Less Alcohol ~ JULY 2021 ~ One Day At A Time

globalhiker

Happy 4th! Royally messed up yesterday, let's just say planning 1 drink didn't work, it was 1.5 and I spent the afternoon sharing IPAs with my husband (didn't measure so no clue how much). Just got myself into a "I don't care" mood. It was really hot and muggy and I suppose I was trying to make myself cool down and chill out. Anyways, yesterday is gone and today is a brand new day.

I'm needing to ride another long AF wave. Plus I made a dr appt for September and need to work on my "numbers" (cholesterol/blood sugar/blood pressure) so I "pass" and they don't push meds on me . That's incentive for AF right there.

globalhiker

@mainelylisa I like your positive attitude!

@Lilylady3k I am curious, how much fish do you usually catch at fish camp and what are you'all doing with all that fish you are catching? I imagine you are prepping delicious meals.

MissMay

Last night we tried to find something FUN to do. Went to two places advertising bands....both bands at both places canceled because as @mainelylisa already said, Maine is cold, rainy and dreary this 4th holiday weekend. Went from 90° last weekend to Fall weather this weekend. Everyone in town is in a piss/poor mood because plans are screwed up and they can't enjoy. Welcome to "vacation land".

So... drove last night out of town a ways and found a new tasting room that had just opened. I know what your thinking, and yes it was on my mind also to try one of everything alcoholic they had to offer there.
Until I read the last tasting board and saw they had KOMBUCHA flights. YAY YAY YAY.
Happy girl I was to have this at a time when I was feeling like throwing caution to the wind.




Enjoy Independence Day

Lilylady3k

@MissMay - KOMBUCHA flights! That is a special find. Enjoy.

globalhiker wrote: »

@Lilylady3k I am curious, how much fish do you usually catch at fish camp and what are you'all doing with all that fish you are catching? I imagine you are prepping delicious meals.

@globalhiker - There was a big deep freeze that killed lots of fish in the lower laguna madre in south Texas this spring. Besides killing fish it also killed about 4000 turtles. So right now we are not catching a lot of fish as they are more scarce and the Texas Parks & Wildlife have reduced the limits as well as made the slot smaller for the size you are allowed to keep.
BUT when we do catch them ... I sauté, fry or grill the fish. I love fish tacos! We also like making trout almondine and redfish courtbouillon (like a soup).

I made DH & I physical appointments for early August as well instead of waiting till November this year. Hoping to get a few answers to things going on with both of us and get the check in earlier this year so that followups will be in the same calendar year for insurance purposes. PLUS it forces us to work on our health this summer in the heat! 3 days in a row we have been up at 6:30am for our 3.6 mile walk through the county park down the street. Have to get it in early since the dog (and us) cannot do much in the heat right now. Fishing in the evenings. That schedule has us eating a larger lunch then dinner is wine, cheese, summer sausage in the evenings after returning from fishing around 7:30pm.

I might have gone over my normal 2 limit last night but stopping at 3 glasses of wine was a win! They opened 3.5 bottles of wine last night after fishing.

mainelylisa

@MissMay Great find with the "K" flight! I've decided I must learn to make Kombucha. Cuz I might be addicted. The same way I crave beer sometimes, I always crave Kombucha now. $3.50/bottle @ 2 bottles a day is getting near a bottle of the "fine" wine I used to drink. Risky if you don't make it right. Wanna be my Kombucha guinea pig???

This recycling filled the rest of the way up with these. For those of you who haven't tried it, I highly recommend. On ice with a lemon and with or without lightening with seltzer is perfect for hot summer (trying to remember what that feels like). 16 ounces @ ~60 calories.

MissMay

LOL
Hey @Stockholm_Andy is this what you were talking about??
Thought of you right off.

MissMay

Yes @mainelylisa this place was very cool. They also had Jun and Mead plus unusual Maine beers and Maine wines.
Want to go back to enjoy a meat and cheese board on the open deck while sipping a kombucha.
Of course I will be your crash test dummy if you make a homemade batch. @lmlmrn makes her own, you'll have to get her recipe.
Hope your day got better from the craziness last night❤

MissMay

@Lilylady3k fingers crossed for you getting answers to medical stuff going on for you and your husband.
I used to fish a lot with my late husband.
We had just anchored and set our rods in the holders on a local lake. Decided it was a great time to open the cooler and eat sandwiches I had made and packed. No sooner got them out, and both our lines took off on a run. We were in the perfect spot for a school of land locked salmon swimming through. We both got our daily limit within 15 minutes. Heaven knows where the sandwiches ended up, over board for fish food I imagine. Best fishing time ever and the salmon were delicious.

lmlmrn

Oh my @MissMay I do wish that was someplace near me! Solve a lots of drinking out problems. Today we went for a long drive down a hwy we had not been down. Drove it to the end! (road closed----near base of Cascade Foothills) Lots of people had the same idea and were even camping at the end right on the Carbon River.





But they really don't want you to play in the water LOL

On the way back we stopped and picked up some Fish n Chips ate them at home then a few errands. Afterwards I came home and took one of the few naps I can remember when I hadn't split a pitcher of beer with DH. It was great

dawnbgethealthy

My usual goal, 16-20 AF for the month. This is sustainable long term for me.

Thursday July 1st - Drinks. The first following 5AF days. I may have drinks Friday as well.
Friday July 2nd - Drinks - i started with a Mojito that I had put in the freezer (that i found) in its own little shaker. I quit Census today, and worked/played long and hard in the yard trying to catch up on months of neglect. Really lovely day. Possibility of drinks tomorrow and the next day too as people traveling from Alberta are arriving in town. Being kind of self-indulgent right now. Day off tomorrow, only a 3 hour shift on Sunday. I will navigate this after working 5 jobs for the last couple of months. Shouldn't just be free reign to have drinks every day. I will figure it out. At the moment, like I said, I am being kind of self-indulgent.
Saturday July 3rd - 2 1/4 drinks. Tried 1/4 of a different Gin Smash, too sweet for me, I covered it in the fridge and will give it to a friend who likes the sweeter drinks. Another super productive day in the yard/garden. Just a 3 hour shift starting at noon tomorrow, so expecting to get lots more time in the yard before it gets hot out. Planned drinks tomorrow with friends after I get off of work, and Monday completely off.
Sunday July 4th - AF - I had planned to have drinks after work, partly because I have tomorrow off. I decided to save the calories instead - 100 day weigh in challenge is coming to an end in 9 days and alcohol is the bane of trying to lose weight hands down.

Rolling total - 1 AF day out of 4 days

dawnbgethealthy

@mainelylisa

Love the photo of lace dianthus. I love the deep crimson ones and have them all over the place. I had thought that you would be posting some wildflowers.

Climate change causing extreme weather is terrible.
Things freezing in south Texas, a town in British Columbia reaching 121 degrees Fahrenheit and then bursting into flames and burning to the ground, 90 degree weather in Maine one weekend and then 50 the next.
So scary and surreal.

Your outdoor activity plans sounded so great. Sorry that you did not get to do them.
Bravo though for not caving with all of that alcohol and partying going on in your space.

MissMay

@lmlmrn that photo looks like ice rolling down those rocks. It LOOKS extremely cold. No dipping your toes. Kinda reminds me of up North around Moosehead Lake with the downed trees and water and back drop.
P.s. naps are good.

Me:
AF on the 3rd and 4th of July
1A
3AF
😎

Lilylady3k

After fishing we had cheese, summer sausage, nuts and crackers ... but I switched up the drinks . 1 glass of wine then 1 Heineken 0.0 then 1 LaCroix sparkling water. Not AF but much much better!

@MissMay - Wonderful salmon fishing story!

Stockholm_Andy

Congrats on all your progress so far and fishing stories of course 👍

We took a last minute trip to the Baltic Island of Gotland this weekend to stay with friends. We all had a blast bit it didn't to my AF tally much good. However, back on the wagon yesterday so 1 day AF so far.

Stockholm_Andy

Womona

mainelylisa wrote: »

Thanks a lot @Stockholm_Andy I, with @Womona now want Pringles for breakfast. Or Lays. If you're old enough to remember, you never can eat just one.

My goal is to not drink this month in conjunction with discovering new things I like to do, read, and rediscovering the simple pleasures in life. And laughing everyday.

Last night we went to the Birches "Resort" restaurant for dinner. The last time we were there I was miserable because we had a fight about me wanting to have a drink with dinner, and so I didn't and pouted. This time, we sat outside and I was so grateful they had a NA beer and I had a salad with french fries (my fav!) I felt...playful. We were planning jokes we'll play on our guests this weekend. Don't know when I've felt that when I haven't been drinking.

Nature provided the giggles so want to pass on the giggle and get us off potato chips and onto french fry cravings
. :-)

So happy you had a much better experience this year! I love your little thief with the French fry. Caught red handed!

Womona

Lilylady3k wrote: »

Calling it 4 glasses of wine ... not off to a good start for July.

Oh I’m with ya! Four glasses of wine Saturday night for me too. I feel your pain.

Womona

Ugh went way over my goal. We stayed at a friends shore house, and I Drank so much that I was too tired to play a really fun board game. So I went to sleep and missed all the fun. Wow. That’s sobering. No pun intended.

It should have been completely obvious, but it’s really hard to micro-sip white wine. It warms up quickly and it’s a bit of a race against time to drink while it’s cold. Next thing you know I’m on to glass number 2 and 3. Luckily we had a delicious seafood boil feast so no drunken sloppiness was involved, but between the meal and the alcohol, I was done and missed out.

Had 2 wines with dinner last night, plus a Mike’s earlier in the day. AF for the rest of the week!

Lilylady3k

@Stockholm_Andy - Thank you for sharing your lovely pictures! Looks like a beautiful place to visit.

@Womona - Yes the wine devil lured both of us in this weekend. But now the week is ahead to reset and refresh!


July accountability: 0/31 days AF
Alcohol: 4 days (10 drinks)
Goal: Limit 1-2 glasses per day; 12-16 AF days per month. Aim to drink no more than 2 nights in a row.

7/1 - 4 wine @ fishing camp 🎣
7/2 - 2 wine @ fishing camp 🎣
7/3 - 3 wine @ fishing camp 🎣
7/4 - 1 wine + 1 Heineken 0.0 @ fishing camp 🎣

globalhiker

Wow. Amazing sunset photo @Stockholm_Andy! Sounds like everyone here is having a good weekend.

@lmlmrn so Mt Baker area is on my vacation radar. I am waiting for the road going to Artist Point to open. Looks amazing and who knows if I time it right in September maybe I can get in before the weather gets crazy.

@Lilylady3k I like good trout a lot. Once I went to Argentina's Lake District and fell in love with Trout a la Roquefort which was on many of the menus. It was fresh water trout from the rivers near the Lake District side. It must've had a million cholesterol grams but I pretty much ate that for a week straight. On the planes home I cried because I know I could never get something that amazing until I go back. Another place I'll need to go back to once it opens up. The only danger is that there are zillions of great wines both Argentinian and Chilean for under $2 and maybe now $1 who knows. That would be a serious temptation. Oh and the ice cream there is other-worldly.

And...I was AF on a holiday and even with my husband drinking in the house! A first really. Had enough power this morning to go for an hour run in 90 degree heat too.