Interesting Weekend

Went out with our friends for dinner friday.  The poor guys - ready to go home - were standing around waiting for us women to quit talking.  I never feel like I get enough social with certain people, which is odd because I don't generally do too well with too much sociality.  But with some people, it's always a good thing. We had a grand time.

The storehouse on Saturday morning was a bit of a challenge with this silly boot.  It'd been a couple weeks since we were there and neither one of us is very often on our feet for four hours straight.  It does take a bit more energy to move around with the boot. So far I haven't gained any weight (which was a real concern of mine) and that's a good thing.  We came home and spent some time in our lazy-boys - the quintessential old people in their rocking chairs.  Yup, that's us.

I wore my longest skirt to church yesterday - wanted the boot to be as unnoticeable as possible.  Still had to explain more than I wanted to.  (And yes, it does feel like the silly thing is controlling my life at this point.  Dr. said to wear it for 3 weeks - that's 21 days - and I'm finally to day 8 today. A way to go still.) Sitting in R. S. we heard that a member of the other ward (that we used to be part of before the ward split) had passed.  That was on top of learning first thing before church that a much loved sister in our ward passed on Saturday night.  It was an emotional day for lots of us.   

And I ran across this quote the other day.  I'm kind of / sort of a collector of quotes.  I loved this one.

"As I get older I find myself being more aware of:  noticing how the people around me make me feel, of no longer taking up space in places where I don't feel wanted, of embracing the attractiveness of simplicity ...that the little things in life are the big things (hugs that last a bit longer, a check-in text)...oh, and that there is always room for kindness." h.e.l.e.n.m.a.r.i.e    

I tried to copy and paste the quote, but couldn't.  And there were some more words that I left out.  But those were the parts that meant the most to me.

And we saw this sign at Hobby Lobby the other day - it's not quite sure who to attribute it to.  But still worth sharing. (We'd been home for too many days in a row and Hobby Lobby was our little excursion.  It's good for us to get out in the sunshine and around people.)

Today I'm grateful for kindness in all forms.  Even a simple "we love you" from someone un-related.  I continue to believe that words have immense power.  I'm grateful for an invitation to dinner this week from a friend at the storehouse.  Grateful for leftovers for dinner.  Grateful that some sorely weathered doorframes will be painted and done in time to dry before the predicted (and much hoped for) rain.  For a grandson's birthday to celebrate.  And for hope that my foot will heal without surgery.

Must Have Opposition

Lately it feels like life is full of frustration.  In many areas.  

I've been frustrated with my silly foot.  Podiatrist is still not quite sure what's going on.  Gave me the option of wearing a boot for three weeks to see if things will heal, or going straight for the MRI to get a better idea.  He thinks there's a small neuroma, but figures there's a few teensy tiny tears in the ligaments (at least that's what I think he said, and not the tendons).  I tend to go the conservative route.  So:  the boot it is.  It's a dang ugly, heavy, big thing.  But after wearing it most of the day yesterday I admit I think it does help.  Immobilization so things don't continually get aggravated and angry is often a good approach.  It's just so exhausting. (Thankfully I don't have to wear it every minute, only when I'm doing a lot of walking around.) And when I walk across a floor with the "thump, step, thump step"  I always have a mental flashback to when I was in labor with our first child and the student nurse (bless her heart) announced her coming into my room in just that way.  She had a cast on her leg and it was "thump, step, thump step" all the way down the hall.  She troubled me so much I finally told The Husband to keep her away from me.  Admittedly being in labor meant I wasn't at my best - at least The Husband was kind to her which was better than how I'd have handled it.  Anyway, I dislike that sound.  But am grateful for the help I'm counting on so I don't have to have the MRI, surgery or any other interventions.  The ice, the ibuprofen, the diclofenac - none of it had any lasting effect so clearly something more serious is going on.  The pain and annoyance of the boot is the opposition to being able to freely move around.  I miss my morning walks.  

We were the recipients of a shared dinner last night.  Not only was the food beautifully prepared and beautifully presented, it was truly one of the best meals ever.  Salmon is a favorite, so are brussel sprouts - especially when they're kind of crispy.  Whenever we're at a certain restaurant with our friends and I splurge and order them as a side and they come all dark and crunchy - well, I just love it. 

Yesterday was spent at the dealership having the annual oil change, tire rotation and

Absolutely delicious!!!

emissions inspections done on the car.  Not my favorite way to spend an entire morning.  The Husband went on several short walkabouts.  I was stuck staring at my boot and wishing healing was instant.  When I made the appointment she asked if I wanted "On The Spot" license renewal.  Does it cost extra?  No, she says.  Sure, I'll go for that.  But when I arrived the auto tech said it's always been $10.  I declined.  Came home after our errands and did the renewal of the license online - for free. It's early enough in the month that I'm confident the new decal will arrive before it expires.  

Managed to get the RMD of my tiny IRA at the credit union resolved.  At least I think so. Gosh, it's hard being old and having so many things to manage.

And today I'm grateful for so many things.  I know we must have opposition in all things so as to learn so many valuable lessons and skills.  But sometimes it feels a tiny bit hard.  I'm grateful there's a boot I can wear instead of having a heavy cast (and hopefully avoid surgery).  I'm grateful I have a choice about when and where to renew the license on our car.  I'm grateful there's someone to drive our car now that I'm not allowed.  (Dr. said it's illegal to drive with a boot.  Not surprised by that.)  Grateful that someone cooked enough of such a scrumptious dinner that we were able to be fed not only by kindness and generosity but thoughtfulness as well.  I'm grateful there's a little bit of money we put into an IRA a couple decades ago that now seems like a gift.  My annual distribution is about enough for a new pair of shoes (when I can wear shoes again)  so it isn't much.  But it feels like a an unexpected luxury not earmarked for something necessary. I'm grateful that in our basement there's an elliptical machine (unused for many years) that enabled me to have a bit of a workout this morning since I can't be out walking.  I prefer to be out in the sunrise and fresh, cool air.  But having the ability to still move my body enough to provoke shortness of breath, perspiration and tested muscles is a good way to start the day whether indoors or out.  Yes, another luxury. 

Is It Really October?

 We're all talking a lot these days about how the calendar says October but the weather says summer.  We broke an all-time record for high heat last week.  Haven't had any precipitation for a very long time.  And the temps are predicted to be in the mid - upper 80's for the foreseeable future.  We're still bringing in tomatoes from the garden (the rest of the plants were kind of done so The Husband wisely pulled them from the beds) and even a few strawberries.  I took a picture of our neighbor's asters - they're a September flower but are now fully purple.  Maybe they're a favorite of mine because they're my birth month flower. But it's late for them to be totally flowered.  It feels odd to not be in full fall.

Pretty purple asters.

Our mums in the front that I wait anxiously for every year haven't even begun to bloom.  The buds are still so tiny I wonder if I'll see even a speck of yellow this year.  Often when we go to the beach late September - early October we miss them entirely.  They often bloom for a few days and then the freezing overnight temps get them.  This is their last year.  They are too tall and lanky and woody.  When we planted them and I decided to overwinter them that first year it was an experiment.  It turned out ok so we continued.  But they're obviously pretty well done now.  Don't have a clue what we'll plant there instead.  

Salt Lake and Utah counties now have lots of temples.  We often go to a different one - just because we can.  They are all the same in what happens there, but different in their looks and layout.  Last week we headed to Utah county to a temple we haven't been before.  After our recommends were scanned in, we stood there for a second and I finally leaned over and asked where to go since this was our first time in this temple.  Her face lit up and she exclaimed:  Oh, I love when I get to welcome new people!  I felt seen.  And not only seen, but welcomed.  Both times in the last couple years we've been to Utah county to a temple we've been treated as though they were just waiting for us to come.  That's a rarity for us, especially since we're now obviously old. In any event, it was a lovely afternoon, a (in my opinion) stunningly beautiful temple and not too awfully hard to get to. I am so glad we went.

I've been pretty diligent in following the doctor's "orders" to help my feet.  It's really mostly the right foot now.  Haven't seen much progress.  I've greatly curtailed my morning walks - distance, time and pace.  Hasn't made much difference.  Ice packs, diclofenac and elevation are very temporary in their effect.  I admit, I'm struggling.  All those years I sort of patted myself on my back for being mostly healthy and avoiding doctors and prescriptions, etc. - they're all coming back to haunt me and tell me not to feel cocky. 

General Conference this last weekend was superb.  I don't know if it was what I needed to hear or just that it was excellent, but it truly felt like the best conference I've heard in many years.  Last night, after having spent nearly 10 hours in front of the tv (over the course of maybe 36 hours) I was restless and needed to move.  So we went for a walk.  I have always loved my morning walks that begin in the dark and end in a risen sun.  Last night it was the exact opposite - full dark when we got home.  And I still loved it.  Even though I'm truly scared of the dark, it felt good to move a bit (walking slower and less far) after so much inactivity through the weekend.  I always feel safe when I'm with The Husband.

I'm grateful today for conference.  For our ability to stay in our comfy (though also aging, just like us) home and hear the words meant to inspire and encourage us.  I'm grateful to have a good podiatrist and hope for some encouragement from him today. And I'm grateful for decent shoes that don't make my feet hurt worse.  It'll be lunch out after the appointment and I'm grateful for that opportunity.  I love any meal that I don't have to prepare.  I'm grateful for a new day and the chance to try once again to be a better disciple of our Savior.  I'll keep trying throughout my earthly days.

Moon Picture

Decided to crop the moon picture to see how it would look.  It was such a pretty sight this morning.