[maryann]

Good Afternoon, Coaches.

School continues to be smooth. I am grateful. i am trying to pick the most active lessons because a week left of school makes for lots of nervous energy from the kids. I created a new week long project call Blue Zones which is based on the five zones identified by National Geographic to have the largest percentage of centurions. We are studying the healthy habits etc. . . US history has started the Axis of Evil period. My susbstitute Wednesday will be showing Graveyard of Firefly which is about the last days for the Japanese people in WWII. I want to show it in contrast to Hacksaw ridge where we see the perspective of Japanese as enemies. This movie is an anime and will hopefully show that war is not about battles but about vulnerable people on both sides.

Food is good. I am a couple of pounds away from my better decade. I will do yoga today. I have started to pack for my first summer trip. It will be a tricky one. Warsaw, Mo near the Ozarks, then Shell Knob Lake near Branson for Kayaking and finally Quebec in the fabulous old town. I want to fit in at each spot and still bring only a carryon and one personal item. The big question - to bring the hiking boots or not. Hmmmm. I really need a pair of water shoes to use for both this trip and the Galapagos. good thing I have an REI credit.

Karen: Those extra snacks are a killer - turning loss to maintenance. Drat!
Penny: So glad the kids are getting to school more easily.
Nationalparker: I have said it before but it is so helpful. Acceptance is not approval. You can accept stepdaughter and let it go as a means to an end without having to approve of it.
BBE: Love to hear DFGD is secure enough to pitch a tantrum like all healthy two year olds.
Joy: Good luck at the dentist.
Curley: Continue you to think of you as you walk through this challenging bridge to the next thing.

[nationalparker]

We got home early from in-law's today because DH forgot the trailer keys and locked it onto the truck, so we couldn't use the truck for the two tasks we had on our list today (my mental list) - dropping off the four wheeler and loads of metal to recycling. I called his brother's girlfriend and she said she'd have her dad come with his trailer so that was set ... and we did one load of recycling in my car - light aluminum, which pays the most. It's all for the estate anyway, and end result of HOURS of this work is at least it's getting out of the garage, despite at the end of the day, DH will only get half of the money. His brother came out today and swept more. We left at 10 and got back at 7:30 and that was plenty long enough for me, even though DH keeps saying we did a short day He wanted spicy Thai fried rice and we split an order and I had 1/3 and that was ideal - trying to drink a lot of water now to not retain so much.

Tomorrow is my dr. appt and I'm hoping I have answers to random issues. If not, that's good, too, if it's just all these oddball things and not an autoimmune issue. Appt is early and hoping to check in here after that with personals before i head out on a walk. Wednesday I have a window from 8 a.m. until 11 p.m. for a gas meter tech to come and check my meter as it's not reading. A 15-hour window! WTH.

Joy - I hope the dentist was an easy, smooth fix (pun intended!) I get so nervous for dentists. My DH keeps getting the flying bug but he is not attentive enough, I think. Years and years ago I was offered free flying lessons if I just paid for the fuel, but I thought that was high, then. I wish I could go back to young me

Penny - How much longer do you have before you must return to work? I hope you have continued improvement!!

Bill - I used to love omelets and also the Spanish tortilla - my fave when we lived there and I made them regularly here. Our JIF was recalled so I tossed it. But it's hard when we weren't sick from it at all.

[BillBlueEyes]

Diet Coaches/Buddies - Walk, CREDIT moi, included stopping at the pharmacy for a prescription and an over-the-counter item for DW. I took a snapshot of the bottle she showed me. Best idea ever. When I found the proper shelf, every bottle looked just like the one I was sent to buy. But, my snapshot showed the difference; and it was on Buy One Get 50% Off One sale. Even though it was a small cost item, it felt so good.

Eating was on plan with no daytime snacks, CREDIT moi. Spent the day preparing for my evening Zoom meeting which went well. One member had just lost his sister in her mid-eighties, a gregarious outgoing woman who had outlived everyone she knew leaving her alone in an assisted care facility. He Face-Timed with her every day to cheer her up. Ending up reading to her from the inspirational book that her pastor had given her which she could no longer read. My friend had become a religious counselor in his old age even though he was a well-known non-religious person. Life takes twists.


Joy (gardenerjoy) - Congrats for your daily flossing habit. Wish it was contagious. Do hope your DGN is running out her rage so that she can talk to you.

maryann - It is interesting that there are regions in the world with significantly more centurions. Such a neat idea to show your students a film that shows Japanese as people instead of just as enemies.

nationalparker – Yay for the garage getting cleared. I have experienced the joy of bringing aluminum to a dealer to learn that it's actually worth something. It's outrageous that your are expected to be available over a 15-hour window for the convenience of a gas meter tech.

Karen (karenrn) - Your mason jars from Walmart sound like a bargain. I love grains being stored in glass containers - no chance of little critters finding them.

curlyjax - Yep, it was hot; we felt 94 degrees Fahrenheit here. Love the super bargain of thrift shop clothes at half price.

Penny. - Congrats for getting out shopping even though "very tired and sore by the checkstand." May you continue to heal.

Readers -

Chapter 6 Stage 3 - The Challenging Situations Plan

During this stage, you will learn how to apply your Stages 1 and 2 skills when you eat outside the house, entertain at home, or are psychologically or physically stressed.

Judith S. Beck, Ph.D., The Complete Beck Diet for Life (Green book), Pg 127.

[curlyjax]

It was a beautiful day but I didn’t get any exercise in, other than lugging my elevated garden bed outside with DS. It got stuck in the door frame but we managed to finagle it. I did two errands for DD-buying her graduation ipad, and getting ice cream (and of course I had to get some too for myself). I did discover I can pay to get someone to mark off a moving spot for us in Boston so i’m going to do that- its supposed to keep people from parking there for the day. Hopefully it will work out, that would ease my stress a bit. A parking permit will let us park someone on the street anyhow. Tonight I’m going to get DD to focus on prepping for the move so it isn’t last minute chaos as usual.
=Bill-I’ve used that method of photographing the desired item too, its such a help. Of course I need to delete a lot of photos from my phone at this point!
Nationalparker- good luck with the appt,it is good to find answers, or at least rule out some things.
Maryann- the anime movie sounds really good.
Karen- the fridge love book looks very inspiring, I may just order a copy.
Penny- hopefully the more you do bit by bit, you will feel better.
Gardenerjoy- good luck with the dentist. I’m a flosser too, most of the time.

[nationalparker]

A beautiful morning here - I'm grateful for these beautiful days that let me get the mowing done, and hopefully start planting some of my pots. I need to go to the nursery/Lowe's and find some annuals and a few perennials. At season end, I plant the perennials in a side garden, but enjoy them where i can see them during the summer. Our side garden is only visible when driving or walking down the street, so I used to commit a lot of time there, now it's a bit shabby.

Only nine more days that DH works - three days for the next three weeks. I am going to really enjoy solo time for a few more days. I didn't realize HOW much I love alone time as well as together time!

My dr. appt went well; back later this week after not taking my multivitamin for three days and then have labs done, but right now she said we'll monitor it annually but it's not to a point of needing Rx. Part of me wanted an easy solution, but part of me does not want to have to take medicine unless it's absolutely necessary, so I am pleased. My massive hair loss has diminished and that was the trigger to get me hunting for the answer. We'll see what the labs show later this week, but I feel good that she took a long time, IMO, in the initial appt (at least 45 mins) with a lot of both questions for me and answers for my questions.

Karen - Your new jars sound great! Glass jars with clamp lids have been a fave of mine for years and I keep adding one more as I think of something else I can put in that makes it better in there than what it came in. I just need a better way to get to them as they're stacked on a lower pantry shelf and my kitchen pantry is like a tiny linen closet. It is just wider than my hanging calendar on the inside of that door. So I have a tall bookcase in the garage that I use for most canned goods and jars. I'm afraid to check out that book you have because I don't want to want more organizing stuff!

If DH doesn't print my passport photo today, I'll run to Walgreens tomorrow and just get one taken. I'm honked off that the regulations say no hair can be covering your face, so no bangs. But it's fine for a man to have a beard. How in the world is that OK. It should be fine for both if for one.

CurlyJax - Is DD going to take all of her stuff or leave the rest contained in her room at your home? A friend's daughter moved out last fall but left a lot all over her house. The daughter had been told in advance that anything that wasn't in her room when she left for college was considered a Goodwill donation and she boxed up shoes, clothes, etc. and cleared it out. The sprawl ended then. I was surprised she went through with it.

Maryann - I know you've said that before and I agree with you "Acceptance is not approval" ... but as I went to journal about it, I am struggling with what does that really mean? I feel if I do accept something, it's because I'm ok with it. I am now basically just doing the bare minimum of contact and not over the phone. That's when the lies get rolling on what she tells me and what she tells others I've said. I figure she can text me. (I do answer when we have her son with us, but then she usually calls her dad because I don't have FaceTime.) ... or is accepting it like just suck it up buttercup? Like me with the passport photo guidelines. I want mine renewed so just do it?

Bill - Smart to do the photo of the item needed. I do that myself and often take photos of something I need to replace if I am in a hurry when cooking. I also have to take a photo of where I park in a parking garage because it looks so differently to me when I come out. Whatever works! ...Life takes twists is so true.

Waving to Joy, Penny and OneByOne! Hope your day is a good one!

[gardenerjoy]

The dentist worked out like I hoped -- she smoothed down the sharp point while I was there. The tooth is broken and will likely continue to crumble, producing more sharp points. In other words, I'm putting off the inevitable -- that the tooth will eventually need to come out. But I'd rather put it off than deal with it, right now.

We had a break-through with DN last night. We thought she was raging over an exaggeration. It turns out that she had information that she thought we all had, but we didn't. That actually means the situation is even worse than she thought and a lot worse than we thought. But it was such a relief for her and for us to figure out the disconnect. There are paths forward, now.

Exercise +55, 1185/1500 minutes for May

maryann: There's lots of good hiking trails in the Ozarks. It's generally pretty rocky soil and the trails I've been on were well made so tennis shoes were often adequate. I think I've always hiked in the summer and fall though. Boots might be necessary in the spring when it's all muddier.

[Penny.]

Good morning!

Yesterday was on plan and weight bounced up. I finally tried out NationalParker's one pot farro and tomato dish and probably underestimated my portion size. It is delicious! I'll have it again for lunch.

I've got my first post-op appointment in a few minutes and then waiting for my curbside pickup order to be ready at the craft store. I need fabric to make more cloth TP- our stock is getting raggedy, and my 15yo needs more colored pencils for her art class assignments.

NationalParker, I'm glad the appointment was informative and you don't need to take anything yet.

Have a great day, everyone!

[BillBlueEyes]

Diet Coaches/Buddies - Visited a brick-and-mortar dermatologist - both wearing masks the whole time. I felt like a genius because I figured out that last visit was uncomfortable because I has so many layers to remove. Despite the chilly day, I left my jacket in the car and wore neither socks nor undershirt. Exposing skin was easy. Am grateful that there's nothing seriously wrong with me. But aging skin seems to attract friends looking for a neat place to grow. I feel like a walking petri dish, LOL. Visit to the supermarket unexpectedly had back in stock the soy milk that DW likes. Shopping is a new experience looking to see if things are in stock.

Eating was on plan with no daytime snacks, CREDIT moi. Dinner was salmon grilled on the back porch eaten with guilt as we saw the cover article of the Economist, "The coming food catastrophe" with a picture of skulls on wheat stalks. Can't stand the thought that some folks don't have food while grain rots in silos. When the supply chain is disrupted, I'm inconvenienced that our favorite brand of soy milk isn't available; others loose access to the calories needed simply to live. Humans haven't figured out civilization yet.


Joy (gardenerjoy) - Ouch for the news from your DGN - good that you know what's up even it it's worse than you thought. Neat that there are paths forward. Glad that your tooth had a simple solution.

nationalparker – Yay for a doctor's visit that felt like you came away with information. Glad that you don't need a prescription. Good idea to take a photo of your car when you park. I've had the experience of returning to the garage after dark to find that nothing looked familiar.

curlyjax - Yay for getting your elevated garden beds outside. Kudos to your DS for helping finagle them through the doorway.

Penny. - Seems like good news that your "15yo needs more colored pencils for her art class assignments" - sounds like accepting school.

Readers -

Chapter 6 Stage 3 - The Challenging Situations Plan

For each challenging situation, you will develop a mindset that is different from your previous way of thinking and make specific Response Cards.

Judith S. Beck, Ph.D., The Complete Beck Diet for Life (Green book), Pg 127.

[gardenerjoy]

I'm finding that I need some recovery self-care from the last week. And to prepare for the unknown that is yet to develop. Fortunately, overeating hasn't presented itself as a self-care option and yoga has. I'm grateful for a dozen years in this group that has made that a reality.

Exercise +55, 1240/1500 minutes for May

[Penny.]

Good morning!

I almost turned to food with yesterday's tragedy in Texas but was able to let the feeling wash over me and pass. I don't know how any teachers are making it to school today. It's hard to even think about it all and feels extra surreal to be sending my two off this morning.

My weight is stalled for a few days so I'm hoping a couple tweaks to my diet help today.

Have a great day, everyone!

[karenrn]

Good morning coaches,

Yesterday I did some things around the house and had to be here for the guys who were doing something for termite prevention. We haven't ever had termites, but around here I think most people do something to prevent it as we have several times. We didn't have anything like that is Washington. Otis had such a big fit seeing them out around the house that he barked until he wore himself out. He had to take a long nap once they left. Food was a bit off plan yesterday but weight is holding so far.

I hiked Bell Pass this morning with my friend and it was a bit slower with her, but still a good hike. After that I walked Otis, got cleaned up and made a trip to Costco and the regular grocery store. We really seem to go through the food and I think because a lot of it is produce, it's pretty bulky and looks like a lot to start and then goes down pretty quickly. All the clothing I ordered has been received and fits. The white jeans fit but I think they will look a little better with a few more pounds off. Dh says they look good and maybe 5 pounds, but fine now.

We play music from the iPod for Otis when we're gone and mostly Andrea Bocelli. It sounded so sad to me today even though I usually like it very much. It's hard to feel upbeat with the horrible things that are going on in the world, especially the mass murder of little ones. I'll have to be careful about what I have on the tv or I'll want to jump through the screen and kill someone.

I'll get back to personals tomorrow.

[maryann]

Goof afternoon, Coaches.

Karen: The school is pretty down about the shootings. I never think of the possibilities although there was a school shooting in our sister shooting 20 years ago. I told the students that life for our young is safer than it has ever been historically considering thousands of years of war, disease and abuse. Maybe that makes each life lost today even more precious because we nearly convince ourselves of our children's immortality. I don't know. I know my life would be over as i know it if I lost my son.

Today I prepped for a half day at school and Friday off. I corrected up. I filled the car and even filled the tires because the air sign of imbalance was showing on the dashboard. I teased DH that motorized vehicles were his job. I'll head to LA pick up DH and stay on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The Hollywood Bowl concert is Friday.

Food is food and I am not going to make or break myself as we rush to finish school.

[BillBlueEyes]

Diet Coaches/Buddies - Excitement was pick up the (6 yo) DGD day. The same awe watching a bunch of kids playing on a climbing structure, running non-stop, finding ways to climb over the outside of a tube meant only for sliding down within. I couldn't tell if two boys were play wrestling or fighting but the parent of one was watching so I didn't have to decide. The DD was delighted that DW showed up with two Basil plants for her, already large enough to pinch a few leaves. DW had purchased a flat of six where each was four seeds growing on top of each other. Not a problem; just lovingly separate them all into their own container, yielding twenty of the original twenty-four.

Eating was on plan with no daytime snacks, CREDIT moi. Dinner was a frozen Trader Joe's concoction that I'd chosen - new to us. Contained water, salt, rice, and beef. Was good enough that we'll have it again since it was very easy prep, just the kind of prep for a tired gardener who has stayed outside later than planned. On my walk, CREDIT moi, I ran an errand then, well masked, browsed the brick-and-mortar book store. Such fun to pick up a book to think about it.


Joy (gardenerjoy) - Yay for yoga for self-care. I share your gratitude to this group for helping me stay my path.

maryann - Hard to imagine the strength it takes for you teachers to come to school right now. I have no idea how you can discuss this in class without freaking out the kids or having their parents rage to the school board that you suggested that guns were not the only way to handle one's feelings.

Karen (karenrn) - Yes, it's hard to take the news without a desire to "jump through the screen and kill someone." LOL that Otis is ready to defend his house against the termite technicians.

Penny. - Kudos for not tuning to food when reading about the unspeakable. I'm having a hard time reading the exact same responses offered after the previous event, and the one before that.

Readers -

Chapter 6 Stage 3 - The Challenging Situations Plan

Stage 3 will allow you to master these challenging situations:

• Weekend Skills
• Skills to Deal with Food Pushers
• Restaurant Skills
• Social Event Skills
• Family Dinner Skills
• Holiday Skills
• Travel Skills
• Skills for When Your Are Under Stress

Judith S. Beck, Ph.D., The Complete Beck Diet for Life (Green book), Pg 127.

[curlyjax]

Quick wave. Tuesday I hauled the soil into the garden bed and planted everything. I checked on the plants yesterday and the cucumbers aren't looking good, but everything else is okay.I'll have to remember to water everything as it hasn't rained for awhile.
A friend's husband is going to drive the uhaul for me on moving day which is a huge relief!! Now I can focus on trying to get DD to start packing things. I've been stress eating terribly and today we have goodbye cake at work, but i'm starting to get my salads back in too.
Focusing on the move helps me numb out the awful things going on in the world.

[gardenerjoy]

Today's adventure is taking DH to the urologist. We already know that his PSA was fine, so it will be pretty uneventful.

I'm being careful with news consumption and social media consumption. Also, my social media production. Sometimes I have things to say that are helpful to others. I seem to have run dry, at the moment, so I'm not saying anything.

Exercise +45, 1285/1500 minutes for May