As we moved into March, I thought and looked back at where we were in March of 2020 and as the old saying goes, a lot of water has flowed under that bridge.
What a year it has been. It has had it's highs and lows but the most important it also has been a learning experience.
Charles and I started this notebook taking our temperature and blood pressure and pulse every morning. We have not missed one single day. On March the 14th it will be one full year of taking these vitals. We added columns to our book, we started recording oxygen levels after we purchased a finger oxygen monitor. We also added our weight.
We took this virus serious at the very beginning and we are glad we did. Both of us received our second vaccination shots this past Monday morning. Charles had a sore arm with this second shot and a little fatigue. I did good the first 8 to 10 hours after the shot but everything changed that night as fever started, headache, bone and muscles ached very bad. I had to stay in the bed the next day because I hurt so bad. But after 38 to 40 hours after the shot all the aches and pains stopped (except for my back), the fever went back to normal.
My back pain was caused from staying in bed all day. I cannot imagine what the pain must be for those that have had this virus after experiencing just the vaccine symptoms. It is so strange how some people have no reaction and some do with the virus and with the vaccine but I would take the vaccine all over again if I needed to.
I am thankful that we could get an appointment to get it. I just kept paying attention to where it was being given, what age groups and particulars and submitting forms.
Our wearing masks and all the precautions we have been doing will remain the same.
It has been difficult to stay on track with our studies of the past because this present time is very distractive. But we are not giving up because there is too much to learn.
Last year about this time when there was no toilet paper in the stores I shared with you our cloth patting cloths. This has just become a way of life for us and the flannel works the best for us.
I enjoy the savings of not buying all that toilet paper. We purchase a fraction of what we did.
Moving along, I will take you along with us on a drive that we took this past weekend as we were on our way to do some repairs for an older than us family member. The fields are greening up and are so lovely. Many of the trees are still bare but that will change soon as spring is nearing.
As we traveled up Highway 431 there are a few interesting places. I have mentioned in a post a couple of times there is a place called Landmark Park, you can look that up on the internet if you like. Landmark Park, Dothan Alabama.
Not far off highway 431 just before you leave Dothan is our Botanical Gardens.
Then there is a wonderful place to stop called Todd Farms heading towards Headland. They make cane syrup the old way that cane syrup was made many years ago. They also have a small store inside.
Then there is the Red Star Yeast plant. I believe this is one of the two plants in the United States.
Some days when you pass by you smell it before you see it. Lol
When we get to this creek we know we are getting near where we will be getting off the highway. It is a beautiful drive heading up to Lake Eufaula.
Charles and I have named all these little roads because we have made this trip so often. Charles drives down this road every Friday taking groceries to our Family member. We named this road Roaming horse Road because one day there was a horse loose on this road.
This bridge we are on is Floating Geese bridge because we have seen Geese floating on the water around this bridge.
Lake Eufaula is a beautiful lake.
There is a campground up this way called White Oak Creek Campground and it is a very lovely campground.
The clouds were absolutely beautiful as we headed back south again. It reminded me of when I was a child how we often laid in the grass and watched the clouds and looked for puppies and horses and rabbits and all kinds of objects in the clouds.
I needed this day to get out and just get a different view.
We have been hungry for our typical southern food lately of collard greens, sweet potatoes and zipper peas.
We try to keep fruit sitting about instead of processed snacks. here we have mandarins, apples, avocado, pecans and the bananas are not seen in the picture.
The Azaleas are getting ready to burst open soon. Seems that each year for awhile they are earlier than the year before.
The azalea is a very common flowering bush in our area and much welcomed after winter.
I am learning to be patient to wait on the morning light instead of automatically flipping switches and light a simple candle as the sun starts to set. But I am only learning because I have to unlearn the habit of just flipping switches without thinking about it.
I do not have to do this, I just want to be more conscience of what I use.
I am thankful to live in modern times because we have appliances that help us with work. I am thankful for modern medicine but I realize from our studies how much we waste. We are trying to develop a life with a blend of the old and the now, and how to come up with a less hectic way of living.
I crave sensible, organized, slower and quieter living. I just want to turn off the extras and only use what is needed.
I hope you are on the path of what you envision and that can be most anything and can be done if we just take baby steps. A friend of mine that recently lost a lot of weight said I lost it a half a pound at a time.
I think that is the key, to making things happen, because if we are patient and accept the small accomplishments we will eventually get there.
We are going to reach that full circle over and over. It could be 6:00 am yesterday morning to 6:00 am this morning. It could be last Friday to This Friday or March 5th last year to March 5th this year. What we do during those times is what matters to get us where we want to be.
If it is education, time will pass no matter what so just start. If it is cleaning and organizing our home, we can start today and in one month have things in pretty good order and if we don't we will remain just as we are now or maybe even worse.
What would you like to see in your full circle? Grandma Donna
