MISTY MONDAY

I had to drive into town this morning to buy a postage stamp for my garden seed order; and to buy a skein of yarn to finish the lapghan I’m crafting as I design it – I won’t use the whole skein, but I can use the remaining yarn in another project 😉

It was misting. The street was damp, but not slick. I drove the backstreet into town to avoid the tire-eater steel plates across the highway.

Tire eater steel plates across highway at Baker's Corner; Ocean Beach Highway.

Steel plate bolts are literally pulling out of the highway ... and will puncture tires.

As I drove Pacific Way, I was hoping the mist would fade away as time slid away, and I could have a reasonably dry 2-mile-walk along the dike (I’m into a size smaller pair of jeans today – whoop-whoop!) …

… so, I drove to JoAnne’s first to get that skein of yarn; then backtracked to 30^th, stopping along the route to make an exam appointment (they can’t get me in until April); and top off the gas tank.

It was still misting as I nosed the Highlander for the Post office.

When I got to the Post office and asked for a stamp – I thought the teller misunderstood me; so, I repeated, “I only need one stamp”; he said. “That will be 58 cents.”

58 cents for one stamp – that is robbery.

But I want those seeds I’ve chosen and ordered: gardening is a full-body workout, and my food is my medicine (I deliberately choose medicinally beneficial food sources).

And, if I’m being totally honest, I like it when I hear, “You are looking good for someone your age” 😊

I’m not embarrassed to say … or to have others know … that I am 65 years old. And I agree – I do look fairly good for someone my age: I’m not a raving beauty, but I’m not a haggish looking crone, either 😉

Medicinal foods and daily exercises keep the whole body healthy, and puts pep in the step; so, I make sure to eat healthy (to keep body and brain functioning well) and to get out for a daily walk (fresh air, limber joints, and cartilage repair).

I’m also eating Supper later in the evening – I know that flies in the face of {scientific data}, but if I eat around 5 or 6 PM … I’m hungry again, and looking for a snack around 8 or 9 PM. So, I eat around 7 PM now. That myth about “drinking water curbs the hunger” is BS; all drinking 8+ cups of water, does for me, is make my stomach feel sloshy: a water-filled stomach will still demand something substantial to fill it, and stave off the late evening hunger prods (mine does anyway); so, I do what is best for ME – no one else is me … my stomach is my own. My stomach does not recognize general scientific hypothesis geared towards curbing a generalized public’s eating habits. I watch calorie intake. I exercise. I eat later in the evening. THIS is what works for ME.

I like the Pacific Way Trail because even though it is “in town”, it is countrified enough (ducks, deer, herons, muskrats, songbirds, turtles, otters, frogs, horses, ect.) to satisfy my country girl heart 😊

Pacific Way Trail from 30th Ave. - 38th Ave from church parking lot; 1.18 mi. one way.

Great Blue Heron with an abundance of chest-feather-plumage.

Great Blue Heron (internet picture).

Great Blue Heron: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great_Blue_Heron/id

Ring-neck Duck pair.

Ring-Neck Duck; male (internet picture).

Ring-neck Duck; female (internet picture).

Ring-neck Ducks: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Ring-necked_Duck/id

Hooded Merganser Ducks.

Hooded Merganser Duck; male (internet picture).

Hooded Merganser Duck; female (internet picture).

Hooded Merganser Ducks: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Hooded_Merganser/id

Mallard Ducks.

Mallard Ducks; male (internet picture).

Mallard Ducks; female (internet picture).

Mallard Ducks: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Mallard/overview

Before I knew it, the turn-around point of my 2-mile morning walk had come sooner than expected: I didn’t feel that I had walked that distance that quickly, at all!

I guess time flew 😊

Those yellow road signs are posted on 38^th Avenue: time to backtrack to the parking lot on 30^th.

This French Drain adds a pleasant background sound.

The 'Honeycomb School' (Mint Valley Elementary on 38th) playground is quiet; recess is at noon, not 10 AM.

The morning was still misty with foggy dampness – but I walked my morning walk anyway: it wasn’t actually raining. My coat got damp, but it didn’t get soaked.

Driving towards home, on Pacific Way highway, I was nearly clipped by a flatbed truck coming around a blind bend of the road … dangerously hogging my side of the roadway.

Maybe a punctured tire driving the main highway, would have been a better gamble.

Stoner drivers are making WA State roads unsafe.

These close calls seem to be happening more and more frequently, now that there is a pot store on every corner of every city block.

When I got back home, I ate a tasty salad with diced duck eggs added to it; and worked out with my new kettlebell hand weight – I like it 😊

Health Benefits of Duck Eggs: https://www.webmd.com/diet/health-benefits-duck-eggs#1

Kettlebell Standing Abs Workout: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6OiTjUszAY 

LOCAL HONEY

Last year I went out of county to get raw honey – today, I noticed a local dealer 😊

Tuesdays I normally drive to St. Helens, across the River; to walk the McCormick Park trail … then on to Scappoose just to kick around before heading back home: it’s a relaxing way to eat up daytime hours.

But, with Sara in the Hospital in Nevada, and Frank going in for a medical exam – I figured I’d stay close to home and wait for phone updates.

I texted David and asked if he’d like to go for a walk with me: he said, “Sure” – so, I parked at his place and we did a short walk around his block. It was a nice stretch of the legs; followed by a chit chat with his wife, a pat on the dog’s head, and a chatty cup of coffee. This took the edge off sitting and waiting (I’m not good at sitting, or waiting).

Afterwards, I walked the lower third of the Pacific Way Trail before coming home: giving me my 2 mile (and slightly over) daily goal.

1/3 of the Pacific Way Trail from 30^th to 38^th Aves. = 1.18 miles/1-way: https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/pacific-way-trail

Backyard Honeybee Hives.

Benefits of Honey: https://www.navmi.co.in/benefits-of-honey-for-health-fitness/

Blue-billed Ringneck Duck; male.

Muskrat & female Bufflehead.

Redeeming qualities of muskrats: https://loudounwildlife.org/2008/07/muskrats/

Hooded Merganser pair.

This tiny waterfall runoff, flows directly under the house; French drain setup.

French Drain: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_drain

Local Honey available ...

Nice day to be enjoying the outdoors.

I’m glad I decided to do this walk before heading back home 😊

The day was perfect for outdoor exercise – and I have found a local honey supplier.

Honey is higher in calories than sugar … but the whole-body-benefits are worth the extra 4 calories per teaspoon 😉

Honey is rich in taste, vitamins, antioxidants … and it has essential hormones that suppress appetite and aid weight loss. Honey before bed, fuels the brain to repair itself while you sleep. Honey also acts as a probiotic to keep the digestive system – and immune system healthy. Honey in your daily diet is a plus.

I had barely gotten through the front door at home, when Sara called to tell me that the doctors say her white blood count is sufficient enough now, to do the lumbar procedure needed to figure out what needs to be done to combat the brain swelling, and hopefully get her eyesight back. The surgical team will be taking/examining spinal samples from three different spinal locations.

She is scared, but also brave. She is going through this alone: being scared is understandable. Being brave is survival mode.

This week is still young – I hope and pray, that as it continues to unfold, there will be good reports coming in concerning Sara and Frank.

Meanwhile … I am exercising the spiritual power of prayer & physical exercise: it’s the only two ways I know to stay positive and reap beneficial results.

**********

UPDATE 7:30 PM TONIGHT: Sara called a few minutes ago – she came through the lumbar procedure fine; she sounds better today, though her eyesight is still very blurry – and she had to lie very still on her back for 3 hours (actually, she was restrained so she couldn’t wiggle). Some of the pressure on the brain was also relieved. Doctors will have more to say to her tomorrow after spinal specimens are examined. I asked her how she is calling me … she said, ‘siri’ 😉 She says she needs to hear “mama’s voice”: me 😊