Blood Pressure

It's often said that having pets is good for your health, as patting a dog or cat reduces your blood pressure.

I'm starting to wonder if there's some point at which the opposite is true, as pets certainly have the ability to make blood pressure rise! There could be a formula for it, based on the number of pets, their age and breed.

You could draw a diagram of it, it would look like a game of reverse Snakes & Ladders.

I sometimes think in my house it's 50/50 - having 5 cute, pattable pets brings the pressure down, dealing with the noise and mess they all make (and trying to keep the peace so they don't kill each other) sends it straight back up again. So we're no better off than if we didn't have them, if we're measuring only blood pressure.

We're all stuffed - or are we?

We’re doing Ecclesiastes in bible study at the moment, and I’m really enjoying it. On first glance a lot of the book seems to be quite depressing (eg Ch 7:4 "The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure"), but I like it because it helps me keep my life in perspective. Both times I've studied it have happened to be rather stressful times in my life and I've appreciated the lessons learnt from the book - it takes me out of my everyday worries to focus on the bigger picture.

A lot of the things that worry me or stress me out pale into insignificance in the light of eternity. The section we looked at last week was chapters 7 – 9 and we concluded that the basic message of these chapters was that we are stuffed - we are all destined to die, and can’t do anything about that. Pretty sobering stuff, but accurate! So I was glad when we finished with this from John Ch 11: 17-27 (my emphasis):

On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.
"Lord," Martha said to Jesus, "if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask."
Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again. Martha answered, "I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day."
Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"
"Yes, Lord," she told him, "I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world."

Extreme time wasting device

Have a go of this - you have to click the mouse on the black screen and then you can start to play around with how the sand falls....warning - it can become addictive!

http://www.bored.com/fallingsand/index.html

Special Offer - Free Cat with every Bassinet Purchase!

Danger Cat

On Saturday at around 5pm, I answered a knock at the door to be told that our cat had been hit by a car and "it looked really bad". We went into panic mode - we found Oscar in the carport with his face all scratched up and his feet bleeding. It didn't look like he had massive injuries but we still felt really really worried and scared.

We ran around getting a cat box out of the shed and calling the vet, and then drove very quickly to the vets - luckily they are only about 1 minute away (when Adam drives!) We got straight in and the vet checked him, and said he looked ok but that they would keep him in overnight for observation. I was feeling very shaken - I think hearing he'd been hit was the worst as it was quite dramatic and not something you ever want to hear.

The person who saw him get hit wrote down the numberplate of the car and gave it to us. They said the person didn't stop although they thought they knew they had hit something. I rang the police infoline to ask if it was worth reporting and they said it probably was, as you're meant to stop and exchange details if you hit anything, even just a garbage bin or something.

So this morning, after an awful night's sleep, we went to the vet's to get Oscar, who looked a bit better, and took him home. He wandered around for a while before settling down for a long sleep on the bedroom floor. He kept trying to sharpen his claws on the furniture but there's nothing there to sharpen - his claws were all ground down by the road.

Then we went to the police station.

The lady we spoke to there was initially quite brusque and unhelpful, but then she relaxed a bit and offered to check the numberplate and call the registered owner. She rang them and told them they'd hit a cat and said they should come to our house before the end of the day, or she'd advise us to file a report. We felt a bit weird about this and nervous about a possible confrontation with whoever was driving the car.

A man turned up around 4pm-ish - it was his wife driving the car and she knew she'd hit Oscar and totally freaked out when it happened. She was on her way to pick up her husband and when they came back they had a look for Oscar but by then we would have been at the vet's with him. Turns out they live just over the road, so they are our neighbours, and I had quite a nice chat with the man. The wife didn't come over because she was too nervous - I think she felt really bad about it and he was really relieved to hear that the cat was ok.

So there you go - all's well that ends well. Although it is unlucky that Oscar got hit, there are a lot of things that were quite lucky - he wasn't too badly hurt, people saw it happen and told us immediately, the vet was open, Adam wasn't working so we could drive to the vet's, and we were able to speak to the people involved. It could have been a lot worse.

The cats are on house arrest for the time being and we're thinking of putting in a cat run of some sort so they can go outside without going on the road. I know that cats like to roam around but our road is busy and people go along it quite fast, and I don't want to have to scrape one of my cats off the road ever.

Having the cats on house arrest means the dogs have to be tied up when they come inside - we were going to do this anyway when the baby arrives. So far Ruby has settled down quite quickly to her post, while Saffy is whinging her head off. She'll get used to it! It's less stressful than having them chase the cats around, especially while Oscar is recouperating.

The end result for Oscar is some gravel rash on his face, all his claws shredded or missing, and a few scratches on the pads of his feet. I imagine he feels pretty bruised as well. We calculate he's down to 7 lives.

I think Oscar has always helped Adam and I to feel like a family so it's quite traumatic when anything happens to him. He is a top cat and we love him a lot. I'm so glad he is ok.

1,000 Hours

I've added it up - I spend 3 hrs a day, roughly 4 days a week, on trains, and have been doing this for 1 yr and 7 months. That equals roughly 1,000 hours on trains, give or take.

1,000 hours is equivalent to 41.67 full 24hr days. SO I've spent over a month of my life getting to work and back since June 2006.

And now I have to go and spend another 1.5 hrs today doing the same thing. In the words of the prince from Blackadder, "Lucky, lucky, luck."

It Is Well With My Soul

Further to my last post, one thing I have found super, super helpful as a Christian over the last year is Christian music. Particularly music where the lyrics are closely based on the bible. Here are some lyrics from a few of my favourite songs:

The Christ has regarded
My helpless estate
And nailed all my sin,
To the cross that he bore
It is well with my soul
To live now is Christ,
To die would be gain
But Lord ‘tis for thee, for thy coming we wait
It is well with my soul.

Whatever my lot, thou has taught me to say
It is well with my soul.


Before the cross I kneel and see
The measure of my sin
How You became a curse for me
Though You were innocent
The magnitude of Your great love
Was shown in full degree
When righteous blood, the crimson spill
Rained down from Calvary

Oh, the precious blood
That flowed from Mercy’s side
Washed away my sin
When Christ my Saviour died
Oh, the precious blood
Of Christ the crucified
It speaks for me before Your throne
Where I stand justified


In the daytime there are stars in the heavens
But they only shine at night
And the deeper that I go into darkness
The more I see their radiant light
So let me learn that my losses are my gain
To be broken is to heal
That the valley’s where Your power is revealed

Songs like these have encouraged and challenged me during what has been a difficult period for a variety of reasons. The main thing it has done has been to remind me that God is in control, and that my priorities and worries need to be seen in the context of a loving God who cares about me. It brings me back to the fundamentals of trusting God and walking the walk, even when I can't see a light at the end of the tunnel.

The bible talks about the power of preaching the word of God, and one way this can be done, and has been done throughout history, is through songs. I'm really glad there are people out there making music based on God's word.

It's also why I don't like Hillsong style music – it might sound great (although that is debateable!) but it often isn't based on the bible. It's more just "Yay, God" or "Yay, me". I was listening to Rhema FM the other week, and they played a pop song (not sure what it was called) but I honestly couldn't tell from the lyrics if it was about Jesus or a boyfriend.

A bit over it

I've been a subscriber to the Briefing magazine for probably 6 years, and Southern Cross for about 12 months. Lately I've found it pretty much impossible to get into reading them – I flick through and then put them aside, feeling vaguely guilty about my lack of interest in the finer points of evangelical theology or the Sydney Anglican scene (and for paying for something I'm not reading). Plus I struggle to bother to read newsletters from places like missionary organisations and charities.

I'm not sure why this is – I used to really enjoy them. I think it's ok to stop enjoying something, I just want to work out why this is how I'm feeling. I think in general I'm more interested in practical Christian writing at the moment, so blogs like 168hrs.blogspot.com and girltalk.blogs.com/girltalk/are more interesting to me, plus perhaps I'm just too tired to care really about theoretical things.

It could be, in this age of blogs, I'm less tuned in to reading magazines and papers. But I don't have a problem getting through the Herald on the weekend. Hmmm.

Or perhaps as we go on in the Christian walk it's natural for different media to connect with us at different times. I guess I should just make sure I am getting some sort of Christian encouragement and stimulation, and that whatever it is, is true to the gospel and bible in general.

Have your reading habits and where you look for spiritual stimulation changed over the years? I'm interested to know if other people have had similar experiences.

Have Dog, Will Travel

The other day on central station, I saw a well dressed lady wheeling one of those old fashioned shopping trolleys behind her. In it was a small white dog. It looked like a maltese and was very quiet as she wheeled it along. She got on the same train as me, and I snuck a photo of it – it's not a very good photo, but I thought it was worth sharing with you as it's not something you see every day. Not something I can imagine doing with our dogs – you'd need a fully sized supermarket trolley for them!

Adjusting expectations

I've been casting my eye over a series of posts on the Girltalk blog about dealing with stressful/hormonal times as a Christian.

I liked the point made in this post about finding a new normal. Adjusting expectations can definitely make life easier when things are out of kilter for whatever reason, and it helps develop a spirit of humility! Saying "actually, I can't do it all, or even cover what I consider to be the basics, at the moment" is a healthy challenge to my ego.

Here is a pictorial account of my train travels of late

Cat Dog Theology

Someone at work explained Cat Dog Theology to me this week. It goes like this:

The dog says "you feed me, pet me, and look after me – you must be God!"

The cat says "you feed me, pet me, and look after me – I must be God!"

So true, so true...

Good start to end of week

This morning I spent the train trip lying down, and feel much better as a result. Not a particularly comfortable way to get from Gosford to the city, but it takes less energy to lie down than it does to sit up, and seemed to make a big difference.
Might pack a cushion next week...

However, on a more positive note...

...I've checked my diary and I have only 12 weeks left of work. I thought it was more like 13 or 14 weeks so I'm glad to find out it's a bit less. Plus we have Easter and Anzac Day coming up within that time to break things up a bit.

Spew-tastic

I’m feeling a bit put-out today. In an effort to not feel sick on the train in the morning (after almost throwing up on Monday, and staying home sick on Tuesday) I made sure I relaxed before going to bed last night, and focused on getting a good night’s sleep. I ate a decent breakfast and tried to stay positive as I contemplated the journey ahead. I was well-rested, well-fed, and reasonably calm. In fact you could say I made every effort to have a good trip.
And I almost threw up again. Grrrrr.
At least I can work from home tomorrow.

'Glare at the Dog'

I got a pregnancy yoga DVD today and had a go at it tonight. I invented a new yoga move whilst doing it - it goes like this:

Place yourself on all fours, ready to arch your back like a cat.

As you inhale, lean one arm forward to push the malamute away from you.

Use a gentle sliding motion to push her along the floor, out of your way.

Move back into the cat position.

Remove the malamute's paw from your arm.

Move back into the cat position.

Ignore the slobbering dog in your face.

Lean back onto your legs, extending your arms in front of you.

Exhale calmly as the malamute blocks the tv screen.

Return to an upright position, and glare at the dog.

It's very relaxing!

Pictures of my day

I've had a good day so far. There's been a few things happen that warranted photos:

1. Minnie found a very comfy place to sleep - unfortunately for her, it was on top of baby stuff so she wasn't allowed to stay there!

2. The cloth nappies I'd ordered arrived. They are very small and cute. This is a photo of the outside bit - you put a cotton nappy inside it. I love getting things delivered, it's tops.

3. Oscar kept getting in my way when I tried to work, stepping all over the papers on the desk. My solution? Grab a shoebox and plop it on the desk. Worked a treat - he's still in it now.

Not glowing, just sweaty

I have also been pondering pregnancy in general – which I’m sure won’t be a surprise. I’ve been surprised by how much energy it takes to grow a baby, although it makes sense when you think about it. I had heard of morning sickness, and of tiredness in pregnancy, but the main impression I think I had was that people just got on with life as usual until it was time to pop the baby out. In our age, when women work full time and are expected to have full on careers, it seems that we are meant to keep it all up until the last possible minute and just fit pregnancy into every day life, because to act like a wuss and take it easy would be letting down the sisterhood or something.

Well, I’ve been exhausted. And overwhelmed. And all over the place emotionally. There’s so much to take in and learn and deal with, and I can see why women used to stop work when they fell pregnant! It is indeed a delicate state to be in and it’s been a bit traumatic to find my ability to get ordinary things done gradually shrinking. It’s hard to get to work, it’s hard to get to the shops, to church, to stay awake, to concentrate, to have energy for conversation, to read the bible, to walk the dogs...the list goes on. A lot of things have become harder as I just don’t have the energy to keep up with my regular life right now.

Also, it’s weird to have your body start to behave differently and for your entire wardrobe to stop fitting, and for people to suddenly start asking you quite personal questions about something that is really private and precious.

Of course it’s all for a good cause and I know it’s worth it – I’ve just been surprised by the effort involved and the concessions I’ve had to make to what I think is achievable. It’s hard to find the joy sometimes, although feeling kicks and seeing the ultrasound pics is a good reminder of what it’s all about!

My conclusion is that life is precious. God made people in His image, we are His children and we are valuable. Life is not something insignificant, and it’s not created without a big effort. So I need to adjust my expectations to allow for this effort, and be glad of it, instead of getting annoyed about the difficulties.

Rocks and Pebbles

It’s occurred to me recently that most of my posts of late have been about my pets or my garden. While I enjoy both these things, I think my initial intention for this blog was for it be a bit more thoughtful. So I have been pondering what I could write about that has a bit more depth...and haven’t really come up with anything! I draw a complete blank. I think my brain is a bit worn out and it’s easier to focus on the smaller things.

I was thinking about that illustration people sometimes use to encourage people to put the important things in life first, where the idea is that if your life is a jar, you should put a few big rocks in it first and then fit smaller pebbles around them. The idea being that if you fill the jar with pebbles, there’s no room for the big rocks, meaning that you shouldn’t fill your life with small, inconsequential things or there’ll be no room left for the major things. My life seems to be lots of pebbles lately. Very interesting pebbles mind you!! Which is the danger I suppose – I get sucked in by things I can buy and organise (and there are plenty of them when you’ve got a bub on the way!) and run out of energy for the bigger things.

Although, having said that, I have been reflecting on how amazing our bodies are, that they can grow other bodies! How weird is that? It’s very strange and wonderful.

20 weeks = half way

"Your baby measures around 23 cm in length from head to toe (9 inches) and weighs approximately 420 grams (or 14.8 ounces).

Week 20 is seen as the half-way point of the pregnancy and the time when your baby is legally regarded as a person if born (issued with a birth certificate in Australia). However, babies born between 20 and 24 weeks are medically regarded as being extremely premature and unlikely to survive. With access to modern medical technology, a premature baby's chances of survival are greatly enhanced if born after 28 weeks.

Your baby's nails are now formed and their fingerprints are visibly engraved in their fine skin. Their permanent teeth now appear behind their baby teeth deep within their gums."

From http://www.birth.com.au