A Complete Fresh Start

  My area remains under a winter storm warning but I have yet to see even one flake. The forecast now says snow will move in Sunday evening, so we'll see what that brings. The forecast for my area also indicates the probability of snow is now, so I don't think I need to worry about "feet" of snow. It's mostly sunny right now, but that can change. I was awake and up shortly after 8 am today. I could have slept longer but my full bladder took precedence ! There were no stray cats waiting to eat this morning and it was nearly 11 am before they showed up. I think they are hunkered down in their shelters because of the cold. It's only 33 now and it's 11:15 am. It's windy too, so that makes it feel even colder. Yesterday I covered the chairs on the back step with the tarp that Erin & Alyssa used for Minnie & Abby last December. They didn't ask for it back and it's been sitting in the garage. I made a bit of a shelter to keep the snow off the ...

  Wednesday 11-27-24: This was a relatively straightforward day. I made my pies for Thanksgiving in the morning and went to rock & roll bingo in the evening. In between I played some Cookie Jam and watched YouTube.  Thursday 11-28-24: I think Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday because I love all elements of the turkey dinner. I was up about 8:30 and got my stuffing going. There was no time for Cookie Jam to start off the day. My stuffing came out better than ever, which is a good thing as I have a lot of it ! I headed out over to Rich & Barb's just after 1 pm. We had a great meal and I really enjoyed the day. I felt fine physically even though I ate too much ! I was home just after 8:30 and was glad the weather wasn't awful. There was some light rain falling but I mostly ran out of this around Brewerton. You really couldn't ask for better weather at this time of year. I did manage to play a little Cookie Jam while we were watching Planes, Trains & Automobiles a...

  Not that long ago I was feeling really good about being back on Nutrisystem. Then the blood showed up in my stool again. As a result, I crashed and burned. I'm still finding it hard to climb out of the hole I allowed myself to fall into. I'm not convinced there is nothing wrong with me and I'm afraid of what may come. I am still committed to addressing my health in the new year and that may or may not give me peace of mind. It may give me news I don't want to hear. That being said, I do feel better. The abdominal pain I was having resolved. The blood in my stool resolved. I've stopped sitting on the yoga pillow and I'm trying harder to sit up straight. I did read that constantly slumping over crushes your abdominal organs and can lead to issue with your gut, so I'm hoping this is the problem ! Today's weather is quite different from yesterday and as always, I miss the blue skies and sunshine ! It's pretty windy today and me may see some flurries ov...

  I was awake just after 7 am today and up before 8, so I was able to enjoy the blue skies and sunshine ! There were only 2 stray cats waiting to eat this morning. One was the friendly male orange cat that is usually always there and the other was the black kitten that showed up a few weeks ago. I checked outside several times for the female that is always around but there was no sign of her. Perhaps she doesn't like the cold ! It was in the low 30's when I got up and by 10 am it was only 37 outside. Brrrr ! I think this was only the 2nd morning I've seen frost on the grass and a bit of ice in the water dish for the strays, but I'm sure the white stuff will find us eventually ! I spent the morning doing my usual: YouTube and Cookie Jam ! I have about 100 levels to go before I surpass the person above me. Once I make that jump it'll be a while before I can advance again, as the next person is up to level 10,114. It's going to take some time to get from 7100 to 10...

  Thursday: I'm still out of sync with my goals, but I haven't given up. I've been off kilter since blood showed up in my stool again. It just sent me into a tailspin. All is well in that space now and I am more convinced this was related to ibuprofen. I feel like if this were something serious the bleeding would continue. Hurting my back delayed getting back to the treadmill but I've also not been eating as per the Nutrisystem plan. Tomorrow is Friday and I'm already planning on washing dishes and getting the kitchen in shape. I'd like to try getting back on the treadmill Saturday. I'm going to start with the slower workouts for at least a week, so I've set a goal to get at least one cardio workout each day starting Monday December 2. I reread the signs and symptoms of ischemic colitis (aka runner's colitis) today and I am pretty convinced this may be what I had. The maroon colored blood, the left sided abdominal pain after doing 4 workouts a day fo...

  I haven't returned to the treadmill yet. I'm not happy about that but I also want to be sure I am ready physically and emotionally. It's 10:40 am as I start to write this and my goal for today is to complete the checklist. That means at least one workout. This is NOT a big ask. I feel better and my stool remains normal. I've stopped sitting on the yoga cushion and I'm making an effort to sit more upright on the couch. I physically feel many times better but I'm still struggling emotionally, because too many things remain up in the air. I'd like to abandon looking for a job, but if I want to collect unemployment I'm going to have to show that I am trying. I keep telling myself I will be fine financially, but I still have a lot of anxiety about that. The anxiety is misplaced because I know I can collect social security now. I can collect my pension now. I can start drawing a small amount from my IRA as well, if necessary. Yes, I have to pay for my own he...

  Tomorrow I plan to return to the treadmill for at least one workout. My back is better and my digestive issues have cleared up. I've stopped sitting on the yoga pillow as I feel it was contributing to the poor posture that may be part of the overall problem. I'm also trying to put something behind my back to force me to sit in a more upright position. A physical therapist taught me this trick many years ago. Put a rolled towel, blanket or pillow at your low back and it forces you to sit straighter. When I used the bathroom this morning it was so normal and that felt really good. I'm still working on my relationship with food. Weeks ago I  bought tubes of "cornbread swirls" and biscuits that you bake. The biscuits were a disappointment but last night I decided to bake some of the cornbread. Well, they were a disappointment too. They're like a cross between cornbread and the biscuits that I didn't care for. Yet again I should have just made what I really w...

  I'm finding that I need to disconnect a little from the political chatter, because of the hate and negativity being directed at Trump. The man doesn't take office until January 20 and, of course, the Democrats are full steam ahead criticizing anything and everything he plans on doing and trashing all of his cabinet picks. They're also trying to pass as much legislation as they can and trying to spend as much money as they can. Isn't that a mature response to losing the election ?!?! So today I'm not going down that rabbit hole. I'm continuing to feel better about my health. My stool is blessedly normal with no signs of blood. Today I went ahead and moved the yoga cushion to the other end of the couch. I'm seeing that the way I sit on the couch is a big problem. If I sit up straight or walk around, I have no abdominal discomfort. When I sit slumped forward I do. I think I've been crushing my abdominal organs for months !  Yesterday I spent most of the d...

  Each day I feel a little more hopeful for the future. I think I am good financially and I have fewer concerns about my health. Maybe that is naive but I feel good, I've seen no blood in my stool for over a week and the abdominal discomfort has resolved. If it really was the ibuprofen that tore up my digestive tract, that takes time to heal and I feel like I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. My back is also about 95% healed. Taking Tylenol for that didn't seem to bother my digestive tract. I plan to start walking on the treadmill tomorrow. I'm going to continue with the Road to Recovery series and keep the cardio workout on hold for another week or two. I had read about something called ischemic colitis and most of my symptoms could be attributed to something like that. I was exercising 4 times a day for over a week and perhaps that was just asking too much of my body. Tomorrow I will start with 2 slow paced workouts, which I feel is reasonable. I'm glad I to...

  I feel like I'm starting to climb out of the dark depths of despair. I still have concerns over my digestive health, but things continue to feel more normal. Maybe I'm just fooling myself, hence the commitment to having some medical checks in the new year. Hopefully all is well and I'll gain peace of mind ! I've pretty much decided that I'm going to remain "retired". I am hoping that my savings can support me well into 2026, as that would bring me very close to Medicare eligibility in 2027. At that point my monthly expenditures for health care should drop. I may continue to apply to jobs if they sound promising, but I'm not going to stress about it. Today I went on LinkedIn and Glassdoor to stop all the email alerts and unsubscribed from just about everything. I also cleaned out my email accounts and started my 2024 tax return. I should get a small refund, along with a small bonus from AT&T in March, and that will give my savings a little boost. ...