Reducing my Carbon Footprint one Car Repair at a Time

Today is day two of ten that I will be without a car. What began as a burnt out windshield wiper motor and a pesky little "check engine" light has turned into the equivalent of paying off the mechanic's mortgage. OK maybe just paying for the month of August. Not that I'm complaining. I've been without a car payment since I paid off my '00 Jeep nearly five years ago without any expenses except oil changes and gas. My hope is that this isn't the beginning of the end.

Since I live in a pedestrian friendly town, not having a motorized vehicle isn't much of a problem. I live in close proximity to the grocery store, the doctor's office, coffee shops, restaurants and shopping. Walking from point A to point B only becomes an irritating problem when, for example, you walk a mile to the chiropractor, you're told that your health insurance plan has a $5,000 deductible, of which you have previously been unaware, you walk a mile home, call the insurance company, get it straightened out, call the doctor back and walk a mile again (this is mile three now) to the office for the original appointment losing over an hour in the process. This is just an example.

Today I have big plans to make flan for 12. I'm about to head out to the grocery store with my handled bags. As long as they're not out of whole milk, I figure I should be fine. Bring on the adventure.

Elvis' Adventure

There's really no better way to meet your neighbors than to have one of them knocking on your door at 7:30 in the morning with your dog who was cruising around the block at his leisure!

My first treatment

Yesterday, I had my first, highly anticipated acupuncture treatment! I'm happy to report that it is not only painless (in more ways than one) but that it was actually pleasant! Even though I had needles in my feet, hands, neck, head, legs and chest, all I could feel were heaviness and a buzzing sensation. As difficult as it is normally for me to sit still, I had no trouble laying there, motionless, for 45 minutes. It was as if my body was asleep while my mind was awake. Weird, I know, but kinda cool.

The clinic was very zen, and in Ferndale, which I love. Supporting your community businesses is really the only way to go. In fact, this is a community clinic called Community Health Acupuncture Center. It's a sweet little clinic with a sliding scale ($15-35 per treatment, whatever you can pay) so you can actually get the treatment you need. The community aspect is the treatment room, which can serve up to four patients. Since you're fully clothed, there's no weirdness (but if you're into that sort of thing I guess you wouldn't feel weird), but yesterday I was the one and only. I say, if you've ever been curious about it and want to check it out, here's your opportunity.

I can't say yet if my shoulder is feeling better yet, but I should know in another two or three treatments. At best, I'll be completely healed. At worst, I'll be relaxed!

Community Health Acupuncture Clinic
Darlene Berger
801 Livernois
Ferndale, MI 48220
248-246-7289

Pins and needles

As if running two times since the marathon was not enough, I decided to run a third time---in the length of half a marathon. I swear that running makes you dumber! It was difficult, and I even tripped and fell at the end, something that often happens when I become to exhausted to continue (just check out my sweet scars on my knees and elbows). The fall is also my last big warning sign before, I imagine, something worse happens. So, I now have 10 days of not running under my belt, and I've never been so bored in my life. If I have to do one more minute on the elliptical or take another spinning class I might die! I had hoped that the rest would help my shoulder, but it's still a crunchy mess of tightened up muscle that neither massage or yoga can touch. Tomorrow I'm headed to my first acupuncture appointment at the suggestion of a friend. I have no idea what to expect, but am praying that it will help me! Bring on the qi!

Day 12

I'm on day 12 of not running and I have to say, it's not going very well. I've laced up not once, but twice, for a total of nine miles in the past two weeks. :( It's a far cry from the 50 mile+ weeks I'm used to logging, and to be honest, doesn't feel much like running at all. You could say that I am actually giving myself a rest (albeit an active one), as I've also been swimming, which I love!

I've concluded that I'm not going to make it a whole month. With two new pairs of running shoes staring me in the face, dancing in my head, and my peer pressure-ish friends hinting (read: pressuring!) me to come out and run, I know I'm going to cave. It's more than just the training, the miles, the log books, my speed. I miss my friends, our conversations, how silly/crazy I feel after a long run, and watching my friends stuff their faces with whatever experiment I've decided to bake to eat after our runs.

It's just that my hip hurts, my shoulder hurts, my head hurts and I generally, genuinely, need a break. A real break.

A Royal Flush

Say what you will and think what you want, but this is a rare type of Royal Poinsettia, native to the city of Boca Raton, Florida, called a Royal Flush. Thank GOD Gran-Dot (Chris' grandmother, named Bea-Dot) knew what it was and knew how to care for it! It survives best in luke warm water, recycled several times daily, and delights in artificial light. An arborist, floral arranger or church-goer will tell you, this is a rarity, and is, quite possibly, the only existing photograph of its kind. Behold!