The Best Laid Plans

 

My favorite place to nap!

The Lord sustains them on their sickbed and restores them from their bed of illness. ~Psalm 41:3

It seems like forever since I've posted a blog, but I do have, what I would deem, valid excuses.  Not wanting to advertise that Danny and I are going out of town to St. Simon's Island to visit with my brother and his family for his birthday, my plan is to post all about it when we return home last Monday.  But as we know, the best laid plans of man don't always align with God's.

I wake up Tuesday morning with a persistent, dry cough.  This definitely doesn't seem normal to me.  And remembering my bout with pneumonia last year when I failed to seek timely treatment, I decide to make an appointment with our local Urgent Care.  I'm anxious to find out, especially after our days of traveling, if I could have somehow contracted Covid while on the journey.  Just so you are aware, I've had two shots and two booster since the "vaccine" was available.  I know that doesn't make anyone immune to the virus, although it can certainly reduce the bad effects of the virus should one get it.

I take both a rapid Covid test along with one for the flu.  My initial suspicions, unfortunately, come to fruition.  I do have Covid, and I'm sent home with a prescription for Paxlovid.  But, oh, I'm so worried about Danny catching the virus from me!  With his heart issues, I'm praying the vaccines he's taken will provide a shield of immunity for him.

Of course, the inevitable - Danny gets tested, and the results are positive.  The good news is, his symptoms, like mine, are mild, and he's only beginning to experience the overwhelming fatigue that has plagued me from the onset of the virus.  The only drawback is he has to go off his Staten drug, which he has done, in order to safely take Paxlovid.  He finally was able to start that regimen today.

We are so grateful that neither of us is seriously ill.  And, in a way, it is a relief to have finally contracted Covid so our bodies will develop natural immunities, which we all know are much more effective than any vaccine could be.  Sure, there are some folks who've contracted the virus more than once, but in our cases, that's a possibility we won't worry about in advance.

Instead, we will praise the Lord and give thanks to Him in all circumstances, trusting that He will restore us to full health in His time.

Amen!

(Posting in the near future will all depend upon how I'm feeling.  Thanks for your patience and understanding, my friends!)

A New Thing

 

See, I am doing a new thing!  Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?  I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the desert. ~Isaiah 42:19

As I promised all of you two months back, here are our two new decks completed and ready to be painted.  We also plan to have our house painted at the same time, and will keep keep the same color as we've grown fond of it over the years.  The deck color?  We wish we could simply treat it with a clear stain, but the golden hue of the wood will only fade into gray if it's not actually painted.  So, we've chosen a lighter, neutral shade of paint that will compliment the rustic feel of the house.

The view of the stairs on the backyard deck and a look at the deck itself.  Two new benches have been added, and goodness, they are comfortable!

Our front deck boasts a bench, too.  This one we've owned for quite awhile, but it still looks new.

The stairs going down and up from the deck.

As you can see, the original measurements did not provide for wood steps all the way to the ground, but the guy who poured the concrete did a wonderful job.

Look at the detail on the hand rail.

I still need a railing when going up or down the stairs, both inside the house and out!

These guys didn't cut corners when it came to securing the deck foundations.

 

Sure makes me feel secure when I choose to sit outside on a balmy spring day.

I do hope you all enjoyed the "tour."  I'll have another deck feature once all the painting is completed.

In the meantime, may we all be mindful (my word for the year) of all the new blessings God is sending our way each and every day.

And may we always give thanks.

Amen!

Heed One Voice

 

"Now learn this lesson from the fig tree:  As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near." ~Matthew 24:32

I dare to lift my head

When winter still possesses

Earth in its frozen

Grip.  Defying odds.

No groundhog can predict 

My coming, my blooming;

I only heed one voice

And that is God's.

Amen!

As God's children, may we listen to the voice of the Lord, and bloom where we are planted.  Spring has sprung in Georgia and in my heart!

Nourished by God

 

Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil.  This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones. ~Proverbs 3:7-8

It has now been over a year since I came home from the hospital after my life-threatening bout with pneumonia.  Much has changed since those precarious days, and many of my daily regimens of medicines and supplements have gone through quite a transformation.

When I regard this crowded shelf pictured above, I hear my mother bragging that she had no need to take medications, though her age traversed the 80s and propelled itself into her 90s.  By then, she was taking a vitamin to fight macular degeneration (which I just found out I have in its early stages) but there was nothing of the prescription variety in her repertoire.  I say she was graciously pardoned from the severe consequences of growing older that many other people wish they could have escaped.

Now, out of all these medications I take, only two are prescriptions; I consider this a blessing!  I take a hormone pill (Pre-fest) and a blood pressure helper (Coreg).  

The Citrucel is not a prescription, but a strong suggestion from my digestive health doctor, so I eagerly embrace this addition to my diet.

Believe it or not, this supplement has practically eliminated my intestinal strife in the space of ten days.  At the very least, this is a miracle for me, and I am so grateful!

The other doctor-suggested supplements are calcium, vitamin B-12 and Krill Oil.

To these, I've decided to add a generic version of Balance of Nature, something that is advertised repeatedly on the news shows I watch.

I've only begun this regimen recently, so I don't have an assessment as to whether it's fulfilling it's promises.  Why generic?  Have you seen what Balance of Nature charges?  It's astronomical!  This supplement is about half the cost!  If I don't see positive results in the next month or so?  Well, that will be the end of this experiment!

And what about my thinning hair?  My dermatologist recommends Nutrafol, and I take four tablets per day.

These, combined with a nightly application of Rogaine, seem to be doing the trick.  My hair is definitely getting thicker, albeit slowly.  After all, our hair doesn't grow willy-nilly, especially as we age.  I don't think I could hope for anything more.

I so hope I'm fulfilling God's will for me in adhering to these recommended medicines, an that He will allow me to make smart choices with regard to the supplements I've chosen.  I want to fully regain my health and nourish my bones that I might do His will and walk in His ways every day of this life with which He has blessed me.  In my opinion, there isn't a more rewarding way to live.

~

Are you currently facing health challenges?  How are you addressing those?  What advice can you offer to all of us when it comes to aging and dealing with the fallout our aging can create?  Please share in the comments below.

Amen!