72: Bundle Up

(Bella’s in the bag.)

During this time of year there is more work involved in stepping outside.  Early in my commitment I could slip on my gardening shoes and walk out the door, sometimes wearing a jacket to keep warm.  Now it’s not possible to just step outside, even if the plan was to do no more than stand on the porch.  One must bundle up if one doesn’t want to freeze out there.  It requires layers.  Three shirts.  A fleece jacket.  A winter coat on top of the fleece jacket.  Heavy jeans.  (I have snow pants but they are much too big for me because I lost some weight this year.  I will have to shop for a new pair very soon.)  Two pairs of socks (or one pair of heavy boot socks).  Boots.  Scarf.  Hat.  And gloves.  I wore two pairs of gloves today.  (What I really need is a good pair of mittens.  Or mittens that open into gloves.  I saw a pair like that in a gift shop in Colorado and regret not buying them.  I thought I might see them closer to home.  No luck so far.)

(9am view of the pond from up at the house.)

I have sunny photos today, but not warm and sunny.  Downright cold and sunny is more like it.  When I rolled out of bed this morning it was dark, cloudy, and snowing.  Sometime past mid-morning the clouds parted, then the sky cleared, and we had bright, brilliant, lovely sunshine.  I decided to head out while the sun was in charge because you never know when the clouds will drift back in.

(Today’s sunnier view of the pond.)

The pond is starting to freeze.  The stuff covered with snow up there is ice creeping towards the middle of the pond.  It is a long way from being stable enough for ice skating or sledding.  (Our sledding hill ends at the pond and, if the pond is frozen, we frequently like to see how far we can go on the ice as the momentum from coming down the hill carries us out there.)

It’s in the 20’s again today.  The clouds began moving in again while I was out for my walk and now it’s pretty much clouded over with more snow showers on the way.  It will probably be another dusting, nothing like what they got near Buffalo, New York yesterday when motorists were stranded on the highway.

We should have moved the flamingos about a month or so ago.  The water level in the pond is up so much now that the one furthest to the right is in danger of drowning.  Or floating away.  Neither M nor I wants to volunteer to get it.  The water is cold and deep.

(Flamingo reflection.)

Tomorrow I start preparing for that something I didn’t name yesterday.  It is, as some may have guessed, the dreaded colonoscopy.  I had a big debate with myself over whether or not to even mention it.  After all, it’s one of those things people generally feel embarrassed about.  And I do.  Feel embarrassed about it.  That said, it’s one of those important diagnostic tests that saves lives.

(Sunlight and shadows on ice and snow.)

Besides, plenty of other people have paved the way and gone where this blogger has never gone before by trying to “live blog” about the whole procedure.  Gutsy people who have no problem sharing everything.

(Ice and snow lacing across the pond.)

Don’t worry.  There will be very little TMI here.  I know that (“little TMI”) sounds like an oxymoron.  You have to understand that just blogging about the fact that I’m having a colonscopy feels like TMI to me.  So really, there won’t be a lot of detail or videos to share about this whole experience.  I’ll leave that to Katie Couric.

(Walking into the woods.)

I am very nervous about the whole thing.  Doctors have always made me nervous.  Medical procedures or tests exacerbate that nervousness.  My logical self knows that there is no reason to be overly anxious about it.  My logical self just watched the Katie Couric video I linked to above and thought, “Hmmm… that’s not so bad.  She didn’t even mess up her make-up!”

(The creek is slowly receding.)

Unfortunately, my logical self is not always in charge.  My nervous self worries, because that’s what she does.  It’s her job.  I will take her out for walks, give her chamomile tea, hit the yoga mat as needed, and get her to take lots of deep breaths.  She (I) will still be nervous.  And then wonder “why all the worry?” once it’s over.

(Sparkly fairy in the middle of the creek.)

Tomorrow, three days away from the procedure, I’ll start following the list of the things I have been instructed to do to be prepared for it.

Oh joy.  🙂