yearly scan but I can have one every two years as part of preventative diagnostics.

I did wear my YakTraks later while hiking as Thursday's rains and snows made things a slippery mess.

The sun is strong this time of year so the ice in the creek area was starting to melt.





I hope to take some time on Sunday morning to go looking for something interesting at the Reserve. I hope to see some birds at least, if nothing else.

March 17th last year, I spotted Swans, Geese, Sandhill Cranes, and Red Wing Black Birds at KVR!


Thursday, March 16, 2023

Social Butterfly!

 Somehow this week, I became a Social Butterfly.

A few weeks ago, an old acquaintance of mine texted and asked if we could meet for supper in Mid March. She was one of my 4H students from years ago. I think we met when she moved into the area and I rode my horse past her house.

I stopped to say hello and she went nutso over my horse. She joined 4H and I worked with her in the Horseless Horse Program. We worked with my grade gelding as my mare was still pretty green. She was in High School and a great student. She went on to place in the upper 10 slots at State for Horseless Horse walk trot. A lot of other folks helped us do fancy things like doing the mane and tail and they provided her with a show saddle.

We've remained friends through the years. Now her older daughter is in her first year of college, the youngest will be 15 soon. They live near Racine so we don't get to see each other a lot.

We met for supper in Spring Green as that was about half way for the both of us. She was doing a travelling set up for the company she works for and ended up in Baraboo, WI. 

We spent a couple of hours at Culvers getting caught up on each others' lives. It was great to have just myself and her at the table without her kids or hubby interrupting. 


There we are. Not a great shot of us but who cares? We did the math and ... geeze, we've been friends for over 30 years! Yikes!

Hint. I'm not the blonde one. I'm the one in the old sweatshirt and baseball cap.

I drove home in the dark. Hmmm. Now a year ago, I wouldn't have done that at all. BUT!
I could see! I could see even with normal headlights. Things were clear as a bell unless someone with those new fancy LED headlights had their brights on and didn't dim them. I had no visual problems.

Wow. I was so happy and stunned at the same time. I turned up the volume on my Pandora Station and enjoyed the drive. This will be another positive I can report to my eye doctor next week when I see him.

Tuesday evening I did CrossFit, Wednesday I hiked at KVR in the morning and went out to meet my pal in the evening. This morning, I was at another great CrossFit workout and got my errands done before the rains started.

Friday my ex neighbor Teri is going to pick me up and we are going to dinner together! 


Whew!

Charlie leading the way
on Wintergreen Trail
[photo taken in IRChrome]


Ice Falls melting on
Wintergreen Trail
[IRChrome]



March may be kind of mucky, snowy, rainy, and icky. But this week I'm enjoying it. 




Tuesday, March 14, 2023

Meanwhile...

It has been snowy but beautiful. Of course we think this weather should be December weather, but the sun is strong and the days are longer
so March will continue doing its thing and mud will soon be the main theme of March again.

This is the view out my front door. Those are the hills to our west. 




Mules snuggled together and waiting for the sun to come over the hills and trees to the east. They all just finished having snow baths and are nodding off.

They aren't cold, though one might freak out looking at them.



This is Siera, falling asleep about 30 feet from our front door.



After chores I decided to go check the woods out. Charlie and I went snow trudging. It was too wet and heavy for snowshoes and in some places, it was too deep for Charlie to plow through.

He waited for me to walk ahead of him and then used my tracks to keep moving.

We always walk to this spot. Over the years it is the one place that I continue to photograph over and over to mark the changes that happen in the creek.


2018:


The trees that had fallen across the creek were solid. In the shot above, they are rotting and falling into the creek which is dryer than in years past. More trees have fallen over the past 5 years. The path that the creek follows changes ever so slightly with little flash floods.

2013:

Morris and I stop to sit and pose under those trees back when we could still duck under them. Now we have to step over them.


I really enjoy seeing how things change over time. It seems static, but I know it isn't. Time for a new updated shot of me in that same spot!

 2020


2023


I nick named that busted tree above the creek 'The Dragon Tree'. I can see the difference in the amount of water that flows through the stream in this winter from past winters.

I think I need to go back and make a note of a few different spots. 

I'm so lucky to have lived here long enough to be an observer.




Dreams


 I rarely remember dreams. Usually if I have a disturbing dream, I just wake up and know it was a dream.


However, I had the most realistic and terrifying dream the other night and it bothered me for 24 hours.

I was sitting in an airport and I looked down at my ticket I had in my hand. I knew I was travelling somewhere but Raleigh was not familiar to me. I looked at the departure board and couldn't decide if I was going to Raleigh North Carolina, or should I be going to Raleigh in W. Virginia. I knew if I was flying east it should be to Charlottesville if anywhere. At least I thought so.

In my other hand was a folder with pictures of people in it. I carefully studied the photos and I didn't recognize any of the folks. No matter how hard I looked, nothing was familiar. In my other hand the ticket said Raleigh. The flight board didn't have any Raleigh showing.

Now I was confused. Where was I going and who were the people I had photos of?

People were walking around me and I didn't know want to look as though I were lost or confused so I just kept my head down.

The feeling of dread and anxiety just kept getting worse until I was ready to flee.

I woke up.

I got up and went to sit in the living room. I knew it was a dream. But where was I going and WHO were those people? What was up with Raleigh? Why would I even remember that? Those people! Just strangers!

I made coffee and sat down to have my first cup. 

It hit me then. What I had been feeling and the whole dream scenario would possibly be just like what it could be to have Dementia.
It was terrifying. So terrifying that the feeling of loss and confusion over something I should know [even though it was a dream] hung with me all day.

I can't imagine living in that world and coming in and out of memory issues like that. However, I have seen it more than once in my life dealing with elderly folks I know.

Can you imagine it?


-- Well if that wasn't a bummer, I don't know what is.

Oh wait! I have a diversion!
The new motor that was replaced in the heater started making noise again. Enough so that it gave me a headache and I returned to the space heaters for blissful silence on this 2 degree morning.

So the $$$ I spent lasted exactly 6 days. I expect that perhaps that motor was only part of the issue? Just call me a bit disappointed and frustrated. 



Sunday, March 12, 2023

Time change and snows...

 This was too good not to share with others:



We had another 3 inches of beautiful snow and I know a lot of folks are wishing winter was over. I just think of this beautiful stuff as Winter's Last Hurrah for the season.
Of course I'll take a walk in it and enjoy it because soon enough, I'll be hoping again for Spring and the colors of Spring.

Mud season will appear again and make me grumpy so today I played with some colors and some AI text and came up with just a few pretty things. I like mixing a real photo with an AI text and getting something more unique than fairies and strange looking things.

I'm not impressed with some AI most people just want pretty plasticky looking models and others are really far out weird. 




I really am looking forward to daffodils and maybe even some crocus flowers appearing in the yard...then come the tulips.

The wildflowers begin to emerge by mid April in the forest and burst forth in the first few weeks of May.

Truthfully...I miss the color world right now!



I'm thinking of gobs of zinnias and mixed flowers just like last year. The zinnias provided me with a lot of color and interest with the butterflies, hummingbirds, and beautiful insects.
I'm going to plant a large swath of Nasturtiums around my porch. I did this last year and was amazed at how tolerant the plants were and how prolific they were. 

I gathered quite a few seeds this fall and will add a package of mixed colors.

The pallet garden was somewhat a failure last year so I'm going to be shade tolerant plants in the pallets this year. I forget that by June, that side of the house gets a lot of shade.

As soon as I can, I'll be moving iris plants. 

I guess I'm missing flowers!


I did take some photos of my neighbor's woods yesterday in the snowstorm. The deer really loved the fact that he has been cutting down the trees that were damaged from overgrazing with goats.

We counted 14 deer!


And just for fun.
This mornings doings around the bird feeders. 14 seconds.




Enjoy your day. I'm going to go out and admire the snow before it turns to mud.