Feeling Great, Overcoming Hangups, Getting Things Done

I stopped taking all thyroid medicine, and now just use a little bit of hydrocortisone now and then. I think I've always run low on it, and a little bit helps with aches and pains I'm now incurring since I feel 45 again--back when I had the energy I should have had in my 20s.

I've been working on my garage, which needed so much work I asked a handyman what it would cost to replace it. (Too much--like what they wanted to re-side it). I decided to fix it myself. Work was slow-going at first since I didn't have any energy in the morning and afternoons were too hot to work. But last week I turned a corner. A boarded-up window was rotted and I thought that as long as I had to do repairs, I might as well put in a window. Browsing online, I fell in love with a small, inexpensive vinyl double-hung and had to have it.

You never know what will inspire you.

Most window installation videos show nice, neat jobs that don't require retrofitting, or unusual situations. I have a very old garage with a non-standard size window opening in a neighborhood that sees a lot of garage break-ins. I don't have the tools or skills to do special millwork. After much research, I decided to convert my window from an "innie" (set into the building) to an "outie" (flush with the exterior).

Rotten innie. The black part at the bottom left is a hole.

Innies tend to rot where there's a lot of moisture. Not only is Indiana moist, but the wall faces the prevailing wind. "Outie" it was--which meant everything that wasn't framing (and even the rotted framing) had to go. New framing and trim meant a lot of sawing--so much that I overcame my long-time fear of circular saws and bought one.

I watched more videos, read the manual, did some practice cuts and still made some mistakes (nothing that resulted in injury)--but I should have bought one of these years ago. I even discovered a little tool that came with it that helps you quickly line up a guide board to make straight cuts.

After I knocked and pried out the rotted parts of the window, there were nails I couldn't pull--but I needed them out of the way. The wire cutters didn't work, the jigsaw didn't work: this was a job for a sawzall. Could I handle one? I had to try. Everything was torn out and there was no going back.

The reciprocating saw I bought that morning didn't cut through the nails like butter, but it did cut them and it was oddly empowering. I liked the saw so well that on my next trip to the hardware store, I bought a pruning blade for it to cut off maple limbs that are always growing over the sidewalk.

I replaced one rotted piece of framing and repaired another with wood petrifier and epoxy (the white stuff at the bottom right). I built a frame, put it in the opening, and flashed it (the flashing is the silver tape that keeps out moisture). In went the window.

New frame and old repaired frame.

That was a day's work.

Today, I made the trim, installed it and caulked everything. It still needs spray-in foam, more rot fixed, and then more caulking. And painted. Obviously, I'm no carpenter, but the window is better than what I started with.

Even a month ago, I didn't have the physical or mental fortitude to do this. I have to give a lot of credit to Dr. William Davis--I really think his program helped me a lot. This isn't meant to be a plug for him, but I'm very happy I belong to his Inner Circle program. This project wasn't a slog, like other repairs have been--I was pumped up to do it. That's a big difference from the past few years!

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Dana Carpender's Podcast; Dr. Davis on YouTube; Labor Day Sales

Dana Carpender, who's written several recipe books and other works on low-carb, has a podcast and is still writing articles at carbsmart.com. She's a terrific writer and amateur researcher (otherwise known as reading , as Jimmy Dore jokes ). I use her book 500 Low-Carb Recipes all the time and I'm looking forward to hearing more from her. I've embedded her podcast on my blog (click on the three lines at the top right if you don't see it, or go to Spotify or other podcast source if you're getting this by email). Carbsmart.com doesn't seem to have a blog feed, so if you want to see the latest posts there, you can sign up for notifications at their site. Dr. Davis has been putting a lot more videos on YouTube, so I've added his channel to the lineup. Click on the three lines on my blog if you don't see it, or go to his channel here . * * * * * Primal Kitchen is having a Labor Day sale-- 20% off everything. They sell high quality collagen powder, con...

Fermented bread and butter pickle recipe ft. L. Plantarum

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Cardio: A Waste of Valuable Dance Time

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Avoiding a Nightmare by Using Math

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Pain, Pain, Go Away!

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