It goes on and on

Um, wow.  Cap and I (sans kids) spent over three hours in the kitchen decluttering (not even reorganizing...we can't do that until we know what we are keeping/what we have).  And we are not finished.  o.O

I was very fatigued (experiencing the flu-like exhaustion which defined my last time going Paleo...but then it only lasted four days, this time I have only had one day of feeling utterly awful, but not feeling myself has continued for longer...it will be a week tomorrow) so Cap did most of the physical work.  Which partly explains why it is taking so long, but still...

Here are some "during" photos:

 part of the give away/donate pile.

 I see another cookbook purge in our future.

 I could not let go of the 1970s family punch bowl (cups, cup hangers, ladle in bowl).

 the big boys: picnic basket, bread machine, ice cream maker and two slow cookers.

so many containers...evidence I haven't been cooking much lately.

I'm happy to report that we did not see a single mouse poop (we've covered about 75% of the kitchen floor to ceiling, nooks and crannies).  This makes me think the mice have been coming to hang out rather than eat.  And I'm not sure how I feel about that.  On the one hand, it would be an ironic manifestation of our mi casa, su casa family vibe, but on another, I wonder if it may be harder to get rid of our unwelcome guests than if they were just here for food.

Cap (my partner extraordinaire) is due back at the courthouse in the morning (jury duty) and then has a meeting, so we won't be working on the kitchen tomorrow.  But, progress is progress and I love feeling less encumbered.  Every degree feels new and refreshing.

Peace.

What's going on

• first indication of inflammation going down: gums stopped bleeding on day 3 (while flossing)

• no weighing of self allowed on the Whole30...liberating, yet annoying

• mood definitely grumpy...with tinges yesterday of self-loathing

• headache dominated on day 2 but non-issue since then

• stiff ache-y neck and head on left side day 4

• trouble falling asleep day 4, up early day 5 (most "awake" upon waking so far)

• "crashy" periods of fatigue in afternoon days 3 and 4

This is boring.  Apologies.  Maybe this info will come in handy for me someday.

Something slightly more interesting: yesterday I thought: yes, yes, moderation is key.  After four days I could feel/see some positive difference amidst the aches and fatigue and grouchiness.  My clothes were certainly fitting differently yesterday.

(I don't like being overweight, but it's never bothered me that much.  Except for the time period between ages 12 and 18 when I felt bad about my body shape/weight and I wasn't overweight at all.  Fucked up.  Yes.)

There is a part of me that gets intensely curious about the quantified "mass" that drops off when I lose weight.  And about how certain people always remark on how "great" I look when I am in the lean side of the pendulum swing.

What I do know, at this point, is that how my clothes fit and how puffy or chubby I look (and when I can weigh myself, how much I weigh) are easily notable markers on how I am doing inflammation-wise, inside.  And my goal is to reduce that systemic inflammation, as much as possible.

I am feeling, again, how remarkable this Paleo thing is.  Because it's only been a few days and I can already see a difference.  At times yesterday, I was ready to bag the Whole30 thinking if moderation was the answer then why keep on with the extremism?

(Yet another inner voice rising with alarm: you know why, because "moderation" doesn't work for you!)

But, I'm curious.  There is a supposed "reset" of the system that happens if you stick to this (no grains, no sugar, no dairy, no legumes, no white potatoes, no vegetable/seed oils*) for 30 days.  What exactly will that reset feel like?  How will it translate for me?  Will it help to excavate deeper into what holds me back from optimum being and living?

More than curiosity, I realize now, it is hope that drives me.

Finally, a mouse update.  A very nice guy from the pest control company came mid-week and put down a number of poison bait things.  His demeanor and words went a long way towards assuaging my guilty feelings that my bad housekeeping brought the rain of mice turds down on our home.  He said usually within 2-3 weeks of this treatment mouse activity ceases.

When I opened the door of the bedroom this morning to step into the vestibule on the way to the bathroom, I saw one of the peppermint cotton balls dead center in front of me rather than tucked under the heating baseboard.  In a pretty direct line, I saw into the bathroom that the three cotton balls that had been stuffed into an opening of the wall were scattered about on the bathroom mat in front of the toilet.

It had been over a week since I saw any sign of activity and my heart sank.

I feel bad, but I hope the mouse found some of the poison bait last night (though there are no bait things placed in this immediate area...doh!)  I didn't see any poops so I'm wondering if it was a drive-by with no lingering.  Maybe they were going for the bait things in the nearby kitchen.

All I know now is that I am worn thin and have more sympathy for my nerves than the mouse/mice.

Between Barbra being here and then going Whole30, I haven't been decluttering for over a week.  Cap and I are hoping to tackle the kitchen this weekend.

Oh my goodness, speaking of Cap, he has had a week of serving on a jury that has gotten increasingly taxing by the day.  Send him some cheery energy if you can.

Off to Qigong and then the farmer's market!

Peace.

ETA:

*olive oil is okay and I use that, ghee and coconut oil in addition to rendered fat from meats to sauté/cook stuff.

Cool as a cuke in a pool

This made my day.  Sag started swim class this morning and had a blast.  

I placed peppermint infused cotton balls all over the kitchen after finding a single dropping on the counter I cleaned up yesterday.  Grr...little rodent 1 - spluttering me 0.  (No droppings anywhere else, though.)

I made grass-fed beef sliders for lunch and Sandy's Asian-y chicken drumsticks for dinner.

I had a hard time falling asleep last night, I had caffeine for the first time in over a week and it was timed just a tad too late in the day, methinks.  Between sleep deprivation and my leg muscles being sore today, I decided to chill and read rather than tackle another decluttering job.

Peace.