This week

This week is flying by. Tuesday was another day off work, this time to take Gregg to have another endoscopy. They wanted to do an ultrasound of the lesion on his duodenum. The initial biopsy tested negative for cancer cells, but they wanted to look deeper and more closely just to make sure everything was okay. It turned out to be a totally benign cyst and nothing else. What a relief! I felt pretty sure it was going to be something like that, but Gregg had been worried for weeks. I'm so glad he can put that particular worry behind him now.

All the new asthma meds the doctor gave me have me feeling so much better. I have more energy than I've had in months, not to mention sleeping better and just generally feeling like my old self again. The only hiccup in the medication regime was that they forgot to tell me to rinse my mouth out after using a new inhaler medication each morning. I developed oral thrush, which is no fun at all! Of course, the doctor called in a prescription for something to fix it, and now that I know to rinse after using that inhaler I should be okay going forward. That's a small price to pay to be feeling so much better.

Poppy went to the vet this week for a weigh-in and she's up to 48 pounds! We're really surprised she's turning out to be such a big girl. She's double the weight she was when we adopted her back in April, and since she's not quite a year old yet she may still hit 50 pounds. She's a total delight, although I will admit she's a little bit bossy and stubborn. She's definitely no shrinking violet, that's for sure! She's carrying on that fine tradition of tough women dogs that Ginger started. :)

Work is going fairly well. I'm finally getting used to all my new job responsibilities and I'm feeling more and more capable as the weeks roll on. Although I'll never trust her, my boss has been nothing but complimentary about my work so far, so as long as I stay out of her way and keep my head down, it looks like I'll be able to cruise through this year with a minimum of trouble (fingers crossed). Fall break is coming up at the end of the month. A week off in early October is going to feel wonderful!

It was hot today, but tonight the weather is supposed to take a real turn. The lows will suddenly go down into the 40s and 50s over the next few nights, and the highs are only going to be in the mid 70s. Fall is definitely here! Speaking of which....

Balance

The autumn equinox has come and gone, and now we've entered the second (dark) half of the year. For about a week, the days and nights are roughly of equal length, and after that the year starts descending rapidly to its conclusion. It's bittersweet to me. I prefer the coming of spring and summer, but understand that we eventually have to pay for all those long, light summer days and short nights. The bill comes due in the fall. It's all about restoring balance to the year.

I've been regaining balance in my personal life, too. I realized yesterday that I've been feeling physically and emotionally better this past week than I have for a very long time.

I've been taking a very low maintenance dose of my antidepressant medication again. My dental drama that led to two root canals and $1000 in out of pocket costs this summer is finally over, dealt with, and paid for.  The cooler weather in September has meant more and longer walks (every day again!) for me and Gregg and the dogs.  I use a pedometer app on my phone to count my daily steps and aim to exceed 10,000 a day. More exercise makes me feel so good that I've found myself feeling motivated to eat better, too. I've been planning healthful meals, cooking more, and packing work lunches again. Every morning and night, I take vitamin D and fish oil tablets, and I'm drinking a lot more water. Taking better care of myself is something I've been neglecting for far too long. It's been kind of shocking how quickly just a little bit of effort makes me feel so much better.

Speaking of things that make my life better.....some of you who read here regularly may remember that I recently vowed to complain less about my job, and even occasional readers have probably at least figured out that I really don't like my job and have been looking for a new one. So I decided that I would try to not complain about it for a week (not even to myself). Well, a week turned into two weeks, and then continued on, and I'm finally learning to stop myself when I want to be pointlessly negative. I've starting trying to attract more positivity into my work life by being more positive whenever I can. For instance, I do meet lots of interesting people at my job, and I make enough money to live on, and my health benefits there are pretty good...there's plenty of nice things to say about it and I feel so much better when I focus on them rather than the dozens of things I hate about it. Complaining less and making the effort to be more positive has been like setting down a heavy load I didn't even know I'd been carrying. Now the search for a new job doesn't feel so urgent, and I've been focusing on finding something better rather than just something else. I'm still actively looking, but with a much lighter heart. Actually, I'm doing almost everything concerning work with a lighter heart these days.

Life seems to be regaining some balance for me this year as the autumn equinox rolls past. I hope that everyone reading is having an equally nice transition into fall.

Gratitude Sunday

Today I'm joining both Taryn Kae Wilson at  Wooly Moss Roots (http://woolymossroots.blogspot.co.uk/) and Hannah at Following Bliss (http://followinglittlemossybliss.blogspot.com/) in taking a moment to reflect on the things that I'm grateful for as another week comes to a close. Thanks for the wonderful idea ladies!

• The gorgeous weather that ushered in the equinox this year. Not only were we treated to a clear view of the golden harvest moon each night, but the days have been filled with cool air, blue skies, and leaves just beginning to get the first tints of fall color. Crickets have been singing me to sleep at night. Even they seem to be delighted with the changing season.
• Friendship. I can honestly say I have at least one true friend. She's not only loyal and steadfast, she's also really funny and fun be around.  She's coming over this afternoon for wine, tea, apple tarts, and some catching up time. A happy way to spend the equinox!
• My husband's continued good health. The big scary monster is finally receding into the past and seeming less and less relevant to our current life. So FU, cancer!
• And on a less serious note, I'm beginning to appreciate drinking hot tea! (This is the South. We drink our tea sweet and iced. Period. Hee.) I've been experimenting with different brands of hot tea and finding some that I like. I don't own a functional teapot or know much about tea, I admit. I just microwave a cup of water and dunk a bag of English Breakfast in. And yes, I know that method sucks. But I like it, and it's an easy pick-me-up after work that doesn't seem to give me the caffeine jolt coffee would. A cup of tea is a nice little welcome-home ritual, too!

Happy Autumn Equinox

Today is the autumn equinox. I couldn't let the day pass without a post to mark the occasion and the change in seasons. Here in South Carolina, the weather has cooled down quite a bit and the trees are just beginnning to change color. It is wonderful to go out for walks in the morning now that the heat and humidity are mostly gone!

It will be another month before our leaf color peaks, but the trees are getting small splashes of color. Red and yellow and orange leaves really pop against the still mostly green backgrounds. There are a few trees at our neighborhood park that are already dropping leaves. On a windy day earlier this week I tried to catch one as it fell. I have heard that the first falling leaf you catch is lucky, and should be kept for the duration of the season. I have not been able to get one yet. It is surprisingly difficult to catch a leaf as it flutters down to the ground. Try it sometime and you will see what I mean!

One sure sign of fall around here are the clumps of spider lilies popping up almost overnight in the yard. I love these weird little flowers! The latin name is Lycoris radiata, and these Japanese natives are perennials here in the south. All parts of the plant are poisonous. They really do resemble spiders with their long thin anthers. Here is a patch that comes back every year in our back yard. They are blooming right now.

Today has been cool and rainy. I have spent the whole thing reading, napping, and drinking hot tea. It has been a perfect fall day!

Happy Autumn Equinox to all!