SELF CARE SHABBAT; Ocean Park-WA

I'm planting my own tree.

I'm building a boat in dry sand.

Colton Dixon - 2022 'Build a Boat' with lyrics: 

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ky3-duE7d4)

I'm a woman of action; sitting on my duff is not for me.

It is true that my tribe is very small … and my intimate inner circle is even smaller, but that is because I prefer trustworthy friends - hanging back and cultivating solitude when necessary doesn't send me into a tailspin.

At this point, the only being in my Life is God - and that's okay: Elohim - The Father loves & provides for me … even dispatching angels to guard me in every place & all circumstances; Yeshua is the Husband I can depend on - the Lover of my soul, my reliable Confidant, closest Companion, and Healer of whatever assails me; The Ruach HaKo'desh is my Comforter - Who leads me to steams of smooth flowing peace.

And I'm okay with that.

Last night, while Holland was sleeping, I was quietly busy with several things … Holland has trouble sleeping through the night, so when he does actually give in to sleep, I do things quietly so his body get the healing sleep it needs to function well … one of the things I did, was toning exercises. They can be spaced out to complete the sets - which is how I did them:

I went to bed around 6 AM, after he got up.

I woke up at 1'noon, and as soon as the heat started … I got dressed and went for a walk. I am not going to keep rehashing things that are never going to change.

A change of environment was called for - and I heeded the call.

I walked up the street and around 2 blocks.

It was a pleasant day for a walk about.

The area walked, was on relatively flat terrain.

I crossed Bay Avenue twice: once at Oakie's Grocery Store, turning at the first right a block down - and again turning right behind Jack's Grocery Store … where I crossed the crosswalk to circle around behind 262nd PL past the Fire Department, turning right at the end of the block; that led me back to Bay Avenue, which would lead me back home.

It felt good to be outside. In fresh air. Listening to birdsong, enjoying soft earthy scents on the breeze, liking the little surprises of color along the route, and smiling with every gentle reminder of unconditional love Elohim caught my attention with:

Little pink wild roses; petals so delicate, they look like they are made from fine textured paper.

A relaxed deer …

Douglas spirea; bloom period from June to September.

Honeysuckle in full bloom; I had a honeysuckle vine at one of my past homes.

It's a lovely day to enjoy a walk-about.

Foxglove & Calla Lilies - I used to have these flowers in my flowerbeds.

California Poppies.

Foxgloves & Shasta Daisies & Tiger Lilies; I do miss the  flowerbeds I had.

I enjoy hearing birds chatter, tweet, & sing when I'm out and about.

My walk-about route today: a circulous 2 block radius - along both sides of Bay Avenue; Ocean Park-WA

Flag (Old Glory) Bunting on all of this building's windows~Medical Center-Pharmacy; Ocean Park-WA

Bright, colorful eye-catchers.

A fading yellow rose bush determined to survive & thrive among storm damage fallout - also a timely message.

The Calla Lily scent wafting on the gentle breeze had me missing things I hadn't thought about in 2 years.

5 minutes from home, I carefully watched a busy bee (winged death to me) on a dandelion head …

River Oats - I like these.

River Oats: A Native Grass: 

(https://piedmontgardener.com/2014/07/23/river-oats-a-native-grass-worth-adding-to-your-landscape/)

Walking down the gravel road past the Park Manager's house, I couldn't resist reaching out to touch the Monkey Puzzle Tree's spiraling, spiny spikes. They are very sharp, thick and stiffly solid; like a plastic bin.

Monkey Puzzle Tree limbs, hanging over Park  Manager's fencing.

Monkey puzzle trees (also known as Chilean pine trees) are unusual-looking and long-lived conifers, with lifespans sometimes exceeding 1,000 years. Monkey puzzle trees are relatively slow-growing trees, especially in their early lives -  for the first 5 to 10 years of their growth, they stay pretty much grass level … but once they rise above the grass level, they tend to grow at a rate of about 14 inches per year. This monkey puzzle tree is very tall and very wide: it has been here in this location for a very long time.

My impulsive moment past, I continued on towards Independence.

I was feeling good about my walkabout results.

I was feeling grateful and thankful that my lungs behaved, and did not give me a single second of concern during the entire time from start to finish.

Curiosity satiated, I took my tail home.

I did pretty good today.

I had just crossed the threshold of home, when I got a good news text … God is good all the time, and all the time God is good.

RAINY DAY LOOP DRIVE

September 25th: Holland had to drive into Longview-WA, to pick up his blood pressure pills this morning - and I went with him; my lungs were on fire, and I didn't want him to be worrying about me while he was away from home base.

A busy day was planned.

Both of us were struggling with our lungs due to the sand storm that blew across the beach yesterday afternoon: we did quickly roll the windows up and leave immediately, but damage had been done in those few milliminutes :-(

Yesterday's sand storm on Cranberry Road-WA, had both of us coughing up dirty mucus.

My lungs are in pain, today.

After we got the prescription, groceries, and extras we needed to maintain Betsy with, Holland scrapped the rest of the planned events - except for grabbing the mail as we breezed through Rainier-OR.

I was thankful.

I was drained after the grocery shopping; trying to stay alive with weak lungs is very taxing on the body.

I was sleepy, so I laid the passenger seat back, and immediately the Sandman got busy ;-)

I woke up when Betsy stopped, a bit out of Astoria; Holland suggested KFC to take home, and I readily agreed. We ate some of the chicken in the parking lot before crossing the bridge into Chinook-WA.

Rain started near Bradley State Scenic Viewpoint.

Bradley State Scenic Viewpoint:  (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bradley_State_Scenic_Viewpoint)

Rainier-OR  towards Astoria-OR

My body shifted into sleep mode for a few miles.

Traffic jam between Tongue Pt. & Astoria-OR

Chinook-WA from Astoria-OR; 15 min (10.0 mi) via US-101 N

Finally home again, I put the groceries away while Holland sorted the bills from the junk mail. When the Salmon Creek Hospital Bill was opened, I saw red. The costs were astronomically over-inflated … and it further angered me that nothing on that list was anything I wanted done: all I had gone in for, was to have my swollen ankle tended to - and that never even happened! Services I did not want were forced on me (and I was asked if I wanted a breast reduction because the nurse thought my boobs were too large) … I finally said, "Enough!", and left. The whole experience was unpleasant and infuriating; none of them deserve a single penny :-(

Fall flavored Coffee's ;-)

The Salmon Creek Hospital Bill came … filled with medical BS.

I saw red - they didn't DO what I asked them TO DO; the whole experience was a total waste of my time.

Holland calmed me down by pointing out that we only had to pay a portion: a very small portion, all things considered. 

It's a good thing Elohim took control.

I had been struggling to breathe all day long, with lungs that were on fire; my body was wore out trying to keep me alive. I agreed with my husband that I didn't need to get worked up over the hospital bill … so, I kissed him, and went to bed ;-)

I went to bed & canceled the world; I was worn out - in every way possible.