Back on the Trail

They say Rome wasn’t built in a day, and fora lot of us that’s a mundane saying. The truth is that I’ve never stopped in my pursuit of either being a writer or a keeping healthy, but things come together to way lay my plans sometimes. The weight loss supplement I was taking didn’t work out as it had a nightshade ingredient in it. Such is life

Not being one to give up easily, I decided to give another supplement a try. Not just anything though, this time it’s the best rated one on the market. Skald is made by Beldt Labs. It works on the principle of oxidation, and for some people it doesn’t sit well on their stomachs. I haven’t experienced any discomfort from it so far, and the weight seems to be lowering slowly.

As the weather turns better I’ll look into having my bicycle back on the road. Right now it sits in my garage looking forward to spring. There’s just nothing better than a brisk ride on a country road, unless it’s the same trip on a horse. My trail mare is now refusing to work, let’s face it she’s nearly 27. Well see about my slightly younger gelding, but he’s currently walking on eggs over the ice under the snow in his paddock.

I hope winter is treating you well where you live. Old Man Winter is not being so nice to Idaho. By tonight we’re expecting it to start snowing, and that will likely last until at least Monday. One can only hope that the forecast is wrong this time. So, grab a cup of coffee and sit back, enjoy the day whatever it brings. I’ll be back to fill you in on my health journey, so be blessed and I’ll talk to you later.

Hard Row to Hoe

Good day to any who stumble across my blog. Some parts of the country are enjoying beautiful fall foliage, but here in the high desert of Idaho it looks more like the land is dying. Farmers try hard to keep that from happening in their fields, planting winter crops and losing the battle against noxious desert weeds. Such is rural life here.

Well, if you’ve read anything I’ve written recently you know I’m trying to return to my normal weight. Right at first things were moving in the right direction, but one ingredient in the supplement I was taking threw a monkey wrench into the works. Cayenne pepper. To most people that sounds innocent enough, but I have a little talked about condition called solanine toxicity. Suffice it say the weight came back on in inflammation.

Once I realized the severity of my situation I of course stopped the supplement. I have an order in for a Chinese herb called Schizandra. This is the only herb that’s said to help clear the toxicity from my system. As of today before my herb order arrives, my weight has begun to slowly fall down the scale again. How the Schizandra helps will be yet another boost. Live and learn remains as my best course of action.

In the interim I have adopted a beautiful new friend. She is said to be a purebred Sheltie, handed down from a breeder who rhomed her for being an independent sort who fought off the males in lieu of being bred. The result was a delightful pet for the country life. She loves to run and play and is the most affectionate little girl I’ve ever had. I call her Ùna, Gàidhlig for #1, and she has really taken to her name. Bad haircut aside, she is everything I could have hoped for in a dog.

Have a beautiful day. Ùna and my two older Shelties will be spending today at home on this my off day. Whether you spend it camping, fishing, hunting or picnicking with family, do it with joy. Life only happens once, so make the most of it. I will be home working on my book in progress.

Climbing Back to Health

Well, today is actually day three of taking Protetox to clean my body of common food pollutants. I have to say I really think it’s already helping. This morning I weighed in at 5 lbs lighter than I was when they weighed me at my spine specialist’s office a few weeks ago. I am really grateful for that, and look forward to the days ahead.

Although I don’t fear getting back on my Arab mare after our accident together, she is now 26 years old and has made it clear that her career as a trail horse has met it’s end. I have ridden her since the accident, but she’s not having it now. That’s her choice, and her nephew my half Morgan gelding Samwise is a smoother ride anyway.

So, I will continue to track this weight loss journey. My Sam will be thankful with less weight to carry I’m sure. I’ll keep the weigh ins honest and let you know how I’m doing. I hope I can be inspirational to you. I love to see other people lose weight and become healthy as well. Good health to you all.

My handsome Samwise

Making the Climb to Health

Good day to all of my fellow strugglers with life’s little pitfalls. Today is day one of my pursuit to become myself again.

My life took an unexpected turn a few years ago when my horse decided to play it cool and scratch her head while she was walking. Needless to say that didn’t go well for her or for me. I was talking with a neighbor I was riding with when Cali, my 3/4 Arabian mare stepped through her reins and did a somersault right on top of me. Without going into lengthy details, I required several fascial manipulations, two surgeries and many hours of physical therapy. Cali though, broke a molar and had to have it extracted.

The bad news is that this morning I weighed in at a well concealed but shocking 202 lbs. The good news is that three weeks ago when I saw my spine specialist I was 203. Small consolation. My body is retaining weight, no question about it.

My research on this subject has been, to say the least frustrating. I am convinced though that my problem lies in the fact that food products today contain not only preservatives, but many pollutants from the materials they are packaged in. Also in the interim I was prescribed statins that I didn’t need and packed more weight on. This led me to try a product that will help cleanse that from my system, that being Protetex. Good luck finding the video I watched about how this supplement came to be. I think the internet doesn’t like it.

I will keep you posted as to how my body reacts to being flushed of these weight loss inhibitors. Stay tuned and hopefully that number will decrease. I was a healthy weight for years, and I intend to be that again. Have a wonderful day.

The Value of Friendship

About five years ago I noticed that my beautiful Sheltie mix Jessie was missing the company of her sister, my daughter’s dog Aidenne. My daughter brought Aidenne with her when she moved away from home, leaving Jessie to mope.  I searched the rescues that were within driving distance and found the purebred Sheltie she is watching over in the above photo, St. Bob who was rescued from a puppy mill. The two became friends, and it wasn’t long before I was taking them to events and parades together. St. Bob was somewhat crippled from his years in a cage, so he rode in a wagon on longer walks.

I was told by the rescue that St. Bob was six years old. Probably they truly didn’t know he was closer to nine, as the puppy mill owners likely lied to them. What was more important than that though was the fact that he had a congenital health problem aside from his skeletal deformities. He always coughed, and from my experience as a dog groomer I assumed it may have been due to the occasional ingestion of his own hair, and/or possibly a pulmonary problem. He was a sweet dog though, and the bond between him and Jessie was obvious in the five years he was with us. In the past month I noticed he was aging quickly, and could no longer jump onto his favorite loveseat and sleep with his Teddy bear. Two weeks ago though, Jessie’s friend began to have seizures, a precursor to his imminent demise. It was determined that at the age of fourteen, St. Bob had to be euthanized due to kidney failure. Jessie went back into her depressive state.

As fate would have it, My daughter and her husband moved into a house where pets were not allowed. Aidenne returned to live with us, but Jessie still mourned the loss of St. Bob. A week ago I remembered the coupler and how I trained them to walk together a few years earlier on a gang line. Right at first the pair seemed to be working against each other. Aidenne on the left in the above picture was moving a lot faster than her depressed sister was, and it took them a least a mile to walk more in synchronization. Just yesterday there was a Canine Carnival at the boarding and grooming facility I used to work at in Pocatello, so I loaded them into my car with the gang line. My daughter-in-law came with me with my grandson and their chihuahua mix and fun was had all around. Jessie and Aidenne won a round of musical hula hoops and scored a box of homemade dog treats. Afterward we walked at Sacajawea Park on the Portneuf River, and the girls settled into a more comfortable pace.

I don’t know how long Aidenne will be with us, but so far her presence has begun to help Jessie with her depression. Dogs, like people, are capable of very strong emotions and my sweet lady friend is no exception. Jessie and Aidenne will turn nine this summer though, so part of me hopes she will live out her life here. A friend is an asset with unmeasurable value, even if she is your sister.

Sunken Treasure

I have to love my female Sheltie, Jessie. She is so full of unbridled enthusiasm for life, and her energy seems boundless. The only thing that will stop her once she gets started running is food.

I rose early one morning a couple of weeks ago because I was scheduled to fly out of Salt Lake City for a writer’s conference in Indiana. I was finishing my packing when I heard a strange sound coming from the opposite end of the long counter in my kitchen. It seems my lovely Jessie, with the help of a counter-walking cat, thought she had struck pure gold. The cat, in trying to raid a bag of dog treats had toppled it over into the water dish.

Jessie was busy trying to fish the treats out from around the plastic bag, and thought she was in dog heaven. However, I was not as amused as she was. I pulled the bag of soggy treats out and dumped the wet contents of the dish into the trash. Jessie looked a bit abashed as I proceeded to wash the bowl and refill it with plain water.

I tried to explain to my lady love that eating too many treats would likely upset her tummy. I had to leave soon after to make it to the Park and Jet in plenty of time to meet my flight. I wouldn’t arrive at my friend’s house until late that night so I bid her farewell. It was probably the next day that I learned that her tummy was indeed upset, and she ate little supper that night. Aww Jess, you just can’t have your cake and eat it too.

I can honestly say that I’m glad I went to that conference at Taylor University in Indiana. Not only did I learn a lot and have a pleasant conversation with a publisher, but I got to meet a critique partner I’d previously only spoken with over the internet, Mr. John Cunningham Jr. I also spent a week with my good friend and editor Tisha Martin, and a few days with Crystal Caudill, friends I met through the ACFW. It may be that you can’t always get what you want, and in Jessie’s case that was true. However, time spent with true friends is treasure indeed.

Incident at Namquit Point

You may have read something about one of the pivotal points leading to America’s revolution in school having taken place at what is now known as Gaspee Point, a small blurb in the history books. It was to the people of Newport, Rhode Island no small thing. Harassed by Lt. William Dudlington, commander of the Gaspee, sent by King George III to enforce his laws against maritime smuggling, tempers were rising to a fevered pitch. Ships were being delayed by the HMS Gaspee even after having passed inspection in the Newport harbor.

Lt. Dudlington was little expecting trouble when he gave chase to the packet sloop Hannah on June 9th, 1772. Capt. Lindsey of the Hannah, however, had ideas of his own. He gave his sailors orders to lure the Gaspee across the Namquit Point shallows, running the larger ship hard aground on a sandbar. Knowing the Gaspee would be foundered until the following day’s high tide, Capt. Lindsey made port in Providence. Seeking out John Brown, the town’s most beloved and prominent merchant, he told him the tale of his stranding the British ship. John Brown sent out a town cryer to gather the patriots of the city to meet at Sabin’s Tavern.

One patriot took the effort to pen his account of the night’s events: “About nine o’clock I took my father’s gun and powder horn and bullets and went to Mr. Sabin’s. I found the southeast room full of people where I loaded my gun and all remained there until about ten o’clock. Some casting bullets in the kitchen, others making arrangements for departure, when orders were given to cross the street to Fenner’s Wharf and embark.”

Under the command of Capt. Abraham Whipple, the group set off in eight longboats provided by John Brown. They rowed with muffled oars out to the crippled ship. Capturing Lt. Dudlington and his crew, the frenzied patriots escorted them to Pawtuxet Village. Fire was then set to the unfortunate Gaspee, burning her to the waterline. As the sun began to rise on the morning of June 10th, the wide-eyed participants watched as her magazine exploded and sent her hull to oblivion.

Efforts were made by the crown to learn the names of the ruffians who commited this act of violence against the HMS Gaspee, to no avail. The bold act solidified the sentiment of rebellion to the neighboring colonies, and even a large sum of money offered as a reward did not unstop the mouths of the patriots. The British government set up the Commitees of Correspondence to try and quell further acts of rebellion, but instead Rhode Island’s act of protest served to help the colonies take a step toward the formation of the First Continental Congress, and later to the writing and signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Why I Love Dogs so Much

Dogs are by nature kindhearted and loving creatures. When I was a dog groomer. I rarely encountered a dog I didn’t get along with, and when I did it was usually one from special circumstances. My Sheltie St. Bob has quite a kingly attitude, having started life as breeding stock at a puppy mill. He’s a lover though, and not so much a fighter. I couldn’t love him more, and it makes me melancholy to see him growing old.

One of my favorite hobbies is trail riding my horses. Although both of my Shelties have bonded as friends, they don’t feel the same way about the horses. They are dedicated to me though, and will sit on the lawn together while I ride, and still be there waiting for me when I get back.

Then there is Toby, a dog my daughter wanted when she was in junior high and I still have. Toby is half Labrador retriever, and half German Shorthaired pointer. He has always been very nervous and high strung, and prefers to stay in my service porch where he has warmth, shelter, and free access to the great outdoors. Toby is also an old man, and I don’t see him changing any time soon. He is still loving, and always glad when I fuss over him, like here in the dog salon.

I really think dogs are God’s way of saying “You made a mess of My creation, but here is a beautiful animal who will keep you company and help you realize I love you.” Maybe I’m exaggerating a bit here, but it’s hard to look at a dog and not see it’s beauty. Whenever I get the opportunity to hug my Jessie, I think of Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, and how she felt about the Scarecrow. Jessie, I think I love you most of all.

John Wesley’s Horse

Here is the heart warming story of John Wesley and the horse he relied on to carry him where the Lord called him to be. God cares for His creation, and always will

John M. Cunningham Jr., Author and Historian

John Wesley on Horseback, statue in the courtyard of The New Room chapel, Bristol. Credit: Jongleur100

Is it all right to pray for our pets and other animals? Sure! God cares for all His creation. Read Matthew 6:36, where Jesus spoke about God’s provision for birds. Birds and other animals are all part of His creation.
One of my favorite stories about God’s care for animals comes from John Wesley’s Journal. It reads as follows:
1746. Monday. March 17.I took my leave of Newcastle and set out with Mr. Downes and Mr. Shepherd. But when we came to Smeton, Mr. Downes was so ill that he could go no further. When Mr. Shepherd and I left Smeton, my horse was so exceedingly lame that I was afraid I must have lain by too. We could not discern what it was that was amiss; and yet he would scarcely set…

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A Little Christmas

It’s a harried and hurried world we live in. As we rush from store to store, we find ourselves frustrated by the traffic, the crowds, inability to find what we came after, and the whole idea of needing Christmas to be what we see on the Hallmark channel. Maybe we expect too much. Was life always this complicated?

I remember one Christmas years ago that happened in spite of my inability to make it magic. I was the new tenant in the old house on the hill. We came to Charleston, Maine with the clothes on our backs, a small son starting the first grade, and a baby girl just turned one. The housing market in San Francisco was a buyer’s market, but White House budget cuts thought nothing of that. My Naval Senior Chief husband was reduced to filling out job applications and waiting by the phone. We were left with an empty house on the peninsula, and we were renting to buy a lovely New Englander in the Maine woods from a sweet old couple who took a liking to us. Christmas was meager that year, homemade and thrown together with popcorn and things I made on my sewing machine. I trust our dinner was more than deer meat, but I do recall many suppers on an unfortunate doe my husband hit with our old Dodge pickup. I doubt my children even remember that. They were just happy it was Christmas. 

As the Grinch learned, elaborate gifts and expensive decorations mean little in the grand scheme. Maybe slow down a bit, look around, and smile at your children or grandchildren. They’re only young once, and you have only to blink and that’s gone. Have a Merry Christmas, enjoy it. I’ll be at my keyboard. Be blessed.