Energy Bank

Whatever Happened to Quicksand?!

Am I the only one who grew up thinking that quick sand was an imminent danger on a daily basis? I think cartoons, Lassie, and other shows seemed to warn us that quick sand was something to always look out for, but I have never encountered it, in real life. That said, some of the photos of those sink holes seem terrifying and unbelievable.

Our Urban Farm and the Golden Girls

Just look at the fluffy little chicken butts on these Mother Cluckers. I could watch these ladies peck around the yard all day. They really have a calming quality about them.

Our Garden is starting to explode - these photos are from about a week ago. And, if all of our zucchini plants start producing like the appear that they might, we can feed all of Dalehurst Drive.

Front yard - who needs shrubs and flowers when you have lettuce and snap peas?

Backyard gardens:

Health Update

Not much to report, which is a good thing!

My most recent MRI showed that my tumor is stable and I've restarted my Avastin infusions and began my steroid taper - I'm already sleeping better for being on the lowest dose of steroid since my diagnosis almost a year ago (June 23).

My sick feeling days are mostly isolated to my chemo week and a few days into the following week.

How Not to Die

Reading and loving this book right now. Mar is also reading. After 2 people described it as life changing, I had to give it a try. And, I concur.

Maximizing Our Time

We are trying to get out and about as much as possible on the weeks that I'm feeling well and now that we are vaccinated. This weekend, we went for ice cream, lunch, mocktails and picked up kettle corn from our buddy, Rolston, at Queen City Poppin' in NoDa. I had a great weekend of fun with my best buddy - along with some laundry, yard work and general adulting.

And we are back to one of our favorite hobbies of cooking together on these weeks.

Energy Bank

On my 45 min sweat steady ride with Jess King yesterday morning (the most challenging Peloton ride I've taken on in a long time!). It felt great to be able to push harder than I have been able to recently! I have surpassed the 500 ride mark. In true Katie fashion, I didn't realize that I was at 500 and didn't do it as a live ride, as intended. I thought I was at 499 and passed it right by oops! But I'm over 500, all the same.

I felt like Jess was talking directly to me when there were about 20 mins left in the ride. She was talking about our energy bank and how we control where we put our energy. I believe that she was referring more to making time for fitness, etc. But I was thinking in terms of how that's been such a tough lesson for me this year - how to live my life and feel mildly productive (even if it's time with loved ones, reading, making small gains at work, working with Brad on managing medical billing stuff, fitness/workouts, ordering groceries, cooking when I can) and include time to do nothing/recharge/rest. Because my brain healing literally forced me to do it, I have started to learn how - with lots of hiccups along the way.

But why wasn't I considering managing my energy before all of this? We all get the same amount of hours in the day and a finite, undetermined amount of time on this earth. And we are all dying - it's just a matter of what and when. Why aren't we more careful with the energy we expend? It's sort of the way that Brad talks to people about spending. Even in small amounts, you are trading that $6 on takeout for saving it to fund something you are really passionate about. When we spend 20 mins arguing with someone online or scrolling through instagram, that is 20 minutes that we do not have for some more enjoyable pursuit - even if it's doing nothing. Doesn't that sound luxurious in the middle of a busy day? 20 mins to do absolutely nothing? But we think nothing of picking up our phone to mindlessly scroll for 20 minutes.