June 14--Spread Love and Kindness

A prayer for today from Mary Davis:

Thank you for this precious day. May I use it well. May I have a keen eye for joy and beauty, and the delights of small things. May I spread love and kindness generously, laugh easily, and feel the ever-present peace of your light with every breath and with every step. Amen.

    I'm taking a break from the blog. It may be a day, a week or forever. 

    Thank you for reading!

        Leta

Lilies, my favorite beauties in my garden

June 13--Goodbye for Now

The best name I could ever be called is "Grammie."  --Leta Miller

    This Grammie is in multi-directional tears, sad to see my son and grandsons head back to MN, and so joyfully happy for a super-fantastic visit. Much healing occurred. 

        Leta

More from our Zoo fun

June 12--Zoo Fun

There is no right answer and no one path.  --Mary Davis

    Yesterday we went to the Sedgwick County Zoo, a world-class zoo in Wichita, Kansas. It is truly an amazing zoo for a city our size. Our foremost mission was to see the baby elephants, of which there are now three at our zoo, which is truly outstanding. We headed to that area first and to our delight, two were out roaming with their mothers. We next meandered to the gorilla exhibit with an air-conditioned indoor viewing area where we took a break to rest and give our 9-month-old grandson a bottle. We sat by the windows long enough that a couple gorillas came over to investigate and one of them (below) elected to entertain us. I walked over two miles using the stroller for stability, and that was my longest walk since I came home from my big trip. Progress!

    Life is good with grandkids in the house!

        Leta

Squealing adorable!!!!!!!

June 11--Some Days Are Like That

Needing to have things perfect is the surest way to immobilize yourself with frustration.  --Wayne Dyer

    Yesterday my frustration with my body, my clumsy limping walk, ongoing aches and pains, and slow healing literally overflowed, and I had a day of copious soul-rinsing. I also had the complete joy of baby-sitting my 9-month-old grandson. Although that time did not go according to his usual schedule, I had the great joy of holding and rocking him for over an hour. This was, of course, in the same rocker where I spent many hours rocking his dad--big tears of joy on that one! 

    Sometimes tears simply cannot be stopped and they must be given their freedom. 

        Leta

June 10--Sunshine in a Flower

Beauty is whatever gives joy.  --Edna St. Vincent Millay

    Two years ago in the fall, when visiting Colorado, I gathered some spent wild sunflowers from the roadside and eventually sprinkled the seeds in a section of my garden. Last spring some of the seeds sprouted, enough to replenish the plot for this spring. Now in the second year in my garden, they are going gang-busters. Our recent wind and rain storms have beaten them up. I shall have to figure out a way to bring them back to standing nicely. One precocious plant bloomed earlier than the rest; it is pictured below. 

    Sunflowers make me happy. Oh, is that why I ended up living in the Sunflower State?!?!

        Leta

June 9--Beyond Joy!!

There are no words to describe the happiness in holding your baby’s baby. 
--Unknown, from Google

    This one made me cry. Because this week, I am getting to do that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    And I'm going to go do more of it now!

        Leta

June 8--Humility

HOPE, which stands for How Our Power/Presence Expresses. 
--Raymont Anderson

    I am lately pondering the concept of humility. Being a few months shy of 70, and in the midst of a lengthy physical recovery, the word "elderly" is too often in my mind. Yuck! The old people around me are elderly, I'm not! Wait, yes, I am. While I am determined to live my intention to "stay healthy and active," it's not as easy as it used to be. And using a cane, which I have been doing in an attempt to keep my gait more normal, is a practice which screams "elderly." There's a fine balance between staying positive and hopeful, yet accepting that I'm not going to live forever, and I'm not above all the illnesses and injuries that take people out. 

    One day at a time, keep moving, do the next right thing...

        Leta

Chihuly glass beauty,
Adelaide Botanical Garden, Australia

June 7--Getting It Right

Making mistakes is a lot better than not doing anything.  --Billie Joe Armstrong

My apologies! Those of you who get an email with the day's blog post received the post yesterday with an incorrect link to the Loneliness Epidemic video (horrors--it was a Trump-Musk thing--YUCK!!!). I'm so sorry about that. It has been corrected on the blog, so you can go to the June 6 post or see the video here. 

    Back to our "regularly scheduled program"... Here is the Note from the Universe (Mike Dooley) from June 4:

Giving tells the Universe that you believe you are provided for.

The act of giving is a demonstration of faith that you will remain whole, that your coffers will be replenished, and that love is what matters most.

And for whosoever believes these things to be true, it shall become their reality, and abundance shall be showered upon them unceasingly, as if the heavens had opened up.

Adventurers 9:19 -

The Universe

    And yesterday's amusing liquor store sign: "I need to keep all my Dad jokes in a Dad-a-base."

    Enjoy your Saturday!
        Leta

A lovely from Google

June 6--Loneliness Epidemic

Forget sex or politics or religion, loneliness is a subject that clears out a room. 
--Douglas Coupland

    There is a video on youtube by Alvin Chang about the loneliness epidemic. The 1440 Daily Digest describes it this way: "For 20 years, the Bureau of Labor Statistics has tracked how Americans spend their time. The resulting portrait showcases how lonely we have become." It is well worth the time to view the 6-minute presentation. 

The Loneliness Epidemic video

    I became acutely aware of loneliness in the worst of the sciatica pain, especially when my husband was away for a week. I saw personally how loneliness messes with one's mental abilities, and how it puts one on a slippy slope into depression. I also note how interconnected grief and loneliness are.

    It takes some effort, but I do believe we have the power to overcome loneliness. Reaching out is good for both parties. 

        Leta

This guy's angel love got me through
the worst of the pain.

June 5--Water

Water centers me, calms me, heals me and restores me.  --Mary Davis

    There is a book by marine biologist Wallace J. Nichols titled "Blue Mind." The subtitle is "The Surprising Science That Shows How Being In, Near, On, or Under Water Can Make You Happier, Healthier, More Connected, and Better at What You Do." I have not read the book, but I agree 100% with the subtitle. 

    My dad taught me to swim at Whipple Dam State Park in central Pennsylvania. I was probably five or six years old. Then my mom talked him into building a swimming pool at our house, and he went all in for a 20x40' cement in-ground pool. I have been a water-lover since early days, and that skill of swimming has served me well my entire life. It has been especially helpful in my recovery from sciatica. 

    Some of my favorite memories from this year's trip to Australia/New Zealand/Bali involve water. The No. 1 highlight was snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef. I am always in awe of the whole other world of life, color and variety under the surface of the water. Another highlight was releasing baby turtles into a big new life in the Indian Ocean. And lastly, the photo below was at Candi Beach Resort in Bali where we had the joy of morning meditation with ocean waves crashing just a few yards away from us. 

    There is another ocean/beach vacation in my near future, and I can hardly wait for the healing and peace!

        Leta

June 4--Let's Talk TP

Endangered forests are being slaughtered for toilet paper.  --Daphne Zuniga

    Yes, there are lots of quotes out there in Google land about TP. 

    I try not to do much impulse-purchasing, but when I was in Bali, some of my online reading led me to honeycomb. Here is the summary from the website:

We created honeycomb to make it easy for anyone to start using eco-friendly products.

If every household were to change nothing else about their habits except swapping their toilet tissue, we would save 27,000 trees per day. That feels pretty big, so we worked hard to make the softest sustainable tissue possible - without trees.

We offer our toilet tissue subscription as a simple way to help you commit to one eco-friendly habit. You're welcome to pause or adjust your frequency at any time - but we think you'll feel pretty good about the good you're doing.

    The honeycomb TP is made from bamboo. Bamboo grows like rabbits multiply. I would say that I am rather picky about TP. (Isn't everyone?) Having made it through our first box of bamboo tissue, we shall continue to use the honeycomb brand. 

    I think that many of us want to do more to support our marvelous planet, but we don't know what to do or how we can have any meaningful effect. I think the honeycomb TP is an excellent way to bless and keep our forests. 

        Leta

June 3--Celebrate!

If you're not laughing on the pickleball court, you're doing it wrong. 
--Unknown, from Google

    Today is our younger son's birthday. That super-creative toddler has turned into an awesome, talented, brilliant, loving young man. OK, that's his mom talking, I'll grant you that 😉

    I played pickleball yesterday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Big deal, you say (with a yawn)?!?!? Yes, it is. It was my first time on the court since sciatica wrecked my left leg and balance. Six weeks of physical therapy and a lot of home exercise work got me to the point where I felt OK to try it. As synchronicity would have it, there was another returning person who needed to take it easy and come back gently. Our buds were (mostly) very kind to us, and we enjoyed a couple games and declared it a "great comeback." I missed a few shots that I might have reached pre-sciatica days, but that could not overshadow my joy of being back on the court. 

    Then I went to my "last" PT appointment. Being the "last," the therapist evaluated me relative to the goals originally set for me when I started PT six weeks ago. One goal example is being able to go up and down stairs without using the handrail, and I can go down, but not up, without the rail. Long story short, I have eight more PT sessions scheduled over the next month. 

    I want my life back!!! Getting stronger every day,

        Leta

June 3 Astronomy Picture of the Day
by Miguel Claro

June 2--Moving Into Summer

I've always wanted to go to Switzerland to see what the army does with those wee red knives.  --Billy Connolly

    Here we are, Monday morning. I had a decent weekend, and I feel very self-righteous because yesterday I cleaned our kitchen. The Cubs took two out of three from the Reds, and the Pacers eliminated the Knicks and now have the chance to meet the OKC Thunder in the NBA Finals, starting Thursday. 

    I am bummed that the Joann Fabric stores have closed. My niece in Ohio lives about two miles from the Joann world headquarters, and the thought of that huge, awesome store being closed forever is so distressing. It feels like an omen that goods are simply going to be harder and harder to get, or at least much more expensive.  

    This morning is my slow and gentle return to pickleball... stay tuned!

        Leta

In my garden... Nature's gig is BEAUTY!!

June 1--Fine Entertainment

Some people without brains do an awful lot of talking, don't they? 
--The Scarecrow, "The Wizard of Oz"

    I have mentioned in previous posts how much I love the regular Cubs announcers, Jim Deshaies (JD) and Jon Sciambi (Boog). They are ages 64 and 55 respectively. Being those ages, topics will come up that only folks of a certain age would understand (think rotary-dial phones). Yesterday's broadcast wandered to "The Wizard of Oz," and Boog admitted that the flying monkeys freaked him out as a kid. (Note: the game was not boring, they just touch on a huge number of topics during a game.) This led me to wondering--that movie is a classic, a huge part of my upbringing--do they still show it? The flying monkeys are nothing in comparison to some of today's horror movies. My life would have been so different without the repeating pleasure of "The Wizard of Oz," "Gone with the Wind," and "White Christmas." I remember when our sons were younger that we had them watch "2001: A Space Odyssey" with us, and they thought it was the dumbest movie ever. Old or not, there is a tremendous amount of metaphysical wisdom in the "Wizard."

    Yesterday's ballpark giveaway was a headband with hair that looks like the thick, curly locks of Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson. Those are modeled in the photo below, along with "Boog's Paperweight" (a brick to keep papers from blowing away in the gusty Wrigley Field wind) and the oven mitt. Players wear oven-mitt-type gloves when sliding to prevent hand injuries, so someone sent Boog a real oven mitt made with baseball fabric. Note that this is useful as a hand-warmer in the booth for chilly early-season Chicago temperatures.  

    The moral of my story? Never a dull moment watching these two!

    I LOVE BASEBALL!!!

        Leta

JD, left, Boog, right... great announcers and
superior entertainment