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Today is day 8 going without sweets or wine. Perhaps I shouldn't count my chickens before they hatch but last Sunday was the first time in months that I didn't bring home sweets or croissants from the church “free give-away”. Our church has a very large food ministry on Fridays which I do not go to, even to help since I broke my back. They fill about 150 boxes for our neighborhood plus give bulk food to other churches in the area. There used to be a government-sponsored one on Wednesdays too but that stopped about a year ago. Wednesdays were the ones I worked on for a few years. Now, not only should I not be lifting, it just tears up my lower back (where my original problems are) to just be standing. What I am able to stand the pain of doing, I reserve for my own house and yard. Sundays after church they give out the left-overs from Friday, plus what comes in on Saturday. Originally it was just for our church family but more and more people (about 20 or 30) are dropping by without coming to service to take things too. It has become so crowded many parishioners don't even try to compete. The funny thing is many of them are not interested in things like Brussel sprouts, chard, broccoli, kale, leeks, mushrooms, fancy cheeses like goat cheese, buffalo mozzarella, or things they don't know what it is, or maybe even damaged things. There are usually around 20 big boxes of bread and sweets like all food ministries get. There are usually boxes of overripe bananas, last week 2 pallets. Most people don't want things like berries if there are several spoiled ones in the box. Many items are marginal or blemished, actually, some are spoiled. After the main throng goes through there are still things left that are useable if one is willing to go through them. There is so much bread and sweets that probably about 60% of the sweets and 70% of the bread is left.
I do take a few things for my 1 friend that had part of her intestines removed and is doing so poorly. She now has kidney stones and is in a great deal of pain from that and sciatica. She is on a special diet now so can't use most of what I used to take her. Her son (DIL and granddaughter) and her 2 caretakers and sometimes a nurse have to handle her needs as best as they can. My heart aches for her but I just can't handle getting more involved in her care but I always feel kind of guilty. She needs someone to change her bag, bathe her, cook for her, and clean the house. I've never changed her bag and she's never asked. I've never washed her kitchen floor and she's never asked. She is just grateful for what I do but it breaks my heart to see her condition. Sometimes I stay away just not to see it. Have you done that? There just isn't that much left of me, I can't even handle my own house. She lives about 10 or 12 miles from me. It isn't worth spending the money on gas driving that far for a loaf of bread or a head of lettuce. She can't cook most of the time. I only take groceries about every other week now.
I keep telling myself I am content to put up with my lack of keeping up my house because of my bad back and age (80). My husband is not satisfied but strangely is not complaining as much lately. I sure have been busy lately but do some things sitting in front of the TV leaning back on pillows in my lower back. He has been pulling some weeds lately, and transplanting some plants that I don't think will live because there are no roots on them but his working in the yard is good for him and it sure keeps him out of my hair. He is from Europe so always believed the house and yard “belong to” the wife to take care of. For my birthday years ago he bought me a used push mower for our 4 lawns.
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60.5 kg
Lost so far: 0 kg.
Still to go: 7.2 kg.
Diet followed: Reasonably Well.
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Losing 1.3 kg a Week
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