Day One DONE

Okay, so that went well (first day of Whole 30). And the way I feel this morning reinforces that a paleo plan – as I've said many times previously – is the way to eat that works best for me.

I've not really been off the paleo template, but if the general rule of thumb for "cheat" days is 80 percent on/20 percent off, I'd say I'm a fallen woman. Getting back on the horse, 100 percent, both feels and sounds very good to me.

Yesterday was somewhat challenging. Breakfast was fine, as it usually is – scrambled eggs with salsa and I "baked" a chopped apple, sprinkled with cinnamon, in the microwave. For lunch, though, I had to make mayonnaise before I could make egg salad and I was in a hurry to get out and take a walk before I had to go to a meeting. So no vegetables for lunch.

Dinner was terrific – I made a chili-ish stew-ish concoction in the slow cooker with ground beef (instead of bison), sweet potatoes, tomatoes, onions, mushrooms and spices. It was great to come home from that late afternoon meeting to have dinner ready and waiting.

The bigger challenge was that after the meeting I did a major stock-up grocery trip. And I was hungry. And we all know one doesn't shop for food when one is hungry. Had I not made the Whole 30 commitment, I would totally have bought something sweet-and-carby to eat in the car on the way home.

I think making the car off-limits for food (beverages are okay, as long as the beverages are black coffee or water) would be a good rule for the long term. I'm both an emotional eater and a sneak eater, and the car facilitates both behaviors nicely.

Yesterday's meeting was supposed to have been final proof of an annual report project, with few corrections. As it turns out, there are minor corrections for 90 percent of the book. I need to get busy, baby.

Again.

So I was busy

And now I'm not quite so busy.

I'll probably get busy again, but I missed writing and I missed connecting and I missed having a place to record both the mundane and the important things going on here in the Middle of Nowhere. So I'm going to do my best to stick with ye olde blogger again. Maybe not every single damned day, but most days.

Many bad things have happened since I've been gone. Democrat asses got kicked in the election; the Republican-controlled West Virginia legislative agenda was quite business-friendly, after they campaigned on jobs, jobs, jobs; winter sucked – I mean sucked!, and my Buddha belly is back.

So sad.

But. Good things await.

A Whole30 a couple years ago kicked my weight loss efforts into high gear, and I'm doing it again. (I started that one April 6, 2013, stuck with it for several months, and have been on-again/off-again ever since.)

Not only do I look better when I ditch grains/legumes/dairy/sugar, I feel better, and the older I get the more important it is that I feel good. Not just okay. Not just not in pain. I want and need to feel GOOD.

I set a goal at the end of last year to walk 100 miles/month, and while I'm a little bit behind that pace, better weather will equal increased mileage and I'm confident I can make it. January and March were fine – right on target, so direct (bonus points if you can name that tune) – but February? Not so much.

The Whole30 rules have changed a little bit. You can eat all kinds of potatoes now; you're not limited to sweet potatoes only. That'll be nice when I make beef stew, but I really like sweet potatoes and I do think they're more nutritious and have less impact on blood sugar. But I'm not a doctor/scientist/nutritionist … just an informed, lifelong dieter who reads a lot.

At any rate … the first day is going great! Scrambled eggs with salsa and a cinnamon-sprinkled chopped apple, "baked" in the microwave. Grok never had it so good.

I need to get to work on a freelance project that's been keeping me busy. This is the last day for putting it together; it goes to the printer tomorrow. I will then feel well and truly out from under the stress of too-many-projects, not-enough-time.

It's good to be back. Thanks for reading.

Surprise! I'm not dead!

A short post this evening, to ease back into semi-regular updates.

My life has been super busy this year, mostly with political interests. West Virginia's legislature meets for 60 days each year, beginning in early January. As a member of the social media committee for my state Federation of Democratic Women, I spent a lot of time tweeting and Facebooking and blogging about bills and resolutions and issues, oh my.

About the time the session was winding down, a freelance job - an annual report for a local non-profit - fired up, and it will be finished up tomorrow.

Which means I'm back to regular, timely, personal blogging  day after tomorrow.

No fooling.

Still here

So completely uninspired to write. Apologies. I'll be back. Sometime.

The busy-ness continues

My volunteer work is, at times, all-consuming. I honestly don't remember how I used to spend my free time. When I have free time now, I can always find something to work on related to, of all things, politics.

I didn't used to be like this. While I've always thought government was of, by and for the people, it's hitting us hard here in West Virginia to realize that, really, it isn't. It's more like of, by and for the lobbyists. Or of, by and for the big donors. Or of, by and for the Koch Brothers.

Because really? The Koch Brothers and their shadow groups bought and paid for the current crop of Republican politicians (and I use that word in the most derogatory manner possible) sitting in the state capitol. And Republican politicians have no interest in making the lives of working families any better.

Most state legislatures are in session for only a couple months. Here in WV it's 60 days, and it can be extended and there are interim sessions throughout the year. But the bulk of the bills are passed (or not) in January and February.

But wait! This isn't a political blog, and you probably don't care much about West Virginia's woes. So. Moving on.

I began knitting a sweater, but I've only managed to get 1.5 inches of the lower edge of the back of it done in the last two weeks. I really need to rip it out and put this yarn away and find something that will work up a little more quickly. Because I want a new sweater sooner, rather than later. I feel like I've wasted a couple weeks, but really I haven't because I've only spent a couple hours, total, on that 1.5 inches.

My spring flowers are starting to peek up above the dirt already. I noticed the tulips yesterday, and then got to looking around and found snowdrops and daffodils. Those tulips – when I planted them they were pink, but now they're red and yellow and I don't like them at all. But I can't bear to dig them up when they're just showing up in the spring. So I dig them up when they're done blooming but CLEARLY I don't do a very good job because here they are again, this spring, ready to burst into their gaudy red-and-yellow glory. When I wanted pink.

I'm making great progress on my 100 miles per month plan. Even with three fewer days this month, and a couple travel days, I think I'm going to get there. I'm so grateful I'm able to walk this month at my age. I see many, many – far too many – women my age and younger who can't. So today I'm very thankful for legs and lungs and a heart that carries me into my days of busy-ness.

When last we met …

I think I was bragging about nailing 100+ miles in January.

It's gonna take some serious walking to hit it in February. With three fewer days and a couple bad-weather days already, I've only managed 19 for the first week. No walking today, either, because I'll be in the car and on my butt in a meeting all day. But my attitude is good, and I've already planned to put in some extra (above my usual and customary four/day) miles in the coming weeks. If I don't hit 100, I'll at least come close.

I've been a busy Democrat since the election. You'd think things would slow down some, but nooooo. When your state legislature flips from blue to red, you suddenly pay a lot more attention to what's going on at the Capitol.

So far they want to allow smoking in public buildings, add a religious exemption to the public school vaccination policy, restrict abortions in a variety of ways (11 bills so far!), allow open carry without a license IF your gun was made in West Virginia, repeal the ACA in WV, repeal lemon laws, repeal regulations on above-ground water-storage tanks, repeal prevailing wage … lots of repealing going on … and more.

Also? There's a couple crazy Delegates who just don't get that whole rape thing.

Voter turnout in November was 37 percent. And it looks like some of those voters who stayed home are waking up to the realization that a GOP majority is not in their best interests.

Note to voters: We tried to tell you that.

At any rate, I'm feeling useful and committed to the cause. Being plugged in to a group actively working to turn this state back to blue is both challenging and rewarding. But I'm in it to win it.

Nailed it!

Somewhere along the line last month I agreed to be part of a two-woman effort to log 2015 miles in 2015. And, of course, I'd previously set a 1200-mile personal goal to get my three-year Daily Mile total to 3500.

Busting 100 miles per month would easily accomplish both goals, but hey. It's WINTER.

HOWEVER: The combination of milder-than-normal temperatures (for the most part), the FitBit and a change in my attitude paid off nicely.

I'm .0875 percent of the way toward completing both annual goals.

And we're more than a third of the way through winter. I've no idea what the long-term forecast for the month is, but the next few days look manageable, with maybe one day being a little too cold to walk outdoors.

I gotta tell you though – the FitBit makes a huge difference in whether my get up and go gets up and goes. I'm connected to a few friends who also have the devices and it's fun and a wee bit competitive to make sure I'm at or near the top of the weekly leaderboard. The only way to get and stay there is to keep moving.

I moved very little Thursday (for medical reasons) and Friday (for too-freaking-cold reasons), so I've dropped back to second. But today looks good – 40s and overcast – and I might log more than the customary four miles. February is a short month, and I'll have to miss at least one day due to an out-of-town meeting. (Which means drive-drive-drive-meeting-drive-drive-drive.) Padding the mileage while I can wouldn't hurt.

Time to look for a new knitting project. I'm on the last little bit of finishing work on the felted clogs (other than felting them), and the neck wrap is ready to deliver. And since the Super Bowl is tonight, I'm going to need something to work on. I think I want a new sweater. FOR ME. Which means, since I'm a knitter, I get to go shopping in the yarn closet, rather than the department store.

I used to have a great tunic-length, funnel-neck sweater that I literally wore out. It got so fuzzy and tattered looking I just couldn't bear to be seen in it. But I miss it. And it was all stockinette, top-down, and knitted in the round, so easy to manage while watching the Seahawks beat the Patriots. Heh.

Oh, how I wish it were the Broncos, though. SOB!