Good to be Home

I say this every time and I hope it continues -- love to go, love to come back.  The dogs give a big sigh when we get back too.  Both go to their favorite spots and sleep most of the day. 

My plants survived, but there's a problem with the greens.  They aren't growing at all.  I think they bonked and I need to start over.  Did I water too much?  Maybe I'll buy some small plants from the farmer's stand and try something different.  I'm so bummed.  The herbs are "developing" but not exacting big yet -- leaves are maturing and new sprouts are happening.  

I'll google more on all of this and see what the options are -- I hate to give up on the buggers if they just need a little time.

My new Peloton is MUCH easier to ride -- the resistance is calibrated differently than the other bike.  I googled this and it's common.  Nothing to be done -- they don't recommend you try to make changes.  Makes me wonder which one is off -- is my first bike extra hard?  I've wondered how some of the ranges are possible.  It's no actual problem as I ride to effort level anyway.  I also ended up with a slightly different seat adjustment so I'll change this bike over and see if that makes a difference.  When I see the instructors ride, they look higher than I sit so maybe my legs aren't at the optimal angle.  I'm curious.

I'm wholly focused on managing the transition to this AFTER time.  I'm wobbly at it.  When life feels like life BEFORE, I automatically go back to the way I was before.  I was working on changing that before the pandemic -- and I did -- and now it's too easy to slip back to old habits.

Part of the issue is the new house.  I don't have a morning routine set yet and that's a keystone to my day.  Setting up the basement with the Peloton and a meditation spot is helping.  I don't have a place to journal and I miss that in the mornings.  I like journaling to be private so I have to think how to make it happen.  Also, with the crazy showers, I don't start with a cold shower.  I notice a difference.  We're going to spend too much time there to not have a routine.

Maybe it would be fun to work on a different routine in Asheville -- a mix of new and old.  Something to think about.

I want to hold a priority (or at least a partial focus) on the simple "joys" and slowing down.  Cooking plant based meals, trying new foods, growing things (work in progress lol), reading, walks, nature, etc.

Also, as things pickup, I need to continue reminding myself that the FALSE BELIEF about being "busy" isn't true in my life now.  Busy doesn't equal overwhelmed and burnout.  I'm busy with things I WANT to do -- not busy with the grind of work, climbing a financial ladder, raising kids (homework, sports), etc.  I can "fill" the day and it can still feel comfortable and good.

Have a happy day and stay well.  Later gators.

Heading Home

I've been MIA, but I got my old charger to start charging again.

I've had a good few nights here, but I'm ready to head back.  

I finally did a little local store exploring.  My favorite stop is a vegan lunch-breakfast-juice bar.  Avocado GF toast with cashew ricotta and unusual veggies.  A mango lassi pie (like a cheesecake) and kale/pear/lemon/ginger juice.  YUM (!!)  This is my new favorite takeout and it's a 10 minute walk.  I also found 2 more coffee bars for good decaf iced americanos. 

I should be back to chatting this week (charger withstanding).  

Here are a few of the latest inside pictures.  Some of the decor is temporary, but since things are on backorder until AUGUST (!!) I wanted to set it up as comfortable as possible.  Our king bed comes May 1 so I'm happy to start that process.  We need to buy a mattress though and the bedding is on backorder.

New drapes -- they're dark gray.

You can see the new ceiling fan.

PB rug.

Curtains were left and I like the color.
They're too short though.  Staying for now.
Fireplace screen looks good.

Fireplace screen.
Mantel is a catch-all for now.
Looking for a picture.

Spare room with our old bedding
until new stuff comes.

We used the outside furniture.  It's nothing special (not as comfy as our other chairs), but it gets the job done to seat a group.  The patio is fantastic and the weather made it extra nice.  We can leash the dogs to the legs of the sofas and everyone is happy.

Peloton is delivered and I'll try it today.  I had to chat with membership peeps and I ended up being able to cancel my second membership.  This means logging in every switch -- we'll see if it works okay.  

I spit-shined cleaned the house too.  My back isn't happy, but the place looks good.  Not a lot of space to clean, but tons of nooks and crannies (on the floors and the moldings).  My knees are aching too.

Have a good day and stay well.  Later gators.

Travel Day (Again)

I mentioned before -- fun to go, fun to be home, but the drive is a bummer because of the bathroom situation.  I finally feel comfortable going in a public restroom, but I have the dogs with me.  There's been a lot of dog theft from cars and I can't leave them alone.  

No bathroom breaks again.

And I got my monthly yesterday.  Ugh.

Anyway, I have another carload of stuff to bring.  Fun to tweak some of the decor (even if it's temporary). The computer charger should have arrived last night and, if so, pictures coming.  

Another short post because I'm not sure about the charger yet.  Have a good day and stay well.  Later gators.

Short and Sweet

No charger yet.  On conservation mode for a quick hello.

Volunteering went well yesterday.  Second dose of Pfizer.  I was more prepared with a chair cushion and no back issues afterward.  The site ended up closing early the last time because of so many J&J adverse reactions.  CDC tested the lot and said it was fine.  It's interesting and a little eyebrow raising.

I'm signed up for the next couple of weeks -- once a week.  That works for me.

DIL's framed wedding bouquet is ready for pickup -- I'm excited to see it.

Another full day today prepping for the trip to NC tomorrow.  

Signing off to turn my computer off.  Have a good day and stay well.  Later gators.

Hello, Again

It's been a couple of days -- hello :)

Here's a little recap ...

We got all the stuff finished that we planned.  Ceiling fan installed.  Hubby rocked this like a champ.  I HATED the other ceiling fan.  This one is okay.  Kind of wish I went with another one (don't tell hubby).  Ceiling fans are tough -- none are very good looking.  I tried to upgrade and it doesn't work well.  The problem is the very bright light -- more for a porch, I think.  I had no idea until we turned it on.  It takes a special light so no changing anything.  Good news is we only use it for the ceiling fan and a quick switch light.  It is what it is now.  I'll take a picture this week (I forgot, of course.)

"Fixes" on the clawfoot tub work well.  A cut pool noodle to direct any water off the wall, one continuous shower curtain and window shades.  This was a big win.  Water stays where it needs to and no one can see me shower (!!)  That said, the overall "look" of the tub is blocked by the shower curtain, but function comes first.

Big fail was the headboard delivery.  There was a mistake and it's not available.  We didn't find out until an hour AFTER the delivery window.  Ugh.  Ordered another one that will take 3 months to come in.  Furniture is massively back-ordered.

I ordered window treatments for the carriage house.  New blackout drapes and shades to be able to pull over the door windows when someone sleeps out there.  Glad to have that figured out.

Saturday it poured rain, but the day ended with a rainbow and a pretty sunset.

View from our dinning room.

View from our backdoor.

This is a big week for me.  Volunteering today (which is a back breaker sitting in that position and reaching).  I MUST clean this house before I head back to NC to clean THAT house.  All back heavy things.

I love Asheville and our new house, but it feels good to be home.  It's a quick turnaround to go back again for the Peloton delivery.  I wonder what it will feel like to be alone in that house (with the dogs, of course).  

After a year of "nothing" days, all this "going" is tough.  I'm craving a nothing week where my routine is the big news of the day.  It's hard to keep my healthy habits going strong.  Working on this transition (not figured out yet).

It's also my hormone week with my monthly expected.  This isn't helping -- AT ALL lol.  

I want to come back on Friday, but that means I won't see hubby for 2 weeks.  But, is it worth staying over Friday night for an evening together?  I don't know.  I'll have to see how things shake out.  As I said, I'm set to give the house a big clean and set up the beds a little better until the backordered quilts arrive (and the headboards).  The newlyweds are coming up the following week to celebrate my eldest's birthday and I'm trying to get things a little more comfortable for everyone.

In other news, my computer charger is on the fritz.  I ordered one to come tomorrow, but if it doesn't, I'll have to conserve computer time when I'm away.  It's an old computer so a compatible charger is hard to find.  

On that note, time to shut her down to conserve battery.  Happy Monday.  Have a good day and stay well.  Later gators.

Asheville Weekend

Off for the weekend to work on the house.  Setting up bathrooms (hanging shades, trying to get clawfoot showers more workable), hanging drapes (then taking them down to be pressed), hanging a ceiling fan (wish us luck on this one) and cleaning.

I'm a bit nervous about the drive today and bathroom breaks.  This is a hormone week and I'm holding water in the mornings.  That means my body flushes out as the morning goes -- with or without drinking.  I had to come home mid-errands yesterday to run to the bathroom.  (I'll use a single bathroom in public, but not a big one because people take off their masks.)  I'll try to flush as much as I can with a sweaty workout.

Head home on Sunday and Monday is my next volunteer day.  I hope it's not the J&J again -- lots of sites reporting the same issues with adverse reactions.  Makes you wonder if this is a side effect of J&J -- syncope.  CO and NC had sites stop administration.  J&J is having a bunch of mass manufacturing problems too.  I'm not an alarmist about things, but this would pause me on getting this one when the Pfizer and Moderna are reasonably available in our area too.  BTW, everyone has fully recovered -- that's good news.

My eatable garden is fully outside now.  Wish the herbs luck with the transition.  I gave them outside time a little each day.  Hope they survive all that nature brings (weather, critters, birds).  The greens sprouted, but they are hardly growing.  Not sure what's happening -- looks like some googling is needed.   Still haven't eaten anything, but the basil smells like basil now.  I hope this move is the right choice.  Otherwise, back to seeds inside.

I'll probably be off line for the next few days.  When I go back next week for deliveries, it's just me so I'll be able to chat away.  I've got some chatty stuff to mention :)

Have a good weekend and stay well.  Later gators.  

Volunteer Recap

Volunteer first shift in the books.  First is the hardest because of all the unknown.  This was the first time this site administered the Triple J vaccination (Janssen, Johnson and Johnson).

90 minutes into appointment and 3 emergencies and 2 vasovagal episodes.  Holy cow (!!)  Nothing after that -- strange timing ... who knows.  Actually a little scary at first.  I had asked the nurse who was clinically certifying me if there were many reactions -- she had only one person pass out on all the shifts she worked.  Then this wave of crazy.  BTW, everyone seemed to be okay.  One woman had a seizure and they thought they might need CPR, but she left responsive and talking with the paramedics (don't know her medical history, of course).  

Anyway -- it's a turn and burn kind of experience.  I started out -- wow, this feels great to be helping -- bet this day flies by.  Looked at the clock and TEN MINUTES had gone by.  OMG!  It was good but the time felt SLOW.  Each person took less than 5 minutes and you never stopped (except when I helped with one of the emergencies).  Most of the clinic peeps were paid employees -- also a surprise.  They work full-time, 3 days per week, flex schedule.  Too much for me.  5 hours was enough.  I think I'll volunteer once a week if it continues to go okay.  Next shift is Monday.

I came home and mentally collapsed.  Lots of mental "stuff" on my mind.  I ended up eating a BIG bowl of pasta.  Don't ask why -- I have no idea what possessed me except buffering my mental rollercoaster.  Now I'm all gluten miserable.  Will I ever learn?  I don't know.  I'm going through a dinner food fatigue.  I need to get back to making MEALS for dinner.  It's kind of hard with the schedule this month.  I need to figure this out because a big pasta bowl tastes great, but I pay the price for days.

Of course, this also panics me about transitioning out of quarantine.  See, I can't keep up my good habits ... look what happened.  That might have been another reason I made the poor choice -- proving my worry is correct.  

Come on, brain.  Let's get our act together.  

Today is a few errands and prep for the car ride tomorrow.  Heading to Asheville with the dogs.  So far, we've done okay for the drive without stopping.  Fingers crossed this continues.  I have and up and back for the next two trips with them -- another worry chapter for me.

Serendipitously I bought 2 books on anxiety last week.  Unwinding Anxiety (Jud Brewer) after listening to  him on Armchair Expert podcast.  Tears to Triumph (Marianne Williamson) after hearing Brooke Castillo talk about how life changing this book was for her.  Guess my subconscious knew I was going to have a big old anxiety flare up.  I'll let you know more when I get reading them.

Have a happy day.  Stay well.  Later gators.