Full Bloom

There are some beautiful things happening in my yard right now.   I like to think this is our reward for making it through the long winter.  Bulbs don't flower down south, you know.  They need at least two weeks of freezing temps to reset themselves.  So, after a miserable, cold, gray winter, nature hands us this gift.  Enjoy!

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day, Mom!!

Update

I didn't make it to the end of the month for my blood pressure check at the clinic.  On Thursday, the nurse reviewed my chart and rescheduled my appointment for the following day, after offering me the option of going straight into urgent care.  Now, Walker tells me I worry too much about nothing, but how often does something like that happen?  I took the Friday appointment, and before work I had the blood pressure check, an exam,  lab work, and a follow up appointment scheduled for next month.  I have to take blood pressure medication, which I'm not thrilled about, but I'm already exercising regularly, I don't add salt to my food, I limit my caffeine, etc.  So meds it is. 

Meh.....

Not much to talk about.  Lots going on, but nothing I think anyone else would really be interested in.  My blood pressure is still up, so I have  a follow up with my doctor at the end of the month.  Trying not to worry about it, just taking the readings every day, writing them down, and keeping up with my walking.  I so do not want to end up with more medication, but if that’s what has to happen, so be it.  In the meantime, I refuse to stress about it.

On a happier note, the first round of my tulips have bloomed.  My favorites, the pink ones, always go last.  That’s fine by me - I get to enjoy these now, knowing that in a week or two, I will have a whole different view to look forward to.

Under Pressure

Another day, another snowstorm.  My daffodils have not brought spring.  At least the snow is moisture, which our local farmers have been praying for.

The little yoga girl at the top of my blog has come to a screeching halt.  I was looking forward to crossing the halfway mark in April, and that just did not happen.  Not really sure what's going on, but last week, while using my treadmill, I began to feel "funny", with pounding in my head and a sort of weird fuzzy feeling.  I've been using a heart monitor, and the reading was consistent, but I dialed down the speed of the treadmill and started the cool down process to finish my workout.  After my heart rate went back to the resting pulse, I took the monitor off and checked my blood pressure.  It was up.  Way up.

Since then, I've been checking and recording my blood pressure once or twice a day, at different times.  I put the cuff on and sit still, feet flat on the ground, for at least ten minutes, then hit the button to inflate the cuff.  The readings vary, but they're all too high.  I've also got fluid build up in my hands, legs, and feet.  Not good.  I don't use salt, I don't drink alcohol, I limit my caffeine intake to two cans of soda, max. I drink lots of water, too.  So there is something going on other than bad habits.  I have an appointment to see my doctor, and in the meantime, I'm walking outside instead of using the treadmill, since it's much less intense.  I'm trying to rest and avoid stress, which.....well, that just isn't going to happen unless I move to an island by myself.  But I'm trying.  I have a feeling the culprit is the hormones I take for my breast cancer, but I'll wait for the doctor to tell me that before I think about that too much.

Spring - FINALLY!!

We have had snow a couple times a week all this month.  Apparently, someone forgot to tell Mother Nature that it's supposed to be spring.  I, however, do not judge the seasons by the calendar, or the weather.  For me, a trip to the garden tells me what I want to know.  And yesterday, FINALLY, I found spring:

The daffodils that have been teasing me all week are finally open.  In my yard, winter is officially over ~

Memories in the Mail

My aunt sent me some photos of a wedding I was in nearly 25 years ago.  Believe it or not, I don't recall ever seeing these photos before.  The bride was my cousin, Cindy, and I have not seen or talked to her since the wedding.  I don't know why.  Cindy and her new husband moved away a few months later, and she has since cut all ties with our family.  We were not really close, but I always wanted to be.  She's a pretty cool person, and I always looked up to her.  I'm sad that she has decided to go her own way, but I respect her decision.  I did email her a couple years ago, when a favorite aunt was dying, but she never responded directly to me.  She did post a rather rude badge to her blog, something about flying monkeys, and I realized then that whatever caused her to walk away from our family had created a wound so deep, it will never heal.  I haven't read her blog since that favorite aunt died, but I think about Cindy all the time. The sad part is, we have so much in common.  If we didn't share DNA, if we met at work or through mutual friends, I'm pretty sure we'd have been great friends.  My door will always be open to Cindy, but I know she will never walk through it.

A red dress for a Valentine's wedding ~

My partner.  I don't remember his name, but I know he was the groom's brother.  This was taken at the end of the night, and I was pretty darn tired of getting my photo taken.