Inspiration and Improvement (and Irritation!)

Sorry for the lack of updates. My days are so full lately and I can't seem to find the spare time to sit down and post. Ridiculous excuse, I know. It's amazing how making time for two to three walks a day messes with a person's daily schedule.

We are currently doing some re-roofing. Unless you are masochistic, don't try this at home. It's hot, dirty, exhausting, expensive work. Our insurance company JUST happened to come by a few months ago when we had JUST put a tarp on the roof during heavy rains . . . we have had this same spot fixed THREE TIMES (and paid for it three times) and it just leaks again. Anyway, they saw that and the fact that we had taken out the fence on one side of the house (to put a car garage there since the city told us we couldn't keep it in the front yard!) and it was leaning, and decided not to renew our policy unless we fixed them.

Sigh. They told us this in March. Portland in March? Nothing but rain until July. Deadline? July 16. Sigh again. Weather report? Mid-90s. BIG sigh. So my 61 yr old husband and my 20 yr old son have been up there everyday scraping, digging, pulling, tossing and getting tired. I take them water and help with clean up. Coryn is at the Harry Potter conference so he got a free card until he returns tomorrow. Nicole has been going to multiple job interviews and babysitting jobs, so hasn't had a chance either. (For some reason, the family decided that a woman prone to vertigo and known to have seizures should not work up on a roof . . . go figure!)

That has been the focus of the week. Not a fun focus at all.

Today, however, I took my walk alone. This is rare. Usually I am accompanied by (a) husband, (b) one or more children and/or (c) dog. It was too hot for the dog, the hubby was on the roof and kids were sleeping, so I took off on my own. I have been going to the high school track a few blocks away, doing one lap and then returning. Today I felt good, energetic,and did TWO laps or 1/2 mile. So that is IMPROVEMENT part of the title. I am walking better every day. When it is this hot, I do it very early or very late so it isn't too taxing.

Before getting to the track, I pass through the school parking lot where there are a line of dumpsters. As I paused by one to bend over and touch my toes to loosen my back, I heard noises coming from one of the other dumpsters. My mind went to (a) wild, ravenous animals, (b) angry demons trapped by invisible devil's traps, or (c) crime victims desperate for rescue. When I peeked around, I saw (and I live in PORTLAND, I should have KNOWN THIS), a dumpster diver. He was in search of cans and bottles to recycle for money (common here). I laughed and wished him good luck.

While walking the track alone, I thought a lot and here are the earth-shatteringly, profound thoughts I came up with (prepare yourself to be enlightened):

1. You can never see your eye floaters better then when looking up a bright blue morning sky. I said hello to Sherm and Spot.

2. I have a great new stationery idea I can't wait to try out. When I get today's work done, it will be my reward.

3. Who knew softball diamonds had to be maintained? There is one attached to the track and people were out there smoothing it out and weeding around it this morning.

Hence, the inspiration.

The irritation, you ask? How kind of you to pay attention to the title! I am on a weight loss plateau. Eating regular meals but taking in very very low carbs, no sugar . . . and I'm on my 5th day of weighing the EXACT SAME THING. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

Maybe I should climb up on the roof? I might lose a little extra if I sweat enough . . . .

Yet Another Progress Report

Checking in to let you ALL (17 of you at least) know that I'm doing okay. I have not had any insulin for two weeks and my numbers are staying in the perfect range. I'm walking two to three times a day, each time accompanied by anyone from a handsome hubby to chatterbox kids to all of them PLUS the dog. I actually cherish these walks. They are family oriented and peaceful and we do a lot of laughing.

My blood pressure is also back into the normal ranges, so taking those medications may end soon as well. I don't want to take medication that will drive the numbers TOO low.

I am down 18 pounds and counting. I have little to no appetite most of the time and nothing tastes "good", which makes it much easier to not eat much.

Work? Well, work has been . . . unusual. I've had some very kind editors that have patiently moved deadlines. I have others who have been compassionate but can't move deadlines so took the projects back. I've had others yank them away from me because I don't move fast enough. Hard to do when you can barely see the screen. My vision is changing by the hour such that I do most of my book reading WITHOUT my glasses on because that is better than trying to look through them.

In a few days, we will pack up our trailer and drive 120 miles away to the desert region of Oregon for our annual VW camp out. I suspect we will go in our van instead of our bus because, currently, the engine is still sitting on the floor of the garage but honestly, I do NOT care. I just want the sun, the fresh air, the tent, the family together, the NO WORK, the time to read and nap and write letters and soak up summer time. How we will manage to eat paleo at a camp out I have yet to figure out, but we will manage.

So, that's how I am doing. My only complaint right now, other than being half blind, is my sleeping schedule. For weeks I have gone to bed absolutely brain dead exhausted. I pulled myself up the stairs, even if I took a nap in the afternoon. For the last two nights however, I can NOT get to sleep. I crawl into bed and just lie there, awake. Tired, but awake. Hence the 1:30 a.m. post. Not sure what's going on, but heck, I liked the sleeping soundly much better.

Stay tuned. More to come, I am sure!