Good morning coaches,

I did a 90 minute strenuous hike today, but without a backpack it was a breeze. It's nice to train and then really nice to have the pack off. I told dh how db and sil were pretty slow on the trail so now he wants to go on Saturday to see how he does. He's very strong but I do worry about the terrain because it's rocky. At least the rocks are large and don't move. I hope he'll really go. Food was on plan yesterday and weight is holding.

GardenerJoy I'm sure the garden will be just lovely. I love peonies and grew them in Washington.

Maryann I have a couple of foods in the house that are for backpacking, but they have called my name a few times and I have given in. I really want to be that person who can leave things alone. I'm going to act as if I am.

Curlyjax I would love to be a reverse snow bird myself. Hopefully once dh is retired we can be a bit that way even though we won't have a second home. Enjoy your night without the kids.

Bill I'd rather do tea party dishes too. I bet the little ducklings and goslings are adorable.

Penny I hope the birthday was fun and the sushi and cheesecake delicious.

Well time to get cleaned up and gather my things to go for the hike planning meeting.

Diet Coaches/Buddies - Eating was on plan with no daytime snacks, CREDIT moi. Dinner was previously grilled salmon with spinach, boiled new potatoes, and green salad. Am grateful that I get to eat well as a matter of course every single day. Evening snack of a Cosmic Crisp Apple was standard fare.

Enjoyed running an errand because I only wore a polo shirt. Felt like I was cheating the system or something. We are planning to have my brother and his wife as house guests in early June. They'll be our first visitors since isolation. DW reminded me that I have a minor plumbing problem to solve to make the third floor bathroom guest ready. Good Grief! It's been so long that I'd forgotten about it. I need to dust off my pipe wrench and plumbing skills.


Joy (gardenerjoy) - Yay for a trip to the Missouri Botanical Garden - your second home. You remind me that I had picked up a bunch of peonies at Trader Joe's for DW for Mothers' Day. I'd never bought peonies before. In fact, it was the first time I'd ever seen them for sale. They were large bulbs looking like they were just about to burst into full bloom. Well. We watched and watched. DW pried a bit to encourage them to open. Alas, after about ten days, they were declared recalcitrant and relegated to the compost bin. A rare failure in purchased flowers. DW's peonies are coming along right outside our kitchen window as they do every year. We'll have them soon.

maryann - Thanks for the reminder of the fabulous rule "Act as If" - I can use that.

Karen (karenrn) - Do hope that you can get your DH to take that hike with you. Sounds like you're setting up things for him to do so he won't be bored if he chooses to retire.

curlyjax - Neat that you can laugh at a dentist visit. I find it hard to talk while the hygienist is cleaning away. Your kids will be fine driving for four hours.

Readers -

The kids made it there safely, whew. My daughter is driving home today on her own, then'll i'll go pick up DS next weekend. Food was OP until about 4, then I indulged in some treats left out at work and got dessert for dinner too. Back on track today. I was so tired/hungry I didn't get any exercise in. My body is tired of sitting so much. Commuting is so hard on our bodies. I slept horribly last night and hope I can take a nap in the car if it isn't too hot.
Gardenerjoy-I looked up that garden, the origami exhibit going on now looks so cool!
Maryann- I will have to act as if today too-act as I am not so sleepy I will fall asleep on my desk, ha!
Karen-That will be nice for DH to go on a hike too.
Bill-I remember we had peonies in my backyard as a kid. I think of them as fluffy flowers with tiny ants, as that was what they looked like when we brought them inside.

Good Morning, Coaches.
So I looked up peonies because I had no idea what they looked like. They look like corsages. Very pretty. Of course, here in California we are spoiled with the abundance of climates, etc. . . my favorite is near the coast with hydrangeas.

Credit for water preload, vinegar, double weighing and box checker smoothie. My new favorite is strawberry, green grapes, spinach, matcha tea, flaxseed and a little orange juice.
Yesterday was OP. The yellow light food remains on temporary probation. I did an hour on the climbmill. I am looking forward to getting up to Tahoe soo to do some non virtual hills.
curleyjax: I can chime in on the tortilla: Mission low carb tortilla has only 80 calories, high fiber and protein and uses white flour which I prefer.
BBE: Kudos for plumbing skills.
KarenRN: Yesterday I didn't wear the pack either and it felt great!

The peonies were glorious! I was only gone a couple of hours which makes me feel like this sort of adventure is more doable, more often, than I sometimes think.

Today's adventure will be errands. Our county lifted it's many-month restriction on mask-wearing. I intend to keep wearing mine inside stores for a while -- after all, the cashiers don't know if I've been vaccinated or not. It will be interesting to see how fast this custom ends. Masks were few at the garden -- I only wore mine for the brief period that I was inside. There were still a lot of masks when I shopped on Tuesday.

Exercise +65, 925/1400 minutes for May

curlyjax: The origami exhibit is cool! I enjoyed the ones that looked like boats in the lake in the Japanese garden. They weren't tethered too tightly, so they blew around in the breeze.

Diet Coaches/Buddies - Planned a walk, CREDIT moi, to stop at the pharmacy and the supermarket. "Do you know how much this costs?" asked the pharmacist assistant thinking that I'd be shocked. "It should be about half again more," I observed. "Oh, we only had two months worth instead of your normal three," he explained. Their new thing is to always give me three months worth of any prescription, "For your convenience." I kinda like it since I don't much cherish standing in line even though folks are wearing masks. I haven't yet gotten onboard with prescription delivery. I like to check it over carefully while standing at the counter where I can hand it right back. Don't think correcting an error will work as easily if it's been delivered.

Eating was on plan with no daytime snacks, CREDIT moi. Dinner on the patio was pasta salad, deviled eggs, and green salad. Perfect summer meal. The patio table is nearly covered with plants being prepared for a plant sale tomorrow. But it's not in our driveway so it won't impact my life other than not to see DW for the whole day.


Joy (gardenerjoy) - The Missouri Botanical Garden always sounds so neat - what a gift to the world. Congrats for taking a thoughtful approach to masks.

maryann - Oh, yes! Hydrangeas are a favorite around here, also. (Peonies for comparison.) Congrats for an hour on that climbmill getting yourself ready.

curlyjax - Glad that your kids made the four-hour drive OK. Yep, this too much sitting isn't good for us at all.

Readers -

Mask-wearing was prevalent but no longer universal. I predict it will drop pretty quickly.

Like BillBlueEyes, one of my errands yesterday was picking up prescriptions. I did get on board with delivery, so I hadn't done this for over a year. All the faces at the counter were new!

For some reason, they weren't offering delivery this time. I'll have to figure out if I can get that option back.

But, I had another reason to go in person yesterday. I asked two different doctors to prescribe the same medicine, hoping that insurance would cover it if they knew what is for. It didn't work, but I needed to pick up one order and leave the second behind. Much easier to accomplish in person than on-line.

Exercise +15, 940/1400 minutes for May

Happy Saturday.

So grateful to be sitting drinking coffee facing my fully sprung green back yard.

I had another of my students - a freshman this time- ask to speak with me outside. He was crying, said he has been suicidal and had tried to overdose. He hadn't told anybody even his parents. They only speak Farsi and part of his struggle is his sexuality which would not be accepted. I gave him a huge hug and told him we needed to get him someone to confide in. I told him I struggled with depression all through high school and he is not alone. Protocol says I can't leave him own his on despite the fact I had a class inside. I sent him with campus security and set the wheels in motion. At lunch I checked with his counselor who said he was getting the help he needed and his mom and be alerted.

Working through overwhelm on my part, I showed a movie at third period - no objections, believe me from the juniors. Then I took my prep off and came home. I need to move step by step until June 4th. Then I can take some real peace and quiet and disconnect from all these emotions. Until then I am allowing myself probably too much sleep and too many episodes of my mysteries. First things first.

The scale was happy today. I at three servings of legumes yesterday. I will do a long , weighted climb and maybe some light yard work.

Wave to all.

I'm enjoying a leisurely morning cuddled up in bed. A list of chores is calling but I'm putting them off. So -so eating yesterday. I went back for another lobster roll and a whoopee pie from a food truck for my dinner, which is not the healthiest but ooh I did enjoy it. I ended up chatting to a nice retired couple while waiting so that was fun. I didn't end up doing any exercise yesterday so really need to get on the ball this weekend. Not much to report, pretty boring here!
Maryann: thanks for the Tortilla wrap tip, I will check those out.

Good morning!

I was dragging yesterday, having to get up early for work. Missed my workout. Sleep was much better last night so I hope I'm feeling up for exercise after work today.

Maryann, that's wonderful you are seen as a safe person to the students.

Karen, now I'm going to need to know how your dh does on the hike. Haha

Joy, I saw a business with a new sign saying masks no longer required for vaccinated people. I still wore mine, and I don't think I saw anyone inside without a mask. It will take some time to shed the anxiety.

Bill, congrats for the return to eating on the patio and weather warm enough for a polo. Love the day of birding and tea party with the dgd. She is one lucky 5yo.

Curly, I hear you on the too much sitting for work. I feel like my butt is going to fall off but I want to plow through to the finish line instead of stopping for a stretch.

Good afternoon coaches,

Yesterday food was off plan in a pretty big way, but it was worth it. We had a gathering with my former co-workers and the food is always good. We had such a good time getting together in person and there baby owls in the trees in our hosts backyard. It was so fun watching them. On top of that the weather was cooler than usual, which was perfect. This morning dh and I left the house at 5 a.m. for our hike. He did great, but faster than db and sil. I think he actually enjoyed it. One of his hips is a little sore now though. I know he would hike with me more, but I think he doesn't go often enough to strengthen all the little muscles. He is very strong though and aerobically fit. He used to be a marathoner and has done lots of biking and an Ironman. This was the first hike he's done with me since we did the 8000 foot gain hike in Palm Springs 3 years ago.

My db and sil came back this morning and are staying overnight. Tomorrow they're heading to Joshua Tree for an overnight and then on to Lodgepole in Sequoia. Our cousin will go up and see them in Lodgepole. I'm not sure if my brother is crazy about that idea, but cousin Colleen and sil are. I'll do personals tomorrow, since I have company in the backyard.

Have a good weekend.

Diet Coaches/Buddies - Resistance exercise was helping DW load trays of plants into the trunk of her car to take to the location of today's plant sale. She had sixteen leftover tomato plants, maybe six inches tall, in separate pots for $1 each. Folks get such good bargains at their sale. Most plants sell for $3 or $5 with a few large ones for $10. It's a community service of sorts. The biggest cost to the seller? the potting soil in the container. Apparently every gardener has a basement full of cheap plastic pots, but needs to buy new potting soil to make attractive plants for sale. She had leftover tomato plants because she needed sixteen for herself, our kids, and a few friends. She always puts two seeds in each pot with the intention of weeding out the runt. Because the sale was pending, she divided the two plants instead of just weeding out one. Each one sold should be labeled "The loser" for full disclosure, LOL.

Speaking of which, I got reminded that Wilbur, the "Some Pig" of E. B. White's Charlotte's Web, was the runt of the litter rescued by the farmer's daughter, Fern, when he was headed toward that not-exactly-explicitly-stated fate of runts on a farm. I'm listening as DW reads the book to our rapt (5.5 yo) DGD on the drive in the car. I'm rapt also. I'd forgotten how good the story is. Need to remember that kids don't want watered down stories.


Joy (gardenerjoy) - Yep, complexity at the pharmacy is best handled by in person. I did advance myself by placing my prescription reorder using their web site instead of their computer phone system. Worked about the same because their phone system is rather good. I did like that the web site listed all my current and past prescriptions and their next automatic renewal dates. Will start using that in the future.

maryann - Congrats for your professional, lovingly supportive, response to your student. Sobering to be reminded that this period of adolescence is a battle for many kids. And Congrats for getting "three servings of legumes" in one day.

Karen (karenrn) - Neat that your DH is on top of hiking. I guess that's not so surprising given his athletic history. Love the notion of a host providing baby owls to amuse the guests.

curlyjax - You got me drooling for a lobster roll - wish there was a convenient place like your food truck.

Penny. - Yay for better sleep to get one's head in gear. Will you be in Oregon or Idaho?

Readers -

Very lazy day yesterday. I got the dishes clean via hand and dishwasher, took the trash to the dump, and that was about it for anything productive. Eating was not healthy at all other than breakfast. I went to my widow friend's for a firepit which was fun. Sometimes the young adults end up dominating the conversation which is okay for a little, then gets boring. But it was a little more equally spaced this time. I'm feeling much more emotionally content these days which is great, but I need to get back into my good eating and exercise habits. It has been unseasonably hot here but at least we don't have the humidity yet. I bought a tower fan for DD's room thru amazon which I will tackle putting together, hopefully it won't be too challenging.
Bill-We're due for a thunderstorm here so DW should get more rain for her garden. Plant sale sounds fun. Charlotte's web is one of the best books ever.
Penny-I know what you mean about taking a bit to shed masks, although I am quite happy to do so outside.
Karen- great that DH is doing well on hikes.Those baby owls sound adorable.

Good morning, Coaches.

I had a lazy Sunday morning. The only thing on the agenda is to crack more pecans and start them roasting, do some yard work and then hit the gym for another training session. yesterday was 1:40 mins on climbmill and treadmill together. I cooked my grain bowl in the instapot. Then I cooked some white rice in it and realized white rice can easily turn into a red light food for me. So I dumped the rest out. Better wasted in the trash than on my body as they say. I'll have to figure out something for dinner.

I need away to not enjoy Sundays so much. It makes them go too quickly.
Wave.

Good morning coaches,

I got out for a 5 a.m. hike with my friend so I could be back to visit with db and sil before they left for Joshua Tree this morning. The good news today is that dh feels fine and I think he is thinking some hiking would be fine once in awhile at least. He did have a sore toe and thinks his Hoka One One shoes that he wears daily would have been better than his hiking shoes. They make a trail runner and I think that might be the ticket. Maybe I'll order some for him for Father's Day. We don't do much in the way of gifts and I guess that one would be as much for me as for him.

Food was on plan yesterday and weight is coming down. Not much going on today except some laundry and a little cooking. I ordered an air fryer this morning. Both my hiking friend and sil like theirs and even though we don't really eat fried foods it can also roast and not take so long to heat up as the oven and not heat up the house as much in the summer. I hate the thought of another appliance, but I have an appliance garage and can maybe swap something out so it will fit in there hidden from view.

A bit of disappointing news is that my cousin's son, who works at Lodgepole in Sequoia, will not be able to reserve an administrative site for us for the few nights before our August backpacking trip. Reservations for the regular sites can be made a month ahead of time, but these days it is difficult to reserve sites. I find that is the most difficult thing about trying to do a trip, the permits and campsites.

Maryann That sounds like a good workout yesterday. I think those climbmills are really strenuous. Also, I'm so glad your student spoke with you. Although that must be so hard, I hope you feel good that your students know you will help.

Curlyjax I'm sure it feels good to be more content. I would think spring helps with feeling better.

Bill Your mention of the Charlotte's Web book reminded me of my niece, who lives about an hour from me, has a pig, some goats, a few ducks and a number of chickens. Sil had photos and videos of the grandchildren and the animals from their visit this week. One of their grown ducks loves to be picked up and hugged and stroked. It was so funny to watch the video of the kids and that darned duck. Also the goats run around and the pig follows squealing all the way. They live near Castle Hot Springs a small resort where her husband is in charge of landscaping and she teaches yoga on a stand up paddle board among other things. They are living quite a life right now.

Penny You can't imagine how happy I am about dh's hiking experience. He has done some tough hikes with me (including backpacking the Grand Canyon), but I was pretty sure he didn't want to hike anymore. I hope you're not having to work too hard today.

GardenerJoy Mask wearing is dropping off quite a bit around here. A few stores still have signs, but most of the signs say if you are vaccinated you no longer need a mask. Sil and I went to an outdoor mall yesterday to exchange something and it was looking almost like normal. Of course in Arizona I figure those without masks are more likely those who won't get a vaccine.

I hope you all are enjoying the weekend.