Daily Archive

NH Group 2007 Calendar by StarrGazr, on Flickr

Cost of food per person per day: $2.09. I’ve started socking away some of the food budget savings to pay for winter CSA memberships. I am utterly sold on their value!

Relevant books read or re-read: Dinner at the New Gene Cafe: How Genetic Engineering Is Changing What We Eat, How We Live, and the Global Politics of Food by Bill Lambrecht

Energy Level: High. I went back to work part time this month and was amazed that my body was able to provide the boost of energy I needed to accomplish this. I am being careful to provide it the good, healthy food it needs and plenty of rest, but I haven’t had to rely on caffeine to get me through an afternoon anymore. What a blessing!

Visible health improvements: I am noticing a very gradual but steady reduction in my allergy symptoms. I remember how thrilled I was when Claritin hit over-the-counter status, but that is nothing compared to crossing it off my shopping list for good! This spring and summer has been a very severe allergy year because of early and near constant rain (this Southeast city had more rainy days in May and June than Portland, Oregon) and even people who don’t normally experience allergies are carrying purse packs of tissues. But as the months pass and friends’ and neighbors’ allergies are still going strong, I notice I am rarely sneezing, rubbing my brow from sinus headaches or eyes from itchiness.

Other notes: My weight held steady this month despite a road trip and more hours sitting at a computer working. I’ve been able to wrestle my schedule into submission a little better, so we aren’t relying on processed food as much as last month. It really does require a dedicated time each day to think through pressing demands and possible open moments. I find I’m living much more deliberately now than ever before. That is not to say I’m scheduling every moment (like I could even try to with my crew!) but I am striving to use each moment to its best use. Sometimes that best use is reading aloud to a child, sometimes it’s napping and sometimes it’s doing early prep work for meals.

This month also brought other physical challenges: my husband’s back problems reached a point where he wasn’t able to sit in his chair to work. He works at home also, so I was able to rig him a comfortable place to work. Daily trips to the chiropractor and physical therapist aren’t doing our budget any good, but they are definitely helping him. John finished writing a novel this month (a 30-day, 30,000 word writing project he undertakes every July) and is also down in the back from too much sitting and not enough exercise. Two of the girls have caught the seasonal cold, although it is much milder than is generally being experienced in the community.

Despite all these changes and new challenges, my state of mind is uncharacteristically upbeat. I feel like the cloud that’s been hanging around me for the last ten years is beginning to dissipate. This is most welcome!