Sunday, April 6, 2025
Thursday, April 3, 2025
Thankful Thursday: April 3, 2025
I Am Thankful For:
A beautiful day for travel
A yummy brisket sandwich
The motion sickness glasses seemed to help
Visiting my grandfather's grave
Discovering more about my family history
Genealogy libraries
The new moon
Being home again
Early to bed
Sunday breakfast
Finally getting some rain
Chocolate
Tulips blooming
Watermelon
A quiet day
The pear tree in bloom
April
A new book
A project completed
A misty day
Monday, March 31, 2025
The Best of March
Sunday, March 30, 2025
Thursday, March 27, 2025
Thankful Thursday: March 27, 2025
I Am Thankful For:
My husband and son going on a weekend fishing trip
Having nothing to do
Having time to clean out kitchen cabinets and reorganizing
Self care day
"Girl Dinner"
Reading late into the night
The guys are back home
Morning at the library
Healthy lunch
All the clean laundry is folded
Beautiful blue skies
Doggy smiles
Monday, March 24, 2025
Healthy Knees in Midlife and Beyond
This post is in no way intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment and before undertaking a new healthcare regimen. Never disregard medical advice or delay seeking help because of something you read on this website.
All was well until a couple of weeks ago. I say down to have a cup of tea and read. I put my feet up on the ottoman, and as I straightened my legs there was suddenly an intense pain in that same knee. I couldn't straightened it all the way due to the pain, and walking was also painful. It was almost exactly the same as last summer but without the POP sensation. I was back to the Orthopedist for more Xrays. I have some osteoarthritis in the knee, and there l ossifications located at the fibular head. No surgery recommended right now, but at some in my future I'll be needing a knee replacement.
I was feeling very alone in my experiences with knee problems, until I read an article from AARP that said joint pain can be a common symptom in menopause. Other common causes of knee pain iinclude typical wear-and-tear, osteoarthritis, and injuries.
My Orthopedist explained it to me that some people have bones and cartilage like oak, and some like pine. If you have oak floors in a home, they can take a lot of walking on and will hold up for the lifetime of the house. If the floors are pine, after many years they will start to show signs of wear. Apparently, mine are like pine.
Fortunately, there are things we can do to protect our knees and keep them healthy for as long as possible.
- Stick with low-impact exercise to minimize stress on your knees. Examples include: walking, swimming, biking, and elliptical training. Avoid or limit high impact exercise or those with a lot of contact or sudden pivots.
- Do exercises that strengthen your hamstrings and quadriceps. These muscles support the knee joints.
- Stretching regularly to improve flexibility, and as a warm-up before exercise to prevent injury.
- Maintain a healthy weight to reduce pressure on the knees.
- Wear shoes with good support and cushioning.
Taking care of our knees can keep us active through midlife and well into the senior years. And isn't that something we all hope for?
Sunday, March 23, 2025
Thursday, March 20, 2025
Thankful Thursday: March 20, 2025
I Am Thankful For:
Opening windows to air out the house
Family resemblance
8 hours of sleep
The Lunar Eclipse
The full moon
Errands and lunch with my husband
Irish whiskey
Finishing a crochet project
And starting a new one
My husband cooking breakfast for me
Sunshine after the storms
Feeling cute
A delicious Irish stew
Guinness
Adding to my TBR list while volunteer at the library
A Spring breeze
Sunday, March 16, 2025
Thursday, March 13, 2025
Thankful Thursday: March 13, 2025
I Am Thankful For:
My daffodils about to bloom
My daughter
A quick appointment with the orthopedist
Small local businesses
My son
Oil change done
Getting a same day vet appointment
My grandsons
A trip to the garden center
Beginning a new routine
Laundry put away
My husband
Crepes for Breakfast
My little dog is feeling better
Reporting plants
Insightful book discussions
Unhurried mornings
Our son-in-law
Planning a short trip
Old family pictures
Volunteering at the library
Sunday, March 9, 2025
Thursday, March 6, 2025
Thankful Thursday: March 6, 2025
I Am Thankful For:
Volunteering hours scheduled
Things starting to get back to normal
Cozy mornings
Ruining errands
A day without needing muscle relaxers
Family
A Spring-like day
February is over
Brownies and ice cream
My husband making breakfast for me
Family safe from local wild fires
My husband
A pain-free day
Clean doggos
A good check-up for Max
Daffodils blooming
Pancakes for dinner
Lunch with my husband