Five Simple Things (May 15)

 Hello.

Hope you are staying safe, wearing masks, social distancing, and respecting others around you. Whether you feel, believe, or even want to wear a face mask, you should. There's been protests here for the lockdown and the face mask requirements. I just find all of that ridiculous. The protestors are literally protesting protection. Makes zero sense, but everyone has their opinion, even me with this post. But, the numbers just keep going up and a lot of them are able to recover. I am glad to see a lot of them are recovering to almost 100%. I just hope there aren't any long-term affects of this years from now with the people that have gotten the virus. Another reason I am glad that I am recovering from my surgery during this time. I am considered a person of vulnerable health, so I do not want to take any chances. Jeff has been adamant about coming in the side gate, through the garage, and leaving his things in the garage. Showering, and handwashing has been a huge plus, too. If Skylar goes with Jeff to the store, or to get supplies, they shower immediately upon returning, and everything is left in the garage for at least 24 hours and then sanitized before being brought inside. My room is another very sanitary area, so I am not worried about germs coming inside. I hope over time everything gets better for everyone. If you're someone that has been affected, physically, medically, or even mentally, during this time, I am sending as many positive vibes as I can. You can do this! Stay strong. Here are five things from this week.

1. This Sunshine.

Morning sunshine through the windows helps with my mental health during this time. I want to get up, but the pain is rough some days. I am glad to be able to sit up and eat on certain days. This week was hard on me and the pain I feel in my chest bothers me a lot. Again, I will speak more on this and do an entire post on what kind of surgery I had, and the extent of what was done. It's something I should have done in my 20s, but was too scared. I am not sure how I feel right now about it; whether, I am glad I had it done, or not. Hopefully, that mindset will change as I heal up more and can do more with my body. But, back to the sunshine, this week it came through the curtains and passed through the school bell we have in the front yard. The silhouette on the curtain made me smile. 

2. This Labyrinth.

(Source)   

I've been drawing up plans for a Labyrinth of our own, either here were we currently live, or on the land we are looking at buying. I would love to have something like this at both locations, but we are limited on space here. I want to design one that's at least a five mile walk around, but being here, I may be able to make it at least a mile and a half. I love some of the great layouts that you can find online. Here are a few of my favorites.

(Source)                                              (Source)

3. This Recipe.

A lot of quarantine cooking has been happening with many people, and we are no different. We followed a recipe online and made these roasted red potatoes and onions with rosemary, similar to the Olive Garden's version. They were delicious and soft enough for me to eat, too. This will definitely be a recipe I will post on the blog later. In the meantime, you can find a similar one here.

4. This Road Sign.

During my last checkup for my surgery, this road sign across I5 was present. And, of course, it was raining. This sign was the first time I actually got to see anything related to the Coronavirus pandemic. It was quite strange to me. It was nice to see that the Oregon Department of Transportation and Governor Brown were putting forth some efforts to make people aware of the seriousness of the virus. Hopefully, people took it seriously enough that were traveling through the state.

5. This Meal.

 

I've been able to eat a bit more solid foods the last few days and this meal was amazing. Jeff brought it to me on Mother's Day this week (May 10) and even though I didn't eat all of it, it was still nice to be able to have something more than just mashed potatoes and other soft foods. I eat all of my meals in the bed right now, but this nice setup made me feel special. 

Positive affirmations this week: "What adventure would completely excite you right now?"

Purchasing a Sprinter Van and traveling across the United States and take pictures of all the sights that bring me joy. Although, this plan is not completely out of reach, it is something I would love to be doing right now. Here's to future planning!

Have a nice weekend.

Golf Game

When the golf courses were opened back up, we took the opportunity to take advantage and work on our long and short games. I was only an observer, of course, but I still had fun hanging out with Skylar and Jeff.

My bumblebee putter Skylar and Jeff got me. Although I couldn't use it then, I do love it and I think it will be a lot of fun to use when I can play golf again.

Road Trip to Chemult, Oregon, Amtrak station

Yesterday we decided to get out of the house again, but this time we drove to Chemult, Oregon, and check out their Amtrak station that's literally in the middle of nowhere. It's somewhere that Skylar found online and with everything going on, we figured it would be a lowkey road trip just to explore. And, we were right, there was no one around and it was almost eerie. 

Raising Snails

 

Our snails got a new habitat this week and they are loving it do far. As we were preparing the dirt to add to the new habitat we found hundreds of babies in the soil. We ended up putting them in the front flowerbed away from the ducks, and we wished them well. 

There's a great unit study at Woodlark about snails. We have enjoyed keeping ours and following the progress of Woodlark's snails, too. There's a lot of great things that snails and slugs can go and a lot of them meet their end here in the Willamette Valley because they are seen as a nuisance. They may eat vegetable leaves and some fruits, but overall, they are just trying to survive. 

Five Simple Things (May 8)

 Hello.

Looks like the Coronavirus pandemic is going to affect us clear into the summer months. Our governor here in Oregon announced that nonessential businesses need to close. This includes gyms, restaurants, bars, public buildings-libraries, sports centers, hair salons, etc. Our local municipalities are closing now, city buildings, courts, and even all government buildings. The schools have been closed to in person learning since April, but now with all of these closures, it's almost like an apocalyptic-type world. Of course, I've only been out of the house twice, to get medication, and to go to my two month checkup. But, seeing images, and reading stories online of what it's affecting people, is surreal. We did get a chance to see some F15s flying over. They did a flyover to say thank you to the frontline workers and healthcare workers that are put in the face of the pandemic. 

I was able to get outside last week for enjoy a bit of sunshine, but I was hurting badly from standing and had to lay back down. Jeff said, it's best that I say laying as much as possible, and he set up my bed to where I can sit up a bit and not be uncomfortable. Wedge pillows, body pillows, and memory foam pillows have been a life saver for me during this time. I've actually started being able to eat more than just soft foods this week, too. Which, is a good thing, because the apple sauce, jello, pudding, mashed potatoes, peaches, and pears where great, but I'm ready for some more variety. I was able to eat half a sandwich this week, but that's about it. Jeff is going to make a dinner for me tonight that will include some other recommended foods for after surgery, so that I don't shock my body, and end up getting sick. I am looking forward to that. Here are five things this week.

1.  This Sign.

Headed to my two-month checkup, there are digital signs like this over Interstate 5 to give warning of wrecks, debris, or even travel times, and Amber Alerts. This is the the first time that I've seen anything on these signs other than public alerts. It's a good thing, I think, that the highway department here, ODOT, put these messages up, but it's still extremely odd, to me.

2. This Picture.

Jeff and Skylar went to get some extra supplies this week and were going to get me some face tissue, but the shelves were pretty bare of anything like that. They got lucky and found some travel sized Kleenex near the pharmacy, but they sent me this picture and I was shocked. When I think of the needing essentials, I guess I never thought that toilet paper and paper towels would be part of that. Guess we need to revamp our "just in case" supplies for the future.

3. This Moment.

Skylar loves trains. He has loved them since I introduced him to Thomas the Train when he was two. He has enjoyed learning about trains and how trains work, since that time. With that, he can tell you what most trains are, where they came from, where they are going, and what company owns them. As Jeff and him were out getting things this week, he got a great moment of being able to travel along side one of his favorite trains, and he video taped it to show me. 

4. This Paint.

Before my surgery I had started repainting and repairing some issues with this house we live in. It's pretty upsetting that we pay rent and have to do the repairs, too. But, overall, we are looking for land options out of the Willamette Valley, so I'd really like to leave the house better than when we moved in. We had started with the bathroom and have been working our way around the house slowly. This paint is great. It's a primer and paint in one and since all of the walls in this house are white, it works great to use as a coverup, even years of the landlord allowing renters before us to smoke in the house. It also has zero VOCs and is certified by GreenGuard. Since I've been laid up recovering, Jeff and Skylar have pretty much painted a lot of the areas I missed before. Looking forward to getting 100% and being able to finish what I started. 

5. This Little Village.

I had ordered this little "f-it" village around February before I had my surgery, and at the time, the lady behind The Little Red Door had backorders, so they came in this week. They are funny to me and the f-it is hidden behind the little houses. I just love them and she did a custom order for me by putting little windows on the houses and posted it on her Instagram page when it shipped out. She's a small business owner and a very talented one, at that. She has so many cute ceramics that she makes.

Positive affirmations this week: "What do you need to forgive yourself for?"

For blaming myself for other people's issues. Also, I am working on forgiving myself for not sticking up for myself during those times, too. I also want to forgive myself for trying to live up to other people's expectation of me and not going for what made me happy. I also would like to forgive myself for trying to find validation in other people. What a waste of time. I would also like to be able to forgive my younger self for all of the abuse I went through growing up. It wasn't my fault and it has taken me this long in my life to be able to finally work through those issues. I would like to say to myself, "Shelly, I forgive you. You did the best your could at the time, and you're amazing for what you went through. I love you."

Have a nice weekend.

Five Simple Things (May 1)

 Hello.

Happy May Day. We don't have any spring-type celebrations other than just spending time in the sun. I hope to get outside sometime today. Jeff should be coming here before the sun goes down to help get me out of bed to be able to walk around outside. I am feeling a bit of cabin fever more lately. My body wants to get up, but the surgery parts are saying no. But, the sun should be a nice compromise with both. If you're interested in the history behind May Day, you can check out how it started and why we continue to celebrate it, here. And, if you're a horror-lover, like me, you can check out Midsommar. It's pretty intense, but a good one. As of April 30, Our World in Data reported that for the U.S. there were 60,966 total deaths, 1.04 million confirmed cases. I keep seeing the state of Michigan in the news, too. It's just as bad other places, but Oregon seems to be staying below the alert line. The governor keeps pressing people to keep wearing masks, keep social distancing, and only go out for supplies and necessities. Which, we have been. Jeff either takes Skylar to go get supplies for the house, or goes himself, after work. There isn't a lot of things we need right now and we are trying our best not to go unless it's a definite need. The last few years, we had been putting food, water, and even money back in a "just in case" situation. We've had to break into the "just in case" food and water stash, as well as the money stash because of Jeff's hours being cut. We are hoping and keeping fingers crossed that his job brings back the cut hours. A positive though, Jeff wasn't furloughed. So, there's a plus, and we are still keeping positive thoughts. Here are five things from this week.

1. These Rocks.

We placed a bookshelf curbside for free and the people that took it returned later with these rock gifts. It was extremely thoughtful and we love the fact that they gave us something like this in return. We love how random and amazing it is. We think these are some sort of metamorphic rock, but we aren't sure. They are now safe and sound in their new home, sitting in our cat palm flower pot. 

2. These Street Signs.

I love street signs that kind of "speak to me." Craven for Wes Craven and horror movies, and High for being high on life and enjoying every bit of it as I can.

3. This Routine.

These positive affirmations are great. We have a sticker on our bathroom mirror that reads, "You are beautiful." So, anyone who looks into our mirror will be reminded that they are amazing and beautiful. Positive affirmations are a great way to remind yourself how great, wonderful, and enough you really are. Another great way to practice positive affirmations is to never tear another person down, no matter what you think is right. Telling someone about their flaws, or even a negative comment such as, "You should get out more" does more harm than good. Never tell someone else what they "should" and "shouldn't" do based on your own life and opinion. It is not your place to do that. Always build them up. If you feel someone should do something, word it in a way that comes across less judgmental. Because, just a reminder, when you "attack" another person with YOUR words, they are not responsible for defending themselves and hurting your feelings in return. Don't be a bully, be a supporter; especially with your kids and loved ones. You never know what other people are feeling, going through, or even how they are feeling that day. If you wouldn't want someone to say that to you, don't have it slip from your lips.

4. The Last Blockbuster.

Not a lot of people know this, but there is still a Blockbuster store and it's literally The Last Blockbuster on the planet. It's located in Bend, Oregon, and you can actually go in, get a Blockbuster card, rent movies, games, and apparel. It's a bit of a nostalgic thing when you can browse movie titles and walk through the store wondering what you're going to watch that night. Brings back a lot of memories, and I hope it sticks around.

5. This Blanket.

Just what I needed for staying warm at night. The color of the one pictured isn't available anymore, but here is one similar, just a different color design.

Positive affirmations this week: "How can you add more fun into your life?"

Traveling, anywhere and everywhere, for sure! I have been keeping a wanderlust notebook of places I'd like to travel to. I also have a Pinterest board labeled "Wanderlust," as well, if you're looking for new places to hit, too.

Have a nice weekend.