ANOTHER YEAR OLDER

Happy Birthday To You/Heavy Metal

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VK5NLiCZyZo

Our oldest granddaughter texted me bright and early this morning, to say, “Happy Birthday”; I heard from our middle granddaughter, family, and friends throughout the day 😊

Today, I have outlived my mother – and both her parents.

Snow was still sticking around … but it has started melting.

The temperature is still in the low-30’s, but the sun rays peeking through the cloud layer was warm enough to melt the icy snow on tree limbs, and cause the ice layer on the street to soften, crack, and melt in places.

This melt is causing people to get overly confident and drive this street haphazardly; hearing the vehicles barrel down the street, and bounce off the high, concrete speed bumps, I am surprised none of them jumped the curb as they slid on the ice at speed too ridiculously high, given the circumstances.

32-degrees, and accumulated icy snow is melting; the drips look like sparkling diamonds.

Ice is visible now that the snow layer is melting away ... vehicles are driving way too fast for road conditions.

Snow doesn't stick around, here - but icy conditions DO.

I’m still feeling a little punk, so I took my temperature … but that appears to be normal.

Normal temperature range.

And I pulled my peak flow meter out of my purse, and paid attention to that reading.

Quick Relief Inhaler & Peak Flow Meter; I no longer use Flovent, but the concept is the same with the Albuterol steroid.

Out of the crisis zone, but still in the 'iffy' zone.

I have environmental asthma, which is easier to control. I don’t know what set my lungs spiraling out of control over the weekend:

(https://jeastofeden.blogspot.com/2021/12/christmas-eve-asthma-attack.html)

I use an allergy blocking filter for the furnace, and I haven’t been outdoors in days. The house is as clean as a house can be when it’s lived in; and I use laundry soap/fabric softener, and bathing soap that is fragrance free. I’m careful what I eat, and drink. And I’m in relatively good health/physical shape, for a woman my age. There is little stress in my life at this point. And I’m mindful of the environments I expose my lungs to.

Asthma Attack: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/asthma-attack/symptoms-causes/syc-20354268

3 Steps to Better Asthma Control: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/asthma/in-depth/asthma-treatment/art-20044284

Asthma – Natural Remedies: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/home-remedies-for-asthma

What caused the severe attack is a mystery: nothing out of the ordinary has been happening. The sudden and unexpected attack is concerning. I have plans for 2022, that include out-of-state-travel – I do not want to be hogtied by asthma flareups.

So, I plotted road routes that stick to backroads … and also include medical facilities along the route. Though I am not supposed to be more than 20 minutes away from any medical help, I can’t allow asthma to make me a prisoner of my body or my location; some “nearest help” will be further away than the 20 minutes doctor’s want to allow me, and that can’t be helped – no one consulted me on highway layouts, or medical facility placements.

I do not make a place for fear in my life.

I have my inhaler with me at all times, and I keep my peak flow meter in my purse always “just in case”.

My throat is still tender, so I ate a light Supper, drank a couple cups of tea sweetened with honey … watched a few Martin Sheen movies, and ate a bit of ice cream 😉

Sweet & Spicy Tea with honey; SO GOOD!

1 serving of Peppermint Ice Cream for the Birthday Girl. LOL

By the time the last movie ended the evening sky was highlighted with pink clouds, backlit by a golden glow as the sun slipped over the horizon.

Sunset.

I want my remaining time to be as beautiful as that sunset; I am not going to allow my physical handicaps to keep me from enjoing a life worth living 😊

64 Y.O. & KEEPING ON

I woke up very early this morning; I woke up just after midnight … and padded down the hallway to eat a teeny cupcake 😉

I don’t normally snack at the midnight hour, but I figured it would be okay this morning because this morning was a special morning 😊

And my body is beginning to feel like “a classic”, too 😉

All of me is exactly as Elohei created me: I wouldn’t change a thing about what my body is; or who I am emotionally and spiritually – I am “perfect”, just the way I am!

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRm3U0SQ4W0)

I ate that teeny cupcake while looking through the overhead skylight, watching the clouds drift across the moon; but the moon’s brilliance was so bright, that the gauzy clouds did not hide the radiant moon: the full moon glow was so bright it lit up the whole kitchen.

Full Moon seen through kitchen skylight.

Standing at the kitchen island, directly under the skylight letting the moon’s essence inside, I felt the night sky all around me: I like that.

Bob did good buying this house for us, in 2017; there are windows surrounding me on all sides … and two skylights overhead. I never feel confined by four walls and a roof.

The skylights bring the outside IN …

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyaHXAEvI04)

Looking up into the night sky, I wondered where Bob’s essence is – up there; viewing the moon from a different angle.

Bob always made my birthdays special.

I miss that.

But I am relearning how to make my days special – I’m finding “my groove”, again 😉

Around 2 PM, I entertained the idea of hopping in the car and grabbing a Chinese Supper for 1 … but I nixed that idea because I don’t want an ordered pickup meal – I want a sit-down-in house-restaurant meal; but was feeling too comfy to change clothes, fix my hair, and track down an open business that would not have on their menu what I was hungering for.

I settled for a Vanilla Coke, and some left-over fried chicken – and the canned radio DJ company. I like cola, and I like chicken, I liked the music filling the room, and I enjoyed the sporadic male tones when the DJ injected local tidbits, now and then (like 12” snowfall in the hills, and more expected tonight as the temps drop into the 20’s): it sufficed. I’ll finish off the 2 remaining teeny cupcakes in the ‘fridge, later on tonight 😉

Keeping to my daily routine of late, I designed another solitaire game – this one laid out in the form of a flat pan cake foundation (a birthday fancy 😉); and played as a normal game.

MOD Solitaire Game laid out in normal solitaire card piles 1 thru 8 – but in 2 rows, instead of a straight line: 1 ct. – face up; 2 ct. – 1 face down, 1 up; 3 ct. – 2 face down, 1 up; 4 ct. – 3 face down, 1 up; 5 ct. – 4 face down, 1 up; 6 ct. – 5 face down, 1 up; 7 ct. – 6 face down, 1 up; 8 ct. – 7 face down, 1 up.

Solo lobo happiness is not as much fun as shared couple happiness … but it can still be satisfying when you set your mind on being happy despite the circumstances.

The $$ saved by staying home will be set aside for anticipated Spring daytrips – and I’ll celebrate a belated birthday supper then, with my traveling buddy 😊

Yes – YES, I AM 😉

I do 😊

As a daughter of the Most-High God, I am greatly loved, highly favored, and abundantly blessed 😊

Life is good again.

This old hippie never expected to make it this far into the future.

I can't help myself. LOL