Thankful Sunday--November 29, 2015

I am thankful for new motivation.

I've never been a regular exerciser. While I am active and have done various exercise programs from time to time, I've never experienced the "exercise high" that comes from the feel-good chemicals that are released with exercise. I've always stopped before I reached that point.

However, now I am motivated and am having more success than I've had in a long time. My employer has joined a growing trend and has subscribed to a program that gives rewards for exercise and other good health habits. Points are rewarded for walking along with other challenges.

Since I joined a couple of months ago, I've been making sure that I eat my veggies and have two fruits a day. I'm getting adequate sleep, drinking more water, and recording things that I am thankful for (on more days than just Sunday). I'm taking time to read and I am using reusable shopping bags. Also, I'm doing strengthening exercises and having my blood pressure taken. I have gone walking in the cold rain, with a migraine, and in the dark just to get enough steps in to get the points I need. I have chosen only veggies at a BBQ restaurant to get my requirements in for the day and have gone to the store to get extra fruit to keep up with a challenge.

Wow. That's an impressive list, if I do say so myself. Especially for me. So what's my motivation? Well, besides the obvious one of it's good for me (which has never been particularly motivating in the past), I'm earning money. So far, I'm up to $50 and if I work really hard, I may earn some more before the program restarts at the first of the year.

And perhaps even more importantly, I am surrounded by people who are doing the same thing. The program is one of the hot topics at work and we are both encouraging and competing with each other. (I didn't realize how competitive I am until I started this.)

So for this program and the motivation it is giving me to take better care of myself, I am thankful.

Thankful Sunday--November 22, 2015

I am thankful for a new roof.

A few weeks ago, we noticed a water stain on one of our ceilings which led us to the conclusion that we needed a new roof. Friday, it was installed. And for new roofs and dry ceilings, I am thankful.

A Second Look--November 17, 2015

While a few trees are hanging onto some of their leaves, most are bare now. A couple days of rain and strong winds bought most of the remaining ones down this week. The squirrels are scampering about usually with a nut in their mouths and the deer are spending more time in the upper part of the yard. Sometimes I see a herd of them taking a nap in the sun.

A few fall  flowers are continuing to bloom and a handful of things have sprouted new growth like its spring. It's fun to see a spot of vibrant green here and there among the brown leaves. While morning frosts are common now, no snow yet.

Here are a few things I saw this week 

during a Second Look.

Pansies

Maple tree

Blanket Flower

Bishop's Weed (or Snow on the Mountain)

Mums

Wild asparagus 

White tailed deer

Japanese Maple

Computer Time

I try to limit how much time I spend on the computer every day. There are no official rules, I just know when it's been too much. And recently, I've reached too much before I've had time to post here.

Lucy as a kitten. (Not related to anything in the post. Just like the pic.)

So what have I been doing? First, there's my regular routine of checking my email and dealing with whatever business comes up. This may be something with my mother, a bill, or other family concerns. I've also been working on a couple of newsletters that have been plaguing me. Paragraphs have been written and erased, written and erased, written and erased. Finally, they were written and declared done because I ran out of time. Throw in a little blog reading and Facebook checking and it adds up to too much time on the computer--that indeterminate amount of time that just feels like too much. But now that the newsletters are done, I have a little more time open for other pursuits like my blog.

But a little more time is the key word and I've run out of it for the day. It's time for me to move on so I can fix supper. Yes, that's right. I said fix supper which is going to involve cooking. On the menu is leftover homemade chicken pot pie from last night, a green salad with lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, and pears along with roasted cauliflower. And for dessert--brownies.

So see you next time. Do you ever feel like you spend too much time on the computer?

Veteran's Day

Today, in the United States, is the day we honor veterans and the sacrifices they have made for us. I will be forever grateful for the time and service those in the military have given to let me have the good life I have today.

There are many organizations that provide support to veterans and one category in particular is service dogs. The local organization that trains service dogs for veterans brings them to the library, where I work, as part of their training. It is fun to watch how eager the dogs are to learn and how they progress in their training. Below is a previous post I did a about these dogs so you can learn a little more about them.

Hero Dogs

or Service Dogs for Veterans 

Recently, I attended a program about service dogs for injured or disabled veterans.  While we learned about the overall program, my attention was focused mainly on York, an older puppy in training who was there with his handler.  To demonstrate some of the things a service dog might do, he retrieved hidden keys, opened doors, pushed buttons, pulled a chair, and all the while was very happy to be doing them. That's what so great about dogs. They are eager to please. (Not so with our cats. They have a way of making YOU eager to please them.) Another one of the important things the dogs are trained to do is help if a veteran is getting agitated with an impending panic attack or similar problem from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The dogs also learn how to take their owners through narrow spaces which can also be a problem with PTSD. It's amazing what a service dog can do and the difference it can make in someone's life.

As you can imagine, the show was fun to watch. A couple of times, York got to be off duty and let all of us pet him. (Service dogs are not to be petted or played with while they are on duty.) A special treat for him as well as us. However, during the Q&A session, he got a little restless and started to talk to his trainer with a bark then and again and a pull on his lead. He was just like a child who was trying to get his mother's attention when she had been talking too long. The trainer said that that is one reason that York is not ready to be placed yet. He's still a bit too young and impatient to be a good service dog at this point.

There are many service dog organizations out there that could use your help. First of all, they need money--it takes approximately $30,000 to raise and train the dog until it is ready for placement.This organization provides the dog at no cost to the veteran. However, there are many other ways to help. They also have need for puppy raisers, trainers, and people to play with the dogs. They could also use donations of materials such as paper towels, wipes, and old towels. If you are interested in helping, you can google service dog and your location to find out what organizations are available close to you.

Want to Read More:

--Ever wonder what the difference is between a service dog and a therapy dog? Here's a good explanation.  

--There are several prison programs where the inmates raise puppies that will become service dogs. They are quite successful in changing the prisoner's behavior in positive way. Here's a story about one of them.

Thankful Sunday--November 8, 2015

I am thankful that Lucy is still with us.

Lucy sleeping in a basket of dirty clothes--just like she used to.

As you know, we have a sick cat, Lucy. After much trial and error, we have settled into a complicated routine of caring for her. And it seems to be helping. She is holding her own and even exhibits some of her old self from time to time. For this extra time with her, I am thankful.

Live and Learn--Don't assume

I was thinking about the title of my blog last night and how we learn throughout our entire lives. I thought I'd start sharing some of the things I've learned through living. I think you'll find most of these lessons are not unique to me, but things we all figure out one way or another.

The first: "Don't assume you know what others are thinking."

We observe others and from their actions, we assume we know what they're thinking. The problem is that we bring our perspective to the situation which can be different from that of the other person. Sometimes, this leads us to the wrong conclusion. This happens even in what seems to be the most obvious of situations (especially with kids).

An applesauce-lovin' Wally
(with wild hair)

Here's an example:

When Wally was a toddler, he loved yogurt and applesauce mixed together. We'd give him a bowl and he would quickly gobble it down. I was happy that he enjoyed this healthful snack. A recent conversation with an adult Wally, however, revealed that all was not as it seemed. It turns out that Wally liked applesauce but not yogurt so much. He kept eating because he was trying to see where the applesauce went. He said he was always disappointed because he never found it.

Wow. That was a surprise. I had never thought about the concept of mixing and when kids learn that. I just thought he liked applesauce mixed with yogurt. I was wrong.

This example helps me think twice before I judge what others say and do. When someone says or does something that I don't understand, I try to remember that maybe there's something going on that I don't know.

Have you ever been surprised when you learned the background behind what someone has said or done?

A Second Look--November 4, 2015

Fall marches on. The trees continue to shed leaves with some bare after heavy rains last week and some have leaves that have just started to turn. The mums and pansies are surviving the occasional morning frost to add extra colors to the fall leaf palate.

The squirrels are busy and are seen more often now with a nut in their mouth as they scamper along. Also, I have seen the first junco which is one of the birds that comes to winter in this area.

Here are a few things I saw this week 

during a Second Look,

A Visit and a Walk

I guess we're really Boring with no heads.

Yesterday, we all converged on Wally's apartment for a visit. He lives about halfway between Theo and us, so it was a good meeting place for all. We had a pleasant visit and it was during lunch that Theo said something interesting. We were chatting about this and that when he said, "I just realized how boring we are as a family. We've just talked about tax laws, zinc, and computer security." He had a point. Those were't usually topics that most (any) people found interesting, but we were perfectly happy discussing them. Let me introduce us--We're the Borings. :)

After lunch, we moved onto the main goal of the afternoon--taking a family picture for the Christmas letter. We didn't have anyone to take it so we used the timer on the camera while it was sitting on top of the car. A method that worked pretty well. While we were doing this, something occurred to me. It would be awfully hard to set a phone camera up to take a picture like this. They really don't have a base to stand on their own. Maybe that's one small reason for the vast world of Selfies. Someone has to be holding the camera to take a picture. Actually, I think there's a lot more involved with Selfies, but that's a discussion for another time.

Then it was time for us to part ways. The brothers wanted some "bonding time"as they call it or as it can also be called--time for playing video games. Ward and I left in search of a place to take a hike.

We stopped at a place we had driven by many times on the way to Wally's place-- Soldier's Delight which had a nature center (closed) and hiking trails. Never really figured out why it's called Soldier's Delight but it may have something to do with the King's soldiers naming it that. Hopefully, the nature center will be open next time we stop and we will get a better answer to this interesting name.

Here are a few pictures from our walk.

This area was made into a National Environment Area trying to preserve some of the rare plants that grow here. Also, as you can read, this used to be an area of chromium mining.

A Haunted Hike was scheduled for that evening and these "spooky eyes" were set up along the trail.  This one is housed on greenbrier vines. As you can see, they are no more that eyes cut out of a cardboard tube with a glow stick inside.

Mushroom that had just pushed its way up through the forest litter.

A shaft opening into one of the old chromium mines.

Blackjack Oak

Oaks are the primary tree there, so the changing leaves had more oranges than reds and yellows. From this point you could see a lot of far away places on a clear day. It was not a clear day.

Thankful Sunday, November 1, 2015

I am thankful for a rose.

(I didn't have a camera with me, so this picture is from earlier in the summer.)

I was visiting a friend yesterday morning and we were in and out of her house and around her yard several times. But it wasn't until I was leaving that I noticed a pink rose blooming near her front door. The rose bushes were big, full of thorns with only a few leaves. But right there on the top of one of them was a lone, beautiful, pink rose in bloom-- complete with the delicate rose scent.

And for the surprise of that rose, I am thankful.