Monday Update

 My son-in-law is home from the hospital. The weather is nice, hazy but not humid. We need rain. The job outlook still sucks.

That's Not Right

 That's not right when a company from another state who doesn't know the employees comes in and buys the company your hubby works for and then eliminates his shift so he looses his shift premium. Everyone is upset and looking to leave and they are sad because they are all friends and now have to go find other jobs.

September

 Fall is already bobbing its head up and down like an apple lost in a bucket of water. One week we have fall, complete with blankets at night and flannels in the morning, the next week we might be back to summer, for awhile. I am loving the weather! 

The Sandhill Cranes have been flying into the fields quite often, possibly gathering to migrate. I was lucky to be outside with phone in hand so I could grab a picture of a fly-by.

We have had a couple red sunrises. Here is one

 

Some of my succulents have become large, like this Fred Ives. Wonder where I will put him when I bring him inside....?

And last picture for today, here are some of my cold-hardy outdoor succulents.

In other news, I just found out my son-in-law is in the hospital with an infected kidney stone. 

Summer Adventures

July was sweltering hot but August has been great except for a few very hot days. We love the cooler weather, and thankfully for the most part it has been less rainy. We have been trying to explore a different area each weekend. 

Places we visited:

July 5th Wautoma. Just a little place we had not visited before. Stopped for coffee and explored an antique store.

July 6th Portage and Black River Falls. We only stopped briefly in Portage, along the Wisconsin River. Black River Falls was a cute town. There was massive flooding all over this part of Wisconsin because of excessive rain.

July 13th Lake Geneva. Been here several times, have ever found it that interesting unless you have money to spend.

July 20th Fond Du Lac. We have been here before. We enjoy the park along Lake Winnebago.

July 27th Green Bay, industrial, gritty, stinky. We did find a nice waterfall northeast of town, the closest I've been to Door County. However we did have fun because it was an awesome family outing!

August 3rd Montello and Stevens Point. Montello is a small community with awesome waterfalls in an old quarry. It was too hot that day to explore. We arrive late at Stevens Point because it was not planned. The downtown was dumpy, tattoo parlors and video game places in buildings that are just shadows of their former glory. 

August 10th Wausau, a lovely city with a beautiful and vibrant city center.

August 17th Stoughton, not as interesting as we hoped. They focus on Norwegian heritage but most everything is scattered inside the shops,

August 24th Lime Kiln Park in Grafton, interesting park we had not visited before.

We both really would like to visit Wausau again. The area is beautiful and the city is lovely, not usually something I find often. 

This is all for now. Probably more adventures to come later.

Healing

 I really should give an update on my health since changing the way I eat to low carb, moderate protein and high fat. In a nutshell:

I effortlessly lost about 20 pounds and now am the same weight I was in high school.

My heart palpitations completely disappeared.

My asthma completely disappeared and I no longer need asthma spray.

My high blood pressure completely disappeared and I no longer need medication.

I just had my annual diabetic eye exam and my eye health is excellent. The minor problems have not progressed. 

My glucose is not yet totally controlled so I continue to take medications, but I'm no longer experiencing the highs and crashes that I was before changing how I eat. 

I work on my leg strength to protect my knees. My left knee is still wonky when descending stairs, but it's much better. I can keep up a good pace when walking, and hubby and I walk fairly fast. I am several years his senior so I am quite pleased.

The details about what to eat and not eat would take awhile to explain, so for now I will simply say, there are no essential carbohydrates, but I do consume them in small amounts. Adequate protein is necessary every day, and healthy fats are a source of fuel and the key to not being hungry.

That being said, hydration and electrolytes are super important. Once your body learns to burn fat for fuel, the water weight and pounds will melt away. But your electrolytes will also flush away, so it is very important to replace them, daily. My heart palpitations disappeared once I started taking Magnesium and increasing salt intake. I add salt and Lite Salt (has potassium) to my water daily. This prevents leg cramps and dehydration.

It's getting late. I will write more later. Wishing you all better health!

Stress

June and July have been brutal bill-wise. Hubby was paid for the 4th of July but there was no work the night before and no pay to cover it, so his check was short. With so many debts, every penny counts. It didn't help that I was in the ER for about 5 hours on May 30th for dangerously low blood pressure and dehydration. I am thankful I have Medicare Advantage.

Inflation is out of control. The strong economy and robust job market does nothing for us, as prices keep going up and up. The multitude of jobs out there DO NOT PAY ENOUGH. The few higher paying jobs that have been generated are not in our area or require a degree or years of experience.

It's also depressing to note that some companies are laying people off, some in the thousands. John Deere is closing three plants and moving operations to Mexico.

I just want to see an end to the forever upward spiraling cost of living.

In other news, there is a huge amount of stress in this nation regarding our future as a nation. I can't believe there are some people who think falling under Putin's rule is a good idea.

By the way, my knee is good now. I'm back to walking, weather permitting.

Are There Any Possibilities Out There?

 We have mixed feelings about Hartford. It has lots of grocery stores and restaurants, lots of jobs that don't pay enough. It has an uninviting downtown, bisected by a noisy, busy Highway 60. It's expensive. I have looked for a less expensive apartment, but I guess because we have been here since 2018 our rent is raised each year but not as much as for someone just moving in. Don't get me wrong, we pay ALL our bills on time. What has changed is the cost of living. Food keeps going up. We have dumbed it down to bare bones. We have made account adjustments to find less expensive options (rare as hen's teeth). My hubby received a nice raise, which helps. So what is the problem? Since they cut everyone's overtime we are unable to save like we were, and are unable to pay down our debts as planned. We had planned to be completely out of debt by August or September. Now, unless something changes, it will take years.

So we were looking into changing locations. Maybe a new location, a good job and a cheaper apartment. So far our research has shown us the painful fact that wages are lower everywhere else and apartments cost even more.

We had dreams of living closer to Lake Michigan, where we didn't need to drive an hour just to walk on some sand dunes. We love Sheboygan with its miles of sandy beaches. We planed to visit Kenosha but haven't yet. We really felt a move could become a reality. It was going to be our dream, our future. I joined all the job boards and apartment pages and I find everyone in the same boat. Rent is too high. Pay is too low. There are too many people in the world. Everyone is trying to find their own little special paradise. There isn't enough paradise to go around.