Relief

The dog is 16, the cat is 2.

Both were disgruntled, but neither one was willing to budge...so this is what happened.

Yippee, skippee!  Today is a great day, so here goes!

• We had an honest to goodness rainstorm this morning for several hours.  It was amazing! 
• You don't always realize how much you love something until it's gone.
• I woke very early in the morning....after only a few hours of fitful sleep (stress), and the sound of that storm was so amazing that I stayed up and listened to it until morning.
• The source of the stress was an appointment that I had this morning with a podiatrist. 
• YES, I was TERRIFIED!  
• Why?  Well my parents (who were very wrong) have been telling me for years that I needed surgery for my bunions.  Also, the pain in my foot has been getting steadily worse all summer...to the point that it was more than just a vague annoyance, especially as it was disrupting my life.  (I had to stop exercising.)
• Nutshell - I had NO sign of past or current fractures, no arthritis, and my bunions were so small as to be irrelevant at this point in time.  (Although down the road...hopefully in the far future....they will probably have to be dealt with.)  The problem was 'just' soft tissue inflammation.  The doctor gave me a steroid shot, set me up with an NSAID prescription, gave me instructions as to how to tape my foot for some extra support and relief, and told me to stay off of it as much as possible for a month.
• And I'm so damn happy that it's not worse that I have been grinning like a madwoman since!
• In other health news, I've done pretty well with the paleo thing this summer, but as I haven't been fully compliant I decided to do a Whole30.  (More about the book in the monthly reading list. For now, just know that "It Starts With Food" is amazing!) 
• To do my Whole 30, all I really had to do was drop a couple of last food items (dark chocolate mostly) and rearrange my meals as they suggest.  To my great and utter amazement, this has been the last little thing I needed to make my body happy. 
• Can I just say that this is the first time in probably 25 years that I don't know exactly what I weigh and feel fabulous about that?
• In fact, I'm feeling pretty darn good most of the time.
• Can you just imagine how fabulous I'll feel when I get to start exercising again?!
• Let's see...kid news.
• The girls are in VBS this week, and as usual it's an amazing experience.  We're really grateful to Christian Chapel church for opening their doors and their hearts so that my kids can experience the type of marvelous VBS that I remember from my childhood.
• Even better, they've been a bit clingy this summer - partially, I'm sure, because they've picked up on Daddy's grief and Mommy's stress levels - and all it took was one day at VBS to return my kids to their normal, happy selves!
• We've not been going to the pool so much....it's too hot.
• Gillian has demonstrated several instances of being a very mature, very thoughtful girl lately...and we couldn't be any more pleased about that.
• Makes me feel like I'm doing something right!
• The kids are desperate for school to start!
• Miscellaneous other:
• I will be finishing the long-suffering Tibetan Clouds stole this afternoon.  It's a very good feeling.
• I'm regretting that I haven't been able to experiment and play this summer as I did last year...but c'est la vie.
• My poor dog is ancient, and it's been hard to watch her this summer struggle with her age.
• I really, really want some time to do my annual summer basement clean-out.
• I've a pretty big decision to make soon, and I'm terrified.  (No family and friends, this is NOT something you should worry about.)
• I have some really cool embroidery patterns...and I want to get to work! 
• Must finish my Green Man Under the Hill before I start anything new.  This is not a craft for multiple works in progress.
• I have absolutely no need or desire to buy yarn, fiber, or any other craft materials.  It's pretty cool to feel so satisfied with what I have.
• I would, however, like to take a trip to the Yarn Barn soon.  Doesn't make much sense....and would be ridiculously tempting, despite my current opinion on the state of my supplies.
• I need to do the finish work on the Princess. 
• Sigh.

That's all for now!