While Patiently Waiting

I know, I know....I promised a new shawl today. It is still drying on the floor, though, and I am trying to figure out how best to photograph it. It's going to be a tricky one due to the color, and let's face it...I'm not the world's best photographer.

In the meantime, I have some random to share.

• I am starting to feel really good again. It seems like the magic formula is: allergy diet+thyroid meds=good health+feeling great.


• I am glad that my doctor let me test my thyroid by dumping the medication for a while because I know I would always have resented that pill had I not known for sure that I need it. (We initially thought my TSH bump might have been a reaction to the surgery.)


• Having said that, WOW....it does make a huge difference. But it only makes a huge difference when combined with the allergy diet.


• I feel like I'm starting to 'sparkle' a bit.


• I haven't felt this way since I was a teenager! Which is odd to say, because even when I was a teen I felt like an old woman much of the time. Hmmm....


• Over the last few weeks I've returned to the gym.


• Yesterday I ran for the first time in months, and I am quite happy to say that I found my happy running place. It was divine.


• I also pulled something in my hip badly enough to make me limp all afternoon in pain. It's much better this morning, and I promise I'll be careful. As I said to a friend last night, I don't want to cause an injury bad enough to derail my return to my gym rat ways. I need those exercise endorphins too much for that!


• I am thinking about hiring a trainer to help me start again. We'll see.


• I really miss Meghan, the most fabulous trainer in the world.


• She had me spoiled.


• I reward the girls for going to the playroom with pool time afterwords. Now that they are big enough to play on their own in the water I can park myself under a tree with my knitting for a happy hour.


• Good times.


• We've had a bit of a crisis on Mom and Dad's farm this week. JoJo, our favorite llama (the male, spotty one) almost succumbed to heat exhaustion. We had a miracle, though, and he pulled through.


• There have been a lot of tears and prayers for this silly llama. As it would turn out, we're all ridiculously fond of him.


• Dad has worked with heat exhaustion and heat stroke in animals during his entire career, but llamas behave very differently and because of that he missed some critical early warning signs.


• We've all been doing research because the miserably hot, humid weather isn't supposed to end anytime soon, and now we have an action plan in place to help JoJo.


• Llamas just aren't made for Missouri weather.


• The other llama, Josie, hasn't been affected at all. Weird.


• Meanwhile, the sheep are also fine. Wool is a magical fiber, and as it would turn out they have just the right amount of it right now to insulate them from the heat.


• Have you tried banana soft serve? Freeze a couple of ripe - but not brown - bananas, throw them in the blender or food processor, blend until the consistency of soft serve ice cream. It is FABULOUS!


• I added frozen berries as well, and honestly can't tell the difference between it and soft serve ice cream. I threw in a tbsp. of unsweetened cocoa for the girls last night, and it might as well have been chocolate soft serve....no sugar or sweeteners necessary at all.

I promised the young ones donuts for breakfast, and so I'd best get moving before they begin to protest!

Have a great day everyone, and be sure to check back tomorrow for the promised shawl post.