Tuesday morning

 I finished my big crazy crocheted blanket yesterday. It’s actually a bit too long and too narrow but whatever. Until the weather warms up and I can wash it and hang it outside on the patio to dry I won’t get a real idea of how it lays. I did stick it in the drier a bit yesterday which helped the yarn stitches even out a bit. Besides sitting around crocheting yesterday, reading the newspapers, doing my crossword puzzle and a short dog walk I did nothing but sleep yesterday. I did wake up several times in the night signaling I’d finally gotten enough sleep. I just ate a half toasted peanut butter and banana sandwich and had a cup of coffee and washed off really well, used deodorant, put on fresh clothes and brushed my hair back into a bun. I am returning to human again after being a slug for a couple days. 

I need to remember to wear a mask more often out in public and carry my hand sanitizer. My immune system is obviously not going to improve. Suck it up buttercup. I’m lucky to be here at all. Shit happens. Get a helmet or give up. 

Recovery

 Saturday night I started feeling sick at my stomach. By morning I was throwing up awful bitter sour stuff with painful stomach cramps and running to the bathroom a lot. By afternoon that stuff had pretty much stopped but my stomach was still hurting. I slept most all of the day and did nothing else but get up and walk to the bathroom. About 1 am this morning I woke up and was super thirsty. I’m doing better now and took the dog for a short walk. It’s bitterly cold outside so that was unpleasant. Today I’ll take it easy and crochet. 

Black coffee

 I’m drinking black coffee out of the cute little heart-shaped mug I got at the December Christkindle Market at Daley Plaza in Chicago. When I use this mug it makes me smile. I’m going to go throw my clothes and hiking boots on and take Bitzi for a walk. We walked nearly four miles yesterday. Today won’t be as long of a walk. After that I’m going to the garden club meeting and rejoining the club. I’ve been out a couple years and now I feel like going again. 

SBS

 I like the peace and stillness of early morning when I’m up alone and Mike is still in bed. I like how I can hear every little noise- the tick of the wall clock, the gentle wind against the house siding, a bird chirp. I like the peace of sipping my coffee, opening the blinds, reading my social media, Apple News stories, my mostly all spam emails. In general I’ve always been a morning person. It probably comes from years of farm chores and hard work. I see that as a good thing. 

I’m still not done with the big bright multicolored crocheted blanket I’m making. I have part of a colored yarn skein and another whole one to use then I’m going to edge and fill with my plain base army green. I hope it doesn’t end up looking like a crazy nightmare. I like sitting in the comfie chair in the sunroom crocheting with Bitzi on my lap watching all the squirrels and birds at the feeder on the edge of the patio. I have a feeder tray with seeds and nuts on a hanging chain with extension hooks that puts it fairly low to the ground. The squirrels easily jump in, swing a few times, gather up food and jump out and return in a couple minutes to repeat. 

The weather has been warmer the last few days so all of the snow has melted. The walking trails back by the forest preserve wetlands are now safe and free from ice. Bitzi and I dearly love our walking trails. 

My brother-in-law Pete had his kidney transplant last week and is doing well. He had been waiting and preparing for years to get it. My sister is scheduled to have surgery to install a pacemaker in a few weeks. They have had so much medical stuff the last few years! 

Today I’m going to walk, clean up the front porch and back patio, go to Aldi for supplies, scrub my bathroom and crochet. 

My Echo heart test last week turned out okay (for me). It was a low normal and unchanged from a couple years ago. I had a heart attack three years ago, so need to check on things every year or so. 

Heart

I have an echocardiogram this morning in a little while. I’m hoping it comes out okay.

I just took Bitzi for a little walk. It’s a bit warmer today. I slept pretty well. Mike got up before I did but has been slumped on the couch snoring away to the morning news blaring on the TV. I need to start getting up earlier. I like my nice calm silent mornings alone in peace. Now that we’re both retired we’re together most of the time. Alone time is good too. My blanket I’m crocheting is turning into a big colorful freestyle creature. I just like crocheting along and deciding what it will be.

Good day

 Today has been a cold, windy, overcast day. I took Bitzi for another walk around the lake this morning but today was unpleasantly harsh. I picked Bitzi up and carried her part of the way because the wind was so uncomfortable.

I’m going to finish crocheting, watch some Winter Olympics and watch some Super Bowl. In a few minutes Mike and I are going to the grocery store to get some needed items and some Super Bowl snacks. 

I just finished the audiobook We Are Water  by Wally Lamb 

Beginning a long journey

 So it’s Friday.This is my second day of 18:6 Intermittent fasting. I can’t eat anything until noon. I have not eaten since 6 last night. It just takes a few days for your system to adjust to it. I took Bitzi for a 2-mile walk earlier which is a lot for us these days since winter came. The air was fresh and I felt good. February only has 22 more days I told myself as I was walking. The last couple years I’ve been eating too much, not exercising enough and have let myself gain a bunch of weight. I have an under active metabolism and weak immune system. With this horrible war my adult kids have been in the last couple years since their dad died and left the messed up I feel like I have been stuck in the middle of the shitstorm and have had a lot of heartache and stress and worry over it all. And I’ve been neglecting my health and “comfort’ eating way too much and now I am stuck and have to fix it. I considered trying GLP-1 drugs but because of all my various health issues I was afraid. The drugs have lots of unpleasant side effects and you still have to watch your diet and exercise more so I’m determined to give it a really hard try to lose it on my own. It’s going to take many months, just like it did to pack it all on. Steady and consistent does it. SO today I created a google spreadsheet to track all my efforts and progress. I am trying to set myself up for success. The reward at the end will be better health, better clothes and perhaps I’ll reward myself with a cruise but NOT UNTIL I REACH MY GOAL. 

My brother-in-law Pete goes in Monday to have his kidney transplant. He’s been waiting years for it. I will be praying a lot.

Yesterday Mike and I drove over to the newly-open H-Mart in Schaumburg. It was their grand opening and it was pretty busy. I was the one who wanted to go and I should have known better because Mike had started complaining and bitching on the drive over there. So we parked and decided to go in and have a look. The place was HUGE and filled with all sorts of stuff-housewares, groceries, a huge deli and a food court. It was pretty busy and most of the groceries are Korean and so in a foreign language for us. Not everything was Korean but most of the stuff. I just thought it was cook and interesting but Mike started bitching and griping and cussing in his big boomy voice. If I could hear so could the other people. I just eventually got so mad and pissed off I told him we were leaving so I walked out and didn’t talk to him for a couple hours. What an asshole. I told myself from now on I should just go places ALONE and not put up with his grouchy rude bullshit. Unless it has to do with HIS family or something he wants to do he grumbles and pisses and moans. Life is too short to live like that. I’m happier going places alone. I’ve been going on the community bus trips alone the last couple months and really enjoyed them. I do NOT want to get old and pissy and curmudgeony like that. YU CK

AND NPW I’m going to go crochet for a bit and count my blessings.