Outdoor Wednesday: Well-Watered Plants

As I mentioned in my Mosaic Monday post, the hot summer days had left my garden all parched. Well, the past three days we have had rain, and as I look out I can see the plants making good use of all the extra water.

So today I ventured out across the sopping wet grass to look at my Rose of Sharon plant. I received a piece last summer from a friend and have been looking out from the kitchen window to see the lovely pink blooms. All along there were just one bloom at a time. However, in the past three days I’ve seen two, three, and now five blooms.

Even when wet, the pink blooms are so lovely:


I also enjoyed looking at the blossoms and buds on the nearby Stella d’Oro lilies plants:

This post is linked to Susan’s Outdoor Wednesday at A Southern Daydreamer.

Transformation Tuesday

Kimberley of Terra del Sole is considering a new meme to help bloggers “share how they are transforming their lives.”

Her theme is “Live, Love, Laugh, Learn.” In her first post she shares how other bloggers are fulfilling aspects of this theme in their blog posts.

On my living room love seat I have a small blue pillow that urges “Live/ Love/ Laugh.”

In recent posts I shared my new regimen based on the NEWSTART 18-day lifestyle program.

Getting a New Start on a Healthy Lifestyle

NEWSTART Update

What to Eat for Satiety

In the past couple weeks, my sisters and I have also joined an individualized coaching program aimed at helping women identify, develop and achieve personal goals. I will write about this soon.

Let's all try to live with more love and laughter in our daily activities.

Mosaic Monday - Summer Flowers

On my return from my California trip I found my garden pretty wilted by the heat and lack of water while I was away. But there were still some blooms and I've made a couple mosaice for Mary's Mosaic Monday event.

The Stella d'Oro daylily and Rose of Sharon plants were given to me last June by a friend. The hydrangeas and impatiens were bought at area garden centers.

This mosaic features hydrangeas. They are Endless Summer and were planted in 2008.

Be sure to visit Mary at Little Red House to see the mosaics prepared by other participants.

Family Birthday Celebration

On Sunday we had a family get-together to celebrate my birthday which was last Wednesday. My youngest sister hosted it at her home. Her son and daughter put out balloons on the mailbox and on the back fence near the pool. (The balloons are somewhat deflated since I didn't take the photos till the next afternoon.)

The family attending included my mother, her sister, my sister, husband, son and daughter, brother-in-law’s aunt, and from out of town another sister and brother-in-law. They arrived in Massachusetts from their home in Florida early Sunday morning.

Several stainless steel chafing dishes kept the food hot on the kitchen table:

Here is the place setting in the Dining Room

On a white tablecloth were pretty summery ceramic plates and handpainted goblets. Gilt frames as place cards and gold flatware were joined by white napkins in napkin rings to complete the settings.

Just before we sat down, I took a quick photo overview of table. Note the three candelabras as the centerpiece:

Be sure to visit our lovely hostess,Susan, at Between Naps on the Porch for more wonderful tablesettings.

What to Eat for Satiety

My heartfelt thanks to each person who left a comment to the three previous posts. Your kind words are most appreciated. Again, I’m glad to write in response to questions you’ve asked.
From Katherine at Yellow Rose Arbor came the query, "Can you give us more details of what you eat for breakfast and lunch that holds you all night? I'm curious!"
Carrell at Country Charisma indicated, "Would love to know what they recommended for your breakfast and lunch."


At NEWSTART we were urged to "Breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, supper like a pauper." So our biggest meal would be breakfast.
The cafeteria provided substantial meals that kept us well-fed without hunger pangs in between meals. In any case, we were also urged to avoid snacking so our meals had time to digest properly. We also got lots of encouragement to drink lots of water between meals.

For your interest, here is a sampling of what we ate that gave wonderful satiety** through the day and night.

BREAKFAST:
Whole grain Oatmeal or other whole cooked cereal
Whole grain cereals: Maple Nut Granola*, Sunflower Date Granola, Pineapple Granola,
Whole Grain Corn or Rice flakes
Milk: Almond milk, Soy milk, Rice milk
Beans and other legumes such as lentils
Entrees like Scrambled Tofu as an egg substitute
Fresh fruit: apples, oranges, grapefruit, kiwi,
Whole grain breads
Spreads/ Sprinkles: almond butter, Nutritional Yeast Flakes

NO JUICES, NO WATER WITH MEALS

LUNCH:
Whole grain pasta dishes
Baked or mashed potatoes
Brown Rice dishes
Salad bar: lettuces, tomatoes, cucumber, kidney beans, cauliflower, broccoli, spinach, croutons, etc.
Fresh fruit: apples, oranges, grapefruit, kiwi, etc.
Whole grain breads: raisin, wheat, spelt, multi-grain
Spreads/ Sprinkles: almond butter, nutritional yeast flakes, flax seed flakes, date pieces, sunflower seeds

SUPPER:
Green salad fixings
Soups: Lentil, vegetable, barley, etc.
Whole Grain Bread
Spreads: Hummus, Almond butter, Peanut butter
Fresh fruit platter
Whole Wheat Herb Crackers*
*Illustrations from Weimar Market website.

We received cooking lessons in the cooking school kitchen from Sally Christensen and her two assistants. Mrs. Christensen edited the Newstart Lifestyle Cookbook.

For our last lesson we prepared a delicious Mexican luncheon.
We each received a copy of the NEWSTART Lifestyle Cookbook upon arrival our first day.

**sa·ti·ety definition
Pronunciation: /sə-ˈtī-ət-ē also ˈsā-sh(ē-)ət-/
Function: n
pl -eties ; : the quality or state of being fed or gratified to or beyond capacity

Source: Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2007 Merriam-Webster, Inc.

I am linking this post to a new meme, Whatever Wednesday hosted by Kimberly at Terra del Sole.

NEWSTART Update

Katherine at Yellow Rose Arbor suggested that I "share some of your progress with us!" and asked, "How are you feeling now?"

Well, I am feeling much stronger. The stroke (even though it was not a severe stroke) left me weakened and frail. It affected me both physically and emotionally. I found that the daily walks in the sunshine on the Half Mile Loop road strengthened my legs and my whole body. I started out dragging my affected left leg and foot, but little by little, was able to walk more naturally.
The Half Mile Loop had a lot of slopes, up and down, so it was reasonably taxing. We were also taken to other trails such as the Flume Trail, which ran beside a waterway. Here is one shot I took on this tree-shaded trail:


Each person was assigned to one of three medical doctors who monitored our health and made changes as necessary. I was taken off my cholesterol medicine and one of my blood pressure medications. My diabetic medicine was reduced to once daily since I stopped having supper. The whole food breakfasts and lunches were satisfying enough so we were not hungry in between meals and did not miss supper. Since being home, I have continued skipping supper as I work to have substantial breakfast and lunch meals.

Wednesday lunch and Saturday breakfast was held in the Cooking School Kitchen and consisted mainly of whole food dishes we prepared ourselves in cooking class:

The rest of the meals were in the NEWSTART Dining Room in the Cafeteria building

Hydrotherapy and massage sessions helped my muscles relax and helped me toward
an overall sense of well being.

Perhaps you are wondering, "What does NEWSTART mean?" Well, here is a brief explanation of the acronym:

Nutrition
Exercise
Water
Sunlight
Temperance
Air
Rest
Trust in Divine power

A much fuller explanation is found here online: http://www.newstart.com/what_is.php

Here is my NEWSTART water bottle. We were each given one upon arrival and kept it filled from the water cooler in the Lodge lobby. We were to drink 6-8 glasses or more daily, beginning with two glasses upon awakening. We were also encouraged to eat lots of fruit and vegetables – especially leafy green vegetables.

In the 18 days I lost about 4 pounds and one inch off my waist, though the first week I actually gained one pound due to trying out too much food from the cafeteria menu! But with portion control, I was able to turn that around. We were advised not to to take in more calories than we were expending in our daily activities.

Visiting Empire Gold Mine State Park

The area of northern California where I was (see last post) had been a gold mining region. So one of the excursions we had as part of the NEWSTART program was a visit Empire Mine State Historic Park. The site includes a museum and Visitor’s Center with a scale model of the mine’s below the surface workings, a gift shop, mine shafts, the owner’s mansion, called "The Cottage," the mine superintendent’s house, a club house and beautiful grounds. For this post, I’ll focus on the beautiful outdoor views that I photographed while there on July 4, 2010.

Here is a view of the fountain across the lawn in front of the mansion

Two stately planted urns frame the approach up to The Cottage:

The Cottage, home of the owner of the Empire Gold Mine, William Bourn, Jr.

Façade of The Cottage

Roses in front of the mansion

Side view of the front of The Cottage Floral beauty in white at the side of the mansion

Light fixture on a side porch at the mansion

Another light fixture in front of the ornate front entrance

Stately Italian cypress across the lawn

Formal sunken garden on the grounds

Towering Ponderosa pines

Textured bark of a Ponderosa pine

Closer look at the bark of a Ponderosa
Yellow flowering ground cover. (Sorry, I did not get the name of this plant)

This post is linked to the following blog events:

My World Tuesday, hosted by Klaus.

Outdoor Wednesday hosted at Susan’s blog, A Southern Daydreamer

Getting a New Start On A Healthy Lifestyle

I’ve just returned from a stay at Weimar Center for Health and Education. I was a guest for the 18-day NEWSTART Lifestyle Program. I felt this would help me get on a healthy diet and exercise program, since I was diagnosed with diabetes the day aftter my stroke in April. The program promises to:
Reverse Diabetes
Restore Hearts
Relieve Arthritis
Renew Immune Systems
Shed Pounds
Lower Cholesterol
Increase Energy
Enhance Vital Capacity

We had private rooms with bath, (and fresh towels and bath mat daily) hydrotherapy and massage, health lectures, cooking school, walking along trails, getting to know the other guests, many of whom became wonderful friends. We encouraged each other, and celebrated when anyone lost pounds, lowered cholesterol, lowered blood sugar, etc. Our delicious meals were made from "whole foods eaten whole." We were happy to take home a thick recipe pack prepared by the cafeteria staff, the Newstart Cookbook, and other recipe handouts.

The Weimar campus is in northern California and I enjoyed the beauty of the setting – towering trees, shrubs, and flowers. It is truly a haven with the stately Ponderosa pines and other tree varieties, many types of shrubs, and bright flower beds.

The first mosaic below shows:
The flagpole (2d photo) stands in a circle where guests walked round and round. There were also twelve miles of walking trails.
The Gazebo was site of early morning Stretcherizes. This was followed with a walk around the Half Mile Loop.

The second mosaic shows
Sections of the Half Mile Loop Road

The final mosaic includes:
Magnolia tree in front of Weimar Inn
Sequoia tree
Daylilies on right front

Today’s post is linked to Mosaic Monday hosted by Mary at Little Red House. Go there for links to other shared mosaics.

Thankful for Multiple Providences

My current illness has given me many, many things to be thankful for:
When I had a small stroke early on Friday April 2, I was able to reacheach person I called – something that rarely ever happens, no matter what time of day. I reached my brother two states away, the head nurse at my primary care physician’s office, and most importantly, my youngest sister, who lives 50 miles away. Having the day off, my sister came and took me to the hospital Emergency Room, and stayed until I was installed in the Intensive Care Unit, as a new stroke patient.
There, the doctor, all the nurses and other staff were very caring and helpful, as they worked to bring my synthoms under control.

In a few days I was transferred to a rehabilitation hospital. The doctors, nurses,aides, physical therapists, occupational therapists and others, made me feel in good hands. I concentrated on cooperating with everything - a dozen medicines, 3 hours a day of therapy, lots of needles, hospital food, etc., etc.

I was very thankful that the stroke was a small one, affecting my left leg. Soon I regained strength on my left side and my overall balance. I was happy to see my middle sister, who took off a few days to take care of me my first few days at home. She flew in from Maryland the night before I was discharged. So both younger sisters came and got me at the hospital, stopping for groceries on the way to my home.

So while this is still a difficult time, I am thankful for many blesssings which God provides such as friends from church who've helped out with errands, laundry and other needed tasks.
Many thanks ot Martha at Martha's Favorites for including me on your prayer list. Thanks also to Terri at Artful Affirmations. and Katherine at Yellow Rose Arbor for your kind support.