Anchored August

[treegirl]

Re: Anchored August

Morning friends -

Lav, my heart really goes out to you -- when you have poured yourself into taking care of a sick dog for a long time, that experience is so deep that it really is hard to realign your day to day existence. I am still a tearful mess from time to time. When I was packing up boxes to send home from NV, I realized that we packed up those boxes in July the day before our girl passed, and I just fell apart at the memory. Fortunately, her little garden in ththe back yard is still blooming, and makes me feel like she is still with us... but it was really strange to come home to just one dog. So glad that you made a good decision about your flock - sounds like you need a good rest right now. Good luck with your brother, so nice you are reaching out...

Star, so glad you are having success with your eating plan, and feeling better! Good for you for making those changes... how is your hb's blood pressure? And what the heck is WFPB!? Ha ha! Good luck painting - I wish I were there - I love to paint, although the prep is crucial, it's not so fun...

Pauly, your love NYC sounded good - did you end up feeling better and with more energy? I know the decision to have more veggies feels like a pain sometimes, but I try to remember how I feel afterwards! Good luck with all that. Sorry about Kell's bf, oh well, what can you do? So nice of you to give her some extra hours now.

Det - what's coking today? I'm making some vegan super-immunity soup!

I went to SF to consult with a specialist doc that was a contact of a board member of the organization that I work for out in NV. Apparently this friend thought I looked not so great since last year, and took it into his own hands to set up 2 consultaions and a very expensive test. Not my idea, but HB and this person insisted, so I had to make the time. Really increased my stress level, I can tell you that!

Poor HB is sick again - his schedule/pressure was worse than mine, and he's 11 years older. Bless him, he made it through the end of the festival, but just barely. It's too much, and then the flights home... I hope he turns the corner today towards feeling better...

Wishing all a centered day, full of deep breathing and loving the small things in the world -- AF of course ---

[Determinator]

Re: Anchored August

Treegirl, what's in your soup? I'm not sure what I'm making tonight...something cheap that's for sure.

[Lavande]

Re: Anchored August

Good evening friends,

I ended up having an unplanned fun day with my daughter & granddaughter. We went to the zoo then out for lunch, nice

Det, try making a big pot of Classic Vegan Noodle Soup - fills you up, healthy & very tasty too.
Classic Vegan Noodle Soup | The Vegan 8
You can make it your own by adding any veggies you have on hand. I don't use bouillon cubes (too much salt + MSG for me). I buy unsalted vegetable broth or make my own when I have time. I use brown rice noodles in it, very filling.

Star, I probably will have this underlying anxiety as long as 45 remains in office. I am not going to let him or his BS throw me off track or anything. I am also not going to sit on my hands with y mouth shut either, haha. I continue my daily calls, letter writing & general harassing of our senators & reps so hopefully they will start listening to us.

Pauly, the better you eat the better you will feel. Just stick with it, you'll see

Cyn, I sure hope whatever is going on with you clears up soon. We run ourselves into the ground unwittingly, that's what we do.
WFPB diet is Whole Food Plant Based diet - clean eating that you are already doing!
Yep, I still have a portion of my brain tuned into Maxie. I find myself thinking things like is it too hot outside for her & did I give her her meds yet this morning? Stuff like that. I'm just grateful she is no longer suffering, she was a real trooper.
I'm happy to hear your memorial garden is doing well. We have one in our yard that we started when my old Golden passed away 13 years ago & will be adding to it now.

Rain due for tomorrow but I don't know if it's going to help break up this heat & humidity - hope so.
Have a nice night everyone!

Lav

[Snoopy56]

Re: Anchored August

Good morning...

Lav, so nice you were able to spend the day with your granddaughter and daughter, sounds fun. My daughter told me we can no longer have our grandson overnight during the week as he is missing his Dad who started graduate school and is gone for a few nights at school, plus he started preschool. I was really sad yesterday, and hope I get him next week at least, the final week of summer for us as we are going on a trip the following week. I am excited to make zoodles tomorrow, I found a recipe for zuchinni and meatballs(vegan) with marinara. Tonight, pizza, with a little vegan cheese and carrot cake with vanilla bean sauce.

Det, the comments on the 16th stating that there are lots of good interactions between right and left did not address the agenda of the Nazi's/white power movement who want to kill and destroy all people who they deem not white. Don't know where our country is going except downhill with 45 as POTUS. I love having you on this thread, hope I did not offend. We love to talk about food and healthy eating on this thread, so any recipes you have are welcome. Lav always has really good recipes too.

Cyn, whole food plant based is what I am aiming towards most of the time. When I follow this I feel really good. My new eating plan is green smoothie for breakfast, salad for lunch and veggie based dinner with corn on the cob for most dinners right now. The farm by my house is just bursting with corn and tomatoes, so have to enjoy them right now. By the time I get back from my trip, the harvest will be over. You and your husband sound so busy that it appears that your bodies protest with fatigue and illness. Finding that balance is hard, I know. My husband works close to 60 hours a week plus drive time, so having me home has helped him tremendously, but I find I get a bit lonely and bored at times. I don't want to go back to the rat race of full time work and taking care of everything else, but do not know the solution unless I can find part time work. We also downsized in this new home with limited yard work, smaller square footage, close to stores. It helps. I sure hope the medical test finds solutions for you, it is scary to not feel good. I tried Zumba class again yesterday but my feet hurt and I left midway. It was hard for me to admit defeat, but I have to listen to my body or I get in trouble every time.

Pauly, you are lucky Kell lives close and needs your help, you get to see her alot and Louie too! Veggies are just so good and you feel good after you eat them, not too full, just right. Kell's BF sounds annoying, how does your husband handle him? My husband would want to hurt someone who did not treat his daughter right, we just lucked out this time after the bad boyfriend who actually died a few years ago from drug overdose. Crazy huh? I get it. Any plans this weekend? Just painting for me. My son blew me off last night, and I told him I did not appreciate it, if he wants his place painted and looking better, he has to be a participant. He was sorry and is truly a goof, I don't know how he functions sometimes. Makes me sad.

Anyway, exercise today, grocery store, then painting prep, there was more work then I anticipated, of course. Have a great AF Friday.

[paulywogg]

Re: Anchored August

Morning friends, Star are you wearing shoes for the zumba or barefoot as I've seen? When I used to do it I'd get horrible shin splints with certain shoes,sorry your son blew you off,,these kids sometimes! Veg seems to make me super full and (gassy) not good at work but it's probably cuz I hafta eat when I can and it's fast,feel like taking my lunch to the bathroom so nobody bugs me haha,Cyn,you are a busy bee! I need that energy,hope you're feeling better Lav,I wish it would rain here allover not in just spots,we've been pretty dry this summer on our side,wishing everyone a positive AF Friday

[treegirl]

Re: Anchored August

Hey all -

Soft rain here this morning, it feels nice.

Det - I'll get the recipe for the immunity soup, it's vegan, but really packs a punch. It has shiitake mushrooms, butternut squash, kale, turmeric, onions, cayenne and I forget what else in a veggie broth. A little spicy, it really gets circulation going and gives great anti-inflammatory vibes.

Lav- I love the idea of your teenage chickens following you around! I know how you feel about Maxie, I still am thinking about meds and timing of meals, etc. Zander is so much less work, I feel like there's a big hole. So glad to hear that you had a fun day with daughter and granddaughter - girls rule!

Star, good luck with the painting project today. You go through so much with your son, you are good mom. I still feel so bad that he was so harassed at work - what is wrong with people anyway, why can't we just proceed with compassion? I guess practicing compassion and gratitude ourselves with the hope that it radiates outward is our best way forward at this point. If the Dalai Lama can do it after decades of oppression of his people, so can we...

Pauly - how is it all going for you? I stumbled on a site called 'Eat thismuch.com, which has menu plans for the amount of calories you want to consume, and has options for paleo to vegan, Mediterranean, everything, etc. great nutritional info as well as caloric information. Star, you might be interested in this too - I think the meal planning part is great - they give you a grocery list, and will even have groceries delivered if you want! For me, they don't have enough allergy-sensitive menus, but I can still swap stuff out. It might be interesting to see how it all works.

Well, off to be a little more productive today... plenty of laundry to do, and I'm still unpacking HB from nearly 6 weeks away. Bills, mail, etc. to go through, ah well, real life. At least I can hug my dog once in awhile!

Wishing all a great AF Friday ---

[treegirl]

Re: Anchored August

X-post, Pauly!

So sorry you have to rush your meals, that's not fair. I have to cook veggies so I can digest them - raw is not good for me either. Can you tolerate hummus? I use that for a quick lunch or snack a lot. Good luck with everything!

[Lavande]

Re: Anchored August

Greetings friends,

Boy are we ever soaked here, ha ha! Big thunderstorm right around dinner time, power off & on of course. I heard on the news that some areas were reporting as much as 3.5" of rain per hour, geez. Hoping for cooler & drier air tomorrow.

Star, I hope you son pulls his head out of his a$$ before you lose interest in helping him paint, ha ha! I don't mind helping anyone but I don't want to be taken advantage of, right? Your dinner plan sounds good, enjoy.
I knw it's hard having to adjust to everyone's schedules. Even the kids have their own schedules these days. Once all of my grandkids were in school full time it really cut back on visits. But I have adjusted, you will too. Where are you going on your trip? I have so few opportunities to get out of town at this point in my life.

Pauly, when I was working full time & tried to find a quiet spot on my unit to eat lunch or dinner I AWAYS got interrupted. It was annoying & caused me to eat fast & feel sick, yuck. When I could I would take my food & walk outside or even go sit in my car in the parking garage for a few minutes of peace ~ ridiculous. Do you think taking a prepared smoothie might work out better for you?

Cyn, take your time getting caught up with things.....the laundry will wait. It always does
My young chickens are an especially nice bunch & I am really enjoying them. They used to visit Maxie on the front porch a couple times every day, cute. They are helping me get thru this rough time, for sure.

Hi Det, what's up with you today?

Have a nice night everyone. Thinking about the folks in Barcelona.

Lav

[paulywogg]

Re: Anchored August

Morning friends,oh no Lav I hafta eat food,I've done smoothies in the past but I just feel like I need to chew haha,I'm jealous of your rain Cyn,I always cook the veg too but I think I still get overly full cuz its a lot of veg,its ok though a step in the right direction (small step haha) Star what's planned for today? I'm working but hoping its an easy day,Saturday tends to be slowish for some reason, I'm second guessing these jeans I put on! Think I'm gonna change,wishing everyone a peaceful,POSITIVE ,AF,Saturday

[treegirl]

Re: Anchored August

Morning all -

Hey Pauly, here's wishing you a good day at work --- with just enough customers, time to eat lunch, and friendly people. You deserve it!

Star, I'm sending you good painting vibes today. I hope you can keep a light heart about it all, I know what a challenge that can be. My SD really can push all my buttons, but thank goodness this morning when she face-timed her dad she was in a good mood. She's being tested for RA now, on top of Crohn's... I held my tongue, I know she doesn't want to hear about diet changes. She's super smart and probably knows what to do, she just doesn't want to have to do it... like all of us, I guess!

Lav, so glad the chicks give you a nice memory of Maxie - how sweet that they would come to visit her on the porch! I have to say that returning to a house with just one dog has brought all the grief up for me once again... I think my boy dog is doing OK, but it is a different landscape for us all. Easier, but I sure miss that big personality that kept us all in line...

Big storms here last night. I am having trouble sleeping - maybe because I am reading the excellent book 'All the light you cannot see', beautifully written tale about a German boy and a French blind girl and their journey towards and in WWII. Such evocative writing, it makes it so clear how lucky this country has been not have foreign wars on our soil... though our civil war was horrible. We have to find a way out of this burgeoning mess of growing hatred... I hope we can stay compassionate and have open hearts, all of us. (Some of you might be interested in the letter to the president from the resigning board members of the arts and humanities council... I found it the most potent expression of what we can stand FOR as citizens. You can find it on Daily Kos.)

Let's keep the light going, personally and for our communities! Wishing all a centered AF day...

[Lavande]

Re: Anchored August

Good evening friends,

Looks like we are gearing up for another storm here Cyn, warnings are pinging on my phone, thunder rumbling in the distance
It was slightly better out today, not as humid as it had been but still too hot to stay out & do anything.
I opened the front door today to check on a few plants & there was an egg laying there on the porch, haha! These young birds have quite a gig going. I still have to reach into my herb garden everyday & fish out 3 or 4 eggs out of my rosemary & tarragon, ha ha! A neighbor asked me today if I was going to get another dog......I just can't go there yet
My sleep has not been great either these past few weeks, I feel for you.

Pauly, I hope your day was decent. The world has to run out of ignorant bozos at some point, right?
Keep searing for foods that make you feel your best, you'll find them!

Hello to Star, I hope the painting went well.

PS: I read that letter on the Daily Kos Cyn!

Have a nice night everyone!
Lav

[Snoopy56]

Re: Anchored August

Good morning...

Well, I am on day 2 again, I chose to drink Friday night and it was not good, no surprises though right? What was I thinking. I feel lost without meaningful work to do outside the home. I spoke my Aunt who thinks I should volunteer and be available for my family and myself. Interesting point of view. Anyway, I was so sick yesterday I just vegged out. Very sad for me, I am upset with myself to say the least.

Pauly, I went to Zumba on Thursday and left midway as my feet were hurting and I just can't afford a long term injury. I have to figure something else out and there are choices at the health club I belong too.

Cyn, I have found more great vegan recipes and hope to make one today. Yesterday I was too sick to cook, but today is a new day. Oh, and I am not going to paint my son's place, we are getting someone to do it this week I hope. From sanding and spackeling, the arthritis in my fingers was so bad, I realized it was too much for me.

Lav, I think I am upset about my routine being changed and not being able to see my grandson as much, I love him so much, it is ridiculous, and I know I am being silly. My daughter said she would come on Wednesday and possibly Friday, but I realize I have to find something else to do besides exercise. The question is what? Home repair projects are just not my thing, I am not good at them and it hurts my hands, the same with intensive gardening, and I am not going to do that, I don't have to. My son has found a roommate, I met him and he is an OK guy, this will be a good thing, I hope for many reasons. He is transgender, female to male, and very vulnerable, but has had a job for over a year, and no family support, so has to work and take care of himself. Getting the condo painted, new flooring, and new bathroom fixtures will be a plus for a new start for both of them, and they will keep each other company. He also has two little tea cup doggies, so that will be interesting too. My son's empty life will soon be full, and that is a good thing. Lav, we are going to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina for five days, looking forward to being on the ocean and relaxing. I am lucky to get away. Do you not go on a trip due to money or no one to go with? I would love to go on a girls trip with a focus, so if you have any ideas, I am willing. Like a meditation weekend, or a yoga focus, vegan/vegetarian, or something like that? I went to Kripalu a few years ago and it was fantastic, vegetarian eating, meditation, exercise, beautiful scenery, and remember the Todo Institute? That was fun too. Just some ideas, let me know.

So, no more drinking, sorry I let you all down, it truly is insanity, doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results, and the results were the same. Wishing you all a peaceful Sunday, AF.

[treegirl]

Re: Anchored August

Morning all -

Gentle rain here overnight, and a little cooler here today. I am at this moment listening to the cry of a pilleated woodpecker - they are rare , but we have a couple around here - they look like they are from the dinosaur age! And they have the strangest cry, but it is always exciting to see them. They are helping to break down one of the stumps in our yard - nature at work!

Star, so sorry to hear your story. Don't get too involved in shame -- it can spiral back and bite one, I think... maybe just keep looking at the triggers, like you are. I think you are like me and need a Purpose in life... my drinking decades ago got going with feeling 'out of a job'. Maybe your Aunt is right, volunteering would be a good thing. Did I tell you about the Reach out and Read program? Something to do with making sure there are children's books available in Pediatrician's offices, a literacy project.... keep searching, you will find the right thing... sending you healing light... (and what good news about your son and a roommate!)

Pauly, how is it going? I love Lav's line "the world has to run out of ignorant bozos at some point" ha! Maybe not quite yet in Vegas... I hope your day went well. How is Kell feeling?

Lav, those chickens are so funny! I think they are purposefully keeping you distracted now - they probably miss Maxie too. Finding an egg on the porch is crazy funny - are they safe from the big birds as they wander around? I think I would not be a very good chicken- mom, I'd try to contain them too much, ha. I wish you could get away again before winter -- any fall trips planned with the girls? School break?

I am fighting off the cold that HB brought home with him... hoping to successfully fight it off. I should have made that soup! And I may do it today if it isn't too hot in the house...

Wishing all well - Happy AF Sunday, let's go for 24 hours and build confidence and strength.

[paulywogg]

Re: Anchored August

Morning friends, Star,yes you don't need any injuries to your feet much less any part of your body,especially from exercise when you have other options, very glad to hear about your son's roommate,I think they can both learn to navigate life together and I hope they get along well yeah drinking never changes,thats a fact,one thing I want to mention and I want to shout it out across the boards is its OK to come here to VENT! I was told I seemed negative cuz I whine a lot,well a lot of things bug me,why should I keep them bottled up? Sure a lot of things make me happy too and I share those but I think its very important to come here to get shit off our chests, who cares of its all me,me,me? We give support to others when needed,we cheer each other on,si why not vent if venting is warranted? I can't talk to hubs about stuff as I can on here,don't want to bring anyone down but don't think its healthy keeping it in,this is an alcohol quitting forum,we need to share,rant over haha,Lav,those chickens are such characters I think I'd get attached,how come no other farm animals for you? I'd have a mini pig,mini horse and maybe a goat if I lived where you do Cyn,are you feeling better? Hope you're catching up on some rest,hubs might want to GI to Boulder city for breakfast but I think we should wait for lunch so Kell and Lou can come,maybe Michelle,wishing us all a nice AF Sunday

[Lavande]

Re: Anchored August

Good evening friends,

Star, so sorry.
If it makes you feel any better I feel like I am on the edge of wigging out myself. I'm feeling touchy about many things & there is absolutely nothing I can do about any of them. The only thing keeping me safe right now is the blessed art of distraction.
I am glad it was a one day event for you & you got right back on plan. These things could be so much worse as we all know too well.
I have also been mentally going over my gratitude list, good thing to do at these times. Nothing is ever going to be perfect & no one is ever going to be truly happy. That sounds like a miserable statement but it is something that I have accepted & learned to live with. Sometimes things just are what they are, as simple as that.
Due to the bizarre circumstances of my long marriage to YB there will be no more trips together for us. He's not interested & I no longer hope or beg. It just is what it is.
My daughter has been my favorite travelling companion but her schedule is tight with work, granddaughter's schedule, etc. So, I don't foresee any trips any time soon. I'll live, no worries.
Keep taking care of you & be patient with yourself. You will get it all figured out soon :hug:
I hope your son & his new roommate hit it off & live in peace.

Pauly, fortunately (I suppose) I can not have large farm animals here because I don't meet the 5 acre minimum requirement & I don't have a barn big enough for them. The lady next door does have 5 acres & she has had a series of sheep & goats over there in the past.
I don't talk to my husband about anything either. I finally realized that he's just not interested unless it's something that involves or benefits him. I have always thought he's a bit on the narcissistic side. I gave up hope on him a long time ago. I do get too attached to dogs & chickens around here but at least they like me
Keep talking here, we all really need to I think!

Cyn, sure hope you feel better soon! You have had way too much summer I think.
My chickens are at risk from the hawks BUT they are so much happier when they are allowed to wander, hunt, peck & scratch in the dirt.
Of course I hear YB moaning about them but I'm not really listening ha ha!

Well, I have finally read better instructions for making homemade non dairy yogurt. In the past I tried making it with commercial almond milk & it failed. Apparently the trick is making homemade nut milk first then adding a vegan yogurt starter. So, I am making some cashew milk tonight & tomorrow I'll get the yogurt maker plugged in. I hate commercial non dairy yogurts so hopefully this will work. It's been 2 decades since I have had good yogurt, it's time.

Have a nice night everyone.
Lav