Delightful surprise

I made up a week's worth of supplements last night so I got to bed late. I woke up in the middle of the night but somehow fell asleep again and didn't get up until 8:20.
I brushed and swished. I put on the heavy stiff-soled shoes. I hope they are worth having hot feet. I listened to an Esther Hicks audio while I made more green powder mix.
I read an article on orthorexia. A quote from Karin Kratina, PhD, RD, LD/N:
”Orthorexia appears to be motivated by health, but there are underlying motivations, which can include safety from poor health, compulsion for complete control, escape from fears, wanting to be thin, mproving self-esteem, searching for spirituality through food, and using food to create an identity.
This is not a joke. It is considered an eating disorder.
Chris texted me to see how I was doing. We texted back and forth. I finished the Esther Hicks audio and played another one while I ate and played Solitaire. I bagged up the garbage and put it on the front porch. I read about digital strip searching; where border agents can demand your phone and password and access whatever you have on it, plus whatever your apps give them access to. They don't need a warrant or state a reason. I posted an article about it on Facebook so other people can be aware.
I made seed crackers. While they baked, I looked up how I made cheese from goat milk so I could tell the chiropractor tomorrow. I had to read a lot of my blog posts from August 2015 to find out how I did it. After 20 minutes, I turned the oven off, but left the crackers in to get crisp.
I caught a baby rabbit eating my petunias. When I banged on the door, he scooted under a bush, where there might be a nest. I put the trash in the can and drove to church. I entered all the offering info on the church computer and printed out the reports. Then I took the money to the bank and deposited it. The farmer's market was not far away, but I decided it was too much walking.
On the way home I took a small detour. I drove to the back of the neighborhood where the police car sometimes parks. I waded through the brush to check on the peony bush. It was in full bloom. I was glad I hadn't waited any longer to check on it. I picked two blooms and drove home. Wading through the brush is probably a no-no, but it was a sight I didn't want to miss.
When I got back, I moved my rolling chair out to the sidewalk. I transplanted petunias into different pots and placed them on the wire stand to get them out of the rabbit's reach. Then I watered all of the plants in my care.
I took the seed crackers out of the oven. They were a little over-done. I went out back and picked some dandelion and soaked salad greens in a tub. I checked e-mail, then called Dad. He seemed a little harried and confused. But he was able to hold a conversation.
I went looking for a piece of gray fleece for the shark project, and found one, but it wasn't big enough. I know somewhere I have more. But finding it might involve moving heavy boxes.
I washed the greens and made salad. After I ate, I got ready to watch a movie. Then Chris called. We talked, but not for long because he was getting ready for bed. Then I watched a DVD called Epic. It wasn't bad at all for an animated movie. I looked up some of the voices. I took the last of the supplements and wrote to my blog.

The right shoes make a difference

I got up sometime after the alarm went off. I brushed and swished and got a head start on the water. I made up 7 days of super minerals and took one. I had to divide the potassium capsules in 5ths to equate what is in Dr. Grey's formula. I used a small piece of paper rolled into a funnel.
I sorted through e-mail while resting my foot in the chillow. Then I listened to episode 10 of Money Revealed while heating my foot. I paused it to clean up and get dressed. Then I watched a little more before throwing a book in a bag and going to the doctor.
When I got there, the assistant indicated I should go to the laser room. But when I got there, someone was already in. So I sat in the chair in the hallway to read my book. When it was my turn, I explained that my foot was not benefiting from the laser and so could she do my spine instead. She said I would have to discuss that with the doctor.
My next stop was the decompression room. I didn't think that was helping either, but I went along with it since it didn't hurt. I laid there doing the mudra for relaxation. Immediately after the decompression, I was shown into exam room 2. I read my book again. My phone rang. It was Pat. I whispered that I would call her back.
When the doctor came in, I gave him the seed cracker recipe. He had me lay on my back. He said I should wear stiffer shoes. Then I rolled on my side so he could adjust my neck. Then over to the drop table so he could do the rest of my spine. He said he would adjust my foot when it got better.
He gave me the clipboard to take up front. I let the receptionist know that I did not have a laser treatment today. She seemed concerned. She went to see the doctor and came back saying I should have my foot lasered. I have only had 5 treatments and for some reason 7 is the magic number. I skeptically agreed. I hobbled back to the laser room and waited in line. She lasered my foot and I checked out again and went home.
When I got home, I called Pat back. She needed to come by and pick up some guild library books. I made and ate breakfast listening to the rest of the episode. The speaker said if people binge-studied their financial future like they binge-watch Game of Thrones or some other show, they would be in much better shape.
I watered the plants and moved some of them to a sunnier location, all from the comfort of my rolling chair.
Pat came over while I was listening to something else. I invited her in and we talked for some time. Hours in fact. I sat on the couch and tried to maintain proper posture. It was tiring. Then she had to go. I asked her to bring in the mail for me and she did.
I ate lunch even though it was supper time. I tried on stiffer shoes as the doctor suggested. I had tried them a week or two ago and could not get them on. But today I did. After a few steps, they became almost comfortable and I could walk. It was a great feeling, but I wondered if I dared trust it.
It made me so happy that I sat down and played the piano. William called to tell me about the fresh ground almond butter he gets at Fresh Market. We also talked about stiff-soled shoes. He recommended Hoka Bondi 5.
I made salad. I texted Chris and he called me. I jotted some notes for my blog. Then I put a DVD in the player. I watched Nanny McPhee Returns. It was definitely a kid's movie, but it was a bit diverting. And now there are only two of Lauri's movies left to watch.
I took the shoes off, heated my foot one last time, and went to bed.
* My petunias *

Socialization!

Before I went to bed, I finished watching a short video about how to improvise a Body Blade from a narrow strip of vinyl siding from the hardware store. Apparently it gives you a great workout and you can do it standing in place with no bending or stretching.
When the video was over, the same people (physical therapists) had another video on the 10 things you shouldn't do if you have a herniated disc. So I had to watch that, too. Yoga was one. Shoveling snow another. But mostly the usual suspects. At the end, they talked about rolling up a sheet and tying it around your waist before you go to bed. Then you get lumbar support when flat, and when lying on your side. It sounded great. I couldn't find a sheet that wasn't part of a set. So I got a thin blanket. I rolled it up, but it wasn't long enough to tie. However, I laid it across the bed where it would hit my lower back in either position. And I went to sleep.
I woke up in the night. To get back to sleep, I tried the relaxation mudra. It is a hand position that stimulates acupressure points. I think it helped. I'd fall asleep, my hands would relax out of position and I'd wake up again.
I heard my alarm go off, but did not get up right away because my back ached. I was up by 8, brushing and drinking water, I took a shower and put on the closest nice outfit. My footies smelled, so I washed them by hand and put on another pair, which were in terrible shape. I printed a new supplement spreadsheet. I read e-mail on my phone because it was easier to reach than the router. I ate a fat bomb and some nuts. I packed the breakfast supplements in a small plastic bottle. I found some quilt tops that needed to go to Renegades. My purse was all worn out so I packed only what I needed into a blue quilted bag.
I drove to church with a water bottle behind my back for lumbar support. I parked in a handicapped space. My idea was to walk in, sit down. Then after the service, walk out. Period. Ha. Ha. I walked in and was greeted by people so I stood to converse. Then I took my seat by Don, who was so happy to see me. Cecilia was also there. I gave her the flute cleaning rod and she gave me the price plus some bobbins and sewing machine needles that she had found. Jennifer came over and asked if I was going to sing with the choir. But I said no. That would be more walking.
I wasn't going to go to communion either. But during the service, Don whispered to me that he was feeling a little unsteady and might need to lean on me to get to the rail. This man has been through so much. I just couldn't say no. But I told God that I wanted the closest spots. And we got the spots right next to them. He did not lean on me after all.
After the service, Jennifer said she hoped to see me Wednesday night. Cecelia showed me the anthem for next Sunday. Out in the vestibule, I shook hands with the pastor and then other people were gathering around to talk to me. Scott invited Chris and I to lunch next Sunday. Ron went into the cloak room and pulled out a four-footed cane. He shortened it to where I could use it. I used to to walk to my car. It was ok.
I drove from the church to Renegades. Lynette pulled out a chair for me right by the door. I turned in two quilt tops and a bag of fleece strips. I bought two dozen eggs from Tina. The ladies were getting ready for lunch. I waited for the line to thin, then walked into the kitchen. Lynette carried my plate for me. We sat at the table and chatted. It was nice to be with the group again.
After lunch, I took my leave and went home. I put the eggs in the fridge and turned on the router. I put my foot on the chillow to cool it off after it's long morning. Later, while listening to an Esther Hicks interview, I moved the chillow to my back and put my foot on a heating pad.
I called Chris and told him he should be checking on me. He was watching a movie with Michele. I did some clearing for any sensitivity to cacao. Then I went outside to enjoy the sunshine for a bit.
I guess that made me sleepy so I laid down. I might have fallen asleep, but it seemed like the mental chatter never stopped. I got up and thought I might have a bite to eat. But I got sidetracked with the banner. I pinned a paper cross in the middle and sewed around that. Then I used masking tape to make two long, straight lines down the center. I quilted them. Then I changed thread color and sewed around the circles. I noticed that my wrist hurt from using the cane.
I stopped for lunch and realized it was 5pm. I ate pork and kimchi. Julia came over with a plant for me to water while she is away. I had never seen a lavender tree before. We talked for some time outside. When she asked if there was anything she could do for me, I told her that my eye chart had fallen and I couldn't put it back up. So she came in and re-hung it. Then we talked again, covering a wide range of subjects.
Finally she went home to pack. It was too late for supper, I watched several episodes of Frazier. I read some e-mail. I swished while cleaning the toilet. That was probably not on the list of approved activities but I had never seen it so dirty. Then I sat down to write my blog. Chris texted that he was at the hotel and going to bed. That sounded like a mighty fine idea.
* This quilt was hand-pieced by a lady at the library yesterday. *

He didn't turn the plane around

I heard heavy rain soon after Chris got up at 4am. After he had left, it occurred to me that my car window was down. I didn't have the energy to deal with it then. I went back to bed and slept until 8. I got up and dressed and found an umbrella. I carefully walked out to the car and put up the window. I took a moment to soak my foot in a puddle of cold water. Then I went back in the house.
I drank water and took my supplements on schedule. I saw a spider in the kitchen and texted Chris to turn his plane around and come home to evict it. There was no reply.
I read e-mail and listened to podcasts. Around 11:20, I made and ate breakfast. The rain stopped. I put some mostly dead plants outside in case there was a chance of revival. Chris texted me that he was at Marie's house and going somewhere with Michele. He also wanted to know if I evicted the spider, but I did not. I just left the kitchen until it went away.
When I had gone through most of the e-mail, I rolled to the livingroom to sit in the green chair. I tapped for all the feelings of frustration etc around the foot injury, hoping it would heal faster if there were no trapped emotions in there. I got very sleepy, so I rolled to the bedroom and laid down. I fell asleep with ease, which was nice.
I woke up not knowing what time it was because I had taken my watch off at some point. I got up and rolled to the kitchen. The stove clock read 2:00. I ate lunch, consisting of leftover seed crackers and goat cheese.
Then I went to Sew Day at the library. I had worried about having to walk, but I got a really close parking space and there was a chair just inside the door. Denise let me in, and she is a doctor so we talked about my foot, then she showed me the project she is working on. Then she got a call and had to leave. I talked to another lady at length. She thinks art is the only subject that teaches kids how to think outside the box. I turned in my charity blocks. I talked to Trina and then she left with her daughter. The main reason I went was to pick up dog bed stuffing, but no one had brought any. But I greatly enjoyed just being out and socializing.
Eventually the library announced closing time. She packed up and we left. I drove home, noticing that the car door was wet on the inside, as was the left side of the driver's seat.
I was looking forward to supper when Leanne called. She fell and pulled a muscle so she was having trouble getting around as well. We talked for awhile. I ate a can of soup and a banana and took supplements.
I called Dad. He and Patrick were doing recycling. Dad sounded just ok. But he had drunk his water for the day. I had finished off two quarts and was starting a third. I finished a video I had started yesterday. Then I watched Shark Tale, a movie from Lauri's collection. I paused it half way through to take melatonin, magnesium, and vitamin C. Then at the end, there was cool dance music. I enjoyed that. Afterward, I took the homeopathic remedies and posted to my blog. I checked for messages from Chris. And then I went to bed.
* Trina took a tied quilt that her grandmother made and had it fixed, given new batting and then quilted. *

I passed the test

I got up early again. I wrote two checks. I put one in an envelop with a birthday card. I texted my neighbor and asked her to put it in the mailbox. She came over later to get it and asked if there was anything else she could do. The other check went into a church envelop.
I read e-mail while cooling my foot on the chillow. In spite of what the doctor said, my foot was swelling and I had to do something that made sense to me. Later I put the chillow behind my back and put a castor oil pack on my foot and wrapped a heating pad around it.
I tapped for a good outcome at the doctor's office. Then I packed a book to read in the waiting room and went to see the naturopath.
I had just sat down and opened the book when Dr. Jarvis opened the door and beckoned me back. In a little room, she tested me for brain-body balance. I passed that test, so she moved on to egg-chicken-feathers. I had done several rounds for egg yesterday but tested weak today so she did the egg-chicken-feather treatment. As she did it, we talked. She said she loves trying new recipes so I mentioned the seed crackers and she said she would like a copy of the recipe. She recommended a homeopathic remedy called Relief-tone for healing bones. She said it was good for teeth, too. So I bought a bottle. There was someone paying at the front desk so I sat in the waiting room until it was my turn. I paid for the treatment and the little blue bottle. When I got to the car, I took some Relief-tone and then drove home.
When I got home, I printed out a copy of the seed cracker recipe and put it in the yellow folder. I made and ate breakfast while reading e-mail. Then I went outside with a magnifying glass to concentrate sunlight on my foot. My foot didn't feel a thing. But I tried it on a mole on my leg and it hurt immediately.
I watched videos on mudras for various things like allergies and insomnia. I drew a center motif for the banner. I had some pork, kimchi and pickled garlic for lunch.
Chris came home. All he had were ads from the mail. I rolled outside to work with the plants. I watered everything, and transplanted a few things into larger pots. Chris put in a load of laundry then went to the grocery store. I listened to some tapping audios and started the second load of laundry. Chris came home with groceries and put them away. I made a salad and realized that he hadn't bought a full salad set. I ate the salad while listening to a podcast on the role of macronutrients in fat storage.
I paused it when Chris was ready to watch TV. We had a DVD from Netflix which contained episodes of a show called “The Good Place” with Ted Danson. We watched two of them. Then Chris and I folded laundry together. I put mine away. I watched Chris pack for his trip. I am not usually sad when he leaves, but tonight I was.
He went to bed and I stayed up to blog. I was going to finish the podcast, but I think I will let it go till tomorrow.

Quilting, finally

I got up early because my back ached. My foot seemed better. Go figure. It was about 6:30. I brushed and swished. I washed up and went to get dressed. But I laid down instead, feeling better, but still tired.
It wasn't long before my alarm went off and I got up again. I boiled water and soaked sprouts. I turned on the router to listen to the last episode of Money Revealed.
The first interview was about how easy it is to make money on Amazon. The second one was about swing trading. But I did not understand enough of the terminology to follow it well. And there was a bonus interview as well. But there wasn't time to finish it.
I got dressed and watered the plants. I wanted to print the recipe for the seed crackers but my desktop claimed not to know anything about it.
Then I went to the doctor. In the laser room, I had to peel off the wrapping that Dr. Grace put on my foot. Then the assistant lasered my foot. I put the wrapping back on, but it didn't stick well. She took me to the decompression room where I laid on a table for 12 minutes, having my spine stretched. (I don't really feel like it's doing any good.)
Then the doctor put me in Exam room 3. It only had one table so I wondered if I didn't need the drop table. But as it turned out, this one table does both jobs. He remembered me and said he liked the seed cracker. I promised to bring the recipe. (I may have to photocopy mine). He adjusted my neck and back. He reminded me again of an app called Carb Manager that he is very impressed with. He said I could rotate my feet in slow circles, but no other exercise. I went to the front desk to pay for the services for this week. And then I drove home.
I found three missed calls on my phone (which I had forgotten to bring with me). I listened to the messages. Only one needed to be called back. I made breakfast and ate it while finishing up the bonus interview. I played Seahaven Towers, which is a form of solitaire. I got two new victory images in a row! Usually it takes several dozen games to unlock a new image.
Then I went outside with a magnifying glass. I focused the sun's rays on my foot in the same pattern as the laser. But then the sun became uncooperative.
After I went in, I called Cecelia back. She was checking on me because I missed choir last night. She shared that the organist got fired so we have a substitute organist lined up.
I found the seed cracker recipe on my laptop and e-mailed it to my desktop. But then the desktop said I had several copies of it already. ??? I printed one out and put it in the chiropractic folder.
I found some matching thread for the banner and quilted around the freezer paper circle. As a no brainer, I stitched in the ditch around the border. Then I used rulers to line up painter's tape along the straight lines that I wanted to quilt. I had to pin the tape because it didn't stick well enough. Inadvertently, I pinned fabric scraps to the back at the same time because I could not clear a big enough space on my cutting table. But thankfully, I noticed that before I sewed through them.
My neck was tight and stiff from the effort of following the quilting lines so closely. So I stopped for lunch. I drank a mug of Vitamin C and bone broth. And I ate some pork with kimchi. I also took the lunch supplements.
I listened to other audios as I went through my e-mail. Chris came home from work. He had nothing for me from the post office. I looked up the chemical formula for magnesium bicarbonate. I also looked for ways to speed healing and came across the suggestion of a castor oil pack.
I made and ate salad, I had to pick out all the slimy wilted leaves so it took a while. I checked e-mail until 7. My tapping buddy called. We did some tapping and visualization for her. Then Chris and I watched two episodes of ST:NG and looked up some of the characters. He went to bed and I stayed up to blog.

Deer placenta

I got up by 8. After the usual brushing, I took a shower, scrubbing a small part of the tub. It needed much more, but that was all I could risk. I took supplements. I boiled water, and soaked the sprouts. I turned on the router and listened to episode 8 of Money Revealed:

Ryan Levesque has written two books; ASK, and Choose. Five market must-haves:evergreen market (not seasonal), enthusiast market (repeat business), solves an urgent problem, future problems (success leads to new problems which also need solving), and players with money. There is a market sweet spot in Google Trends keyword search volume. Find a market where the competition is succeeding in spite of themselves. The education and information market has high margins and low start-ups. Entrepreneurship is all about momentum and progress, not about perfection. Courage and grit will go far.
Douglas Andrew, financial adviser, says tax-deferred plans are not good, because when you retire, you typically lose your deductions and are not in a lower tax bracket, plus the tax rate is now higher. It is better to pay taxes on the seed money now than on the harvest later. He puts his after-tax dollars in a special fund and can take them out anytime tax-free . It blossoms when you die and transfers tax-free. It is called a maximum funded tax advantage insurance contract. You can borrow money from it and still get all the interest on the borrowed funds. Or you can take money out, at any time, no penalty. Dividing your assets evenly among your heirs is not good. Make it tied to responsible action and putting their own skin in the game.

After the first interview, I went to the chiropractor. As I waited in the outer room, another lady sat down to wait. She told me of her terrible mosquito problem at home. I suggested several things, but she had already tried them. Then I was called to the laser room. The assistant lasered my foot and then took me to the decompression room where I laid on a table for 12 minutes for a 70 lb stretch. From there, I went to exam room 2. I did not want to sit because I felt it would be compressing to my spine. So I stood in the corner and read one of the posters. It showed all the vertebrae and the nerves between them. I renamed C2,C3, and C4 as Snap, Crackle and Pop.
Then the doctor came in. I gave him the baggie with a seed cracker in it. I recounted the ingredients and he was impressed. I reminded him of the pili nuts and he looked them up on his phone. He was impressed with their fat content. We discussed stem cells, hyperbaric oxygen and ozone shots. For him, not for me. He adjusted my neck. He said I was so straight he almost coudln't see it without looking at my chart. Then I laid on the drop table and he adjusted lower vertebrae.
On my way out, I passed the other patient. I asked if she had tried a carbon dioxide mosquito trap. She thanked me and said she'd look into it. Then I handed in my chart at the front desk and went home.
I made breakfast and ate it while listening. I finished the episode and bonus interview just in time to go to the Korean clinic at 2. I parked in the handicapped space so I wouldn't have far to hobble. I brought back the boxes they had given me and he filled one with packets of onion juice and the other with jujube juice. She gave me moringa tea and some dried almond cereal. He had me check on their student loans, then on his certification. I called and got him on the list of practitioners. Dr. Grace wrapped my foot. She said my foot was swelling because of poor kidney function. I thought it was because the doctor said to only use heat on it.
Then she talked excitedly about stem cells. But when she showed me the ad through her phone, I saw that they were capsules made from deer placenta. She said her brother could get it from Singapore, and that it was not available in America. I said if she takes it, she should let me know how it worked for her.
When I got home, I looked it up, and found it on Ebay for a lower price. Chris had picked up an Amazon package at the post office. One of the things inside was my new teapot. I put it in hot soapy water to soak. I went outside to focus sunlight on my foot. But the sun went behind the clouds by the time I made my way out there.
I centered a freezer paper circle on the banner and pinned it down. Then I ironed it down and left it to cool. William called to ask about cherry carbonated water. It seemed ok except for the phrase 'natural flavor'. I ate some pork and took my lunch supplements.
I listened to the next (and probably last) episode of Live Longer Feel Better. They talked about the importance of a spiritual practice and attitude. Ocean Robbins says his daily prayer is “May I be given what I need to do what I am here for. “
I started making salad. William called to give me his sewing machine model number. He was also upset about a damaged hand truck at work. I ate my salad(s). I started watching the next episode of Money Revealed. I paused it when Chris was ready to watch TV. We saw two episodes of ST:NG. Chris looked up one of the actresses. Then he made his lunch and went to bed. I stayed up to blog and take the last supplement.