No.775: October in Review & Goals for November 2023

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FIVE THINGS I LOVED

1. blood pressure mostly back in normal ranges (after 7 years!)
2. an entire month of not having to turn on the heat
3. peak leaf season with reds, oranges and yellows everywhere you look
4. new sweaters
5. roaring fires in the fireplace

THREE LESSONS I LEARNED

1. “Feeling better” is not a linear process. // This month, my health “journey” has been up, down and all around.  I’m feeling more rested, but am still sound asleep most nights by 9pm.  My energy levels have increased, but my weight hasn’t budged.  My blood pressure is finally within normal ranges, but I still feel like my stress isn’t completely under control.  I’m making tiny bits of progress, but it’s something, so I’ll celebrate it!  One day at a time…
2. The Congo has been used for their riches for a long time. // “No one knew at the outset that the Congo would prove to be home to some of the largest supplies of almost every resource the world desired, often at the time of new inventions or industrial developments – ivory for piano keys, crucifixes, false teeth, and carvings (1880s), rubber for car and bicycle tires (1890s), palm oil for soap (1900s+), copper, tin, zinc, silver, and nickel for industrialization (1910+), diamonds and gold for riches (always), uranium for nuclear bombs (1945), tantaum and tungsten for microprocessors (2000s+), and cobalt for rechargeable batteries (2012+)…At no point in their history have the Congolese people benefited in any meaningful way from the monetization of their country’s resources.  Rather, they have often served as a slave labor force for the extraction of those resources at minimum cost and maximum suffering.” (from Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives, p.15)
3. Regular creosote cleaning in the fireplace is important. // We recently had our fireplace cleaned and inspected.  Since we use our fireplace a lot during the winter, the technician recommended using a product that will help keep creosote from building up.  There are a lot of different options on the market, but we decided to try Co-Mate Chimney Cleaner.  Hopefully it will keep our fireplace clean and safe.

THREE “LITTLE PEOPLE” WE SUPPORTED

1. Farm goods from a farmer friend
2. Treats and pumpkins from another local farm store
3. Sneakers from a seller on ebay

FIVE GOALS FOR OCTOBER REVIEWED

1. ✔ Stock up on vitamins, medicines, and tissues for winter. // Done.  Some of my favorite vitamins for the cold weather months: probiotics, vitamin D, quercetin and zinc.  I even found a great vitamin C option that includes probiotics and bioflavonoids in it!  We also stocked up on tissues and throat drops.
2. ✔ Finish building the permanent pig paddocks. // Done!  The piglets and Fred are in neighboring paddocks for the winter and we are happy to have an easier chore schedule for a few months!
3. Return to the habit of making homemade bread. // Nope.  Not a single loaf!  Maybe next month.
4. Take our own family pictures. // Another task that I just didn’t have the brain space for.  Between everyone’s schedules and the weather and more pressing farm to-dos, I just couldn’t summon the energy to get this done.  Instead of feeling like a failure, I’m giving myself the grace to take the year off.
5. ✔ Create a junk journal. // Yes!  This little project has been so wonderful for my creativity.  Can’t wait to share more soon.

FIVE GOALS FOR NOVEMBER

1. Get the majority of my Christmas shopping done.
2. Participate in the Historathon and Nonfiction November readathons.
3. Finish filling the paddocks and barnyard with woodchips. 
4. Create a junk journal for the month of December.
5. Plan Thanksgiving!

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