Catching Up

crochet, Forsythia, Frogs, Moon, Parkinson's Disease, Reflections, Toads

Parkinson’s Awareness Month

April is Parkinson’s Disease Awareness month so I will start by sharing this link to the Parkinson’s Foundation website that has a wealth of information and resources regarding Parkinson’s disease.

I am so blessed that 5 1/2 years post diagnosis my PD has not progressed. In fact, many of the symptoms I was experiencing when I was initially diagnosed have gone away. I am not on any medications, but I do take some supplements that help with the conditions that I still experience – mostly muscle cramps and head and neck tremors.

I’m not going to go into detail about everything I’ve tried and what I’ve found that helps, but if anyone would like more details leave me a comment and I’ll be happy to share.

Staying Healthy

In January I began my 60th trip around the sun. In pondering what I wanted to accomplish this year I decided my goal was ‘to be the best Me that I could be’. In order to do that I thought maintaining my health is probably one of the most important things that I can do. In order to maintain my health, however, there were some areas that I needed to change – first and foremost diet and exercise.

I wanted to make changes that would last a lifetime so in December I started forming new diet and exercise habits.

My diet changes look like this – I started cutting calories by cutting out sweetener in my coffee. Then I looked at how much I was eating. It seems I’ve spent a lifetime eating until I was full, and it occurred to me that I only need to eat until I am satisfied not until I am full. I started cutting down on portions. For example, for breakfast I will eat one egg, one piece of toast (instead of two), two pieces of bacon (instead of three), and 1/2 glass of orange juice (instead of a full glass). Similar cuts are made with lunches and dinners.

We have also begun eating a lot of tossed salads and fresh fruit. I still eat desserts but again I only eat enough to satisfy my sweet tooth. I find that usually about 5 bites is good.

I have also developed an exercise routine. Not only will exercise help me lose weight, build muscle and increase my metabolism, it is one of the things that is most recommended as far as treatments for Parkinson’s disease. I began in December by riding my recumbent bike a minimum of 20 minutes three times a week. I continued this through January, then in February I upped my game. I began riding almost every day and increased my time most days to 30 minutes. I might miss a day now and then but somedays I will ride extra minutes.

I am happy to say that since February 1st I have lost 15 pounds and just as happy that I I seem to have less muscle stiffness and cramping.

Eclipse

During the eclipse that was visible in parts of the US on April 8th my husband and I decided to go to the farm and experience it. We didn’t have eclipse glasses so we couldn’t actually watch the moon cross in front of the sun, but we wanted to see how dark it would get and how the chickens and wildlife (birds) reacted. We were not in the path of totality, but I think our area was reported to be 96-98%. The sky was mostly clear with only some thin wispy clouds.

Full coverage (98%) was supposed to be at 3:15 P.M. (Ignore the time and date on the photo. My camera is messed up and won’t let me into the menu to change the settings.) It didn’t get very dark out. It was like a cloudy day, yet it had an eerie feel to it. The birds continued to do what they were doing, and by the time the rooster began calling his hens, thinking night was coming, it was getting light again.

I stood under the barn porch and without looking I aimed my camera toward the sun to take some pictures. After I had taken several my husband told me that doing that could have ruined my camera because I was supposed to have some kind of filter on it. Oops! My camera doesn’t seem to be any worse off than it already was and below is a photo of what my camera saw at 3:15 on April 8th.

Spring Has Sprung

One of my favorite parts of spring is when our forsythias are in full bloom as they are right now.

A stunning display.

So brilliant and uplifting.

Daffodils are also in full bloom adding to the beauty of the season.

Some of the other things I loved about last week were seeing the first dragonflies of the year and hearing the mating songs of the toads. For more on toad mating see this post from last year.

Finishing Touches

After redoing the floor and the cabinets in our bathroom last month I still wasn’t satisfied. I thought the mirror frame needed updating. Since it was made out of a plastic or resin I wasn’t sure how well paint would adhere to it, so I took a different approach.

At the fabric store I found ribbon that was the perfect color and width. I used clear craft glue to attach the ribbon to the mirror frame.

Once I had the ribbon on the overlapping corners looked sloppy, so I needed to dress them up. I wasn’t sure what I was looking for when I went to the dollar store, but when I saw these butterflies, I knew that was it. They would complement both the ribbon and the flowered wallpaper.

We love the results.

Crochet

I finished the baby afghan I was making.

I also made this heart shaped stuffed octopus. The octopus is my own design. I am calling them octo-loves.

In Memory of Peanut

It was a sad day when our Dear Friend Peanut went to wait at the rainbow bridge.

“Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.

“When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

“All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor. Those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.

“They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent. His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

“You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

“Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together….”

Peanut was a friend to all creatures great and small.

He couldn’t resist a comfortable lap to sit in.

To quote our granddaughter, Addie “Peanut is the best cat in the whole wide world.”

My husband honored Peanut with a special resting place for his remains.

He is dearly missed.

Thanks for visiting. What are you loving about spring?

Monthly Inspiration

Inspiration, Reflections

Hello and welcome. April is here, (no fooling-🤣) so it is time for our monthly inspiration.

I shall pass through this world but once, any good therefor, that I can do or any kindness that I can show to any human being, let me do it now. Let me not defer or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.

This quote is most commonly attributed to Stephen Grellet, but it is uncertain whether he or someone else deserves the credit. Regardless, it is the sentiment that is important, and I would like to live my life with this intention. Shouldn’t we all?

Thanks for visiting.

A Different Kind of Project

Home Improvement, New Floors, Painting, Reflections

While building a new home is still on our radar, it has become necessary to shift gears and make some improvements to our current home. In January we discovered that the floor under our hot water tank had rotted out and the tank was no longer standing on solid floor. We were able to put some temporary supports under it until we got through the cold spell because we weren’t going to rip out the floor during sub-zero temperatures if we could help it.

Once we got through the cold spell my husband called a contractor who did home repairs. In addition to replacing the floor under the water tank and putting in a new tank we needed to take a look at the rest of the mudroom floor to see if there were other areas of rot that needed to be replaced and also our bathroom floor.

We hired the contractor to replace the floor under the water heater and replace the tank because he was knowledgeable and experienced and could get the job done quickly (in one day) whereas doing it ourselves would have taken much longer and likely been stressful and frustrating.

After looking at the work that needed to be done to the rest of the mudroom floor and the bathroom floor, we decided to save the labor costs and do the work ourselves.

In the mudroom my husband started by cutting out two small places of the subfloor that were rotted and replacing them. Since the areas were small, he was able to use scrap pieces that he got from a neighbor who had recently replaced the floor in his barn. After that we took a trip to the home improvement store to pick out the plank vinyl flooring that we would put down and quarter round molding for trim. The flooring we selected is called Lifeproof vinyl planks and the color is called Chiffon Lace Oak. I think the color of the molding we selected is called Glaze.

Over the next several days my husband worked, measuring, cutting and fitting the pieces together, to lay the vinyl flooring. During this time I was available and helped if he needed it. It was when he began measuring and cutting the molding that I became most helpful. The biggest challenge was cutting the 45-degree angles that were needed to fit the corners. Figuring out which direction the angle of each piece needed to be cut was confusing at best but I was able to help him figure it out.

We were both happy with the results of the mudroom floor and a few days later my husband made another trip to the home improvement store to buy the same vinyl plank flooring and molding for the bathroom floor. Laying the flooring in the bathroom seemed to go quicker, likely because he had a better idea of what he was doing. The biggest challenge in the bathroom was cutting pieces to fit around the garden tub. He also removed the toilet so he could lay the flooring under it, and while it was out, he replaced the wax seal.

Once again when it was time to cut the molding I was called on for assistance. Perhaps my experience in sewing and piecing fabrics together helped me see how the moldings needed to fit together.

The above picture was taken after the flooring and molding were completed. I did like the look of the flooring, but I didn’t like the look of brown cabinets sitting on the gray floor. It just looked off.

I asked my husband if I could paint the cabinets, something I had never considered before. His first reaction was “no” and I agreed that they didn’t need to be painted but when I explained that they just didn’t complement the floor he agreed. I first did some research to find out how to paint them because I have never painted cabinets or any type of furniture before.

We then made another trip to the home improvement store. I selected the cabinet, door and trim enamel (the color is called shark fin), sandpaper, a small foam roller, that was recommended by the salesperson, and a good brush that she also recommended.

I started with sanding the cabinets, then applying a primer that we already had on hand. When my husband suggested taking the doors off the cabinets and offered to do it, I was thrilled. That would make things so much easier.

The following day I applied the first coat of paint to the cabinets and first and second coat to two of the doors. While I really liked the color of the paint on the doors, I wasn’t sure how I liked it on the cabinets in the bathroom. I was having doubts about the outcome.

On day three I applied a second coat of paint to the cabinets in the bathroom and two coats of paint to three more of the doors. Later that day when my husband noticed some brush marks on the side of the cabinet he asked if I was going to do a third coat. I decided to let it dry overnight and see how it looked. The following morning I decided to add one more coat to the side of the cabinet being careful how my brush strokes began and ended. I probably could have used the roller, but they tend to splatter paint and I didn’t want paint splatters on the wall and mirror.

As the doors dried my husband reassembled the cabinets. Once I finished up the last door and two drawers and we had it all back together again we were both very pleased with the results (pictured below).

We are now planning to lay vinyl plank flooring in the kitchen and dining room after Easter. This time we will go with a brown that will match the cabinets.

I am happy that we are doing this because we have talked about doing some of the work in the new house ourselves. Painting, laying flooring and finishing cabinets are all things we have discussed. Having this experience will help us decide if that is something we are willing and able to do.

Thanks for visiting.

Are you a do-it-yourselfer when it comes to home repairs and renovations or do you prefer to hire someone to do it?

More Projects Finished

crochet, Reflections, Sewing

Hello and welcome!

Today I’m sharing two more projects that I completed in February.

The first is a crochet project that I started in December. It now adorns the back of my husband’s recliner unless it’s nap time in which case we might find my husband snuggled under it.

If you’ve followed my blog for a while you might remember the puppy paw print scarves that I have made. This time using the same basic stitches I made an afghan. The free pattern can be found here.

The finished afghan measures 56 inches wide by 74 inches long. It took about 8 skeins of yarn. I began towards the end of December and worked on it an average of one hour each evening, so I would estimate that it took me about 60 hours to complete. I will admit there were a few times that I discovered I had missed a stitch and had to frog (rip out) a couple rows of stitches to go back a fix my mistake.

The other project that I completed in February was the hoodie I made for Addie.

This one came together a bit quicker than the one I made for Jackson because I had an idea of what I was doing but it was still a long and complicated process because there are a lot of pieces to assemble in this pattern.

After finishing the afghan I started crocheting a baby afghan that I hope to have finished in a couple of weeks. I’m not sure what my next sewing project will be, but I expect that my sewing will slow down as the weather gets nicer and I begin to spend more time outside. Is anyone else looking forward to gardening season? 🙂

Monthly Inspiration

Inspiration, Reflections, spring

Hello and welcome.

Here, in our part of Michigan, March came in like a lamb. The weather has been pleasant and spring like, so for our monthly inspiration I have selected some quotes about spring.

“Every spring is the only spring, a perpetual astonishment.”

~Ellis Peters

“In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt.”

~Margaret Atwood

“Don’t wait for someone to bring you flowers. Plant your own garden and decorate your own soul.”

~Luther Burbank

“Spring is nature’s way of saying, ‘Let’s Party!’”

~Robin Williams

Thanks for visiting and Happy Spring!