Surprise empty-nesting folks, this post is going to knock your socks off. It’s Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes above any other posts that I’ve shared with you about me.
You already know I’m a sucker for capturing surprises in nature photography. Just this morning I was focusing my camera to get a photo of a surprise tiger lily, instead, I captured a couple flies on the daisies. I can always get sidetracked with my camera!
Where was I going with this post?
Oh, yeah, do you remember that childhood song? I do!
My mom loved singing it with me as a child, she loved singing it to my kids, and she loved singing it in the memory care facility she lived in before passing away in 2012.
Little did I know back then that I’d be singing it with you today. You’re singing it, aren’t you?
Ah, isn’t life grand with an earworm stuck in our heads?
Or isn’t life messed up?
Or full of traditions that had beginnings we didn’t even know it had? Did you know that Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes is a 1950s song sung to the tune of an 1880s song entitled There’s a Tavern in the Town? The history of that song is quite the story! The laughter of the song in the video below is infectious, check out this version by Rudy Vallee.
What does that have to do with me? Am I drunk as I write this post?
Nah, it’s the surprises you’re about to read about me. First off, did you also know that toe infections are an indicator of the status of your overall health? In May of this year, there was an article in the NY Times about COVID Toes being a sign that you have the virus. Yikes.
From head to toe, that $#(@)#(@! damn virus keeps showing up in surprising places.
This pandemic has given me plenty of free time and opportunities to learn things about signs of metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, as well as the overall wellbeing of baby boomers as we age.
Remember back in January when I told you about my swelling legs being a concern? Despite my doctor telling me I was ‘perfect’ for my age.
Well, back then, I also noticed a strange phenomenon on my inner side of my ankles. I really chalked it up to standing all day for work and the pressure of my swollen ankles against my shoes. But, out of sheer curiosity, I’ve been paying close attention to my feet ever since.
Did you know that humans shed our entire outer skin every 2-4 weeks? Hmm … I have noticed those spots fading away since January. This is what they looked like back then.
Since I had so much spare time during the pandemic, I figured a journey of watching my ankles and feet was appropriately experimental.
Yesterday, as I sat outside in the warmth of our Tea House, I thought a lot about things that have happened in our lives since January. Or since my childhood when I created weird looking things. Like this bear, I made him in the 7th-grade art class that sparked my creative bones.
How are kids going to virtually create things like this if they never go back to school? They can’t miss out on this kind of cool stuff …
Then I listened to the wind chimes blowing in the wind, and the birds singing in the yard and watched the Blue Birds feeding their young in the Catalpa tree. And then I noticed the blossoms softly falling to the ground. Things sure have changed since January.
January kickstarted Mr. and me on a journey of changing our diet. From high carb, low fat, to low carb, high (healthy) fat. And not only have we since discovered we love things like Keto Mashed Cauliflower (recipe) instead of mashed potatoes, we’re also loving the other head to toes changes we’ve discovered along the way.
Besides me being obsessed with watching my feet.
I’m so flipping happy flip-flop weather has arrived. And since we haven’t been going out in public much, why bother to paint my toes as part of my TLC routine?
I found better things to do!
First off, I don’t know about you, but, I’ve never adored my feet. My mom and her best friend used to tell me stories about my toes back when I was a baby. The second toe (or something like that) was supposed to indicate if my husband would be taller than me. My toes on my right foot didn’t pan out for that, Mr. is way taller than I am.
I’ve always been a little ashamed of the fact that on my right foot, the second toe has a smaller nail and a shorter stature compared to the third toe. A birth defect! WTH? And then I met Mr. and since he has only a partial big toe due to an injury where it was cut off in an accident, it was love at first toe sight!
Anyhoo … on a rabbit hole day during the pandemic, when I watched a ton of videos about Low Carb diets, I followed thoughts about my toes. One nail had seen better days, I was afraid it might have a virus in the nail bed or lose the nail?
So, what the heck, I used my inquisitive head and clicked on this video. No one was watching me so I felt safe to go there.
Watch what I learned at 7:36 minutes in.
Yep, surprise, using an old toothbrush was a game-changer. Yeah, when my dental appointment was canceled due to COVID, I ended up buying myself a new toothbrush and putting that old one in the shower to scrub my toes daily. And my toes are happy!
Don’t knock it until you try it.
On to shoulders … I talked about my surprise shoulder injury yesterday in my previous post. The trick that fixed it fast was to change my sleeping position and do proper stretches to get the position of the shoulder back in place. I’m back to 100%. Bob and Brad had some of the best tips!
What about knees, besides getting down on them to pray the COVID thing goes away?
Well, my knees are things that I haven’t been as tickled about with weight loss. Mr. and I lost weight in the form of subcutaneous fat and visceral fat – so when fat leaves the aging body, you guess it, the outer skin sags. Gravity happens.
So I tend to want to cover my knees in public.
And Mr. injured his leg, the one that he had knee surgery on years ago, while lawn mowing one of our rental properties yards. So we’re a pair of knee conscious chaps.
Mr.’s knee and foot drop things are slowly getting better, he keeps on keeping on, despite any head, shoulder, or knees and toe injuries. Unlike me, he doesn’t whine.
We own property that has a nasty hill to mow. I suggested one day that he uses a scythe to cut the extra-tall grass. He didn’t think that would work and used the weed-whacker instead.
Perhaps he knows better? It was like he had read this book and learned a few things from an old farmer named Tom who told Michael, the author, that a scythe isn’t the best option.
So yeah – our heads, shoulders, knees, and toes are coming through this pandemic with surprise knowledge we never thought we’d be learning in our empty nest!
Post Inspiration – Anne-Christine is hosting us for Lens-Artists #103 – Surprise. You’re gonna want to check her post out for some real surprise photos!
PS – What have you learned during this pandemic that surprised you!? And now that I’m back to 100%, I’ll be catching up on commenting and reading your thoughts! Thanks for your patience! xx
A great post, Shelley! I’ve never been a fan of my feet, or anyone’s feet.
They aren’t the most attractive part of the body for sure. I have a regular tooth brush not used anymore since I use an electric brush with a round head.
I will try the old brush in the shower trick, can’t hurt anything! I like the bear you sculpted, very nice work! And now I am curious about this Mashed Cauliflower thing. I’ll grab some in the store next time.
Happy Sunday!
I do like the bear’s feet 🙂
How cool you still have your art project. And now I know the history of that song – which I remember being used in gym class at some point to make exercise “fun” – hahahaha. I can’t think of anything that has surprised me since the pandemic began — well, maybe except that it would be a challenge to tell one day from the next. They all blend in together after a while.
LOL – I didn’t have the heart to destroy the bear. He has one damaged ear, despite the sturdy feet. I was surprised by the history of the song too.
I’m with you on the days blending together … as you can tell, it takes me a long time to get myself together and reply to comments! LOL!
No need to destroy such a treasure – damaged ear and all! 🙂
LOL – it reminds me of the time in my life when I wasn’t as intimidated to let the creative juices flow.
I laughed when I saw you post as I remember the song well, there is even a clown version we used when we entertained the kids.
Glad you laughed Anita. I haven’t seen the clown version, but I have seen some of the kid versions. It’s a fun song to sing. The tavern one is interesting too. 😉
Well for starters I avoided all of your earworms you evil person you 😀 This post really does come within a whisker of too much sharing. Thanks for sparing a saggy knees photo. You should read the Saggy Baggy Elephant. I am glad you and Mr are well and happy. I love the flies. More to outside images and less of body parts please Shelley. x
LOL – I’ve caught my share of earworms from your posts …
Yeah, I was concerned (for a moment) about the TMI factor. There were more revealing photos, I screened them well.
Yes, Mr and I are doing well and happy. Thank you for saying so.
I’ll be finding more outside photos to share, there seems to be some new flower sprouts that have caught my eye. Thanks for enduring the body parts in this post!
I am glad the music is in you lol Get out and find those treasures for us to share. Well and happy is good 🙂
This is a fascinating post! My husband says he has heard that toes can be an indicator of your health, as well. I had never heard that. What I have learned while cooped up at home, is that I don’t mind going out in public without makeup! I still wear it on occasion. And will more, once we go out more. But if we’re just running to the store, and even to dinner (yes! we can go to dinner now!) I don’t “need” to put on makeup. I’d already done away with nail polish long ago, But I do scrub and moisturize like a crazy person! 👣👣👣
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Lisa! Funny that you mention the make-up thing too – I’ve been the same way. We haven’t gone out much, if at all, but I’ve definitely adopted the natural look every day. It’s nice and refreshing to take a break from make-up. I’m thinking the polish will stay away as well.
Happy scrubbing and moisturizing to you. Thanks again for stopping by to share your thoughts.
Well, Shelley, this was one great surprise – the whole post! Thank you for the story of that old song – we sing it in Sweden as well, but a translation. And feet! I used to love my feet, slender and beautiful looking bare or in sandals. The last ten years I have had to let go of all my fancy shoes and boots, because I have got hallux valgus and also been operated on my left foot because of a leaking tendon/sinew. So, nowadays I hide my feet and have to use broader shoes with special soles. Aging is OK with me, we have to, but letting go of my pretty shoes was not fun.
And – I do think your feet are just fine!
Ann-Christine, thanks for humouring my post! Thank you, too, for sharing your foot story. Oh, my the last ten years have been a challenge for you. I’m glad you’ve found comfortable shoes to wear now. My mom had foot issues due to being diabetic, so I’m extra vigilant (obsessive) in watching my feet as I confessed. She also taught me and my daughters a love of shoes. Letting go of all of her shoes, and many I own due to liking too many of those on sales, is hard to do, like you said!
Aw – thanks, I’ve learned to accept my feet, they get me places and keep me moving, for that I’m grateful.
😀
LOL Shelley I may be with Brian re what we call TMI (too much information) but I did laugh more than once so am giving you a pass on TMI just this once! I too have (happily) quit toenail polishing and makeup except for dining out which is very rare and only outdoors. I was quite smug about going w natural hair color a few years back as my friends struggled w their roots 😄. Time still marches on, it’s just in smaller steps these days.
LOL – YAY! Thank you for the TMI pass, I’m glad you did laugh too, we all need a dose of comic relief once and a while.
Yes, I remember you’re a fellow natural hair color person. Have any of your friends who struggled years ago embraced the gray now that they salons were closed for so long?
Baby steps is what we’re all doing right now, believe it or not, many a day of late, I’ve been grateful for the slower pace!
Indeed several friends are going natural now. Fun to watch how well (or poorly) they transition!
And how many ran to the salons! 😉
I’m glad you’re feeling better. Went to my chiropractor for an adjustment today–the first one since the pandemic started. Feels so good. And he said I just need to keep up my stretches–so key to feeling good! I also have exercises for my hips I need to be better about doing. Darn old hips made much older from years of ballet! And, I’m with you, never really liked my toes–crazy long and crooked. A guy I liked as a girl even mentioned how weird they were one time. 25 years later I still remember that!
If your feet are out of whack, nothing feels right. I love having my toenails polished, and it’s so easy to do myself. When winter is over, and I start wearing sandals, the polish comes out. I’m happy to say that I have never heard of that song so no ear worms for me!
I remember that song very well – sadly the older we get, the more problems we can point to and getting out of a chair (for me anyway) is not always springing out of it as I once did – yikes! I’ve not done such significant accomplishments, though I have spent a lot more time lately pushing away from the computer and getting things done inside and out – logging less time in front a screen is a good thing … for now anyway.
Great question, Shelley….what have we learned during the pandemic? You have obviously made good use of this time to eat healthy, lose weight and make other changes to improve your health. Kudos to you!
What have I learned during this pandemic that has surprised me? Welp, that you’re using a toothbrush to clean your toes. I don’t know quite how to process that, but if your toes are happy I am happy for you. Scrub on, sister.
Great photos, Shelley. A veritable plethora, always a pleasure.
Your posts are always fun Shelley, flies, toes, weed-wacker’s and all. Ans should I yes I am going to. Nothing wrong with those legs the weed wacker information is perched on
LOL – aw, thanks Abrie. I appreciate the support for my quirkiness. At least I’ve still got plenty of that to fill my days!
Hah! You make me laugh. First of all, I can’t believe Head Shoulders etc. an all time favorites of toddlers was originally a drinking song. Glad that’s not common knowledge. Secondly, I think we have way too much time to contemplate our physical shortcomings during Covid shutdowns. I personally obsess on my double chin and saggy neck. I’m so jealous of my husband who has grown a beard which would cover all of these fatal flaws. Dang, I guess I’ll continue to wear trutlenecks all year round. Later.
Yay, glad you laughed. I know, I was shocked to read the origins of the song.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts! We do have a lot of time on our hands to obsess about things. When you said you were jealous of your husband’s beard I had a flashing memory of my mom as she aged. She had quite the display of whiskers on her chin … that’s a fatal flaw that I hope I don’t get. Turtlenecks won’t cover chins – but masks do, and there are models of those that cover the neck too.
A neck mask? I’ll have to look into that. Wait how about a full body mask then all my problems are solved. 😁
Yes, they’re called neck gaiters. Full bodysuits are probably available too now. Hopefully there are enough left for the beekeepers to buy and remain stocked this honey season.