Back to our roots

Cross country skiing (2 miles today)
Fishing and pickled Herring
Coffee

Another January day

A couple of things this month

A 4.5 pound Northern along with 18 sunfish-Saved in the freezer for the next company meal

political philosophy 2012

Written by Ed Will

An economics professor at a local college made a statement that he had never failed a single student before, but had recently failed an entire class. That class had insisted that Obama's socialism worked and that no one would be poor and no one would be rich, a great equalizer. 

The professor then said, "OK, we will have an experiment in this class on Obama's plan". All grades will be averaged and everyone will receive the same grade so no one will fail and no one will receive an A.... (substituting grades for dollars - something closer to home and more readily understood by all).

After the first test, the grades were averaged and everyone got a B. The students who studied hard were upset and the students who studied little were happy. As the second test rolled around, the students who studied little had studied even less and the ones who studied hard decided they wanted a free ride too so they studied little.. 

The second test average was a D! No one was happy. When the 3rd test rolled around, the average was an F. As the tests proceeded, the scores never increased as bickering, blame and name-calling all resulted in hard feelings and no one would study for the benefit of anyone else. To their great surprise, ALL FAILED 

The professor told them that socialism would also ultimately fail because when the reward is great, the effort to succeed is great, but when government takes all the reward away, no one will try or want to succeed. It could not be any simpler than that. 

  A test is coming up. The 2012 elections.

January at the Lake

Setting up the 'fish house'-can't let everyone else get all of the fish......





The first fish



Thankful 4

A husband who is helpful.......Who actually enjoys keeping the fire burning throughout the winter months.

January gathering-Thank you 3

What a wonderful time together this past weekend.

• Noodles
• Mall of America on a Friday afternoon
• Stillwater MN-speciality shops and delicious lunch
• Taco chile waiting for us - compliments of Elizabeth
• Fellowship meeting
• Laszgna and delightful dessert at Elizabeths
• Drive home challenge on the ice/snow

But the highlight was just being together over coffee or hot cocoa, laughing, remembering, and creating new memories. Thank you for my gracious and caring family.

Plan 2

We did go  into the clinic today, Due to a metal plate from previous surgery, the steroid injection we were planning on didn't happen. Suggestions for the knees and Bakers cyst include.

• Physical therapy to help the swelling and mobility
• Tylenol for discomfort
• Appointment to see the surgeon as the cushion of the cartilage is worn down and causing knee pain

We'll opt for suggestions 1 and 2.

Holistically, the risks outweigh the benefits for the 3rd option.

Mystery

We've been watching our calories and sodium intake for about 3 weeks now, and doing a fairly decent job at it, too. But, the leg in question continued to be swollen, but not red or warm to touch.

This past week, a softball sized lump appeared in the upper part of the calf. It was painful, especially when grandma put weight on it or moved her foot....It sounded like possibly a clot and the Nurse practitioner -on call -confirmed this possibility. We were diligent in hot packing and elevating the affected limb throughout the next couple of days.

However, when our interventions brought little relief, we knew we should head to the urgent care clinic.
An ultrasound,  to our surprise indicated a 'Baker's cyst'.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/bakers-cyst/DS00448

We go in tomorrow for a possible steroid injection and aspiration.

We really did benefit from the healthy diet, I think we'll stay on it awhile!!

Thankful for 2

It's probably unusual to be thankful for an object that just sits and collects dust, but this week I am thankful for the technology that
brought electronic mail and pictures to us with very little effort and within a few minutes.

I think I may be suffering from Empty Nest....up until now I have worked full time and stayed so busy I couldn't get everything done. This winter I am a stay at home daughter and working only per-diem. While I value being able to do this in the beautiful lake setting, I miss the girls not being here, baking, visiting, and sharing over a cup of tea or coffee.

I also miss visiting and problem solving with the wonderful people I worked with.

So, I'm thankful this technology which allows me to keep almost instant contact with my family, and the professional world., plus it's fun to listen to music, shop, edit pictures, research, and store important documents like recipes for quick access-and it's January in the country in the upper mid west.....

Sodium

So - after the holidays, grandma developed edema that was very noticeable. We visited the Doctor, who believed it was from eating too much Sodium. Edema can be painful, so it is discouraging to walk. Less movement = more edema. Elevating legs helps, but if it's uncomfortable so letting legs dangle also = more edema.

We wondered exactly how much salt do we eat?  This weekend we proceeded to read the nutrition labels on some of the products we have in the pantry.

• Can of green beans             1/2 of a cup   =  390 mg of Sodium
• Can of mushroom soup       1/2 of a cup   =  890 mg of Sodium
• Whole tomatoes (canned)   1/2 of a cup   =  220 mg of Sodium                 
• Soy sauce                           1 Tablespoon = 1160 mg of Sodium

So we asked ...How much Sodium do we need in a day?????     
 
According to Mayo Clinic

•           2300 mg. per day for people under 51

•           1500 mg. per day for people over  51

       http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/sodium/NU00284

 We would have been way over-just with the food mentioned above. Not counting the milk, bread, processed meats, cereal, etc that we may have also consumed.

So as a result of this research, we are now on a low sodium diet for Grandma, (and to help us eat healthier).

Oh yes, 1/4 of a frozen pizza = 750 mg of Sodium........Shucks-it was such a easy meal to make, too.

January 8th

It is very quiet in the house, Laura left this afternoon for UND and we miss her. We miss all of you from Christmas break and it went by waaaayyy too fast.

January fun

This January we are planning a gathering in the Big City-Hosted by Elizabeth
I am so excited......
How about including:

• Kirkland-Mirror for the bedroom  (Approximately 45X36 including frame
• Noodles-My choice for one of the meals
• Mall-Check out sales-Clothing and Home (kitchen, bed/bath, bare minerals)
• Ikea-If we have time
• Woodwinds tour-

Thankful 1

I appreciate Laura...and her work 
We now can enjoy a

• clean  kitchen, refrigerator, and 
• prepared casserole for tonight's dinner

 Thank you

Inspired

To write down my goals for 2012

• Create a budget and follow it

• More fresh fruits and vegetables-check the fridge downstairs regularly to avoid wasting fresh produce

• Walk, walk, and walk maybe  jog-but spend a part of the day active

The first day of 2012

We started the New Year encouraged-at Fellowship Meeting.

Here is a glimpse of what the weekend looked like......

                                                         Where's  Tillie?????

Wishing you a very happy and prosperous year in 2012