Just a General Catching Up

The year is half over, and time is speeding by.  After my last post, I was thinking about the ordinary everyday things which, thankfully, life is full of.  A lot has gone on since my last post, but there haven't been any major milestone events...so I thought I'd just do a general catching up and share what life has been like.

Healthwise:  I continue to heal and get stronger.  I'm walking now, 3-4 miles a day (about 5 days a week).  This weekend I am upping that to 5-7 miles.  We're training for the Avon Walk in September where we need to walk 39 miles in two days.  So walk we shall....to toughen up the tootsies.  My entire abdominal area and new breast are still numb.  This past Saturday we were at the beach.  I was sitting in my sand chair and thought I'd lie on my tummy for a while.  WRONG.  I don't know why I thought I could do it.  I guess it felt so "normal" to be spending the day at the beach.  One flip on the tummy and I knew it wasn't a good idea.  Just a little reminder that things are still healing inside.

My last doctor's appointment went well.  Scar tissue on the side near the underarm....nerve damage from the lymph node dissection so still no feeling in the upper underside of my arm, but generally, things are healing well.  Admonishments for "no lifting", "no yoga," and "no ab exercises".  The tram flap scar is healing well.  We will complete the second part of the breast reconstruction in late August as an outpatient procedure. 

I've been doing a little work around the house.  I've always wanted to create a living space on my front porch, and this past weekend made that a reality.  We bought a couple yellow adirondack chairs, and I potted plants in colorful planters and picked up a little table, and voila, we have a place to sit, read, have coffee, relax on the weekends or warm evenings.

The garden is growing.  I've added butternut squash, roma tomatoes, nasturiums, more green beans.  I've been picking handfuls of chinese peas daily.  The weather is almost too warm for them to continue, but the vines are over 5 feet tall.  That's amazing considering I planted them prior to my surgery, only 8 weeks ago.

On the Pomegranate & Eye front, some exciting news!  I ordered a kiln!  Yep, after months of researching what type of kiln and what type of capability, I bought a Paragon SC2 with a bead window (so I can expand to beadmaking at some point).
The new kiln will enable me to work in copper and bronze metal clays.  Along with the kiln I ordered the clays, and tools I'll need and some supplies.  I'm really excited about it and can't wait til they deliver. 

Many of you have asked about the drawings for the book I was working on for the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church.  I'm happy to say that work on that is going to resume starting next week.  I had to take a break because of all the health issues, but I'm finally able to sit in one place long enough to get started on it again.

And then mixed in with all that we celebrated our 7th anniversary on the 3rd; enjoyed family on the 4th; and celebrated my husband's birthday on the 5th!   So there you have it.  Celebrating the ordinary.  Life is good and everyday is a blessing!

"Life is what happens to you while your busy making other plans."    John Lennon