Thursday, January 12, 2017

Hello Sunshine!

A glorious day!
What an absolutely gorgeous day we've had today! The sun was shining, the temperature was in the seventies, and it felt so good, literally. For the past few months, I've been freezing. Wearing long johns has become a daily joke at my house but for me, it's been a necessary evil. Since having my thyroid gland removed in 2005, my body's thermostat is out of whack. The doctors try their best to regulate my thyroid hormones with supplements but it's a roller coaster. If it's within normal range, I feel pretty good and I'm fairly warm. When it's too low, I freeze and am lethargic. Right now, I'm in the freezing zone so I'll be visiting the endocrinologist in a couple of weeks to get things back on an even keel. I know my hubby will be glad to have me back in the normal range because the setting on our thermostat will return to 68 instead of 78.

Yesterday, one of my daughters and I spent most of the day stacking wood. We'd recently purchased firewood from a local dealer and he'd dumped the load on the other side of our driveway.
More wood to stack
It needed to be stacked neatly to keep it dry so guess who got the brilliant idea to do it? Moi! I was feeling good yesterday and had a boost of energy from a couple of cups of green tea but I should have known better. I paid the price for that hair brained idea last night. When it was time for bed, I was hurting so badly I couldn't get comfortable. I tossed and turned all night and finally, at 3 a.m. this morning, got up and took a couple of Benadryl to help me fall asleep. I did finally get to sleep but woke up this morning at 9 feeling groggy. I've felt loopy all day so I don't think I'll do that again.
This is an antique birdhouse I found at a thrift store. I loved it!

Bluebird house
Staying indoors for weeks at a time is not healthy! As a survivor of breast cancer, it's challenging to keep my Vitamin D levels up anyway so when the sun shines, I enjoy sitting outside and basking in its warmth. The sun felt so good on my cheek as I sat on the swing listening to the birds. (We have a very wooded lot and have many species of birds around. By providing different types of bird food and various housing options, we're always blessed with lots of birds.) Today I saw a Tufted Titmouse, a Black Capped Chickadee, a Downy Woodpecker, some Starlings, Goldfinch, Bluebirds, Cardinals and Mourning Doves.

 I love the sounds of country life and don't miss the city at all. Cars and trucks constantly run up and down our street but we have learned to tune those sounds out and tune in the beautiful bird calls and other sounds of nature around us. In the evenings, we enjoy listening to frogs croaking, crickets chirping, and Cicada rubbing their wings together.

Poinsettia from Christmas
Warmer weather allowed me to take my plants back outside, too. We've had them stored in the carport for the past couple of months due to the cold. Hopefully, we'll stay in this warming trend for the next few weeks and my plants can get some much needed sun.

It's been a good day and I am thankful. Good days haven't been plentiful for a while and it feels so nice to have one now and then. The little things mean so much more to me lately than ever before. Life is short and I'm so thankful to be living. The Bible says to "Rejoice in the Lord always" and that's what I'm doing today. God is good, all the time.


My hen and chicks are happy in the sun!

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