Iowa

Iowa

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

I Believe Spring Has Sprung

At least at Phipps. The spring flower show is spectacular. And I can see grass again in my yard. The buds on the Magnolia tree are getting bigger. Yes, another winter seems to have disappeared.
My floral design class is going well. I never knew there was so much to putting together a bunch of flowers. The people are fun and the instructor is great. It amazes me how she can take one flower, move it, and create a whole new look to the design.
My friend who was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer had a joint birthday party with her sister on Sunday. It was delightful. LM is doing well, looks great, has a positive outlook and can actually go back to work full time and go to the mall, which I know Sassy would appreciate. The party was so fun. A very nice group of people, from old co-workers to new co-workers. It is always fun to see people I used to work with and to catch up on gossip. The party was catered and the food...well, I gained two pounds, need I say more?
Another friend lost her brother yesterday, in a tragic death. Senseless.
On a lighter note, I don't like waking up in the dark. And I don't understand why we have to change the clocks. Oh, I know, it has to do with farming, kids walking to the bus, WHATEVER. Just keep it the same year round. I don't care which they do, daylight savings or the other, but just keep it the same. It is such a chore to change all the darn clocks...and I won't even go into changing the VCR.
For those of you who have pets, is there anything more annoying than having to get up in the middle of the night to tend to the needs of those pets? Ava, the cat, never gets sick during the day. It is usually at 4 AM in the morning when she begins the process of ridding her body of hair balls. It goes on for.......ummmm........about an hour. It echos through the house. And then she goes to her food and begins to voraciously chow down, which has me on the edge of the bed wondering if she is again going to heave for an hour. So, I end up with a very poor night's sleep. And a cat that stares at me as though to say "WHAT?" And yes, she is worth it...unless it is 4 AM.
I have been working out and have found that my lower body strength is very good, but my upper body strength is awful. I have also found that when I am on the treadmill trudging along I tend to see what the person next to me is doing, then I try to do them one better. I have this awful competitive streak that I can't seem to control. By the time I leave the gym, I am trying not to limp to the car since the wench woman next to me is watching me out the window that faces the parking lot.
Well, off to bed for me...I have to go to the gym early tomorrow. Have a Happy St. Patrick's Day.

23 comments:

ginger said...

Yes, it so beautiful today that I took a walk which I haven't done for a while. Believe it not, I saw someone still shoveling snow at the end of their driveway. I guess it was frozen solid as they chipped away at it. Also saw Christmas blow ups still in a couple of yards that apparently got covered by the big snow. Really funny to see that at this late date.

Mia, your arrangements are beautiful and they give us a taste of Spring early.

Ava is just like having another kid. Remember when we used to get up for a sick child? Oh those nights were terrible but the kids are gone now and I kind of miss that.

Jen said...

Mia, the flowers are beautiful. And I am glad your friend is doing better. Sounds like a fun party.
I agree about the clocks....messes up everyone in our family. Poor Ava. And ginger, I can't imagine missing those days, I am still in them! Maybe when they become a memory.

SassySam said...

You are right! And I am sure her going to the mall lifted her spirits. I am glad she is feeling better. That is quite a diagnosis to overcome. I love the flowers. Are you going to make this a career? What fun that would be. It is turning warmer here also, and I like all daylight, to wake up to it and to be able to enjoy it in the evening as well. And we have so many different kinds of clocks it takes me all day to change all of them. Let's start a movement.

Ben said...

Pets do demand our time. But my dog is worth it. He recently had to have emergency surgery, and although I nearly had to mortgage my house to pay for it, I didn't think twice. Well, maybe I did. But I couldn't let him suffer, so I had it done. I am collecting donations of food and clothing.

Elizabeth said...

I keep hearing about the cost of owning a pet, Ben, and it does seem extremely expensive to get them medical care. Someone at work pays an arm and a leg for pet insurance, and it still doesn't cover everything. But I know that pet owners feel it is well worth it. Flowers are beautiful, Mia, and ours are starting to pop through the dirt.

Tim said...

You can have my steeler cheerleading suit, Ben. The other Ben has disappointed me. I took down his picture from my mantle.

Jessica said...

I like the first one best, Mia. They are all pretty, but that's my favorite. All of the flowers are wonderful! Wish I had those in my yard. Ours are popping up too. It's wonderful to see, isn't it? It's been a rough winter. Tim, that is so generous of you! He's disappointed a lot of people.

Cathy said...

Our pets mean a lot to us, also, Ben, but sometimes the vet really takes a chunk of money. I'm glad your friend is feeling better. And it is nice that she had a big party, to celebrate her birthday and, I'm sure, her feeling so much better.

Bill said...

Your upper body strength is normal Mia. Women generally have much more strength in their legs. And it's funny, but a gym generally does that to people, they become competitive. I like your choice of music, Mia, nice addition.

Allie (cat) said...

We cats are able to now find the grass to frolic in and to chase the birds that are returning. We love spring.

Shelly said...

Mia, I check your blog daily...please, please, please blog more! I love your pictures, I love you sense of humor.

SocialWorker2 said...

That is great news about your friend, Mia. She must have a very positive attitude and a good doctor. I have to laugh at your description of the work out. I gave up on gyms a few years ago, but I do walk everyday, even in the awful snow! Welcome, Spring!

Angela said...

I bought some flowers at the supermarket, it's all I can afford, but they look wonderful in my living room. They brighten up the whole space.
I know exactly what you mean about the gym, Mia. We have some of the perfect bodies that I try to ignore, but find myself saying...I think I can, I think I can.

Tigger said...

How generous of Tim! We truly have become a family when we offer to share clothes. The snow is gone here and yes, spring is beginning to spring. Mia, stick to the parks, go running. Those people in the gyms are usually there to pick up people.

Mark said...

Mia, don't overdue it with the upper body workout, you are likely to tear a muscle. If you don't want bulk, just strength, go very slowly and don't use a lot of weight.
I agree with the clocks changing. Not only do we have the ones in the house, but then there is the cars.
Hope your cat feels better, and I am glad to hear about your friend.

Lori said...

I love the music, Mia. I wondered where it came from when I first heard it. Very nice. And I agree, we need more posts. It looks like we all wait for it, so feed us your posts mia. All the pics of the flowers are wonderful. Spring is here!

Anonymous said...

blue sky and flowers mixed with soft songs blended by many years of caring--->?? now just who else would i be!

Twigs said...

Well, that certainly doesn't sound like the annoying anonymous that used to comment here! Nice music to go with a mellow mood and the flowers, Mia. I like it.

Nate said...

Yes, whatever happened to him/her? Bitter, bitter person! It's hard when a pet gets sick. Our cat does the same thing, Mia. Hairballs. It's awful. It goes on for an hour at least. I should talk to the vet, but we have an indoor cat and we never go to the vet!

JD said...

Pretty pictures of the flowers and I like the music. Your story about the gym made me laugh. When I went to the gym, I had the same experience. I don't go anymore. I look forward to your posts, keep it up.

Kevin said...

Who is that anonymous person?

Kevin's wife said...

Certainly isn't you! A romantic me
thinks. See how many people read your blog, Mia. We want more.

Another Original by Tamara said...

Spring has definitely sprung. Very gorgeous day today. I think Mark is Mia's new personal trainer. I miss our daily work-outs Mia. Oh, wait that's bkz there WERE NO DAILY workouts. My bad.

Yes, the music is totally relaxing. I let it keep playing as I painted. And on top of anonymous' poetry I escaped and experienced bliss, if only for a few moments.