Good Morning, Coaches.

Thanks for the thoughts on censorship. I was actually going to have the students explore the idea in all its forms. For instance, all though the publisher will not produce the six titles, many of the libraries will not pull the books from the shelves. This is the quote I will use by the Denver Public Library association regarding the Seuss issue: "publishers, librarians, and booksellers do not need to endorse every idea or presentation they make available," and that it is the responsibility of librarians and publishers "to give full meaning to the freedom to read by providing books that enrich the quality and diversity of thought and expression." 100% agree that businesses have the freedom to choose what to produce or not produce. Ironically, we are doing a lesson on Trumbo and the blacklist. I am going to compare and contrast private organizations vs. public organizations and the interactions with first amendment rights.

On the food front, my fear of gaining weight on steroids has caused me to lower my carbs. I saw a three pound drop on the scale. Not enough veggies though. I need to find a balance.

Wave to all.

Good morning!

Another day, another disappointing report. I went over my food budget again and the weak point seems to be when I have to help my daughter get food past my eating window. I need to be more established in my on plan eating before I can safely do that. Addict!

Have a good day, everyone!

Monday - International (Working) Women's Day (Since 1911)
 

Diet Coaches/Buddies - Walked, CREDIT moi, with DW, DS, and DIL around the neighborhoods of a nearby town where different homes had displays of 'YardArt' where "YardArt is a townwide exhibit of the ingenuity of over 130 artists and nonartists, families, science nerds, birdwatchers, sports lovers, and book worms." The talented and the crazies alike were all on display. Fun stuff. Saw a sculpture of a bird that I couldn't identify - suspect that it was a Dr. Seuss type bird straight from someone's imagination. We did a bunch of elevation in a hilly town. Found the house at the highest point in the town that had a widow's walk where one could see all of Boston and beyond to the Atlantic Ocean. I suppose, were it not for curvature, one could see England.

Eating was on plan with no daytime snacks, CREDIT moi. Dinner was pork chops grilled on the patio. Discussion was pondering if we'd ever get away from eating animal muscle. DW had recently read about a new process of making protein from fungus that looks promising. It duplicates the texture of meat; they now have to figure out how to insert flavor. Not predicting a MacFungusBurger anytime soon.


Joy (gardenerjoy) - Drooling over "Mahi-Mahi and Caper Aioli with crispy artichokes and fingerling potatoes." Congrats for making that work - and even growing from the experience. I hadn't thought about the advantage of modifying the portions of the delivered meals to fit your own needs.

maryann - Love the quote from the Denver Public Library. Reminds me of my chat with our local librarian when she told me that she wouldn't pull Babar the Elephant from the shelves, but she had the responsibility/obligation to decide whether or not to order a new set when these wore out.

Karen (karenrn) - Congrats for continuing to support your friend. I learned of a retired nurse friend who just accepted a paying gig an hour's drive north of here because they flat ran out of local nurses to make jabs all day.

curlyjax - It's so delightfully human to have a friend for "complaining and laughing" without judgement. Yay for browsing in a real book store.

Penny. - It's OK to be kind to yourself when you have to help your DD with food when you don't want to even see it. Some days surviving parenting is accomplishment enough.

Readers -

Good morning coaches,

I'm up at my usual early hour excited that I get to go home today. I will take Suz to outpatient PT and leave from there. She will Uber home. She made the plan. Food was on plan yesterday although my dinner portion was probably a little large. I haven't had a drink the whole time I've been here and the only sweet was some of the thin crisp cookies on Saturday. I am giving myself credit for the whole time. It will be interesting to see what the scale says when I get home. I have had very little exercise compared to what I am used to, but also pretty much no snacking. Suz is doing very well as far as her knee goes. The biggest problem has been the GI issues and she does have a sore throat from acid reflux. I am thanking God for what I always consider good health. I will now call it excellent health. Usually when I'm away from dh and Otis I am doing something fun, like backpacking and I'm busy and distracted. I have really missed them.

Bill The walk with the yard art sounds very fun. Lots of hills makes it an even better walk. I just can't bring myself to do jabs after as long as it has been since I have last done any real bedside nursing (other than these few days).

Penny Sometimes it is hard being around food when we don't plan to have it for sure. I'm fortunate to be in a pretty controlled environment.

Maryann Nice to have a scale drop while on steroids. Keep up the good work and of course if you do retain water or whatever it will slip off when the steroids stop.

GardenerJoy The dinner sounds very good. Fun to be trying something new right now.

Curlyjax I'm glad you had a good time getting together with your friend. It is just the best to have someone with a shared experience. Thursday will be two years since my friend was widowed. We did talk about it just so I could acknowledge that of course I remember and I'm sure I'll be talking to her.

Well, that's it from me. I'll be heading up the road in just a few hours and I'm so looking forward to seeing dh and Otis.

I had a great walk with DS yesterday. he chatted away and it was great to see how happy he is. I hope he'll be able to do a study abroad at some point during his college years but it depends on what Europe looks like after the pandemic. Then I had fight with DD and emotionally ate over it. I can't seem to keep my mouth shut with her and I do feel badly for losing my temper so quickly. I guess I will have to employ some CBT techniques in this aspect of my life. Last night I just felt hopeless about everything and sobbed away; I do wish I either had a more fulfilling job or a relationship OR the pandemic was over. But today is a new day.
I watched the movie Nomadland which is streaming on Hulu. It was very good- the scenery would have been great on the big screen- and I felt so grateful for my house afterwards; not a life I would want to live at all but so interesting to see what some folks do.
Karen- so glad you are going home today!
Penny- It's so much easier when I'm by myself, I hear you.
Bill- that yard art sounds so fun, i may take a drive and check it out myself sometime. that's the stuff I miss about city life.
Maryann- yay for a three pound drop!
Gardenerjoy- that food sounds delicious for sure.

Good Morning, Coaches.

Credit for being solidly at ticker!!!!! That is a big deal for me. I am looking at 1 year of "red light food free life" on March 18. I have lost about 8 pounds over the course of the year. The long view is very encouraging for me. As we know, the day to day trudge is not always easy to remain in focus. A few other small steps that have helped so much this week are starting the steroids so that my feet are improving so I can walk more and buying the Dansko Paisley shoes. I actually ordered another pair in a different color with my REI member credit. There were many years in my teens and twenties when I couldn't make these small steps due to mental health issues and my family of origin chaos. I am grateful that I created a different life today. Still, there is much work to be done. I have many areas I in which I want to grow.

A very productive weekend. That's the good news. The bad news is productive and content make the weekend fly by. So another Monday morning. I have four lunches and snacks packed, lots of water, and good shoes to walk the benches at lunch. It is a four day week. Friday I will head down with Mom to Pismo Beach to celebrate my Dad's 90th birthday.

BBE: Credit for a nice walk that doesn't feel like exercise because it is an art adventure.
curleyjax: I am so glad DS is happy with his new digs.
Karen: You did it. I bet the scale is favorable. It always seems to be after not regularly exercising which is very irritating.
Penny: I have a very hard time cleaning up the kitchen. That is my mindless eating time. sometimes i put a strong flavored gum in my mouth to remind me not to pop anything into it. Then sometimes I just make the boys clean up. But most of the time I just nibble. Frustrating.

I found the note that's been in my Tickler file for years, giving advice for what to do during the week before the "spring forward" time change. That's an annual test of how well my Tickler file system is working.

It suggests exercising at least 60 minutes per day. I nailed that one yesterday with two walks and a yoga session.

It also suggests earlier meals and earlier bed times. I'm doing reasonably well with that, too.

I thought I was going to fail at the suggestion to read a distracting novel, but the latest JD Robb just showed up for me in the library's ebook app. That will work!

I pretty much have failed to avoid appointments. I have my COVID shot on Wednesday which I'll probably turn into an all-day adventure with a hike at a state park. And, we have the appointment with the urologist on Thursday, probably to finalize decisions, depending on the answers to the remaining questions. I'll avoid other appointments and, particularly, late nights.

That should be good enough to get through what, some years, has been very challenging for me -- to the point that the spring time change marked the beginning of a spring binge season for me. This list, this group, and other things have made that a thing of the past!

Exercise +75, 335/1400 minutes for March

Tuesday - Russian Bolshevik Party becomes the Communist Party (1918)
 

Diet Coaches/Buddies - Eating was on plan with no daytime snacks, CREDIT moi. Dinner was the French lentils again. DW added some bouillon broth to make them more like a soup rather than their dry style like before. That helped. Still not our favorite lentils. We did indulge in the baguette that had been purchased just for these lentils. Everything tastes better with a baguette.

I had to hustle from dinner to make my evening Zoom event. One more time, Zoom united us. One regular attendee Zoomed in from his hospital bed with his adult daughter setting up his computer. He was verbally and mentally all there but punching buttons is a challenge right now. It's a rehab hospital; he hopes to be home in two weeks before we meet again. One from California. One from Taipei, Taiwan temporarily visiting her homeland, Zooming in from absolutely alone in a condo for a government required mandatory fifteen day quarantine. And several who were fairly local but due to not feeling well attended only under notice that they might have to fade out early. Had fourteen folks instead of about six who would have been there pre-pandemic.


Joy (gardenerjoy) - I have an online friend who had to drive two hours out of Kansas City into the countryside to get her vaccination. And will have to repeat the trip in four weeks. Ouch! Neat that you've got your strategies all lined up.

maryann - Congrats for "solidly at ticker!!!!!" with Kudos for the diligence that got you there.

Karen (karenrn) - Hope you're home cuddling with Otis. Oh, and your DH, also. Kudos for limiting your sweets despite the tensions of being a helper. Neat plan to drop her off and let her Uber back home.

curlyjax - Interesting that you enjoyed Nomadland but that it made you appreciate your brick-and-mortar home. I like to be reminded that the howling winds don't affect me nestled inside here.

Readers -

Good morning coaches,

Food was on plan yesterday. I am so happy to be home. I got home before 11 and had saved the last 2 hours of my audiobook to listen to on the way home. The book is The Sun is a Compass by Caroline Van Hemert and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Of course both dh and Otis are happy to have me here. I'm heading out to hike South Mtn with my friend in less than an hour. It's warm here today but will be getting cooler through the week. My food plan is made for today.

I think I had better get up and get going, but I hope to get back on later for personals.

Good Morning, Coaches.

The scale remains at ticker. Yesterday was a challenging day but I remained reasonable with food.

My phone almost never rings. I am not a phone talker. Yesterday, though, I had contact with six different people after school. It it was overwhelming to me. Several of the calls had to do with challenges I have no control over. One is my mother who is determined to buy a new car but doesn't have the money. Another was regarding a possibility of being forced to teach a special class that they took away from me four years ago due to politics ( two friends wanted to teach it together. ) Now they need another teacher again . I don't want to go back to that department. I am happy where I am. Then there were three family calls including DH saying he couldn't travel down to Dad's bday party on Friday. So if you were to ask me if any of the calls were positive, I would want to say no . However, prayer and meditation I did last night uncovered a small passage about the solution to overwhelm being gratitude. Although I am uncomfortable now, I must be grateful for the opportunities for growth these challenges present me. Whether I teach the class or not is much less important than how I care for myself through the decision process. Does the process make me become more like the woman I want to become? Both the family situation and the job situation are really Groundhog's Day for me. Will I wake up with a different song playing?

Thanks for the window into your way of preparing for an event that you have identified as a jumping off point. CBT as it's best.

Wave to all

We had our second Home Chef meal last night and it was a flop. Oh well. It was fun, however, to think about how we could do it better. And, gave us a good idea for how to approach that as a project.

Exercise +60, 395/1400 minutes for March

maryann: I missed your post on the new page, yesterday. Congratulations! That's a beautiful long view, indeed. And, I appreciate your thought process this morning, too.

karenrn: I'm glad that you're safely home and off on a hike!

BillBlueEyes: I'm appreciating some opportunities that Zoom provides for us, too. Our Saturday meeting went long and I was mildly embarrassed because I was running it and I usually pride myself on ending on time. But, it went long because we had more participants than ever before, more people who talked to school board candidates and were prepared to report back what they learned.

Good morning!

I missed a day but will have to claim a day off for International Working Women's Day. Ha!

Still eating as if progress were not the goal but exercising better than ever.

Happy Tuesday!

Wednesday - Alexander Graham Bell "Mr. Watson, come here, I want to see you" (1876)
 

Diet Coaches/Buddies - Excitement was the weekly boring trip to the supermarket. I have grown to like boring in these times. That means that everyone was masked and distanced; the clam shells of lettuce and arugula that I buy were appropriately forward dated a week; the milk for morning coffee was fresh dated; plum tomatoes and English cukes were in abundance; acceptable range of green and ripe bananas so they'll last us a week; short checkout line; bananas not bagged on bottom. Good boring.

Class based on the book Sapiens debated whether Capitalism was indeed the positive driving force of the world. Hint: the author grew up on a kibbutz in Israel. And whether colonialism had ultimately been good for places like India. The good news is that on Zoom no one could throw punches. The history of the Dutch in Indonesia is not a pretty read.

Eating was on plan with no daytime snacks, CREDIT moi. Salmon was grilled on the patio for dinner. After dinner snack included half a Sumo Orange. They are so odd looking and peel so easily. They're a favorite around here when they're in season.


Joy (gardenerjoy) - Ouch for the Home Chef "flop" with Congrats for thinking of a way to turn that into a project. Neat that your meeting went long because folks had something important to say.

maryann - Ouch for the "Groundhog's Day for me" day in your life - may things sort out. I shudder when I realize that you have to teach high school kids the very history that we're reading - no longer allowed to paint a Pollyanna version like the kind I was taught back in the day.

Karen (karenrn) - Great that you got right back on the hiking trail upon your return.

Penny. - Yep, you qualify for a pass for International Working Women's Day - you certainly are one. Kudos for "exercising better than ever."

Readers -

Good morning coaches,

I had a great hike yesterday, but then had some off plan snacks. I tried a protein bar that I bought a box of at Costco and then too much cheese in the afternoon. I'll have to work it off today. I'm leaving in an hour to hike in the Superstitions. One of the gals can't go cause she all of a sudden got a vaccine appointment. Very good reason to cancel. I think us two remainders are both fully vaccinated. We were going to do about 15 miles in the Superstitions, but may cut it back to ten or so.

Bill I remain so impressed that you go day after day without having a snack.
Penny Glad you are getting your exercise. I know for me I don't lose weight with just exercise, but I know it is good for my body and mind.
GardenerJoy Sorry about the dinner, what was it? Could you doctor it up?
Maryann You certainly do have some challenges, but you also have such a good attitude.
Curlyjax I'm glad ds is doing well and happy. This is a tough time with the pandemic going on for sure. I feel sure it will be better. Take care.

After me leaving a phone message in the morning and then texting in the evening, my friend sent a text back that she is doing well but lonely. I can't fix that, but was so glad she is doing okay and not having a set back. I'd better get moving and get things packed up for the day.

Yesterday I got up early and went to help at a vaccine clinic for work. It was really fun to see some of my clients and chat with a colleague. It was tiring though as I was standing for four hours- sitting when I could- and even though I had planned ahead and brought a snack, I was so hungry after I treated myself to a grilled cheese and an iced coffee with mocha swirl from DD. I have to say that sandwich was sooo good and worth every calorie. And I resisted the donuts so credit for that. Later I looked at my receipt and realized they had given me a senior discount! I guess I looked pretty old yesterday:)
I got my weights done and indoor exercise, and had a a big salad later on, so I feel the day was balanced.
I've been beating myself up for still not dealing with tax stuff, and not doing anything other than watching tv in the evening because I'm a bit depressed and I'm more anxious than usual. I think its the pandemic making me a little batty so I'm going to give myself a break. Maybe all I can focus on is getting my eating habits healthier, and that is a big thing. I will get the taxes done at some point. I'm still so unorganized with financial stuff, and I'm putting off dealing with the fact that i'm constantly pulling money out to supplement my paltry salary. I'm very lucky to have that investment money, but it isn't a sustainable way to live in the long run.
Thanks for letting me ruminate here. Personals tomorrow, wave to all!

Our third Home Chef meal went reasonably well, although we doctored it a fair amount to suit our needs. It was a fusion meal with a stir-fry filling for soft tortillas, topped with slaw.

The first thing I changed was the slaw. Their dressing consisted of mayonnaise plus sriracha to taste. DH said, "You can do better than that." So, I did. I added lots more interesting flavors and used only half the mayo. I also fixed it early in the day since I know that slaw benefits from time for the flavors to marry.

A last minute addition was green beans from our freezer when we saw the large amount of chicken they gave us compared to the small amount of bok choy. Our stir fries are much more veggie-centric, so we added more vegetables.
It was tasty, in the end, but we're taking a lot of credit for that. We ate about 2/3 of what we were given, It should make a good lunch or we could split the rest for a snack ahead of a light supper.

Today is my big COVID vaccine day, about an hour and a half away. My plan is to stop at a state park on the way home for a picnic, a restroom break, and a walk along a lake.

Exercise +60, 455/1400 minutes for March

karenrn: The flop dinner was teriyaki chicken over jasmine rice. Rather than order that one again, we're going to experiment with making it from scratch. DH already ordered high quality marin and soy sauce from Amazon to form the base of the sauce.

curlyjax: Sending virtual hugs. Depressed and anxiety seem a natural response to a pandemic. Or taxes, for that matter. Sometimes it helps me to tackle a project like that by devoting a day to it. I can actually get excited about it when I give it enough time to dive in deeply and see where it leads me. It doesn't always lead to a completed project, but it usually gets me somewhere better than where I started.

Good Morning, Coaches.

Credit for taking my grateful attitude for a walk through my day yesterday. I actually let go of trying to control the class assignments for next year. I have tried so many years now to plan "the best" situation for me with resulting chaos. I refuse to jump into that hole again. It feels good. I also had a heart to heart talk with my US History class the students of which are doing nothing on their own. I have not really faced such a situation before. We had an open discussion of how I could modify my program to have them meet me half way. Deep down I battled with the icky feeling I shouldn't have to modify, They are juniors. Then my shrink reminded me everybody is struggling. What exactly defines success? Certainly not failing two thirds of the class. Maybe success is teaching them to talk openly and honestly and compromising with an authority (me) to find a mutual win. Who knows? Anyway it was a good counselor session because she told me just as I have to modify expectations for my students, I have to modify them for myself right now. I mean I am teaching in an alien environment, my son is off to college, DH has cancer, and so on. Today's meditation is to take the joy that is in my life this moment and magnify. I can do that. I have a hot cup of coffee in my hand. My food is OP and my pants fit. I have posting here and book club with my friends. The list goes on.

I tried to find fun shoes for my struggling feet. I ordered silver fancy sneakers which were far more sparkly than expected. DH said the Tin Man would wear them. Back they go in the return mail.

Today is my second shot. Yeah!

Wave to all.

Late check-in!

I had my covid testing job early this morning and then my second delivery of firewood came. I now have all four of my wood racks loaded and should be good for a couple years.

Loading the wood didn't seem like the workout it usually does and I'm not sure if it's because I am stronger or my kids are doing more. Either way, I'm still claiming it as my exercise for today.

Food continues to be a struggle. :(

Thursday - Sotheby's holds its first ever auction (of books) (1744, London)
 

Diet Coaches/Buddies - Exercise was chase the (5.5 yo) DGD day, CREDIT moi. Took her to the Discovery Museum to the west of here for a convoluted reason: she had a dentist appointment in the morning for a, gasp, cavity! Turns out that she hadn't given up her comfort of taking a bottle to bed. Milk in the mouth all night finally got to one of her baby teeth. We were delayed starting our day so that we couldn't come back here; instead, drove west to this neat children's museum. We've been before, but go less than once a year which bugs me since it doesn't justify becoming a member. I like writing the fat check for membership to the places that serve us well. The evening comfort bottle has been declared done! Over! And, furthermore, one of her bottom teeth is loose. "I can wiggle it."

Then we stopped at a new park where she befriended a lady with a tennis ball chasing dog. Neither she nor the dog got tired of the game. The lady was happy for a different amusement for her dog just as we were. Lots of energy burned. Stumbled upon the George J. Kostas Research Institute for Homeland Security. Was puzzled by its humongous aviary visible in the linked picture. Just don't know of any bird that needs an enclosure that large. We walked around it; saw nothing; no one was about. Begin to feel creepy and slithered away. The path to the park wasn't there but a short drive away. Couldn't stop wondering about the aviary. Asked the lady with the dog. "It's for testing drones." Should have thought of that.


Joy (gardenerjoy) - Sending slaw to your house is certainly coals to Newcastle. (Pictures are just for fun.)

maryann - Kudos for facing reality in so many parts of your life. Congrats for choosing to marry a brutally honest man who can say, "the Tin Man would wear them."

Karen (karenrn) - So neat to be out hiking with another fully vaccinated person. Hope this becomes the common tale.

curlyjax - Now you have me drooling for a grilled cheese sandwich. Don't know why they've dropped out of my life. It's a positive start to document what you are doing financially - Kudos for taking that step.

Penny. - Congrats for getting you kids to help with the firewood. You sound well stocked.

Readers -

Good morning coaches,

I didn't really write a food plan yesterday, but I ate what I had in mind. We did stick with the longer hike yesterday which was 14.8 miles. It wasn't as difficult as the hike last week because there was a bit less elevation gain. The weather was perfect. Unfortunately some of the area we hiked in is very sad looking due to the fires that went through last year. It looked a bit like a saguaro graveyard, with some of the large one toppled over and some still standing but charred. Today I am taking the day off from hiking to do some housework. I will walk Otis for exercise and then he's going to the groomer's at noon.

The gal I hiked with yesterday recently lost about 30 pounds and is at her desired weight. She used Zoom and lost the weight in about six months. She is a non-drinker, so no calories from alcohol and is also vegetarian, but does eat cheese and eggs. Anyway it was inspiring to see her looking so good. She just did what she needed to do, stopped eating when she ran out of calories for the day. What a novel concept. I have written a food plan for today, but dinner is a question mark because we are going out.

Bill Poor dgd needing a filling. What did she have to say about that?
Penny I bet you are stronger and that's why the wood loading was easier.
Maryann Yay for your second shot!
GardenerJoy I hope your vaccination appointment went well.
Curlyjax I think you would feel so much better after you get your tax stuff done that you would breath a sigh of relief. I also bet it wouldn't take you that long if you just set is as a priority on a weekend day when you are rested. That probably isn't what you want to hear, but from personal experience I find some of those things I really procrastinate about contribute to my feeling a bit depressed at times.

I had to do some errands on my lunch hour so I didn't get a walk in, and the same may happen today. But its supposed to be beautiful so I really should get out for a bit. Food was healthy and OP until I splurged on popcorn with butter and a microwave mug cake. I'm reminding myself here I can have a microwaved apple with cinnamon as a sweet treat and will plan for it.
Last night I did a little catch up with work documentation i've been procrastinating on, so I'm glad I did make myself get something done.
Tonight I do have a church zoom meeting; I may help with our online auction (but only because one of my friends needs help:)) So that will be fun to see people I haven't seen in awhile.
Karen-hope you had a great hike. It's so awesome that more and more folks are becoming vaccinated.
Bill- thanks for the photo, too funny about testing for drones. Poor DGD, its hard to give up one's comfort bottle!
Penny- I'm sure you are stronger and that's why the firewood loading was easier!:)
Gardenerjoy- good idea to thoroughly immerse one in a project. I need to push myself to get started.
Maryann- good point what your therapist said; we all need to cut ourselves and each other some slack, the pandemic is indeed still with us.

Phone check in today. Yesterday was very positive. My modifications for the students at least made ME feel better. My schedule is ironed out for next year and I stretched for 30 mins. A little slow moving this morning.I am not attributing it to the second shot.
Credit for vinegar, black cumin and double weigh ins. I was grazing much later than usual so the scale is a bit higher. Tomorrow I head to Pismo. Being with family means ups and downs. My priority is to maintain my dessert abstinence and to shut my mouth. Rather than play into drama I will walk on the beautiful ocean cliffs.

wave

I successfully received my vaccine shot. It took a lot longer than expected. Walmart apparently way overestimated how many shots that one small-town pharmacist can give in an hour. I'm achy this morning, but I'm convinced it's a result of standing in line on Walmart's hard concrete floor for over an hour and a half.

I enjoyed my little hike. I'd forgotten how much I love Missouri's wooded areas. Of course, there's more drama in other seasons, but I really enjoy how far one can see into the woodland when the leaves are off the trees. And the warm color of last autumn's leaves on the ground.

I only ate the food that I packed. Although, I was tempted by the drive through at the Dairy Queen after my time at Walmart went far past my usual lunch time. Instead, I ate the granola bar I packed. That was plenty to tide me through until I reached the state park for my picnic.

Exercise +60, 515/1400 minutes for March

BillBlueEyes: Thanks for the Newcastle photos. Newcastle is on my to-visit list for the bridges. Also, a pretty good jumping off place to see Hadrian's Wall.
PS. I was going to attach a photo from yesterday's hike, but the Manage Attachments button in the Advanced edit doesn't respond. If you can replicate that, can you report it to the powers that can fix it? If not, let me know. I may be overdue for a reboot.

Friday - Computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee proposes World Wide Web (1989, CERN)
 

Diet Coaches/Buddies - Eating was on plan with no daytime snacks, CREDIT moi. Dinner was the second pair of grilled salmon steaks from Tuesday. DW grills four; serves two, twice. They reheat well. Cosmic Crisp Apple and half a California Navel Orange were the evening snacks.

Thursday is my busy day. In the course using the book The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America, we read the history of zoning; it led off with the story of Ferguson, Missouri to get our blood flowing. Then, case by case, detail by detail, it goes through a zillion Federal, State, County, and City regulations that made segregation the law - not just a de facto happening because "folks like their own kind." Each tiny decision can be sorta exonerated as a case of local NIMBY (Not in My Back Yard), but taken as a whole it's a damning story. And we're only on Chapter 3. Hard to know how I'll last through the course.


Joy (gardenerjoy) - Congrats for solving the vaccine challenge. Ouch for the long wait to do that. Neat that you can enjoy the visuals of the off-season. The button [Inline Attachments] doesn't work for me either. Seems that the site doesn't accept uploaded pictures into a post. It only allows [Image], two buttons to the left, that displays an image from a URL. Folks seem to upload their images to a site for hosting images.

maryann - Kudos for having a plan for dealing with the tension of family.

Karen (karenrn) - Ouch for sighting the "saguaro graveyard" - sad sight, that. LOL at the novel concept, "stopped eating when she ran out of calories for the day." Someone should write that down.

curlyjax - Church auctions are fun. I've gotten some of the best bargains on items that I didn't need when the money was going to a good cause.

Readers -

I took off today since its going to be gorgeous out, and I want an extra day to get stuff done. My plan is to putz around here in the morning, go look at refrigerators, take a walk in a park near the appliance store, then have half a panera salad. I’m probably going to get a new refrig soon even though I’m reining in my spending, because my current old one is not energy efficient and isn’t set up well for the 3 of us when the kids are home- which in reality is almost 5 months of the year. We’re all trying to eat healthier and not waste food we forget about, and a newer bigger refrig should have more shelves etc. So i’m starting the looking process.
Karen- I know you are right about the tax thing. It becomes more involved because some of the investment forms are online instead of thru the mail now, so I have to hunt for my passwords for those:) I did complete the worksheet though so step one is done.
Maryann- walking on beautiful ocean cliffs sounds wonderful!
Gardenerjoy- great job resisting the food temptations. Those concrete floors are killers.
Bill-yay for grilled salmon steaks, and food prepared for the next day.

Good morning coaches,

Today is dh's 65th birthday, so that is a big thing at our house. He is healthy after having several issues 10 years ago and looks much younger and is feeling good. We're meeting a couple of friends for dinner on a covered patio restaurant. Good thing it's covered and with heaters because it's raining here today and the high will be in the high 50's. My exercise will be walking Otis when we have a break in the rain along with my plank, arm and shoulder exercises. As long as I'm not hiking I'll get some housework done too. I did some off plan snacking yesterday, but yesterday is over and I'll make a realistic plan for today that includes dinner out.

Curlyjax Enjoy your day out with the nice weather. We got all new appliances in the kitchen when we remodeled 3 years ago and then a new washer and dryer more recently. We are all electric and our power bill has gone down noticeably. I can only attribute it to the appliances. Good job getting the worksheets done.
Bill Our Washington apple grower friend was here yesterday, he was discussing which varieties he is planting (new trees) and says he grows 12% Cosmic Crisps.
GardenerJoy So glad you got both your vaccine and a nice walk in the woods.
Maryann Enjoy your walk on the ocean cliffs. I used to tease that I would need to go to the ER to get my tongue stitched up for having to bite my tongue so much around some people.
Waving to Penny.

Computer is packed so this is in the phone. I will work a half day then pick up Mom and head to Pismo. I am look forward to seeing the beach.

I am officially ten pounds lighter than when they closed my school down a year ago. That feels good.

I am grateful I automatically pack healthy snacks rather than planning on eating fast food. I also always pack walking shoes and workout clothes. I know that for some other people this wouldn’t be habitual. I was thinking how 8 years ago I packed my scale for a two stay in Vermont. I am grateful I am willing to be weird to be healthy.


Gardenerjoy: I hope to visit Missouri woods this summer. My friend just moved there.
BBE: watched Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid and thought of how yr DW likes old movies. There are a few I am going to check out.
Curleyjax: yeah for a day off
Karen: Happy bday to DH. Does he have retirement plans in his future?

Yesterday's excitement was the meeting with the urologist and DH's decision to start this treatment journey with surgery. We expect that to happen in April.

Between that appointment and the rain, I missed my goal of 60 minutes of exercise by a long shot. I won't attempt to make that up today, but I will attempt to reach 60 minutes today.

Exercise +30, 545/1400 minutes for March

Good morning!

I meant to do another late check-in but failed, just like I failed to eat on plan. It was my son's 14th birthday and it started with donuts.

My workout was extra with 30 minutes of weights and 1.5 hours of spin classes. I had to ice my knees after.

I'm going to do a little 5:2 IF to try and claw my way back on plan. Not looking forward to the heartburn I'll be suffering with today.

Have a great day, everyone.

Saturday- The planet Uranus discovered by Sir William Herschel (1781, Bath, England)
 

Diet Coaches/Buddies - Success!! After so many tries, we fixed the flat tire on the community snow thrower. In the process, I'd destroyed two tubes by using carpenter crowbars to pry off the tire instead of smooth ended 'spoons' that are made for that purpose. A neighbor bought a set of spoons online - I didn't even know they existed for laymen. Possibly discovered the trick for putting the tire back on that's eluded us all these weeks that made it nearly impossible. Possibly. Possibly not. I'd rather not walk that path again. Should the reported snow of the Midwest drift out here to the East Coast, now we're ready.

Eating was on plan with no daytime snacks, CREDIT moi. Dinner was the frozen Tikka Masala Chicken that I'd bought from Costco. The appeal was that it came in two sealed packages; DW cooked one for us to split. Tasted pretty good. We'll get it again (in addition to looking forward to the second package). Working meant that DW made brown rice and kale. She's facile in the kitchen and doesn't mind making stuff. She does appreciate that the difficult, time-consuming entree is already done. We won with that one.

We watched Tom Hanks in News of the World. Good entertainment. Helena Zengel stole the show as the pre-teen orphan in need of rescue by a hard, brave, good looking, "don't know nothing about raising kids," kind of guy. Fortunately, there was one conveniently standing right there in the title role. I insisted that I got FREE movies from Amazon Prime; this particular FREE movie cost me $19.99. By the time that I figured out that I had to pay, DW was vested so I just clicked the ever-so-easy-to-click [Buy] button. It's not that I can't afford $20, it's that I've always assumed that I'd get a FREE movie if I ever wanted to watch one. Have to figure that out.


Joy (gardenerjoy) - Congratulations for making a decision - such a big step forward.

maryann - Waving back toward Pismo. Apparently, you'll miss the Monarch Butterfly season. Now I have to add that to my Bucket List. Congrats on those ten pounds gone over the COVID year.

Karen (karenrn) - Happy Birthday to your DH. Sounds like a fun plan for celebrating. Thanks for the tidbit of info about Cosmic Crisp Apples from your Washington grower friend.

curlyjax - Smart choice of a day to take off. Was outside without a jacket; feeling like Spring couldn't be that far away. Good luck with your shopping for a fridge. My experience has been that old-time appliance salesmen have been worth their weight in gold showing me the comparative features that I'd missed. Don't know if such guys still exist.

Penny. - Happy Birthday to your DS. Just about driver's license time is it not? Kudos for making a plan.

Readers -

Weigh in day- down another 2 pounds this week, woo! I'm very pleased. I haven't felt this motivated in a loooong time, and success is keeping me going.
I checked out the refrigerators at a small appliance store where the salesmen knew what they were doing-they still do exist Bill!. There isn't a huge selection still due to the pandemic, but they will sell off the floor models. I'd have to remove one of the cupboards to get the frig in, so the next step is to get a handyman to see if that is doable. And I could spend my stimulus money to buy it, they are more affordable than I thought.
I went to a small park to walk afterwards and bumped into some older ladies from church, so that was fun.I chatted for a few minutes then went to Panera's as planned for a half salad, side of bread and a Madagascar Vanilla Almond milk cold brew- I think I have that right. It blew my points but was a great treat, and better than a cookie which would have me craving more.
Today I'm meeting a friend for a walk and will see her new house too, all masked up. She's had one of her shots and is very careful I know. And then its my day for groceries etc.
Karen- happy birthday to DH! Yay for healthier and looking good. That celebration sounds just right.
Maryann- super yay for 10 pounds down! Great habit of automatically planning healthy snacks.
Penny- I knew I would need to have the kids out of the house for a jump start, its so hard to have their junk around. Just remember how much weight you lost before! you will do it again.
Gardenerjoy-that is great to have those next steps in place.
Bill- if a movie has a money sign in the corner you have to pay, on prime videos. A lot of them you can rent for 3.99, but the newer ones cost a lot more. I tend to use my laptop to peruse the movies first, its easier to figure it out, then choose what i want to stream and possibly pay for, on my tv.

Good morning!

One fast day down, one to go. A 500 calorie breakfast and nothing else is considered a fast day, and it makes me think of Beth eating those bars and whatnot. I think she was doing the fast day everyday. It would probably move the weightloss along quicker but I'd feel like garbage.

Exercise was my first trial of some new jump ropes. I'm going to try and do a little every day.

Karen, happy 65 to your dh!

Curly, congrats on the weight loss!

Bill, that's good the snow blower is fixed. Ouch for damaging two tubes in the process.

Maryann, kudos for being down 10 pounds over the year. I read somewhere the average weight gain of women during the pandemic is 26 pounds.

Joy, yay for getting the vaccine and your DH having a treatment plan decided.

Yesterday's adventure was a trip to the grocery store.

I may be feeling some effects from the vaccine because it was more draining than anticipated.

Friday afternoon, it turns out, is not a good time if I'm aiming for a nearly empty store. Next time, I'll try earlier in the week. One impact of using a meal kit delivery service is a smaller grocery list. I think I can make that translate into fewer trips, too.

Exercise +65, 610/1400 minutes for March

Good morning coaches,

Yesterday was cold and rainy and boy do we need the rainy. It's raining a little now too. I did have an off plan piece of cake yesterday. Dh brought it home from the office and I had it after dinner. It was a Nothing But Bundt cake which I think they have all over. I enjoyed it and asked dh to please eat the other piece today or to get rid of it which he will do. I got up this morning and hiked by myself while listening to One Man's Wilderness. I'm loving it as I seem to love outdoor adventure type books. My food plan is made for today and I think it's going to be a low key day. I did call Suz in Tucson and she is doing pretty well. The doctor is happy with her progress and she is able to drive. The miracles of modern medicine are amazing.

GardenerJoy It sounds like a good day to take it easy.
Penny Jumping rope is such good exercise. I used to do it at Crossfit. I strived for double unders, but never made it.
Curlyjax Woohoo is right! Good for you! I'm glad you found a helpful appliance salesperson.
Bill Congratulations on getting the tire fixed. That was a bugger for sure. We've had that Costco dish too and thought it was pretty good.
Maryann Being ten pounds down from a year ago is really something to be proud of. It's hard to imagine how much more many people weigh. Dh doesn't have retirement plans yet. He works about 2 miles from home and can wear golf shorts and polos. He doesn't have any hobbies that he feels would fill his time and he's not really a volunteering type guy either. His back is bad enough that golf once or twice a week would probably be about the limit. I'm not complaining especially right now when we wouldn't be doing much traveling anyway. I just tell him if he ever feels like it is causing too much stress or just doesn't want to work anymore by all means retire.

I hope you all are having a good weekend.

Sunday - Daylight Savings Time began at 2:a.m. (since 1895, Austro-Hungarian Empire)
 

Diet Coaches/Buddies - Made the rounds of the house to set the clocks forward. All of them. Certainly have a lot. There are clocks everywhere. DW did the microwave - perhaps our least observed clock for time-of-day since it's only used for minutes/seconds left. The timer on the cable box violates the 'rule' that there shouldn't be a clock in the living room. Don't know who wrote that rule and hard to know how I'm aware of it. (Just googled that: it's so your guests don't think you're reminding them to leave. I can remember when we used to have guests.) Don't have to set our cell phones or our computers - a reminder that we're constantly being watched.

Eating was on plan with no daytime snacks. Dinner was half an hour earlier than usual as part of preparation for the loss of an hour last night. Went to bed half an hour earlier also. Maybe that helped. What helped the most was that we set the clocks forward about 7 pm last night so we spent the evening thinking it was already later. That fooled my brain - but hardly fooled my circadian rhythm which, according to Wikipedia, I share with fruit flies and cyanobacteria as well as homo sapiens in Arizona and Hawaii who don't switch time twice a year - perhaps evolved past their fruit flies stage.

Happy Pi Day to all who celebrate.


Joy (gardenerjoy) - Hope the response to the vaccine tapers away. It's reassuring that your body had acknowledged the vaccine. One friend suggested to me that my lack of reaction perhaps meant that my body didn't take the vaccine at all so that I'm still vulnerable. Don't know how to determine if that's the case.

Karen (karenrn) - Well your DH's Nothing But Bundt cake now has me drooling. Not just for a Bundt cake but to have a friendly man in a uniform deliver it to my door. Maybe I could get a scheduled delivery to avoid having to think about it. Maybe a different flavor a week. Sometimes muffins. Congrats for having only one piece. And, by the by, I am jealous that you don't have to change your clocks twice a year.

curlyjax - Congrats for those two pounds gone - despite having to adjust your meal prep for eating without two hungry teens to serve. I, too, have suffered from finding that the new refrigerators were a different size from the current space in the cabinetry. Good luck getting through that. (We modified the cabinet overhead - a pain.)

Penny. - 500 calories is indeed a fast. Hope you can survive on that. Love the notion of getting jump ropes as an adult.

Readers -

I managed to sleep in today which was great, I really needed it. I had a nice visit with my friend although we didn't end up walking since it was windy and cold. I blew thru the rest of my points for the week but I get to start over Monday. I need to make my food plan for the week and get some groceries in, do bills and do some mental prep. A job opportunity suddenly came up in my agency which I have a good shot at so I need to dig out my notes on interview questions. It wouldn't necessarily be more money, but much closer to my house and would keep me super busy which I would love. I'll give more details if I get it!
Gardenerjoy- yes, friday afternoon is indeed a busy grocery time. Saturday morning is too, but I like to go then to get my food set for the weekend.
Karen-Glad your friend is feeling better- I can't believe she's driving already!
Penny- good luck with the fasting, I do hear good benefits from it. I hope someone else is dealing with dinner for your family, that would help.
Bill-I never heard that about the living room clock, that is interesting! I had a reaction to the second vaccine but not the first. I'm sure its doing its job!

Good Morning, Coaches.

Yesterday's 90th bday was a success. I am very happy with it. My family of origin is ripe with landmines. It seemed that most of us were mature enough to step over touchy subjects in honor of my father. That made all the difference. My father rarely avoids anything so it was about being non reactive. Three cheers for maturity. I need to credit myself for asking for what I need from my Dad which has never been the case. His usual pattern is to dwell on my older two brothers ( who never come to events by the way) bringing up their "misfortunes" at every moments. Both have severe mental health issues ( bipolar, rage, etc. . .) I privately asked Dad to not to bring them up just for the day because it made me so sad that I felt powerless to help and it would stop me from fully enjoying the day. (This was just a partial truth of a deeper problem but I felt it was the diplomatic approach. For the first time EVER, Dad didn't bring them up. I felt "heard" by Dad which is huge progress in our relationship. I am grateful that I have hung in on some of these relationship to actually get some closure - even this late in the process. I realize 90 is a tough time to start growing but Dad is trying.

Super credit for me as a result of asking for what I need I did not go off plan. I told myself to stay away from wheat and ,of course, desserts. I did it. We will go see another brother's new house and then I'll beat a diplomatic retreat back home with Mom.

curleyjax: Credit for the losing streak. It feels so good.
penny: The fasting just doesn't work for me. I wish it did. it just takes one day of OP to feel better again.
gardernerjoy: I am think about you and DH as you continue to walk this path.
BBE: I have spent the "new release" money on Prime for Mulan. Loved it. I watch it ten times in tenvdays to get my money's worth.
Karen: Is the replacement Suz the same as Hiking Suzanne?

Good morning!

I had a taste of success with two fasting days, and surprisingly no heartburn. Food shopping, prep, and exercise were done too. The fridge is so ridiculously packed with prepped foods right now. Ha!

Bill, I guess there is an even better reason to have a clock in the living room than I thought. I wouldn't want my guests to stay too long. Haha! It's a small one on the mantel, so hopefully not too threatening.

Curly, the new job opportunity sounds exciting!

Maryann, I'm glad the family party went well. Major credit for not eating over it!

Good morning coaches,

Yesterday was perfectly on plan and I have a plan for today. I hiked a good one this morning, not so long, but plenty of incline and I'm home and cleaned up. I will have to say I am very glad we don't have daylight savings time to deal with. I do have to remember that my WA friends are now the same time as me now, which is easier. Dh is golfing today and it's a beautiful day after two cloudy, rainy and cold ones.

Penny I'm glad you had success with the fasting days. Hopefully that was just what you needed.
Maryann Good job navigating the family celebration and asking for what you needed and getting it! I have so many friends with the same name. The two Suzanne's are different people. I haven't seen too much of Hiking Suzanne because she is so busy at her country club and also her daughter and family moved to town from Seattle. We do keep in touch though. I met her here 8 years ago or so. I have known Tucson Suzanne about 25 years when we were nurses in Washington. She and her husband moved down here a bit before we did. She is widowed 2 years now, moved south from Phoenix about six years ago and has issues with arthritis, depression and not so good decision making at times. We don't have so much in common but with her depression she doesn't keep up with friends so she doesn't keep many.
Curlyjax It is really nice with WW that the new week starts you off fresh again. Good luck on the new job if you decide you want it.
Bill I do remember changing all the clocks. Dh used to do most of it. It sure is easy not having to worry about it. Good job strategizing to make the change easier.
Waving to GardenerJoy.

Holy moly I was hearing on the news about the weight gain during covid and they said something about 42 pounds. Wouldn't that be tough? Thank you all for helping me be mindful and even when I did gain I stopped it.

I woke before the alarm this morning. That means I was successful at creeping up to the time change instead of spring forward with it in one night. That works much better for me!
Exercise +65, 675/1400 minutes for March

BillBlueEyes: My friends who are public health professionals assure all of us that the vaccine is effective whether we have a reaction or not. Of course, I suppose they would make that assurance, even if they weren't 100% sure it was true.

maryann: Congrats on the success of the party and the interaction with your dad. That's great!