The New Normal?

Sheltering in place... Healthy and being wise.
Normal? Maybe this is going to be the New Normal. Spending time with Jesus during this time -- I like thinking this is our new normal.

Have you noticed that your phone conversations are longer? Staying at home really has given us a lot more time to just FOCUS. What are you focusing on?

I have projects that I started but have not finished. So far I haven't finished anything -- But I am enjoying my time. Watching Youtube art classes and getting prepared for doing person to person classes again.


I have been listening to sooooo many books. Learning to multitask again. Listening to a book and listening to Instrumental Worship music on Youtube at the same time.


I just finished "Sun Stand Still" by Steven Furtick -- really good book. What happens when you ask God for the impossible? God hears our prayers and He is right along side of us as we walk thru this crazy life. Just as he made the Sun stand still for Joshua. He will do the same impossible things for us.


Joshua 10:12-14


12 On the day the Lord gave the Amorites over to Israel, Joshua said to the Lord in the presence of Israel:


“Sun, stand still over Gibeon,
and you, moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.”
13 So the sun stood still,
and the moon stopped,
till the nation avenged itself on its enemies,

as it is written in the Book of Jashar.

The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day. 14 There has never been a day like it before or since, a day when the Lord listened to a human being. Surely the Lord was fighting for Israel! This week I started listening to "Girls with Swords" by Lisa Bevere. Another very encouraging book.
We are strong women and we can "wield our swords" and do battle when evil threatens us or the ones we love.

Glory to God for Saving my life

So much to be grateful for today and everyday. 8/15/2019

I have been feeling crummy for several months.  I blamed it on the back pain
and Knee pain that I have been struggling with for a while.
Fatigued and weary -- I had talked to my primary care doctor and she ran
lots of blood work.  Nothing  showed up to indicate why I was feeling so bad.
I haven't had a Cardio Dr since I moved to Dallas.
Referred to a Cardio Dr and she was so nice.  She did an EKG in
the office but it looked good.  She listened to my complaints and
advised me to have a Heart Cath to really see if there was a problem.

Friday morning HEART CATH went well,
Doctor put in two stints next to the one I already had.
During the Cath procedure my heart rate dropped to 30 and the bottom chamber
wasn't working,   Back in my out patient room, a new doctor told me I was going to
need a Pacemaker.  What a DAY!!  By 4:00 they had me back in surgery and
implanted the pacemaker.  Recovery took a few hours and I finally got into a room
about 9:15 pm.  And what a room it was!!  -- beautiful room with nice view of Downtown.  The care in UT Southwestern is amazing.

I was at the right place at the absolute Right Time.  God obviously has some Plans for me. Saturday morning I woke up a new person.  I had no idea how bad I was feeling until
I started feeling so good!!  Amazing how a beating heart can make you feel
so much better. Even my back and knee are feeling better.
 Thank You Jesus for your Power and Grace.  He takes such
good care of us --  IN THE PALM OF HIS HAND.


Scriptures to remind us that we are in the palm of His hand.  No matter what a bad day you are having.     

 Hebrews 13:9 tells us, “Your hearts should be strengthened by God’s grace, not by obeying rules.” 

 In Matthew 11:28  Jesus promises, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.”

WELL HE DID IT AGAIN!!!  6/5/2024

Today I had my second Cataract surgery. (Left eye) The Right eye was pretty simple and very successful, so I really didn't feel a lot of anxiety.  

The Pre-Surgery team was so nice and everything went well.  Going into surgery room, it was very cold which I know is normal.   They covered me sufficiently and got me all comfy on the tiny bed.  My eye was moving as the doctor was starting the procedure.  I could not keep it still.  They gave me a little something to calm me down and the dr. continued with the procedure.  It was successful and as they were ready to take me back to recovery, I was feeling really strange and shaky.  When I told them that -- one of the nurses said that my heart rate was 110.  They all seemed concerned and were giving me different things to bring my heart rate back down. 

I started having that strange feeling in my jaw and when I told the Recovery nurse, she called for the EMT's and they took me to ER.   By the time we got over to ER my heart rate was back down to 68.  The ER was just across the street from the Surgery Clinic.   

The Dr. in ER was young  (Dr. O) and he did all the things required to get me stabilized.  I had several Troponin blood tests to determine the the Protein level.  After the third or fourth blood test, the doctor  told me that he knew I would rest better in my own bed so I could go home, but call your cardio dr tomorrow and let her know what had happened.  

Once Again --  God had me in the perfect place at the right time.  Apparently He still has plans for me.  

Hannah was tetxing me and telling me that I have another great grandchild that I need to be here to meet in December.  She wasn't ready to lose me.  God is so good! I Feel His Love and He Get ALL THE GLORY FOR HOW HE TAKES CARE OF ME DAILY.  

  

Las Vegas  -- Since my favorite cousins moved to Vegas, I have gone to see them a couple of times this year.

This amazing building is the Cleveland Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health.  Within the city of Las Vegas but not on the Strip -- so you would probably never see it.    This building designed by world-renowned architect Frank Gehry.

Cleveland Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health

I never knew there was so much to see outside the Strip. The desert and surrounding mountains are quite beautiful.

Valley of Fire State Park is a nice day trip from Las Vegas.
 A public recreation and nature preservation area covering nearly 46,000 acres.
 The red sandstone formations, the Aztec Sandstone, were formed from shifting sand dunes.
Relaxing drive or get out and walk around all areas.  No restrictions. 

Valley of Fire 

Valley of Fire 

Nevada Sunset

The Grand Canyon is only about 4 hours east of Henderson and I have made that trip several times over the past few years.  Even if you only have a few hours to spend -- the experience is well worth the trip over.  Every scenic viewing spot
provides you with a variety of  beautiful colors and majestic formations.  God did such a great job on this amazing creation.
I always think what it must have been like when the wagon trains moving west arrived at this plateau over looking this massive canyon and the Colorado River. 
   The Canyon is 277 miles long and 18 miles wide.  

Grand Canyon - Colorado River  The River's average width is 300 feet wide.

   

Grand Canyon 

Grand Canyon

Of course there are always time for a show on
the Strip or a ride on the High Roller.

Preparing to ride the High Roller Observation Wheel. The wheel is 550 feet high. It was really beautiful to see the night lights, however, the glare and reflections   made it hard to take good pics from inside the compartment.
 The ride takes about 30 minutes. 



And then...... you have Fremont Street.   You never know what you might see on Fremont Street.

San Francisco Trip

Well I am back on the road and traveling a little.....  Been down with some back pain for a while -- but feeling better.  Pacing myself -- learning how to do that.

Our little cottage at Point Arena Resort

Went to San Francisco the end of October.  What a great trip.
We stayed at  Point Arena Resort... Great place. Cozy little cabins with fireplaces and kitchen.

Hwy 1 Coast - BEAUTIFUL

This little cabin was 90 miles north of San Francisco on Hwy 1 -- now that is a real story.

90 miles doesn't sound too far, but when you are driving HWY 1 it is a slow drive.  The coast was absolutely beautiful. The road is one continuous U Turn after S Turn.  Maybe 90 miles as the crow flies but 4 hours to drive to SF.





There were 4 of us...  none of us had visited  SF before.  We wanted to see the Golden Gate Bridge for sure -- but we saw so much more.   We found  the perfect locations to view and photograph.

From Sausalito, Ca. 

Baker Beach  and Golden Gate Bridge 

The first few days the Fog rolled in about 4:30 and there was no sunset.  Finally on the 4th evening
we caught a beautiful sunset.

Sunset just outside Bodega Bay

This is a pic from local news.. We decided to wait a couple of days to drive in to SF.
I think the bridge probably looks like this on lots of days.

Carol and Janet enjoying lunch overlooking the Hwy 1 coast in Bodega Bay. 

beautiful evening ........

We spent 4 days just visiting all the little towns along Hwy 1 within our 90 miles -- enjoying the most beautiful coast lines in California.

Point Arena Light House

Point Arena point 

Along the short road to Point Arena Light House we met a lady named Wendy.  She was an interesting character. She was very friendly and had some advice about where to go and the safest back roads.   I think she would have gone with us with the tiniest bit of encouragement.   :)

This Light House was really well kept and the Point was amazing.  Very narrow and beautiful on both sides.

Sea Ranch Chapel just outside Gualala, CA

There were millions of wineries in the area
but this one was just happened to be on one of

Winery in Booneville, Ca. just off Mountain View Road 

our daily outings down one of those backroads.
Mountain View Road.  / Penny Royal Farms

It was a really cool road even though one lane was washed out at a curve around the mountain.

Penny Royal Farms Winery
Booneville, Ca. (cool fence) 

And it was a mountain.

 And there were some
very tall Redwoods.  None of them large
enough to drive a car through -- but they were Redwoods.
None of us had seen Redwoods before.  They were lush and green and the
whole area smelled like redwood.

Redwoods in a small roadside park 

March 2018 — I can’t believe it has been over two years since I blogged. It has been a busy two years.

Pegasus Villas

Here I am all settled in for 2+ years here at the Pegasus Villas. I really love living in Dallas. Life in Dallas is quite different from Fort Worth.   I miss that old familiar life, however, a change is always fun and exciting.

I know that a lot of my family and friends think I made a bad decision by moving to Dallas, but over and over I see that God has me right where He wants me.  Both my children live in Dallas area and it is good to be close.

Within the first few months here at Pegasus Villas, I was voted President of the Residents Board. A pretty easy job and what a great way to meet everyone. There are 156 apartments — but not everyone is active in the meetings, card games, potluck dinners, coffee times and happy hours. This is a very Social Environment.     Presidential term was only for one year. When I stepped down we decided that we really only needed activities coordinators.  We had an awesome coordinator during my term and with a little encouragement, she agreed to continue for another term.

I started teaching an art class at the Tremont Retirement Center in 2015. Art has become my real passion.     We also have an art class here at Pegasus Villa's also a couple of times a month.      Long term plan is to teach a couple more classes every month.

Cabo is still my favorite place to visit at least couple of weeks a year.
2015 was the first time I really took a vacation to Cabo without taking work.  Retirement from Shipping Pets was another good life change.

Cabo Marina - view from Condo

July 2017 I took an Alaskan Cruise.  I have to say it was everything I expected and more.  I almost backed out because of some severe back pain -- but, even with the pain, it was still a great trip.

Glacier Bay - Captain of the ship took us thru Icebergs to get so close.  

The Icebergs were blue....  So amazing.  

This back pain started in October 2016.  I did physical therapy for 4 months and then just tried to deal with the pain for several months.  After the cruise, I went back to primary care doctor and have been seeing Spine Surgeons. scans, x-rays, and MRI along with getting injections.  3 or 4 injections so far???  To date, nothing has helped.  If you are reading this, I appreciate your prayers for God to intervene and bring supernatural healing.    Thank you, Lord, for healing.

Please check out my Art Blog.
"Art from my quiet moments"
https://janetgant.blogspot.com/2016/

Only one box of cereal

Here I am -- it is coming to the end of April and I am still unpacking.  I am getting close to the last few boxes.  The square footage here is not that much less than the apartment I had in Fort Worth -- but the storage is much less.

Opening a box and making a decision about what to keep and where it will fit in the limited storage space.

I love my kitchen -- open and large. I have an island that will one day be the perfect place for working and having a meal.

This is a picture of my kitchen before I moved in...  :) 

As I bought groceries with my friend recently I shared with her that I could only buy one box of cereal.  No room in my cabinet for several boxes.  We laughed about it.  Just another change.......  Last night my friend Bill called to give me the latest nutrition information -- "I should not be eating cold cereal."

Changes! They are not all bad and can even be healthy.   :)

I did start a new blog this week.  See some of my artwork and photographs.
Check it out at www.janetgant.net

Still Friends after 50 years

53 years ago I was working in Dallas and living in my first apartment with a friend from work. Kay was a good roommate and we were good friends.  We spent time with her family and with mine on weekends.  Those were some good days as I stepped out into the world, living on my own and beginning my life as an adult.

Life....  it goes on and our paths went in different directions.  We both married and started having children.  We lost contact over these 50 years.

During my recent move I found some Christmas Cards from Kay's brother.  I thought I might find them on Facebook and reach out to say hello.  Sure enough "Good old FB".  Reconnecting old friends.

We messaged and then talked on the phone several times.  It had been 50 years since we had talked.  We had to help each other remember where we met and some of the details of those years past.  Real friends pick up right where they left off all those years past.  We have had several good visits and I recently went to Leonard, Texas and spent the weekend with them.

Their life in the country is so different from living in Dallas.  Their home is beautiful and surrounded with green pastures in a quiet setting.  I so enjoyed our visit and am so thankful to be back in touch with these ole friends.

God is good and once again He uses the things of this world to guide us through this life.  I hear so many people talk "bad" about Facebook  -- but God can use it to bring encouragement and connect us with old friends.  :)

Peaceful view from dining room while having morning coffee