In the Saddle again

I'm back in the saddle again.

And I'll do it again today in Zion.

I get asked how I feel quite a lot.  I describe walking like standing on a row boat in the middle of a choppy lake.

I still have substantial ringing in my ears.  It sounds like the compressor of the freezer in my basement is running in my head and it's constant day and night.

But I feel sooooo much better than I did.  And I will fight this thing until it's gone.

I use my vision to track and keep my world upright.  But when I close my eyes or enter a dark room...my uncalibrated inner-ear still tells me the world is sideways. Funny thing, the inner ear.

My Mom is still here helping me.  While I have been driving a bit during the day, I'm still not able to drive at night....at least not well enough that you would want to be on the same side of the road as me in the dark.

Today, I'll spend another few hours in the saddle of courage.

Good Gravy

12 meals and four days later, the last of the Thanksgiving visitors left our house today at 2:00 PM.

Good Gravy! We inhaled 40 lbs worth of turkey in one day.

We gave thanks for everything, except for gross stuff.

We burned off calories by moving around as much as possible.

We were spiritually fed as well.

And four days went by quickly.

I'm thankful for:
kitchen helpers
foresight in planning for weeks
safe travel
my own bedroom to retreat to
the space to entertain
a golf course for a backyard
balmy, desert weather
& my Mom who stuck it out and carried me through.

And by the way....we also had good gravy.

Just Dance

Some times you gotta....

just dance.

Still Sparking

In October, I got Sparked.

Remember, I spent two days at the creative event where I re-stimulated my right brain.

Since November 3rd, I've been less-than-sparky. That's "D" day...D for dizzy. When my world tilted on it's axis.

On November 6th my Mom came.  She's been here ever since.

She has done so much for me.  I can't express enough, my gratitude.  

I haven't driven a car in 3 weeks.  

And although I'm still dizzy in the head and my ears are ringing like a rotary phone, I'm truly seeing the light.  I feel much better than I did the day the earth tipped over.  

I've gotten out and walked a bit and even tackled a few hills this week, including the easy-going Temple Quarry butte.  I firmly believe that the blessing of previous months of hiking on uneven surfaces and terrain are what prepared me and enabled me to heal faster than I would have without.

And now as I contemplate the dozens of relatives who will begin descending on my abode and the quantities of turkey and cranberry consumption about to be inhaled...I feel grateful.  

I wish I could say I made this piece of digital art.  Doesn't matter though because I am still inspired by those who share their talent with the world.  Fellow sparker Alisa made this one.  

I may not have completed all the crafting, art and cleaning projects I intended this past month, but I'm still sparking.

Those creative juices are still flowing and channeled into a different kind of art....healing.  Who would have thought that when I attended that little retreat with my ninja buddies, that it would carry me through a difficult month?  

I am turning healing into an art.

I'm grateful to say I'm still sparking.
This little spark of mine....I'm gonna let it shine. 

Today's day of rest

Today was a quiet Sabbath.  A day to reflect on what I know to be true.

As usual, we were uplifted and instructed at church.  All of which pertained to me.

David B. Haight said, "Live so your memories can bless the full length of your life."

I wish I had had the maturity to know and understand this principle in my youth.

And then the speaker who shared this quote added, "Live so your memories can bless the full length of your life...and your posterity."

There's still time for that.  And there's repentance.  And while that may not completely take away the unpleasant memories, it an still bless our lives.

I have been thinking about someone I know who lost her 19 year old daughter to a terrible accident last Friday.  I know this woman has cherished memories with her children that will bless the full length of her life.  She knows where her daughter is and knows she will see her again.

I hope to have some wonderful shared memories of the upcoming holidays that I will be able to share with my posterity in years to come.

May we all be blessed and give thanks for those blessings....

Hug your babies tight.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Ringing

Christmas bells are ringing early this year.  In my ear.

For 3 weeks I have been suffering, managing and healing from an inner ear infection.

I have been fighting the urge to play my Christmas music for fear that I would tire of it before the holiday even arrived.  But I'm losing the battle with the urge.

And so this morning as I listened to The Lower Lights new Christmas album, I began to notice a familiarity between the music and the sound in my head.  Now I have a way to describe what I hear...Christmas in my cranium....24/7.

I guess that's not so bad.  I could do worse.

Not to change the subject but here's someone I've been thinking that I should be grateful for...the person credited for being responsible for making Thanksgiving a national holiday in America as she wrote letters for 40 years to five different Presidents of our country to persuade her cause.  Sarah Josepha Hale is someone I admire and think we might have been bff's if I'd known her.

Here's to ringing in Thanksgiving!

Talkin' Bout a Revolution

I've been down but not quite out lately.  More on that story later.

But I sense a revolution going on this year.  People want their Thanksgiving. Christmas encroaches on our festive fall holiday ever more every year.  And this year, people are taking a stand.

I for one am on board.

Shopping:  still not done.  I'm proud to to say....I'm a "latter day Scrooge"!

How Sweet It Is

November 2nd:  I'm grateful that none of my children are homeless.

I spent the afternoon in Cedar City yesterday, amidst temperatures falling by the minute, to secure housing for Hunter and a couple of her friends.  Mission accomplished...along with a brief interview with the Spectrum's reporter.  Now I have the occasion officially documented.

As I was driving home in a blinding blizzard, I kept thinking how much better it would have been to be homeless 45 minutes away in St. George were the sun was blazing away in the bright blue ozone when I arrived.

And today, Leanne and I set out on a short jaunt to escape the winds of Hurricane, down Pecan Trail, the entrance and exit of which is a street lined with heavy-laden pecan and pomegranate trees.  And although we did chase down (not intentionally) a bobcat, I'd say the highlight of the foray was the conversation and my sticky-stained red fingers dripping with pomegranate juice.  As Leanne is cracking her pecans, she says..."This is how life should be all the time." I agree...it doesn't get much sweeter than that.

Pocket knives come in handy.

And because I'm impatient I began my first tutorial from the online felting class I'm taking.  Let's just say, my felt projects probably won't be featured on Pinterest any time soon.  I can tell it is a skill that won't come easy to me.  Darn.  I was looking for a new easy hobby.  I think my project may make an appearance on here tomorrow though.

And if I hurry and go to bed soon, then I can say I didn't eat any sugar today...nothing sweeter than a fresh pomegranate.

How sweet it is....life.

Halloween Hangover

The Good:
"Hitch-o-rama", back to back Alfred Hitchcock episodes all day and night.  I'm addicted.
Dixie weather.

The Bad:
No more trick or treaters.  First time in 20 years that I couldn't raid my own kids' stash.

The Ugly:
5 lbs of extra baggage I've collected in my mid-section as a result of sampling every food within arm's reach for 3 weeks.

I think the sugar has finally taken a toll on me.  It took me a Diet Coke to get me through the drive to and from Cedar City today.  Otherwise, my eyes would have slammed shut within the first two miles out of town.

But, housing is secured for the T-bird.

And since it's November 1st and Thanksgiving is on the horizon...I'm playing a game to fool myself into feel gratitude, by listing something I'm thankful for every day this month.

Snickers.  I'm thankful for Snickers.

And sunshine.

So there....2 things in one day.

I have got to get to bed.

Happy November!