Week of Volunteering

This last week I had pretty full "work days". As I mentioned before, I was volunteering for two days for the middlesex conservation district plant sale. Both days were very different but tons of fun. The first day was preparing all the plants. They came bundled together so it involved packaging up individual or groups of plants. And then the next day was boxing up the pre-orders. All very well organized and composed of retired folks doing the volunteer work. It was fun to sit and work the first day, socializing with folks. I sat with one lady, Ginny, who had started her career off at Cornell in their ecological department and I heard about the various detours her life went through from children with special needs and reinventing her career later in life. And later, sat with Al who had served in the Air Force and had recently been forced into retirement after a career as a truck driver. He seemed to have had 9 lives and had pieces of him missing from a finger tip (bomb went off overseas), ear tip (frostbite) to a bunch of other stuff. I was thinking how I fell into this volunteer experience and it being a good fit. I love repetitive work (in moderation), learning and supporting native ecosystems, and I had been looking into volunteering with seniors who might be isolated. I'm not saying these individuals were but it was a nice overlap of all my interests. And it felt good being able to help pick up some slack from a few folks who had canceled and get us finished on time the first day. 

The second day was like a fun version of being an Amazon warehouse runner - filling orders. I really got to know a lot of plants through the repetition of boxing up the orders (over 200 we did). And I wish I had brought my pedometer to track my steps. It was a lot of work. I was hungry by 11 a burning up the calories. But so satisfying seeing the floor of the tent fill up with boxes of goodies for the customers coming to the sale. And of course the comradery was fun as we figured things out. 

And then I switched gears and helped my friend out with her three kids (ages 4, 3, and 9 months). Her husband was away for a few days and she had trouble sleeping with this disruption to her routine. Plus her partner in crime was gone and she was doing everything. I could only spend one night but it was a ton of fun to catch up and help out. The kids warmed up to me quickly and I got them ready for bed, read books and put them to sleep so my friend could catch up with stuff around the house. 

One fun thing was that at dinner, we had a fish dish and there were some extra wedges of lemons. The 9 month old was on solids but had never tried the sour lemon.  Having watched my share of YouTube videos and also running out of ideas to keep him occupied (he was getting fussy and tired) I gave him his first lemon wedge. Of course after asking permission. The face was priceless but then he got into the taste and really sucked on the lemon for awhile. My friend was surprised and I felt good introducing him to a new flavor and technique the mom could use. 

And it was such a nice dopamine hit the next day when we were parting ways and my friend explained all the ways I had been helpful. It was the last night alone and she was worn out and the help came at the perfect time. She was really excited about discovering this worked out especially since her husband might be going on more work trips later this year. I did put it out there that this worked well because of my flexible schedule from not working. Doing this in the middle of the week would be challenging, mainly because of her location. She's pretty close to me but on the other side of town so that just getting to her place takes as long as getting to my friends way out in suburbia. 

Well, I'm off for another packed day - orienteering in central Mass.,  visiting with another friend afterwards and then on my way home, visiting with my old neighbors. And I'm running behind schedule!

Gardening Dilema

I can't remember if I mentioned, I've gotten into gardening. Last summer I inherited taking over the gardens after my neighbors moved out and really enjoyed tending to the plants and being out in nature. Well really, I spend my time weeding, trimming dead branches, weeding and more weeding. It's a little tricky as I don't know what the names are and the previous Gardner doesn't always know the names either, she just liked the plant regardless of if it was a weed or not (or invasive). Last year, I specifically limited myself to getting to know the gardens and the plants and no planning or purchases. But there are some gaps in the garden beds and there are some areas that invasive "weeds" are beating me at my weeding game (actually I figured out if you don't weed right you end up helping the weed multiple even faster - opps). 

Over the winter I casually looked at gardening stuff and frankly it's overwhelming - so many plants and hard to know what works with what and if it will do well in my garden beds. And things added up $$ quickly. I kept coming back to the idea of trying to pick out native, non-invasive plants. But again this was challenging because I could read a ton about them but then trying to match up what was being sold at nurseries, what they looked like when they bloomed, and where to plant them were a lot of variables. I forget how I got to my answer, probably late night surfing, I stumbled upon the middlesex conservation district website. Not a ton of info, but the timing was perfect - they have a spring plant sale to raise money for their non-profit  programs and they needed volunteers. And the best part, they paid you for your time with plants!  A great way to experiment in my next phase of gardening without "wasting" money on plants that might die while I'm in my trial and error phase. My plan is to pick up plants without spending a dime. I just finished a day of packaging up seedlings and bulbs and a ton of prep work. And tomorrow I'm helping out again with packaging up the pre-orders. 

And tonight, I brought home the plant list and I am looking up each item online to see what they will look like, how hardy they are (no delicate plants for me) and trying to figure out what to bring home. I just went through and rated each plant - love it, cool to try out, and maybe next time. Unfortunately there are a lot of love its so I'm taking a break before I go back and finalize my list. There are shrubs and trees and groundcovers, and perennials. What to pick?  Oh, and chatting with the other volunteers, a bunch commented that there were a lot of native plants that were hard to find at nurseries and the prices were really good. 

Right now, I'm like, that looks delicious and that looks delicious, but not really thinking what the overall menu should be and what compliments what. And frankly I kind of forgot what I already have to work with already established in my garden beds. I started taking pictures in the late summer to document the different blooms. Oh right, that's yet another variable to deal with, planting a variety of plants so you have things blooming all summer. So I'm already accepting the fact that in the next several years I'll be spending time moving things around and replanting things.  Which frankly is what I do inside my house, rearrange furniture until I get a configuration I really like. Well, it's getting late, and I have my homework to do!

Why Exercise

When I was at the gym today I was thinking about the evolution of my approach to exercise. I had just done the quick 15 minute core class I've been going to periodically and I was appreciating how I had gotten better and enjoying the uncharacteristic situation, where in the small class of all guys and me, it seemed like I was not struggling as much as the others. Afterwards, I was getting in some cardio before running errands and thinking how it's nice my mid-region was getting back to my "normal" flatness. Well, it's never going to be like my early days, but I do feel like a little work and attention keeps from sliding as the good old metabolism wanes. 

My point is that I was wondering what specific exercises helped with the weight loss. Frankly, I've been working out on a regular basis for almost 16 months and the weight loss has been very gradual. I do admit I was partially motivated to join a gym for weightloss/weight maintenance but it wasn't what kept me going. It was the mental payoff that motivated me on the days I just wanted to skip. Having more energy, being happier, getting a bounce in my step, being more focused, sharper mind with more creative ideas and even the social aspect. 

And frankly when it all comes down to it I think 90% of weight loss is diet and 10% exercise. But here's my aha moment. Exercise is critical to weight loss, and here's why. Eating right is hard. I've always been a healthy eater but these last two years I've really focused on eating right. There's nothing I avoid and don't eat, but the key is minimizing non-essential foods. And frankly I often feel like I'm fighting a loosing battle. I've been good about candy (I resisted buying Cadbury creme eggs this Easter - yay me) but baked goods are still my Achilles heel. I've reduced my fruit to a healthy amount but upped my dried fruit and honey intake more than it should be. I've been good about cutting back my dairy. But man, certain times I get hit with carb cravings (aka white flour food - simplified carbs - comfort foods). Basically I still crave sugar in all forms including simplified carbs. 

I'm more aware now why I reach for certain foods: tiredness, boredom, anxiousness, worry, stress, even just being thirsty makes me want something sweet. But even though I know the why, sometimes I don't have enough willpower. And one thing I read was that we all have limited willpower so use it wisely. Figuring out my nature helps reduce the gap that willpower gets you over. Brilliant right?  Well, for me, I've learned that by exercising, I reduce the gap later for eating right. 

In other words, exercising puts you in the right frame of mind to make the right choices when it comes to eating. When I'm exercising I reach for the veggies and protein and healthy fat, I plan and shop for healthy meals. When I've skipped exercising for awhile, I reach for everything else which is mainly variations of sugars even if I have healthy foods ready to go.  It seems so obvious.

Well I had to jot this down because this is something I want to make sure I remember... especially if I've gone for awhile not exercising. A good motivator to get back into exercising. 

Habits and Projects

It's interesting, as I am reading this book on executive skills (it breaks it down into 12 that we each have different levels of competence), I realized that my New Years blog posts was a good technique they recommend - make public your intention. The book is a workbook too and had you take a quiz in the beginning and I found that although I'm weak on a few (which is why I have the book), I'm actually quite strong on a bunch of them. A good reminder to not always focus on just what your weaknesses are. So I thought I'd give a quick update. 

Books:  I really only read a little in the morning. I've put a time limit on the reading during the week. And boy, once I got going, I started cranking. I've finished over 12 books. Amazing how many books you can read when you read every day (which I knew from my commuting days but had forgotten).  I did go through my bookcase and pull out all the books I was in the middle of that I wanted to finish. And I'm almost done with those. It feels so good too, because it's like a sense of accomplishment of a task that was hanging over your head for a long while. Except it was just reading so it shouldn't be a burden, but it did feel like just another unfinished thing. So I feel good about this.  It feels like a good habit is forming quickly. 

And interestingly, as I crank through books, I have less of an urge to acquire more books. Actually, as I write this, I wonder if me accumulating books, was me trying to buy my way to my "fantasy self" - someone who reads a lot. The classic example of this is someone who wants a clean house, buys every cleaning product marketed in magazines and stores, in a subliminal hope the house will be clean.   I can attest to falling into this trap and I'm still working my way through too many cleaning products I bought (I hate throwing them out if they're still good), but now I know and I actually keep my excess cleaning supplies in a separate box (my use it or lose it cleaning box). 

Recipes: this one I'm modifying, but I think it's an improvement. I did cook a few recipes from cookbooks and while I was doing the planning I even let go of two cookbooks from my California days. But I realized, my cookbook collection is visually appealing, compact and tidy. What isn't is my collection of paper recipes from magazines and friends. I want to say last year but I think it's been longer than that, I organized them by category (meat, breakfast, cake, etc), purged a few and painstakingly wrote out a list for each category.  I used the system a bit over the months but not very successfully. Last month, I decided my goal was to go through all my paper recipes this year and have a maximum of 12 recipes to try on file at any time going forward. And get rid of the paper mess that I looked at every day when I opened my pantry.  I went through and really assessed if I wanted to make the meal or if it just sounded nice. One of my new mantras I've acquired that has helped me in other areas is, "I can enjoy the beauty (quirky, etc), without having to own it". Actually no one can physically (let alone financially) own everything they find beautiful. Well, same goes with food. Yes, I might want to eat the meal, but do I want to make it?  And I'm on a mission to make my own meal plan book. Moms often have this figured out by necessity of their staple go-tos for meals. I don't really since I love trying new dishes out but then forget about the good ones. My goal is to have a collection of recipes that are my staples, special occasions, special ingredients, etc. It's riffing on what I figured out with my closet and this approach seems to work for me in answering the inevitable: I have nothing to wear, I have nothing to eat. 

And this new approach is going well. I went through my recipe collection and was brutally honest. I was looking for healthy, easy, regular ingredients, no duplicates (I have enough sweet potato recipes!) and came up with new categories. I have a folder of recipes I'm trying this spring, another one for the summer, fall, winter. I have one folder of challenging recipes (time, technique or special ingredient that isn't easy to find). I realized that for me cooking is both necessity and hobby. So the general recipes are for necessity - I need to feed myself. And then there is the hobby cooking that I love learning a new skill or creating something spectacular - usually in the baking world.  And a final folder that is hopefully all that exists next year - the recipes to try with a max of 12.  So if I find a new recipe and I'm at 12 already, I need to swap it in. I find this act of prioritizing some recipes over others helps me get over having a sea of recipes to choose from that can get overwhelming when they are all treated the same. 

I'm almost done with the spring recipes. I figured out how many I realistically would try each month and then backed into it. For me it worked out to two breakfast, two desserts/snacks, 5 main meals (veggie, meat, salad, side). It forced me to be more real with myself and let go of more recipes than I would normally have. But as a result of having less recipes to try, I'm actually trying out more recipes! Funny how too much of a good thing cancels out the good thing. And of course, taking that extra step and making a plan of what recipes to try when really makes a difference. So feeling good in the recipe front. Some keepers and some duds so far. Oh, and probably most important, I've stopped the influx of more recipes. I no longer have any magazine subscriptions - I realized they caused me more angst of unachieved projects (the dreaded should-do list) than the initial joy of looking through them. 

I wanted to tackle my recipes on Pinterest too, but realize, one thing at a time.  So after I conquer my paper recipe clutter, Pinterest will be next. In the meantime, if I want to browse Pinterest, instead of looking at new pins, I look at my existing pins and delete items that are no longer my style/interest. This feels better than pinning new pins. And prevents me from adding to the pile of recipes I already have on Pinterest. 

Financials: I'm learning the challenges of going cash only. I've been super successful and have my routine pretty well figured out. Although last week at the grocery store I wasn't keeping track of the running total and went to pay and was over, so had to have them take off one item (it was buttermilk for a cake recipe I was going to try but was on the fence if I should make it just for me without sharing it with someone - so just as well). Younger me would have probably been a little embarrassed but what I loved was that the two ladies (I try to pick the same cashier and bag lady each visit because she seems to know her veggie codes the best and doesn't overcharge me accidentally) were friendly for the first time. I think they are so used to the rich suburbanites coming in that this act humanized me to them. Nice up side. 

No online purchases to report. Also, I've been finding the big box store challenge challenging. But so far have been pretty good to limiting one per month. Trader joes run last month - they have the best price on nuts. And I've become more aware of options (or lack of which just increases my resolve). I was running out of Q-tips and normally this is a classic big box store item. It dawned on me the local, dusty 5 and dime store had a tiny toiletry section. And one box of Q-tips. I felt so good getting them there and supporting the local place, especially since I overheard, while I was shopping there, someone asking why the restaurant next door was closing, and the answer was that rent was getting too high. Plus looking at the store front, it's such a nice building in town center versus the ugly new building cvs built down the block that changes the neighborhood character.

Exercise: I should add this one in since I've been reporting on this for awhile. I've been trying different things to get a routine going and felt bad nothing really stuck. But looking back I realized that every effort trying a new approach helped and is slowly changing my baseline. It's kind of like food. I used to eat all kinds of food.  Now a days, if I've gone a few days without eating 90% of what I normally eat (green vegetables, other veggies, whole grains and healthy meats), I have a craving for the healthy food. And my tolerance for some foods are pretty low (like fried food - I can eat a little, on the side). And no more days of heavy carbs being the majority of my diet (cereal, sandwiches, pasta). And the same goes for the exercise now. If I've gone a few days, I have an itch to work out. Well maybe not an itch, but I know I need to go because things feel unbalanced. Oh, and I have to share, one class I've gone to a few times, the other day, the instructor used me as an example. He had me do a move a second time to show the others how to do it - rocking from a position on your back to sitting up. The others in the class were guys and I think guys in general have a harder time with this move due to flexibility issues. Plus they were new and I had been practicing. So overall, I feel like I'm moving forward. Plus orienteering season just started. Well, there were a handful of cross country skiing orienteering meets this winter that I was so excited about and even with all our snow storms, every single one of them were canceled due to lack of snow. Ugh - next year I guess. Actually I need to run, because I'm actually running an informal orienteering course today for a brownie group my friend runs. I set up the course yesterday and will teach the girls how to read a map and use a compass. I'm so happy I found orienteering.