Author Archives: msnewleaf

So, I did it! I celebrated my 50th birthday sober. We rented a fantastic older house in Carmel, California, full of nooks and hidden rooms and right across the street from the most lovely beach. Yes, the smoke from the fires was bad, but it was still beautiful there. We spent lots of time playingContinue reading “I did it!”

I woke up this morning to a reddish/orange hellscape of a sky. Right now, it is 8:13 in the morning, and I am sitting here in my unusually darkened room looking out at a thick blanket of orange clouds outside my window. We have had red sunrises for many days recently, but this orange skyContinue reading “Red Sky in the Morning …”

But I didn’t drink it. Yesterday, I came out of my room after finishing work for the day, and my neighbor had brought over a six pack of beer. So, here’s the thing. I have been off-again with the booze much more often than not for the past 9 1/2 months, and she knows that.Continue reading “Argh! There’s beer in my house!”

I’m feeling stuck. Trapped. Wanting to spread my wings, but knowing I can’t really get out of the nest. Not yet. Trapped by COVID, trapped by the massive wildfires which sprung from my lovely lightning, stuck in the house, stuck in a mask, stalled in my relationship, bored and frustrated with my pandemic bubble friends,Continue reading “Feeling Trapped (and Grateful) II”

Historically, the summers are not reliably hot (or even warm) where I live. With climate change, we have had much warmer summers for the last ten to fifteen years, but it still usually doesn’t get “hot” here. This week, it has been miserably hot. Unless I have air conditioning, ample outside shade, and (ideally) aContinue reading “Silver Linings”

I’ve pushed it to the last minute again, and now it is 30 days until my 50th birthday. I’m back on the wagon, and it is time to get my other self-improvement tasks (soon to be habits!) going again. I’ve made absolutely no progress in the weight loss department since my last check-in about it.Continue reading “30 Day Countdown”

I’m writing this for me and for anyone reading this that may have been sober long enough to forget the horrible side effects of boozing. Personally, I keep staying sober for weeks (and loving it!), but then deciding to drink again for a while before hopping back on the wagon. It isn’t terrible, I suppose,Continue reading “The Many Crappy Side Effects of Alcohol (Part II)”

As you probably already know, I have been on-again, off-again with respect to the wagon since completing 100 days at the end of last year, beginning of this one. I want to be done with the off-again part. Recently, I had a conversation with a friend about how alcohol is a crappy way to self-medicate.Continue reading “The Many Crappy Side Effects of Alcohol (Part I)”

This is going to be a brief post as I’m on vacation in the woods with my coronavirus bubble family. I haven’t posted for many weeks now, so it seems like it is time for a check in. I also haven’t been on WordPress much, and I know I’ve missed many wonderful posts. I willContinue reading “Checking in”

It’s been a pretty good week and a shitty week. It’s Day 29 again, and things in the no-drinking department are going well. Last week was a bit of a failure in the health department, but I got back on the horse and started a yoga program this week. I did three days of yogaContinue reading “Yoga and Growing Pains”