A good week...

 This past week was pretty darn good on all fronts.  But I'll first go back to the end of last week.  Erica (from work) called me on Thursday (the 16th) to see if I'd be willing to go with a group to Waterloo on Friday.  I've never been to Waterloo and even though there was a packer-van involved (which we all despise!), I said yes.  It's a 4 hour drive over and my GPS (which I turned on at Des Moines) zig-zagged me through farm country.  Sounds like everyone else went straight up the interstate to highway 20, which is more direct.  But the universe (and apparently my GPS) knows I love driving through rural areas and it was a beautiful drive.  And I got I think I was 5th (of 11) to arrive, so it's not like it took me longer.  But the ride back was utter MISERY.  Packer vans are made for 15 people... I should say a driver, a passenger and 13 children, because the seats are narrow, the seatbelts are terribly uncomfortable, and space between rows is negligible.  So I ended up in the 3rd row with my knees crammed against the seat in front of me and by the time we got back, my legs and hips and back were all screaming at me.  My team's lead driver talked to Dan (who I've worked with a lot and consider a friend) before we left and told him to try to keep the front seat for me because of my back/hip issues, but Dan does not have a controntational bone in his body, so I'm sure when the first guy got there and jumped in the front, he wouldn't have the nerve to say, "Hey, let's save this spot for Denise."  And by the time I got there, Pete was in row 2 (which is the next best thing to the front as it has more leg room)... Pete is the guy that was such an asshole with me that I left that group, and I did not want to be stuck next to him for 4 hours.  So... I won't let them talk me into that ever again!  If they ask again, I'll say I'd be happy to make a long trip IF we're coming back in a minivan, NOT a packer-van!

So the rest of that weekend was pretty miserable in the soreness department.  In fact, I was still sore on Tuesday - sore enough I considered bowing out of work, but I got through the day.

Monday was my annual checkup with my doc and a mammogram... Hate the poking and the squishing, but it brought on all good news.  My labs were great - my A1C is down to UNDER 5!!!  This Ozempic is doing a great job!  Of course, I'm sure I can take some credit with my persistence in keeping my carbs down to 100 a day.  All my other labs looked good, though she still kvetched about my cholesterol, which IMO was very good at 227.  I know - they want it under 200, but my health guru says those standards is what had brought on such a high incidence is alzheimers and dementia.  So I do not aspire to under 200.  I have told her I'd rather drop dead of a heart attack than develop dementia!  But my "good" cholesterol is low - I asked what I could do to raise that, and she said "exercise".  Oh great - the one thing I can't do because of my back/hip/arthritis! Well, I have seen improvement in that, so maybe I'm moving toward a time when I can "get moving" more...

Anyway, the mammogram was also good.  And then on Friday, I had my 5-year exam with the oncologist - they've checked once a year since my uterine cancer/hysterectomy back in 2021.  And all is well, which means I don't have to ever go back unless I experience symptoms!  I said, "I really like you doc, but I hope I never see you again!"

Wednesday was Mom's birthday.  Some might be sad, but I just talked to her a lot that day (more than usual) and it felt like a good day.  Then yesterday was the anniversary of the day she passed, which also might be a sad day for many, but Merry and I got together for lunch, which was kind of nice... I love Merry to death, but it seems like our conversations are pretty one-sided.  She gets going about her friend Chris or how much money they win when they gamble, or a myriad of other things in her life and my side of the conversation is a lot of "uh-huhs" as she goes on and on.  Nary a question about what's happening with me.  I was looking forward to sharing my good health news, and I had to wait for her to shut up and take a mouth full of her sandwich to interject, and we quickly got back to her life.  I know she doesn't have a lot of friends, and I try to keep that in mind.  I imagine by the time we get together a couple times a month, she has a lot to get out! 

But the best part of the day was as I was leaving... I was thinking about Mom, wishing we had done more reminiscing about old times, and as I pulled out of the parking lot, there was a car in front of me, license plate number ending in 22 (Mom's birthday was 4/22/41).  I smiled because it felt like a little "howdy-do".  As I was getting in line to turn onto the interstate, I came up behind an SUV, the 3 numbers on it were 441.  Now THAT felt like a real "howdy-do"!  Lost sight of that one when I passed it on the interstate, and then as I'm coming onto 80 from 75, this jerk in a sedan in the left (disappearing) lane squeezed into the tiny space between me and the guy in front of me who was going awfully slow and as I'm cussing under my breath, I look down and his plate number is also 441!!  Ok, Mom, I see it!  I may not have noticed it if he hadn't been a jerk, so thank you for being a jerk, dude!  LOL...

This week, I've also been working a little on my outside stuff.  I found someone on FB to come do my yard cleanup.  I chose him because he said he wanted to help his daughter (12) start a yard cleanup business, something she can do to make some money.  I liked the sound of that and they did a decent job, only charged me $100 (a lot better than the $430 the pro company wanted!!!)  So I'm sprucing up around the generator - it became a weed patch last year.   They didn't do much around that generator, so I cleaned it up good and I'm putting down some edging and mulch.  I'm pretty impressed with what I've been able to do with my back as it is!  So I think this is evidence that it IS getting better!  Mind you, I work in short spurts, but it's getting done... BY ME!

I also got a decent quote for insurance - home and auto - that's going to save me almost $1000 a year.  I decided to go ahead and get it started rather than waiting until my old policy comes up for renewal in July.  I opted for a May 1 start date, and that gives us some time to look it over and make sure it's fine.  I just sent in photos for what they call a "self-survey".  We'll see if they come back and make a fuss about my greenhouse.  I suppose it could change my premiums.  But the auto was the real shocker.  It was over 40% cheaper than AAA, same coverage!  The HO was only about $370 cheaper.  AAA had the house covered for a ridiculous $393,000!  State Farm will insure it for $293,000 which is closer to its actual value.  Of course, they tell you "well, that's what it would cost to rebuild."  But, as I tell them, I don't WANT a new house... I like old houses, so I would just take the money and go buy another old house.  It's just a way to get more of our money!

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The above was written a month ago (end of April) and I apparently intended to write more or simply forgot to publish it.  So now we're at the end of May.  It's hard to believe as this month FLEW by!  I went ahead and changed my insurance was of May 1st and other than my awful back issues, it's been a decent month...

I had a fun encounter that I'll relate here to give me a smile in the future when these things stop happening... I was at the gas station a week or so ago, getting gas in a packer van that I was to drive to Des Moines. As I got out of the van, there was a youngish guy in front of me getting gas in his SUV who gave me a big smile. I smiled back and went about my business of getting gas. The gas tank on packer van is right next to the door which is kind of a pain in the ass. You need to open the door to get the little flap open to reveal the neck where the gas goes in. I had closed the door behind me so I opened it and got that little flap open and started putting gas in. Looked up and the young guy said, "Well they put that awfully close to the door don't they!" and laughed. I laughed too, a little nervously. It felt like this guy was being a little flirty. But I brushed off that feeling, figuring I probably look like his mom or something! LOL. He was probably in his late 30s or early 40s so that would be about right. Anyway, after I got an iced tea for the trip, I sat in the van for a few minutes to connect my phone so that I could listen to my playlist on the way over. (I always do this... makes the trip go by faster and I don't have to be changing stations as I drive out of range...) I looked up and he was standing outside of the van waiting for me to look up and he gave me a big smile. It seems really clear that this guy was actually flirting with me! It was a feel-good moment!  Of course, I'm wise enough to know that he didn't get close enough to me to see just how old I am.. I do look younger than I am, but I still don't look anywhere young enough to be that appealing to a guy his age! But admittedly, it felt good even knowing that! Oh don't get me wrong, I get plenty of flirting from old guys, and that feels good too. But there's something about a flirty, younger, nice looking guy that feels really great! Of course, give me some time to think about it and by the end of the day my logical mind told me that he probably thought hey look, an older woman who might have some money.. maybe an easy mark! Damn my logic! LOL

I'm trying to make it a point to get these kinds of things into my blog because someday, this may be the way to retrieve memories.  I know everyone starts to feel a little "forgetful" as they age, but I have moments when it kind of worries me.  Those times when I can't find a word - it's right there, but I can't quite get it out.  And then I have other "senior moments".  For example, awhile back, I spent some time cutting sacks down - I take paper grocery sacks and cut them so that they're perfect for putting plants in, so about 6" high.  We use them at the farmer's market when someone buys more than one plant.  Anyway, I distinctly remember putting a rubber band around them and putting them **SOMEWHERE**.  A few weeks later, I did some more and do you think I can find the first batch I did?  Hell NO.  Where the f*ck did I put them?  I have turned this house upside down looking for them!  So frustrating!  Anyway, my point is that if I end up in some nursing home with memory issues, I can come back and read my blog (which I believe is going on about 20 years now!) and maybe jog my memory about specific events/experiences.  

I've been trying to spend time reading "Abrahamisms".  It helps me keep a positive perspective, which really comes pretty naturally for me, but with all the back/hip pain I've had for so long, it starts to wear me down.  I need the reminder that we are the master of our minds and bodies, and everything can be made better by controlling our thoughts.

So something I read yesterday reminded me of a thought process I had some years ago brought on by one of Abraham's analogies.  Abraham has a few regarding keeping your vibration high and one of my favorites is about turning and allowing yourself to go downstream.  Humans tend to fight the flow, so to speak.  We are told from a young age that you have to "work hard" and "beat the odds" or "fight for what you want."  All very "upstream" concepts.  Success isn't about hard work, it's about allowing.  Turning downstream and letting it happen.  This concept brought to mind the old song "row, row, row your boat" and when I recited it, it was clear to me that someone very familiar with the Law of Attraction and the art of allowing wrote that song!  Think about it...

Row, row, row your boat

Gently down the stream

Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily

Life it but a dream

When you're going downstream, you really don't need to row per say, but the oars are to keep you from running aground (keep you on track) as you allow the flow of good things.  Abraham sums up our goal in coming here so succinctly - seek joy, get happy... that's it!  So... "merrily" certainly points in that direction!  And the last line, I think, states what I see as the obvious in the whole concept of afterlife and reincarnation.  "Life is but a dream."  We (meaning Mom & I) came to learn the concepts of Abraham a few years after I saw the first "Matrix" movie, and the more I learned, the more it felt like THIS is the matrix.  The "real" me (us)... we're in "Source" and these bodies are an extension of the real us.  Living a human life for joy, for experience that will enhance the real us.  I'm trying to think of a better word than "real", because it's not that we aren't real here in these bodies.  I'll have to think about that...

Tuesday (the day after Memorial Day), I had a dentist appointment.  I was gone an hour and when I got back, I found a broken pane of glass in my greenhouse!  It was one of the bottom panes, about 72" x 20", and it was all crackled and there was an obvious impact point.  I noticed the neighbor's lawn was freshly mowed, so I assume what happened is the mower kicked up a rock.  I haven't had a chance to tell them (they moved in a couple months ago) that I have my lawn guys mow along their house, so sent them a text about it.  This is going to be an expensive "fix"... first bid was $855!  I about fainted!  Second bid was $650.  I'm waiting on one last bid, then it's going to take a couple weeks as they have to order the glass.  What a freakin' hassle!

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Time to finish this up!  I spent the weekend working on the cactus club newsletter.  I've been the editor for nearly 20 years now, and this month was the first time I've used a "rerun" - I put an article in that I used in 2012.  I wasn't feeling particularly good this weekend and just didn't have the enthusiasm to figure out something new to put in there.  I think it turned out ok, though.  I wonder if I can include a PDF here?  I've never tried!...

June RC Newsletter

Figured out how to do it!  I added it to my Google drive and linked it.  I need to get in there and upload all of them.  I've got 2007 through 2022 uploaded but have been remiss in uploading since then.  The purpose of doing so was to give access to the archives to new members, but I often forget to give out the link.  I need to be more diligent about that...

I woke in the middle of the night wondering about my old chiropractor.  Last fall, I had some bad neck issues going on and went to his office to find a note on the door that said it was "temporarily closed due to a family emergency."  I tried to call and the number was disconnected, which made me thing this seems more than temporary.  I found a chiropractor who is open 5 days a week - I'm sure I detailed my time with her, so I won't go into that, but later on (I looked it up... Jan. 3rd) I stopped in again with that neck issue and to my surprise, it was a young oriental guy running the practice!  Came to find out that Dr. Gerdtz (Randy) had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and had handed the business over to this new doc. Wow... that stunned me.  Randy, such a healthy, awesomely wonderful man and only 56 or 57...

So when I woke at about 6:00, I grabbed my phone and googled him.  He apparently passed away only 3 days after that visit.  It breaks my heart.  He had such a gentle soul... kind, always so positive.  Not surprisingly, his obit was very moving... Obit

And just so I don't end this on a sad note, a couple photos.  This is my Hoya skinneriana, formerly known as 'Dee's Big One'...

And this is a cute little ice plants commonly called "The Pickle Plant", botanically it's Delosperma echinatum.  It gets the ittiest-bittiest yellow flowers!

And with that, I'm going to get this published.  I hope to have more photos to share soon...