A Beach Day.....Finally!

We packed up lunch and went to the beach today.  This is the place that makes Michigan winters worth it to me.  This is where I find peace.

It was a perfect day....sunny, not too windy, not too humid, not too cool.

The perfect place for kids is the channel from a smaller lake that flows into Lake Michigan.
The water is shallow and warmer in the channel.  Lake Michigan water is still pretty cold.

"Cheese!"

You can always make a new friend at the beach

Sissie and I get along at the beach!

Going on an adventure

Dodging waves in Lake Michigan

We feel very blessed to live only a few miles from this beach.  This is one of many great beaches on the West Michigan lakeshore.   

It is the perfect place to take an almost 11 year old pre-teen and an almost 3 year old and have them both be able to have fun and play together.  There are generally quite a few kids so they often find someone their own age to play with....bonus! 

(And Nana and Bapa stay sane!).  

Til next time, 

Peace

The Week That Was

It's been a busy week here.  We've had end of school year activities to attend for our granddaughters, soccer games, hubby's new job, and of course never ending yard work.

Our 4th grader participated in Girls On The Run this year.  It is a wonderful program that involves much more than just running.  They train for weeks to run a 5k, but the program also stresses values, positive body image, self esteem, etc.
This is Amber as she reaches the finish line to complete her first 5k!  She is proud of herself for completing a race that was harder than she thought.
Notice she is wearing number 1....every girl running wore number 1 because they all are!

After Amber's race we hustled to Hubby's new job.  He is delivering a weekly local newspaper and shopping ad packets every Saturday.  So off we went to load up with our papers.  This is a motor route and takes about 5 hours to do. I didn't realize when he said he was going to do it that it would involve me too!  It is easier with him driving and me putting the papers in the boxes.  Interestly, I found that I enjoy it.  Our route is in the area where we live, so we get to see what is happening in our neck of the woods, and maybe say hello to a neighbor or two.

We also attended our kindergartener's soccer game and saw her score her first goal ever!  Wish I had gotten a picture but we were all too excited and busy yelling at her to "kick it!".

We have enjoyed a very sunny week, although early in the week it was quite chillly with frost advisories several nights.  My mother's rule was not to plant flowers until Memorial Day because it can freeze here in late May and I've finally learned she was right.  So, I will be planting some flowers this weekend.

The weather was nice enough to take our Little Miss to the park this week.  It is a beautiful park next to a marina.

Here are some views from our walks around the park this week....

I love this view in the winter time.  The trees will all be bare and snow covered and
you can see the church steeple better....looks like a Christmas card then.

Two turtles sunning themselves

The swans came right up to the shore where we were standing...did not seem afraid of us.  I wonder if people have been feeding them?

And to wrap up the week I finally saw a podiatrist about my painful right foot.  I'm almost sorry I did.  I found out I have arthritis in that foot and other than the things I am already doing, my next step is surgery to fix the bunion, and bone graft several joints in the midfoot area, and I think he also mentioned some screws somewhere.  This would require at least 6 weeks with no weight bearing, and then more months of healing.  I am considering doing it in the fall, with perhaps trying a cortisone shot in the meantime.  

I don't like the idea of this surgery, sounds quite extensive.  I was happier before I knew all this.  I am getting more and more limited in how much walking I can do so I think I must put my big girl panties on and deal with it.

Have any of you had any type of foot surgery?  Bunions corrected?  What was your outcome?  Are you better now than before surgery?

Thanks for stopping by to visit.  Have a wonderful, safe Memorial Day weekend.

Til next time,

Peace.

Random Wednesday

I feel a bit scattered today....lots of thoughts rattling around in my brain.

I am thinking about decluttering my house.  It seems a little overwhelming but if its broken down into stages it won't be so bad.  I think I will do it one room at a time.

I haven't been doing much knitting lately....I seem to have lost my knitting mojo.  I think it's just because the weather is getting nice.

My son-in-law had a falling-out with his mother.  She said some hurtful things and he no longer wants his daughter around her.  There are two sides to any disagreement but from what I was told I can see why he is upset.  He is a great guy, not perfect, but none of us are.  It is hard to bite your tongue when it comes to adult children, but I really think she should have.  Why is it that we say things to our loved ones that we would never say to a stranger?

I can't watch the news anymore.  I hate not knowing what is happening in the world but it is very upsetting lately.  Especially the recent deaths involving police, and now Americans becoming terrorists.  How can people have so much hate?

We stopped to rent a movie on Saturday.  I had a hard time finding anything in new releases that I wanted to see.  So many violent or just creepy movies....and this is what young people are watching.  Lots of TV programs like that too.  What does that say about our society?  Gosh, I sound old!

On a more cheerful note.....I saw the first hummingbird at our feeder today.  I'm trying to get a picture but no luck today.  We also had an indigo bunting, such a pretty little blue bird.  We also put oranges out for the orioles and saw the first one today.  I am going to try to get some decent bird pictures.

And here's a picture just for fun.......I love this little girl!

Did she make you smile?  Hope you are having a great day.

Til next time,
Peace

Pleased to Meet You

Hello there,
I want to thank everyone so much for the great comments about downsizing and moving to a smaller home after retirement.  I am sure I will revisit this topic sometime in the future.  Stay tuned.

Since I just started this blog recently, I decided I should tell you a bit more about me and my life.
I am 63 years young.  I have been married to my best friend for 41 years.  He is the one with the guitar...a keeper, huh?!

 We have 2 children.  Our son is 37 and he is stepdad to granddaughter #1 who is 10.

...and he is Dad to granddaughter #3 who is 2 1/2.
My DIL works fulltime during the day and my son works nights.  We take care of the 2 1/2 year old all day Mon. thru Fri. so Daddy can get some sleep.  She definitely keeps us on our toes.

 

My daughter is 33 and she is Mom to granddaughter #2 who is 5 (6 in June), our little soccer star.
We helped care for this little chick alot before she started school too.

We live in West Michigan about a mile from the Lake Michigan shore.  It is a beautiful area and we spend lots of time at the beach during the summer.

The other member of my family is a black cat named Salem that my son brought home about 12 or 13 years ago.  He was about 1 year old and had been hanging around a pizza place, scrounging. He was very thin, had worms and fleas.  I am a sucker for a sob story and got him cleaned up and took him to the vet.  Who knew, we had just acquired "the best cat in the world"!  He is very laid back and will let the girls maul him and dress him up.  He has had no desire to leave the house since the day he walked in.

I have lived in West Mich. all my life.  I grew up in a small town about 30 miles from where I currently live.  I have 1 brother who is 11 years older than me, so I'm really mostly an only child.  He left for college when I was 7 and I only have some vague memories of him as a teenager.  My parents were part of large families and I do have a large extended family.  We had lots of big family events, and I grew up with many cousins close to my age.  We all went to the same church and school.  I like to travel and see how other people live, but my roots go deep here.  West Mich. is my home.

I am a registered nurse and I spent the last 19 years of my career working at a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC).  It is a large family practic clinic and a little bit Community Health Dept rolled into one, serving mostly Medicaid, Medicare, and uninsured patients.  We provided lots of services that you wouldn't find in a private office.  We provided care to anyone and everyone, regardless of ability to pay.  We really saw some sad, sad, stories.  I spent much of my time providing education to patients and case management services.  It was stressful, challenging, and rewarding.  It was more than a job for me, it was more like a mission.  I know that I touched lives there and made a difference.

At age 61 I was ready to retire; the stress was taking its toll.  I was diagnosed with paroxsysmal atrial fibrillation about 7 years ago (age 56)  and stress is my enemy, it can trigger an episode.  Atrial fib is a cardiac arrythmia that isn't considered life threatening, thankfully.  It is a nuisance to live with though.  I am fortunate to have it well-controlled by medication and have not had a episode since I retired 2 years ago.

So...Here I am on this retirement journey and its so nice to be meeting some new friends along the way.
Hope you have a wonderful Sunday.

Til next time
Peace

Best Day of the Week

Today was my knitting group.  We meet at a local book store/café.  It is a day that I always look forward to.  It is so much fun to see the projects of others and to ask advice if needed.  Knitters understand each other.  No one understands the pain and frustration of frogging a project that just isn't working out the way another knitter does.  We always spend the time chatting up a storm too.  This group is so much fun it almost feels guilty!  2 uninterrupted hours to knit, a chai latte, and the company of friends....a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

Hubby is away at a State bowling tournament today and tomorrow.  That left me to spend some quality time with granddaughter Marley.  She is 5 & 3/4 and she will be sure to tell you that.  My daughter and son-in-law were both working this evening so I picked Marley up about 4:30pm and we went to see the baby chicks at the local farm store. We live in a small town.....that's pretty exciting for us, lol.

Then home to make spaghetti, Marley's favorite meal.  She has had a rough week with a bad cough that has made it hard for her, and her mom, to get a good night's sleep.   Wednesday she spent the night vomiting and was home from school Thursday and Friday.  So we spent a quiet evening playing cards and dolls and watching a movie.  How many times can a 5 year old watch Frozen anyway?!

It looks like the snow is finally melting here in West Michigan.  Welcome Spring!

This is directly off the deck

and this is the rest of the yard that you see off to the right in the picture above

  That really worked! I can post pictures from my tablet.  Easy peasy!  The only problem is I had to use Hubby's phone.  I do not have data on my phone right now.  Our contract is up next month and we are going to make some changes.  I need a phone with a good camera and I need data.  I also want a large screen display.  I would love to hear your suggestions and experiences.....what kind of phone do you have?