shaz wrote: ↑Sat Oct 14, 2023 7:28 pm
@mooretrees I'm sorry to hear your dad has cancer. I think it must be difficult even if you don't feel a strong connection to him.
Thanks @Shaz. It’s not his first rodeo with cancer, and that first time was terrifying. He went through the wringer on that one, and it took some good years and functionality from him. But I feel confident that he feels it was worth it! And I do too. He wouldn’t have met DH or DS if he hadn’t survived the earlier cancer. Cancer does suck hard.
Sorta a monthly update…
We’re settled, kinda, into the new spot. I’ve been able to bike to work! It’s an easy ride and I’m enjoying being back on the bike. Also, not having a crushing ascent home makes it easier to get on the bike. Over the last two weeks I’ve driven two out of six shits. If we stay here for winter I’m going to advocate for getting rid of one of the cars. However, we might move if we can get onto this potential property in the mountains. It’s lower than where we were before and basically across from a great trailhead. It remains to be seen if we will get onto the property, but we’re daydreaming about it. The daydreams are revealing. We’ve only been on other people’s land since living in the bus. At this potential place it would be just us. Anyway, before I get to attached to it we’ve got to see if it could happen. It feels very likely though…..
I’m enjoying my extra day off now that the farmers market is over. The job is turning out to be a great entree into the local food scene, shocking huh? We’ve been eating a lot of local produce and I am happy with how open DS is to it. His days of being picky might be over, thankfully!
Food:
I’m still processing free fruit, the last of the season. I’m down to apples and quince. Holy shit am I FUCKING CRAZY for quince. I am not sure how to describe it, but I felt like my life changed with my first taste. Yes, I know that’s totally ridiculous but wow, I’m gonna chase that fruit any chance I can get. I’ve made a preserve and will do more of that with the last of it, plus some fruit leather. I’ve got quite a bit of applesauce canned, and now will try apple butter and more fruit leather. With the cores and discards of both fruit I’ll make some vinegar.
Skoolie life:
We’re tweaking stuff in the bus, making small steps towards more functionality. We had some leaks that DH has been working on and might have plugged. Of course we haven’t had any rain since to see! Next project is the wood burner! I need to clear out that space and see what help I can help getting DH going on that project. It feels even more necessary as the diesel heater needs some work so we’re back to the electric space heater. That is fine until you want to run the induction stovetop or the temp drops into the 20’s. Sigh.
Mental Health:
I’ve been in therapy for a few months now. It’s really interesting now diving into myself. I’m not the most introspective person, and this is helping me get to know myself better. I’m also reading Radical Acceptance and it is hitting home. So, growth ya know.
Physical Health:
Biking is great, I’ve gone on a few road runs that I’m not crazy about. I’ve also been doing the squats and Knees over toes split squats to address my weak hip muscles. I miss the kettlebell swings though! I need to review the video that theanimal posted above and try again. I let my antidepressant lapse for a few days and my perimenopausal symptoms came back in full strength. Night sweats and terrible sleep are the rough ones. I hope they’ll recede soon. I splurged and made a massage appt for next week. I’m hoping some progress can be made on my calves. It feels pretty indulgent!
Side hustles:
With the holiday season about upon us, I’m back to making candles and we’re upping our coffee sales. I’m still figuring out how to use our candles in the bus, but feel better able to talk about them to potential customers. It’s normal for me to fumble around by the light of a taper and make coffee and read before work. It’s the best when I make tea from herbs and honey I collected. Deeply nourishing.
Social life:
I’ve managed to create a satisfying Sunday dinner ritual with our last landlords! My extroverted needs are getting met more often, yah! I feel glimmers of deeper relationships on the horizon. We have a few older friends in Portland that we miss and they feed us like no one nearby. Buuuttt, I can’t stomach the idea of living in a city again. I’m trying to be patient with newer friends and think of the long game. Plus, the richness of the area for outdoor living is too good to leave.
Ok, off to go home and fall into bed. One of our dogs got a bad cut and is in a plastic cone. It’s sad and hilarious to see her struggle to maneuver with it on. However, she’s keeping me up as she’s used to sleeping between my legs and this whole cone thing is bothering me at night.