Its been awhile since I've written on my blog here...I still dislike that word..lol...anyway, last evening, I went out for my sunset time journey to Indian Shores which is just about 5 minutes from my driveway to the parking spot.  It was a night that I love and doesn't happen often.  The sunsets are beautiful and different every night and I am in awe so often to see them..so blessed!  Then, there are evenings like last night where the seabirds are in full celebration of their feeding time...swooping and flying and diving and dancing in the skies.  Sometimes I am blessed to see one or two.  Last night there must have been a dozen of the pelicans and many of the smaller sandpipers that walk along the shore and nip and run..nip and run...not allowing humans to draw too closely as a form of protection of themselves..still so cute.  Also, it can be very difficult to get a good shot of the large birds as they fly and dive as they are incredibly fast!  I was able to capture several good shots..this one above as one of the very best!  Isn't it wonderful?!! 

Moonlight!

This is nothing really like this full moon looked last evening, but it was still a beautiful photo.  This  moon was rather large and a beautiful shade of yellow.  The palm trees were swaying in a lovely breeze, also.  Nice evening to say the least! 

My Mom

My mother, Alice, passed away on this day quite a few years ago.  She would be 98 if she were still living on this earth. This morning, I was discussing on chat with my sweet sister in law, about my mom because we were talking about caring for the elderly, especially with dementia and how so often they are ignored, left alone in nursing homes.  We didn't have to do that with our mother, as we all pitched in, thanks to my Dad and my nurse sister for showing us all that this could be done..family just does what they can and we did live near one another.  Anyway, I have never regretted it and I miss her sweet smile, her caring nature..yes, Lord, I miss my momma...but the strange thing is, as I was having this chat on Facebook with my sis in law, I didn't realize the date.  I was so blown away, when the next thing to appear on FB were some memories from last year and there it appeared a story about her and the date of April 30th!  I was in tears..I know my momma has never forgotten me and God is so good to let her "visit" somehow...its hard to explain, but I "felt" her so strongly and know she IS still praying for me and my family.  I love you, Momma..I trust Lord God, that You are with my precious Momma and she sees Your Face now!  Eternal peace, Momma and let Perpetual Life Shine Upon you..Amen.

Seaside Photography

This photo, in my opinion, is probably best seabird photo that I was able to capture with my little phone.  Its one time I wonder what it would have looked like with a really fancy camera, but I really don't much want to learn how to use one, so I won't make that kind of investment.  Still, isn't it lovely?!  

I notice that the larger seabirds..pelicans, seagulls, white herons, egrets, and Great blue herons, seem to like to play more in the early evenings before sunset.  It seems a great feeding time for the pelicans and seagulls, especially, and there is something so magnificent about watching them dive so swiftly straight to the water to catch something to eat.  Oftentimes several will dive down in together in unison and timing just could not be more perfect as they dive, grab, and fly back up with great speed..its incredible!  

The Great Blue Herons mostly like to hang around the fishermen as if they can smell something from their bait bucket..miles away..they show up and can stand for hours in a spot or two just waiting and hoping for a morsel of something.  The pretty white herons also hang around the fishermen at times, but I think if anyone is going to get a nibble it will be the blue grandfatherly looking ones..they appear to be the boss, but hey, I could be wrong!  

The seagulls just fly around and seem to get so excited right before sunset in some areas..there can be many in a bunch making lots of racket and flying over the water, over your head, but don't drop a crumb..they will flock around you like there is no tomorrow and 30 or so will seem to appear out of nowhere in seconds!  It just blows my mind!  

I love all the little guys too..most especially the sandpipers...nothing makes me smile every time I see them scurry here and there from this wave back to the water and and away from the next wave or a someone's feet coming anywhere near them. Its just the best fun! :)  Yet, it is very difficult to capture that in a photo!

Still, this photo of the pelican at a nearby beach that has a few big rocky boulders and some of these wooden perches for them, are the most beautiful near sunset time.  God's nature is just amazing!  

Eating More Healthy...or trying....

Since around the end of February, I have been more seriously trying to lose weight.  I increased my weight to what I weighed before I gave birth to my youngest ..Shane! I could not..no matter how hard I thought I was trying, which included walking, lose more than a few pounds ..then, my feet began to act up, so I threw in the towel and just kind of watched my intake, but not that much..I was disheartened to say the least.

It has more to do with not wanting to increase..trying to watch out for surgeries in the future that I hope not to have and just honestly not wanting to feel like a glutton.  When I realized I weighed several more pounds than the other three in this home..including Jack, who is several inches taller than Danny.  Okay, so he did have major major million dollar heart surgery...so yet ANOTHER reason to try to get my weight down..after all I am going to be 65.

Anyway, so a couple of pounds came off but once again I was frustrated.  So, Danny has been on something called Plexus..pink drink.  He drinks it everyday with or before a meal and it has helped keep his numbers soooo low with the diabetes, that he almost looks like he doesn't have it and takes no meds for it now! It has been successful for him for about two years now, I think.  It wards off the appetite to and its an all natural mixture.  You just add it to a tall glass of water.  So, finally, I decided to try it.  

For a couple of weeks, I prepared though.  I began to eat a piece of Killer Dave's bread toasted with an egg or two and MAYBE a slice of bacon, each morning.  After another week, I began to see how long I could go and maybe skip lunch with maybe a piece of fruit around 3-4.  THEN, after I was successful at that and not feeling deprived I also added trying NOT to have seconds at dinner and if possible foregoing them altogether.  I began to lose a bit more.  Had barely been walking, but starting to add that, as well.

I then began to add the pink drink.  I usually get up..black coffee and read and pray a bit.  I get ready for Mass..we are so blessed to live literally 2 minutes from garage to church parking lot now! :)  After Mass, I go home if nothing else is going on and I drink the mixture. About and hour later (because I have still not felt real hunger) I eat what I mentioned above for breakfast...maybe some kefir (probiotic) with it.  I feel so full and then I am not usually even hungry till about 3-4 for that fruit and then a very reasonable dinner most every night..very little seconds.  I hardly touch bread except in the morning and I have cut the size of my meat portions way back.  I drink lots of water because I needed to learn to do that after my diverticulits bout.  I am also taking a good multivitamin and another probiotic..oh the pink drink is a prebiotic..I understand we need both and when we get older we don't have great working enzymes which also helps our digestion work well.  So, with all that, I have now lost 13 1/2 lbs., approx and feel pretty darn good and really thankful.  The last week has been slower, but that is just fine...just to see regular loss or maintenance even for days..is wonderful.  I really would like to lose only about 20 more lbs. but I would still like to stay on a diet like this mostly..I feel like I eat like a lady.  
The pic above was about the time I began this little journey in a more hopeful determined way.

Blogging Enjoyment

Blogging was always rather fun for me and I have missed it incredibly.   I am not sure at all if anyone I formally blogged with is still doing so, but I will hunt around to find out.  Most of my closest blogging buddies have ceased with the exception of Rosemary, maybe, so I will see if she has been on lately.  

I am so sick of Facebook and all of the nonsense

of how they mess with people and misuse privacy.  I also get sick of noticing that when they want to withhold posts, they seem to have no problem with doing so...depending on your political or religious viewpoints.  Liberals talk about how censoring is wrong..its only wrong if THEY think its wrong.  Many don't count.  

Anyway, its a relaxing thing for me to be able to blog and get things off of my mind as I am doing now.  I don't know why it is..but it is.  Something about pecking the keys, being able to write what I think ...so, with that I will end this first real post and hope to get back more often!

My First Blog Post In A Long Time!

Hi!  :)