Changing Trees and Changing Plans

Let's hop in the car and take a drive and check out a few pretty fall trees and I'll tell you about my week.  

It's a cloudy day on the afternoon of this drive last Tuesday but it was still an enjoyable day as I had spent the 3 previous days trying to breathe without pain in the center of my chest.  I have had this 2 or 3 times before and it is called costochondritis which is an inflammation of the cartilage in the rib cage.

Sleeping was impossible the first night and I stayed in my recliner as lying down worsened the pain.  The second day was only slightly better as the Advil began to kick in.  By the third day, I was beginning to breathe easier.  

And on Tuesday, I was feeling good enough to get out of the house and go for a drive.  While I was out and about, I needed to stop for a few things.  BG and I were planning a little getaway for Friday through Monday.   

On Wednesday, my daughter called and asked if I would come take her to the doctor's office.  Her blood pressure was 142/122 and she had called the office and they told her to get there asap.  

After she got to the office and had her bp taken there, the numbers were down slightly.  They made her wait awhile and took it again and the numbers were down to a more reasonable range.  

An appointment was made for her for early next week.  They will decide the next route to take.  In the meantime, they want her to try to eliminate as much stress as possible.   Which is easier said than done with her responsibilities at work and constantly dealing with staffing issues.

I've stayed with her the last 2 nights, to be on the safe side.  She stayed home from work yesterday and rested.  Her blood pressure is still running too high but not quite in the critical range.  I'm not quite sure why they didn't go ahead and start her on blood pressure medicine.

We were supposed to be on the road to Branson today, which I hinted about in my last post.  But we didn't feel comfortable about leaving town while worrying about our daughter.  That wouldn't make for a very enjoyable time.  

So on to plan B...we'll go to Branson another time.  Daughter is going to work for awhile today and BG and I are going to the Big Town this afternoon to look for some warm, fire retardant clothes for him to wear to work this winter. 

I drove through our park this week and saw a few pretty red trees.  At least they looked red with my sunglasses on.  When I took my sunglasses off, the color wasn't all that great.  So, I held my sunglasses up to my camera lens and clicked.  The above photo is the result.  Have you tried to do this?  I know I learned to hold a sieve in front of my lens to get a sparkly look.  What other tricks to I need to learn?  If you know of something fun, please share!  :)

Tomorrow is Veteran's Day and I won't be posting again until next week.  I want to say Thank You to all the veterans who have helped to keep our country free.  God bless our veterans and God bless America!

Happy Friday to you!
xo Cheryl

A Few Fall Trees and Etc.

We are still seeing a few pretty trees in our area. 

My favorite trees are those that are a shade of red.  

Our neighbor's trees are prettier than ours but the colors aren't quite as vibrant this year as in others.  

I was sad to see a For Sale sign posted in the neighbor's front yard yesterday.  The woman who lives there broke her hip some time ago and has been in a care facility since.  She lost her husband a few years ago and lived alone.  I know she hoped to be able to come back home.  

This is our huge oak tree in the Back 6.  Most years, the color of the leaves turn a beautiful shade of deep, dark red.  But like most of the trees this year, it doesn't have much color.  

I wish someone were standing in front of the tree in order to give you an idea of just how big the tree is.  There was another just like it to the right and one year a bad storm blew it down.  The storm was so bad that BG and I went to the basement and were looking out the window and saw it fall.  After the storm passed, we could see that the trunk of the tree was hollow.

* * * * * * * * 

After my doctor's appointment yesterday...which was good, by the way.  Doctor was proud of my blood sugar numbers and I've lost 6 pounds.  To be honest, I can't tell it.  I did mention the vertigo and we think the cause is most likely nasal congestion caused by allergies.  

Back to yesterday...I went to the Big Town after the appointment to look for some comfortable shoes to walk in when I go shopping or go to Branson.  Hint, hint.  :)  Wish I could wear my Skecher's flip flops all year long.  After trying on around 2 dozen pairs of shoes, I finally found a pair that were comfortable.  They are a Skecher shoe that is sort of like a tennis shoe.  Do you have a favorite brand of shoe? 

One of the stores I went to was playing Christmas music.  Really?  Already?  I think I said it out loud, too.  I still think most businesses just skip right over Thanksgiving.  

The weather is chilly one day and warm the next.  I turned on the a/c in the car yesterday.  It's a little chillier today, but this weekend is supposed to be in the 70's.  I hope BG will help me this weekend to pull out the dead and dying flowers and put away flower pots.  I also want to transplant some lilacs that are coming up around the main bush and plant a couple of little redbud trees that have sprouted up in a flower bed.

Do you have big plans for the weekend?  Hope you have a nice one.

Happy Friday to you!

xo Cheryl

First Day of November Thoughts

It was November...

the month of crimson sunsets,

parting birds, 

deep, sad hymns of the sea,

passionate wind songs in the pines.

~L. M. Montgomery

 

I reluctantly turned the page on the calendar over and said goodbye to October.  Where did the month go?  Time seems to pass ever more swiftly these days.

November 1 was my older brother's birthday.  He would have been 75 today.  It's hard to wrap my mind around that and I find myself wondering what he would have been doing and what he would look like at that age had he lived.  He passed away at age 49 while he was still relatively young...at least it seems to me now...and so strong and handsome.  Well, until the ravages of ALS took over his body.  He was a good brother and I still miss him so much.  As I also miss my younger brother and parents.  

November seems to be a month when I miss my birth family most.  Maybe it's because one of my favorite holidays, Thanksgiving, is coming soon and, for many years, it was a time when all the family would gather around my grandmother's table for a delicious turkey dinner and lively conversation. 

I think about the loved ones who attended those holiday celebrations and most of them are gone now.  And I often think now of things that I wish I could ask them.  Things I've forgotten or didn't think to ask when I had the chance. 

During the past week when I was feeling bad with a bout of vertigo, I thought of many things while I was sitting still in my recliner.   And before I go any further, I will say that I am almost back to normal.  I still have to be careful and not turn my head too fast.  Thank you for the good thoughts and advice in my last post.

One of the things that I thought of was how much I have to be thankful for as we head toward Thanksgiving.  Truly.  In spite of feeling lonely at times for my loved ones who are no longer here, I know that I am blessed for having had them in my life.  I am blessed for having a loving husband and children to share holidays with now.  And I'm blessed to live in this beautiful country that I love.

I will close by saying that I hope your November is filled with happy and healthy days.  It's the time for snuggling under a warm throw and reading a good book while sipping on a cup of hot coffee or tea, if you prefer.   Which do you like best...tea or coffee? 

Happy Wednesday to you!

xo Cheryl 

Happy Friday!

There are a few pretty trees in our town.  This one is in our park.  It helped to have the sun hitting it just right as I drove by the other evening.  

Missouri isn't windy like Kansas and Oklahoma, but we have our moments.  It seems like every fall, the wind will pick up for at least a week or two and this year is no exception.  I wouldn't be at all surprised to see that most of the above pretty leaves have fallen since I took that photo.

Some very good news...BG's results from the stress test and echocardiogram came back good.  Thank you for your prayers.  

My news...I suffered a terrible dizzy spell Thursday afternoon.  I wasn't home and had to call BG to come get me as I didn't want to risk driving.  I could barely walk.  Don't know what set this off, but it really scared me.   

I was really stopped up, from allergies I suppose, and had a hard time breathing through my nose.  Perhaps this triggered the dizziness.  After taking some Sudafed, I began to feel a little better.

My head still feels a little wonky and I am in the recliner writing this post in the wee hours.  I'm afraid to move very much and afraid to go lie down.  Keeping my head propped up and not moving it helps.  

So, if you hear rumors that I was seen around town staggering, I haven't been chugging down the wine!  ☺  Hopefully I'll be able to catch a few winks soon and wake up good as new. 

Take care and enjoy this last weekend of October.  Whew, I can't believe it is the last weekend!  Where did this month go?

Happy Friday to you!
xo Cheryl 

Tuesday's This and That

We've been alternating between the a/c and the heat the past several days.  It's really chilly today and the wind has picked up as it usually does in the fall.  Since I last posted, we've had 2 nice rains.  

My daughter and I went to the Big Town last Friday as she had a meeting that afternoon.  We did a bit of shopping and it started to sprinkle on us as we left for home.  The few raindrops didn't last long and it was odd to see a rainbow in the east and the sun shining brightly again in the west.  I captured part of the fast fading rainbow as we stopped for a soda on the way.

Our son came in Friday night for the weekend.  Our daughter and her friend, Mike, were going to Hermann for the day Saturday, so we (hubby, son and I) decided to get in the car and take a little day trip, too.

We ended up in a little town called Cole Camp which has a bit of a German heritage.  The town's population is only around a 1000 and has several quaint houses and buildings.  They host several festivals there.  The shop in the photo above has 3 stories of interesting merchandise.  

Just down the street, a new shop has opened with a wine bar on one side and a gift shop on the other.  Another shop I peeked into was even smaller, just one room with a coffee bar, a few tables for sitting, and shelves filled with antique dishes and whatnots. 

  
We got there a little late in the afternoon and didn't have time to check out all the shops before they closed, but I'll be going back again.  I hadn't been there in over 30 years since our son was in a Punt, Pass and Kick competition and the town is even more charming than I remembered. 

They have a German eatery which I wanted to try but it wasn't open yet, so we opted for the pizzaria.  Yum!  I have to say it was unanimous among the 3 of us that it was some of the best pizza we've ever had!  

This tree lives in Cole Camp.  It was a nice warm, but very windy day.  Almost too warm.  And that brought in a lot of rain Saturday night.  The trees in our area don't have a lot of pretty color this year.  A few are very pretty, but most will go from green to brown.  Our daughter said the trees around Hermann are just brown.  

How are the trees looking in your area?  
 

 
Yesterday, BG had a stress test done along with an echocardiogram and another little test that I can't remember what the name of it was.  It took a while for all of that to get done.  By the time we got home, we were both ready for a nap.

If I had known how long I would be waiting in the waiting room, I would have gone out shopping.  :)  I read every magazine of which there were few for women and read the news on my phone until the battery got too low.  

I would stand up and gaze out the window and one time in the restroom before going back out to the waiting room, I decided to amuse myself by taking a couple of selfies.  

After a closer look at the photo I put in my last post of BG and I at the wedding, I decided that I needed to remember to hold my chin out in order not to emphasize the double chin and sagging neck.  And sucking in the cheeks might help too.  No?  lol!     

Well, after sitting down and thinking about it all, I decided that nothing will stop the aging process.  Expensive creams might help a bit, but sagging chins, lines, wrinkles and crepey skin are something most of us will have in time.  Staying in good health, in as much is possible, is want I want to do for as long as I can.  And BG, too, of course.  

I saw some very unhealthy looking folks coming into the heart diagnostic center.  I wondered what caused that.  I'm beginning to become more of a believer in eating right and exercise.  The latter is something I need to work on.  I've always liked veggies and fruit, but I know that I've consumed too many sugary drinks.  Now, I've cut out the sugar due to the onset of Type 2 diabetes.     

We haven't heard anything back yet from BG's doctor, so we're thinking no news is good news as far as his test results go.  Hopefully nothing too drastic was found.

Btw, I used Orton editing in PicMonkey for my selfie photo.  I liked the color better.  What is your favorite photo editing site?  

Happy Tuesday to you!
xo Cheryl

The Weekend and a Wedding

Most of the time, I have no idea what I'm going to write about when I sit down with the laptop and begin a blog post.  Oh, I might have a few things I want to mention but usually I'm flying by the seat of my pants.  Today is no exception.

I'll begin with the weekend.  We went to a wedding Saturday in the Big Town.  It was a very warm day.  The bride was beautiful and the park setting was just right for the couple.  The wedding was at 3 pm and the reception started with the cocktail hour at 5 pm followed by dinner and dancing.  There must have been 200 or so at the reception which was held in a large banquet hall.   

Both of my SIL's were at the wedding and we were saying that the time we spent pressing clothes and getting ready lasted longer than the ceremony.  ☺  

Speaking of clothes, I saw everything from jeans to cocktail dresses.  I wore black pants with a royal blue silky top and black sandals plus a black shoulder bag.  Jewelry was silver hoops and a silver necklace with multi-colored jewels.  BG wore a gray shirt with black pants.  We took his tie along but hardly any of the men wore one so it (the tie) stayed in the car.     

The little ring bearer got too scared to walk down the aisle, so his father, who is the brother of the bride, picked him up and carried him.  He then handed the ring over to the pastor who passed it on to the best man.  The pastor had a cute sense of humor and made us all laugh a few times. 

The bride's dress was beautiful and the first photo is of her and her dad, the middle photo is the bride and groom and I blurred their faces as I don't like to show faces unless I have permission.  The third photo is BG and moi.  I was so aggravated that day as I couldn't do a thing with my hair.  On top of that, it was windy so I sprayed it good and that, of course, flattens it down.  Oh well.  

We had a great time and we had lots of good food to eat at the wedding dinner.  I'll confess now that I didn't think about my blood sugar levels when I was eating and even had a piece of wedding cake.

My SIL and I didn't think we were going to get wedding cake because it was a long drawn out affair with dinner and some dancing before the cutting of the cake at 8 pm.  All the while, we were watching the weather on radar on my phone.  We had a big rain complete with red cells and a tornado watch on the way to our area, but we finally got to eat cake and left for home before it got too bad. 

I talked a few minutes with the bride's mother before we left.  She was savoring every minute of her daughter's special day and enjoying seeing so many of their family and friends.  BG and I also enjoyed seeing several people that we only see these days at special occasions.  

It seems like folks don't visit anymore like they used to do.   I wonder why that is?   It's really kind of sad that people don't get together except for weddings and funerals, I think. 

Well, this post has gone on far longer than I meant for it to.  Even though I didn't have a post planned out, I still meant to write about more than a wedding.  

I have things I need to be working on in the house, but as I told a blog friend, I'd rather get out and enjoy Mother Nature's fall decor.  The house work will always be there, autumn won't.  So, a little day-tripping is in order today.  Enjoy your day, too.

Happy Wednesday to you!
xo Cheryl 

A Friday Chat

Siri is getting a work out today on my iPhone.  I'm doing laundry and when I put the clothes in the dryer and turn it on, I'll get my phone out of my pocket and tell Siri to set the alarm for 45 minutes.
 
My hearing isn't as good as it used to be and I can hear the phone whereas I often can't hear the timer going off on my stove unless I'm in the kitchen.

If you have a smart phone, do you put Siri to work, too?  

The photos on my post today are shots taken with my phone.  While downstairs doing laundry I stepped out back and took a few of the flowers and trees.  The flowers are fading fast as I have just stopped watering.  I do keep the flowers in front watered. 

The trees I showed in my last post was from 2013.  That was the prettiest fall we've had in several years, that I recall.  The foliage this year is slow to turn as you can see from today's Back 6 photo.  I didn't manage to capture it, but there is a bit of color that shows up when the sun is shining on it just right. 

I did see some pretty foliage around the Big Town this week.  My daughter had to cancel her plans due to staffing issues and couldn't go.  I went ahead because I needed to look for a new shirt and dress pants for BG to wear to an upcoming wedding.  

What I bought turned out to be too small so we both went back to the Big Town to shop one evening so he could try on things to make sure they fit.  We should have looked for clothes last weekend, but we had a full day getting haircuts and shopping for needed supplies for the house and headed home before we remembered the clothes.

When I was younger, clothes would have been uppermost in my mind.  Funny how your priorities change when you get older.  At least for me.  For the most part, I'm a jeans/capris and shirt kind of gal.  And I tend to wear my favorites all the time.  I have one shirt that I'll probably cry over when it finally wears out.  :) 

I remember way back when I first started working right out of college, we wore dresses or skirts and high heels then.  And the high heeled shoes had pointed toes.  No jeans were allowed back then.  And I loved shoes in those days and would buy shoes that matched my outfits.  That was before I broke my ankle and now the highest heel I can possibly wear is maybe 2 inches.  

How the First Lady walks in those stilettos all the time is beyond me, but they look great on her.  Well, let's face it, she would look gorgeous barefoot and wearing a gunny sack.

  
It's been rather chilly the past few nights here, but we're warming up again.  It's supposed to be in the upper 80's tomorrow and it looks to be a nice weekend ahead.  Hope you have a good one.

Happy Friday to you!
xo Cheryl

This and That for Tuesday (almost Wednesday)

I was going to title this post Tuesday's This and That but the day will be over before I get this published.  I started gathering photos to write a post in the a.m. but I had too many interruptions and so here I am trying to finish while it is still Tuesday. 

We had some rain today and it's turned pretty cool tonight.  I see some changes every day now in the color of our trees but I'm pretty sure they won't be as pretty as in the above photo taken in 2013.  

BG and I had our supper late tonight and I fixed sandwiches and put some french fries in my new oil-less fryer.  They were really good.  I know...white potatoes are on the worst foods list for diabetics.  But I've been mostly so good for over 10 days now that I told myself that a meal with potatoes surely wouldn't be too harmful.  

I thought I'd share the photo of the fryer on my counter to show you the size.  It is a little big, but as I plan to use it often I rearranged things to make it fit.

This morning I cracked open a couple of eggs for breakfast and discovered another double yolk.  It made me smile.  I love little surprises and I love eggs, so the more the merrier.  Have I said that before?  The doctor did tell me that I could eat eggs for needed protein, not sure she meant 2, or in this case 3.  :)  I don't remember ever seeing as many double yolked eggs as I have this year.

BG and I went to the Big Town over the weekend.  He got his hair cut and we went to Lowe's to get a new kitchen faucet.  After discovering water on the floor the other day and then upon looking inside the cabinet to find more water, we found the faucet was leaking.  I didn't find a white one like I had, so I picked one out in chrome. 

I also got my haircut Saturday and while trying to get some photos  of the countryside while BG was driving, I snapped a quick selfie of the new do.  

There is a big wedding coming up that we are invited to and so new haircuts were in order.  Now if only I knew what to wear.  The wedding will be in a park, I suppose under a tent or something.  A  reception, dinner and dance will follow at an indoor location.  I just talked to the mother of the bride a week ago and didn't think to ask what kind of attire would be appropriate.  At some of these outdoor weddings, the men wear jeans.  I'll probably wear a pair of black dress pants and a nice top.  Not sure about BG, but I doubt he'll wear jeans.

I had more to say but in order to get this post published before the clock tells me it's a new day, I will run along.  Tomorrow will be a busy day with going back to the Big Town, this time with daughter Kim.  She has some work/business to take care of and asked me if I wanted to go along.  We won't leave until after lunch, so I hope to get some blog visiting done in the morning.

Hope your Tuesday was a good one!
xo Cheryl

Memories on a Friday

When I was young, we had a few bridges in our rural neighborhood much like the old iron bridge in the above photo I took a few years ago.

Our bus driver would often let some of us older kids off the school bus to walk down a gravel road while he drove on to let one child off at their home a mile or so away.  Then he would be back to pick us up where we waited at the old iron bridge. 

As we were among the last to get off the bus, it was fun to be able to stretch our legs and run to see who got to the bridge first.

The creek that the bridge spanned was never very full of water.  It might come up to our knees if we were to wade in it, though we knew better than to get near it. 

Times have changed, haven't they?  I can't imagine any bus driver doing such a thing today.  He probably shouldn't have been doing it back then, but he knew he could trust us to behave.  

In those days, everyone pretty much followed the rules and did exactly what the teacher or bus driver told you to do.  

Perhaps not everyone.

There was always someone at one time or another that would see what they could get away with, but most of us knew if we got into trouble we would face punishment of some kind. 

Especially when we got home and had to face our parents.

The ancient iron bridges are a thing of the past in our area.  Most, if not all, have been replaced by safer, modern bridges.  

I imagine those carefree days when it was safe to let children walk down a country road to wait on a school bus are gone, too.

Have a nice weekend!
xo Cheryl

October, My Favorite Month

"I'm so glad I live in a world 

where there are Octobers."

~L. M. Montgomery

October has arrived and so far our trees aren't showing many signs of being very colorful this year.  It's still plenty warm enough to have the a/c running night and day and we really need some rain here.

I didn't intend to stay away from blogging and visiting blogs for a week, but there has been so much happening around the world that I just didn't think I could put the right words together for posting or commenting.  My thoughts and prayers are with those who are hurting and those who need healing or comfort.

As always, for me, nature has a way of soothing a heavy heart.  I gaze out my kitchen windows to look for a change in color in the leaves.  See the mighty oak that stands in the Back 6 in the above photo?  It is a massive, beautiful tree and the leaves will hopefully turn that pretty shade of deep red before long.  

I haven't yet seen many birds or geese winging their way south.  Just the other day, I saw a Blue Heron down by the pond.  I'm thinking he will stick around for the winter.  I remember in years past watching him walk on the iced over pond. 

We picked up my car today from the shop.  A huge raccoon had run out in front of me recently and I couldn't avoid hitting it.  It left a nice-sized dent in my front fender.  The whole piece was replaced and now my car looks new again.  Well, aside from a few little scratches in the back where a woman ran into me at a stop sign a year or so ago.  The body shop is in the country and it was a nice little drive.

I love October and I love drives in the country.  In spite of the heat, I can feel that fall is in the air.  I'd like to make a trip to the Amish country sometime this month. 

I won't be buying many baked goodies when I visit the Amish.  At my doctor visit last week, I found out that my A1C numbers were much too high.  I've been put on a diabetic pill until I can get the numbers under control.  So that means no sugar and eating better.  Guess I pigged out a little too much in Branson.  

Maybe I'll even lose a few pounds.  I'm not obese by any means, but I could stand to lose some weight and I know that scarfing down sweet iced tea by the gallons and runs to the DQ for blizzards or ice cream cones are going to have to stop.  I knew that I was borderline diabetic but kept eating anything I wanted to.  Bad girl. 

 
My daughter loves decorating for fall and the above photo is of part of her front yard this fall.  We had fun shopping for mums and pumpkins at the Big Town one day last week.  I had a hard time choosing mums, I love them all.  I had to get one of the tri-colored mums which is in my first photo.  We also ate some good food while there.  That was before I got the doctor's report.  

My son came home for the weekend and we grilled one evening which was yummy.  He is the grill master in our family.  Shh, don't tell BG I said that.  He does okay, but Brett is better.  

Anyhoo, we also fixed several foods in my new toy, an oil-less fryer.  BG loves his french fries and I don't like to turn on the oven in hot weather.  I fixed some BBQ chicken legs, french fries and onion rings.  Not all at once, of course.  Everything I fixed turned out really good so I give this new gadget 5 stars.  The only drawback I find is that it is quite large and takes up space if you want to leave it on the counter top like I do.  The pull out drawer and basket can be put in the dishwasher which is a plus.  Both BG and I love fried foods, so I know this will get a lot of use.  Btw, I'm not being compensated for saying any of this

I'll run along now and fix myself a glass of iced tea with Splenda.   It's not my choice but it isn't too bad.  

Happy Wednesday to you!
xo Cheryl