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Please don't remind me that I'm poor; I'm having too much fun pretending I'm simply "living green" like everyone else these days.


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Thursday, March 31, 2011

Making changes

Ever since I semi-retired from machine quilting a few years ago, I've been doing my best to go back to a simpler life.  I've cut out the stress of constant deadlines and planned time to relax once again.  My life has changed a lot but there are many more changes I need to make.

I've talked about how the food fairies visit me and leave things like this.



And things like this too.  I've talked about how I'm a scratch cook and often use the things I get from the food fairies to create my meals. 


I've talked about how I find many discount bin foods that I  freeze or can or dehydrate to use for cooking later.  I've talked about how I will take a bunch of these  (or whatever) ....



and turn it into these (or something) to be eaten later.



The majority of my cooking and eating has been around whatever I find at discount or what is given to me by the food fairies. 

This week I've went to a doctor to have 4 pre-cancer spots removed.  One from my face and 3 from my back.  Not good!  I spent lots of time in the sun in the fields at my grandparents home when I was a kid.  We didn't know about sun screen back then.  I also had another doctor appointment this week.  A follow up for some blood tests that were done a couple of months ago.  My sugar is high, my cholesterol is high, and my blood pressure is high.  That was not good news either. 

A big part of my reason for going into retirement is because I knew my health was suffering.  Several hospital stays, back to back, let me know I had really neglected my health way too long. The income was simply not worth the trouble it was causing both in health problems and stress levels.  I'm very glad I retired when I did.  I do miss the money..... but only a little.  I could do things and buy things with the money without worry.  But I was also working 16 hours a day, 7 days a week, without a day off for years just to earn that money.  I had repeated requests to finish quilts ahead of schedule and I always did them even though those quilts were not supposed to be done until weeks later.  I pushed myself to squeeze those quilts in between the quilts actually scheduled.  That increased the stress level and also caused me to neglect good eating habits and other healthy living stuff. 

When I was working full time and under stress to complete "just one more quilt" I skipped meals until late in the day and by then I would be starving so anything I could fix quickly then stuff into myself became my evening meal.  Very often (back then) I ordered pizza or had someone pick up fast food for me.  Don't get me wrong, I didn't do this everyday but it was often enough to be very unhealthy. 

I've gained my senses once again.  It's taken awhile for me to fully appreciate my less stress schedule.  I've been cooking more scratch foods like I did in the days before I had any quilt customers.  Although, due to the rising prices, I had been creating meals willy nilly around what I found in a discount bin or what was left by the food fairies.   I can't do this anymore either..... well almost.  I can still use discount bin or food fairies foods.  I simply need to change the way I use them.   Sure, some food will have to be turned down or passed by without buying, but I can change the way I use the rest of it.

While I was at the doctor yesterday, I picked up a new free meter to test my sugar levels.  I haven't had one of these in several years.  Mine broke and I simply didn't replace it.  I have to pay for the test strips and the lancets but that's ok.



I also visited with the nutritionist and got this book.  I'm going to use the food lists inside it to plan my small square foot garden..... if I manage to have one.  I'm still waiting for the back yard trees to be cut.  My daughter's beau will set my garden up for me after the trees are cut.  Once the garden spot is made I can take it from there.



I also went to the thrift store while I was out.  It's across the street from the clinic.  I bought only one thing.  This book kinda jumped into my hand.  It's a good reference book to have.



Well.... as you can see, I'm still traveling the road toward my simpler life.  I'm just glad I'm able to travel that road.  If I hadn't decided to make the changes in my life..... when I did..... the alternative may have been much different. 

2 comments:

margaret bucklew said...

Congrats on your decision to a simpler life style! We would all like you around quite a bit longer!
Margaret

Joyful said...

I didn't know about the reasons for your journey toward a simpler life but I'm glad you're on the road to simpler life and hopefully better health.