Beautiful Spring

Memorial Day rose

View of the pasture from my parents' backporch

Sunset in the big pasture

Knockout roses in full bloom

Coreopsis in my rose bed

The Switch

Aside from diet, exercise and generally healthy living, one of the most important ways to treat a health problem, whatever it may be, is by medication.

When I was 25, my doctor started me on medication to treat my hypertension. I'd been warned after dealing with seriously elevated blood pressure for most of my pregnancy, I'd probably end up taking it for the rest of my life.

We tried a little of this and a little of that. At first, your classic diuretic. Nope. Then I tried a wonderful calcium channel blocker called Norvasc. The stuff was great. Blood pressure under control and I felt better all the way around. Interesting note, years later I read an article

between the poles

When I came home from work for good, I was very sick. i guess that's putting it mildly. I'm very leery of talking about this, but I will. No one's reading this blog anyway. LOL

As I said, I was very sick. Now, I'd had these "spells" before, but nothing like this.

There was the time I accidentally quit my job as a reporter simply because I couldn't tell the publisher I really was just cleaning out my desk for the sake of organization.

There was the time I left work at a newspaper, changed my phone number and stayed in the woods all day, wishing it would all go away. It didn't, though.

Back then, I had no idea what was going on. Why I'd get in that sort of shape.

This time was different, though. This time, I knew.

Into the woods

Today was an absolutely gorgeous day. After church, we spent a few hours in the woods. Here are a few random snaps I took between dodging briars and holly trees. 

I guess, in a way, I want to relive part of my past. Back when I was about 15, my dad bought a Honda Big Red three-wheeled ATV. My brother and I, armed with a machete, a bow saw and an ax, to build trails through the wooded areas on my parents' property. We had the most beautiful trails. There were seep springs, lined with ferns, underneath towering longleaf pines. 

In Spring 2004, to head of a complete invasion by Southern pine bark beetles, my dad had the majority of the longleaf pines. A few months later, Hurricane Ivan hit the Gulf Coast just south of us. We had massive damage including tree loss. 

The days of riding trails were gone. 

reflections of...

My daughter, Sydney, enjoying the standing water out in the cow pasture. 

I stopped long enough for my daughter, Sydney, to put her duck boots to work this afternoon. I watched for a few minutes and realized how beautiful she was with her reflection down below. Of course, I had to snap a pic of her.

Watching her play, I started thinking. Actually, I started humming. Growing up, my parents watched shows like Tour of Duty and China Beach. Watching China Beach meant knowing the words to Diana Ross and The Supremes song, "Reflections."