Seclusion 101 with AnneMarie

August 9th

August 9, 2026August 9, 2026 by annemariedemyen, posted in 2026, Health and Fitness

It has been a few busy weeks around here lately. We have been spending most of our time outside enjoying our beautiful – smoke free summer.

Much of my time has been spent in the garden. Everything is thriving this year!

I did take a day to celebrate my 71st birthday in late July…

And our 27th anniversary a few days later.

We have had a few random visits from the grandkids. Maddy came over last week and helped me paint the light up signs that Dan bought for our garden a couple of years ago. She did the butterflies – mine is the stick flowers. 🤭

Molly finally got her summer bath and her vet check and annual vaccinations. She was awesome at both, but she was exceptionally awesome during her vet visit. The vet sat down in front of her and Molly laid her head on her lap and looked up at her with a huge smile. She even rolled over to get a good belly rub (and a conveniently thorough checkup).

And… I even went on a short road trip this past Friday with daughter Jen and her daughters Maddy & Prim. We ran to the small city of Weyburn to have an awesome lunch and a quick visit with my sister Elaine and her husband John. After lunch, Elaine gave us a tour of her craft rooms and a quick lesson in making craft paper. Before we left, she loaded us up with leftovers from lunch and craft supplies for the girls. It was great to see family and it was a pleasant drive there and back!

That pretty much sums up the past few weeks. Healthwise I have had a few setbacks 👎 and a lot of wins 👍 but I will leave that to another blog on another day.

That’s it for today. Take care and have great day! 🤗💞

July 16th..

July 16, 2026July 16, 2026 by annemariedemyen, posted in 2026, Health and Fitness

Our summer continues! We spend much of our days outside working in our yard and enjoying the fresh air and sunshine.

Dan is still in the process of tearing down our shed/playhouse, while I find miscellaneous projects to work on.

**This week I finished cleaning up the cedars around our garden, fertilizing them, and watering the heck out of them.**

**My next mission is to finish cleaning up around the pond.**

**While enjoying random drop in’s by Prim.. (looking adorable in her new glasses!)**

And of course taking frequent opportunities to visit the flowers blooming around our yard.

And today, number one on our agenda was passing along our best wishes to Genie and Alec as they celebrate one full year of wedded bliss.

**Happy first anniversary to an amazing couple – “to infinity”** ! 💞

That is it for today. Take care and have a great day! 💞🤗

July 8th..

July 8, 2026July 8, 2026 by annemariedemyen, posted in 2026, Health and Fitness

Summer has finally arrived in Saskatchewan. The heat is not extreme, but it is dry, warm, and SUNNY!

We are making the most out of every day that we can spend outdoors. Dan is clearing out the shed/playhouse so that he can demolish and replace it.

I have been puttering around the yard – cleaning up around the pond, fertilizing the cedars, picking weeds, transplanting vines, trimming plants, and deep cleaning our barbecue. There is always something to do and, since much of it is involves bending over, it has been (unintentionally) very good for clearing my lungs. My blood oxygen is the best it has been since last fall. 😁

Meanwhile our plants have finally begun to show signs of life!

And Molly continues to stay cool and comfortable in her space between the Blue Spruce and the Cedars.

That’s it for today. Take care and have a great day!

June 28th…

June 28, 2026June 28, 2026 by annemariedemyen, posted in 2026, Health and Fitness

It’s been a hot minute but I am finally back to post a bit of an update..

Family wise we have had a bit going on..

Granddaughter Primrose finished her school year with her Grade 8 graduation..

She’s off to high-school with Maddy this fall..

Conveniently for both, Maddy became a full-fledged driver a few days ago!

It doesn’t seem possible!

This week we had a family barbecue to celebrate the girls’ achievements. Family, friends, and plenty of food to go around.

I have had a few chats recently with son Dan. On the fun side, he is building a pool off of their already massive deck. Their entire yard is built for enjoying quality family and friend time. This pool will be an excellent addition for them.

Unfortunately, Dan had sad news for us as well – one of their little dogs took sick this week and they had to say a very difficult farewell.

**Molly will miss Baccardi the next time we get together. They were friends from the get go. 😢**

Health wise, I am doing ok. It is frustrating that I am still struggling to get back to where I was. I have little to no issues doing my aerobics and working around the house and yard. Walking, treadmill, and weights are an ongoing issue. Between respiratory issues aggravated by this infection and tendon damage caused by the medication, I can’t seem to get it together. 🫪

**But the yard is coming along – including the plant stand Dan set up for** **me.**

The most excitement we have had lately is due to the weather we have been experiencing this season. We fluctuate between ripping hot and frigid cold (typically on the same day). Our yard recovered from the intense hail storm we had a couple of weeks just in time for the torrential rain we experienced yesterday.

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/14kRk1Bmnoi/

I’m not sure if anyone will be able to see this video. Our neighbourhood wasn’t hit this bad! But while Dan was at Superstore waiting for his chance to make a dash in for a few groceries, I did manage to soak the porch carpet and flood the basement. Both were preventable but no real harm done. The carpet will dry and the basement is unfinished cement – with anything of value up off the floor. Dan went down to open the floor drain and turn on the dehumidifier when he got home, so we are all good.

We are in the midst of a thunder storm now but it seems to be bringing more noise than anything and Dan is home, so no worries! 🙂

That’s it for now! Take care and have a good day! 💞🌞

June 14th

June 14, 2026June 14, 2026 by annemariedemyen, posted in 2026, Health and Fitness

Yes, I missed a couple of days but it was not due to any setback! Thankfully. 😃

When one is dealing with one’s health, one is either moving forward or spiraling downward. In this case, I was busy moving forward.

On Friday, I was working outside – cleaning up after the storm and getting some fresh air. Very beneficial when one is in recovery mode – especially from a respiratory flare up.

Yesterday, I was doing a deep clean in our bedroom – stripping our bed, washing our blinds/blackout curtains, vacuuming, and dusting everything including the walls and ceiling. When you live in southern Saskatchewan, have a yard full of dirt, sand, trees, AND a Molly dog who drags everything from outside inside, dust is a constant battle.

Unfortunately, when I am not feeling well, and I am taking medication that makes me feel worse, my motivation to keep up with the dust spirals along with everything else. This of course does nothing to help my lungs recover. 🤷‍♀️

So, feeling well enough to roll up my sleeves and get to work on some cleaning is a serious step forward in my recovery! 😚

**Today, I am just relaxing in my new hanging egg chair, about to read a couple of chapters in my latest book by John E. Sarno** **– “The Divided Mind** – The Epidemic of Mind-body Disorders“.

That’s it for today. Take care and have a great day! 💞🌞

**Dan is still working on my planter stand, but my little flowers are happy sitting in the sunshine!**

June 11th…

June 11, 2026June 11, 2026 by annemariedemyen, posted in 2026, Health and Fitness

It is another wet chilly day in our corner of Saskatchewan.

I have not been doing much of anything outside my normal routine today, but I did walk to our local strip mall to drop off a form at the medical office I visited last week.

Fortunately the tendon pain, which was obviously caused by the antibiotic I was taking, seems to be easing off quite nicely. That is definitely a relief.

Which leads me to a couple of health related questions that I have been pondering over the past few months.

Number 1: Why is there such an epidemic of ‘chronic illnesses’ these days? I know there has always been the likes of diabetes and asthma, but bronchiectasis? Where did that come from? And why does that make one vulnerable to infections like pseudomonas aeruginosa which can also become a chronic health issue? 🤦‍♀️

Number 2: Why do medications for ‘chronic illnesses’ come with side effects that inhibit mobility? That just seems counterproductive to me.

From my experience, keeping active is the best option for maintaining one’s health especially if one has chronic health issues.

If it was up to me, the scientists who develop such medications would be sent back to the drawing board to get the kinks out of their product.

Better yet, let’s start developing medications, procedures, and therapies that will lead to an epidemic of chronic wellness!

That’s it for today! Take care and have a great day!

**Next week, I am getting back on the treadmill (or heading outside for a daily walk – weather permitting).**

June 10th…

June 10, 2026June 10, 2026 by annemariedemyen, posted in 2026, Health and Fitness

I am running late today but I can’t break my blogging streak now! Day 5!

Yesterday we had a bit of excitement around here. Some good, some not so much!

Daughter Jen set things off when she needed a ride over to pick up her Jeep from the mechanic’s shop after she got off work. That was no problem. Dan went with her while I stayed home to start supper.

Then, granddaughter Prim called to say she was at a nearby park so would be stopping by. That was welcome news and we agreed she would stay for supper!

The evening took a turn to the wild side just as Prim (a friend of her’s and his younger brother) were approaching our house. It started to rain. Not a gentle spring rain – thunder, lightening, and pouring rain. They almost made it in the back porch before the hail hit – hard! Golf ball size hail and lots of it!

We were very fortunate with minor damage to our yard, gazebo, and house. Our Jeep came through fine despite being parked out in the thick of things.

The boys stayed until we were sure we were in the clear. We had supper with Prim and Jen came to pick her up shortly thereafter.

**The gazebo roof suffered a few tears but that is not a big deal. We already had plans to replace it next spring and Dan went out and got some tape to patch it up for this year.**

**Some of our plants took a bit of a hit, with Dan’s Bleeding Heart taking the worst of it. I will trim it up and I am sure it will be fine in a few days.**

Unfortunately, not everyone was as lucky as we were. When Dan was out walking Molly this morning he spoke to a man who lives across the old school yard/baseball diamonds from us. The west facing windows on his house were all smashed by the hail and his brand new car was bumper to bumper dents.

Apparently there was a lot of debris to be cleared from the streets, no doubt a lot more damage to be dealt with, and neighbours were out early this morning rounding up their wheeled garbage bins.

This is our second hail storm this year. The first one missed us, but hit Jen’s house (a few blocks over) pretty hard. I hope it is not a sign of more to come. I don’t mind the rain, I love the thunder and lightening, but there’s not a lot good to be said for hail – or for the tornados that tend to hit more rural areas of the province.

The sun is out now so I should get outside and do some plant trimming and sweeping up.

That’s it for today. Take care and have a great day! 💞🤗

June 9th

June 9, 2026June 9, 2026 by annemariedemyen, posted in 2026, Health and Fitness

Dan and I spent much of the afternoon outside yesterday.

– We finished getting the gazebo ready for summer. Dan got all of the chair cushions out of storage and I secured them in place.

– I swept up a zillion or so of those little tree seed pods. I swear, if we locked up this place and left for the season, we would return to a forest. Every one that lands, on anything resembling dirt, takes root. 🌳

– I started potting a dozen little flower plants to fill the planter that Dan is building for the back yard.

**And I got to see see my first Fried Egg Peonie blossom. It isn’t what I expected, but it is bright, perky, and unique.**

While I am out and about as much as I can be, I am still focused on getting back to my Health and Fitness Journey.

One of my new healthy habits has been using my new Navage nasal irrigation unit, that Dan bought me a couple of weeks ago.

This unit is awesome! I have been dealing with sinus issues (and enviornmental allergies) for fourteen years! I have seen ENT’s, used a neti pot with saline solution, used prescription strength sinus sprays, and consumed boxes of antihistamines – nothing was particularly helpful.

But this is a game changer! The first week was rough. I don’t know if it was because my sinuses were such a mess or if it was just a learning curve, but it was rough. I seriously thought I might drown myself a couple of times. 🤦‍♀️

But, it was well worth the perseverance. My sinuses are much better and my allergies are all but gone – and all without side effects of any sort.

That’s it for today! Take care and have a great day!

June 8th

June 8, 2026June 8, 2026 by annemariedemyen, posted in 2026, Health and Fitness

It is a beautiful, sunny, somewhat chilly morning in Southern Saskatchewan.

I am back to blogging after being more off than on for the past few months. I am feeling very well and the last thing I want to talk about is being sickly, but thought I should give somewhat of an update in that regard.

In February, I was diagnosed with Pseudomonas Aeruginosa. My respirologist put me on a heavy round of Ciprofloxacin which failed to wipe out the pseudomonas. So, my respirologist prescribed another heavy round of Ciprofloxacin – which did what Ciprofloxacin does. Halfway through round two, it started to cause issues with my tendons – specifically the hamstring tendons in my right leg.

Despite the severe pain in my b#tt, I did what I do and persevered until I had completed the Ciprofloxacin. Shortly thereafter, I was called up for the catscan on my lungs. The catscan showed that there still appears to be significant infection – most likely pseudomonas.

I told my respirologist that I could not risk serious injury to my tendons by continuing on with the Ciprofloxacin, so he decided we should do nothing further for now. We will wait to see if the pseudomonas clears up on its own. (There are limited treatment options available).

I am good with this, but I did go to see a potential family doctor who gave me a requisition for a complete blood and urinine lab work.

I have not heard back from her but I did see the results online and they all looked pretty good to me – especially my iron, which was my main concern.

So that’s it for now. The experience has left me with a few questions and concerns – and a number of promising health and wellness changes, which I will touch on in blogs to come.

Meanwhile, I have a bit of housework to do before heading outside to tackle more yard work.