good medicine

Sitting outside in the sunshine right now... with sunscreen on of course. The Texas sun is strong and powerful and I'm sure I'd have a nasty burn in just a few minutes without it.  But the breeze is cool and the warmth of the sun feels wonderful.

I've been achy with hurting joints for such a long time now and it doesn't seem to improve. I push through though not letting it stop me most of the time, but it's a challenge. I trimmed a few hedges in the backyard and then raked and did a little more planting. Included in that is dragging out the ladder, trimmers, and lifting heavy leaf-filled bags... and then putting everything away. I can't do everything every day, but can always do something. My body feels used and exercised which I tell myself is a good thing. The truth is I feel a combination of happy and incredibly grumpy and irritable at the same time today. Norman's barking at neighbors doing their own yardwork on the other side of the fence was enough to make me want to scream profanities. I feel restless. Sigh.

I made a salad for lunch with fresh greens... some spinach, lettuce, and mustard. Sprinkled in some four-bean-salad, tomato, avocado and a little feta. Also used my juicer and made a wonderful concoction using spinach, parsley, kale, cucumber, pear, apple, lemon and ginger. A yummy combination. Though I know something is going on in my body to make my joints hurt I can use fresh air, exercise, sunshine, and nutritious food choices as medicine!

As the sun moves my shade increases and so does the coolness I feel. I'm not dreading the summers here in Texas as I used to. I've learned to adapt.... as life teaches us to do.....