Day 578

As I was harvesting things from the garden today I realized I'm going to miss it. Not miss the weeds, not miss the mud and the bugs. Certainly not miss the bending over. I'm going to miss the convenience of having veggies right close. I'm going to miss having the peace of mind in knowing who and what has touched my produce and what pesticides are on it. (None.) The money aspect of the garden has been a relief, too.

Juicing has been expensive, but being able to go to the garden and grab some kale, chard, carrots, cucumbers, zucchini, peppers, and beets when I need them has helped ease the pain when I have to buy the rest of the fruits and veggies at the store.

Except October is almost here and the garden will soon be winding down. Not yet, though. My Swiss chard is still going strong. Just look at the gorgeous green leaves! For some reason I thought it important to show how big the leaves are, hence the ruler in the picture.

Day 577

The way I see it, I saved $75 today.

Today was the quilt show in Boise, the same one I went to with my daughter back on Day 115. Daughter couldn't go this time around, but I talked hubby into it since he's getting along pretty good with the cane. Except I changed my mind at four o'clock this morning. There in bed, not able to get back to sleep, I started thinking.

$13 for gas.
$12 for admission.
$25 in fabric and/or patterns and/or whatever. (Who can go to a quilt show and not buy something?)
$25 for lunch. (Hubby is limited on what he can eat so when we go out he has to be picky. Which sometimes means expensive, but since he doesn't get to do it too often I let it slide.)

Right now with hubby on sick leave and not knowing what the future holds, me working part time when I can, and the medical bills we just paid off, I figured I had better ways to spend $75. And a quilt show wasn't it.

So no pictures of quilts or fabric or purchases. Thank goodness I spied a butterfly out the window, glowing in the afternoon sun.

Day 576

A full day of sewing. Of being tucked away in a room as the sewing machine hummed and hummed and hummed. The quilt top I did on Day 570 for one of the Alaska kids is now an official quilt. And again, I practiced my stitching before turning myself loose on the real thing. I just love how the stitching looks on the bright backing.

Day 575

One thing I've learned over the last couple years is that I have several choices, but the choices are so extreme.

a. addictive pain pills

b. anti-malaria medication

c. injectable medication that can cause TB and lymphoma

d. injectable chemotherapy drugs

e. anti-inflammatory medication that caused my husband's kidneys to shut down

f. a diet that consists primarily of fresh kale/celery/chard/carrot/beet/pepper/cucumber/zucchini/apple juice

g. all of the above

h. none of the above

At times I've tried all of the above and other times have tried none of the above. But now I'm at a crossroads. Based on the symptoms - on the severity of the rebelliousness of my body - I must make a decision. I must take power of my situation, over my pain and stiffness and fatigue and everything else that represents a body out of control. 

Even kitty notices something is off. When I got home and headed to the bedroom she crawled up just about as close to my face as she could and dozed off.

Day 574

A single brown leaf amidst all the neighboring healthy green leaves. Slowing being eaten away, possibly by some disease.

The best representation of how I feel on Day 574.