Calculating.....

Wow, I haven't been here in a week....

wanna know where I've been, and what I've been up to?   

I'll give you a hint.......

Messy, huh?  (It's not really my desk, but a pretty good idea of what mine looks like!)  Still don't know what I've been doing?  Ok, another hint.....well, really, a dead give-away....

ARRRGGGHHHH!!

NOT my favorite thing to do, for sure.....and I am still not quite finished.  Thank goodness for the extra couple of days this year.   LOL

Dijon and I already emptied this little guy,

and his friend, Mr. Jar, to pay our share of the tax bill....

We'll actually get a tiny bit back, so that's great news.....now if I can just get it all organized and filed.  Remember the post on fibro fog?  Yea.....

See ya soon,

~~~~~Sally~~~~~

Keegan Roars

I've said before that I often seem to be able to keep Keegan content and dozing for long periods of time.  But I can never let myself be lulled into thinking that he won't awaken with a vengeance.  I mentioned last week that a trip to the doctor was in the works....I went, symptoms were discussed, blood work was done.  The lab work all looked great (except my cholesterol was a bit high....boo!)  For those new to the fibromyalgia game, normal test results are all too common.

Fibromyalgia can result in a myriad of symptoms....my two biggest complaints are the fatigue and the shoulder/back pain.  Picture an old time scale....you know the kind, where you put the weights on one side and the object you're weighing on the other.   If I take my muscle relaxers for the pain, the fatigue becomes worse, but if I limit the meds, the fatigue is better and the pain is worse.  So there is always a trade-off between pain and fatigue for me.  

Insomnia is another HUGE issue for me.  Keegan is nocturnal, evidently, and prefers to play at night.  I have trouble going to sleep, and once I finally do, staying asleep.  It isn't uncommon for me to wake up several times a night.  Studies have shown that folks with fibromyalgia don't enter that deep, restorative sleep that we need for our bodies to repair daily damage and fully recharge our batteries, and this leads to our pain and fatigue.

So now, the doc has added a sleep aid to my nightly med mix.  I've been on this new regimen four nights now....and I have slept soooo much better!  I'm hoping that will help break some of this pain cycle, and give me more energy during the day.  We'll see.  One thing I've learned about fibromyalgia, what works today may not work tomorrow.  Our bodies are not machines that respond the same way day to day.  We have to adjust constantly.  Keegan pulls out new tricks all the time....I have to counterattack!  Right this very minute, he is ahead in the game.....hopefully, not for long :)

See ya soon,

~~~~~Sally~~~~~

A Mini Photo Shoot :)

So, Dijon bought me this amazing new Canon camera, that will do all kinds of fantabulous things.....if only I can learn which button to push or what setting to program at which particular time!  That would involve not only reading the instruction booklet, but also understanding all the terms of photography, which I do NOT, as of yet....BUT I am determined to learn!!  LOL

To that end, I have decided from time to time to just take the camera out and play a bit.  We continue to have beautiful weather around home, so I ventured outside with the furbabies this week.  I caught Macy playing in the backyard, and captured a few shots of her.

 I also weeded and mulched two more flower beds (still four left to do!), and Mr. Bentley loved the feel of the new pine straw.  He proceeded to just park himself there, under the Japanese magnolia tree, and pose while I snapped away.  I kid you not, this pup sat still as a statue for 15 minutes straight....It was unbelievable!

Doesn't his fur look like he parted it on the side in this last picture?  I think he may have real potential as a model!  LOL

One day, I'll know all the ins and outs of my camera....for now though, I'm still having fun, and in spite of my ignorance, I'm loving the pictures!   Hope you enjoy them too :)

See ya soon,

~~~~~Sally~~~~~

Sally's Garden :)

My garden and flower beds are pretty simple....we have a large lot for our neighborhood, and Keegan doesn't really enjoy gardening too much, so I tend to stick to easy-care plants.  I use a lot of perennials, and in our milder winters, many plants return year to year.  And many of them sprout babies that I can move to new areas....free plants are always a plus :)

This tiny bed greets visitors (and us) as we enter the driveway.  The tree to the right is a tiny crepe myrtle...(you can't see much of him).   Dijon built this wheelbarrow for me years ago...in the fall, it is filled with pumpkins, and at Christmas, with greenery and ornaments.  The plants are daylillies which will bloom later with yellow flowers.   Every year, my father-in-law brings me a new rock from Colorado, where they vacation for the summer.  They are scattered through my flower beds.  And of course, there is my LSU flag....GEAUX TIGERS!!

Dijon built this rustic garden cart for me....it sits behind my little concrete rabbit family at one end of our porch.  Its surrounded by ruella, aztec grass, and amaryllis.

I adore our patio and backyard....we've worked hard to make it feel like a park!

The azaleas are blooming right now....they're one of my favorites, and bring back great memories of my childhood summers spent at my grandparents' house.

More azaleas in the back yard...

But I was MOST excited today to see THIS!!! 

What, you may ask, could possibly be the importance of this tiny bit of greenery?  Its the first bud on my pecan tree, and that means that the danger of frost is OVER!!  So now it is safe for me to plant any tender annuals I might choose (which are few, but I do a few pots each year!)

I LOVE this time of year in the South....the weather is amazing, and being outside recharges my batteries.  And that is a good thing....Keegan has been requiring extra energy lately, so much so that a trip to the doctor is on the calendar for next week.  It may be time to tweak things a bit to keep Keegan in his place....remember, he's not in charge!

See ya soon,

~~~~~Sally~~~~~

Just Sitting on the Porch

Please forgive me for staying away an entire week....the flare lasted a few days, then eased.  The weather here is beautiful right now....this is one of our favorite times of the year down south.  So Dijon and I decided to do a bit of work outside, and we have been super busy with that!  Here's our refuge in this crazy world....

I just love my house....it is Acadian style (very common down here) with a huge front porch....complete with swing, rocking chairs, ceiling fans, and Boston ferns.  Right now, with the cool temperatures and low humidity, we are out there every chance we get.

BTW, does anyone know what the big shovel thing is??  We picked it up at an antique shop years ago, and have no idea what is was used for.  But I love it and it stays on the porch year round :)

Yes, that is Dijon's red truck in the background....can't function around here without a truck :)

We absolutely love love love our cypress swing....Dijon added some massive springs to the chains, so the swing "gives" a bit when you sit.....it a fabulous to sit and drink iced tea on a nice day and watch the world go by.  I have wind chimes hanging on the porch that play a nice tune for me too :)  

Our two daughters got married within 8 months, so we sort of neglected our house for a bit....I'm taking this year to rework our house and yard.  There'll be decluttering, reorganizing, and fixing up!

This house just feeds my soul.....I'll show you more of it next time!

See ya soon,

~~~~~Sally~~~~~

A Flare Begins....

Well, as I sort of expected, Keegan has awakened, and wants to play.  I use the word "play" loosely....it is more of a "breathe fire, stomp around, rant and rave" kind of thing.  These are the times we fibromites call "flares"....Get the fire thing?  LOL

So officially, a flare is a time when symptoms become very intense.  It is a time when our bodies are overly sensitive....for me, to pain, noise, light, pressure, and other things.  Where Keegan is somewhat quiet and manageable many days, he is a raging monster during a flare.

Almost anything can bring on a flare.  Living with a fibro dragon requires quite the balancing act, and life often upsets that balance.  Illness, accidents, weather changes, travel, allergy attacks, insomnia, holidays, time change....anything that disrupts my carefully scripted days can send me into a flare.  This time, it was the stress to my body from the two quick trips out of town, and the fact that I didn't rest as much while visiting with the kiddos.  

Some of us have signals as to how our day will be.....I have one that is no-fail.  If I wake up and have no numbness, it'll probably be a normal day, at least normal for me.  If I wake up and only my left leg is numb, then I'll probably be good to go until about 3 p.m.  Then I'll be done for the day, and need to rest.  BUT if my arms and legs are numb when I wake up, I'm in a flare. 

That's what I mean about symptoms becoming more intense.  The numbness, fatigue, queasiness, and pain are all worse.   Flare days are the ones where I don't get too much done, and that's ok.  I'm giving my body time to recover, and get back to its "normal"....It takes a bit of time to get Keegan back under control!

I'll talk a bit more about managing Keegan next time....He can be very feisty, but I do have some pretty good weapons!

See ya soon,

~~~~~Sally~~~~~

Home Again!

Well, we are home again!!  Just got in this evening after five days at our daughter's home in Texas.  We had such a good time!  We were able to visit with our kids and my mom, and we laughed so hard it hurt!    

Keegan finally got tired of being quiet, and started breathing fire yesterday.  I woke up in a good bit of pain, and with lots of numbness in my arms and legs.  The D-ribose helped with the fatigue, but I definitely wasn't 100%.  Today was a little better, but Keegan still beat me up a bit.  I am hoping for a quieter day tomorrow!

I constantly have to remind myself to PACE, and I think that's a great word for me to use each day.  So I thought and thought (and used a thesaurus!) and came up with this:

P is for Plan....I try to plan my activities each day as much as I can, so I don't overdo it.
A is for Accept....I accept that I can't accomplish everything all at once.  I do what I can, then rest.
C is for Choose....I have to choose carefully what activities to schedule that day, both chores and fun stuff  :)
E is for Exception....There's always an exception to my plans....I have to remember to roll with the punches!

We've done two very busy trips in three weeks, so there will be lots of Pacing over the next few days for me.  Keegan is in a foul mood right now, and I need to take some time to rest.  But I wouldn't have traded the last few days for anything....life is good indeed.

Dijon and I LOVE country music....There's a country song that says life isn't about how many breaths you take, but about the moments that take your breath away.  I had a few of those this week....watching my daughters who have grown from fussing toddlers to arguing teenagers to loving friends and sisters.  Smiling as my adorable sons-in-law joked with each other, and grew closer each day.  Watching my mom enjoy her family all together again.  Seeing my dear Dijon teach the boys how to fix a sliding door,  explaining it all patiently to them, passing his skills on to the next generation.  And laughing at all four pups playing and swimming together :)

Yes, life is good indeed!  Thank you, Lord, for Your blessings!!

See ya soon,
~~~~~Sally~~~~~