Posted in Five Friday Happy Bringers

Five Friday Happy Bringers 3/20/26

My weekly gratitude journal, of sorts.

1. Discovering, on our recent stay at Magnolia Springs State Park in Millen GA, an aquatic plant that I have never encountered before: Bladderworts.

And they are carnivorous!

“Bladderwort (Utricularia) is a genus of carnivorous plants, mostly aquatic, that use tiny, bladder-like traps to capture small prey like mosquito larvae, zooplankton, and other microorganisms, supplementing their nutrient intake in nutrient-poor waters. These free-floating plants have finely divided leaves and produce small, snapdragon-like flowers, often yellow, that rise above the water.” animalogic

2. Speaking of discoveries, yesterday on a walk here on Skidaway Island near Savannah, where Robert and I are house- and dog sitting for daughter Amy, we came upon our first alligator of the season.

Wait! Look closer.

HR’s photo

Alligators are very common in the Savannah area, often seen sunning along the rivers, lagoons and marshes.

You simply learn early on (and teach your children) to give the gators their space. And to NEVER walk your dog along the water’s edge.

HR taking a picture of me taking a picture of the gator. 

We did not venture any farther along that path!

3. Giving heartfelt thanks to Mother Nature for her incredible abundance and remarkable diversity. May we resolve to take better care of Her.

4. Robert’s Buttermilk Fried Catfish breakfast the other morning.

Oh my Goodness.

5. Making it through (early this morning) the third and final part of my lower back procedure trying to help with my crazy back pain. Radiofrequency ablation. My orthopedic guy said it will take 5 to 7 days to see if the procedure was successful.

It better be. Each of the three parts had a $395 co-pay! (Healthcare in the United States.)

Make you take Great Care of your Health this weekend.

(P.S. I’m in and out of sleep, so this blog post may not make much sense.)

Posted in Five Friday Happy Bringers

Five Friday Happy Bringers 3/6/26

My weekly gratitude journal, of sorts.

1. Making it through this morning’s part two (of a three-part procedure) to—hopefully/fingers crossed—help my chronic lower back pain.

The fun description: “CPT 64493 – Left – Facet Injection, Lumbar/Sacral, a shot of pain numbing substance in one level of the lower back using imaging guidance or detailed pictures to diagnose or treat lower back pain.”

I’m such a baby that even with local anesthesia, I’m sort of out of it for much of the day. But I’m back to the land of the living now, working on this post.

2. Several cool outdoorsy photos Robert took a little while ago, probably to get away from me and my “recovery.”

Is it Spring yet?

3. Our bodies, which I continue to believe/hope know how to be well and are always trying to move toward wellness.

4. Pausing to appreciate the view from above.

5. Proud of Daughter Amy being named by the Savannah area’s United Way as one of the Women Who Rule panelists.

And this sweet text I got from great buddy Jamie Marie during the event …

May you have a weekend of things that bring you healthy pride.