Tuesday This and That

 Follow up on my check-up with the nurse practitioner and my metformin for weight loss journey. The
scale does not lie, there was no change in my weight.  I have been monitoring my caloric intake and going to the gym three days a week for weight training. Maybe I am building muscle?  

 She wants to continue the metformin for 6 weeks with an increase in dosage to 1000mg per day. We are trying to build a case for the Ozempic injection for insulin resistance/weight loss and appeal the decision by insurance.  Insurance declined it initially.  It being Ozempic. 

We did pick up the stuff from the online auction. The drive is about two hours round trip. We are able to take back roads and enjoy the scenery which is still very rural.  The small town where the auction house is located is struggling, with many buildings listed for sale.  It seems their primary employer is the large county jail that is adjacent to the small town. 

 At first look, most of it will be saleable. There are a few items that will go straight back to the thrift store. Most of which are home decor items, that are mass-produced for stores like Hobby Lobby, etc. I am going to start listing the remainder of the items today.  It will take me several days to get through all the stuff. 

The dove that was hanging out in the pole barn was actually sitting on two eggs, the baby doves are now sharing the nest with their momma. This is the second set of hatchlings this year for this same spot.  

Hubs is going to see the pain management doctor at the end of the week.  Hopefully, it will be a noninvasive fix for him and he can get back to his old self and back to work.  I have given him my TENS unit that I used before my rotator cuff surgery and we bought him a back brace belt that was recommended.  He has used neither. I ask him if he is going to and his response is yes, tomorrow. 

The grandkids are going back to school in a couple of weeks, summer for them has flown by.  I am taking my granddaughter to the movies today for a fun day out. Last Saturday, I took my grandson out thrifting.  He really enjoys going and looking for video games and stuff.  Lucky kid, he always finds something!

Hope you have a great Tuesday!

Wednesday, Online Auction, Gym Time

 Time just gets away from me! I am still staying busy with tackling daily lists and running around the grandkids.  They are getting older so any time I get with them ( even if it is chauffeuring them from point A to point B) is good enough for me. 

Early morning walk with Cricket 

Yesterday, I met up with to former coworkers for a brunch at a biscuit joint. This is the second year we met for brunch since I left my position pre-covid 2019.  We bonded as teacher assistants in an elementary school that (we felt) treated teacher assistants as second-class employees.  The grunts.  That being said,
budgets have been cut so severely that there are so few teacher assistants, and now only for ESE students, mainstream teachers are getting the short end of the stick. Brunch was really good as was the company.  I really enjoy these ladies. 

My gym time has been consistent for the last 4 weeks.  This has a lot to do with my husband being home with his back injury.  I miss having the house to myself lol, and getting up at 4:30 to go to the gym, walking the dog, and spending time on the porch drinking coffee  (by myself) and enjoying the crows keeps me grounded. His being home and not really able to do all the things he wants to do is frustrating for him and for me. I know, this shall pass too. 

I am still not able to remember where I put the new spray nozzle for the hose.  It has got to be here somewhere.  I have been cleaning out my eBay room and putting together a bag of stuff that will be going back to the thrift store. I was also able to throw out some things which I know won't sell or are not fit for the thrift store.  

On the other hand, I will be going to an auction house to pick up several lots I won via an online auction. Did I get carried away? Yes.  Do I need to NOT do an online auction for a few weeks?  Also yes.  Each lot starts out at $5.00 and for the most part, you can typically win with just a $5.00 bid.  The quantity of items in each lot varies. I won a tea set that was made in Japan for $5, and another lot was 20 Horror DVD's for $5.  

Today I am headed to see the NP to follow up on the Metformin for weight loss. I have not got on the scale as I can get carried away with daily weigh-ins.  I also need to decide today if I want to sign up for online counseling, I am still feeling "stuck" and lack the ability to move on with a couple of issues.  The weight gain and LACK of counseling most likely go hand in hand.  

Off to get the day started!

Crows, Bad Back, and Back to the Gym

 The crows are still visiting and let me know when they are here in the morning.  It can be a bit noisy 
depending on the number.  I dutifully throw out peanuts every morning and watch them search out the nuts and take turns jumping onto and sometimes into the birdbath.

Our mower died, so June was officially "No Mow June".  In the past, this would have driven me crazy.  A messy ill-kept yard was just me.  This probably goes back to growing up in a military family where everything had to be just so.  High and tight. No room for exceptions. 

As it turns out, having grass that was a little scruffy for over a month did not bother me at all this time. It was out of my control and overall it really did not look that bad. Eventually, the mower was fixed and I was able to mow the yard on July 4th.  I sure hope that the repair holds out.  I am just not prepared to buy a new riding lawn mower at this time.  They are darn pricey. 

The hubs has been suffering with an injured back.  It came on suddenly, and the pain was debilitating. He saw his primary doc and was given muscle relaxers, pain meds, and anti-inflammatories. He was using my walker from previous knee replacement surgeries to get around the house and had to sleep in his recliner for at least a week.  An MRI revealed that he is suffering from a pinched nerve with disc compression in two of his lumbar discs. The report offers significantly more detail, but in a nutshell that is what he has to deal with for now. 

He has been on leave from work for two weeks, and may not be back to work for several more weeks.  Right now he is waiting to get in to see a pain management doc to see about pain management and whatever else they can do for him. He is able to get around much better right now, but there are still times when he needs to sit down and take a break.  Today he goes in for his colonoscopy (history of polyps) and Thursday he sees another doc about elevated PSA (prostate-specific antigen). Definitely a busy week for him. 

arriving at the gym at 6AM

I have been going back to the gym at least two days a week, with a goal of three times a week. This is
week three, so there has been continuity to this effort.  I will ride the recumbent bike for 15 minutes ( to keep my knees flexible) and then work out the upper body one day and then the lower body the next day.  I use the machines they have in the gym to accomplish the workouts but I would like to look into using more free weights.  I have also added walking a mile or so three times a week.  I definitely can walk more, but it is so dang hot and humid this time of year. 

Three weeks ago, I saw my doctor's Nurse Practioner regarding weight-loss help.  She put me on metformin to help with appetite control and weight loss.  She wanted to put me on Ozempric but insurance will not cover it for weight loss, only if I had diabetes, which is not the case. The metformin is helpful and I have been able to cut back and I am tracking calories. The NP and I have come to the conclusion that I am insulin resistant and that has contributed to my weight gain.  I go back and see her in a couple of weeks. 

June has been exceptionally hot this year where we are. The AC seems to be running nonstop. How is it where you are?