What's new and different ....

I've had some changes, some planned, others just have happened. And it is all good.

My diet has changed, not as a purposeful thing, but I've been trying to respond to my body's signals. As a result, my diet is what I'm calling "near vegetarian." I wasn't intending to eliminate or even reduce meat intake, but I've just been craving veggies and fruits. As a result, I'm eating probably just six to eight ounces of meat in a week. I am eating cheeses and drinking soy and other sources of protein. I'm feeling very well.

I've also been eating "Breakfast Cookies" every morning. the recipe was on FB, and it sounded good, so I made a batch, added my own touches, and I'm really enjoying them. No sugar is added to the oats, dried fruits, nuts, applesauce, etc., and it makes for a nice start of the day. I hate fixing breakfast during the week, because it is so much trouble to cook and clean up before I leave, so these are a godsend. I don't eat cereal. I'm hungry an hour after eating it. This change seems to be a good thing. I feel really good, and this morning, I got on the scales, something I rarely do, and discovered I've lost a few pounds. Since I don't weigh often, I'm not sure how much but it is somewhere between five and eight pounds.  I'll take it!

Second change is a thoughtful, planned one. I have turned off my satellite TV. That might not sound like a big deal, but we get zero reception in these mountains, so it means I'm without TV now. I thought I was going to miss it, but I'm not, at all! I bought a Roku, so I have access to a lot of entertainment with that. I will later get access to streamed TV shows at a very small cost, so I can watch the five or six shows I actually like, but for now, I'm OK with movie channels and music, all free. I spend a lot of time listening to music on my iPod through the sound system or via Pandora. I haven't tried the other music stations in Roku just yet, but I will soon.

This all came about when I realized that I had the TV on a lot without really watching it. It was just a "filler" for the stillness of living alone. Then I made a list of what I actually watch, and I was startled at how few I have a real interest in. With Roku I can watch those few, waiting 24 hours after they are aired. Heck, half the time I record things and watch them later, anyway, so this is a great solution, I believe. I'm saving a bundle!

One of my worries about shutting off the dish was getting weather information, but I get that from the internet. The "local" stations are out of Albuquerque, three hours away, and their weather is often much different than ours. We are such a small, somewhat isolated community that the details given from those stations was usually less than five to ten seconds in length. No, I'm not kidding. If I hadn't had the DVR to back up and see it again, I would have missed it most of the time. And the content of that few seconds was very poor, not giving us much to go on, even to know how to dress the next day. I haven't watched those sources for more than a year!

Isn't it interesting how we get into habits, eating, TV, whatever, and we don't even think about changing until something jumps up in our faces and says, "Hey you!"

I talked with friends today and learned that several of them have made the move to Roku, too. And all had the same basic story .... got into the habit of whatever was on TV without much thought. And they all agreed that they are interested in just five or six programs. Man, we humans can be sold lots of "stuff," can't we? I had access to  something over 200 channels, but actually attended to less than 5 hours a week!  Crazy! I've had the attitude for a long time that I had to have the full range of programs, in part so guests would be able to have choices. Guess what? My guests have almost never watched TV in my house, but I continued to pay for it! Whew! Nice change!

Soooo .... is there anything new in your life? 

Missing Mama.

Happy Mother's Day in Heaven to life's sweetest Mom.

Life has been chaotic. This change of ownership at the agency is crazy. It has gone from "there will be almost no change in your job" to "here is your latest change (100th of the week!)." I'm exhausted. Worst of al my level of trust is at a low, because there are daily new things that are different from what the last person said. Stress is over the top, not just for me but everyone. I expect that when we all finally "get it," we will be fine, but for now .... erg.

And with elevated stress, the FMS has exploded all over my body. I'm at the level again that clothes hurt. My skin is crawling with sensitivity, and I'm really miserable. I'm planning to spend the weekend just resting, puttering with small tasks, and Monday I'm scheduled to have a Healing Touch treatment from a friend. Hopefully, it will soon level out.

I'll be back eventually, I'm sure. But for now, I have to continue to exist via short bursts on FB. The "art" of composing a post here is more than I can do for now.  Check back occasionally. Sending love till I can think again. 

Just a quick post

Well, we are in the final week of the training, and this one is specifically for hospice, so it's a whirlwind. It is really good training, but not easy. We have to learn new software, and everyone is being given tablets. I rather like the idea of doing most of the work right then and there at the patient/client home. That means when you walk out, you're done. This is how my staff did the work when I was in Kansas City (but on paper, not tablets), and it makes everything so much more focused and efficient. It has been hectic, for sure. Trying to be in the training and still keep the work current is a challenge. It will be go to resume a more normal routine next week.

A really good thing is that there is a person from home office who will be here for the next two months. She is here for our convenience, answering questions, assisting us with hitches that we encounter, and generally making things move more smoothly during the extended transition period. I'm so impressed with this company and how they take care of their employees. As one person said to me, "The more happy employees we have, the better they can complete their tasks, so it benefits us all to make everything work right." What a great attitude!

I've been feeling really well since my trip to Florida. The problem with that is that I stopped taking some of my supplements that help the fibromyalgia because I was feeling so well and simply forgot them. Guess what? It has caught up with me! The last three days have been rough! I'm not so bad that I've needed to stay home or anything like that, but I'm not moving as well as I should. I've been having a lot of muscle cramps, some even waking me at night and forcing me to get out of bed and walk around to relieve it. Broken sleep makes the overall situation worse. I'm back on them again now, and I'm easing as we speak. A few more days, and I'll be back to myself again.

Adding to everything already in the mix, I was unable to access this blog for about a week. I don't know what happened, and I couldn't figure out how to fix it! There is a different blog I set up a long time ago, but never used, and every time I tried going to this one, I ended up in that other. I was beginning to think I would have to just activate it and move everyone over there, but I hated to give up the history of this blog. I finally had to start at zero, resetting everything from my google ID up. Pain in the tush!  I was tired enough after work that I couldn't make it far through the morass each day before I was frustrated and quit. But slowly, I got it done yesterday, and we are back on board.

So, give me a few more days, and hopefully, I'll be back up to speed next week.  I haven't done well at reading your blogs, either. Sorry, but I will get that back on track, also. 

Soon, kids!

Stressful week

I've been absent, obviously. After getting back from the vacation, I had a nice weekend at home, then on Monday, it was back to the office. And what a week to be back. It feels as if the last five days were actually double or triple that.

I knew about it before leaving, because rumors were all over town, in fact, they were all over the State. Our agency has been sold, acquired by a large, privately owned corporation. It is one that has a very good reputation. My job will change very little, if at all.

This past week we have been in the first of three weeks of potential chaos. We had orientation and contract signing this week, and the next two weeks will be spent in training for the new computer systems and the other things that will be new to us. None of it is bad, just stressful as we move through the changes. In my Social Work training, one of the most important things I learned is about change. Change is difficult, and we all resist it, even when the change is good and we are happy about it. Think of it this way .... when we marry, we are very happy, it is something we want, yet the anxiety of the days or weeks leading up to it are rough. Some people crack under the strain, and we have people left at the alter, runaway brides, or broken engagements in those final hours. Yes, sometimes, there are good legitimate reasons for those doubts, but as often as not, it comes from not being able to live with the stress. So while most of us see this change as positive, it is hard to be doing your job as usual at the same time you are having to adjust to a completely new system and method of operation.

For me, part of the added disruption is that the training takes place in the conference room, right outside my office. There is frequent added noise (not high, but more than my usual quiet surroundings), I can't get to the coffee pot nor to the restroom, because of the configuration of the space. That means I have to walk to the other building down a hill of about 30 feet drop and around 125 or so feet distance to "refresh and relieve." I make that walk about eight to ten times a day under usual circumstances, but now there are a couple more trips each day. Just an inconvenience. And thank goodness our weather is nice!

By week's end, I was exhausted. I came home yesterday feeling like a zombie. And last night I slept like a rock buried under about 1,000,000 tons of dirt and gravel! I was also already feeling the onset of stress-induced fibromyalgia yesterday at work. This morning, it was full blown. I'm a little better now, but had a rough time getting out of bed. Add to that the seasonal allergies that have arrived, stirring up the bronchial asthma. Argh.  Tough few days, today being the grand mama of them all physically! But I've been through worse, and I will probably have worse in the future, too. So be it!

Our administrator (she sold the company, but is staying on as administrator) planned a potluck for all of us tonight. Her husband has become ill, so she had to cancel it. I'm rather glad. It would have been really hard for me to fix a dish for tonight. I only have to cook for me.

I'm looking forward to lots of good things in the weeks to come. Art shows, concerts in the park, and other fair-weather events are coming up. Good times! I'm tired of the cold weather and feeling locked indoors. I used to be a cold weather kinda gal, but in the last couple years, my already-narrow range of comfort has squeezed even tighter. I'm just not tolerating cold well. Below 30 is not my friend, and my true comfort lower end is about 45. So the promise of summer is so very welcome à Chez Lynilu. Oh, I also like my summer clothes better, too. [wink]

As I mentioned, our weather has been very mild. Highs are mostly in the 60s with a few 50s and 70s. It look like after mid next week, it will be 60s and 70s and nights will be in the upper 40s. I'll be able to put my plants out on the deck, I think. That will be delightful! Oh, and it is nearly time to start getting the hummingbird feeders ready. After the cool snap next week, I'll get them out and start the watch for my wee little buddies to return. I can't wait for that!

Keep me in your thoughts for the next couple weeks. This old dog's gotta learn some new tricks!

And look what I found ..........