My horse, Destiny, died this morning. This one is really hard.
March 3
I feel bad for Flicka. There is a blizzard brewing and she is all alone in the barn
March 4
The loss of our two horses pales in comparison to the family crisis we are also enduring. I’m sharing my daughter’s most recent article. In it, she barely skims the surface of all the heart ache she is going through: A woman, a back road, and a crescent moon
With all the stress in my life, it wasn’t a surprise when I started feeling completely drained. I hadn’t been checking my blood pressure or blood sugar, and when I finally did a few weeks ago, they were bouncing around like a game of ping pong.
I knew I had to take action. I immediately cut out 90% of both sugar and sodium, increased my water intake, dug out the supplements that have worked well for me in the past, and tried a few new ones. The transition has been rough, but the results are already showing—the past week, my blood sugar has dropped by an average of 12%, my blood pressure was in the normal range for most of Saturday (though it’s a bit elevated again now), and my energy is returning. In short, I am feeling better.
This all tells me that I’m on the right track! Yesterday, I also started keeping a food diary to help pinpoint any other problem foods—and I’ve already found one. Small steps, big impact!
March 10
I am happy to report that despite having a very stressful day yesterday regarding matters with my oldest that lasted until 2am this morning, my blood pressure stayed normal through it all! I have a renewed respect for Young Living’s CBD ability to promote a sense of calm.
The following article is not about Young Living’s line, but for general information: 11 Surprising CBD Oil Benefits and How to Use it Safely
March 12
Bob knows when I am very upset about some injustice or wrong being done in the world. At those moments, my dark side tries to come through… it is then that I have to take a moment to recenter and choose peace. Sometimes, it is again and again and again… until acceptance that God is ultimately in control and there are others out there called to the battle and I am called to the important work of being in the background training new warriors. But, even we background people have our skills and must be prepared to jump into the heat of the battle when needed.
March 13
I was rather sad today. I was really missing having my own horse to love on. So, I joined a bunch of horse groups; found a bunch a horse adoption centers for Minnesota, South Dakota and even Wisconsin; searched craigslist and horse classified sites; got depressed about the prices I was seeing – all this instead of doing any thing productive, of course.
Then… a horse that we could afford showed up in my feed that was near us. So, we went to see him, but decided to think about it a bit.
I talked it over with Bob and he said that he is glad to know that I was already looking. Apparently, it is rather obvious that I’m not quite myself without a horse…
Well, I was updating my planner with what I did today and went to type “went to meet a horse”. Instead, I wrote “went to meet Galaxy”. I told the guys that I guess I want the horse since I’ve already named him…
It’ll be a few days before he can home, but here is a picture from his ad.
March 13
Finished spring cleaning the barn today! Tally of 27 wheelbarrow loads in the past 3 weeks. I think this is the earliest I’ve gotten to clean out the barn!
Next, I need to clean the barn yard again, but that will wait for a week or two while we dive back into snow…
March 14
Galaxy is home!
Funds between banks were transferred in record time (normally 2-3 business days and this one was less than a day) and the seller brought him over before the storm started, which is AWESOME!
Flicka is super excited to have a companion again and it only took her about 5 minutes to establish herself as “the boss” with one little nip. In only 20 minutes, the barnyard was explored, a nice relaxed roll was enjoyed, and the eating of hay commenced. I’m so glad the introduction has gone well and they both relaxed right away!
March 14
3 days stable blood pressure w/o extra supplements.
My 2-3 hours after meal blood sugar has been consistently 115-130 (well within normal) for the past week – as long as I stay less than 50 carbs per meal. I do believe I’ve stabilized, but… Obviously, I am going to have to stay dedicated to this low carb diet for the foreseeable future. Joy. I’m glad that I enjoy protein shakes and vegetables!
March 16
Death claimed another long-time member of our animal family last night. Tiger was 18 years old and had been with us since she was born. It was a peaceful passing while my youngest (her human) held her.
March 27
Prayers for my Dad with a number of health issues. Waiting on answers.
March 27
My Dad is having major, emergency surgery this morning.
Daddy is out of surgery. He will have to stay in the hospital for several days yet.
March 28
I went out to clear a section of weeds at my Dad’s (you know… to make room for the new ones that will be coming)… one went down swinging… Bob said to stay away from the scissors!
It was tempting to use scissors, for sure! But, I won the battle and kept my hair.
March 30