The Butterfly Man's Jewelry...

This is a Russian Charoite necklace that my great Uncle Gail Richardson made.  There is a chance on getting some more pieces to add to my collection!  Uncle Gail did all the silver work as well as cut, shape and polish the stones!  He would always give us "family pricing", but I  felt like we were stealing them. Now that he is gone, the pieces I have are all the more precious...my hubby just fixed the clasp!

Engaged to be Married!!!

Erin and Tony!!!

Tony asked...Erin cried and said "Yes!" It is so good to see Tony happy with the woman who has agreed to be his wife!!!
They have so much in common and it is a joy to have her around!  She will be a help mate for my son and I know that their lives will be blessed!

Erin's ring...

Now the fun begins with planning a wedding!  It looks like Sunday may be a good day to get started.  It is supposed to rain and while it's stormy outside we can brainstorm on ideas!!!

Tornia ~ Screwbean Mesquite...

 

I was doing some housecleaning in my unpublished notes and found this post about the Screwbean Mesquite! Little did I know that when I started this post about the Tornia tree that I would get married and end up working our cattle through the Salt Draw (known by the old timers as "The Screwbean") in West Texas!

Screwbean Mesquite

Margaret's Piano...

I recently was blessed with another piano! This 1954 Story & Clark once graced the home of Margaret Cochran. Now it graces my home...

...it all started last June at the feed store where I work. I met Margaret's daughter, Maxine, when she and her son came by the store one Sunday afternoon. My son's were unloading a trailer for my bosses, it was overflowing with wrought iron and pottery from Laredo!

Maxine and I started talking and realized that we had a lot in common. She had two sons and both their names started with C. I had two sons and both their names started with T. We both love horses and the western way of life and we love to sing.  

Well, Maxine had this feeling that she wanted me to have her momma's piano.  I accepted her offer and traveled to Riudoso, New Mexico to her sisters house to pick up the piano.  My two sons came along for the ride (and to help load and pack the piano so that it would not get damaged on the trip back to Pecos).  We stayed in Maxine's cousins' quaint little warm cabin with snow on the ground outside! June 2009

Editor's Note:  It is because of this friendship that I took Maxine's advice that "If I had Shot Paschal just as a friend I would be blessed!" and started dating and 59 days later married him!!! Since she is a distant relative of Shot's, I am now related to Maxine!

How much fiber?

How much fiber do I need in my diet? Well, according to Mayo Clinic women in my age range need 25 gram of fiber a day. This means more fruits and vegetables, legumes, nuts and grains.

It looks like legumes and nuts top the list in the amount of fiber they contain. So, I think I will package my favorite trail mix in the snack size baggies...

1/4 cup Sunflower Seeds 3.6 grams
1/4 cup Pumpkin Seeds
& 49 Pistachio Nuts 2.9 grams

...pick up some potatoes, frozen broccoli, Bran Buds and barley and cook the whole-wheat spaghetti that is sitting in my pantry! The family tradition of having a pot of beans on Sunday has just been revived!! There's pinto beans, navy beans, black beans, kidney beans, and green beans just to name a few varieties that can add fiber to your diet...

Day 2 at the Gym...

Met with my personal trainer. Weighed (Not good!) Checked body fat index (Not good either!!) I did not let these numbers bother me or put me in a bad mood. (Very good!!!)

Day: 2
Length of time: 15 minutes
Level #: 7
Average MPH: 43
Heart Rate: 91, 92 & 93
State of being: Could feel the muscles in my thighs a little when I completed the 15 minutes.

PT showed me some stretching exercises to do for my lower back and we talked about staying on Level 7 for a week. OG, owner of gym, stated that it takes 3 weeks to create a habit. So my first goal is to workout every day that the gym is open* for 3 weeks straight!

First Goal: May 8th. (The day my 9 day vacation starts)

*The gym will not be officially open until May 1st. So until then it will be open from 10am to 8 pm, Monday through Saturday and closed on Sundays. The gyms' hours will change to 5am to 10pm, Monday through Saturday and Noon to 6pm on Sundays.

Lifestyle Changes...

It was time to look in the mirror and face the music...
I joined the gym! The plan has always been to lose weight. It's just not been possible to do so since back surgery in 2001. The waist twists hurt, my legs ended up being numb after walking, bicycling or horseback riding, and washing dishes, vacuuming or mowing the lawn would put me down for a couple of days. Even picked up an empty Sweet-n-Low packet off the floor and had to go visit the chiropractor bent over like a old lady that needed a walker or cane.

It has finally sunk into my thick head that I don't have to do everything all at once. That's right, I was one of those individuals who grabbed as many grocery bags as I could from the back of the car to carry to the house, vacuumed the whole house, carried a 50 lb bag of dog food to the garage, moved the furniture around every three to six months, rolled BIG pieces of concrete into place for the back patio and walkway (with the help of my mother and sister-n-law) and mowed 2 to 6 acres with a push mower or filled the wheelbarrow up to overflowing...

...now I try to carry one grocery bag in each hand, vacuum one room at a time, use a scoop to fill ShyLoh & ShyAnne's food bucket until the bag is at least half full to move from the back of my car, leave the furniture alone, and ask for help to moving big objects.

Well, a brand new business is opening up next to where I work! It is a fitness center. The best part is that they will have elliptical machines that will not put stress on my lower back. I will be posting on this blog my progress. I am not sure when I will reveal how much I need to lose or what my body fat index is...I am not going to dwell on the negative. I want to be able to mark down when I go to the gym and keep track of "some" of the details.

I talked with my chiropractor to make sure this was a good step toward strengthening my back and losing weight. He gave me two thumbs up and suggested taking it slow and gradual, just as the trainer at the gym had suggested. Now I do have a picture of me in the newspaper that will be cut out and placed in my file at the gym. It happens to be of me talking with the gym owner about the recumbent elliptical as he demonstrates how it works and how it will benefit me.

Day: 1
Length of time: 10 minutes
Level #: 7
Average MPH: 38
Heart Rate: 80 to 91
State of being: felt great with renewed energy after a 10 hour day at the feed store.