Drink the water

 Working on weight is tough when it is cold outside. It is really 🥶. 

Cue the alarm on the scale- Going up not down. 

Sunday was my “come to Jesus” moment. Back to drink the water, walk away from the chocolate! Eight cups of water a day, when you have gotten away from it, is a moving experience. 

Sunday I started. Today I pulled out my electric tea kettle. Water, water, water.

I feel better already.

On a side note- just finished Five Wishes of Mr Murray McBride and the second half of the last season of Billions. Both are strong recommends!

Looking forward to

 Small nuclear plants and inexpensive energy for everyone.

This is my son’s field and I have become convinced this is the way to go. Gone of the days of horrid fall out and pollution with the 1970 plants with these babies. The key is small with good safeguards. We SO need to get out of fossil fuels. I am not sure why people cannot see the whole nuc stop is fueled by the oil industry.

An EV vehicle. I am determined that we will make it a few more years with what we have, but am saving for an EV. There is rumor that a small nuclear plant will be available in our are, so there will be electricity to support an EV. Either nuclear  or hydro- I don’t want to support an EV vehicle using electricity produced by fossil fuel.

Paying taxes on miles driven rather then oil used. I know this will give up some personal freedom of tracking my miles, but I think this makes more sense. To me it would help states take a better look at EV.

Not seeing the horrid windmills on the tops of our mountains for California energy. California says it is going green- but it is  through the destruction of the land and birds (and waters)  in the western states near them.

Buying 50-70% of my foods and clothing from local people. My grandmother only had a few dresses all of her retired life. Why do I need more? Food is easier.  I pay a higher price, but my foods have less and less preservatives. Meats are key. Few if no “company meat”. I appreciate people who are vegan. We enjoy much smaller cuts that are local.We have found a few restaurants that also are about local. If not local- things grown or made in North America. I’ve done research and have been shocked at how much of our diet is grown here- but processed overseas. 

Common discourse. No shaming, name calling, just a good discussion on what is going on and how to fix it. Or enjoy it. I think this is the least likely thing to happen. I am trying to break my own habit. It isn’t easy. So much easier to degrade someone then to look at why and how the other person does or thinks things. 

Winter begins in earnest

I grew up in heat.

All of my memories of childhood were hot feet or flip flops.

Dust storms would come in the summer to 

Break off our kick the can games 

With our neighbors from every part of the country.

Picking oranges off the trees

Or pecans from the pavement

Was what we daily enjoyed.

My sophomore year of college

I was commuting to ASU 

In a convertible

With the top down. 

My mother does not remember,

She remembers little of her middle of five,

I had a sun stroke.

I laid in bed for many hours alternating from shivering to sweating.

And that was the day I decided I would never live in the heat again.

Life has a funny way of turning on never.

For the next dry heat I lived in was Saudi Arabia.

Things went bad there as well.

We moved and moved again

And I learned all about winter

110 inches in the outskirts of Flagstaff

Sleet and snow in Kansas

Wet bay snow in Delaware

People ask what is my season

I really enjoy them all

But winter 

I love to watch

Quiet

Beautiful

Slow moving

Life bringing

Winter

 

Working on it! Goals

 Last year was a complete crazy time.

Now it is time to really get things in line.

I live in the West now, close to streams and mountains. A frozen tundra right now- it is amazing. 

Spiritually

Get back to reading the Bible (or listening to it) every day

Attend a physical Church twice a month

Tithe to the small Spanish mission church in the next town 

Work on daily prayer - include prayer beads for meditation

Physically

Find a GP and go to them!

Figure out why my elbow is out of sorts

Walk or exercise daily for an hour

Continue to lose weight - 20 down - 60 to go- I can do it. 

Find healthy foods that satisfy my sweet tooth

Learn to cook on the dutch over (that means setting it up, doing the fire as well as the actual food)

Financially

Finish the lawn and begin my gardens

Begin buying twenty pounds of rice a month for the mission church

Finish sinking fund for a new truck in 2023 or 2024

Continue monthly contributions to travel fund and grand's education

Give each family a membership to someplace fun

Start Pensions and Medicare on my birthday. 

Start reinvesting money

Save at 15- 20% monthly for nest egg for future fun. Spend it when the fun shows up.

Write and sign new wills

Figure out how I messed up taxes and how not to do it again this year

Travel

Go somewhere every month- 

Phoenix, Baltimore, Yellowstone, San Diego, Honolulu are all on the "almost paid for" list. What else?

Consider, fully, purchasing a small camp trailer for a trip to Alaska in the summer. 

Begin planning 2023 trip to Ancestral homelands

Learn to

Speak better Spanish

Paint

Try a new recipe every month

Limit my use of

Costco

Amazon

Facebook

Find a

Social Group to do things with.

Time weekly to spend with my sister in law