(Day 37) without Cleo: part 2 ~ eye health, dinner and beauty

I do love breakfasts! And jams, and natural (nothing but perhaps salt added)

peanut butter and nice hot cup of tea!

This (above) was really poignant.  Still thinking on it.

Changed my table cloth!!! 

My writing desk :)  I really do love it!!!

 I got beautiful 1 ounce glass tubes with roller balls to use to make

essential oil rollers... I am excited about that!

Went to my eye doctor... getting these glasses...nearly identical to the ones I have now,

same colour slightly different shape!  We have really good vision insurance, which is a 

HUGE blessing... so that's the good news... the not so good news... 

That is a picture of my eye, I think the right eye. 

The big white part is fine but in the middle of the picture is some white parts

and that is NOT good.  It shows some degeneration within my retina. 

We looked at scans from 3 years ago verses ones taken today and the changes

in both retina and a bit in the periphery both show that my eyes are getting worse.

While this is really not new information, it was still hard to hear and see.

And I need a stronger prescription again and that means that my eyes 

are even MORE myopic which means more myopic degeneration is possible.

A simple explanation is that as the eye becomes more myopic, it is stretched thin

and if it becomes too thin, it begins breaking down, and that is what we don't want,

as it can lead, eventually, if it continues, to severe vision loss.

So I continue to walk this journey...

***

I was feeling a bit "hard hit" by this and my sweet Husband had already 

planned on us eating out today and we did so and I had a really nice salad

and he had mussels and that was really nice.

And things I enjoy I am still looking forward to,

like breakfast tomorrow.  

I just love breakfast and that first pot of tea.

***

And so it goes, beauty, worries and caring for each other.

I know, no matter what, that I have a lot to be thankful for.

***

Lord have mercy on us all!

(Day 15) without Cleo: turning a corner, beauty and peace

I put away more hostess treasures and had a nice breakfast with a pot of tea

This "mouse rug" was from the Cloisters and is WONDERFUL. :)

My beloved writing table re-set up and with the beautiful

Unicorn in Captivity Tapestry (card) on display...

I hope to find a frame for it at the VNA rummage sale in 

early October... :)

It was really wonderful to set up this table again.

I wrote 2 of my favourite persons letters as well...  

Lunch of leftovers and tea.

And a very moving card about the loss of Cleo...

I feel like I have turned the first corner in grieving Cleo.

I am not crying daily, though still missing her and thinking I see her.

And I love her always, always, always...

This is the teapot that I ordered from Ontario Canada via etsy!

It's just perfect! 

I know I alluded to this coming, but did not want to tell you until it came!

I knew it would be too late for Sunday's dinner

(it's the same pattern of dishes I used for that dinner) but I am so glad

to have it and it was at a more reasonable price than many I had seen

previously!  

***

Listened to various music pieces today, 

this song is lovely,

as is this one, the Dance of the Wolves song... 

and also this one... (I think I have shared the above and the below music before

here on my blog).

We had a really good dinner of leftovers!

Tomorrow is the (Julian Calendar) feast day of the Beheading of St John

the Baptist.  We were going to go to liturgy

but there was a family emergency that called our priest away

to care for one of his beloved children who had 

surgery to fix a broken bone and is recovering now.

So we are staying home tomorrow, unexpectedly.

We could use the rest however.

I was really tired and rested a lot today,

no surprise given how busy the Slava prep and then our wonderful 

7th anniversary day yesterday was. 

Tomorrow is what we call a 'strict fast day' to honour the solemness of the

Feast Day.  I am going to make a roasted baked potato and a 

tomato sauce, DV.... 

***

I had some quiet this evening after dinner and prayers and that was nice.

A dear friend sent me this blog post

about the need for faith and for Christian friendship.

How very true and timely. 

***

I am going to keep, as much as I can, the 40 days of grief

for my Cleo Cat... so the (Day #) will continue on my titles, just so you know.

I keep getting indications that my honouring of these days is important

for my grief over my Cleo Cat... 

***

Soon I will be busy with family visiting.

If I don't blog as much next week, don't worry.  

I am just super busy with family visits. 

***

I wish each of you the hope and beauty we find in Christ

and that He is carrying you, carrying me,

to His divinity, 

to his Heaven...

one step, one day, at a time...

(Day 11) without Cleo: beauty and more beauty

Time got a way from me so just a quick post.

3 pictures above are preparation for 

the anniversary dinner on Sunday evening.

It is quiet and peaceful; I don't even want to go to bed

because everything is so beautiful and calm...

but I know I will need the sleep so soon I will go.

***

I was fiddling with the candle in the picture just above this writing,

what will be the little cheese and crackers station,

and I found a sole long hair of my Cleo Cat.

I still don't know how I did not just start crying

on the spot.  My dear sweet beautiful Cleo.

***

I do appreciate each of you who read and comment. 

Thanks for being here. 

And btw I am still behind on emails so I am working 

on this as I can...

***

I know so many people in difficult situations.

Lord have mercy.

May He help us no matter how hard it is or how exhausting

or unexpectedly difficult,

may we know Christ's love, His guiding hand and

His healing, and above all, that He will carry us 

through the deep waters that so many of us

are struggling in.

***

I really appreciated this quotation from a very dear friend's blog,

one of my early friends who knew me in person and reads my blog...

Here it is:

"Do not look forward to the changes and chances of this life in fear.  Rather look at them with full hope that, as they arise, God, whose you are, will deliver you out of them.  He has kept you hitherto; do you but hold fast to His dear hand, and He will lead you safely through all things; and when you cannot stand, He will bear you in His arms.

Do not look forward to what may happen tomorrow.  The same everlasting Father who cares for you today will take care of you tomorrow, and every day.  Either He will shield  you from suffering, or He will give you unfailing strength to bear it.  Be at peace, then; put aside all anxious thoughts and imaginations."

~St. Francis de Sales~

Amazing how different each day is...

Well, here we are again! 

So, I ended up sleeping soundly (after a late start to sleeping) till 10 AM.

I think the cold + 4 NYC trips in 7 days + lots of work at home caught up with me! 

Today was a quiet day... I heard that taking a decongestant over a week could be 

not the thing to do, so I did not take my cold med this morning and of course

felt worse... and worse... a hot bath, netipot, hot tea, diffuser with eucalyptus,

steam, more tea... nothing was helping... until I put on thieves, RC and eucalyptus oil

with olive oil as a base, like you would put on vicks.  That really surprised me,

how it put a dent in the pain and sinus issues.  I was running low on the first 2 of those oils

so I ordered more tonight (after consulting with Mr Husband of course!) and also

an inexpensive ointment a friend suggested... 

We sure got a case of the sinus here, as author +Anne George described it in her delightful

mysteries that I read in my 20s... (should think of getting these again, maybe in the new

year, since I kinda ordered some more DE Stevenson this week 

(and on that note, more of her books are being reprinted!!! including the Mrs Tim books!!!

Coming in January as per Amazon info! so excited!)

It's funny, every time I look up +Anne George, of whom there is not tons to find online,

I am sad she has died.  I think she understood sickness and suffering

and her mystery books were a hoot, as they say.

It's amazing how beautiful the world is but how much suffering is in it.

I am thinking of various friends suffering, 

I am thinking of our own suffering,

but also the world, past, present, sadly future...

so much...

yet, there is beauty and people creating beauty.

I can't tell you how much this song is giving me comfort

and making me feel like I am being pierced with the REALITY of beauty

Found that video today (above), it's beautiful too, along with the music.

Alexis Ffrench is new to me composer but I sure appreciate this music of his.

I texted it to my cousin H today and that was so nice, that connection with her,

sharing the music, she immediately wanted to play it on the piano! :) 

I found this piece later which I like nearly as well (which since I love

Bluebird a LOT) is saying something, and this video of it I found really lovely:

It's beautiful.

I think it is beauty that God is bringing my way that,

with prayer of course, and tea, books, classical music, 

that is keeping me afloat in all of our personal current suffering.

It's incredible how music can do that... 

I read a quote from Elizabeth Goudge's Dean's Watch and I think I need

to read this book again... 

Well, today was good but kind of difficult too

but thank God we had all we need and chicken soup is the meal of the hour!

So so glad I made a big pot of it! 

I am also glad for grocery delivery services and that today was sunny.

I did not get out today but that is how it is...

Looks like we may be a nor'easter on Saturday...

I hope all will be well with that! 

God bless and protect us all, may He pour out His mercy! 

Tuesday, varied but beautiful

Today was one of those 

"beautiful but hard" days.

I lost my peace worrying about something 

related to the unbloggable stuff.

We got some good news today but it threw me off

as it dealt with a schedule change that was unexpected. 

Yet, my Husband and I had a nice dinner at our diner.

I put up a lot of the Christmas tree decorations.

I finally got my lights only to find out that they are

real twinkle lights, as in they blink.

So now my tree blinks in the middle selection. Yeah. Oops. 

So guess what, don't buy lights that say twinkle in their name

unless you want them to actually do so....

Hopefully my beloved Husband won't mind too much

(he went to sleep early tonight so I did some decorating 

by myself tonight). 

I am already finding this rather humorous :) 

Anyway, the tree is up, it's beautiful,

I put up new not-winking twinkle lights by the plants

and I love how it makes the room so warm without tons of 

glaring bright lights. 

It makes a lot of things easier to bear. 

I watched (amazon prime video) The Christmas Angel again this year.

I enjoyed it. 

Today began the Christmas Nativity Fast. 

I pray that each of you reading this will have a blessed season

as we go towards our Lord's Nativity and that Christ will help us

and save us and have mercy on us!