Category Archive:Hear Me

The more things change

April 9th, 2020 / Categories: Hear Me, Moose Nuggets, Moosin Around / Comments Closed

the more they stay the same

It has been very quiet in my town the past couple of weeks. There is much less traffic on the highway behind my house. Much of that is due to people hunkering down and staying home. Ahhh Covid-19. Many people have lost their jobs.

I am more fortunate in my workplace. I was sent home, but I am drawing administrative leave pay for the hours I am not actively involved in work. I am not sure how long the agency can afford to do that, however. I can do limited things at home – check email, check court records, etc. But all of my files are in my office and I cannot access them. We have not gotten rid of paper files.

But what adds to the quiet in the ‘hood is the lack of airplanes flying over my house. We are on the flight path and generally have flyovers every hour. No longer. The major airline – the one that serves the entire state – recently has filed bankruptcy. They first reduced their flights by 90%, parking most of their fleet. A week or so later they parked all of them.

the same . . . I am reminded of 9-11. The week following I would sit in my home office and blog about how quiet the world outside my window was. As now, there were no planes flying overhead. We were all hunkered down in front of our televisions wondering what was next. Would Alaska, with its major military bases, be on the list for an attack? We were quietly waiting.

Then, as now, people were reaching out to do whatever they could to help. Many of us lined up at the blood bank willing to donate a life source. I spent several days there registering the many people who came through.

Today, we are again looking for ways to help. The blood bank is in Anchorage and we cannot drive out of the community, so that is out until the blood mobile comes back into our area.

But my neighbors!!!! They are rock stars. Neighbors reaching out to others and doing a weekly shop, going to the pharmacy, writing encouraging notes, checking in. Sewers and non-sewers are making masks for everyone to use if they need to go out on those runs – or go to work. We are crocheting bands with buttons to relieve the ears of those who are masked. We are making contributions to the food bank and other agencies in need. We are ordering take out to help our neighbors who own restaurants. We are attending worship virtually.

We are in this for the long haul. This is our new normal. This type of thing will bring out the best in people . . . or the worst in people. (It’s what inside us that comes out)

To those who might be reading this, I say thank you for being who you are. Thank you for the efforts you are making. Thanks for befriending me. Thanks for keeping me smiling even when I don’t feel like it. Thanks for not unfriending me when I send you the latest pun that has tickled my funny bone. 🙂

Stay safe, y’all. Stay home. And, when you must go out, stay covered. We’re all in this together.

Blog Walk

October 20th, 2018 / Categories: Family, Hear Me / 2 Comments »

Remember when we used to blog and blog and blog? Remember when we used to take blog walks around the ‘net and leave comments on each others’ pages?

Along came “social media” full of more trolls than we ever saw in blog-dom. Although we had quite a few trolls, didn’t we? Oh, and remember the misunderstandings and the little wars that broke out with long standing internet blogging friends rushing in to defend friends from such? There was no such thing as an emoji back then. We made do with semi colons and parentheses to emotionalize our (funny to us, hurtful to some) comments. (took a few wars for us to figure out a way to get around that.)

I tire of much that goes on in social media . . . and yet I am drawn to it as a moth to flame. I get drawn into discussions I would be better off not getting into. It is nobody’s fault. I am totally human, you see. I want to stand up for things I believe in. I want to promote healthy relationships and well-being and love, always love.

And, in walks dissension and politics and hate, always hate.

I miss the old days. Even with the battles and trolls there was still humor and joy, always joy.

I went for a blog walk tonight and found only ONE of my former every day writers still writing. I am thrilled to see her still posting. Others have not done so since 2013! And yes, I am not much better. That durned social media keeps pulling me in for the quick fix.

Challenging myself to step back and take back part of myself by coming here to write. Challenging you to maybe do the same?

I still will be involved in social media. I will still be vocal about those things which impassion me. That inner beast has been woken and I hope it does not quickly go back to sleep. It is too important to understand that those who come after us – our children, our grandchildren and the greats beyond – must know what life was like before. They must know the paths we have trod through and mountains we have crossed in order for their lives to be more comfortable than our foremothers trod, crossed and lived.

If we do not care about the world in which we live – with all of its loveliness, its ugliness, its charm and possible growth – how are those future loved ones of ours to care?

Challenge accepted.

45 Days and counting

August 30th, 2017 / Categories: Hear Me, inspiration, makin' my own fun, Moose Nuggets, Moosin Around / Comments Closed

What’s that you say? You thought the challenge was only 40 days? Well, you are correct, sir. Congratulations. However, why waste the start of a good thing is what I would like to know.

You don’t, of course. My goal is to continue this as a new lifestyle. There are changes just waiting to be seen.

For instance: my knees no longer hurt! I mean, seriously – they no longer hurt. Now, that is not directly due to the challenge. It is mostly due to Coach Nikki and I working hard at getting them to the point that they no longer hurt. She has been wrapping my knees with her voo-doo band whenever I’m in the gym. Now I do the wrapping and she oversees to make sure it is done correctly. After two minutes, the wrap comes off and I walk about in the gym making sure my toes are pointed forward instead of duck walking like I used to do. (especially with my right foot.) I can’t tell you how many times I would come home after a great workout and have trouble bending my knees to sit after standing in the shower, standing to dry my hair, standing to do my breakfast . . . this week I noticed that is not happening any longer!!! Whoot!!! Article on using voodoo bands

But, that is not even the biggest change. This one can pretty much be attributed directly to the past 45 days of learning to eat clean, reducing sodium and refined sugars . . . at my eye exam last week I discovered my blood pressure was extremely low (for me) at 88/54. Ummm, yes. You read that correctly.

I had to place a call to my doctor to see if she wanted to see me sooner than my normal time in October. Spoke with the nurse, scheduled an appointment for tomorrow. Then the nurse called me back yesterday and said, nope, an appointment is not needed. We will lower the dosage on one of your meds and see you in October, unless you feel you need to come in sooner.

After years of having my BP in the 135-140 range (top number) and 90s range (bottom number) I can only attribute this to the past 45 days. article on blood pressure

Now do you see why I intend to continue?

Thanks Coach Nikki and Crossfit Certitude!!!

40 days – and 40 nights

August 27th, 2017 / Categories: Hear Me, Moose Nuggets / Comments Closed

My crossfit gym recently held a 40 day partner challenge and a friend and I signed up. We downloaded apps that helped us understand how many calories we needed each day in order to build muscle, lose weight, get stronger.

Now, if you are like I am, you have always thought – fewer calories equal weight loss. Right? Wrong!!! As counter intuitive as it seems, you NEED to take in enough calories for your body to survive day in and day out. I slowly got my head wrapped around that and discovered for my height, weight, and age, I needed to take in nearly 3000 calories per day. Yes, blink, you read that correctly.

Before pics and measurements were taken. Instructions on point systems and prizes were given. The process began. My partner and I chatted constantly via messages daily. We worked out together and separately. We tracked our food intake and our exercise both inside and outside of the Box.

Friday was day 40. We had done a certain WoD (work out of the day) back in July and this day was a re-test. We had also done our max on back squat back in July and re-tested that as well. I was excited and pleased to add 35 pounds to my 1 rep max back squat (from 150# to 185#) and cut 2 minutes and 37 seconds off Angie. (100 Ring Rows, 100 push ups, 100 sit ups, 100 air squats)

We did our after pics and measurements Saturday. My weight loss was nearly 5 pounds. Now, that may not sound like much to some, but it is exciting for me. Look at the pics and I think maybe you will see it, too. I replaced fat with muscle and we all know that the volume of one pound of fat is more than the volume of one pound of muscle. I call the past 40 days a success!

Oh, and I am not finished. I plan to maintain the same healthy eating and exercise program. After all, it takes 90 days to form a habit. This habit is my lifestyle choice.

p.s. it appears that my partner and I won the challenge also – all those extra point challenges on top of our regular points came in handy for the win.

Many thanks to Coach Nikki and CrossFit Certitude for the challenge and for the encouragement. Thanks also to my family who have supported me through these past 40 days – for your love and encouragement. Thanks to my coworkers who have had to listen to me daily yak on about it all.

before after front before after side

Light Bars and Fog Lights and Aged Eyes, oh, my

April 17th, 2017 / Categories: Alaska, Hear Me, Moose Nuggets / Comments Closed

We are saying goodbye to the long winter dark here in Kenai. Yes, we are thankful the ice and snow have (mostly) faded away to only a few blackened lumps around town. Yes, we are grateful the icy roads are (for the most part) a thing of the past.

But, as my early morning drives to the gym are gradually getting lighter, there is one thing I am really looking forward to: no longer needing to flip off on-coming drivers. No, not THAT kind of flipping off, sillies. I’m talking about using my dimmer switch.

What? You didn’t know there was such a thing? I’m afraid you are not in the minority. It would seem several people do not know that particular switch is installed in their rigs.

Although I use the thing rarely, I would be thrilled to not have to use it at all.

It depends on you, dear early morning drivers. I would not have to flip you off if you would be courteous enough to turn off your fog lights and light bars when meeting on-coming traffic. Like me. Driving to the gym in the early morning hours.

I try to be courteous enough to make sure my brights are dimmed while you are still down the road. I figure if I can see your lights you can see mine and take appropriate action.

Yes, those light bars are great fun – and it shows you have some status, well, cash to put into such toys. And, I know they are useful for those long hauls to Anchorage in the dead of night. And, they are even useful on the street-light-less roads between Kenai and Soldotna.

But, please, take into consideration those of us who have aging eyes. If you are close enough to me that I am blinded by the lights (two points for lyrics!) then you are causing both of us possible harmful reaction time.

Now, go on . . . go play with your toys on the escape route. Please dim your lights and turn off the light bars and fog lights when in traffic.

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