Happy Friday the 13th. I am less than five days away from my surgery and I am feeling the anxiety, let me tell you. As far as right now, nothing has been canceled or postponed because of the Coronavirus pandemic, but I am a bit concerned about that. Within our state, we have had more and more cases daily, and our governor here shut down all public and private in-person schools. The ski resorts across the state are all closing down, as well, to prevent the spread. Our county of Linn is still the highest in the state for cases. The Veteran's home here has the most reported cases, this far, and hopefully they can keep it contained for now. Five days from now, I will be put under and kind of get a sort of "escape" from all of this going on. Hopefully, it doesn't get any worse.
1. This Lava Rock.
I still find this fascinating that the State of Oregon uses lava rock from past volcano activity to apply to the roads in the winter. People that have lived around this their entire life, really take this small thing for granted. It's incredible to me, really and I will always find a "hidden" gem of Oregon.
2. This Field.
Construction crews broke ground on the field behind our house this past week. This field has always been a buffer between us and the train tracks, and prying eyes, but we are kind of bitter sweet about the construction. They are building duplexes and we just hope that it brings less foot traffic through the field and prevent people from jumping our fence. We also hope that the two-story duplexes will buffer the train whistle, too.
We weren't sure if this was an osprey nest, or an eagle nest. It was pretty large, so we are leaning more towards it being an eagle nest. Either way, it was one of the cooler nests we've seen here, so far.
5. These Showerheads.
We've been looking at replacing a lot of things in the bathroom of this house. We've been looking into starting with smaller things, sink, shower head and attachment, etc. We are liking the look of the shower options at IKEA, but can't make our minds up. More on this later.
Positive affirmations this week: "What are your core strengths?"
Empathy for others even when they don't have empathy in return. Also, keeping cool under pressure. Definitely a positive to bring to the workforce in the future.
Less than two weeks away until my surgery day. Getting a bit more anxious as we get closer, but I think I'm ready. I think... We have pretty much gotten everything "we think" we will need. I also have a subscription to a seasonal box and everything that came in it a few days ago is perfect for my upcoming recovery from my surgery. A spring water face mist, a detangler spray for your hair, lip balm, skin lotion that's unscented, and even a travel bag. It was as if it was made for me, this season. But, that aside I would like to get one more thing before March 19. A small cooler to go beside the bed, for cold water and other drinks, as well as my medication and other items that need to stay cool. I haven't quite figured out exactly what I'm looking for, yet, but hopefully soon. Also, the talks of the Coronavirus pandemic are getting a bit more intense. Oregon has a lot more cases now and I am extremely worried it's going to hold me back from my surgery date. My surgeon's office keeps checking in on me to make sure I am staying healthy and prepared. I was sent the paperwork to finish filling out and in the coming week I have to get a mammogram. I've never had a mammogram, so I have a bit of anxiety about that, too, but I am ready and I keep telling myself, it's okay, it's okay, just keep focusing on the positives, so that's what I am "trying" to do. But, here are five things that distracted me from the anxiety and were a positive this past week.
1. This Hummingbird.
Spring is coming with the appearance of hummingbirds. Sometimes they show up and then we get snow, but overall I love seeing them and hearing them this time of year. This one was sitting in one of the Hawthorne trees in front of our house and he was singing away.
2. This Meal.
With preparing for everything lately, we just haven't felt like cooking, or had then energy, at the end of the day. We haven't been out to eat here locally in awhile, so we decided to give Shari's Restaurant here in town a go. With not eating outside the house a lot, our taste in food has changed a bit and the food was quite salty to us, but the positive is, we didn't have to cook it.
3. This Quadratic Formula.
Skylar loves math and I will be honest, some of his math problems really throw me for a loop. This is one of those times. He definitely didn't get his math knowledge from me. I'm more of a history and science person over math. I don't hate math, but I sure as heck don't love it. Skylar loves it and his favorite things is hexaflexagons.
4. This Cake.
I decided to take my mind off everything and bake a cake for us. Baking and cooking are not my strong suit, but I do try. This cake was actually pretty good and it was eaten on all week. The products I used for this were and the Miss Jones chocolate cake mix, Miss Jones cream cheese frosting, and India Tree Sprinkles on top. We have completely changed our at-home eating to organic, or nongmo. It's helped keep us healthy and overall help keep our weight in check. Organic foods are pricier than conventional, but the one things we like is the fact that you are fuller eating organic and feel less bloated, or irritable. We started changing things slowly a few years ago and slowly started purchasing more and more items that are organic as we ran out. We don't regret it, at all.
Positive affirmation this week:"What value do you bring to the world?"
The value we see ourselves bringing to the world varies, but for me, my kindness, empathy (for sure), understanding, and patience. I also bring a lot of knowledge that I've passed onto my child, so he can also bring that into the world as he gets older. And, just a side note here, how other people see you doesn't matter. It's all how you see yourself, so love yourself no matter what.
We took a quick trip up the Cascades to see how much of the snow had melted. It was a nice little drive to get out of the Valley for awhile. We were thinking the snow might be too bad on the roads, but it was actually a lot clearer than we expected.
Coronavirus cases are a bit more here, not too bad, but still enough to cause concern. I am only two and a half weeks away from my surgery, and it's still a go, as far as I know. My surgeon's office contacted me yesterday to confirm my appointment time and I asked them if I should be concerned and they told me, they are still keeping it on the schedule until they are told otherwise. So, that gives me a bit of relief. I don't watch the news, so I am mainly getting information about the situation here in our state of Oregon, from Jeff, and Twitter. On February 24, President Trump tweeted: "The Coronavirus is very much under control in the USA and the CDC and World Health have been working hard and very smart." Hopefully, he is correct. We have purchased a few more things to prepare for my surgery, body pillows, wedge pillows, bed pads for underneath my body to catch any bleeding, etc. I have reading a lot of information online on what you should and shouldn't have before and after major surgery and a lot of it is great information and pretty much common sense. Tips like, "don't have pets in the room," "always have water nearby," and "never get up without assistant," etc. We still have a few more things we'd like to purchase and have before the actual day, but we still have some time, so no stress. For now, here are the five simple things this week.
1. These Chairs.
Skylar and I took a little jot over the mall this week, which is weird to say, 90s flashback to mall time. But, I needed to get a few things at some of the stores there and Skylar always likes to play the games that sit in the middle of the mall. One of his favorites is the Jurassic Park game, where you shoot the dinosaurs as they escape their enclosures. I thought it was funny, that the design of the chairs for the game, looked scared as they faced the screen.
2. This Carwash.
I couldn't help but be mesmerized by the way the soap hit my windshield when I went through the carwash earlier this week. Sometimes, and I've been told my entire life, I see things differently and not what other people can see. I think that's a gift, but it does, at times, get me called "weird." I embrace my way of seeing things, though. Who wants to be labeled "normal," anyway?
3. This Bumper Sticker.
I laughed at this because all I could think was, at least they're honest.
5. This Recipe.
Did you catch the jalapeno popper recipe I posted here? They are delicious and we made them again this week. They are hard to stop eating because they are so good. I am pretty pleased with this recipe, because I can't cook all that well, so it's one I can say, success to.
Positive affirmation this week: "Do you like who you have become?"
I like how far I've come, but we are all still works in progress. Perfection is not achievable, but satisfaction is.
Looks like the Coronavirus pandemic has hit Oregon with a few confirmed cases here. It's worrying me more about my surgery coming up. Hopefully...hopefully, it doesn't get worse. I am not a political person, at all, but our president doesn't seem to be putting forth the required effort to keep things under control. I hope he changes his views on things and stops being so racist with his comments on the virus, itself. Regardless of where it started, he really should think before he speaks. Where we live, here in the Willamette Valley, this area is pretty heavy with his supporters, and the stress they bring seems to be very odd. I hope things don't get worse as this progresses. So, that aside, here are five things that are positive this week.
1. This Kid.
We have been downsizing a lot of clothing and other items throughout our house and coming across some cool things are always a treat. This sweater was actually my dad's. He wore it when he was in college and first married to my mom in the 70s. It fit Skylar pretty well and it's a cool piece to hang onto, for sure.
2. This Closet.
Along with going through items that aren't earning their place in our home, Skylar cleaned out a few things from his closet that he no longer needed. When I say "a few" I mean, quite a lot of things, actually. He says the more downsized and streamline of his closet now makes it easier to get dressed in the mornings and find things. We are going to hit his closet with a fresh coat of paint this summer, too.
3. More Miles.
A couple more miles logged this week. Skylar has been going with me now, too. It's nice to have someone with me, just in case, and I'm not alone. Jeff did get me some pepper spray, but having someone there with me is always nice. This week we did the same amount of miles and the same path. It's nice to have a known path because we know what to expect, too.
4. These Houses.
I love the modern look of these homes and how they are designed. Boxy houses are some of my most favorite house designs. We've been looking into buying land and have plans to build on it eventually. I would love to incorporate a boxy house into our land terrain and these are definitely what we have in mind. These homes are in Bend, Oregon, near Mount Bachelor.
5. This Cupcake.
Skylar loves snails, so it seemed fitting to get him a snail-like cupcake at Whole Foods this week. He and I went to eat lunch and run some errands in Portland, Oregon, and as soon as we saw the snail cupcake, we had to have it. He said it was strawberry shortcake flavor and was delicious.
Positive affirmation this week: "What brings you comfort no matter what?"
Knowing I am happy with my family/tribe-as long as I have them, I'm good.
Life at a "Swell's" pace is a lifestyle and travel blog chronicling the life and travels while living in Oregon's beautiful Willamette Valley. It is mostly written by Shelly HW. Click the image to learn more»
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