January challenge

After last weekend's balmy, spring-like temperatures, things have shifted and this morning it's 19 degrees outside. There's also talk about a chance of snow on Sunday, although I'll have to see that to believe it. Still, it's gearing up to be a long weekend of cold weather and staying snug in the house. I say "long weekend" because Monday is MLK day, a federal holiday and an extra day off. It's a very welcome break, even though we just returned from the holidays a couple of weeks ago. It's so hard to drag myself out of bed on these cold, dark mornings, even after going to bed early and getting plenty of sleep. 

Our school is doing a "January Weight Loss Challenge" with anyone who wants to participate putting $20 into the pot, winner take all at the end of April when we have our last weigh-in. It's going to amount to about $400 for the person who loses the biggest percentage of their body weight (which of course is fairer than just number of pounds lost). 

We had our initial weigh in on Monday. I was devastated to realize I've gained back most of the weight I lost last year. I was so disgusted with myself. I knew that I'd gained some back, based on how my clothes fit, but I hadn't dared step on a scale in two months. I was hoping it wouldn't be too bad, but what a wake-up call. I've been in a funk all week since then.

Sometimes I despair of ever being in better shape. I feel middle-aged, fat, and ugly these days. Everyone always says to be kind to yourself, and work on your self-esteem, and talk about "self-care" blah blah blah, but right now I'm struggling with those things. To be honest, I don't like myself very much these days. If I could take the weight loss jabs, I would, but since I'm not even pre-diabetic my insurance won't cover them and I can't afford the out-of-pocket cost. 

So here I am, beginning again, damn it. I don't expect to win the Weight Loss Challenge, but if I can take some of this weight back off, I'll consider that enough of a win. Gregg and I are planning a vacation to Kitty Hawk, NC this year for our 20th wedding anniversary and I'd really love to not look like a whale on the beach. I'd also like to look nice for my husband, who deserves a wife who takes better care of herself than I have been.

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. 

Under the weather, but happy

I've been home sick for the past two days. There seems to be some kind of stomach bug/cold/virus thing going around and lucky me, I caught it. I'm actually feeling much better today but given how upset my stomach was all day yesterday, I dared not go back to work yet. I barely made it to the bathroom in time a couple of times, and had I been at work it might have led to some terrible embarrassment.

I've been doing some of my work from home, though. Yesterday one of the assistant principals emailed me and said, "I hope you feel better..........STOP WORKING FROM HOME!" Haha. Had we been talking in person I would have told her that now that our evil principal has been fired, I don't mind keeping my work caught up from home. The guy they sent from the district office to get us through the rest of the month (as the interim principal) is beloved by the staff and students, and I don't mind the way I would have with the wicked witch! I wouldn't have lifted a finger from home for her. What a relief that she's gone; even though I won't be there next year I'm happy that the staff will no longer have to suffer under her. 

Next week I'll be spending a morning at my new school, training with the outgoing secretary. She's retiring after many years in the position, and she's told me through email how much I'm going to love it there! Everyone has been so very kind and encouraging and welcoming already, and I don't even officially start for two months! This may end up being the school I stay at until I retire, with any luck. I'm happy.

Speaking of happy and good news, I decided to weigh myself yesterday and check in on how my diet is going. I've lost 23 pounds since January! Slowly but surely, I'm getting there. By the time I start the new job in July I'll have to have some new clothes. Everything is starting to get loose on me, especially pants. I certainly won't complain about needing new clothes!

Now, as promised, here are some garden pictures. Have a great weekend, everyone!

The marigolds, tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers in the main bed are starting to grow!

My "Marvel of the Four Seasons" lettuce is looking good right now. 

This is the bed in front of the porch, where I've planted two cherry tomatoes and three pepper plants. Zinnias from last year are resprouting in there, too!

You can't tell in this picture, but our young fig tree is almost shoulder high. Still no sign of a fig yet, though.

The bananas on the side of the porch are growing like mad.

For the first time in all the years I've had it, it looks as if the pomegranate tree is going to produce fruit this year! It's taller than the roof and absolutely loaded with flowers and developing poms. Fingers crossed!

Heat wave, and a progress report.

Well, the worst of the summer heat is finally arriving this week. We're supposed to have highs of around 98F (36.67C) every day, with high humidity. It's miserable outside.

 A screenshot of our local forecast for this week.

I had to force Ginger to come inside today. She's never liked being in the house, and would stay out in the garage and backyard no matter the weather if we allowed it. I think it's because she grew up in the country, with lots of land to roam on. She actually prefers being an outside dog. I had to put her leash on her to make her come in the house this morning. It's just too hot for her to be outside, and the small portable A/C unit we used in the garage for the last two years isn't very effective, plus it costs a small fortune to run. We've decided that during the worst heat of the day, both the dogs will just have to come in. George loves it. He'd happily stay indoors forever if we let him. I would love it, but it's not possible. Not only is he a destructive chewer and we fear for our furniture, but Marco has to live here and deserves plenty of time out of his cage each day. Neither of the dogs have ever taken much notice of him, but we dare not let him out while they're inside. Marco would boldly go right up to them both if given a chance. The dogs might not pay him any attention, but he loves them. When they're in the house he chatters away, calling them both by name and saying things like "Good dog!" "Ginger, c'mere...George, c'mere!" and "Hey baby!" I think it's exciting for him when the dogs come inside.

The worst part of this heat wave is that it's so hard to go outside and exercise. I did go swimming at a friend's house yesterday, which felt great. If I wasn't trying to save money this summer I'd get a membership at a pool so that I could swim every day. Maybe next summer.

Speaking of exercise....I'd like to brag a little. I'm down 14 pounds as of this morning! I've been seriously working at changing my eating habits and exercising more since early May, and after a slow start, the weight is finally starting to come off. Gregg and I both had appointments with a new family doctor last week, and I really liked her. I discussed the steps I was taking to lose the excess weight (technically I'm classified as obese in the BMI chart so there was no question that I need to make some changes) and she thought I was doing a good job on my own, but offered to help monitor my progress and support me in the process. Of course I said yes! She gave me plenty of literature about good meal planning, made some common sense suggestions about daily calorie targets, and will be doing blood work this week to check my blood sugar, cholesterol, thyroid and liver function, etc. I'm really excited to finally have a doctor I feel comfortable with and supported by. I'll be weighing in with her monthly. I think that with slow, steady progress I should be in the normal BMI range by the end of the year. That's my goal, anyway.

In order to get the exercise I need while it's so hot, I'm going to have to get creative. I have a couple of friends with pools, and also friends who like to go and walk in the air conditioned mall when it's too hot to be outside. I've been invited to join them whenever I like. Of course, Gregg and I will continue to walk the dogs in the late evening after it cools off enough to be tolerable. It won't actually be pleasant again until late September at least, though.

Speaking of the summer, I leave you with these thoughts.....have a great day, everyone!