Let's git....

While the gittin's good!

And that's what we plan to do tomorrow.  Git goin' up to our yearly May Long picnic at Waskesiu....fire ban or no fire ban.  It should be a lovely +24C and after all the wind we've had this past week, the lake should be out.

It won't be fit for man nor beast but it will be worthy of pictures.

Shannon and Brittney will come with us too.  I cooked up a potato salad, we'll take a bit of coleslaw, some brown beans, focacia bread and a BBQ'd chicken.  Plastic table cloth is packed, as are dishes, water, utensils, plates, salt, pepper and of course, ketchup.  Dessert from the Trading Post!!!

Cane is on the ready! 

Oh Lord....please let my knee behave more than it did today....Amen.

And now I shall 'git' me to bed and dream of a glorious day of lake and sun....and a whole boat load of people! 

Perhaps too, we should offer up a wee celebratory toast to our dearly departed Queen Victoria, to whom we owe a debt of thanks for this marvelous holiday weekend in which we honor her birthday.

It's hotter than....

A bucket of chili peppers on the 4th of July.
Pepperoni on a scorched pizza.
A firefighter on the sands of the Sahara.
A menopausal woman training for the Boston marathon.

Ya, well, if you have any of those sayings...that are printable...you can send them to my comments!

It really was THAT hot today.  I sat and read on the balcony but it was too hot even for me!

We're not used to it.  It wasn't overly hot last year...or the year before that.  So, I'm trying to ease myself into this hot spell.  Then I had physio.  I'm on the balance board to get my proper balance once again.  I managed to stay in the middle but had to hold on with one hand.  That was a total workout.  Played havoc with my calf, thigh and posterior muscles, not to mention my ankles.  Not sure what's ahead but it looks like a bunch of really hard work.

At least in there it was cool.....cooler than a teenager driving a new Ford Mustang.:)

I remember this calm, hot morning a couple of years back....9 AM and +26C...Sandy Lake.  Sooo hot!

Nice day....

Yesterday I walked down the stairs...one foot after the other...hanging on to cane and railing, of course, but it felt good.  I did that a few times during the course of the day.

Today I tried the same thing and nearly fell down the stairs!!!  It wasn't working for me.  I got discouraged...again.  I may have overdone it yesterday but I shall try again tomorrow.

So, husband took me for a drive this afternoon to Little Red.  I took my cane...and camera!

We walked a ways.  Over lumps and bumps and my knee behaved for the most part.  It's those danged hilly slopes and such.  I just can't do those yet.  By the time we got home, I needed it rested, so I took to the balcony with my book and put my leg up. 

I managed to get a few pictures.  While we walked, we saw various planes coming in to land at the airport.  We counted 8...all within 15 minutes or so and they just kept on coming.  We wondered how the guys in the little P.A. airport tower were going to handle all these planes coming in.  It was like O'Hare in Chicago!!!:)  After we saw about 15 planes or more going in for a landing, we suddenly figured it must be something to do with the Fire tracking planes...they have a distinct sound.  We figured they were either having a fire convention or were doing fire fighting maneuvers....probably the latter.

After all the plane watching, we took off into a little area by the swinging bridge and stopped the car.  I stood outside and reveled in the beauty and the newness of the leaves of both coniferous and deciduous trees.  The smell of the pine and grass and leaves was indescribable.  Then of course, the river was extremely high and it bubbled and spurted and boiled along the banks as it went along.  The sound of the water, along with the various birds, was mesmerizing. And there's still snow!!!!

Here are some pictures of what we experienced this afternoon...

Good night all. 

Shorts....

Ever try to find "shorts" that aren't too short?  That aren't cotton?  That are actually comfortable and stretchy?  That don't show off half your hind end?

I tried.....and succeeded!

So now I have 3 pair of the same kind of "shorts" (varying colors) that aren't really short.

I think I have accomplished the impossible....nothing "short" of a miracle!

One pair grey, one black and one white.

They come to just above my knee and they stretch.  I think women's fashions are now to the extreme when it comes to "shorts".  Some of them are barely there, showing half of a gal's butt cheeks and so low in the rise that it looks like it's setting.  Then there are the kind I bought, those that are a bit like the guys skate board shorts which are fairly long.

Gee, I wonder which one looks better on a 63 year old woman!!???

I think even if I were 23, I wouldn't dare wear those little shorty shorts.....waaaaaay too much butt cheek showing for my liking.  And really, I don't think they look good on ANYONE!  Slutty...yes.  Appropriate...no!

That's my fashion file for this day....May 17, 2011.

That's amore....

And so we will all sing the old Dean Martin song....

An a one an a two an a.....

When the moon hits your eye
Like a big-a pizza pie
That's amore
When the world seems to shine
Like you've had too much wine
That's amore

Bells'll ring
Ting-a-ling-a-ling
Ting-a-ling-a-ling
And you'll sing "Vita bella"
Hearts'll play
Tippi-tippi-tay
Tippi-tippi-tay
Like a gay tarantella

When the stars make you drool
Joost-a like pasta fazool
That's amore
When you dance down the street
With a cloud at your feet, you're in love
When you walk in a dream
But you know you're not dreamin', signore
'Scusami, but you see
Back in old Napoli, that's amore

A full moon gets one singing, etc.  Remember "Moonstruck" with Nicholas Cage and Cher?  Ya.

That's amore.......

Being whole....

That involves a whole whack of stuff, doesn't it.  We are unique and intricate and there are so many sides to life as a human being.

We are physical beings that need sustenance...water and food...probably some kind of shelter, but without water and food we shrivel up and die.  Our bodies are made to be sustained...like every other living being.


Then too, we are emotional beings.  We grow up needing care of our emotions.  We need to be nurtured and loved and held and encouraged in who we are as people, from the tiniest of babies to we who are old folk and everything in between.  Our emotions involve so many other things too, like how to handle life when these things are not given to us, especially as children.  How do we handle a crisis or a great disappointment even a death.  The things we have been given to help in our emotional state as children do us well when we face real life and the ability to deal with all we go through.

We have a spiritual life too.  Some of us acknowledge that there is something else beyond all we know as human beings, something in another realm.  We commonly call it the realm of the spirit...invisible yet real.  It's how we seem to connect with God...on that spiritual level.  We at times connect with others on this level as well, when we seem to "know" the other person in deep, personal ways.  We don't always understand how this happens, but it does.  We find ourselves desiring to reach out to the Divine in various ways.  In many of the great religions of the world, people close their eyes in prayer and meditation, or they raise their hands and arms upward in praise or bow down low as a sign of acknowledging God or as a sign of repentance.

Being whole is so much more than this but those are some of the things that make us whole, as human beings.

When son came home this weekend, I was reminded again of how our physical bodies take on the role of seeking the Divine, of the importance of keeping our bodies in good shape so that we are able to appreciate these bodies as gifts from God.  There is so much we can do with them....for the good.  Both our children and granddaughter have a very good sense about caring for their bodies...something I could learn!  They eat healthily and they exercise regularly....and it shows!  They inspire me.

Each morning while he was here, Matt took to the river bank, following an hour of meditation.  He used his body to acknowledge God's presence and to give it a good stretching workout.  Shannon and Brittney go to Yoga classes too and enjoy what it does for them.  I happened to look out the laundry room window and this is what I saw each morning....before his shower and breakfast.....

The riverbank is a beautiful spot to see creation all around you and to let God know how thankful you are to be alive....and whole!

Cat nap...

Shoot.  I fell asleep watching TV a little while ago!  I don't normally do that.

I probably won't be able to sleep tonight...properly!!

Today consisted of a morning breakfast out with children, running errands, putting up my plant hangers and doing laundry and ironing for two hours!  I managed to get in a few rays while reading my book, too.  Perhaps I stayed in the sun tooooo long...hence my sleepiness.

And it's supposed to freeze tonight.  Gotta' run and bring those little babies in the house or they'll freeze their little pistols off.

Hope son and all his unmarried guy friends have a great time at Rob and Courtney's wedding.  Who knows.  This just might at least get them thinking along these lines!!!  We can only hope.....:)

And a good night to you out there in cyberspace.  If you're not doing anything in the morning, why don't you come along to church....10 a.m.  15th and 15th East.  You may find it even more inspiring than this blog!:)