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AND THE WHEEL GOES ROUND AND ROUND…
The truth is that life is like the dragon Ouroboros, and the wheel goes round and round.
It certainly does. I have been on the road to recovery for so long that it’s like I had no life before this. I know that’s not true, I just like being dramatic as often as I can. I am actually doing well. Had a few bumps with blood pressure issues (low, can you believe it?) and they are hopefully resolved by now. I don’t have the energy I would like and can’t wait for the physical therapy to put me back into prime shape. The thing that amazes me the most is that I am 66 with a 45-year-old mind. My daughter is 45 and I ask myself over and over, “How can we be the same age.”
The thing I need to focus on is setting up a schedule for a non-worker person. Procrastination coupled with my ADHD leads to some interesting scenarios around the house. The kind of scenario where I have to keep everything in the house on somewhat of an even keel and yet fail miserably. I have far too many books on organizing and if I had set that organization in place, I could find them.
Sam the Dog has become my constant companion. Following me from room to room as if I had the treats in my pocket and would just spontaneously give him one. Moo the Cat has been on a diet and has lost some weight but you would think we were starving him by the plaintive wails he emits by his food dish. The birds have discovered the bird feeder I put out last summer and now that it is fall are hitting regularly. This makes for Moo TV as he lies in the window just waiting for the opportunity to bang his head on the window when he sees a bird. I am going to have to find a more accessible spot for the winter since shoveling for a bird feeder is a little ludicrous.
I find that I work in spurts. There is so much to do that I can never see an end. Bottom line, we need a house that is three times the size of this for all of our treasures. Or, crap as some are sure to say. I have started winnowing the extras out. It meant I had let go of the worrying about the future when someday I might need it. I gave my giant slow cooker to beautiful daughter and lo and behold I thought I need it. Oh, but wait, don’t I have at least two dutch ovens that would cook enough pot roast for a family of 16. It came out great even if it was cooked in a traditional way.
This is the last post about health issues that I will write. Even I have of it.
MY LOVE AFFAIR WITH A PYREX BOWL
I love these bowls. I first came across the small on the left by some means I can’t recall. It is the best bowl for soup (lip for gulping the last of the broth.) any Asian food with rice or noodles (a place for your thumb so you can balance the bowl next to your mouth for easy shoveling,) or any damn thing you want to eat out of it in whatever way you see fit! The Amish pattern is quaint and once I looked at it closely I realized I loved it. Who knew I would like “Quaint?”
When Kim and I got married it was clear that there would be some struggle over the single bowl in our pantry. Since shopping online is my new favorite thing to do, eBay, here I come. I found a complete set of the nesting bowls and at a reasonable price and I snapped them right up. Problem solved…two small bowls and a complete set to boot. Well, except for the fact that I came across this picture and almost lost my resolve to stop before I got too carried away!
I am at the point now that I am going to put sticky notes on the variety of bowls, containers, pots, pans, Rubbermaid products and if I don’t use them in a month they are going to go live somewhere else. I teeter on the edge of hoarding and maybe if I get rid of the stuff I have taking up valuable shelf space in the kitchen, I can more easily dedicate myself to trying to get rid of those size 10 jeans that have been in my wardrobe since 1987!
MY NEW TOY (GET YOUR MIND OUT OF THE GUTTER)
I have managed to put on all the weight that I lost during my medical hurdles last year. That is due to my lack of willpower, lemon pound cakes and avoiding exercise. Hard to believe that would allow 30 pounds to jump on my ass in a mere 6 months. Well, believe it.
I am paying the greatest price for having smoked for 42 years with the big Emphysema. That means that exercise is fairly low impact and basically consists of walking. On flat surfaces. I can see myself as that person prancing around the mall at 7AM. As if I would get up at that time to walk, much less at the mall. But, that is probably the answer. I will have to walk alone since walking and talking are not compatible now. Maybe when I get more in shape and lose some weight that will change, but being the huffer (not heifer) and puffer that I am I am just going to walk against the clock, head down and hoping no one recognizes me.
I have already lost five pounds. I give the credit to my new toy. I have only made a few major errors with it. Finding out that kale is cruciferous, along with my other favorite vegetables was a real drag. Discovering that I would prefer to eat a raw carrot than drink one was a pure joy.
I don’t think I could eat a banana, a cup of raspberries, an orange, almond milk and yogurt for breakfast, but I can sure drink it. Having this be a basis for two meals with no real carbohydrates or added sugar is a real bonus. I have to grind my flax seed and add it along with protein power to round this all out to bonus levels of energy.
I don’t recommend this as the only juicing machine out there, I am sure there are many that are just as good, all I can really say is this one is amazing. So amazing I got one for my daughter who is now making smoothies for herself and her family.
Now to move on to the exercise stage of this venture. Does walking to and from the refrigerator count?
WHAT? NO DOCTOR APPOINTMENTS FOR THREE MONTHS?
Apparently I have passed a milestone. This is the joyous news that I do not have a doctor appointment for at least three months. That is amazing! For the past nine months I have had between two to four appointments per month just to keep me on my toes. I still face another surgery, however, by waiting for three months it will be an easier task.
No gory details. The biggest problem I have had for the past few months has been the most incredible mood swings of my life. All who know me know that mood swings are a general operating procedure for me. However, the moods have mostly been on the down side and through the joys of chemistry and oral medication I have been able to pull myself off the roller coaster and can think with a clearer mind. This means reading has returned as a joy, I am learning the value of finding the lost socks under the bed and have even mended a shirt. Don’t worry, I have not become completely domesticated. I still don’t see dust.
I am teaching myself refrigerator maintenance. This should have been a required course for me in junior high school as opposed to sewing. I am the queen of condiments. I love fourteen kinds of mustard, pickles, and peppers. I want immediate access to any fruit or vegetable that I knew I would eat come Tuesday. I am working on meal planning and learning that miscellaneous side accoutrements in stand alone deli displays in the grocery store.
So, who knows what the next three months will bring. Perhaps I shall learn the glory as Home Manager, Plant Grower and Domestic Goddess. Keep an eye open for an update. I won’t be getting my hopes up that this will be a total success and I recommend that you don’t either. Check back for updates and don’t be surprised by anything that may happen.
ADHD HOUSEKEEPING (OR MECCA LECCA HI, MECCA HINEY HO)
Can this be true? Of course it can:
Re-pot new plants- Clean mess from potting plants
- Dry table from potting plants
- Dishes
- Laundry
- Clean Oven(Actually cleaning itself after I accidentally used furniture polish on it.)
- Fold yesterday’s Laundry
- Iron (I don’t believe it, either.)
- Throw rubber chicken for dog
- Try and find camera to take picture of dog with chicken in mouth
- Check internet
- Decide to write blog entry….WAIT–BACK TO WORK, YOU SLACKER!
I have no middle ground. For some reason I seem to think that I can do one week’s worth of chores in one day. I am currently undergoing READING WITHDRAWAL and must return to it for rejuvenation.
Oh, wait, there is dinner or there is cookies for dinner. The nice thing about cookies for dinner is that it leaves a free hand for reading!
FOOD, MY FAVORITE MEAL! AND THANKS, TERRI!
There are only a limited number of things one can do when one’s foot is broken. With me being the “one” it precludes doing anything outside requiring more than a trip to the mailbox. So, for some reason, I thought going grocery shopping was a good idea. Called my friend Terri, bribed her with a promise of lunch and we were on our way.
I had never been to Valentini’s before and so that was where we headed. On London Road with a nice view of the lake and air conditioned for the one day it hits 80º in our naturally air conditioned city. I had been craving Peppers and Sausage for a while and had, in fact, pulled up a recipe for it online. And there it was, lunch menu, half order, take me away! It was absolutely wonderful. I tried not to sound like Sally in When Harry Met Sally as I fed myself bite after bite of pure heaven. Simply made with sweet Italian sausage, red, green, and yellow peppers, olive oil, garlic, pesto and fresh basil it was the best Italian food I have had since I last ate in the North End of Boston.
I managed to save some for dinner tonight since Terri had tipped me off to the deserts. A beautiful lemon cake topped the meal off perfectly. I had planned on saving some of that, also. While waiting for the check, however, I ended up finishing it off. As I raved to the server how good it all was, she recognized me for what I am, a complete food junkie, and pointed out that Cold Stone Creamery had Lemon Poppy Seed Ice Cream available now.
That was the end of grocery shopping. Recognizing that I was too stuffed to go anywhere that had aisles and that there was sufficient food in the house to make it through until Monday, we hit Cold Stone and headed home. After all I had to clean the refrigerator and figure out food to make it to Monday and plop down and moan about how I ate too much. Really, I can’t recommend this place enough!
WHATEVER WAS I THINKING? 