IBS and other fun...

Last Sunday when I'd been 6 full days with painful stomach cramps, I took myself off to urgent care to make sure there wasn't something else going on...

( Warning medical discriptions )

I am feeling better but have recognized the need to increase my fruit and vegetable intake on this low grain diet to make sure I'm getting enough fiber.  It's always going to be a struggle because I don't particularly care for vegetables and I don't think about eating them.  I also need to make sure I'm getting exercise because that seems to help keep my body working.  I'd been slacking a bit and only getting 1 or 2 days a week of exercise and I need at least 3.  Ugh...also not my favorite thing.  This being a responsible adult thing kind of stinks!

Stress at work is still pretty high but I'm in a holding pattern waiting for other people to finish things so I can start my part.  This summer could be crazy busy but I'm still taking the vacation time I requested.  I decided to dive back into the SCA with the help of good friends.  We'll see how this year works and then assess again but I'm hopeful that I can renew my love of the society by getting involved again.  It's really about the people for me at this point.  I'm still struggling with the Arts and Sciences that intrigue me but that I just haven't had much time to pursue.  One of the consequences of this decision is that I need some new garb before Egils.  Marian, Trudi, and I have set aside next Tuesday to put together ideas and cut out things I can put together quickly and maybe some not so quickly for the longer haul.  I tore my sewing room apart and I think I might have a fabric acquisition problem...


Wool


More wool


Brocades. The one on the left is silk and metallic threads the other is polyester.


Linen (there is a bit of Sari trim that matches this peach color perfectly which may become trim for it)


Silk (I have something cut out of silk also but didn't take a picture)
I also made a bit of a mess.

While I would like to move my entire wardrobe over to the Persian/Turkish/Ottoman cultures, it's probably not reasonable to try to do that in one swoop.   I'll need to make some transitional pieces.  My eye is always drawn to the fancy work but I need to make practical pieces too. After all, there are some events that fancy is just not practical! (can we say mud and blackberry thorns?)

I have three weeks but there are a lot of other things that have to happen in that time too.  Since my mother is having major surgery on Tuesday next week, I'll need to get everything done in the garden that she needs to help me with this weekend and I may need to be helping her out some on the following weekends so her garden is in good shape as well.  The items on my outdoor to do list are overwhelming me so I'm going to list them out to take the unknown factor out of the equation The first part are the ones that are more urgent.  The second part I'd like to get done this year but I can be more flexible:

• Mow


• Set up the hammock


• Make the squash bed (create the wood form and fill it).


• Create trellis system for  honeysuckle and plant the honeysuckle


• Hoe the tree saplings out of the flower bed under the chain and maple trees


• Make a potato box


• Create vertical garden space for strawberries and lettuce/herbs


• Create watering system for garden area


• Plant the garden (Tomatoes, beans, beets, parsnips, carrots, broccoli [replace?], spinach, onions, basil)


• Create trellis system for climbing beans and tomatoes.

• Replace rosemary that didn't survive the winter


• Replace the blueberry that didn't survive planting


• Pull the broken limb out of the tree


• Prune or chop down the dead tree


• Purchase and plant flowers in the new flower bed (begonias, impatients,  sweet william, hostas, lilly of the valley)


• Create/purchase hanging pots


• Purchase and plant new fuchsia starts.


• Pull tree sapling out of the rosebush


• Replace rosebushes that reverted to root stalk. Maybe add some additional


• Get and spread bark dust.


• Dig out flower bed by fence and plant herb bushes


• Create new flower beds around the trees.


• Rebuild the deck.

It's a lot and I don't know how far my resources will stretch which, if I'm honest, is the biggest stressor for me. Part of going back to the SCA means allocating funds for food and travel to be able to do so.  There are a lot of pulls on my funds which is part of why I've had to step back.  I'll just try to be reasonable in both endeavors and see how it goes. (she says while her heart races at the thought of trying to figure out how to balance it all and what if I don't do it right and run short of money?!!!)

Phew...so I've vomited out all my stress onto "paper", maybe it will help me get organized.