Full Of Surprises

     Life is full of surprises, some good and some not so good.  Hopefully we can capitalize on the good surprises and conquer or ignore the bad ones.  Some of us like surprises (especially good ones) and others of us want to know everything that's happening and have as much control as possible.  I tend to be more like that.  I like to have a plan and then execute it accordingly.




     I have come to expect the unexpected, because not everything in life is expected, and we don't always get what we plan or expect.  God calls us to trust Him, give Him control of our lives, and not worry about tomorrow.  I have not done well at accomplishing this, but continue to work at it.

     Saturday I woke up sore in several more places.  Fifty seven year old bodies are just not well equipped to fall 4 feet off a horse (well, more like tumble, I held on as long as possible) and be drug along the ground.  I am lucky I have minimal scrapes, bruises, stiff muscles and aching tendons.
                                                         
     It was a glorious day of sunshine and warm air to my amazement.  I loaded Roni (he only hesitated for a few seconds) and drove 11 miles to Megan's farm.  She and her boyfriend were working on repairs out in the barn.  I gave her some eggs and signed papers and unloaded Roni.  I took my time getting him tacked and ready to ride.

     Megan showed me around a little more and answered some questions.  Then I took Roni into the arena, walked him around, lunged him and then rode.  I was astonished at how well he did.  This built up my confidence and his too I think.


     I got home for a late lunch then went out to work with Amiga.  This was her first time to be ridden since early December.  I was surprised at how calm she was.  She did miss some leg and reign cues, and I was especially having troubles stopping her from a walk and getting her to back up.  But she was moving well and I
                                                     saw no lameness issues.

    Hercules came strutting over to see what I was up to while taking Amiga's picture.  After riding, I did some work around the yard and paddock, knowing snow was coming.  Then  Joe and I went out to dinner, to the new restaurant, Teddy Buckman's, in LeRoy, followed by going to the movie OZ.  It was in 3-D, and was amazing how the images pop out of the screen coming toward you.  I was startled and flinched (and maybe screamed) a number of times. 



     It was no surprise, but still a bit of a shock, to see snow when I got up Sunday morning.  Abbey joined me at my computer before sunrise. Snowfall had started an hour or two earlier.


     View on my way to the chicken coop at 6:30 for morning chores.



     Brother, who had been absent six days, must have come home during the night.  He came out from under the back deck to greet me.

     Snow was already accumulating in the barn where it finds its way between the roof lines when the wind is out of the east.





     I put hay on the west side of the barn for the horses because of the wind's direction.


     We were under a winter weather advisory, but I needed to go in, to work in the nursery.  I was astonished that almost half the teachers did not show up so I was moved to a different room and we combined age groups, so Chris and I had 16 month to 3 year olds.  We got along great, only having 9 children total, and it was fun to see the bigger kids interact with the little ones.
                                                           The snow was coming down harder
                                                      when I drove home after Church. I was
thankful to be in the Expedition, but even it slid a little on occasion.  It snowed all day, turning into a full blown snow storm by mid-afternoon.  It was whiteout conditions, strong winds straight out of the north, and plenty of drifting snow.  Joe and I went to the Replex where I met Marj.  We walked and talked and lifted weights.  Joe was done before us, so Marj gave me a ride
home once we had finished.

     Joe had put the horses into the barn by 3pm, so I went out and feed them and the cows who were hunkered down in the corn crib.  The chickens (and turkey) were all in the coop so at least I didn't have to round any of them up.  Even Brother was with Missy in the barn and I moved Yellow Kitty to the garage shed to avoid conflict with the barn cats.

     Happy March Madness
I have to share this photo of some
of Britney's friends from Greenville College that I got off Facebook.

     Early Monday morning I called Dan before going out to feed, not knowing if he had made it home overnight during the storm.  He did not answer, so I left a message. 

      I kept the horses, barn cats and chickens in because it was still snowing and blowing.  Missy enjoyed the comforts of the tack room but could barely see out the window.






     Tranquility can be found
           amidst the furor.



     While I was in the garage shed checking on Yellow Kitty, Dan called.  Surprise!  He was stuck at the end of our drive.  So, I went to help him.  After cleaning off the Expedition, I drove down to see how he was doing.   We needed snow shovels and broom.

Soldier armed for battle.

     After digging and shoveling, Dan was still stuck and getting agitated because he had a plane to catch.  We drove (in the Expedition) back to the house.  I sent Dan in to pack, got a bag of kitty litter and woke up Joe.  I eventually got Dan's car unstuck and with some pushing, Joe and I got it up the drive.















     Dan got all his gear packed up in less than an hour.

Abbey did what she could to help out.

     I am fascinated with how Dan folds his underwear and shirts.  His sock folding method is the same I've learned (I think from my Dad, who probably did it that way when he was in the army). 



     Here are three shots of Dan
           folding a t-shirt.

     It wasn't long, and Dan was packed, showered, dressed and ready to roll.












     With gear in the Expedition, off through the snow, to the airport, he and Joe went.


     I missed Water Lilies, but figured
I had gotten enough exercise helping Daniel.  I went back out to let the horses out of the barn and open the chicken coop mid morning.  Yellow kitty crawled out of her box bed to visit me.  It was 28 degrees, still windy and snow misting, so I stayed inside, at my computer or doing household chores throughout the day.  Hard to believe it was 78 degrees here, a year ago today, and we were mowing the yard.  Tennessee just keeps looking better all the time.

     By afternoon, it cleared off.  We had gotten 9 inches of snow.  Joe and I went to workout at the Replex and then met Shelly and Kelly for dinner at Teddy Buckman's once again.  When we got home we watched the third part of the Bible series on TV.

     Tuesday I was in town before 8am for a mammogram.  Then I went to the hospital for my Echo stress test.  I was early, but they were able to take me an hour ahead of schedule.  Good surprise, I guess.  I did want to get it over with.  Another surprise...  The test for me didn't involve walking on the tread mill because the Dr. had ordered a chemically induced stress test for some reason.  So, I had an IV going and was on a bed the whole time.  The test went well.  It was very strange to feel my heart pounding in my chest and I wasn't even out of breath.  It's at times like this, that I realize what complex and incredible bodies God has given us... and, when healthy, allow us to do amazing things everyday without the slightest awareness of ALL of the systems working together so succinctly and perfectly.  The cardiologist said my heart looked good, strong and healthy. I was much relieved to hear this.  Then, they fastened a heart monitor to me to watch the
electrical functioning of my heart.
I was to wear it for 48 hours and keep a journal.  Yet another surprise, I had been told it would be for 24 hrs.  The electrodes and wiring were a bit annoying, but not too bad.  I was home by afternoon to enjoy the sun breaking through the clouds as it melted away the snow, but then the paddock was becoming a muddy mess again.

     I went to the Replex for two hours, completing 5 miles of exercise (walk, bike & elliptical), lifting weights and doing a lot of stretching afterwards.  I also drove to Megan's farm to get instructions for doing chores.  She had an opportunity to go out of town for a business meeting, but her regular farm helper was gone on spring break. 

     The moon was still casting light when I went out to do chores at 6:15am Wednesday.  All morning was spent at my computer, catching up with life and this Blog.





     It was to be a warm, sun shiny day, so I opened up all the barn doors.  The warm air and sun rays were melting the snow.  Maybe spring was making a comeback. 

     Just after lunch, I went out to ride.  I tried to work Roni in the round pen first, but it just had too much snow in it.   Then, when I rode him out around the field and drive, he was spooking at several little things, making me kind of nervous.  I wondered what the heart monitor might be registering.  Ha ha.   I rode Roni down to Lisa's where we met up and rode together.  She was on her new horse Leo. 

     When we turned towards our house to ride to Baker's lane, Roni got all revved up.  He was gaiting in place and would not stand still when I stopped him.  I tried circling and one-rein stops.  It was slow going, (Poor Lisa and Leo), but once we turned down Baker's lane and Roni realized we weren't going home, he calmed down. 

     When we got to the bridge that crosses the water, we rode at the creek's edge, which had some cool looking drifts along it's banks.






     I ended up riding Roni for well over two hours.  Once home, I let him chill at the trailer while I put away tack, did some chores in the barn, and then sat in the
warm sun with the kitties. 















     I went to the Replex at 4:45 and exercised for 90 minutes.  Then I went on to Megan's to do chores for her.  When I drove towards home and the setting sun, I was awed by the display of colors from the fireball on the horizon.  I had to finish up a few chores once home and finally sat down at 7:30, with dinner, in front of the TV with Joe.  It was surprising that it was not quite dark out.

     Thursday morning, after finishing all the feeding chores here, I drove 11 miles east to Megan's, this time getting to watch an equally brilliant display of colors as the sun rose at the edge of the earth.  After doing her chores, I
                                                      went to the Replex for my 8am Water
Lilies class.  In order to get wet, I had to remove the annoying heart monitor (3 hours early) hoping 45 hours was enough data for the medical people.  It was so nice to be free of the irritating electrodes and restrictive wires, and get to wash my hair.  Then I went up to the track and did my usual workout.

     It was nice out, but I had an agenda that required I stay inside... laundry, packing, pet care note, more Blogging, and work on researching the retirement communities in TN we would be visiting.  I ventured out to check on animals and put flea powder on Yellow Kitty.  She has been following me around a lot. 

     The black barn cats have also been out and about more.  As the day drew to a close, I realized there was way too much I needed to get done before leaving town for a 9 day trip south, but there was no way I was going to accomplish it all.  I started feeling agitated and grumpy and the pounding in my chest became irrefutable.

     Friday morning I met Shelly at Water Lilies, having encouraged her to come so she could check out the exercises and get a feel for the group.  She discovered that they are a very nice and talkative bunch of ladies.  After class, I only walked a mile before scurrying off to the IGA for needed supplies for our trip.  I wanted snacks for the drive and to get some staples (not the metal ones) for Courtney who will be staying here.

     I went out to the barn and completely stripped the stalls so Joe could add wood chips.  Then I had to put remaining pre-vacation tasks on hold, to go to the Cardiologist.

     The doctor said I have the benign form of PVC.  He said it is like a hyperactive heart.  Go figure, who would have thought I would have a hyper heart?  What a surprise.

     According to several websites I researched:  A premature ventricular contraction (PVC) is a too-early heartbeat that originates in the ventricles and disrupts the heart’s normal rhythm. The pattern is a normal beat, an extra beat (the PVC), a slight pause, then a stronger-than-normal beat.
                            The heart fills with more blood during the pause following
the PVC, giving  the next beat extra force.  For me, this pattern occurs randomly, multiple times during the day.  I usually only notice it when I am resting.  As the literature says, PVC's have caused me to have an increased awareness of my heartbeat and to feel an odd sensation in my chest, including a pounding or jumping heart, a strong beat, and a feeling of pressure in my chest.  I was so relieved when the Dr said my heart did very well under stress and that it is healthy and I have nothing to worry about.  There is medication to relieve the symptoms, but he did not recommend that as long as the sensation doesn't bother me.  The things I can do to help control my PVCs is reduce or eliminate my caffeine intake and
reduce stress and anxiety.  Right.
Like how am I going to do that? 

     As the snow recedes, the flowers emerge.  They will probably start blooming while we are out of town.




     I came home from the Dr. office by way of Farm & Fleet and Wal-Mart.  Then the frantic "getting ready to go" resumed.  I had to do all the weekly jobs (like litter boxes and scooping poop), in addition to packing, writing the pet care note, etc. 

      It would have been nice to join Yellow Kitty for a nap in the sun.  I did take time to play with her, knowing she would be leaving soon.

     When she saw a bird, nap-time was over and she got ready to pounce.

     Megan came to pick up little Yellow Kitty she had decided to adopt.  The kitten was sitting in her bed/box.  We put on the lid, tied it down, and she was on her way.  I am so glad I found Kitty a good home... one less mouth to feed and critter to worry about.  And now my black barn cats can relax.

     Dan e-mailed earlier and reported that everything is going okay with his Warrior Leader Course.   He said communication will be very limited because internet and cell phones are not allowed during the day.  He is stationed at Camp Ashland, home of the Noncommissioned Officers Academy,  approximately 30 miles west of Omaha Nebraska.

     Joe and I leave for Tennessee at the break of dawn tomorrow.  Courtney will be farm sitting for us.  Joe has spent a good deal of time planning the trip, so we are well prepared... but who knows what surprises lie ahead.
                                                      Life is full of surprises.  Worrying
about what could go wrong, won't stop the bad stuff from happening, it just stops you from enjoying the good.  So, I am hoping for a great trip and some fun surprises.

     Matthew 24:44 - "You also must be ready all the time. For the Son of Man will come when least expected."   
                                                                       Surprise!!