Cold Sore

Ok, so I remember having a cold sore only twice in my life - once in high school and once again about 20 years ago (I remember because of where we lived - the neighbor who asked me about it -  yes: embarrassing).

Make that 3 times.

Sunday afternoon my lip kept itching / tingling. The Husband said quick, put some licorice on it.  He swears by this natural treatment.

I have felt all week like that is the first thing people see when they look at me - this massive, ugly thing front-and-center on my lip.  The Husband assures me it's very small and unobtrusive for a cold sore. Doesn't feel that way.

I'm still applying licorice.  And it is looking better, though I'm still uncomfortable with it.

So I guess today I'm grateful for licorice root that kept my cold sore from blossoming out hugely enough to enter a room before I do.

Our traditional Thanksgiving weekend activity of putting up the Christmas tree and other small Christmas decorations was accomplished.  Along with the accompanying vacuuming and tidying up. Made for a nicely productive day at home with nowhere to go, no crowds to fight, no pressure from anything.  Lovely.

I'm also grateful for a son and daughter-in-law that visited us yesterday.  There was other family for them to see but they made sure to spend time with us, helping us to feel like a priority even though it might have been somewhat inconvenient for them.  It made our day.  (And The Husband totally loved having the 6 week old snuggle in his arms for a nap.  I think there's a bond there with those two.)

And I'm grateful for "enough".

Sunset

The camera can never do justice to the real thing.  Although I tried.

Beautiful Tuesday

I have so missed all the mornings outside since I've been unable to walk.  Stepped out to get the newspaper from the front porch this morning and had to find someone to share the beauty with:  it was perfect walking temperature, breezy, the skies were hung with clouds as far as you could see...we just stood and breathed in the stillness.  And I loved it.

A storm is coming in so it will be grey all day.  But beautiful.

Noon- love that cloud ceiling.

Headed off to my friendly foot/ankle specialist.  The stress fracture seems healed - at least there's no more pain.  I endured a brief injection to relieve the pain of an inflamed bursa. And if I'm lucky this will fix that pain.  If I'm really lucky, I'll be able to get back walking in a week or so.  It's been a sort of miserable 4 months since the fracture/sprain that started all this.  I'm ready for the mental lift I get from being out in the sunrise.

Our church Stake has 8 wards - two of which are nearly unmanageably large.  Sunday the Bishop announced that this coming Sunday there will be a special meeting - 6 of the 8 wards will be undergoing some boundary changes/re-alignments.  I know that change is necessary and often invigorating.  But also challenging.  We've never lived anywhere as long as we've been here (14 years).  Anxiety seems ever-present.  And while we know that Heavenly Father is always in charge (and we are grateful for that) things can still be a bit scary.  Our ward will never be the same again.

The best thing about going to the dr. is the waiting room magazines that I won't pay to subscribe (I'm too much of a scrooge for luxuries like that).  I have always enjoyed Real Simple magazine.  Today's reading in the waiting room resulted in this quote that I so love.

If Nature has made you a giver, your hands are born open, and so is your heart. And though there may be times when your hands are empty, your heart is always full, and you can give things out of that.
— Frances Hodgson Burnett.

And today I'm grateful for good doctors.  For good shoes.  For good sunrises.  And for miraculous bodies.

Almost The Weekend

And I'm hoping for a bit of fun over the next day or so.

Formerly lovely now frozen geraniums

Decided to try the elliptical again this morning.  An open window helped, though I still miss being out in the peace of the sunrise.  I'm anxious to see the dr. on Tuesday, hoping there will be a positive outcome from the visit.

Winter ready

Decided spur of the moment to go out and work in the front garden.  Not long ago the geraniums were still lovely.  After a couple nights of below freezing temps, they gave up the ghost - and have bothered me every time I look at them.  So I wrapped my booted foot in a plastic bag and set to cleaning out the garden.  (Fall clean-up = more spring fun!)  The dread of the task was w-a-y worse than the actual execution and the results well worth the small effort.

Sally Forth: Husband Champion - Yay!

I've been following this comic strip - family relationships can be so complicated! But it was the last frame that really got to me.  How wonderful it would be if everyone had that kind of champion backing them up.  I try to be that kind of person: to The Husband, to my children, to friends.  I know I can and do disappoint.  Which makes me sad.  I keep working on being better.  Hopefully forgiveness will be extended to me.

Love the sun on the tree.

The Husband calls to me - quick, hobble in here and look.  The beech just outside our stairwell window was nearly glowing in the morning sun - the dead leaves look almost golden.  (And yes, much prettier in reality than in the photo.)  I was thinking as I tried to get a shot (without the front-door-reflection - though unsuccessful) how much I enjoy having a camera always at the ready.  I delete way many more pictures than I save, but how fun to look back through and remember why/where/when I took each photo.  I'm so grateful for the advances in digital cameras/photography - makes it possible for doofuses like me to find some fun in every day.

Today I'm grateful for anticipation of a pressure-free day tomorrow.  Nothing is planned, we can take it as it comes without deadlines, obligations or stress.  I plan to enjoy it.  I'm grateful for some time outside this morning, in the barely felt drizzle.  It warmed my heart.  And I'm hoping for a few things - which makes me grateful for hope.  I need it.

Just Thinking

• So, here I am.  I'm on a personal mental campaign to eliminate "perfect" from my life as much as possible.  No matter how diligent or concerted the effort, perfection just isn't going to exist in this lifetime.  That is a given as far as I'm concerned.  We strive for it.  We look for it.  We think we must be perfect.  No, not going to happen.

I read an article this morning where he said perfect should be a 4-letter word.  Sometimes that's how I feel.  I'm not necessarily a slob, but perfection in aligning seams in quilting always eludes me. Playing a piece on the piano perfectly?  Never has happened. Finding perfection in all my personal interactions with others? Absolutely not, because none of us are perfect beings.

Maybe the bottom line take-away for me is that I should cut myself some slack.  Allow myself and others to continue to do our/their best. Let Heavenly Father be the (only true) judge.  And let go what doesn't matter.  Easier for some of us to do than for others.  Maybe I should strive for perfection in that - letting go?

Or maybe I should look for a measure of perfection in finding the good?

• Read an article this morning in the paper - about writing thank you notes, teaching children the value of that exercise.  (And I believe it is an exercise.  The more we exercise those grateful muscles the stronger that attitude gets. I like strong "grateful muscles".)

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865641778/Showing-gratitude-Authors-blogger-share-tips-on-how-to-help-children-be-thankful.html

I'm so impressed that she wrote a book for children about expressing thanks.  Some people seem to find it easier to express thanks to Heavenly Father than it is to thank the people around us.  It doesn't have to be thanks for a physical thing, like a gift.  In my way of thinking, expressing that grateful emotion is one of the things that keeps us truly civilized.

We received a thank you note from our 5 year old neighbor.  Written by herself.  It was a treasure that warmed my heart for days.  She's learning at a young age some hugely valuable things from her Mom.  Well done!

• And I saw this plaque (again) the other day in a catalog.  I like the reminder.

Today I'm grateful for those who take the time to be kind.

A Friend

Peter Lassig, friend.

Read a column in this morning's paper that featured a friend of The Husband.  From one of The Husband's former jobs (he worked on Temple Square while he completing his college degree in the early years of our marriage).  The columnist was remembering Peter following his funeral last week.

Peter was the Head Gardener on Temple Square. Even though decades have passed since our paths have crossed, The Husband remembers with great fondness his association with Peter.

The cycle of life on this earth can be hard.  Our hearts grow with every friendship and mourn with every loss. I guess that's what keeps us involved - our hearts from fossilizing.

How blessed we are to know good people. I am grateful.

Foot, Again and Still Problematic

I was so anxious about my visit to my foot specialist.  He and I are seeing each other w-a-y too often. I came away in much better spirits.

It's likely a stress fracture.  There's a way to know for sure but it involves dye injection and x-rays and hospitals.  And since I'm not the school's star athlete needing to play in the big games we'll opt out of that route.  The treatment is the same anyway.

So, I'll be taking a few anti-inflammatory drugs and wearing this darling shoe.  (Google tells me this runs about $20 retail, we'll see how much the dr.'s office charges.)

That also means no more morning walks for some time.  :^(

But, I'll give the elliptical a try and we'll see if I can tolerate that.

Our little corner of the world is covered in snow.  Which makes an open-toe shoe a tad chilly.  But I'm not complaining.  It's w-a-y better than the boot, although he said I could use my boot if the shoe doesn't help enough.  It's a sad state of affairs when my closet has almost more foot appliances than cute shoes!  And...I have lots and lots of warm socks!

I'm so grateful for insurance that enables me to feel comfortable about seeing a doctor when I need. And for doctors that I can feel confidence in.  I'm also grateful for changing seasons (I wouldn't do well in year-round summer), I love the beauty of each one.  And I'm grateful for prayer.

Post-Weekend

Sometimes it seems like I spend a couple days getting ready for the weekend and then a couple days catching up after the weekend.  I guess that means I kind'a like weekends.

It was a fairly productive weekend, though we didn't feel pressured about getting stuff done.

The leaves are still falling.  And since it's been fairly calm - wind wise - the leaves have been falling in our yard and not our neighbors.  That means raking.  Which The Husband did.  Piles and piles of leaves that overflow the garbage can, even with The Husband gleefully jumping up and down to compact them so more can fit.   He finds fun in everything!

Drive Safe!

We couldn't help but wonder how this young lady managed to get her car up on top of this large rock. I caught a brief glimpse of the attempts to push it off.  I hope they didn't do some damage to the underside.

We had a rare visit with some local grandchilluns.  Such balm to my soul to see them, chat with them and be the recipients of their hugs.  (The bonus:  we took our leftover halloween candy to them so they (not us) can be tempted to indulge!)

These make me smile!

I missed my walk this a.m.  By choice.  Tomorrow will find me at the doctor's, trying to track down the source of the pain/swelling that plagues me.  Again, I find renewed respect for those who suffer chronic pain.

Today I'm grateful for the unending beauty of this world.  For hugs.

Just a Few Random Thoughts

Looking west at 7 a.m.

• I still love the sunrise.  No matter where I am, I love being out to see the early morning sky.  Something about it reaches to my soul.  I took numerous pictures on this morning's walk. And came home invigorated and ready to face the day.  I have long been fond of the character of this tree - love its silhouette against the western sky.   And those clouds nestled against the fresh snow on the mountains up Little Cottonwood Canyon are just lovely.  What a blessing this beautiful world is.

Looking east at Little Cottonwood Canyon.

• Received an early Christmas gift - socks!  I love socks.  Especially new ones.

• Came home from my walk and re-organized my shoe shelf in the closet.  Yes, I have enough shoes to completely fill a shelf - several pairs high (that many shoes are a definite luxury!).  I guess I love shoes, too. Especially comfy ones (comfort becomes more important the older I get.  Now I understand why older folks are so often seen in athletic shoes:  they make for happy feet!)

• Listening to The Husband chortle over a comic strip this morning made me anxious to see the cause. Yes, I get it.  He's a tease and practical joker (though never harmful and really, only mildly).  I love his sense of humor!

• Thinking this morning about age. I don't feel 64. That sounds positively ancient. And yet, this many years of experience does lend a certain perspective.  I like the mental freedom that experience has provided.  I hope I've also acquired a teensy bit of wisdom.

• Read a snarky thing on FaceBook (though I rarely spend much time there) about how people who complain on their posts all year long now assuage their consciences by being grateful for 30 days in the month of Thanksgiving.  Gratitude is always important.

I'm grateful today for music.  And for a beautiful piano.  And that our piano freshly tuned piano creates such beautiful sounds.  I'm grateful for socks and shoes that contribute to happier feet.  And I'm grateful for fun and laughter that enrich our home.

Inadequate

I rarely make comments in church classes (or any other classes for that matter).  I've spent a lifetime feeling "less-than", I don't have lots of self-confidence.  Whatever I have to say can't possibly be of much value to anyone in the classroom - they're all so much smarter/better educated/more articulate than me.  So I keep my mouth shut.  Generally.

Yesterday in R. S. we were invited to express things of a subjective nature - our personal thoughts on blessings that we see every day that are important to us.  I fairly jumped out of my seat to participate. Yes!  Finally something that means something to me that would be worth sharing.

Apparently not-so-much.  I guess what means something to me doesn't affect others the same way.

This was the firstest time in many months I've commented in class.  It'll be that many months and many, many months more before I speak out in class again.   I'll continue to enjoy my daily blessings in private.

Whatever.

Headed out on the trail this morning, loving that we're on standard (not daylight saving) time and it was a whole hour lighter out.  The wind was blustery, the temperature perfect for working up a bit of steam and the sunrise was absolutely fantabulous!  I love the hope in each new day.

Went with friends to see Goosebumps the other night.  Hadn't a clue what to expect.  Didn't ever read any of the books. I'm not (nor ever have been) a fan of anything scary.  (I'm still quite a'feared of the dark!) I thought the younger set was the target demographic for this one so I figured I could handle it.  Some people were bothered by the ventriloquist's dummy.  Not me.  Those ever-self-healing-ever-growing-in-numbers garden gnomes just really creeped me!

Totally Creepy!

So, The Husband summoned me to the front door- said someone was waiting on the porch for me. He laughed.  As soon as I took the picture I brought that disturbing bobble-head in and hid it where I can't see it.  Nightmares for sure.  (Our friend is quite the tease - leaving that gnome on our porch!)

My piano bench is getting a work out.  I'm playing for the ward choir for the Christmas Sacrament Meeting program, playing for the choir to sing in church, playing for a men's quartet to sing in church and now, likely, for the Ward Christmas Party Program.  Thank heavens for a new pair of piano glasses that let's me see the notes just perfectly.  There's no excuse for mistakes, now!

I'm grateful for a foot well enough to walk this morning.  For a smile that makes my heart happy.  For the chance to cuddle the newest grandson the other evening - that sense of a bit of heaven.