Hello July! You Got Here Too Fast!

June seems to have flown by!

I began the month going to Tybee Island with a friend. She had a wedding and rehearsal dinner to attend for her nephew in Savannah, so I had some roaming time.

We stayed in a cute little cottage that was a sweet haven. There are two little rental units and the owner’s place there. She’s an artist and the cottage and yard are whimsical and comfortable. It was a nice place to stay for a few days.

After that we left for a few days in Pensacola Beach. I hadn’t been in 30 years and boy, it has grown up! But the beaches are lovely and so much is truly public. No pay to park! Our condo’s view was obstructed by a building when it came to sunset time, but still we had a nice pier view of the sound.

I ate a lot of great seafood, but also ate too much ice cream. When we got back I had gained three or four pounds.

I came back home for a week then spent a week volunteering in Cordele, Georgia at a hot air balloon camp for teens. Great teens and great adults – it was a perfect pleasure.

And great food! Fortunately they serve a good amount of fruits and vegetables with meals and the food was fairly healthy, but we all ate and ate. We walked a lot, too. I handled social media and since kids were supposed to put their cameras away when balloons were out, so I tried to run around everywhere and get lots of shots for them to remember later and for their parents and others to see a long the way

I’ve tried to get back into a reasonable eating plan since I have been home and am in a downward weight pattern again.

I got zucchini and yellow squash from my nephew’s wife (well, because she took it to her mother-in-law, my sister, and they had enough already). Aren’t home grown vegetables the best gift?

I’m not usually a huge zucchini fan, but my sister suggested shredding it, combining it with an egg and a bit of panko, spices and cheese (I’ve omitted cheese because I didn’t have any). Bake it in mini muffin pans and it’s delicious. It’s easy to add and subtract ingredients. I bake at 350 until it looks lightly browned. Try it!

I got released from Physical Therapy last week. My IT band still has issues but it doesn’t seem to ever get completely better. It’s ironically been hurting since, but I’m hoping to get the inflammation down and get active again. It’s supposed to get worse with more activity but that doesn’t seem to be a major issue for me. It doesn’t manifest like IT band injuries usually do, so I’m going to do my own “ study” and try to figure it out. My PT thinks it may be back related. We’ll see! I believe there are some things we just have to figure out ourselves.

Somewhat related, I bought a new mattress. I’m hoping that helps my body overall.

You know it’s time for a new mattress when you have no memory of buying your old one! When I downsized my apartment I could only take one bed, so I chose the antique bed my dad refinished for me my last year of college. It had been in a guest room in my house, so didn’t get much use during those years (unless my nieces were visiting – that guest room was “their” room), but I’ll never get rid of it. I’m glad to be back sleeping in it. It definitely has sentimental value.

I like the mattress I chose. In the past when I bought mattresses I always doubted they delivered what I bought. Then I realized showroom mattresses are broken in and those you get are not. This time, though, the mattress feels right at the start. I probably laid on 15 mattresses before I laid on this one.

The guy I bought it from said he knew after a couple which one I would like best, but wanted my to be sure. He was a great salesman – he didn’t hard sell me on the most expensive. In fact he said price doesn’t necessarily mean a better mattress, that you should try all of them out. I’m pleased with what I chose. My body probably is, too.

So much going on, but I’ll leave it at this. Have a great Independence Day week! Celebrate freedom for all!

“Life without liberty is like a body without spirit.”

Kahlil Gibran