I’ve been back for two and a half months.  I know I’ve been helping out Mom alot, and her home shows it.  She’s doing well, making tracks, and is even enjoying physical therapy!  I’ve been working hard to get some good protein in her and making sure she stays hydrated.  If I don’t, some of her old habits come right back.  But she’s moving on along and getting stronger, healthier and more independent day by day.

Me?  Well, that’s another story.  I’ve been getting fatter, poorer, and out of shape-er day by day, and it’s got to stop!  When I cook for two, I cook for two of me when it should be just one and a quarter.  So, guess where that food goes?  And everyone knows how much I hate food…  I was hauling my ISUP between the boat and here in San Juan Capistrano, but I’d always wind up leaving the pump at the place I wasn’t.  Some kind of subliminal denial in there somewhere??  I’m spending money like I had it, going in to Target (yes Nancy, it is like Nordie’s after you’ve been in Mexico) and getting things Mom needs, and then a shiny, pretty thing goes by, and I buy it.  Oh, and who the heck invented credit cards?  Curses, damn you!  Some of those curses need to be shared with whoever invented TV.  I haven’t had a TV since 1994.  I now have become an HGTV aficionado, and find myself giving suggestions to my sister on how to ‘demo that wall for that open concept feel’ in her home.  I HAVEN’T LIVED ASHORE FOR ABOUT 30 YEARS!!!  What the heck do I know?  Then there’s Animal Planet’s Cat From Hell show, and I use some of the tips for Makani, although he’s not from hell, yet. 

It’s sensory overload whether by taste, sight or sound!  I need the peace and quiet again, as well as the simple, whole foods I ate while traveling.  I need to keep my needs simple, thus cutting down on spending, keep my priorities simple (health, Mom, and Willow gear), and my sensory stimulus simple, as in lose the TV!  Last year during the heat of the Mexican summer, I’d pick the hours between 1200 and 1400 for my walk to town for groceries, supplies, sightseeing or just plain exercise.  I’d plug in my earphones and make phone calls or listen to music while I walked, and it gave me a great sense of health.  I paddled the ISUP where I needed or wanted to go, and it was a blast.  Things just have to change for my sake, and for Mom’s sake.  She does well by example, and I’m not setting a very good one right now.  So, enough!

I’m back to more simple foods, riding my ‘clown bike’ for errands, and writing and exercising for my health.  The extra el-bees will slowly go away, and I’ll be in a much better place.  Purchases will be researched for cost and options, and I may even pick up a part time job to pay off those dastardly credit cards quickly.   I applied for a slip in Dana Point, and with Willow closer, I’ll be able to keep up with her maintenance, as she’ll be five minutes from Mom’s house.  That’ll take 4-6 months of wait time unless a sub-lease becomes available sooner.  I miss that dang boat, and want to give her the attention she needs.  Having the boat close by, I can help out the Moms and take good care of Willow at the same time. 

I’m back on track and look forward to more calm instead of chaos.  Yippee!!!