End of summer wrap up

As hard as it is to believe, summer (at least for me) is winding down. The teachers in our district returned to work last week, and tomorrow is the first day back for students. I know that by most standards this is very early, but since we're on a modified year-round schedule, everyone returns sooner than they used to. Summer feels done when school starts back, no matter what the calendar says. Or the thermometer, for that matter. *

I was thinking this morning about what the last few months have been like and the things I've neglected to make note of on the blog. Here's a snapshot of summer 2024 for me:

The Garden

If it hadn't been for the massive harvest of cucumbers and the rattlesnake beans Mary Moon sent me, it would have been a total failure. I got no tomatoes, very few peppers, and the melons I had such high hopes for only produced a handful of small, hard fruits that turned yellow and started to go bad before they ever started to ripen. I blame the sweltering heat and humidity that went on for weeks with no break. And not a drop of rain between mid-June and mid-July. Even the garden pests like hornworms and aphids didn't bother to show up--that's what shit my garden was this year. So disappointing! 

At least the zinnias never let me down! 

The Van:

Saturday before last we bought my friend Karen's Dodge van for Gregg to use when he services aquariums. His old Ford Ranger truck isn't safe to drive anywhere beyond a 3- or 4-mile radius of home these days. We bought it way back in 2007, and it was already high mileage then. All these years later, almost nothing on it works properly. ** We've been sharing my Scion for the most part. Karen got a new car recently and mentioned that she'd probably be selling the van cheap, and we jumped at the opportunity to buy it. Like the truck, it's old and has a lot of miles, but everything works and it's in decent shape. Some of Gregg's aquariums are in neighboring towns, and now he has something he can comfortably drive without having to wait until my car is available. Plus, the van holds all the gear he needs so he doesn't have to constantly pack and unpack my car. It's reassuring to know he's got access to a more reliable vehicle while I'm at work. 

Best of all, we only paid $1200 for it! 

Another advantage is that the dogs can get into and out of the van much more easily than either the truck or my Scion. It's lower to the ground and that's important now that George is getting older and has a bit of arthritis in his back knees. Then there's the fact that there's ample room to drive both dogs around at the same time! We took them for their first ever ride together in it last weekend. They loved it.

The Specs:

I finally broke down and bought some much-needed new glasses this week. I nearly choked when I saw the bill: over $450! I guess it's been a long time since I've had new glasses, and the price of pretty much everything has gone up, but damn. I keep reminding myself I paid for several pricey extras: thinner lenses that don't look like Coke bottles, bifocals that seamlessly progress (no lines), and a glare reduction feature that's supposed to be good for people who stare at screens all day. Plus, they're scratch resistant. It still seems like a lot though.

 

Taken last night in my office at my school's Open House. I'd picked up the new glasses that afternoon while on a break. After an 11-hour day, I was exhausted, and looked it. But I like the glasses!

Health:

This will be a separate blogpost that I've been thinking about for awhile, so I won't talk about it too much here. (This post is long enough already). But I will mention two things: I've gotten better control of the eczema that's plagued me for years, and in the last eight weeks I've lost 24 pounds. Those two things alone feel major.

*As Spo (the dear!) just pointed out, in the Celtic calendar tomorrow (August 1st) is Lammas, the first day of autumn. 

** I want to cry at the thought of getting rid of the truck. We've had it so long, since the year after we got married, that it seems like a member of the family. I know it's silly, but I felt guilty when I watched Gregg remove the tag and put it on the new van! Our tentative plan is to donate it our local PBS station, SCETV. They have an old car donation program that we've used before, and it's a very worthwhile charity. 

Lifestyle Overhaul

One of my goals for this new year is to get my health back under control. There's been far too much overindulgence over this holiday season (and really, much of last year) and it's time to turn the ship around. I've gained back weight I had lost in 2015 and then some. It's embarrassing to me and so I won't go into specifics, but I have a significant number of pounds to lose. My blood pressure was edging up into the high end of normal the last time I had it checked, and I'm not a kid anymore. With my family history of heart problems, diabetes, and obesity I need to take better care of my body and that's what I've resolved to do in 2017!

I plan to keep up the extra walking I did at work through the holiday. I have a pedometer app on my phone and during the past 4 weeks I've been easily meeting my 10,000 step per day goal just at the store. Then Gregg and I take a long walk each night with the dogs, too, so I was getting in about 12,000 steps total. Things at the job will be dramatically slower now that January is here, so I'm planning to start each day with a fast paced, hour long walk with the dogs before work to make up for it. And of course the nightly family walks will continue, too. Eventually I would love to be able to run again, which I did every morning when I was in my 20's, but for now I'll settle for two long walks each day while I try to drop some of these excess pounds. Baby steps.

I'm changing my diet dramatically, too. My biggest problem is a crazy shifting schedule that makes it too easy to eat lots of takeout, fast food, and highly processed food. Too much junk, too much soda, too many lunches and dinners at restaurants with friends. Then it was Christmas. Now that the holidays are almost officially over, it's time to do better. I went grocery shopping yesterday with a detailed list I'd made while planning healthy dinners and work lunches for the rest of the week. I'm cutting out sugar, simple carbs, and processed foods for now. I'm committing to better eating, the extra exercise, to drinking 10 to 12 glasses of water each day, and to giving up some mild self-medicating habits I've been indulging in. It's not going to be easy, but I've planned carefully and will do my best. Today is day one.

Wish me luck (and a good dose of willpower!) to make it through this first week or two, which I image will be the hardest part. Is anyone else making changes for the better this year?

Spring morning

It's a beautiful early spring day here in my part of the world. The trees are budding, daffodils are blooming, birds are busy with nest building, and the air is mild. The days are decidedly longer now. Everything smells fresh and new.

Today is Gregg's first (the first of four) chemotherapy treatment. We are hoping that the side effects will be mild and manageable, and that the next two months go by quickly. Soon all the medical treatments will be over and we can enjoy the rest of the spring and the summer ahead. We are all getting healthy and strong at our house: we're walking (Gregg, Ginger, and me) about 3 miles a day and eating right. Ginger looks trim and strong. Gregg is getting healthier by the day. I have lost 36 pounds since late last summer, and am working on resolving my own health issues.

The spirit of spring is all about change, and we are changing our lifestyle to a healthier way of living. We want to live to see and enjoy many more early spring mornings together!

May we all see positive change manifesting in our lives as the earth reawakens.

August already!

The last couple of weeks have been busy for me. I have had doctor and dentist appointments, extra projects at work that needed attention, and the everyday housework/cooking/cleaning that never truly gets "done" at all.

Still, it's been a good couple of weeks. I finally talked to my doctor about the lifestyle changes I'm trying to make and the weight I need to lose. He has helped me pull together a plan to make things happen, and has given me a prescription to help me get started. I am logging my food intake, walking 1-2 miles every morning, and drinking lots of fresh cool water. I have a follow up appointment in 8 weeks to check on my progress, and I am hoping to do myself proud! It feels great to finally feel motivated!

Work is going well. I am feeling more confident in my position and have been working extra hard to get things done and to be an asset to my new team. I think this is the result of feeling better physically. I know that daily exercise helps me to have a positive outlook and less negative emotions.
Years ago, when I exercised (ran!) daily, my stress level stayed under control much better than when I allowed myself to get very overweight and sedentary. I hope I can continue to slowly improve my habits with very little backsliding this time. Being fit and healthy not only improves my stress level, but also my job performance, self esteem, relationships....everything, really. I can't wait until it's cool enough outside that I can exercise more. In August in SC the only time you can stand to go outside and walk is at sunrise or after dark...unless you want to risk a heatstroke!

It's still very hot here, and my garden is officially done. My tomatoes didn't produce much of anything this year. I was disappointed, but we have had nearly record high temperatures and very little rain this year. No one seems to have had a good garden this year. I am getting ready to pull up all my dead plants, weed, and work on making the little garden bed ready for a fall planting of mums and pansies.

I am beginning to look forward to fall. I'm already seeing the first fall magazines, candles, and decor out in the stores! It seems a bit strange to think of it being almost fall when it's 100F out, but it really is just around the corner. The sun is beginning to set noticeably earlier, and the angle of the sun is changing. Soon enough (I hope!) the daytime temperature should become more comfortable which is my favorite thing about summer ending!