Friends and Family!!

My daughter's gone....oh she's not gone-gone but she was staying with me for a few weeks until she found a more permanent place....now she's gone and I miss her already. The last time she and I spent time together in the same house was over 20 years ago during her hard teen years...and I must say I truly love and admire the woman she has become.

We would sit in our jammies and share our life and our hearts. What is it about jammies that inspire friends to share more deeply?

I just returned from Astoria and the "Great Columbia River Crossing". This bridge that starts in Oregon and ends in Washington

and crosses the mouth of the Columbia river is one of the longest of it's kind in the world. Every year they close one lane of the bridge for two hours and over 3,000 people sign up to walk or run it's mighty span of over four miles. Eleven friends and I rented the "Penthouse" suite overlooking the bridge and the river. We spent the weekend laughing...sharing...eating...and laughing some more. Friends and family that know me inside and out and choose to love me anyway...that's what it's all about!!!

BEACH FEAT...OR BEACH FEET??

Feat...an astounding act of courage...endurance...or strength!!

Feet...take me where I want to go...with courage...with endurance....and strength!!

See these feet...hard to believe they are 66 years old...they don't hurt....they still get me where I need to go...and the most amazing thing is while every other part of my body has grown...my feet are still the same size as they were in high school...and not wanting to brag to much I also need to say that my earrings from my high school days still fit.

Last Thursday my feet completed an amazing feat!!My four week 1,120 hour Parkinson's study at

OHSU in done...finished...completed.  The purpose of the study was to prove that with a daily exercise program you can delay or stall the progression of this disease. I also need to add here that this exercise schedule needs to include at least 3 varied forms of exercise. They had me kayaking...Yoga...boxing...and crazy agility stuff that involved tires and jumping....and then....they would have me do these different exercises while counting from 100 backwards by threes. Jumping through tires...now that was a feat for these feet!!

Two years ago I did this same study with OHSU before they had funding to do the actual study. Before each study began they would hook me up to all kinds of wires and electrodes and then do very technical testing of balance, agility and other things involving cognitive thinking tasks. My goal was to continue with this crazy form of exercise to see how it affected the progression of Parkinson's.

They called me the other day with exciting news. They compared my testing from two years ago with my current testing and I actually scored better now than two years ago. WOOT...WOOT

But....now I have to continue this crazy exercise program...and they have added skipping. So if you happen to see me skipping around my house....while pretending I'm in a kayak....screaming out numbers at the top of my lungs....please don't call the white coat people.


 

A few of my favorite things...

With my very very busy schedule this past couple of months I was thinking I needed to slow down...don't plan so much....say no more often...go back to when life was less hectic. I did have a very hard time remembering that far back...you know..back when life was less hectic. But I did remember a few of my favorite things.

I remember my Mom coming to my room every morning and singing "Good morning sunshine". When a teenager I hated to hear that song because I knew it was then time to get out of bed. Oh how I wish I could hear her sing it just one more time. She loved flowers. Flowers in the garden...flowers in a vase...or just pictures of flowers. I wonder if she would enjoy looking at the 179 pictures of dahlia's I took a couple of weeks ago at the dahlia festival. YES MOM...one-hundred and seventy-nine. What was I thinking??  I think I must have inherited Mom's love of flowers.

Today must be a day of reminiscing because I was also thinking about my husband and pay phones booths. Remember pay phones....oh what fun they were!!  My husband was the king of seeing how many friends he could cram into a phone booth. On Saturday night dates that was not only a past-time but a hilariously fun hobby. I wonder at times what fun things are left for our young teenagers to do now a days? While in the restroom at the hospital the other day the lady in the stall next to me was just chattin away on her cell phone. I think she also misses the booth and so she pretends while in her little stall chattting away on her cell phone. I could say something here about making her deposit...but I won't.

Another favorite thing that I miss is traveling in our motor home with family and friends. When you loose your husband you also loose your lifestyle. I miss sitting down at the dinner table and eating a real meal....yes I know no one does that anymore but I did for 45 years and now it's dinner on a TV tray or standing in the kitchen. My lifestyle this past 19 months has changed 360 degrees....and I miss my old life. 

I miss my husband's friends. He had three really close friends that would visit him often his last year of life...and I miss them. It was fine when I was married to sit for hours and visit with them while Reub snoozed...but now I'm a single woman and they are married and with that status comes a host of other issues.

But since I am a glass half full type of person I would rather count my blessings and list them one by one....but there's not time in this day to finish that list. But I think it did my heart and soul good to reminisce, because by remembering what I miss most....reminded me what I still have.

EZEKIEL 34:26 .....there will be showers of blessings.

The pirate bride!!

This weekend my sister and I were invited on the sailboat of long time family friends to attend a pig roast on an island in the Columbia river. It was a three day event and about thirty sailboats were docked on the island for the festivities. The pig roast was attended by 50 or so people dressed as pirates....acting like pirates....and I think at times they actually thought they were pirates.  Saturday evening they had a pirate wedding performed by a young man dressed as a pirate with his newly acquired internet license stating he was legal to perform marriages.  I had a fun weekend with some old friends and some new friends.

But I arrived home with a sad heart. Sad for a number of reasons. Sad because I had been reminiscing off and on most of the day yesterday. It was the anniversary of Reuben's and my marriage 47 years earlier...and  sad because I received some very depressing news of a dear friend who's long time marriage is ending....and sad because two people dress up like pirates and are married by a reverand toting a internet license to marry...a toy gun...a plastic cannon...a patch over one eye....and a belly full of rum. I was sad because the wedding of these two people was a joke....legal as all get-out...but treated as a joke. 

So this morning I am praying for my very close friend and her broken heart. I am praying for her peace as she talks to her attorney today...and I am praying for the new couple that started their marriage as a joke.

Please God hear my prayers and see my tears!!

Lets talk apples...Infidelity...and other related subjects!!

A friend told me that recently they read that over 75% of married couples have an affair at some point in their marriage. Unbelievable!! So being the super curious person that I am I decided to inquire of someone more knowledgeable then myself....Google is one of the smartest men I know. What I found astonished me. I read that 80% of the multi-millionaires have extra-maritial affairs but they have decided to conserve during this recession and have cut back on lovers gifts. Good for them for doing their part in this down economy.

I also read that 53% of marriages end in divorce...since I beat the odds and was married for 45 years ....is it any wonder I never want to re-marry.
But I also read that only 3% of marriages arranged by their parents ends in divorce...so I guess I need to re-phrase that previous statement....if my parents want to arrange my marriage...I'll do it!!!

So trying really hard to find something Google had to say to brighten my day...make me laugh...or at least smile, I decided to inquire again of the all knowing Google man, and maybe another site would have more cheerful facts.

 Alas..he brought me apples. YES apples!!! For some unknown reason I was on a web page about apples, and that brought back beautiful memories of the snow apples I ate last winter while in Southern California. Beautiful deep crimson color...snow white flesh....tender, aromatic...sweet and tart at the same time. Oh if you've never had a snow apple..be sure and look for them this fall.

Thank you God for turning my attention from such dour statistics to such a great memory of those sweet tasty apples.

Don't worry....be happy!!

One of my favorite songs from the 80's....going through my head this morning...over and over and over.

Don't worry, be happy..in every life we have some trouble,
when we worry we make it double.
Ain't got no place to lay your head..someone came and took your bed
Don't worry...be happy!
Cause when you worry your face willl frown
and that will bring everybody down
So don't worry .....be happy!!

I went to bed last night praying for my family...well maybe it is called worrying. I didn't think I was worrying...but maybe so. I have three sisters and and two of them are out of work and the one sister that does have a job, her husband has been job hunting for over a year and their financial status is looking grim. I have friends that really took a tumble when their 401K was suddenly turned into a 101K. I watch the dour financial news on TV...I hear about our unemployment rate...I listen to talk show hosts talk about doom and gloom....and then I'm not sleeping again...which is just delightful!! 

So I have decided to use the TV remote and everytime doom and gloom is forcasted I will click to another channel.  I will love not being crazy-pants anymore about all this financial stuff. In fact I decided I'm not going to participate in this "recession" anymore. I am not going to fixate on the economy. I am not going to listen to all the in-depth coverage. I am not going to go to sleep each night worrying about everyone's job....about inflation....about stagnation...staycations...because my obsessive worry has NO EFFECT AT ALL ON THE OUTCOME. The economy doesn't call me each day to see how I feel about it. If I choose to think about something else like green beans or watermelon margarita's the economy doesn't get worse. It doesn't get better either. It fact I have no control over any of this. All I can control is how I choose to see everything. I have decided instead to think on the things instead that I like. Things that are in my realm of control..prudent spending...saving what I can...exercise to stay as healthy as I can...keeping my thought tuned into good things so I can sleep better at night. Things that are lovely and beautiful. Like flowers...and tea....and Goodwill shopping....lunch with friends and sisters....outings with family...the weather...the sun...Starbucks coffee...Sunday morning church...and laughing with my neighbor over the mutant zukes in our garden.

Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, if anything is excellent or praise worthy....think on these things. Philippians 4:8

Parkinson's update!!

No one I know wants to have Parkinson's disease, including me. But sooner or later life will put real challenges in front of all of us. It has been eight years since my diagnosis and I realize now that PD is not the end, but the beginning of testing my own mettle, and realizing that there are many things far crueler in this world than Parkinson's...and realizing that I just don't have time to feel sorry for myself.

Parkinson's is a battle. But it's a battle that energizes me and gives me purpose. I just started another PD clinical trial at OHSU and after just one day I was energized with a new purpose to do all I can....for as long as I can...help as much as I can...and remain as healthy as I can.

This study is conducted to determine the responsiveness of PD and the symptoms associated with it, with an intensive physical therapy exercise program. Is Parkinson's sensitive to change? This study is 70 minutes every day....four days a week for four weeks. They study my balance and gait before and then again after two intensive, supervised, exercise programs. They expect to see improvement in balance and gait performance. Then this pilot clinical trial will result in a larger trial to determine the most effective exercise for improved mobility in PD patients. I am so excited to be chosen to participate in this study. Today my physical therapist was consuled and asked if they could come and video me for a segment they are doing for public relations. I'm going to be a star...but don't worry...I won't forget my friends when I am rich and famous.  :)

view from the hill

Like everyone else I do wory about things...I worry about my future and the progression of my disease. Will my savings last long enough? Will my mental faculities be affected? I worry that someday all I'll be able to do it sit watching Oprah all day in between massages and sponge baths from Fabio, the hunky healthcare worker I keep dreaming about...so now that I think about it I guess it's not all bad.