Golf Game

When the golf courses were opened back up, we took the opportunity to take advantage and work on our long and short games. I was only an observer, of course, but I still had fun hanging out with Skylar and Jeff.

My bumblebee putter Skylar and Jeff got me. Although I couldn't use it then, I do love it and I think it will be a lot of fun to use when I can play golf again.

Road Trip to Chemult, Oregon, Amtrak station

Yesterday we decided to get out of the house again, but this time we drove to Chemult, Oregon, and check out their Amtrak station that's literally in the middle of nowhere. It's somewhere that Skylar found online and with everything going on, we figured it would be a lowkey road trip just to explore. And, we were right, there was no one around and it was almost eerie. 

Raising Snails

 

Our snails got a new habitat this week and they are loving it do far. As we were preparing the dirt to add to the new habitat we found hundreds of babies in the soil. We ended up putting them in the front flowerbed away from the ducks, and we wished them well. 

There's a great unit study at Woodlark about snails. We have enjoyed keeping ours and following the progress of Woodlark's snails, too. There's a lot of great things that snails and slugs can go and a lot of them meet their end here in the Willamette Valley because they are seen as a nuisance. They may eat vegetable leaves and some fruits, but overall, they are just trying to survive. 

Five Simple Things (May 8)

 Hello.

Looks like the Coronavirus pandemic is going to affect us clear into the summer months. Our governor here in Oregon announced that nonessential businesses need to close. This includes gyms, restaurants, bars, public buildings-libraries, sports centers, hair salons, etc. Our local municipalities are closing now, city buildings, courts, and even all government buildings. The schools have been closed to in person learning since April, but now with all of these closures, it's almost like an apocalyptic-type world. Of course, I've only been out of the house twice, to get medication, and to go to my two month checkup. But, seeing images, and reading stories online of what it's affecting people, is surreal. We did get a chance to see some F15s flying over. They did a flyover to say thank you to the frontline workers and healthcare workers that are put in the face of the pandemic. 

I was able to get outside last week for enjoy a bit of sunshine, but I was hurting badly from standing and had to lay back down. Jeff said, it's best that I say laying as much as possible, and he set up my bed to where I can sit up a bit and not be uncomfortable. Wedge pillows, body pillows, and memory foam pillows have been a life saver for me during this time. I've actually started being able to eat more than just soft foods this week, too. Which, is a good thing, because the apple sauce, jello, pudding, mashed potatoes, peaches, and pears where great, but I'm ready for some more variety. I was able to eat half a sandwich this week, but that's about it. Jeff is going to make a dinner for me tonight that will include some other recommended foods for after surgery, so that I don't shock my body, and end up getting sick. I am looking forward to that. Here are five things this week.

1.  This Sign.

Headed to my two-month checkup, there are digital signs like this over Interstate 5 to give warning of wrecks, debris, or even travel times, and Amber Alerts. This is the the first time that I've seen anything on these signs other than public alerts. It's a good thing, I think, that the highway department here, ODOT, put these messages up, but it's still extremely odd, to me.

2. This Picture.

Jeff and Skylar went to get some extra supplies this week and were going to get me some face tissue, but the shelves were pretty bare of anything like that. They got lucky and found some travel sized Kleenex near the pharmacy, but they sent me this picture and I was shocked. When I think of the needing essentials, I guess I never thought that toilet paper and paper towels would be part of that. Guess we need to revamp our "just in case" supplies for the future.

3. This Moment.

Skylar loves trains. He has loved them since I introduced him to Thomas the Train when he was two. He has enjoyed learning about trains and how trains work, since that time. With that, he can tell you what most trains are, where they came from, where they are going, and what company owns them. As Jeff and him were out getting things this week, he got a great moment of being able to travel along side one of his favorite trains, and he video taped it to show me. 

4. This Paint.

Before my surgery I had started repainting and repairing some issues with this house we live in. It's pretty upsetting that we pay rent and have to do the repairs, too. But, overall, we are looking for land options out of the Willamette Valley, so I'd really like to leave the house better than when we moved in. We had started with the bathroom and have been working our way around the house slowly. This paint is great. It's a primer and paint in one and since all of the walls in this house are white, it works great to use as a coverup, even years of the landlord allowing renters before us to smoke in the house. It also has zero VOCs and is certified by GreenGuard. Since I've been laid up recovering, Jeff and Skylar have pretty much painted a lot of the areas I missed before. Looking forward to getting 100% and being able to finish what I started. 

5. This Little Village.

I had ordered this little "f-it" village around February before I had my surgery, and at the time, the lady behind The Little Red Door had backorders, so they came in this week. They are funny to me and the f-it is hidden behind the little houses. I just love them and she did a custom order for me by putting little windows on the houses and posted it on her Instagram page when it shipped out. She's a small business owner and a very talented one, at that. She has so many cute ceramics that she makes.

Positive affirmations this week: "What do you need to forgive yourself for?"

For blaming myself for other people's issues. Also, I am working on forgiving myself for not sticking up for myself during those times, too. I also want to forgive myself for trying to live up to other people's expectation of me and not going for what made me happy. I also would like to forgive myself for trying to find validation in other people. What a waste of time. I would also like to be able to forgive my younger self for all of the abuse I went through growing up. It wasn't my fault and it has taken me this long in my life to be able to finally work through those issues. I would like to say to myself, "Shelly, I forgive you. You did the best your could at the time, and you're amazing for what you went through. I love you."

Have a nice weekend.