Working On Our Shed, Stamina, and Better Health…

July 12, 2016

Over the past couple of weeks, Charming has made quite a bit of progress on the shed.  After the floor joists and floor had been put in place, he added studs for the walls and ceiling.  When we go back, he plans to put down the flooring for the second story.  After that, he'll start making the roof trusses and installing them.  I've been dreading the installation of the trusses as Charming will be working high up.  Although he is extremely careful when he works, I still worry (that's part of my job as a wife).  I must admit that I’ll be of little to no help for this part, because my legs start to tremble when I get on the kitchen step stool.  This “infirmity” automatically limits me to fetching tools and cold drinks for him.  These will be sent up to him with the help of a bucket attached to a rope.

When I’m not helping Charming with the shed, I spend my time tidying the camper, fighting (and losing) my battle with the weeds in the garden, picking and freezing raspberries, fixing meals or knitting.  I also spend quite a bit of time mowing around the work area, around the house, and around the camper.  In between meal-times, we work almost constantly.  However, I do manage to get Charming to take breaks by supplying him with tall glasses of something cold to drink and a light snack.  Otherwise, he’d probably work all day without stopping as he is super-focused on getting this shed completed as soon as possible.

On the up side of all of this physical labor is weight loss.  In late May, Charming decided that he wanted to go on a “little-to-no fat” diet so I agreed to try to cook for him using as little fat as possible.  As a result, our new diet (since May 31^st) consists of many varieties of dried beans, several varieties of rice, potatoes, pasta made from brown rice or corn, fresh and/or cooked vegetables, and small amounts of whole-grain bread.  Since I don’t tolerate gluten/wheat products very well, I make my bread out of my own special blend of millet/rice/sorghum flour. Charming eats whole grain rolls that we purchase from the deli section at Walmart.  Being the mountain girl that I am, I couldn’t give up butter…or cheese…or eggs so I do still incorporate those into my diet.  For meals that call for milk, I use almond milk instead of cow’s milk.  So far, Charming has lost 18 pounds and is down one size from the time that he started the diet!  Despite the butter, cheese, and eggs, I have managed to lose 12 pounds without changing my diet too much.  That’s a compromise that I can live with!

Wall #1 A standard-sized door will be hung near the front. Stairs will be added later.

Wall #2  Charming built the walls and then we lifted them into place.

Wall #3 Starting to look like a real building.

Wall #4 Front of the shed will have a large double door with a window on each side.

 

The open area in the ceiling will let us access the upper level for more storage space.

The lilies I transplanted in the spring are beginning to bloom.

I divided the original plant and transplanted the bulbs to this hard-to-mow bank.

These will multiply and the bank will be pretty & maintenance-free in a few years.