Hah. DH weighed himself a couple of days ago - over the weekend, actually - and practically fell off the scale when he saw 261. He’s 6′3, so he ought to be somewhere around 225, right? Well, he ought to be around 225 like I ought to be around 140. I’m aiming for 160, so he’s aiming for 240. Seems fair. On Sunday we went to our absolutely all-time favorite Italian restaurant - Bertucci’s - which is a small chain, and some are better than others. The one we go to - in Westboro, MA, which is about 15 miles from where we live, heading towards Boston - is absolutely top notch. As soon as you sit down, they bring you steaming hot rolls and herbed dipping oil. Oh, no, no - this is NOT where you go when attempting to lose weight: this is where you go for one last hurrah before you start counting whatever you plan to count - calories, points, carbs - or whatever. Now I have been dieting for the past month of course, and done well enough, considering that I’ve learned to be a little more flexible in my expectations, but even when dieting, I’m of the opinion that a good splurge every once in awhile won’t kill you. Not binge, mind you - but a nice, really outstanding splurge on something you really love, and would end up craving at some point if you didn’t give yourself permission to have a little once in a while. ANYhoo, we had dinner at Bertucci’s Sunday night - seasoned, roasted veggies for an appetizer (I WISH I knew how they season these; they are so darned GOOD - green peppers, zuchinni, eggplant, mushrooms, diced, seasoned tomatoes….oh, they are so yummy, and SO healthy. (That’s not taking into account all those hot rolls, of course, which are sooooo mouth-wateringly good, but not even a little bit healthy, after all). Then, for our entrees, I ordered the chicken picatta (Oh, yum….lemony chicken cooked with capers over linguine) and DH ordered lasagne, and we split our plates and each had half and half. No dessert. We couldn’t have forced another mouthful down by the time we gobbled up all of our rolls and appetizer - oh, and SALAD - and those generously-portioned entrees. And THAT, dear hearts, was our swan song, so to speak, because we have since been counting every last forkful that passes our lips. I’ve decided to revert back to the Wendie plan, where you vary your points (or in our case, calories) so that you alternate low calorie with high calorie days. This has worked well for me in the past, and that day when you can have VERY high calories feels like a reward all by itself. I went and trekked around Boston Common at lunchtime today - it’s the first day that we’ve had sunshine in a while. Well, Saturday was a good day, but then it rained again on Sunday. It’s really been a terrible month here in the northeast - cooler than typical, and more darned rain. I also did a little shopping on the way back to the office. Found a pretty calf-length skirt that I know will match a lot of my tops, so that was nice. Also bought a pretty cotton scarf - I really like accenting outfits with scarves. DH called to report in on what he ate for breakfast and lunch, and he was headed for the lake to walk our favorite trail while there’s some sunshine for a change. I wish we could walk when I get home from work at @ 5:30 or 6, but by then, I’m just too tired. What I NEED to do is get up a half hour earlier in the morning and walk then, but that would mean being up at 4:30 every morning, and I’m not real enthusiastic about doing that, either, let me tell you. My son will be here on the 24th - and staying through July 6 - which I’m really looking forward to. Today is his birthday, and I called him (as did all of his sisters) and sang “Happy Birthday” to him, but we’ll have a nice family-style celebration dinner with him when he’s home - with his favorite all-you-can-eat boiled lobster with herbed butter dipping pots.

Okay, this is actually Tuesday, now. I had to save the above as a draft because things got a tad busy around here. I walked around the Common again today (at least a mile) and then sat in the sun for a half hour. Got a nice dose of vitamin D, which ought to help with my mood, which has been on the grumpy (think: crabby old lady) side while we’ve been having all of this unseasonal rain and gray days. I have developed a little healthy color from walks and sitting at the lake with DH whenever there’s a drop of sun to be had on the weekends. I used to get very dark tans in summer, but now, of course, I need to be a little more careful about skin cancer and of course the ever-spreading wrinkles. Sometimes I really, really wish that I felt my age instead of walking around thinking I haven’t aged a day since I turned 30. Obviously, I don’t LOOK 30, so it seems like I ought to start thinking about acting my age. Except I don’t exactly know how people my age are supposed to act - or even think, for that matter. It’s a little confusing, if you want the truth. DH is already retired. Sometimes it annoys me - the way he has no obligations and can just while away his days running errands, painting pictures, walking in the park, etc., etc. Wednesday mornings he has to take the trash out to the curb for the city pick-up, and the way he moans and groans over that 15 minute chore, you’d think he was working all day long on the danged trash truck! But, to get back to what I was saying about not knowing how I’m supposed to act, look, think, etc. - the problem is that there’s such a wide range of choices out there. I mean, some people settle into a chubby, apron-wearing granny-persona when they hit 50. Others are glamorous well into their sixties and seventies, even without the celebrity facelifts. Those of us who still are out there in the workforce attending meetings and events and such tend, I think, to retain a more youthful presence than some others of us, but not in all cases. Presence. Not neccessarily looks, although staying at a healthy weight goes a long way in that direction, it seems. And choice of clothes - that’s a big factor. I like to be fashionable but try to stay away from “trendy”. I have my tried and true wardrobe basics - calf-length skirts, wide-legged flood pants, lots of flax (in summer) and more recently, I’ve become quite enamored of “lagenlook” styles. Lots of scarves and chunky jewelry accents. But sometimes I wonder if I’m dressing too YOUNG for myself….and then I see some slim, elegant 60-year-old in something similar, and think, “why not?” Or, “why?” Is there a point? Does it even matter? And does even thinking about it constitute a waste of time on my part? I guess when I was over on the Common today, I was observing a lot of young college students, office workers on their lunch breaks, and young mothers with their toddlers feeding the geese and such - and suddenly I realized that if any of them were observing ME, they’d see an older woman - and I AM AN OLDER WOMAN, NOW!!!!!!! Yikes. And there I was, skirt hiked up, Nike flip-flops kicked off (I left my heeled sandals in the office; they’re not great for walking) and my scarf tossed aside in order to expose a little more neckline to the sunshine. For a single hot minute, I almost found myself feeling concerned about the image I was projecting. That lasted for mere seconds before I chastized myself, thinking (quite accurately) that my IMAGE was the least of my problems. What I NEEDED to concern myself with was how agilely I was going to be able to spring to my feet once it was time to go. (Luckily, I pulled that off without too much clumsiness). Looks like all the walking is doing some good, after all.

Well, back to work, here….I just wanted to check in and blather on for a bit. Calories today are supposed to be 1150. I;m always surprised at how much you can actually eat if you make good choices.

Sayonara.

Z