What are the odds?

Went for my run today.

Ran yesterday.

Pretty good after taking a week off.

Today - hips hurting.

Laced up anyway.

Stretched.

Started walking.

Minding my own business.

Walking with the wind.

Get ready to pick up the pace, and what do you think I see up ahead on the road?

A Buzzard.

He was pretty busy with something on the side of the road. 

I kept walking.

As I got closer, I was pretty sure he was busy with something black, and I was pretty sure it was not a cat.

Crap.

I picked up the pace to a jog after grabbing a rock off the side of the road.

As I got closer, a car drove by. 

He flew off. 

As I passed, it definitely was not a cat.

I gasped for some fresh air, and picked up the pace a little.

I was now down wind.

Surprisingly, it did not last long, and it was not that bad.

About a 100 yards up, what do you think I saw?

What are the odds that two skunks were run over on the same road in the same night?

Lucky me.

This one had two buzzards. 

Another car went buy and they flew off.

I was sort of stuck between two stinky places.

Not much benefit from turning around at this point.

I made it past the second skunk.

Whew!!!

Way worse than the first one!

Running...not jogging!

Now, a number of scenarios ran through my brain. 

• Keep running and get to a point that I thought was my usual distance, then call someone to come give me a ride home?
• Suck it up and do my usual route.
• Repeat first option.

I went back to that first option several times.  I just didn't want to cheat myself out of any distance.
Not wanting to be a sissy, I stuck with my usual route.  When I reached my turnaround point, the wind was full on in the face and strong.  Luckily, I was on the downside of a little hill and the smell was going above me.

I pushed on.

As I came upon the first barrier between me and home, the smell was absolutely ridiculous.  The buzzards were still at work.  I just started yelling at them.

Hey!

Hey-Hey-Hey!

Every time I yelled, they stopped ripping the thing apart.  For some reason, I felt this was a benefit.  It was already smelling pretty juicy, but I just kept picturing something really foul popping open as I got closer.  I tried to cross the road to the other side, but once I got over there the smell almost made me vomit.  The wind had a slight angle making that side of the road worse.  I quickly crossed back and decided to run at the thing full on. 

Passing the first one was not as bad as I thought.  I just tried to not look down.

yuck.

The second one was a very different story.  The Buzzard working on that one was working alone.  Since he had no one to battle over the carcass with him, he had aggressively reached the nastiest parts.  I yelled at him, too.

Hey!

Hey-Hey-Hey!

Heeeyyyyy!

I don't know if anyone was outside.  If they were, they were probably wondering a lot of things about me.

I did not care.

I really thought I was going to lose it on the second one.  Once again - RUNNING!

After I made it passed the second skunk, I started contemplating what to do tomorrow.  Which route?  What do I do?  Go to the High School?  Run the track?  If I head the other direction on my street, there is a huge, long hill!  I am not ready for that hill.  I just knew there was no way I could stomach that again until those things were gone.

Got home.

Cut five minutes off my time from yesterday.

My time from yesterday...best time since I started.

This is quite the quandary.

A damn dilemma.

I need some help.

Maybe someone in that little north-west neighborhood could help me out?

You know?

Go scoop 'em up and get rid of them for me?

Bill?

Kurt?

E. J.?

Anybody?

Can a girl get a little help here?

Please?

Pretty Please?




P.S.  You know what the Man in Charge said?

"Well.  At least now you know you can do it."

It's almost over.

The month is on its way out. 

What the heck happened?

This is just the way my life goes.  I usually do not like it.  It can make me really frustrated at times.
Over and over.  This is how it goes.  I started the month of October with a list of challenges. 

I failed every single one of them. 

The funny thing. 

I am not really bothered by it. 

• Blog every day of the month.

Have I missed a few days?  You bet.
Have I blogged more in the last two months than I have all year?  You bet your butt I have!

Check this in the WIN column.

• 30-Day Sexy Butt challenge.

Have I stopped dead in the middle?  You bet.
Have I worked my gluts more in the last few weeks than I have all year?  Your damn right I have!

Check this in the WIN column.

• The Whole30.

Have I adhered to the strict rules and regulations of this eating program?  No.
Have I cleaned up my diet tremendously?  You bet.
Have I proven to myself that I can be a big girl and drink my coffee black?  Heck Yeah!

Check this in the WIN column TWICE.

Seriously. 

I never thought I would be big enough to drink my coffee black.

Why am I doing a recap on the month and it's not even over yet?  I know I have fallen off the wagon.  I mean, let's be frank.  I took a dive off the wagon.  Okay, maybe it was more like a swan dive?  If we really want to be serious, I didn't take a dive.  I jumped.  Then promptly burned the wagon to the ground.  Normally, I would be beating myself up at this point.  I would be lecturing myself on being an idiot and signing up for too many things.  Who does that?  No one can do that many challenges.  I am not Super Woman!

Not really feeling any of that.

I learned a lot of things about myself this month.  I have also learned a lot of things about my body this month.  I have learned what fuel makes me feel good, and what fuel zaps the heck out of me.  I have also learned that I can run.  More importantly, I can run for more than a few minutes without being chased by something.  I also learned that I am an idiot to some degree.  You see, I ran for an entire week.  Then, I stopped for an entire week.  I am lacing up my running shoes right now.  It is going to be like starting all over again.

Stupid.

I am a lot of things.  I like being a lot of things.  In my opinion, if you are a lot of things and you like doing a lot of different things, then life should never be boring.  On any given day, there should be something on your To Do list that interests you.  Right?

• Blogging

I like blogging.  I like talking to you.  I like sharing informational things with you.  I like just rambling sometimes.  As long as you are logging on and reading, I will be blogging.

• Butts

I have one.  I am not really that vane about it, but since I have it, I would like to make the most of it.  I contemplated picking up on my butt challenge where I left off, but my Full-Timer expressed the benefits of starting slowly.  I argued with her.  Now that I have thought about it, I think I agree with her.  Plus, I read an article about butts on ESPN that totally changed my perspective.  You might want to check it out.  It is the one thing in sports that is not being talked about publicly.  (Link HERE.)

• Whole30

The book It Starts with Food has taught me a lot about food.  It has also taught me a lot about myself.  Technically my 30 days ends on the 30th of this month.  I have not been 100% compliant on this adventure.  I am going to stick with it.  I know the holidays are coming, and I know I am going to eat some awesome food on Thanksgiving.  I can start now, and just barely squeeze in a real 30 days by the 28th of November - Turkey Day.

Hook.

Are you there?

I know you are.

You better start getting ready now.

Full-timer is already starting to drool over the menu.

I expect you two to have your usual competition.

Who can eat the most?

Who falls asleep first?

Bee News!

 I have been trying to get this posted, but stuff just keeps getting in the way.

 

Dang it!

 

I have been trying to get my bees ready for winter.  It doesn't take much, but I believe it has a huge impact on next year.  Part of getting them ready is assessing their health, numbers, food storage and location.  I was shocked to find that half of my hives were really hungry.  Shocked because they are located five miles apart and, when I look around, I don't see much difference in the food that is available. 

 

This shows you what I know.

 

I started feeding them pollen patties and sugar syrup.  They wasted zero time in consuming both.  I also spent some time with my Full-timer moving my hives so that they were facing south.  This was not as easy as I thought it would be, but we managed it.  I have placed straw bales on the west and north sides of my hives, giving them a bit of a wind block for winter.

 

I had a couple of hives that seemed small.  So, I decided to combine them.  This is not unusual, but something that I have never done before.  In keeping with standard practice, I try to learn everything by first learning what not to do. 

 

This was no different.

 

When combining hives, you can only have one queen.  This usually means killing the weaker queen.  Luckily for me, I only had one queen between these hives.  Then you have to place the boxes together, dividing them with a sheet of newspaper.  The amount of time it takes them to eat through the newspaper should be long enough for them to accept each other.  Of course, it helps if the wind isn't blowing your newspaper everywhere.  It also helps if it is not dark or starting to rain.  Due to the weather, I was a little more than rushed in getting these boxes together.

 

Then you wait.

 

One reason for combining hives is to help them defend their home.  If you have too few bees, they can't manage the way they need to.  One nasty culprit is the wax moth.  The wax moth is very destructive to the hive, and wax is precious.  It takes a bee more energy to build comb then it does to produce honey.  It has to be protected.  If they can't keep the moths out, they lay their little eggs in the comb.  This is gross and disgusting.  It is also what I found when I went back to check on these girls.

 

You see, in my haste, I simply combined all the boxes of both hives.  My thought process was that I would go back after they had learned to play nice and remove the boxes that weren't needed.

 

This is what I found.



 

 

 

This looks bad, but it could get much worse. 

 

I think I mentioned the gross thing.

 

Look at the destruction.

 

Then if you scrape off the top layer...

 

 

 

Check out the little larvae in the center. 

 

He would have grown and grown...damaged more and more.

 

But - Not on my watch. 

 

He's out of there.

 

So are his buddies. 

 

I reduced the hive size, removed all the damaged frames, and hopefully they can recover. 

WAY TO GO!

Just confirmed some awesome information!

Last year - 2012 - we harvested 70 pounds of honey.

Totally cool!

This year - 2013 - I was estimating that we harvested about 180 pounds.

I say estimating because we harvested into 5 gallon buckets and were guessing the weight of each.

I have bottled all of my honey for this year - I have also sold it all - I just got the final tally.

183 Pounds 2 Ounces!!!

I could probably scrape up enough to make that last 2 ounces turn into another pound, but I am not going to do that.  I still have all of my wax cappings that were cut off and they are in large gallon size bags full of honey & wax. 

Just have not gotten there yet.

More to the point, it is final! 

One Hundred and Eighty Three stinkin' pounds of honey!

Not bad for a newbie.

Already thinking about next year.  If we make it through winter, we have some advantages going into 2014.

Way to go, Girls!

Cautiously Optimistic

Really weird things happening, and I don't mean dreams about crazy Dominicans, I mean this running thing.  I hate running.  I have been looking forward to running.

Can you say contradiction?

I was super excited about running today because I so hated the elliptical yesterday.

Can I ask you a question? 

Why can I spend 30 minutes, non-stop, on the elliptical, but I can only run for 5 1/2 minutes without walking?  Can someone explain this to me?  I even do pre-programmed workouts on the elliptical that run through all the levels...not just doing 30 minutes on level ONE.  Understand what I am saying here?  I am not even trying to run all out.  I am talking about a very easy pace.

I don't get it.

Super excited about running today.  I had to make myself wait until all the work and school traffic had died down.  I would hate to get splattered across the pavement because someone wasn't paying attention.  And, it hasn't been so long since I had to get kids to school that I don't remember how hectic mornings can be.  I always stretch a little, and then walk to get warmed up.

Things were not stretching or warming today.

I even stretched a little more out on the road before I started running.  Running was super painful.  Things were tight.  I just kept at it.  Eventually things loosened a bit.  I know that I ran at least seven consecutive minutes before walking, but I did have an issue with the timer on my phone.  It could have been more, but I can't say for certain. 

I will work on the timer thing because that was super upsetting.

Have I mentioned that I have been looking forward to the cold front coming through?

It came!

I was outside when it got here.

I would have danced around, but the legs are a little wobbly.

Monday

 

I found this shot on Google+ a few weeks ago.  It fits most Monday's perfectly. 

 

This dog cracks me up the longer that I look at it. 

 

Most of the time I shield you from the gross, ugliness that can be my life.  I am not going to do that today...

 

I went to bed.  I had my running clothes ready to go.  I knew I had to go to the Dry Cleaners early before the Man in Charge had to head out.  I should have gone on Saturday, but I was tied up with my Full-Timer.  I also had to drive my Full-Timer to work at 7:30.  I was not sure how any of this was going to work.

 

I woke up at 4:40 this morning.  I was having a dream about some crazy Dominicans running a retail store to front for their illegal activity.

 

Why?

 

I have no idea how this got into my brain.  I don't know any Dominicans.  I haven't watched any T.V. or Movies with a like story-line.  I don't run an illegal business that I then need to hide with a retail business.  I know I laid their forever trying to figure out what the heck was wrong with me.  No need to hop out of bed.  The Dry Cleaner is not open at 4:40, and I can't go for a run in the dark.  I went back to sleep.

 

I woke up at 6:30.  This time, I grabbed the dry cleaning and got the heck out here.  I was shocked/pleased to find that it was raining outside.  I managed to get out to my truck and get everything loaded.  Once I started my vehicle, I realized that my cat must have been sleeping under it.  I locked him out of the barn last night because he was no where to be found.  He normally sleeps in the trailer, but I guess he found the next best place.  Well, when I started the truck, he ran out into the rain.  Being the awesome person that I am, I jumped out of the truck and opened the garage for him.  He promptly ran inside.

 

The trip to the Dry Cleaners was uneventful.  After making it home, the cat starting scratching at the door.

 

This is unusual for him.

 

He was howling and really letting me know he was unhappy.  I let him in the mudroom, and gave him some food.  That seemed to solve his problem. 

 

Every one else in my world was getting ready to get out of here.  I grabbed some breakfast real quick and was getting ready to leave for the second time today.  It was at this point that I could hear the cat starting to wretch.  Loudly.  I dropped everything and ran to grab him. 

 

Too late.

 

He hacked up all of the cat food that he had just eaten.  Plus, parts of an animal that he had for dinner last night. 

 

Very recognizable parts.

 

Gross.

 

It was at this moment that I started getting a little worried about my Monday. 

 

I made my next trip out of the house and dropped off my Full-timer.  Then, on my way back in, I swung into the grocery store to grab about 10 things.  I hit the door for the second time today, and it was pouring outside. 

 

Now faced with a decision.

 

1.  Wait for the rain to stop and then go for a run?

 

2.  Skip the run and torture myself on the elliptical?

 

I can't believe I am saying this, but I really wanted to go for a run.  I also know myself.  I can argue and talk myself out of or into anything.  If I waited, I would end up not going.  I would find a million things to do...other than running.

 

So, I tortured myself with 30 minutes on the elliptical.  It was the longest 30 minutes.  Why do they put the timer right there in front of you?  I found myself looking everywhere except in front of me.

 

Now. 

 

I just have Day 10 of the butt challenge to get out of the way. 

 

Then, I can start my day. 

 

Oddly enough.

 

I don't feel like the photo at the beginning of this post.

 

I actually feel pretty good.

 

Weird.

Here we go...

Okay.  You know I am in the middle of as many challenges as I can possibly sign up for.  I am doing the writing thing.  I am doing the butt thing.  I am doing the food thing.  It is crazy.  Then, on top of all those things, I have other things that I have to do.  Like the creek.  I so hate the creek.  I used to love it, but no more.  I never want to live where there is a creek again.  It is a pain.  I am still not finished cleaning it up.  It seems my arm is only good for one tank of gas on the weed eater.  Then it takes a minimum of three days to recover.

I have other things too.  Like chickens.  They need their barn cleaned.  Like bees.  They have needed a lot of things lately.  Like food.  Some of my hives were really hungry.  They have also needed mite treatments, and one even needed to be moved.  The horses always need things.  I don't even write those chores down on the list any longer.  Cleaning the stalls is the same as cooking dinner for me.  It has to be done.  All of these things take energy.  All of these things can get rather physical.

So.

What do I do?

I start reading a new blog.  New to me blog.  She is cute.  She lives in the Boston area, and she is a runner.  She runs ridiculous distances.  She runs marathons.  She runs for fun.  She started talking about when she first started running, and how she could only run for two minutes without stopping first.  Her goal was to add 30 seconds each time she ran.  Now she runs 26.2 mile marathons in 4 hours.  www.leafparade.com

Crazy.

She writes about other things also.  She has a ton of recipes that fall under the categories of Paleo or Whole30.  She also takes a lot of photos.  It has been fun.  It has been nice to escape into her world.  All this talk of running though...that has me thinking.  I used to run a lot when I was in school.  It was also a time in my life when I felt the most physically fit.  I have also been following a chick on YouTube that is nine-kinds-of-crazy-fit!  She is ripped.  Abs like no body's business.  She is a beast. Very strong. Very fit. 

Guess What?

She credits those abs to food and cardio, and, she would be correct.  I already know this.  Chick runs five miles a day except on weekends.  On weekends, she runs seven.

I don't really like running, but I have always liked the way I feel when I am running.  I have an elliptical, but staring at a wall is no fun for me.  After going through all the arguments in my head.  I came to the only sensible conclusion that I could find.

I bought a pair of running shoes yesterday.

Then, I carefully laid out all of my clothes in the guest bathroom last night.  I wouldn't set an alarm because that would be mean to the Man in Charge, but if I should happen to get up early enough - I would go for a run.

I woke up at 7:30.

I then promptly argued the value of starting anything on a Sunday.  It is a Sunday.  A day of rest.  It is a ridiculous idea.  Then, I went back to sleep.  When I woke up, and I checked my phone.  I have a Bible App on my phone, and I get a daily verse. 

Today...

Colossians 3:17
And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

This is going to be hard to understand for some of you, but I believe the Lord has a plan for my life.  Hard mostly to understand because I don't talk about it.  Some dreams are better kept secret, and this is one of them.  Being fit is only going to help me.  I often drag my feet.  I know the Lord spends a lot of time with his head in his hand.  Shaking it back and forth.  So, as if being scolded as a child, I said my apologies.  Then, I got busy, took care of some things, and went for a run.  The first in a long time.

I was gone 40 minutes.

I only ran for 14 minutes.

I was thrilled that I was able to make it 5 1/2 minutes before I had to walk.

I then picked back up on my butt challenge - Day 9.

I may have to fall out of bed in the morning.

When I do...I already have my clothes ready.

It was the first thing I did when I came home.

Here we go...

Progress

I haven't written because I've been mowing.   Mowed over a snake yesterday.  Still picked up my feet and screamed. 

Silly, I know.

Can't help it.

Now I am tackling the creek.

I feel good when I look back.

 

Looking ahead is intimidating.

 

 

I think I will just look down.

 

Especially since I am standing in ants.

 

Ants that are making their way up my boot and inside my pants.

 

Gotta Go! 

 

P.S.  I got the ants off me.  Then I ate lunch.  Then, when I really wanted to go take a nap instead of heading back out to the creek, I turned on the computer.  That is were I found the latest post on my Part-Timers blog.  Yes.  You heard me.  My Part-Timer has started writing a blog.  She just got it up and running a couple of days ago, and you should go check it out.  She said some nice things about me today.  Totally ruined the nap that I wanted to go take.  Now I feel like I have to get up and get back at it.  Add her to your list.  You can find her, and a few other new blogs that I am following in the blog list on the right side-bar - or -  Just to go straight to her, click HERE!

Inspiration

I'm not really sure what happened here.  If you saw this, then it was gone, it was a glitch in the matrix.  If you have no idea what I am talking about, please carry on.

 

I get these inspirational quotes everyday.  I agree with most of them, but I don't really get all the touchy-feely-stuff.  I don't think I am negative, or at least, I hope not.  I just am more about reality than feelings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I did see one the other day, and if I could find it again, I would post it, but it said something like...

 

 

Dead Fish go with the flow.

 

 

I am totally going with that one today.

 

 

In the glitch, I found this one.  I think it is very true.  Very.  Very.  True.

 

 

Over it.

I took this shot before I crashed last night. 

I have fat hands anyway...this is really not helping. 

The back of my hand just kept getting bigger and bigger.  Until I lost all four knuckles.  I soaked it in hot water with Epsom salt and that made it itch.  Really bad.  I gave up on that and decided to ice it down.  It didn't help the swelling, but it became numb and that stopped the itching.  I finally relented and took a Benedryl and went to bed.

It is going down.  It is not all the way down, but it is starting to go back to normal. 

I am not sure why this happened in the first place.  I have been stung several times.  I usually get a red bump that goes away pretty quickly. 

I hope this is not the beginning of something new.

Bigger

Day two and it is itchy.

Ouch...

I have been working...more to come later.

 

Not sure if it is clear in this shot, but if you look close, there is some redness and swelling.  I am adding to this post about three hours later and there is more swelling and a red ring around the swelling.  Not really sure what that means, but I do know that I am current on my tetanus shot.  I believe I got my booster in August.  I also know that the last thing a friend of mine said to me before I started working my bees today...

 

Don't get stung.

 

Thanks, Hook!

 

You jinxed me.

 

The stranger thing...I have been stung several times over the last couple of years, but this little brat really stung the crap out of me.  It was a vicious and unnecessary attack.  I was working without my gloves.  This is not totally unusual and I did have them handy.  I had actually finished working through this hive and my bees were nice and calm.  I had been moving slowly and had made my way through the entire box.  If at any time they had seemed upset, I would have put my gloves on.  No warnings.  I'm not sure what got her going, but she came across the box and got me.

 

There may have been some cussing.

 

The lucky thing about not having a glove on, I was able to remove the stinger very quickly.  I then may have cussed some more and I did put my gloves on right away.  Then I definitely cussed some more.  I can hear some of you now.  You are wondering why I would work my bees without gloves.  It really is not that bad, and it is a lot easier to move through the hive.  My gloves are worn and stiff and they can get sticky. 

 

Sticky gloves - not good.

 

After the day I have had, this really is par for the course.  I won't bore you with all the details, but I found myself stuck between a rock and a hard place.  Then I found out that the rock and the hard place knew it was a sticky situation long before I did.  I would say that I let it get to me the longer I thought about it.  Then, I ate three donuts and took a nap.  Then, I followed that with an iced coffee with milk.  Then, I followed that with a decent dinner, but I topped it off with two wheat rolls and honey butter.

 

Seriously.

 

I managed to turn the Whole30 into the Whole3.

 

Embarrassing.

 

Good thing I bounce right back up when I get knocked down.  I will start again tomorrow.

 

Since I am confessing - I am still on day 7 for the butt challenge.

 

It may not seem like much, but it was either eat donuts or drink beer and smoke cigars. 

 

Come on Cold Front!

It ain't pretty...

This is going to be a fun day.  I just typed the title of this post, and immediately my brain broke out into song...

It ain't pretty...
After the show...
It ain't pretty when the pretty leaves you with no place to go...

Sorry.  I digress.

I was so excited when I went to bed last night.  I had a huge list of things I wanted to accomplish today.  I was thrilled at the prospect of flying out of bed this morning.  Energized.  Ready.

I hit the pillow and fell fast to sleep.  (This is normal for me.)

Then, my eyes flew open and I was so excited.  I ripped my eye mask off, and you can imagine my surprise, when I looked at the clock and it was midnight.  Everything went down hill from there.  I rolled over.  Grabbed the covers and went back to sleep.  Then, I tossed and turned.  It was awful.  I woke up again at 6:00 - exhausted.  I considered getting out of bed and then convinced myself that would be a bad idea. 

Huge Mistake.

I woke up at 7:30.  I had to fly out of bed.  Grab some clothes and my keys.  Faced with driving, I also grabbed an iced coffee.  I am not suppose to have coffee before breakfast, but I was willing to risk it.  Better break a rule then wreck my truck.  I made a trip to town and back, and am just now eating my breakfast. 

Stew.

Third day in a row.

It works for me.

My brain is definitely foggy today. 

I woke up with my headache.

I still have a list to do.

I plan to bring my camera along.

Something's going on here.

I have a confession to make.

I am an alarm clock hater.

Like, seriously.

In the event there was ever a sledge hammer, in my room, in the morning...I would kill it.  I can develop a tolerance to it.  If I don't change them out, or change the sound every once in a while (beep to radio), I can sleep through them.  I am so good, I can actually hit snooze and never wake up.  When I say good, I mean good.  I can hit the snooze button, in my sleep, for an hour until the whole thing just shuts off!

Imagine the joy of the Man in Charge if I decide to try to get up early and he doesn't?

I do not like alarm clocks.  I do not like getting up early.  I am not one of those early risers, up at the crack of dawn, work all day, EE-I-EE-I-O farmers.  I just can't drag myself out of bed that early.  I have tried.  I know it would make my life so much easier if I was.  I even - sort of - believe if I could make myself do it, I could possibly get into a rhythm of it. 

Still - No luck! 

I remember days of old, with small, young children and an hour commute.  When I was up early every day.  I know I did it.  I do not know how.  It is frustrating though.  One would think that it would be easier to get up and enjoy the life I have now.  It is an awesome life, and I want to enjoy it.  Plus, if you take a look at my list of things to do...I could use some extra hours.

So.  You can imagine my surprise when my eyes flew open at 6:45 today.  By no means do I believe 6:45 is early, but for me - shocking.  Even stranger.  The fact that I flew out of bed.  I can have some pretty deep and meaningful conversations about the benefits of staying in bed, and I usually win.  Brushed my teeth.  Washed my face.  Got dressed.  Did my hair.  Put on minimal make-up, and was ready to go.

Crazy.

The reason I am mentioning this...

The Whole30.  There are some things to expect when one starts a drastic change like this.  For one, you would not believe the power of addiction when it comes to food.  We usually think of addiction in the terms of the uncle that's an alcoholic or the meth addicts on Breaking Bad (confession...never watched an episode, but am considering it.)...But, what about food? 

Having already gone through this when I changed my diet in June of 2012, I am ready for it this time.  The tricky part of food addiction.  We all have to have food to live.  You have to figure out a way around it.  Starting with...

My name is Candi.

I am a food addict.

I love food that does not love me back.

I know it is an addiction.

It alters my mood when I abstain from *fill in the blank*...

I have cravings.

I go through withdrawals.

Sorry, guys.  If it looks like a skunk.  Smells like a skunk.  Acts like a skunk.  It's probably a skunk.  If you have withdrawal symptoms, cravings, and your mood drastically changes when you go without something...that is addiction.  Let's just call it like it is. 

The first time I went through this, it was like someone hit me square in the forehead.  I never really looked at it like an addiction.  If you are addicted to, let's say sugar...You can rationalize that away until the end of time.  If you are addicted to an illegal drug, or know someone who is, do you rationalize that?  Or, do you wonder why someone would do something that was so destructive to their life?  Their health?  Even, their family?  We think about food differently.  If you have an addiction, is it affecting your health?  Your weight?  Your quality of life?  Your ability to spend and enjoy time with your family?  Why is that different? 

Because it's legal?

The super, oober, sad thing...manufactured food is full of ingredients that alter your natural hormones and/or make you crave their product even more.  Some foods can actually make you feel depressed, lethargic, achy, etc.  For me, if I eat sugary food or breads, my joints ache like no body's business.  So bad, that I went through a whole process of being tested for Rheumatoid Arthritis.  Funny, because my doctor never mentioned food as an option, but when I cleaned up my diet in 2012 - my symptoms went away.  The times that I have consumed those items...it always ends the same. 

Achy - Swollen - Joints!

Funny side-note:  After cleaning up my diet on my own, and going to the doctor for a check-up.  The conversation went like this:

Him:  "Wow.  You've lost some weight.  You look good.  What have you been doing?" 

Me:  "I switched to a Paleo style of eating.  I have lost weight and all of my joint issues are gone.  No more aching."

Him:  "Oh yes.  All those foods you have eliminated do cause inflammation in the body." 

Me:  "Why did you never mention it to me before?  Instead you sent me to specialist.  Prescribed anti-inflammatory medication that would eat a whole in my stomach.  Prescribed muscle relaxers for bed-time.  Prescribed some crazy cream from a weird pharmacy.  You did all this, but never mentioned food?"

Him:  "Well, you know?  Most people won't let go of their dinner roll."

He is a drug dealer.

A very, well paid, drug dealer.

So - knowing this was coming, when I got my headache yesterday, not surprised.  Cold turkey on sugar = pounding head.  The last time I did this it lasted for three days straight.  They call it the Carb-Flu.  Basically your body is going through a process of learning how to use fat for energy instead of all the yummy, sweet, garbage you have been eating and drinking.  This process is called Fat Adaptation.  It is not fun.  I am a firm believer in a few things.

Nothing good is easy.

Sometimes it has to get worse before it gets better.

The great thing about your low points...only one way to go from there.

With my headache yesterday, you can imagine my surprise when I flew out of bed this morning.  You see, that is another expectation of the Whole30. 

More energy. 

Sustained energy. 

Energy that will make you get up before the crack of dawn and work the live-long-day...EE-I-EE-I-O! 

The thought of all that energy. 

The thought of getting back on track. 

The thought of feeling bullet-proof again...

Totally worth the headache that I already have working today.

What's with all the challenges?

What's going on with me?  I can't seem to stop myself.  It all started out very innocently.  A simple little challenge to write a post everyday for the month of September.  Then, that turned into a '30-day Sexy Butt' challenge.  See below:

For more information, you can check out Lisa at The Daily HIIT - Blog.  F.Y.I. - I am on day seven.  On day six, I was certain that my butt was going to fall off.  My people assured me that this was not possible, but I would have put money on it.

So, if that wasn't enough, I started reading a book, It Starts With Food, by Dallas & Melissa Hartwig, and I have decided to start a program called The Whole 30.  You guessed it, a thirty day challenge to get my body on track and let it do some healing or reset/reboot if you will.  I will come clean with you on the fact that I originally started reading a book called Digestive Health with REAL Food.  I considered doing that challenge, but it is an elimination diet that eliminates quite a bit.  It also lasts from four weeks to years, depending upon how bad off you are.  While I was considering this program, it eliminated coffee! 

*yikes*

Crossing a few too many lines.

So, you can see my relief when I ran across the Whole30.  I get to keep my coffee.  I have to give up all sweeteners and dairy, but I get to keep the coffee.  Iced.  Cold.  Black.  Coffee.  Interesting.

Since I am in it up to my ears at this point, I went ahead and signed up for another blogging challenge
for the month of October.

 

 

Can I also add, I am computer illiterate, and it took an act of Congress to get the above badge on my blog.  I do not understand html, and I don't fake it very well.  It ended up being easier than I was making it, and I would like to thank Mister Linky for hitting me over the head with the obvious.  There was a badge for the September challenge, but I never got my brain wrapped around that one and I was too frustrated to ask Mister Linky for help. 

 

Sometimes, I am like a man lost on a road trip...I hate to ask for directions.

 

Any hoo-da-lolly, this blog is about farming and food.  The facts are - I am minimally involved in farming at this time.  I am growing Nada.  I have a back-order on eggs.  Yes.  I have sold eggs that are not even layed yet.  Isn't that crazy?  I had an awesome honey crop, but we are on the tail end of that this year.  The honey last year sold out in two months.  I almost tripled my harvest this year, and at the two month mark, we only have a small amount left.  I thank my customers.  Most of you have bought a year's supply already.  No one wants to get left without honey this year.  I can only hope what next year will bring.  So that is it for the farming side of things.

 

Fall is here! 

 

We, as in me, will be outside getting the farm ready for winter.  I am looking forward to the work, and I am looking forward to sharing it with you.  It seems like forever since we talked about any real business here.  I have bee chores to include.  Plus, I am trying to figure out some gardening projects that I have been meaning to tackle.  Still a list of horse/barn chores to wrangle and wouldn't it be crazy to be a little pro-active and get some things done this year...for next year? 

 

Whoa!

 

Slow.

 

Down.

 

Since the blog is about food and the farm...

 

I accepted a challenge to write about Fall...

 

I have Fall chores to do...

 

I made up my mind *weeks ago* that I can do no work outside if it is over 90 degrees...

 

Fall is here!

 

The cold front made it and another is on the way...

 

Possibly?

 

With a little luck...

 

This whole thing might work out!

 

To tie things in, even more...

 

To fuel my body with enough energy and feel-good to get all-of-the-above done...

 

I am counting on the Whole30. 

 

I will be blogging a little bit, here and there, about my experience.  I am not new to this style of eating.  I have been eating a Paleo-ish diet for over the last year.  I say, ish, because I have really fallen off the wagon these last few months.  I am going to blame that on my doctor, but we will get into more of that later.  The real point is that to get back on track, I am willing to accept another challenge.  This will also let me talk about food a little, while not producing any.

 

See?  There is a method to my madness!

 

The basics...Whole30 = clean food. 

 

No crap.  No garbage.  Eating good food for optimal health.  No grains or legumes.  No dairy.  No sweetener - real or fake.  No alcohol.  No seed or vegetable oils.  No processed or manufactured food.  No ingredients that I can't pronounce.  No.  No.  No.  If you think this is too harsh, remember that it's not as restrictive as the Healing with Healthy Foods book.  Maybe start reading that book, then when you switch to It Starts With Food, you will think, "Okay.  That's do-able."

 

I get my coffee.

 

What can I eat?

 

Meat.  Fish.  Eggs.  Healthy Fat.  Vegetables.  Fruit.

 

The bigger thing that I want to talk about is how it makes me feel.

 

Mentally.

 

Physically.

 

Emotionally.

 

I will share what I eat, but don't psyche yourself up for lavish meals.  I eat out of necessity.  It does not have to be grand to make me happy.  The Man in Charge, a different story.  We will see how this goes between us.  I am really only responsible for one of his meals a day.  So he can do what he likes.  I also encourage you to read the book for yourself if you are interested in trying it.  I am not responsible for what you do or not do, and I have proven before that I don't always follow directions well.  Go back a few weeks and read about my recipe for iced coffee if you need proof of that.  You have to check it out yourself to make sure I am doing things right.  Also, please feel free to inform me if I am totally screwing something up.

 

My menu today:

 

Breakfast:  A bowl of stew from last night.  (see...weird)

 

Plus two iced coffees - no sweetener and no cream/milk.

 

Lunch:  I am thinking Sliced turkey/Couple of Hard Boiled eggs/salad greens with olive oil/vinegar dressing.

 

Dinner:  Tonight is Taco Tuesday.  I will be eating out.  Taco salad - no shell with picante.

 

I can already hear you now.  Why did she eat stew for breakfast?  I made the stew yesterday, adapting the recipe to follow Whole30 rules.  I used coconut flour to dredge my stew meat, instead of wheat flour.  I used clarified butter to brown my stew meat instead of vegetable oil.  I used tomato sauce (no additives) and bone broth (home-made).  I cut up a sweet potato instead of using white.  And...I think that is it for the subs.  I also used carrots and peas.

 

Yes.  Peas are technically a legume, but are allowed under the Whole30 program. 

 

This is why you must read the book.

 

The meals are supposed to contain protein, fat, vegetables.  Fruit is limited to one/two servings a day.  Try to eliminate snacks by eating big enough meals.  Do not eat fruit as a snack should you find you need one.  If you need a snack make it protein and fat.  These are the two things that actually make you feel full.

 

Sorry. 

 

Side-tracked. 

 

I have to eat breakfast before I am allowed to have coffee because I am not a breakfast eater.  The stew was ready and willing, sitting there in the fridge.  The only requirement - heat it up!

 

Physically I feel pretty good today. 

Emotionally my outlook is pretty positive. 

Mentally I feel like I am a little all over the place. 

 

I may be a little too jazzed on the coffee.  It may also be the fact that I am really excited about the challenges that are ahead.  Could be a little anxious about the food?  You can tell for yourself that I have bounced all around here.  The blog, the blogger October: Fall challenge, and the Whole30 - all tie in.  They are intertwined and meant to be together. 

 

That whole butt thing is out there all on it's own.