[FutureFitChick]

Hi, Coaches and Buddies.

I have been thinking about you all each morning, but been having trouble getting posts done when I don't start out working at home.

We had a decent distribution at the Food Pantry yesterday. Except, as has happened in the past, many of the frozen chickens I know we received sprouted legs again and walked away before getting to some of the intended recipients. It really makes me sad. I've got several loved ones in the hospital today, so hoping for a speedy recovery for all.

I went to a pilates class this morning after having oatmeal with blueberries. Lunch: Salad and 1 serving of pasta with veggie crumble "meat" sauce. Dinner: Will be out, and I'm not sure what will be available.My strategy will be to stick with ½ plate of veggies, small portion of meat, very small portion of carbs/starch, and a small bite of dessert.

Bill Blue Eyes, thanks for being a great role model of how to work through events with food. I will be channeling your techniques tonight!

Curly Jax, great job checking in! Best wishes for healthy rest for DH.

Gardener Joy, glad to read how well you are doing with the scale and at events. Thanks for the reminder about NaNoWriMo. I won't be writing a novel, but do have some other writing I will work on instead.

Mary Ann, I loved the way you handled the student insurrection. Even if it didn't go as well as you'd hoped, you made a great lesson out of an unpleasant surprise.

National Parker, hope you are feeling better! Being sick always make sticking to my eating plan hard for me.

One by One, great attitude about your reaction to your picture! That can be difficult.

Silver Birch, glad you are sticking to the right side of OK on your plan. I finally made it over to your side of the pond in March. I miss the mushrooms from there. They had some much more flavor then what I can buy in the US.

[BillBlueEyes]

Diet Coaches/Buddies – Chase the DGD day was exhausting exercise, CREDIT moi. She climbed a structure at the indoor play space with sufficient abandon to fall. This created an explosive scene of crying, but she wasn't hurt; she was insulted, LOL. Her new thing is to let me pick her up but before she gets to my shoulder to shift her weight so violently that it takes all my skill to keep from dropping her. At a yard sale recently, DW had chosen a book about a little girl who learns to use the potty - propaganda I called it. This became her favorite yesterday - read three times on the drive home and brought into her house when we got there. Her mom wasn't impressed; she already has a favorite book about a little girl who learns to use the potty. She loves reading about using the potty - not sitting on one to do her business. DW suggests she's an intellectual who needs to gather a full comprehension of a subject before proceeding. Maybe.

Eating was on plan, CREDIT moi, with no snacks. I'm on a roll and it feels good. I'm already dreading Halloween because I have a history of losing my sense of rational behavior when faced with a bowl of 'fun size' wrapped candy. It's easy to justify having one. After all, it's one special day of the year. Then the second one follows. Then it's open season. Maybe I need to go see a movie and let DW handle the trick-or-treaters.


Joy (gardenerjoy) – Neat that you're getting back to your NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month for those not in the know). I admire folks who can conjure a novel from their heads. Congrats on that down-tic. [LOL at the cost of edutainment from the plumber.]

FutureFitChick – Kudos for having a strategy for lunch when you don't know what specifics will be available. LOL at frozen chickens growing legs to walk away. Hope that all your loved ones in the hospital do well.

curlyjax - Yay for a pleasant new neighbor to replace a problem one. Glad to hear that your "DH is doing okay."

Readers -

chapter 5 Week 1 - Get Ready: Lay the Groundwork

day 1 Record the Advantages of Losing Weight

Benefits of Weight Loss

Losing weight will likely affect them all for the better, but I'd like you to think about each of these specifically. For example, losing weight might mean feeling comfortable undressing in front of your partner. It might mean getting back to tennis, golf, dance, or other recreational activities you once liked but now find too physically taxing. It might mean enjoying outings to the beach or to social functions without worrying about how others think you look.

Judith S. Beck, Ph.D., The Beck Diet Solution (Pink book), Pg 55.

[silverbirch]

I think I may have mentioned here before that sometimes my life seems as though it's all about fetching and carrying. Today is looking like a day of undoing and doing up. It started early. I was in the kitchen alone, in my nightie, and all prepared to make sandwiches for the DB. Corned beef. Some of you are ahead of me. Yes, it was one of those run-ins with a tin of corned beef: no key, tin-opener didn't really work, a fork, a pair of pliers and a very sharp clasp knife. I came out on top and unscathed! No blood whatsoever. I've gone on to open some very well packed curtain rails (packing tape and bubblewrap) and to wrap some presents for a new baby and older brother to send off to Italy (they have to be well wrapped). I'll go to the post office later.

I've also done a lot of comms (email, texts, phone calls etc) re my forthcoming trip to my mother's. Quite an unbelievable amount of to-ing and fro-ing, actually. I'm surprised I feel so on top of things. Perhaps it's because I've also done a very good and full set of exercises. That's part of the new plan. Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday mornings now include a proper and full set of exercises. M, W, F include a good session down at the office. I've always tried to keep work and home separate because that's what works for me, and if they become jumbled up it really doesn't work for me. It's become increasingly difficult in the last 10 years or so but I'm now making a concerted effort to fight back. Another part of my plan is to increase my walking again. I've got the pedometer on and I plan to walk across the nature reserve most afternoons (say 30 mins over rough ground).

And it's only just lunchtime. I may conk out this afternoon. I'm having leftovers for lunch: pommes Anna + corned beef, salad leaves and carrots with caraway seed.

Bill, how lovely to spend time with a young intellectual who also seems to be a personal trainer of some kind. She seems to be working you on strength, speed, flexibility and stamina as a minimum. (We're sending Mister Magnolia by Quentin Blake to the big brother - about 2 or 3 - which is a completely fabulous book, can be read so many times and you keep seeing things in it.)

FFC, glad to hear you made it here and very interesting that you think our mushrooms are good. We eat quite a few in different ways as the SO is v keen on them.

curlyjax, very good to hear that your DH is doing okay. Also that's great news about the new neighbours! It makes a difference as I know ...

gardenerjoy, that's just excellent that you're doing NaNoWriMo again.

onebyone, buy those kid gloves in bulk and pass them round, please. I could do with a pair (and I think I threw out my old gloves at the end of last winter).

nationalparker, hope you're OK. I do so approve of early nights.

Must fly as my lunch is ready.

[gardenerjoy]

I hit a new low for the month. I never used to hit new lows after pizza. But, I used to insist that a pizza meal included two slices. One slice and salad works for me. Especially if I don't do it too often.

I wrote a plan for today with activities that move things forward and healthy food. Time to get moving on it!

Weigh-in: -0.2 kg, Exercise: +40, 955/1200 minutes for October

curlyjax: I'm glad your neighbor is nice. We're sharing a road with three neighbors -- and it needs repair. I'm very grateful that they're all nice!

FutureFitChick: I like your dinner plan. It's always a bit tricky when I don't know the menu, but that plan should work in most situations.

BillBlueEyes: DGN's new trick is dinosaur flash cards. He knows more dinosaurs than I've even heard of. I'm worried that he's going to be disappointed when we're unable to take him to see living dinosaurs. He gets to see living farm animals from his books when he visits his grandmother.

silverbirch: Thanks for the Mister Magnolia recommendation -- those pictures are a delight!

[FutureFitChick]

Hi, Coaches and Buddies.

Yesterday's food was close to plan. I forgot to eat my salad at lunch, and the function last night had much different food than anticipated. But, I think I still did well in spite of that. Pilates class was good yesterday. I've a few sore muscles, but it is manageable.

Today's breakfast was on plan blueberries and oatmeal. I need to get some groceries for lunch and dinner and will make a plan before hand.

Bill Blue Eyes, I'm glad you got some exciting time with your DGD and that food was on plan.

Gardener Joy, congrats on the new low after pizza! I love your revised thinking about the portion!

Silver Birch, glad you are keeping on top with everything. I do well for a few days, then it all slides for a day or two.

[nationalparker]

I put in some thought today on my food plan - I'm maintaining and that's not what I want. I've eating the on plan foods for the most part - I'd say 90%, the food that is off is a piece of chocolate or salt water taffy, not even a fun size bar piece! The issue I can see easily is that the portions have morphed to more than I need on some aspects, forgetting veggies for some meals (weekend breakfasts - if I don't prep sweet potato hash browns for the fat/veg combo, I kind of forget about it. Long way to say that I'm going to focus more on my portions. I'm maintaining now but need to be in loss mode.

My splurge today (financial) was an order of balsamic vinegar - my local shop closed and the other one is about 1.5 hours away in a college town that I don't want to mess with on football Saturday. I called my DH and said if we order a LOT I can get free shipping, otherwise it was $30 (yes, $30!) ... he said go for it - we put it on so, so many veggies and it makes me actually crave a salad - the pineapple balsamic is just superb. So, I spent a lot of money and am having a large order shipped here, including a few for gifts... saving myself the time and gas of driving there as the holiday season starts to crank up. i felt guilty for a bit, then thought, I'm working for a few splurges like this, not just to put money away for retirement or trips!

Bill - I think Silverbirch nailed it on the head with your little fitness trainer! She's probably also a sleep specialist, if you sleep as soundly as I would after all that activity!

Silverbirch - I love how you can see the connection of your accomplishments each day - I wouldn't be able to see that.I know that because I did that on Monday and never noticed! Clever. What times do you have sunrise/sunset this time of year - roughly?

GardenerJoy - Good luck with your efforts on NaNoWriMo! Congrats on your new low for the month!

FutureFitChick - I hope your family is doing well in hospital. That's tough to have a few of them in there at the same time! I feel that slide away from being on top of things every few days as well. I think I hit it Friday through Tuesday, then Wednesday and Thursday are a tossup.

CurlyJax - Celebrating the arrival of Friday with you, I know. Sending positive thoughts that your DH continues to feel better. My brother has been doing fairly well on the current chemo blend. He'll be off chemo the week I'm there, which I feel funny about. I feel like I should have gone on a week when I could help him. But I also know that off week has been tough for him each time - his body just isn't regulated, so if he's not feeling well, I can help out then, too.

Maryann - Hope you're doing well and making it through the workweek intact I hadn't heard news on the wildfires so looked them up and was shocked to see that there were more than 8,000 of them burning more than a million acres. It just seemed that they were covering a HUGE fire, not 8,000 of them.

OneByOne - I'm joining you with getting back to plan as much as we can as autumn is chugging along. I want to end this year down 10 from now. I don't actually know if that's realistic, but I'd rather aim high than aim for four pounds, thinking I'll not lose certain weeks bc of the holidays. We'll see. Last year I was HAPPY for the first year where I was (well, not just in Italy but with what I weighed - around 151. Not there this year, but nothing to say we can't get on track and be immersed in active losing through the holidays and into the new year. I think I'm psyching myself up!

[BillBlueEyes]

Diet Coaches/Buddies – Eating was on plan, CREDIT moi, with only one snack. The snack was a donut! Just YIKES!!! Seems that DW had bought a three-pack of cake donuts and declared that I could have exactly 1.5 of them. Yesterday she asked me why a window on her computer popped up saying that her Microsoft Word had expired and that she could no longer use its features. Nonsense! I spent an hour carefully typing in her twenty-five-digit Product Key and downloading Microsoft Word again. Finally got it all recognized, along with Excel and Access - both of which she depends upon. I have no idea if this was a fluke or an attempt by Microsoft to re-sell Microsoft Office. But I was so frustrated that I ate one of my 1.5 donuts. (The 0.5 donut has no chance of survival today so I might as well plan on it as a snack so I'll be on plan.)

Walk, CREDIT moi, included stopping by the library to return five books and only take one. Wish I could maintain that ratio using my own books to slowly dwindle down, LOL. I met a neighbor with whom I then walked back to our street. Around here it's difficult to find time to chat with neighbors. One doesn't just 'drop by' to interrupt someone's day.


Joy (gardenerjoy) – Congrats for making the switch to only one slice of pizza. It's such a sane way to keep pizza in your life without it being a setback. [Admiring your DGN's mastery of dinosaurs.]

silverbirch – Congrats for winning with your can of corned beef. Our newspapers from time to time carry a story about someone who lost a digit fighting that battle. Love the notion that life is "all about fetching and carrying." [Thanks for the tip on Mister Magnolia.]

FutureFitChick – Always Kudos for making it through a function with food. I've been told that Pilates can be unintuitively bruising.

nationalparker – Splurging on balsamic vinegar is one fine way to spend the money. Balsamic vinegar is a gift from the gods. Kudos for recognizing that portions need to be addressed.

Readers -

chapter 5 Week 1 - Get Ready: Lay the Groundwork

day 1 Record the Advantages of Losing Weight

Benefits of Weight Loss

Try to think of as many advantages as you can. As you start to lose weight, you'll undoubtedly discover additional benefits along the way. For example, you might feel more confident and do things you don't usually do, such as speak up at meetings or volunteer to join a committee. Write the advantages on an index card and continue to add to this list any time you come across a new advantage you hadn't previously included.

Judith S. Beck, Ph.D., The Beck Diet Solution (Pink book), Pg 56.

[gardenerjoy]

I have no idea why the scale jumped up this morning, but I'm going to ignore it. Until proven otherwise, I'm going to assume that pound will disappear as rapidly and mysteriously as it arrived.

I've got a plan for today -- with energizing activities and healthy foods. Credit!

Weigh-in: +0.5 kg, Exercise: +40, 995/1200 minutes for October

FutureFitChick: Good for you for making a night with unanticipated food choice work, anyway.

nationalparker: Portions really make a difference to me -- even though I'm in denial about that much of the time. When I pay attention, it works! That's an interesting observation you made to FutureFitChick that a couple of days a week kind of slip away from you. This summer, I had a few weeks where that was happening and I took some time on Wednesday to re-write my plan for the rest of the week, because by then it was all falling apart. It helped and it helped me get better at the planning on Sunday so that I didn't have to do it as often.

BillBlueEyes: We've been dropping by a neighbor's house recently but only because of our need for repair on our shared road. It's been nice. They're getting older with health problems, so it's probably a good pattern to continue.

[nationalparker]

I hope this isn't a wintry trend already - cold and dark and dreary day. But as it's a Friday, all is forgiven! On plan today, but dinner will not be a phase appropriate dinner if I'm extending this phase another day. But it can be still a wise choice and I'm committed to that. DH suggested our local Thai restaurant and if I order it super duper spicy (my fave), I don't eat it as quickly. The server often repeats the spice level questioningly and then my hubby says, "Zing her!" ARGH.

Finally caved in and turned on our heat - was 59 degrees in here again and figured we're to that point. I wouldn't mind a woodfire tonight but I have a feeling by the time we get back home, I'll be ready for bed. Still trying to kick this cold to the curb so I'm completely done by the time I visit my brother.

Bill - Sorry that you had to face down Donut Friday on Thursday. I staved them off today, but no great shakes on that because there was only one I'd have gone for (yes, I opened the box to review the offering) ... then our intern came in and chose that one, so that worked out great!

GardnerJoy - Great attitude on that mysterious pound ... your guardian angel pressing on the scale. Reminds me of the photo of Obama sneakily stepping on the scale when one of his travel party was on the scale at the University of Texas. Always make me grin. I think I need to commit to working through Thursdays - Fridays include more food groups and it's the midweek that I need to make sure I have the protein and specific veggies for. Why do I pretend I can just whip something up those days? I can't.

[BillBlueEyes]

Diet Coaches/Buddies – Trip to the supermarket did not buy anything off plan, CREDIT moi. It's so obvious that food that is never purchased is the best way to avoid eating it. One had to wade through aisles of Halloween candy; this isn't going to go away on its own.

A large chunk of time was spent changing a light bulb in the dining room fixture. You'd think that changing a light bulb was a five-minute job even with a fixture to be opened. It wasn't. The nut holding the bulb had loosened inside so that it became necessary to unravel the whole thing from the ceiling. The reason that's a problem is that reinstalling it means that I had to align two small holes with protruding screws to get it back up. It looked so simple, but took two ladders with DW assisting. When we were finished, we were both shaken. Unfortunately, a (planned) half donut awaited me as a reward. As always, food only served as momentary consolation. I became whole again only by going for a walk which required me to evaluate books in a mini-library that I passed on the way. Emily Bronte's poetry didn't interest me so I got to feel that I'd left an attractive book behind.


Joy (gardenerjoy) – May the pound "rapidly and mysteriously" disappear. That's the way they all should. Today in 1965 your giant arch was completed. I assume that's a St. Louis holiday, LOL.

nationalparker – My experience with Thai food is that it's easy to stay on plan. Or, at least, to feel like it was on plan, LOL. [Yay for an intern who'll eat the donut that you hope that you won't.]

Readers -

chapter 5 Week 1 - Get Ready: Lay the Groundwork

day 1 Record the Advantages of Losing Weight

Benefits of Weight Loss

As you start to lose weight,
you'll undoubtedly discover additional
benefits along the way.

Judith S. Beck, Ph.D., The Beck Diet Solution (Pink book), Pg 56.

[silverbirch]

I don't want to jinx myself but it feels as though I could be getting into the Zone. I have a template for food and drink which seems to be working out. Have I told you about just having one cup of coffee a day, at 11 o'clock, and that's a mid-morning break/snack? This isn't a very big change as I only drank coffee in the morning anyway but it seems to have created a feeling of moderation and order. Add this to my getting on top of areas of turmoil in other parts of the house and garden and things are running well. Except my mother slipped in the kitchen on Friday and couldn't get up. She pressed her emergency button and then the whole circus came rolling into town. She is fine, nothing broken and only a sore wrist. My sister is there tomorrow and the DB and I will be there next week.

nationalparker, the temperatures are certainly going down although the weather forecasters tell us it's mild for this time of year. 12C/53F this morning and damp. Sunrise 08:03, sunset 17:53 today but the clocks go back tonight to GMT (Greenwich Mean Time). Tomorrow it will be sunrise around 07:03, sunset 16:53. Light in the morning but dark so soon in the afternoon. It's a surprise every year!

Thanks for your kind words about how I connect accomplishments together in my daily life. I'm working quite hard on it at the moment. If I didn't, it would be one long drag of duties and responsibilities and I don't think I could manage that.

gardenerjoy, yes, that pound will soon be gone. It was just passing through for some reason. Any book by Quentin Blake is usually good. His illustrations and the people who inhabit his world are reliably zany and friendly.

Bill, sorry to hear about Microsoft and the Doughnuts. Is that a band? Or perhaps it used to be. A C21st challenge, it seems, but one we could all do without.

FFC, well done if you were close to plan! That's good enough for a busy day.

to all reading. Post a little, if you fancy it. Always room for one more!

[gardenerjoy]

I think what has happened the last couple of days is that I’ve overdone it on snacks. Then, I made up for it with a really light supper. I’m very surprised that didn’t work. Shocked to the point that I’m having a hard time getting myself to believe it. But I don’t have to believe it. I can do an experiment. I can have my normal snacks and normal supper and see if the scale ticks (looked up tic vs tick) down tomorrow.

Weigh-in: NC in kg, Exercise: +40, 1035/1200 minutes for October

nationalparker: glad you found your Friday vibe on a cold day.

BillBlueEyes: we did make a big deal of Arch Completion Day a couple of years ago on its 50th birthday. There are still people alive who worked on it -- it was fun to hear their stories. Now we're all anxiously awaiting the big rehab of the grounds and museum -- next summer.

silverbirch: glad your mother is fine in spite of an adventure that took a circus to resolve. I had a bicycle accident once and two police cars, an ambulance, and a fire truck responded. I think the person who reported it neglected to mention the "bicycle" part. I did use the ambulance as it turned out -- a broken collar bone with no way to get to the hospital except on two wheels.

[nationalparker]

This day FLEW by for me between housecleaning, marketing, shopping for two people's gifts and not sure what else. Still have a few items to put away, and might get started on cooking the meat for the chili or the meat for the soup... DH is visiting his family - I took a pass after asking him all week to set plans. He winged it but I already had my plans set by then.

Still need a few more ingredients for the Halloween goodies I'll send in with him on Monday/Tuesday. The KitKat Frankensteins and witches' fingers are the Monday deals. He said guys were asking when I was sending in more cookies. These aren't the typical cookies, but he enjoys all the hoopla with Halloween, so ... he'll like bringing them in. If he doesn't have jury duty on Tuesday, I'll make something else Monday night for him to bring in. I went to link them up but boy, ones that are online aren't really good looking - they're a bit messy. I can't figure out how to link pics of my own, but i've never posted them on anything, so i don't think I can link. There was a cookie that I wanted to try but now I'm rethinking it because it takes three layers - two with the top/bottom and one with a "spacer". I pulled down my cookie cutters to see if my pumpkin would work ... and if I'm going to do i, I'd better start tonight or early tomorrow...

I did well on plan today, until DH left - he said he was going to stop and pick up pizza and salad before getting to his folks ... so I determined that I MUST HAVE PIZZA. And salad. I drove downtown and walked around to several shops gift hunting and then went to our spot and ordered my salad and small pizza and brought it home. I just ate until satisfied but I could have gone to the market first and then come home and made my dinner. Now at least we have food options in the house. Initially I thought I was doing better and not eating the second half of my Thai meal.

I am slightly stressing because I can't remember the song that our hospice nurse sang to my Dad in the days before he passed. It was a perfect song for his long life with mom- it wasn't the main song from Up but the youtube did have Up video ... it was just perfect. I thought I'd never forget it. I need to figure out where I might have written it down. I was a bit panicky earlier trying to remember. Why the panic? I don't know.

KeengKong - Hope you're still chugging along!

Bill - What a lightbulb ordeal! My mind went right to the fact that at least you had the other half of that donut haha... I wonder if I should start releasing books if we're not going to get that Little Free Library made ... I know DH wants to (and with the flooring, I understand it taking a backseat) but I want to get it rolling before long. So I can have people stopping by "mine" LOL. Our apples continue to drop in price, now the local Michigan ones are $0.59/pound. They're small but tasty. I bought several more to make more cinnamon apples tomorrow. I add a bit of xylitol, the sweetener on our plan, and it's a wonderful treat.

SilverBirch - Our clocks don't move back until next weekend - so I'll get another hour with my brother! Your sunset is much earlier than mine right now. We're pretty far west in our time zone, so it's lighter later here. But I always think the winter is too dark.

GardenerJoy - How often does your book club meet? Are you pleased with the selections for the next year? My sister's in one but it sounds like no one reads the books, according to her. And she's cramming the last day to finish them

[BillBlueEyes]

Diet Coaches/Buddies – Exercise, CREDIT moi, was an afternoon Duck Walk to see the migrating water fowl. We were rewarded with the standard; then got to see a Cooper's Hawk and a Ruby-crowned Kinglet. Both are common enough but we see them only once or twice in a year.

Eating was on plan, CREDIT moi. I did have a larger than planned afternoon snack when the group of us were tallying our birds. It's a tradition to have Fig Newtons; I had my share. I consider that on plan, but wish I'd pass since it's not about hunger.


Joy (gardenerjoy) – LOL at "looked up tic vs tick" - not sure if I use them correctly. It's neat that on our little thread each evening you have supper, Silverbirch has tea, and I have dinner. Yay for the English language.

silverbirch – Super Kudos to you and your family for having an emergency button on your mother. We failed completely in several attempts to get this set up for DW's parents. DW prepaid for three months. As prescribed, they pushed the button for a "test drive." They received an immediate verification call from . . . Florida. When they discovered that a "long distance" phone call was involved, they refused to touch it again. "Why does it have to be so far away? We don't want to pay for that!" It never worked to assure them that they didn't have to pay for it. Neat that your whole family is rallying to the cause. [LOL at "Microsoft and the Doughnuts" - all songs are periodically restarted somewhere in the middle.]

nationalparker – Kudos for "I just ate until satisfied" since that's a challenge with pizza. Those three-layer cookies do look like a lot of work.

Readers -

chapter 5 Week 1 - Get Ready: Lay the Groundwork

day 1 Record the Advantages of Losing Weight

Benefits of Weight Loss

extra advantages
There are four major benefits to dieting that may not have occurred to you:

1. Your cravings will diminish.
2. You won't struggle over whether or not to eat something you know you shouldn't.
3. You'll feel good when you resist unplanned eating.
4. You won't feel guilty and demoralized because you gave in to cravings.

You may not believe right now that you'll achieve these things. But if you follow this program, you'll get to the point where you find that you just don't argue with yourself over what to eat and what not to eat. It'll be second nature for you to say no to food that's now difficult to resist. Can you imagine how wonderful it will be when this happens?

Judith S. Beck, Ph.D., The Beck Diet Solution (Pink book), Pg 56.

[curlyjax]

Hi Coaches. I keep meaning to post and the day whizzes by, and i’m too tired to make sense at night. This laptop is also having problems by freezing occasionally- its a Chrome Lenovo and was cheap, and is only one year old. DS is making noises about buying his own refurbed computer to play video games on, so then we could bring the basement computer upstairs. Clearly everyone needs something of their own at this point.
I had posted about dining room chairs awhile ago- we just found some used ones, 4 for $75.00. They are sturdy and nice looking but need to be cleaned up a bit- just like everything else in our house so it’s a good match!
DH continues to have some issues- oncologist on call thinks it could be side effect to chemo rather than it not working. We’ll have to wait and see. He is able to get out and do things at any rate. We also bought a bird bath together so that will be fun.

Nationalparker- I’m sure your brother will be glad to get you anytime! Actually if he’s not on chemo maybe he can enjoy your visit more. I’m hoping to head to Florida myself in about a week for a brief vaca by myself, if DH is doing okay. Clearwater Beach beckons! Your cookies look fabulous! Its great you have co-workers that can enjoy them too!

Bill- I agree about neighbors. Around here if someone is outside, we approach each other and chat, but I rarely drop in. Thanks for the link, beautiful birds! One year I bought my parents on alphabet of birds poster framed, which they still have.

More personals tomorrow. Happy Sunday all!