GOOD NEWS!

Dr. Dale came through his surgery fine. He is in ICU, I am sure to watch that Oxygen level and get him stabilized. An answer to prayer. I am looking forward to seeing that "Little Dutch Face" without his World War II oxygen mask covering it! I've missed that mischievous grin! Continue to pray, please as they work to get everything in proper order and then home again.

Friends Babs & Sandra talked me into trying yoga again this AM. We have been down this road-2 times before, but I am obviously a glutton for punishment. To begin with, yoga is held at the local university intramural center, "The Land of Firm & Tight". It is only SLIGHTLY disconcerting to walk into a room of late teens and early 20's when you are almost triple their age. Thankfully it is early and most of them are not REALLY awake, so they take no notice of the "Old Lady" entering the room. Truth be told, they are totally unaware that I am even in the universe.

We start the class with the "child pose". HEY this is ok! I think I might even like this. THEN she says when you get tired or your body needs a rest-this is the pose to enter. I AM IN TROUBLE! I thought this was stretching me out-in fact-I can feel the stretch and this is the resting part! We spend the next hour going from one pose to the next harder pose. One of the poses is called "The Plank" which is similar to a push up, but you are holding it at the up position. She expects you to glide from this position to both feet being flat on the floor in one smooth motion. That is great-except-I have to reach back with my hands and physically pull my leg and foot forward to get it to go. There is not one thing graceful about this. The first part of the class you go pretty slow through the poses. My arms and legs are trembling as we hold the poses-WAY TOO LONG for an old lady. FINALLY she announces we are going to the "FLOW" part of the class. I think great we will not be in these contorted positions for long periods of time. Then she takes off and goes from pose to pose in a fast smooth progression. I am about 2 moves behind the entire "Flow" time. Thank goodness I am on the back row.

At the end she wants us to lie on our backs with our hands palm down by our ears. Then she wants you to push yourself up into a bridge or something like that. OK-GREAT-she wants me to pick up the heaviest part of my body off the mat in one swift move and sit in a backbend. YEAH RIGHT-back to the child pose! This is all REAL serious stuff and I am on the back row stiffling giggles as I try to stretch my body into positions I have not been in since I was about 12.

I thought I had worked out all of the "marathon" soreness. WRONG! I discovered some sore and tight places that I had no idea were there! I guess this might be the good thing about yoga.

The funniest part of the entire class is when I discover there are mirrors behind us. When I am down in a downward dog and glance back there is the mirror. Every square inch of skin on the side facing the mat is sagging toward the mat in an attempt to touch the mat under me. The worst part is the skin on my face! WHOA maybe I could spend a few down days after a little nip and tuck-NO BETTER MAKE IT A MAJOR TIGHTEN UP!

I spent about 20 minutes this afternoon watching a beautiful large hawk hunting in my back yard. His territory is seriously impacted by the Baptists cutting all of the trees, so I guess he had to be that close to the house. He was literally feet away from my den. WHAT A SIGHT!