Spring in our Garden

 This was a lovely week with sunshine!

Spring is unfolding beautifully!

February 9, I walked over onto the neighbor's property to capture our blooming Japanese magnolia from there.

Just showing the bay window area from our home and the blind wall where the dining room is, no windows on that side.

Now from our side towards our home...

LOVE those perfect flower buds and there were already some petals on the ground.

Wanted to capture them because it would rain in the later afternoon and night.

A pine warbler is enjoying lunch on the tray from our previous Sharp microwave, set on the oak stump.

Happy daffodils near the Japanese Magnolia as you can see by its petals on the ground...

Our Fiberglass Window Boxes are filled with yellow pansies.

Tiggy–Tiger girl is head butting one of the planters...

That's the one where that poor friend cat often lies in for looking at us.

Our Renewal by Andersen bay windows look nice from outside!

A closer look at the yellow pansies.

Also the Vintage Woodworks parts on veranda door and under gable.

Pieter bought the pansies early at our local Home Depot just to make sure we had enough for all window boxes.

On the veranda side they got planted mid January but the bay windows after the Andersen windows were place on January 17.

I've hung the crocheted curtains back after Pieter drilled tiny holes into the fibrex of the new windows.

That worked perfect and after laundering the curtains and then stretching them out while still wet, we hung them on their 925 sterling rings (thin ones!). See post below this one...

Yesterday's photo—dark due to a dreary and rainy day...

The hand crocheted curtains hang perfectly on the new windows.

Detail of screws that Pieter pre–drilled into the fibrex material from Renewal by Andersen windows.

And my 925 silver rings.

Our 2nd Japanese Magnolia is near the flowering Camellia Sinensis Tea Plant.

Now I'm standing on the wood trail for capturing some flowers from our 2nd Japanese Magnolia.

They look perfect against our veranda.

Tiggy Tiger girl came to smell our Narcissus...

She's a tiny but cute kitty!

Senior—just like her Mami...

On Tuesday it was 21°C or 69.8°F...

So we both rolled our bikes...

On Tuesday it was 24°C or 75.2°F

Followed by rain again...

Related link:

Kitchen Bay Window New Crocheted ROSE Curtains & IKEA Roller Blind | previous post with the 925 sterling rings

Our Kitchen Bay Window Before and After Renewal by Andersen | previous post by me

AMAZING recovery of Japanese Magnolia—after getting LIGHT and FOOD! | previous post by me

Heart and Kidney Update after Hyperkalemia

 The week before Christmas was the worst one for me...

Suddenly got so weak and sick—vomiting even after three sips of water!

SO, I learned to lay low and REST and pray.

Because I still wanted to make it to Florida—where I'd booked us already in October—those 7 free nights for points.

And YES, I did make it to drive to Florida on December 26, and I only needed REST, vitamin D from swimming, walking and biking.

Eating healthy and finding my way out of this.

Well, my nephrologist had SHOCKED me on December 19, when he delivered the news that from 28% kidney function in June, now it only was 25%... and I had a heart murmur!

~

While I was sick, I called my nephrologist's office twice but no person on the line!

A nurse on a recording and she never bothered to call me back.

But I started analyzing things on my own and learned a LOT.

This by the way is me on the scale before breakfast, on my B'day and in my B'day suit—haha!

49.7 kg or 109.5 lb.

Just wanted to SEE if it was true what I felt...

Yep, only 66 cm or 26 inches.

Aha—that's WHY my 28 inch low rise jeans from Australia (Last Call by Neiman Marcus) FELL OFF MY HIPS!

Pieter solved it, by adding 3 more holes in his former belt that I used...

Guess the week before Christmas I suffered from Hyperkalemia and for that I've drastically changed my diet.

Hyperkalemia: High Potassium – Your Kidneys and Your Health ←click link for short video.

I knew that I had to limit my potassium intake but since my kidney function went down—it is even more serious to strictly adhere to that!

Hyperkalemia from any cause may produce nausea and vomiting... as published by healthfully.com

Guess that was also why it was affecting my heart, causing palpitations when running up and down the stairs and very much I felt it in Colorado at the high altitude pedestrian bridge...

Pieter said, he's having that problem already very long and that's why he alters his pace and needs frequent rests.

Weakness, dizziness, lightheadedness all have been felt.

Sure, as being advised by the Mayo Clinic—I knew already those 3 points:

Avoid products with added salt.

Choose lower potassium foods.

Limit the amount of protein you eat.

The University of Maryland Medical Center explains that as potassium increases, people are likely to notice muscle aches and cramps, fatigue, weakness, difficulty breathing, irregular heartbeat, nausea...

Mayo Clinic about Kidney Disease Symptoms.

Loss of appetite I've never had and I sure hope not any decreased mental sharpness...! 

All the REST—YES except swelling of feet and ankles.

Such lists are helpful in knowing what to avoid!

No more coffee...!

CHOCOLATES! Good grief... and even salt substitutes!

Sure milk I have not taken for quite a while, only Trader Joe's soy milk as that has the LOWEST percentage of sugar—another thing to watch being diabetes type 2.

With fruits I'm fine—still a lot left to enjoy!

But I'm feeling a LOT BETTER since I've altered my diet.

Not for losing weight but purely to SURVIVE just a little longer...

Maybe this will be helpful for others as well.

My singing with the choir goes better—as I have more breath!

AND on February 1st my housekeeper started and that is super as now I find more time for doing the laundry, the shopping, the cooking + biking!

There is hope and with lots of prayers we have made it this far and even together in a blissful relationship.

May God grant us some more time together—so grateful for everything we lived through and for the fond memories and many friends all over the world!

Related link:

{Cashmere Words of Wisdom & Update} | previous post shortly after Mom died from Chronic Kidney Disease—she had almost 7 years of dialysis...

And Another Birthday with Pearls

 On Monday, January 9, I would make my rounds to Atlanta and to Marietta also for having my Rado watch's battery replaced.

BUT on Sunday evening when brushing my hair and removing the Chanel barrette I noticed that its spring got half broken away...

So, we made another stop at Neiman Marcus at their Chanel Boutique for having it repaired.

Will be so happy when it will be ready with a new spring.

It was right there at the store on the counter, that I noticed some earrings, longer model and with a pearl...

SO... Pieter bought those for me as an early Birthday gift—and I did NOT object 😉

They got nicely gift wrapped with the famous white Chanel Camélia...

Our white hyacinths from Trader Joe's were blooming nicely in our bay window area.

Lovely white Camélia and ribbon...

A card with embossed white camélia and gift box...

Inside the gift box...

Tada...! 

Nice Strass Crystals and the CC logo with pearls.

Photo taken outside in bright sunlight on Sunday, February 5.

Metal & Strass

Gold, Pink & Iridescent Crystals and Pearl

I'm very happy with those earrings as a gift from my Pieter—even though they're not of gold...

Chanel manages to make very elegant costume jewelry as well!

Wearing my Escada silk and cashmere twinset and when looking back, this is what I wore to Mom & Dad's 55th Wedding Anniversary 19 years ago...

Now you also can see my Escada jeans and our Japanese magnolias that are almost open.

Pieter's shade as the sun was really strong with a temperature of 19°C or 66°F.

Both of us are grateful that the –2°C or 28°F last week did not make them turn brown!

Usually these would bloom on Mom's Birthday—February 12, but now she's in heaven, they seem to bloom earlier on my Birthday. 

You can see the white vinyl picket fence in the background...

And the green tree on the left is the Southern Magnolia.

Here I wear the very same Escada twinset on February 15, 2004 when I am happy to see and greet my 2nd brother Piet at the restaurant where we all met for Mom & Dad's 55th Wedding Anniversary.

Wearing also the same Escada jeans...

Piet's kids and wife in the background.

Of course having phone calls on my Birthday and then late breakfast while observing our birds from our bay window.

Here the Eastern Phoebe on the bird bath.

Pieter just added meal worms inside the feeder for them and the Carolina wrens to snack on...

Temperature in the SUN!

40°C or 104°F...

We got this 6" Conant Custom Brass Thermometer from Monticello but now Amazon still has it.

You can see our vinyl picket fence in the back with the blooming magnolias.

Nothing more enjoyable than having breakfast in the sun!

We selected our lot for having our kitchen facing east—for that purpose.

Ending this post with some REAL white camellias that Pieter brought me for breakfast...

Using one of my creamware cachepot, as a vase for them.

Related links:

Meaning of my name — Pearl and Desired Child | previous post by me

Eastern Phoebe Reside in Front Porch with Babies | previous post by me

Those who feel Happy with the HAPPINESS of OTHERS | previous post by me showing creamware cachepot