Poision Ivy ...I've still fighting

I had to go back to the doctor's today. My poison ivy is still not in check. My left arm is still hurts and is so red. It actually feels like a burn. It was clearing up but appears to be kicking up again. I hope this second prescription does the trick.

Today we had to perform lawn services at the residence I got the poison ivy in the first place. I steered clear of the infected part of the yard. I didn't pull any weeds by hand today. I let my husband do ALL the trimming.

We have already had three people offer to buy our lawn service business when we move. We plan on working until the end of the season. We've told most of our customers we are moving. We figure they can find someone else to do their lawns in the spring. I don't think it is proper to sell or give our customers names to anyone. Most are elderly. I don't want anyone to take advantage of any of them.

It's time to hit the shower. We did 5 lawns today and I'm tired. I've had to buy new shoes last week. My knees feel GREAT!! It's amazing how a good pair of shoes can make such a difference. I've been very happy with Cobbie Cuddler but I decided to try another shoe this time. I bought Hanes Sport. They are very comfortable and give plenty of support.

Losing the Battle with My Poison Ivy

About 10 days ago, I was cutting trees and pulling weeds out of scrubbery for one of my customers. The following day, I noticed some red marks on my left arm. I figured they were mosquito bites. I was sure wrong. As the days pasted, it spread from my arm,to my hands, to my neck and face, and my legs.

I had to admit my husband was right....it was poison ivy. We were in Tennessee when it got really bad. I tried calamine lotion, calydryl and medicated powder. Nothing helped,it kept spreading. We got back to Illinois Tuesday night and I made a beeline to the doctor's office Wednesday. He gave me a prescription for Methylprednisolone Tablets. I can already tell it's working. The itching has quit and it is drying up. My arm is still very red. I'm hoping it doesn't leave a scar. Anything is better than that constant itching.

I hope I've learned my lesson. My husband always tells me to wear gloves when I'm doing yard work. I'm going to wear long sleeves when I am picking up yards waste as well. Life is a long learning process. Another lesson learned....moving on to the next one.

Home Again, Home Again

We got back to Illinois last night around 5:00pm. Hauling the trailer has turned it into an eleven hour trip each way. I got the papers for the new house signed last Friday. We then went to Lowe's and bought a new refrigerator, stove, washer and dryer in Corinth, MS. I couldn't believe it, but they were able to deliver them all on Saturday. I was impressed with such fast service.

I've taken care of all the utilites except the tv cable. They are coming out to the house next Thursday. I'm sighing already, thinking of the long drive again next Wednesday. I can't begin to guess how many loads this move is going to take. With each trip, I'm probably going to get rid of more and more stuff.

My husband is calling me. It's time to go cut customer's lawns. We both have volunteer work at 11:00, so we won't get much done this morning. One lawn is better than none.

Follow ing My Yellow Brick Road

Today we cut some lawns and took mom to the doctor. We are finally ready to go....our first load to Tennessee. We are only driving half way and spending the night. Driving straight through is so hard on me. I'm hoping the rain holds off. It has been threating all day. We had a few sprinkles when we were cutting grass this morning.

I'm sure we've forgotten something essential. I'm going to help my husband build our garage. This should be some experience. I received a cortisone shot in my left shoulder yesterday. It's doing better already. My husband got one in the heel of is foot. He is feeling better too. Poor guy stubbed his baby toe yesterday and it's killing him. Talk about some bad luck.

I have always liked adventure. I plan on making this new move fun. Mom and I are going to be exploring the various shops in town and the surrounding community. I'm looking forward to going to the coffee shop and meeting people. They have a nice looking community building. I can't wait to check it out.

Time to head out. I'll be back in about a week

So Many Things to Do.....So Little Time

Yesterday my girlfriend came down to the house and we were trying to work on our book we started writing months ago. I'm trying to get it typed so it will be easier to edit. If the phone wasn't ringing, there was someone at the door. I didn't get much accomplished. It was so frustrating.

Today looks like a repeat of yesterday. I've got to run some errands for a friend....in town and out of town. I also have my doctor appointment at 9:15 for my shoulder. There are lawns we need to mow but it just started raining. My girlfriend plans on coming down this afternoon so we can continue to work on the book. I feel like I'm way behind already.

At 6:30 am, my husband and I started getting more stuff together to take to our new house. One load half ready, 50 more to go. The other day we went out to our storage unit and loaded some furniture. I was looking threw some stuff and it brought back so many memories of our old house. We laughed and hugged and relived some of our funniest experiences. It was great.

We plan on leaving tomorrow morning afer we cut our commerical customer's grass. I like to have that place looking great on the weekends. They get a lot of visitors from Chicago and the suburbs on the weekends. We do have three great state parks within 20 miles of each other. I haven't been to any of them this year. Perhaps it's because I drive by them so often, they just don't seem special to me.

Time to get ready for my appointment. Off on another day of adventure. Going to stay focused on good eating habits and drinking lots of water. It will be interesting tonight to see how well I have followed through with these good intentions.

Losing a Neighbor/ a Friend

Today when we came home from church, there were so many cars parked in our block. We saw so many people at the neighbor's house across the street. Of course, my husband had to go over to see ...figuring it was a birthday party for one of their grandchildren.

Alex came back with such a shocked look on his face. He said, "Patty has died." I couldn't believe it.....thinking, she's younger than me. I had just been talking to her a few days ago. She was telling me how much they were going to miss us when we move.

Her husband had told Alex she had rotor cuff surgery on Thursday and had been recuperating at her sister's house. She had checked on her this morning at 5:30 and she was fine....rechecked her at 7:00 am, and she was gone.

Tuesday I've got an appointment with the doctor for my shoulder. Geesh....I'm telling him I only want a cortisone shot. I've only had two surgeries in my whole 55 years of existence....the last one being over 25 years ago.

I realize in the blink of an eye, God can call us home. I've got to quit putting off calling or going to see people....sending "Thinking of You" notes.

This is the second friend I've lost in the past 10 days. All I can do is pray for them and their families.

Burn 600 Calories in 30 Minutes

I made my usual trip over to Ebay to check out the latest weight loss items. I came across this weight loss belt. It claims you can burn 600 calories in 30 minutes while watching tv. There is a money back guarantee. The cost is $149.99 with a shipping charge of $19.99. Wow!!

I have burned 600 calories working out at the gym. I worked up a good sweat and I know it took longer than 30 minutes.

I guess I am a skeptic. I always remember my dad telling me, "If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is."

Weight up, Weight Down, Weight Up, Weight Down

Things have been so hectic the past few days. I've been cutting lawns, volunteering at the free clinic, and the hospital. The mortgage broker and I have been playing phone tag. We finally caught up with each other yesterday and have set the date for closing on the house for next Friday. I called the insurance company down there again today and missed the agent again. According to the lady working in the office, everything is set. I told her I haven't received any information. The agent is suppose to call tomorrow with the details.

My husband and mom are excited about the move. It really hasn't sunk in yet for me.
I am looking forward to milder winters. The older I get, the less I like cold weather and snow.

The past week I haven't logged my food intake. I've been eating at Wendy's almost everyday.....baked potatoe/butter and a small chili and washing it down with a diet coke. A couple of days I also had a small vanilla frosty. Weight up, weight down, weight up, weight down......what a yoyo.

I find when I make weight loss my primary focus...I don't lose weight like I think I should. I've decided my main focus is going to be eating healthy because I WANT to. If I lose weight fine......if not......thanks ok too. I get plenty of exercise. I love being outdoors.

Time to pick some tomatoes in the garden. We have been giving so many away. It's always a good feeling when I can share with others.

Off to Burn Calories in the Grassland

My husband is loading up the rest of the lawn equipment. It's only 7:20 and I feel like we are behind already. We've got those 4/5 acres to cut today. I always burn tons of calories on this job. My husband is going to cut out some trees along the fence line. I'm hoping the kids have the yard picked up. I'm always afraid of running over something so I always walk the back yard before we cut it. Last week I found a big pick laying in the yard. It reminded me of the kind coal miners used in the old days. That would have ruined our lawn mower.

I started the day with a Lit and Fit Yogurt made by Dannon. I tried the blueberry yesterday and the strawberry today. They are both great and only 60 calories. I'm taking a large insulated cup of Lipton diet green tea with me to drink while cutting grass.

It's been about a week since I've weighed myself. I'm going to try and remember to do that tomorrow morning. As busy as I've been this past week, I'm sure hope I've lost weight. Losing weight....slow and steady. I know it's the right way...but my patience.......grrrrrrrrr

I'm grabbing my pedometer and heading for the door.

Weight Loss Reduces Stress on the Knees in a Big Way

We're playing the catch up game with the grass cutting again. The darn rain always throws off plans. Yesterday, we picked up a new customer. We met her a few months ago in Hardees. (Sometimes we go up there at 6:00 am to meet with the morning regulars.) She is 82 years old and finally decided she can't cut her lawn anymore. I sure hope I have that type of fortitude when I get older. Her lawn is meticulous. I couldn't bring myself to charge her. She was feeling too bad about having to give up cutting her grass. Instead, I got something much better than money, I got a big hug and a thank you. Those two things are priceless.

We did a total of 3 lawns yesterday. I had stuff to do inbewteen for my volunteer job which took over 3 hours even with husband helping. I totalled up 19,720 steps. Of course that meant my knees were killing me last night. This morning I'm feeling fine. I just have to face that having sore knees is going to continue until I get to my appropriate weight. For every one pound a person loses, it takes 4 pounds of stress of the knees. This amounts to a reduction of 4,800 pounds per mile. Here is a great article which goes into depth about the weight and knees. This site also has other relative information. With the pain I'm having, those figures have me more determined to lose weight.