M. Jean Pike's Blog, page 8

A glance at the evening sky reminds me. He’s got us.

Give thanks to the God of heaven.
His love endures forever.

Psalm 136:26

Another day, another vet visit

I’ve been a little concerned about Miss Emma lately. She seems more low energy than usual and has been doing a lot of panting – I know it has been hotter than normal this summer with out- of -this -world heat indexes, but she even pants inside, where I keep it a cool 68 degrees. So yesterday, off to the vet we went.

In the waiting room, we were entertained by the resident cat. He completely ignored Emma, which was upsetting to her – she so loves kitties – but he was quite interested in my hair scrunchie. He jumped up onto the ledge behind my chair and proceeded to pull it off of my ponytail, bat it to the floor, and run off with it

A hop on the scale showed Miss Emma now weighs 45 pounds. Up two pounds from our last visit. At least her appetite has not been sluggish

The vet addressed my concerns one by one. After examining her thoroughly, he deduced that most of the panting was probably due to pain, a mix of arthritis and muscle strain in her back and hips. (I had noticed she was reluctant to jump up on the bed lately and yesterday morning she was struggling after just one lap around the park.)

Anti-inflammatory- Check.

Muscle relaxer- Check.

Next he addressed the dark yeast spots on her neck and paws. She gets them this time of year, but not usually quite this bad.

Antifungal medication – Check.

She also needed a refill on her allergy meds.

Apoquel – Check.

She has another fatty tumor, too. We have had three of them removed in the last four years. The last time she had a really hard time bouncing back from the surgery, so the vet said for me to keep an eye on it this time and unless it grows huge or changes color, it will be ugly, but harmless. No need to put a little old lady through another surgery.

So with four pills to deal with, this is what we do.

I know the peanut butter is not ideal, especially given her weight gain, but believe me, the little sandwich is the only way to get these pills into Miss Emma. Thankfully one is only for four days, and one is for five.

Between my three blood pressure meds and Emma’s new medicines, our morning routine will revolve around pills for awhile. But hey, we’re just two senior girls doing our best to stay healthy!

Dog Days

Miss Emma has had her walk and now she’s gettin’ comfy…

Week Two: Still On The Wagon

Week two of my healthy eating plan has ended and I’m still going strong with my fruits and veggies. I’ve lost another pound. I don’t know how my A1C is doing, but my blood pressure is stellar this week Do I dare hope that if I keep going I might be able to ditch my bp meds, or at least one of them??

I had thought finding healthy snacks to satisfy my sweet tooth would be a problem. Not so. We got these belVita energy bites in at the store and I love them!

I went with the Banana, Dark Chocolate and Sunflower Seed this time. They are low cal, low sugar and completely delicious! For a savory snack, I picked up a guacamole dip mix and some whole wheat crackers. Mixed with fresh avacados, the dip is delightful and filling. If you can get past that it looks like baby poop, lol.

That’s not to say that all of my kitchen adventures this week were a hit. They weren’t. I bought some salmon fillets and tried to pan- fry. Someone on Reddit said the secret is to get the pan really, really, really hot, place the salmon in oil and leave it alone for four minutes each side. Let’s just say I took “blackened salmon” to a whole new level

My second attempt was oven baked. Much better.

I read that whole corn tortillas were healthier than the flour tortillas I normally buy so I bought a package of thirty. One night I was hungry for a tuna melt wrap. I didn’t like the corn tortillas at all and they came apart when I tried to roll them. Don’t know what I’m going to do with the other 29 but I don’t think I will be eating them.

Last night I made a Beef, Onion, Pepper stir fry. I don’t normally eat beef but I’m concerned about getting enough iron. It’s such a balancing act!

And yes, I will eat corn on the cob every night until it is out of season

We had a party for a coworker who is moving on to a new opportunity. The celebration included pizza, cookies and cupcakes. I indulged in none of those things. Each day I seem to crave them less.

I’m hoping that healthy eating will help restore my energy. It’s a strange summer, either boiling hot or pouring rain. We had a bit of flash flooding in our town this week.

I think there’s a street under there somewhere…

(This is not my photo. I snagged it from a local fb page.)

In the summer I love to sit outside and read. The only thing sitting on my swing this year is pillows.

Miss Emma is feeling the heat, too. At twelve years old, she’s not really a high energy dog under the best circumstances, but lately all she wants to do is lie in front of the AC. She doesn’t even try to pretend she hasn’t been sitting on the sofa pillows anymore.

It’s probably a combination of the humidity and her allergies. But I’m going to make a vet appointment this week just to be on the safe side.

So that was my week. I hope yours was healthy, happy and blessed!

On childhood essentials, hard lessons learned, and the day I forgot my purse at the Howard Johnson’s

A girl never forgets her first purse.

Purses. I love ‘em. As a child I was desperate to own one. My mother’s was red leather, with an adjustable strap and a gold clasp.  My grandma’s was as big as a mailbox. A square, black thing, faux alligator- skin, with two short handles. My mother’s friends all had them, made of denim cloth, white vinyl and even straw. It seemed like everyone had a purse- Big bags with leather fringe slung casually over shoulders. Small, sparkly bags clutched daintily in hands. Oh how I wanted one of those lovely treasures to call my own!

My dream came true on my birthday when I was five or six. I became the proud owner of a girl-sized purse all my own. Tan, with brown trim and a silver buckle.  I wasn’t allowed to take it to school, but I took it everywhere else. I filled it with all the usual essentials, a handful of Kleenex, the contents of my piggy bank, a few stubby pencils and a pack of Beeman’s Gum my grandma gave me. I strapped it sideways across my body like a Girl Scout sash, a true badge of honor.

Me and my purse. July, 1969

The summer I got my purse, we went on a family vacation to Lake George. On the way home, we stopped to eat at a Howard Johnson’s restaurant (which in and of itself was a huge deal. We rarely ate anywhere except at home). The only problem was that I couldn’t shove close enough to the table with my purse strapped on, so I had to take it off and set it on the floor beside my chair.

 By the time I realized I had left my beloved purse in the restaurant we were halfway home, and no amount of crying would make my father turn the car around. Dad said I had to learn to be responsible with my things. Mom promised to get me a new purse. But I was not to be consoled. I didn’t want a new purse.  I wanted my stubby pencils and my Beeman’s Gum. I wanted my little tan purse!

I learned a hard lesson that day.

Many years have come and gone since then and that little girl has seen a lot of changes. Howard Johnson’s is a thing of the past, and you don’t see Beeman’s Gum so much anymore. I still love purses, and I’ve owned too many to count.  These days they carry cell phones, debit cards and car keys.

But like cars, kisses and puppies, a girl never forgets her first.

One Evening on Blaine Street

I’ve always been fascinated by this picture. It was sitting, long forgotten, in a box of old family photos. I have no idea who this woman is, but I love her. Sitting there in her pretty dress, a cup of coffee by her side and a book in her hand, she is my kind of people

She may be some sort of relative, a great- great aunt, though I don’t recall ever seeing any other pictures of her. Maybe a family friend? The only clue written on the back of the photo is this:

At 116 Blaine Street.

I don’t know what city, or even what state Blaine Street is in, but I wish I could have gone there. I wish I could sit with this mystery lady and drink coffee and talk about her world, and her book. I can’t even place the time period. Her hairstyle and dress, and the wallpaper pattern make me think maybe this was taken sometime in the 1930s?

This kind of photo makes my imagination run wild. The time on the clock is 5:45. I like to imagine this is her first quiet moment of the day; her errands have been run, her family, fed, her housework finished, and now she can finally sit and enjoy her book.

Like I said, my kind of people

The first week… Again

My first week of healthy eating is complete and I lost two pounds. It was probably mostly water weight, but I’ll take it. My new diet plan is not really about losing weight, though that is always a nice bonus It’s mostly about eating healthy.

To be honest, I don’t really know how much I am “supposed” to weigh. Every chart seems to have a different magic number. I know where I’m most comfortable and I’m not there yet. Not even close.

I’ve never had what you would call a healthy relationship with food. In my early 20’s I struggled with an eating disorder.

 I thought the magic number was 100. No, 98. Maybe 92. But no number ever satisfies that demon and I’m so thankful God delivered me from that prison. But that is a blog post for another day. Or not. That’s a time in my life I don’t like to revisit.

My main focus right now is eliminating sugar. I get that cookies and cakes are chock full of it. But what lurks in seemingly innocent, sometimes seemingly healthful foods has been shockingly eye opening for me. Spaghetti sauce. Ketchup. Even a bowl of cereal. I’ve been satisfying my sweet tooth with fruit. Healthy sugars.

I’ve had some fun kitchen adventures, too. Like this Roast Chicken and Veggie Bake.

I even found some low- cal snacks for Emma!

So that’s where I am after my first week. Two pounds is a drop in the bucket. A ripple in a pond. But I’m not in any hurry. This will be what I hope is a sustainable, long term way of eating. So for today, I’ll be happy with my ripple

Just the best day

I haven’t seen much of my friend, Sharon, since she retired from our workplace back in February. We said we weren’t going to let that happen, but you know… life.

Since I had a rare Saturday off yesterday and she was free, we decided to hit some garage sales. We were going to get out bright and early, before it got too hot. Well, bright and early came, and guess what? It was already too hot! So we braved the road construction and headed to Chillicothe to do some (indoor, air conditioned) thrifting instead.

Like any good adventure, our day started with Dunkin

From there, we went to the Salvation Army store. I have been wanting a new dress for church, and I found one I love! I also found a book I can’t wait to read. Every day is Senior day at the Salvation Army, so I got two awesome things for less than ten dollars

I probably won’t be wearing the dress with my Crocks, and I definitely won’t wear a T shirt and capris underneath it, lol, but there’s something about trying on unwashed clothes that just seems icky.

Though it seemed we touched each item in the store twice, we still hadn’t had our fill of thrifting, so we braved the road construction again and headed across town to the Ohio Thrift Store.

This is such a fun place! A nice mix of used and new merchandise and an all-around fun place to shop.

I didn’t buy anything there, but we had a lot of fun poking around and plenty of good laughs.

Sharon wanted to treat me to a late birthday lunch, so we headed to Olive Garden for lunch and more girl talk. Since I am eating healthy now, I opted for the soup and salad lunch. It was the perfect choice for a hot summer day.

All in all, I came home with a dress, a book, and a smile in my heart.

I really needed this day. To be honest, I’ve been feeling a little “blah” lately.

There’s no better medicine than time spent with a good friend

A Tale of Two Superheroes

My new book, Superheroes, asks the question: Can the power of love turn ordinary people into superheroes? The answer is yes, I believe it can. You see it every day, not only in the brave, heroic acts of everyday people, but also the smaller, quieter ones. In selfless giving. In courage in the face of danger. In simply doing what you can, with what you have, to make someone else’s life a little better.

My nephew, Joseph, is a volunteer fireman. He selflessly gives his time, often putting himself in harm’s way, for the sake of people he doesn’t even know. He doesn’t wear a cape (unless he’s playing with his children) But he is a living, breathing superhero just the same.

My nephew, Michael, is a young man with intellectual disabilities. He likes purple shirts and orange shirts and coloring books. He takes note of who is in church each week, and who isn’t. On Sundays, after lunch, he sits down and quietly makes a card out of construction paper and pictures cut from his coloring books, for every person on the prayer list. I have been the recipient of many such cards. They are treasures. He does what he can, with what he has been given, out of love and compassion. A superhero, indeed. I dedicated my book to him

Sometimes the smallest towns hold the biggest secrets.

Superheroes Coming August 22

Two cool things

It’s still hot in Southern Ohio. From the looks of the forecast, it plans to stay that way, at least for the next ten days. But we’ve been having these lovely little pop-up showers lately. They seem to come out of nowhere and leave just as quickly, but they bring such blessed relief. We had one last night.

After the rain, I went rummaging in my kitchen for a healthy and delicious snack. By putting together some odds and ends, I actually came up with one

Peach smoothie!

I had a half a freezer bag of peaches left from last year. I combined it with a half cup of milk, a half teaspoon of honey, some cinnamon and a pinch of ginger. It was delicious and refreshing!

Thank You, God, for small pleasures and sweet moments