Deadlines... and Stress!

A while back I mentioned that the operating system on my old laptop will no longer be updated as of January 1.

I'm not sure whether I should  try to update the operating system... There are other computers in the house with the new system, and I prefer the look of the old one.

So January 1 is a deadline that looms in my mind...

At the same time, I've been "harvesting" photos on the old computer - creating photo books using my digital photos stored on the computer. I've created four in the last month, and there are three more I'd like to do.

The photo company keeps sending me coupons for a generous discount on future photo books - but the discount expires a week from today.

This too has created a deadline of sorts in my mind! I retired so as NOT to have DEADLINES!! I'm not used to stress like this!

But, on the plus side, it is making me stop procrastinating...

(Maybe I need more stress in my life - to get more things done...!!)

My Type 2 Diabetes Update

A few weeks ago, I went off a type 2 diabetes medication because I thought might be causing my muscles and joints to swell. I was having a hard time walking, especially doing stairs. After three weeks, I'm feeling less stiff, though still not as limber as I used to be. (I talked to my family doctor about going off the medication and she supported my doing it.)

In the meantime, I decided to go meatless to see if a vegan - or mostly vegan - diet will help me. I'm definitely going to avoid eating meat and fish, though I'm not sure about milk products...

I read an interesting summary of recent research, published in 2018, on the link between a plant based diet and type 2 diabetes. There is enough research evidence showing that following a vegetarian diet curtails type 2 diabetes that I 'm going to give it a serious try.

In the meantime, I'm adding organic soybeans to my diet... soaking them overnight before adding them to the  vegetarian soups I make in order to eat more vegetables.

It's an interesting culinary adventure - trying to cure type 2 diabetes with the right food!

Click here for a link to the online article that I found so interesting I've read it twice. It's from the University of West Virginia.

Woman Mystic - From 1000 years Ago...

One of my "hobbies" in retirement has been learning about Christianity through its 2000-year-old history...

A few years ago, I first came across the writings of medieval mystics who were women. I have especially enjoyed translations of their writings by a young woman named Carmen Acevedo Butcher I'm currently reading a book of daily selections called A Little Daily Wisdom: Christian Women Mystics.

In it, I found a lovely poem/hymn written almost 1000 years ago by a woman called Hildegard of Bingen, who - as the 10th child in her wealthy family - had been "given" to the church. A child prodigy, she went on to be a brilliant writer and speaker.







Here is the poem that I found so lovely:

God's Soul is the wind rustling plants and leaves,
the dew dancing on the grass,
the rainy breezes making everything grow.
Just like this, the kindness of a person flows, touching
those dragging burdens of longing.
We should be a breeze helping the homeless,
dew comforting those who are depressed,
the cool misty air refreshing the exhausted,
and with God's teaching we have got to feed the hungry:

This is how we share God's soul.

Learning About Life

I’ve been hanging out with a three-year-old...

So I welcome this reminder that we learn from each other. 

What can I learn from this three-year-old?

To welcome new challenges...

And to take advantage of every opportunity to have fun!

Dealing with the Dome... In Windy Weather

One of the neighborhood signs that winter is approaching is the annual raising of the large plastic dome that covers the college soccer field.

In winter this large bubble serves as a gym for a number of sporting events.

This year I wondered if the college had purchased a new dome... In late October - around the time the dome usually goes up - I saw large plastic rolls being loaded onto a truck.

Why would they be loading, rather than unloading them?

Then the weather got windy...

A few days later, the dome went up... My neighbor Mary happened to see it happen...

Like a balloon, it needs to be inflated.

I wonder...Is this the old dome? Or have they replaced it with a new one?!

A New Look in Our Front Yard

This is a tree I killed two years ago when I sprayed a herbicide on the gout weed that has infested our front garden bed.

The gout weed survived, but the tree died - or at least most of it did. Terry recently trimmed off the branches.

On one side, at the bottom of the trunk, a few leaves are still growing.

Recently my neighbor Earl (Mary's husband) offered to cut it down.

Now that the trunk is down, I'm hoping that next year it will sprout again - if some of the roots are still alive.

Then we can begin the growing cycle again.

I'm looking forward to the gardening I'll be able to do around the stump until it grows again... (Or should I say if it grows again?!)

According to the rings, the tree was 12 years old... For some reason I thought it was older than that.

Vegetarian Food

I've decided to eat mainly vegetarian food - after reading more research on the benefits of plant based diets for type 2 diabetics...

It would really help if I ate out in a vegetarian restaurant once or twice a week, I mentioned to Terry.

He agreed...

Years ago, we had two favorite vegetarian restaurants where we would eat with our daughter, who at the time was vegetarian...

So a few days ago, we headed back to the Green Door - a buffet where you pay by the weight of your plate.

It's always delicious!

I love the variety! I know we'll be back!