[nationalparker]

A quick check in - we were gone to the in-laws for almost 11 hours today, clearing out. I'm just wiped out. I feel my age now. We got a lot done. I made two trips to the recycling center with a loaded suv and another trip to Goodwill, and had worked a lot to get to that point. We're going back tomorrow and his brother is supposed to show up, too. He wants to get some things to sell on his own, and I'm want to be like, get a box and start packing. We packed up a lot of BOXES for him today. But the boxes need to get out of the house as we're running up against no space to haul other stuff out to pack up. His mom had a very pretty set of dishes that I said, Oh, how pretty these are. Never saw these. DH said take them if you want them. I said while I like them, I'd rather pack up and save for his younger daughter for down the line. BUT we don't have storage room here, either, so will get that figured out. I'm clearing out my own things to have more space. Will get this figured out. Might get the uhaul dish packing kit. Or my frugality might win out.and we'll just box with papertowels, etc. Looking forward to catching up with everyone tomorrow. We're hoping to get home a few hours earlier on Sunday. One of the guys at the house today (loading the tractor) expressed interest in one of their vehicles, so that was welcome news.

Wishing I wouldn't "lose" an hour of sleep tonight with the time change...

[onebyone]

Hi Coaches

Well.Ive been caught off guard by the time change tonight. I'll be dragging myself tomorrow.morning that's for sure. So will the Sunday morning class.

Still, Spring Forward is another sign of spring and is a poor stand-in for the milder weather I'd rather have. Today was freezing cold with bitter wind, and blowing and drifting snow. It was like that from the time I left the house this morning and it's still the same even now at 10:30pm. Brrrrr.

Foodwise. Still good. Skipped breakfast. Had a shawarma mixed platter for lunch/supper. It came with home.made.flat bread which I ate. I didnt have yesterday's soup and I left some of the platter as well. I ate to full, but not overfull. Oh! this morning I was offered common Easter grocery store chocolate and once I got out of that, having to decline it more than 3x, I was offered a bagel!! Sugar.and bread about 5min after I got to work. I just said no no no until.the offers were.dropped. Phew.

In the end I managed to skip a meal, have no sugar. but had flat bread. That's more okay than not. I will move on.

Scale fell a bit again..Close to crossing down into the next group of 10's but really too early to mention that. I am 2lbs away. Could still take a while but I hope not.

Time for bed. Personals at some point! Goodnight.

[BillBlueEyes]

Diet Coaches/Buddies - Got 'stuff' done that feels like a burden - such as gathering tax information for our accountant. I remember fondly when I could fill out the IRS Short Form in one page. Both the IRS and MA Dept of Revenue want pages and pages filed. No I didn't sell a boat. No I didn't sell any Bitcoin. No I don't have any secret tip income that I haven't reported. No gambling winnings. The IRS needs a 'Grumpy Old Man' form, LOL.

Spent more time preparing notes for the upcoming talk with our two kids about our "Estate Plan." Will be first of what I assume will be many. Get them to begin shifting from being annoyed that we act like old people to realizing that they'll be the ones to help us make that exit. One key point is to get them to start listening to the tales of other people who have done this. Many horror stories exist, mostly fueled by kids not knowing what their parents wanted, where their Wills were stashed, and where all the personal papers were that they'd need to shut the whole thing down. I tried the simple example: If I died tomorrow, how would DW sell my Nissan LEAF quickly since it's in the way. I got as far as being clear that she goes to the Mass DMV with the LEAF's Title (got that), my notarized death certificate (OK) and some piece of paper that shows that she's the new owner. If I died without a will, then proof of marriage suffices for the DMV. But I have a will; how does the DMV know whether my will gives the car to my friend Joe? It's gotta be more simple than I make it, since folks die every day and their cars aren't stacked up in driveways.


onebyone - Kudos for "That's more okay than not. I will move on." Thanks for the reminder that Spring Forward is a harbinger of Spring - despite the cold outside.

Joy (gardenerjoy) - So neat that you can follow each Iditarod sled with GPS tracking. Must change life for the Mushers who now know the progress of each competitor. Good luck with your knee at your vigil.

nationalparker – That was one long day working your in-laws house - but with such success as measured by trips leaving with stuff to never see again. Good luck figuring out what to do with those nice dishes.

curlyjax - Yay for a haircut for lifting the spirits. Yep, it's hard to keep the old brain from thinking of sweets.

Penny. - Happy Birthday to your 15 yo DD. I do hope your girls accept public school well. And I send supportive thoughts to you two adults as you face another kid with a driver's license.

Ann (AnnC123) - Yay for a drop in gas prices - the increases have been a thorn to many folks around here. Kudos for recognizing that you should add a treat to your food plan for today.

Readers -

Chapter 5 Stage 2 - The Think Thin Initial Eating Plan

Dinner Guidelines

Use this advice as you transition to Think Thin Dinner Options: . . .

• If you're tempted by food left on your family members' plates or in serving bowls, leave the kitchen! Don't return to the kitchen until your resolve is strong.

Judith S. Beck, Ph.D., The Complete Beck Diet for Life (Green book), Pg 119.

[curlyjax]

Very productive day yesterday.I looked into financial stuff for DD's upcoming nurse school which starts mid-May and printed out a bunch of important stuff. I chatted with family and made plans for a visit in June, and chatted with BIL about planning for DD commencement which he will attend. AND I finally got all my tax papers organized-its all set except for getting a form for the car I donated last year. I feel good having done all that. AND I think I got my credit card taken off an apple account that i'm not using but has some subscription on it- I think DD set something up and forgot about it. That was really frustrating to do but hopefully its set.
Food was okay-I think I'm eating too much salt but trying to be a little hungry at night. I'm running off to yoga class so wave to all.
Bill- I would be happy to chat about estate stuff if you PM me. Basically when one of you dies, the other will need to work with a lawyer to settle the estate, and some of your questions can be answered then. As far as your car, DW would have the ownership and then you would have to trust her to give it to Joe and believe me there are forms for that. I would make sure both of your names are on every investment etc or that at least you have designated each other as beneficiaries, it makes life easier. DH is still listed on my oldest car's registration and so he still is included on my insurance, because I haven't got around to changing the registration. It doesn't actually change my insurance rate-its the 19 year old male that jacks up the rates!

[Penny.]

Good morning!

Yesterday was better and today should be good too. Food is prepped and nothing stressful planned.

Curly, your insurance will go up when you take dh off. My h can't even drive but we leave him on for that reason. It's ridiculous, really.

Bill, lol at all the tax questions. Somehow we missed something and are getting some overpayment returned. Better than the alternative. Pho or ramen bowls are nice because they are so big. My teenagers like making nachos in them or watever.

NationalParker, I hope you are able to find space for the dishes. I didn't know Uhaul sells a dish storage box.

Onebyone, the time change on a work day is rough. At least it feels like you get done sooner at the end.

Ann, I'm journaling too. Not so much a gratitude journal, but it's been nice. It's also a nice exercise for handwriting, which I don't do much in that format these days. Kudos for doing all the things!

[gardenerjoy]

My knee did fine through the vigil.

I feel like I'm doing a little too well on Day 40 "Expand Your Horizons." Besides actually working on my novel, I've got a related blog project to prepare to post next month and that led me to a genealogy project that I worked on yesterday and this morning. It will take many more hours as I try to sort through too many Thomases, Henrys, and Basils to figure out which ones are my direct ancestors, and which are various levels of uncles and cousins.

I'll make a plan today. That always makes me feel better, even if it falls apart on the first day.

Exercise +40, 625/1500 minutes for March

nationalparker: I'm experiencing my annual resentment of losing an hour. I would have spent it on genealogy.

Since both BillBlueEyes and nationalparker mentioned the disposition of vehicles after death, here's a story (not saying it's my story). In a small town, word gets around that a car recently driven by a little old lady to church on Sundays is now available due to her death. Paperwork to sell a car from one person to another is pretty easy, if the owner signed the back of the registration to allow the sale to go ahead, say, on the day before she died, just because that might help. In a small town, a person might encounter a former classmate at the DMV office who is willing to explain all that and then turn her back while such a signature appears on the back of the registration.

[maryann]

Happy Sunday!

The spa trip was very nice. I ended up with 80 min massages each day and a fabulous Hydro Facial followed by an oxygen facial ( which I have never had before.) 100 mins total. The oxygen facial is billed as non botox botox. I must admit my face seems very hydrated. Skin is super important when your number one hobby is out of doors. Credit. The spa had an inverted chairs 'relaxation room" with silence and a huge wall screen that shows unbelievable photography of time lapse galaxy. I really had a kind of physical out of body experience. Tough to explain without someone laughing ( see DH) but it was a visceral experience of being connected to the larger life without the rigid containment of my body. The whole sensory experience was powerful. The last night we went to a super shi shi steakhouse and challenged ourselves to the interesting starters ( hollandaise king crab stuffed mushrooms) and 4 oz filet mignons from three different places ( japan was one of them.) Then came a cherry cheesecake the size of my head. I ate till I was full and am looking forward to my prolon fast starting tomorrow. DH didn't think of work for two nights. The vacation therefore was worth the price of admissions.

i have raced home and now must launch in new clothes to a baby shower a hour away. Lots of driving today especially considering gas is over $6.00 a gallon here.

Wave to all.

[karenrn]

Good afternoon coaches,

Food has been on plan even at the restaurant yesterday that had few choices for me. It was dh's birthday and his choice of restaurant. I realize I'm doing well eating the way I want to be eating, but the portion sizes are going to have to come down a bit to get back to losing routinely. I guess I'm just grateful that I'm really enjoying the healthy foods. This morning I did a hike that I've done several times in the last month with our friends wife. They live in WA but have had a condo here for a number of years. Unfortunately she got in a very bad habit and had spent much of her time here in a casino until this last year when she got some help and has totally turned herself around. She has really enjoyed our hiking and I always enjoy new hiking friends.
My niece will arrive on Wednesday from WA for 6 days. She is the one that is a super athlete and we will do Flatiron and some other longer or harder hikes that not everyone wants to go on. They still don't want to bring Barrett (who I still call the baby even though he's three) on a plane, so she is coming alone.

Maryann Sounds like the spa trip was very successful. So nice that dh enjoyed it too and was able to forget about work for a couple of days.

GardenerJoy It sounds like your knee is doing great. You must be almost back to as good as new.

Penny It sounds busy with the kids around your household. I hope the girls like the public school and that it works out for you and them.

Curlyjax It does sounds like you had a very productive day. I love when that happens. Is dd getting excited about nursing school?

Onebyone That's great that your weight is heading in the right direction. It is motivational to see the scale moving down. I can't believe how cold it is back there. It's warming up here enough that hiking will be earlier.

Bill All the planning sounds like too much. I think maybe we'll just sell the cars shortly before we die (ha ha) and take Uber so nobody has to deal with it. I have it in my head that ds might be living with us by then and then we just die and he stays.

Nationalparker I'm surprised you don't feel MY age with all the work you've been doing. Holy moly. I guess I better get back to doing a little thinning again even though I plan to live for another 25 years or so. I do that the book Love People Use Things waiting for me at the library and an ongoing membership to the Uncluttered Course. Fingers crossed that dbil shows up and gets to work at least getting the things he wants.

Ann The snow sounds so pretty and I guess we even got some up in the northern part of the state a couple of days ago, but I would imagine you would all be about over it by now. It sounds like your daily habits are serving you well.

Well I think I'll make a Costco run. Dh wants me to get gas when the tank is half full, so I guess I'll do that and pick up a few things we need.

[nationalparker]

I'm afraid I'm just checking in now and not really being any support to others here. I will get online and post personals tomorrow noon when DH is at the dentist and I am not wiped out. We left home at 11 a.m. and headed to the house, and left there at 7:30 p.m. I packed peanut butter sandwiches for our lunch, which we ate on the front porch with our coats on. It was a pretty day, though. I AM WIPED and am going to take a hot cup of tea into the bath and soak in a hot tub. Then I'll get out, moaning that I'm sweltering. haha We didn't squabble today, so success there. DH's brother came over to just pick up what we'd already boxed up for him (no boxing up of stuff for him) but at least also took two pieces of furniture. DH and he loaded them up into a truck. His girlfriend will take boxes of everything for a garage/yard sale in May, I think it is. She said ANYTHING sells, and I'm like THIS? Yes. That? Yes! Okeedokee ... I'm a boxing fiend now as far as I'm boxing up stuff left and right and marking it with her name and piling it in a corner. Off to U-Haul in the morning for their paper pack too ... we have a spare but it's in the attic and easier to just buy that. Back there on Wednesday, I think. Food not great as we caved again at my suggestion for large fries from Wendy's. A 500-calorie dinner for me. Ugh. I felt like I deserved a food treat. Not that my body deserved something better. We'll be hauling stuff to scrap metal places for a month to clear out the garage and that's no exaggeration. I suggested that DH start a bin that is on wheels to make it easier to get into the trailer and I got a "that's not a bad idea." I'm marking that event in my journal. haha

Bill - I think the biggest gift you could give your executor is enough money in an easily accessed account to pay bills that come in, and a listing of what is paid annually, quarterly, monthly, etc. My Dad did that and it was so helpful. Actually my parents were very very well-organized with their final wishes, so no guessing about anything. With DH's parents, we're in a situation that there is not money to pay bills and DH and I are covering most until more is in the estate account.

[AnnC123]

Waving hello to everyone. Today was a good day. This is a surprise that it is going well. This time I am focused on walking, and posting. I went out for lunch today and had a fajita bowl. It was very healthy. It seemed like it would be easy to make them at home. It was very filling so I did not have dinner.
Well off to bed now and will do personals tomorrow. I find with the time change, it makes me really drained. It takes me a few days. I am not sure why, it has always been like this.
Have a great evening and I am grateful for you all.

[BillBlueEyes]

Diet Coaches/Buddies - Reviewed a report that DW wrote for one of her volunteer organizations. Love reading her terse, to the point writing. Had a minor addition. Problem is that she was determined to be no more than two pages; my addition, which she had already thought about, would add a line forcing another page. So, she added the information and made the margins just a tad wider. She reviewed something that I'd written. Then said out loud the major point that I was making. Yep, I had to add that in. And she pointed out that I'd added a nit that no one would care about - it was just a nit that I'd recently learned. Again, Yep, that had to go. Writing in hard.

Eating was on plan with no daytime snacks, CREDIT moi. Dinner was a Monacan dish that I've mentioned before; the house smells delicious for hours.

Excitement was changing the light bulb in the ceiling fixture above the staircase leading to the third floor. We had put in a "27 year" spiral fluorescent bulb a few short years ago; it's minimally used - only turned on while using the stairs less than a dozen times a day. After debate and angst we finally decided to put in another spiral fluorescent from our stash in the basement. The issue is that the location is perilous. Made worse because I insist on using a decrepit old step-ladder that is shaky enough that I'll only use it if DW is holding it. We own several quality ladders - in the basement. This one lives in the attic room of the third floor because it's useful to use without unfolding it to climb above our Mansard roof - back when we used to climb about on our roof. Job done. I'm alive. Someday I hope to be so centered that I'll simply dispose of a step-ladder that is too shaky to be used by one person alone. Think I'll start referring to it as a ha-step-ladder, LOL.


Joy (gardenerjoy) - LOL at sorting through the "Thomases, Henrys, and Basils." Oddly enough, my family genealogy is loaded with Thomas and Henry, but not a single Basil. Love the story of the signature appearing on the car Title while at the DMV.

maryann - Your Spa visit sounds terrific. Super Congrats for arranging that. Did have to google inverted chairs - more variety than I'd imagined.

nationalparker – LOL at "boxing fiend" - great role to fall into. Thanks for the tips: We're on top of the one to giving them immediate access to enough money to cover expenses until estate money become available; will add to our list to make a chart of when we pay bills so they'll know when to do that. It's easy to forget that before they sell the house, they'll have to keep it going.

Karen (karenrn) - So neat that your super athlete niece will visit to help push your hiking - good training for your upcoming trip.

curlyjax - Congrats for getting your tax stuff done and Double Congrats for removing that credit card from an unused account. I shudder to think of how many places know my credit card number. Thanks for the offer to discuss estate stuff. We're now aware that it's smart to have each of our cars registered in both our names just for ease of selling them. Everything else is already jointly held - just never thought of that one.

Penny. - Yay for a day with "nothing stressful planned." Amazing tidbit that keeping your DH on your auto insurance reduces the cost. As much as I know that getting a tax refund isn't the financial goal, I do like getting them.

Ann (AnnC123) - Yep, the time change hits each of us in a different way. I almost jumped when we sat down for dinner because it was too bright outside to be eating dinner.

Readers -

Chapter 5 Stage 2 - The Think Thin Initial Eating Plan

Dinner Guidelines

Use this advice as you transition to Think Thin Dinner Options: . . .

• Immediately after eating, scrape the plates and store leftovers. Make leftovers as difficult as possible to get to. For example, put refrigerated foods in opaque containers and place rubber bands around those containers; or wrap them in several layers of foil. Put them in the back of the refrigerator so they are difficult to see. Put other foods in a box with a lid or in a paper bag that you can staple shut. (Keep a stapler in the kitchen so you will remember to use it.) Having to open a box or undo staples gives you a chance to respond to sabotaging thoughts before you give in to eating. If you find you are continually tempted to eat leftovers, throw them away.

Judith S. Beck, Ph.D., The Complete Beck Diet for Life (Green book), Pg 119.

[curlyjax]

Another productive day yesterday. i went to yoga, met my friend from church who went too and had a quick brunch with her. Quick trip to trader joes on the way home for groceries (where the salmon was 9.00 a pound still instead of 18, so we'll have that for dinner tonight), drove DS back to college, and picked up dinner for DD who is now home on her break. I realized other than coffee and a small orange, my brunch and dinner consisted of Panera, but at least I got some salad in. DD asked me to make brownies so of course I had to have some. I packed up my lunch and got most of the dishes done too. I do feel better when my envt is clean, and I'm glad I'm feeling more energetic to get things done.
ugh I did not sleep well due to the time change probably. DD is here and wants me to do all sorts of things after work so I will try to sneak in a quick nap.
Karen-DD is more anxious than excited about nursing school, with all sorts of things to get done ahead of time- but she has bought a sweatshirt already so there you go How nice that your niece has 6 days to her self.
Penny- that is too strange about your DH being on the insurance to lower it. Sounds very old fashioned of the insurance company!

[gardenerjoy]

Since we were talking about aging recently, I couldn't resist clicking on this headline: The Seven Habits That Lead to Happiness in Old Age - The Atlantic I'm grateful to Beck and this group for being a cornerstone of my foundation of happiness in old age.

Exercise +40, 665/1500 minutes for March

nationalparker: Don't underestimate how supportive it is to tell your story. I think we all learn things from each other in that way.

BillBlueEyes: I was curious about the Basil, too. Turns out there was a Revolutionary War hero named Basil, so naturally every family for the next three generations had to have a son named Basil.

curlyjax: I didn't sleep well either. We have the option of ignoring the time change and I thought we did, more or less, but it still has an impact.

[Penny.]

Good morning!

Yesterday was on plan, so still hanging in there. The challenge today will be not overeating after I finish my work day.

Maryann, the spa day sounds divine!

Have a great day, everyone!

[nationalparker]

Good morning! I'm checking in early so food is still on track A beautiful sunny day here, and temps will crest in the 50s. I was so tired last night, I fell asleep around 10:30 and slept off and on until 4, then was awake and picked up my kindle to read a bit. Moved along in A Square Meal and started Healthy at Any Size ... thanks for the recs! My kindle showed I was further along in both from last year or earlier than restarting but with my memory, I knew I wouldn't just pick up the thread of the discussion. Looking forward to walking and catching up with my friend, one I've gotten to know much better after we retired. She's about 10 years older than me, very active and a very caring personality. We worked together on a few national projects and traveled traveled together, but now we're talking more than work. Hopeful for a few nearby errands and then some cleanup here, which is getting overlooked. I'd like to trim back old vegetation in the daylilies and lilacs.

Bill - When I bought this house, I asked the realtor how I'd ever change out the lightbulbs that are over the fireplace area of the cathedral ceiling ... After closing, he gave me a telescoping pole with various attachments for that purpose. I'd never seen it. Handy dandy! Glad you're safe back on terra firma with no infirmary visit! It sounds like you're covering all the bases with your estate plans. One point I'm going to put in our wills when we revise them is to insist that the executor takes a fee because it IS a lot of work, even if it's all cleanly set up. I think family is hesitant to accept/request executor payment. My brother wouldn't (and my sister would have balked at him taking anything which is bs), so when he bought a vehicle from the estate, we had him keep our portion of the payment as a small thank you of a few thousand. And he had to be talked into that.

Ann - Your fajita bowl sounds yummy! I often make burrito bowls but maybe I add more sauteed onions/peppers to that to make a combo. I'll dub it the burrita bowl.

Karen - I'm glad your DH had a good birthday. Is Arizona the winter spot for the Northwest as Florida is for the Northeast? I've only ever been there in the spring and summer but think I must expand to winter visit one year as your sunshine is so alluring.

CurlyJax - Credits to you for continuing to go to yoga! Ohh Trader Joe's ... now you have me wanting to zip up there. I'll see if DH wants to go this week - we go to MOD Pizza nearby and without cheese, it's a plan fit and a nice treat (not greasy, and more veggies at the ready than I have at home).

Maryann - Wow, that spa experience just sounds so glorious. Relaxing and such a good feeling to be really caring for your body, not just taxing it. I'm glad you found the spot and reserved early. The only massages DH and I have had are those at Aveda beauty institute schools where they're learning. But no complaints as price was inexpensive and student learners were still rather good.

OneByOne - Oh, I wish I lived near you to enroll in some of your classes. You sound like a phenomenal teacher! Credits for continuing to move forward with your health goals! Keep that next decade of numbers in sight - you'll cross it soon!

Penny - Yay for the surprise tax money back. We have got to get cracking with ours. We usually tackle them early but running later this year. I guess not LATE yet. Sometimes I envy you cooking for hearty-eating teens. I like cooking for a lot of folks who EAT. It fills something in my soul. Probably the Italian part of my soul. haha

Joy - You would not believe the amount of genealogy albums, notebooks, folders, boxes and anything else (old suitcases, etc.) crammed full of genealogy stuff at my in-laws. To a point where after boxing things up, box after box, my brain cramped on how to spell "genealogy" and had to look back at the box I just taped up and wrote on. Brain cramps. Hundreds of photos of tombstones. SD says she wants it all and DH is fine with that so ... makes it easy to clear it out. We'll take more to her house midweek to clear it out, hopefully. It's been one full carload already. I hope DH goes through the photos first before handing over all albums, boxes, envelopes, etc. but I have to remind myself, I am not invested in the distribution, just the clear out.