My Oh My It's Now July...

Technically I could have written my June recap yesterday like I normally would but I was easing back in from vacation. Or not so much easing as trying to get the things that HAD to be done before today done. So June recap is today.

How did it go?

Well...

Reading is going swimmingly. Still ahead on the yearly number. Read 3 fiction and 2 nonfiction so a decent mix. Fredrik Backman released a book so that's always a good month. I also read Old Man's War by John Scalzi. I came to Scalzi's work really recently and Old Man's War is his most famous book (and series) so I finally went back and picked it up. Now I have to find the space to read the other 5 (soon to be six) books in the series. Really enjoyable. One of the nonfiction books was called On Muscle: The Stuff that Moves Us and Why it Matters. Really enjoyable. Even if you don't like lifting weights if you like family stories and stories of people doing things out of the mainstream I think it's a good recommendation. But if you do lift weights you will also be inspired to keep pushing your workouts and loving your body strong and solid.

Which is great because my whole weight loss experiment was a total bust. Dropping out the extra sugar I had picked up didn't do anything. Which in a way is good, it means that it wasn't actually all that much sugar. A few "treats" during the week just wasn't the issue. But when I started thinking about actual diet dieting, cutting and counting calories I just couldn't do it. I'm not saying I won't change my mind, and maybe I'll get my head wrapped around giving it a try, but for right now I'm going to pass.

But other than the weight it was a good health month. Got a glowing follow up review from the doc about my ankle. It's healed even more than he anticipated. I got the all clear to keep ramping up workouts. We went to the coast this past weekend and I walked on the beach every day. Normally by the end of a few days my ankle would be screaming at me (so many little stabilizing moves that have to happen on sand) and that didn't happen. Now my ankles, calves, quads, hips, everything was grumbling a little from the different work and miles we put on every day, but grumble is fine. Grumble away as long as you keep working.

So basically the weight did not change. Like small fluctuations here and there but nothing you could look at and say was significant. My measurements increased a touch, and my body fat percentage went down a touch so that tells you that I was able to increase my weight lifting. So no significant weight change, but things I can point to to say my fitness is coming back. Now I just need to start in on the positive talk and wardrobe rebuilding so I can be happy at this size since this seems to be the size my body has decided it will be. Whatever, I'm still really pretty. 😂

Writing was slow. I posted to the blog half the days of the month but the two pieces I sent to Dana meant I still kept up the write more days than I don't pace. Barely, but barely still counts. Seventeen is bigger than fifteen doncha know. Only did one fiction piece to the blog so that's still a bit of a struggle. I talked to Brent about it a little while we were away and he had some good insights for me to repeat to myself when it's gets challenging to find my muse.

Life is still challenging. The I've Had Burritos More Supreme than this Court made some absolutely shit rulings this term. Congress is bound and determined to drive the Orange Clown Car off the cliff with all of us in it. Anyone who asks if we are on our way to living under authoritarian rule isn't paying attention. We are already there. And Intel is still very unstable. But other than that...

And honestly, other than that is the way I'm living right now.

Other than that I have a great husband. Other than that I have a lovely daughter. Other than that the cats are lovely little purrballs. Other than that I have friends out there in the world railing against injustice. Other than that the long weekend away was really nice. Other than that life goes on and we all have to find the best way to live it. Other than that...

So 2025 is halfway over and we keep going. And that's what we have to do.

Find those moments that make you happy.
Find those moments that make you feel strong.
Find those moments that increase your health.
Find those moments that remind you that you are loved.

Here we go, onto July (the two year anniversary of the Dry July that came to stay, although I did have a taste of Brent's hard sparkling water this weekend and it was lovely, not enough to even consider it a moistening of July but considering a GIANT margarita as I do during the summer so we will see how much longer this parched moment lasts).

That was an incredibly long aside.

Which I sort of dig.

Find those moments that you sort of dig.

Love and sunshine and good AC to you all!
(or heaters for some of you!)