the week ahead….

Our temperatures look nice for the week. Low 90’s. It actually cooled off last night and our walk this morning was nice.

We are on day 67 of year 5. There have been a lot of people walking at 6 am. I guess because of how hot it has been. So it’ll be nice if a few drop away. As the weeks go on, it does get down to the maybe 6 of us that walk every morning. And when the weather turns we’re usually out there alone or maybe the one other very dedicated walker.

This should be a mellow week with B gone in LA, my daughter won’t be working every day, and my son, just in and out as usual. I have one appt Wednesday and that’s it. Tomorrow I’m taking food to the food bank and then to 2 different thrift stores. One will be the Cancer thrift store as my daughter has a few higher quality things she wants to go there.  Then a drop off at good will.

Next week we start our 2 weeks in Tahoe. We all won’t be there at the same time but they’ll be some overlap. We’re not paying for a house sitter this time so we need one of us here to put chickens away and feed and love the cats.

I got thru the Kitchen zone pretty easily and even vacuumed. So tidied and I’m getting a load of laundry done.

One of the things minimalism has done for me recently is actually not taking something away but adding. I’ve been adding houseplants here and there for a touch of green.  I’m really enjoying it. I’m sure I’ll lose a few like the maiden hair fern which seems quite temperamental. I’ve moved it into the bathroom as it like humidity but not sure if it’ll make it.  It’s been a nice added touch.

Dinner is cheese ravioli ( I think). It’s pasta Monday so….

Just Keep Walking Update

Benefits-of-Walking

Tomorrow is the big day.

We have walked Every. Single. Day. for 4 years and tomorrow is the start of year 5.

Here’s to Just Keep Walking because what else is there?

Today it was raining and we used the umbrellas but not bad just a spring rain.Things I’ve learned:

THINGS I’VE LEARNED ALONG THE WAY:

  •  Just put on your walking shoes first thing when you get up. I wear North Face hikers that have lasted over a year and I’m just now ready for a new pair. Invest in a good pair of shoes. Mine run @ $100.

  • Invest in rain gear. I use Frogg Toggs.

  • have an umbrella for when it’s just a light rain.

  • Intentional walking can be 1/2 mile or 5 miles. It’s about your intention that you are walking.

  • Be kind to yourself. Sometimes it’s a great walk other times it’s a PITA.

  • Find a safe reliable place to walk. If you’re lucky enough like we are to have a park with a walking trail great. But it can also be sidewalks or even a country road.

  • Use a program to track. I use Runtastic on my iPhone and I had a fit bit for 2 years till it died earlier this year. Fitbits are great for daily steps too.

  • Even when I’m traveling, I search out a walk to do. I usually wait till it’s light and of course, that it’s in a safe area.

 

Labs today and other musings

Today is cloudy and it was sprinkling this morning as we walked. At the end of this month, we will only have 2 months left till we hit year 5 of walking every day. I’m thinking going into year 5, I probably won’t be as OC about having to walk as I just need to keep walking.  I need to for a number of reasons. It feels good to get my blood circulating first thing in the morning but more important, I feel like arthritis is starting to impact me. I’m pretty stiff til I get going but even thru out the day I notice I’m stiffer getting up and moving. Not a good thing, and I may go see my PC doctor and ask if that’s what this is.

So today I went and got my blood tests. It’s been 6 weeks, so we’ll see hoe things are.  It’s hard to say in terms of how I feel because I generally feel excellent. My doctor was watching my hematocrit numbers as they were just slightly high. He wanted me to hydrate more but I pointed out that started after I was in cycle 2 of Velcade so???

I had a great introvert day.  I did have to call the insurance as they said I had a balance on my last labs.  But I’ve never had a co-pay on my labs. so 45 minutes later the nice lady did resolve it for me. Other than that it’s just me and the quiet today.  I did my FlyLady zone( the living room) and since there’s not a lot to do there it’s done.

I’m not sure what I’m making for dinner. I have left – over brown rice so maybe that. It’s not exactly what I feel like but then I don’t know what I feel like and that’s always the problem. So I’ll just wing it till it’s closer to dinner time. My daughter doesn’t get home till 7 pm so we’ll see. My husband is in San Diego working so…???

 

Just Keeping Walking update

Well, it has not been fun walking in the heavy rain and wind these last few days. My umbrella is turning inside out, I’m getting soaked even wearing rain gear. But the update is at the end of January we finished month 7 so we’re beginning month 8. That’s 3 years and 7 months plus 8 days of walking every single day rain or shine or I should say usually in the dark. Normally I don’t mind the rain and we have nifty rain gear called Froggs.  But with the wind blowing it gets a little crazy.

Honestly, the trick is to get up put on your shoes and get dressed. Then just go, well, after a cup of coffee.

Just keep Walking!!!

Simple Sunday

It has been a nice day. No rain. Ha Ha. Still cold and frosty when we walked at 6:45 am. On Sundays, we try and go later and give ourselves a little break. Tomorrow marks the end of month 7 of year 4 of walking every day in the just keep walking project. I think the worst day last week was when the wind was blowing, the rain was pouring, and I was coughing. We only did 1 round. But intentional walking.

I went to the gym and it was very empty so that was nice. They do keep the music a little loud for my tastes but I put my earbuds in and it lessens the noise.

I’m certainly anxious about my labs this week but will go forth and hope for the best. I still feel good but with myeloma, sometimes that’s tricky. But even if my numbers go up( which is the trend) I think they’re still going to be in the normal range.

We finished our taxes with Turbo Tax and it was pretty easy. Changing the deductions and upping our 401 k last year will yield us a refund. First time in years. So yeah for that.

Of course, I have to write something about Trump and his insanity and instability. i am really scared of where all this is going. The man is certifiably nuts. His reality is so warped.  The pictures of the inauguration show fewer people. He tried to get the NPS to actually find pictures that showed his inaccurate statement of it was million and a half people. It clearly was not. But he still believes it was plus the voter fraud. There was no voter fraud to the tune of 3-4 million illegal votes. it just is impossible and he will not see reason because he is a narcissist who cannot accept he didn’t win the popular vote. But what starts getting scarier is this administration trying to take away a womens’ right to an abortion. We are going back to the 1960’s people. Wake up.  You may not believe in abortion for yourself but we must as women have the right to decide. Not some politician or man in Washington.

Then the whole immigration thing is almost more than I can take. Why is he excluding the 4 countries including Saudia Arabia that was responsible for 9/11. Because he has business dealings there. That’s the long and short of it. Closing immigration is not going to keep us safer.  Right now the vetting system is extensive. It takes over 2 years to get a visa. What are these people thinking , it is just insanity.  Then on Holocaust Remberence day for the President of the United States to not even say it was the Jews who were the target and millions of Jews died at the hands of the Nazis is utter disrespect for the whole tragic thing. To just say innocent people died is to undermine how tragic the Holocaust was.  Millions of JEWS were murdered in gas chambers. Yes, many others did too but the whole reason for Nazi Germany was to eliminate the Jewish race. It was unbelievably disrespectful of Donald Trump to say what he said. The White Supremacists want people to believe it didn’t happen the way it did. They want it to be just ‘innocent’ people, not Jews.

This is wrong and I hope to the stars that we get thru this.

 

Dinner is a red lentil curry soup and some left over potroast I was going to shred and put on some tortillas.

It’s a new year!

Well, here it is Sunday morning January 1st. A new year and a new beginning.

A fresh start. Sort of….. Really it’s just another day and it’s only the calendar that says January 1st. For me, it’s just keep on keeping on. I don’t really set new years goals anymore. I just have things I’d like to keep doing and some new things I’d like to try.

We will keep walking every day.

We will keep going to the gym. I’m going 3 days a week and I’d like to add a 4th but it’s not necessarily a goal.

I’m going to do the Uber frugal month with Mrs. Frugalwoods mostly to get a new perspective on how we spend money which generally we don’t spend a lot. But there are things that come up and generally, we’re not really financially ready for. So that’s where we hit the snags and that’s what I want to change.

I hope to have a year of continued good health and that my complete response from the  Velcade continues.( It is what it is and I have no delusions about this). It’ll change at some point but I still hope to have a good year. I also hope my husband and 2 children continue to have excellent health.

I am going to try a new recipe a week and follow it to the letter to learn new things.

I read so much that reading books isn’t a goal, maybe not reading so much??? Nah, never. I’m not sure how many books I read in 2016 but I average 2-3 books a week sometimes, so that’s 12 a month so 144 a year. Sounds about right. I’ve enjoyed the blogging for books, it’s fun and I get free books I then give to the library.

We are finishing painting the front room (living room) today. Some trim and window trim. It’s my favorite white, simply white by Benjamin Moore. It is such a great white. This is the last room to paint this year. So it looks nice and fresh and it really needed it. We have a wood stove so that affects the room with smoke when you open the stove or ash that comes out. It turned out that even though moving stuff away from the walls is a lot of work, it was pretty easy to put back together. Less is soooooo much better. I even gave my brother a set of fiesta ware in the light purple that wasn’t my favorite.

last night we had sub sandwiches and watched old movies. We forgot to open the champagne but had a nice BV red.

Well, it’s off to the gym and dinner is a pizza as I had made the dough for Friday, but then we decided to make the Latkes for Hanukkah.

 

 

Just keepWalking update

We’re at the end of the year so, it’s 6 months from June 1 when the new walking year started. That’s 3 1/2 years of walking every single day with intention.  These past few days it has been 27 degrees and that is pretty darn cold to walk in at 6:30 am.  I finished the year (almost the end of the year) at  900 miles. I was trying to get 1000  miles in that the lady from Britain challenged. But I was still 100 miles short. Next year!!

I saw my oncologist today, and he was sick with a cold so we stayed apart.  And no physical exam which I don’t need anyway, but it was good to touch base. He said everything looked good and he’d order labs for 8 weeks. That’s a little long for my comfort range but we’ll see.  Actually, after I read the clinical summary, he put them at 6 weeks. I think he wasn’t really thinking clearly. That’s okay.  Then I’d see him again in February. I think if my labs look good I’ll cancel that and ask for labs again 6 weeks after that. I think that’s what he wanted but got mixed up especially since his computer wouldn’t boot up and his head was stuffy.

Then we hit Trader Joes for salad stuff, got the paint for the front room, and then stopped at Costco to return something.

All in all a good day.

It’s taco Tuesday.

Updates ,Just Keep Walking Project(JKWP) and more

In the JKWP, we are at day 136 in the fourth year.  We walk every day in the rain(today), snow (hopefully not soon), and in the dark (today) and in the light (summer). Next week when we travel to Florida we will walk intentionally even if it’s not the very first thing. We need to leave for the airport quite early so our walk will be later. If you’re just starting out walking, I’d say the best thing is to lace up your shoes first thing and then go. That’s what I do. I get out of bed put on my sweats and lace up my North Face walking shoes. Then I ‘m ready to go. I go out early as it suits my personality. I’m now and have always been an early morning person. I’ve upped my distance too and that’s nice. Mostly since I’m off Dex. Dex just makes things harder with its ups and downs.  So get out there and walk.

Next update: my sister and her 3 daughters are safely back in Connecticut. It was a short visit but they had fun. Everyone avoided talk of politics and religion. I think no one wanted controversy. That’s all good.  Family is family and since we do have differences, it’s best to be tolerant. As an atheist, it would be easy to go on and on about things. But , we each have our own journey to take and that’s that.

Next…. today , finally we get to sign our refi.  We had to pay the annual house insurance and property tax since they were due within 60 days she said. So that was a hit. And we still need to pay a small OOP amount. Not happy about that but it’s a done deal and finally over for now.  My plan is to try and do another refi in2- 3 years and try and get the interest rate lower. But for now,it’s ok.

My doctor appointment went well and he said I didn’t need to see him for 2 months. Wow!!! But I still want labs every 4-5 weeks just to keep up. So I’m still hoping for 6 months but we’ll see. But anyway great for me.

Then we went to the brand new Sacramento Food Coop and wow, it is impressive.  I’m not a member but I just might become one since the bulk foods were amazing. So. fun!!! Plus, I’m trying to work towards zero waste ( in a small way) and this would be a great option for bulk every thing.

Then we went to J Jill in the Galleria. Now remember I hardly ever shop and really don’t ever go to the mall, but I needed something for the evening attire event in Florida. I found a nice black overshirt and I got a black dress off eBay. So I should be set, plus honestly, I don’t care and at night black is black and I’m sure no one is really going to be looking at me.

So, that’s it I think. It’s raining and suppose to get worse today. But we’re snug with a fire going. OMG, it might not be Friday night pizza.  I don’t have any mozzarella so it might be burgers as I got some yummy rolls at the coop yesterday.

imagePart of my vintage Halloween collection.

one of the last things I collect and love.

JustKeepWalking Update

We are close!!!!   11 more days till we reach the 3-year mark of WALKING INTENTIONALLY EVERY SINGLE DAY!  That’s 1,095 days if my math is correct. Today was quite cool and windy with rain on the way. We walk in the rain and wind and snow(rarely). We are lucky to have a park with a walking trail 1/2 mile from our house. That probably makes a big difference. I think if I had to walk by the side of the road( at least around here with crazy drivers, I wouldn’t have lasted.  Also, for any of you thinking of starting a JKW project a word of advice.  Get up, put on your sweats and PUT ON YOUR WALKING SHOES!  I think that makes a huge difference psychologically. I wear New Balance Country Walkers. Very supportive and I have inserts.  I’m thinking of trying North faces walking /trail shoe but I’m usually reluctant to try something when I have something that’s working so well. Part of the reason I thought of North Face was, 3 years ago I bought my jacket that I wear every day walking. It’s not expensive $99, if I remember. But the zipper broke . I was gong to order a new one and then I thought about North Faces lifetime guarantee. So I e-chatted with the rep and he said send it in. I did and 2 weeks later my jacket was returned with a new zipper. I was very impressed and give a big shout out for North face. They didn’t even need the receipt which I would have long gotten rid of.

Also, just do what you can. With the steroids ,I’m on my muscle never really build ups since steroids reduce muscle mass. But Just think if I wasn’t walking, so I do what I can.

I’m looking forward to finishing the Velcade and going off Dex hopefully sometime in July. Of course, if my numbers are good. And of course, at some point ,I’ll be back on but in the interim it will great.

 

So, Lace up those walking shoes, and Just Keep Walking!!!

country walkers by New Balance

The week ahead.

Today is my Velcade shot in Sacramento. I’m not shopping afterwards, so I should be home in a few hours. Or I’m thinking maybe a quick stop at Whole Foods to get something called barley malt syrup which is used in making bagels. I’m going to try making bagels, which sound easy but who knows, the barley malt is actually added to the water to do something to the bagels. I’ve checked our stores locally and can’t find it or I’m looking in the wrong place. ( a distinct possibility). Plus I take dex when I get home, so I was thinking of picking up a chicken at whole foods too. But I don’t know. I guess it depends on how I feel when I leave the cancer center.

A Just Keep Walking update. We are in the countdown to the end of year 3. It’s T-minus 27 days and counting….  Pretty exciting! of course, its just keep on walking…

On other fronts, our 4 chickies have really grown and it’s maybe a few weeks now and they can be brought out to the big cage. The one white one we’ve named Georgia is really a chicken with character. She’s smart and comes when you call her( well, we think she does:))…

Budget wise, things are tight but doable. I’m hoping one of these internships for my son at the junior college works out, so at least he can get some spending money. That’s probably what’s impacting the budget. We want to help him at this time, but there’s only so much we realistically can do. His course fees are covered by the California board of governors, which is great.

We are in for cloudy days and some rain. I guess we’ll take it since the gardens do look dry and I’ve already watered some.