Never a dull moment

So...

Wes took me to the doctor's office as soon as we

got back to Little Rock.

Didn't get to see our regular doctor, but was seen

by one of his associates.

A short exam and he says he thinks my rash and puffy edema

are caused by poison ivy.

Well, that's a mystery in itself, as I have no idea

how I could have come into contact with it.

I was given a corticosteroid injection and a prescription

for a ten day course of prednisone, and was told

that I can take over the counter anti-histamines.

While we were still visiting with Oliver and David,

David had the sweet and brilliant idea to

get me a couple of gel masks that you can cool in the freezer.

It really did help to relieve the burning and itching.

Thank you, David!

He took this picture of me using the mask yesterday morning.

Life.

Never a dull moment.

One day at a time

Sometimes in life, you just kind of figure out

that you gotta go with the flow.

I mean, who knows what tomorrow will bring? Nobody.

Sometimes life is swell. It's a veritable picnic.

Blue skies, sunshine, the scent of honeysuckle on the vine, a nice fruit salad.



Sometimes life isn't swell. Ants carried off the picnic.

Sometimes life sucks.

Sometimes you couldn't make yourself smile

because of how sucky life is at that particular moment.

Sometimes you have to make yourself smile

because you know.. you just KNOW..

that life COULD be worse,

and many times it certainly has been.

Today is one of those days when I am making myself smile.

Because I know it could be worse, and has been.

Today isn't one of those sunshiney picnic days.

Today is kind of sucky.

But still I want to smile, because I need to.

Today I am plagued by one of my Mystery Ailments.

Not the one that came upon me suddenly last December.

That Mystery Ailment is still with me, albeit in

a less sucky way than it was.

I will take my Hip-hoorays wherever I can.

But the last few days, a Mystery Ailment which I have had

about three or four times previously,

has again decided to mess with me, and it has

messed with me while we are visiting with Oliver and David.

And that AIN'T COOL.

I know I don't have to put up the picture which I'm going to put here.

It certainly isn't pretty, not that I ever was pretty,

but even for me.. "Wow!" this is nowhere near pretty.

But, it's me.

At least once every year or so, this Mystery Ailment decides to flare up.

In previous iterations it cleared up after a few days.

Fingers crossed.

I'm going to print out this picture and take it to

our doctor and say,

"What in the hell IS THIS?!?"

There's probably a 50/50 chance that he'll know.

Sometimes you have to make yourself smile.

You just have to.

:)

A narrow life abroad

Wes and I shared the dream of living in England,

which Wes made come true back in 2000.

He secured a work permit and his first job in London.

We were there for four years, living first in Aylesbury

and then in Bletchley, both in Buckinghamshire.

We came back to the US in 2004.

It was damned hard to leave,

but that's life.

"You can't always get what you want," intones Mick.

Anyway.. a few times whilst we were there,

we watched narrow boats on the canals.

It looked like such a wonderful way to live.

I probably have an overly romantic notion of it,

as I'm sure it is quite a lot of hard work.

But, oh, I think I would enjoy that life if I

were physically fit and able.

There are lots of videos of narrow boating at YouTube.

Here are two that grabbed my attention this morning.

Sounds like Mick has a great life philosophy.

His temperament matches my own.

I hope his health is improving these days.

<>

And this video of a steam powered narrow boater..

well, let's just say, this thrills me.

<>

You can't always get what you want,

but ah, well.. it doesn't hurt to dream.

Cheers

I was born at an early age

I guess I shouldn't complain

about turning 59 today.

As they say, the alternative is worse.

:)

Wes and I arrived yesterday afternoon  

at Oliver's rented house

in Bella Vista.

The guys sang Happy Birthday to me

at a few minutes after midnight.

:)

I went outside this morning and snapped this

Happy Birthday Oh What A Beautiful Morning picture.

I've got some aches and pains, but we are

with Oliver and David,

so I can't help but smile.

:)

I also have the promise of going to

Johnny Brusco's for pizza later.

:)

Happy Birthday, old girl.

Edited to add pictures of my birthday dinner

at Johnny Brusco's in Bentonville:

Wes and Oliver,

Oliver and David,

and me.

We had a blast, did a little shopping on the way back to the guys place,

and now we are going to play the new Wii Mario Party 9 game.

Smiles all round.

:)

Lest I grow to old to dream

I posted the following on my page at Facebook today. I post there about as often as I post here! Not a lot.

"Our time on this planet is sooo short. Some people - at least 10 fingers and 10 toes are pointing back at me - spend the greater part of their time here conforming to expectations .. cultural, familial, religious, nationalistic, etc, etc ..... instead of trying out different ways to think and live their life. I have given in to what I believed was expected of me, not knowing I had the right to question everything, not knowing I didn't need anyone's 'permission' to think thoughts outside The Little Box. I'd like to have a streak of fuschia in my hair. I'd like to wear clothes that don't make me look like the fat older woman that I am. I'd like to have the guts to be honest.. with myself.. before it's too late. Life is too damned short."

One of my failed previous blogs was called 'Life is Too Short'.

I also included this photo I took of a bi-lobed iris at Boerner Botanical Garden in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, back in the 1990s when we still lived there.

Iris are my favourite flower.

I lived a life that was expected of me for so long, from childhood on. I lived by the expectations of others - of my parents first, because I didn't think they would lead me into anything that wasn't true and good; then later I lived what was expected of me by the church that my parent chose to believe in. That was such a

 closed:loop:little:box:world.

As I said in my Facebook paragraph above, I didn't know there were any other choices available to me. For all intents and purposes, there weren't.

It was about fifteen years ago that I finally realised how many boxes I was stuffed into, and oh:so:slowly that I was able to break through them, despite the spirals of deep depression I kept falling into and near suicidal events.

But even fifteen years on, I still feel lost in feelings of nothingness, of being no one. I feel as if I don't know 'how' to be. I certainly don't know 'who' I am, or who I could be.

I never learned how to be any other way than was expected of me. Sigh.

I don't have many friends. I never did, not even in 'that church'. Shyness is so often interpreted as being a snob. My sister-in-law once told me that that is what people thought of me, that I was a snob. Their loss.

The couple of friends I have now are internet friends. I have none in 'real' life. I'm not much of a social being anymore, and I don't seek out groups of people.

Maybe I will, someday.

I've always been empathic, kind, caring, giving. I love to laugh with others.

That's me being honest .. not being conceited.

I know I won't 'find myself' somewhere .. I have to 'be myself'.

Or is it that I have to 'become myself'?

I think that's probably it.

My sweeties

On Monday, Oli came down and surprised first me, and then Wes when he got home from work. We didn't know that Dave had called his brother and asked him to come down.

The guys went out shopping, and when they came back they surprised me with these lovely flowers.. carnations, statice and iris. I love them.. flowers and sons.

Dave had decided to go back home with his brother. We have noisy neighbours in the

apartment below us. :( So Oli was here for the one night, but we had fun going

out to a Chinese buffet restaurant, and then watching a few 'making of' Harry Potter

programmes. The next morning the guys went out and brought home some

nice fresh donuts. After a little more tv watching and some short

naps, the guys packed up and drove away.

Thank you for my lovely flowers, you guys.

xoxo...

A lovely day out

A Sunday outing, Wes, Dave and I to Garvan Woodland Gardens near Hot Springs, AR. It's a lovely place to walk in every season. It being early Spring this year, like since January (!), the tulips were in various stages of blooming. Some were already spent, and some were still pre-bloom, but most were standing tall in blankets of colour beneath the trees.

It was sometimes rainy, sometimes misty on the drive there from Little Rock, and low-lying clouds covered the tops of the hills.

We were really lucky that there was a break in the rain when we got to the garden. By the time Dave was finished - he walked farther into the garden than Wes and I did yesterday - the rain was just starting up again. We all enjoyed our time there.

As soon as we stepped out of the Welcome Center, we were greeted by these three residents of the garden, a peahen and her two peacock escorts.

And here are pictures of Wes and then me standing amongst the most glorious blankets of colourful tulips, and naturally, the photos don't do the colours justice.

A lovely day, worth blogging about.

I've been able to crochet a little bit lately, some scarves for charity.

Maybe I'll take a few pictures of them soon.

Cheers