Good morning, coaches.
 

Yesterday when I tried to post, I realize that I had broken the computer keys after spilling a glass of water last night. So this morning, I’m off to the Genius Bar for my Mac Pro This morning then is on the phone.

The scale today was a huge caution. I’m going to take a note from BBEs Beck quote and choose two diets. I am going to combine with intermittent fasting because it has really strengthen my resistance muscle.

Wishing well to all.

Spontaneous Start
 

Coaches

My blood test is an hour from now. I've been drinking water trying to plump up my veins so the nurses can find them. The last time I had blood taken at a lab it took three nurses and five tries. I'm hoping for a better outcome today.


I'm still fasting and won't eat until after the test is done. We'll after the test is done and I get back home.
My foodplan today is to make a Hungarian potato sausage soup in the instant pot to showcase the last of the new potatoes from the farm box last week.

I woke up at 6:30 am feeling panicky and overwhelmed. I immediately had a coughing fit. That scared me..so I walked to the living room sat on the loveseat and fell asleep until 10:30. When I woke up I still felt overwhelmed. I was well on my way to working myself up when a thought popped up to "do some cleaning today. Clean the bedroom." So I got my garbage bag and my donate bags ready and went in with the intention to donate/trash the clothes I don't wear. And to put away all my clothes. And clean the floor. And clean the surfaces in a bid to clean the.air in there. I looked at the clothes and just froze. My mind couldn't make a decision about the clothes. So, instead, I tackled something easier. I did the sock and underwear drawer and I was ruthless. The garbage is full of single socks with no mate. Plus some donated socks in the donate bag. I got two low-sided boxes to organize the socks and underwear in my drawer and it was SO SATISFYING to put the socks in one box and the underwear in another and they are all loose and hard to find in a big tangle.

This success has inspired to to begin the kitchen cart clean-up. Cart is full.of things that should be in the pantry. Pantry is full of things that are probably expired and I will make room for cart things by getting rid of old pantry things. Ultimate goal is to use cart to store small kitchen appliances. This will be a big help in re-organizing my small kitchen space. (I'm also on the lookout for donatible kitchenware. I suspect that cart holds some of that too.

Ok time to go to Life Labs for blood test.

Will update how many pokes were needed!
Answer: only one with a small needle on n my upper arm. Excellent young lab tech!!

Heading home now to make soup and work on Project Cart Rehab.

Friday - India gains independence from the UK; remains a dominion until 1950 (1947)
 

Diet Coaches/Buddies - The relatives arrived. Standard brouhaha since it's been a few years since we've seen each other. Conversations switched from profoundly personal to mundane with ease - as happens with the people we grew up with. Conversation never halted; kept wishing there was more time to talk and talk. Guests are asleep right now. I'm going to rush to get a chance to talk to DW before they come down for breakfast.

Eating was on plan despite serving dinner twice as two couples arrived separately. Thanks to Whole Foods for providing the cold foods we set out: cold salmon, fava beans with kale salad, green beans, along with plenty of cantaloupe and Bing cherries.


onebyone - Terrific to reduce the number of unwanted socks. I just heard that my 16 yo Great Niece deliberately wears socks that don't match - her crowd's notion of casual dressing.

maryann – May the Genius Bar make your computer well.

Readers -

I got wrapped up in thinking about a new project for work yesterday morning and didn't have time to post. DD continues to feel pretty good and is taking walks in this heat while I sit in the shade with a book- its too hot for me. I do hope she'll feel up to driving soon. We tend to go to the track of her high school to walk which brings a flood of memories. And then we get take out after because it was too much to get groceries and plan meals this week. We'll make a plan for dinners and groceries today hopefully and get back on track.
I need to get back to getting my paperwork done for the lawyer and financial guy. I gave myself a break this week with the surgery and all. I tend to procrastinate such things and need to break it down into manageable pieces. Step one; clear off the trunk in my bedroom that serves as a dumping ground and find all the papers again.
I have a call scheduled today with a small gym that does group training and personal training only, you don't go and work on your own. It's much closer to my home and in theory has a lot of convenient times so i'm going to check it out. Someone on my town facebook page has described it glowingly so i do have a recommendation for it of sorts.
Bill-what fun to have a mini reunion. The MFA trip with DGD sounded very nice too.
Maryann-I hear you about the scale being a huge caution, ugh.
Onebyone- Boy do I relate to being frozen by the stuff in the house. Great job starting on something manageable! I too have the satisfaction of finally having my undies and socks in separate containers. I got a sock organizer from Amazon (I can't link it for some reason)
and it thrills me every time I open my dressor. DD is so bored she wants to work on putting away her clothes that are all over the living room so hopefully we'll get going with that.

A good Art Day today
 

Coaches

I made it to Art Day today. My friend and I challenged each other to do timed portraits in whatever art medium we wanted.We are both taking the beginners realistic painting a portrait in oils workshop on Sunday
We wanted to practice. Greg drew his in pencil and in charcoal. I painted mine in iny sketchbook using acrylics. We did four portraits in all. Three were 15 minutes and the last one was 20. Greg never draws or paints people. His were really accurate. Mine are all over the place. I wasn't trying for accuracy. Mine improved from the first to the last one, as did Greg's. We are both feeling better about this Sunday's workshop for having practiced faces/people today.

Otherwise DH is out playing poker. His friend decided to hold a tournament in his man cave. DH was excited as he could "win some money" he hoped. If he doesn't get knocked out of the tournament it will continue tomorrow night.

Foodwise no snacks today but I had a big bowl of ice cream. I bought the ice cream a few days ago. I need to drop the sugar.My blood sugar readings have been bad. That endocrinologist is going to read me the riot act when I see her on Thursday.

I didn't work on the pantry/cart rehab. But I will.

BillBlueEyes: Sounds like you have a full house! Enjoy your guests! Thanks goodness for Whole Foods.

Curlyjax: I laughed when I read your DD is so bored she's thinking of cleaning up her clothes. Yes, I understand that. I was also relating to you and to a pile of paper that needs to be moved to get into the trunk etc. I do recommend the breaking tasks down into small bits. I like to write it all down on my big white board and then give the task a big check mark when I'm done. Very satisfying and I know I am making progress when I see those check marks even if it doesn't show around me.

Saturday - Gold 1st discovered in the Klondike (1896, Yukon, Canada)
 

Diet Coaches/Buddies - A full day of relatives and meals together. The younger generation set us up to tell tales about our childhood which was recorded as audio. Mostly old war stories told. They get more embellished every year. Was good to be with my brothers as a group; hadn't been all together since the last funeral. I did catch up on some current family events. A Great Nephew will start college in New York City this fall. A Great Niece will graduate in a year. Another Great Niece moved from hither to yon and I'd missed it. Normal family moving about.

Am grateful that one niece and nephew arranged it all. We had lunch at a house with expansive views of the beach. Each of us had selected sandwiches from the local deli's menu which were picked up to match our arrival for 'brunch'. At the evening affair, both my DGDs were there to be joyful and playfully interacting with a whole bunch of adults including the four they had never met. Am grateful to have a family that can interact well.

Eating was high calorie. I can't exactly claim no daytime snacks since the evening dinner included appetizers for nearly an hour. I chose well for the buffet dinner; didn't go back for seconds. Did participate in specialized desserts as if I'd never been offered a dessert before. I did want to join the intense discussion about which baklava was the best. Oh, well; such an event only happens about every five years. My only task today is to drive my brother and his wife who are staying with us to the airport generously early for their 1:30 flight. They're experienced travelers; getting to the airport even earlier than the recommended two hours is just right for them, "We have books to read."


onebyone - Such a challenge to do a portrait in 15 minutes. A day with no snacks is a win.

curlyjax - You continue to be such a caring mom getting your DD back on her feet. Bored enough to want to put away clothes is definitely on the mend.

Readers -

Very satisfying day yesterday. I ate a frog and got it over with. I didn't have any sweets at work and I only brought home some challah bread which I have fond childhood memories of. I did go to get ice cream from my favorite spot, reasoning that it will be closed at the end of the summer;) but at least later I went on a walk with DD. Home for scrambled eggs with cheese and fresh herbs from the garden. I wish eggs didn't have so much cholesterol, I would eat them every day otherwise. The rest of the evening I did one load of laundry and then just read a book for hours which was quite pleasing although I stayed up too late.
Today I'm going to try out a gym that focuses on group strength training. It's pricey but much closer to my house, has multiple sessions and sounds like a very personal feel to it. I'm a little nervous but if it works, it will be a great thing to get me going again exercise wise.
Bill-how nice to have a reunion that isn't at a funeral. So glad you got to be together with your brothers. I would definitely want to get in on the baklava competition too!
Onebyone-you are always trying new art things, I'm so impressed. I like the idea of breaking it down and writing it so I can cross it off. Kicking myself I didn't do something small last night but oh well, onwards.

Good Morning, Coaches.

I have missed checking in but there has been a flurry of stuff to navigate. I had to send my Mac to the hospital so I have been without a computer. Thankfully Mom sent me home yesterday with "her" computer - my old one. I know I can live without a computer but it is so inconvenient.

The last few days DH and I have been given the "gift" of desperation with health stuff.
1. DH sleep test came back and he is in real trouble. Action is NOW. He will be fitted for a CPAP hopefully but he has severe claustrophobia so it may not work. He has to lose 30 pounds or they will put him on the new weightloss drug. After much research on weightloss clinics etc. . . We have chosen a low carb diet. I have become a prepackaged meal service because there is no healthy food where he works and he works all the time. I made a day's menu of 2200 calories with 10% carb in MFP. I cooked 4 days of the same menu, packed it into two coolers, and sent him down to the ranch. I will be gone to Truckee. Keep our fingers crossed.

2.Hip xrays show calcium in my gluteal tendons. Painful but no surgery.

3. I am going to hop on DH's food plan but I am joining Curly by hiring a personal trainer.

BBE: So fun to have family with no drama. I envy you.

Sunday - Joseph Pulitzer donates $1 million to Columbia U for Pulitzer Prizes (1903)
 

Diet Coaches/Buddies - Drove the two house guests to Boston's Logan Airport - an easy drive on a Saturday morning. Great house guests. No demands, offered to help with expenses of the two reunion meals (declined), left us a house gift of a scented candle with nice note. Gotta admire folks who take care of their thank you gift even before they're at their next place. Our recovery would have been easier if DW hadn't decided that this was the ideal time to flip the mattresses in the guest room since we had to change sheets anyway. Note to self: next time you buy a mattress spend an extra dime to get the kind with handles on sides that are useful for flipping. Even though we flip them so rarely that I don't remember the last time.

Learned about the 'cookie diet'. Couldn't believe it. A niece heard about it from her dental hygienist who advocated for it while her mouth was full of instruments preventing any response. It exists; I won't add the link. The word 'cookie' is used for a low calorie food wafer used to replace some meals. So it's another diet with special foods you buy from the company. It's advantage, you get to tell folks that you're losing weight by eating cookies.

Eating was on plan with no daytime snacks, CREDIT moi. Dinner was getting rid of many leftovers. I like that kind of leftover dinner because it reminds me of the meals that it came from. I'm eating English muffins for breakfast because we bought them for the house guests. They hold so much butter in their little crevices. What an outstanding discovery for a population that's hooked on getting as much salt and fat as possible.


maryann – Wish you and your DH well as you enter the CPAP phase of your life. We talked to my brother who has used one for years - ever since his sleep study showed that his heart stopped for a brief period every now and then during the night. Just stopped. Took a break. "My heart decided it wanted to sleep also," he wisecracked. From him we learned that younger bodies can plow through many situations that are a dangerous struggle for an older heart. It's not just that all our organs are slowing down, but their ability to compensate for each other is decreasing.

curlyjax - Wincing at your mention of end of summer; we've just begun. Summer-only ice cream places just taste better.

Readers -

I really like the new gym. I met one of the owners/trainers who was very friendly and helped me modify the exercises. I talked to one woman who has been coming for about 5 years who raved about it and talked more in detail about how they set up changing the exercises etc. I feel sore today which is a good thing. It's similar in structure to the weight class I was doing at the Y so it feels less intimidating. I certainly need to get back into stretching my hips more , goodness they are tight.
Afterwards was doing some errrands with DD, and talking to BFF for a bit on the phone. We are quite excited about going away together in a week. I've never traveled with her so it will be interesting. Excitement was discovering DS needs to register "his" car in his name which requires a trip to the insurance agent etc, and possibly time off work for us both , as you need to get a parking permit pronto for where he is moving to.
I am sitting outside typing this on my patio and it is just lovely. I like to drink my coffee tucked up into bed with my laptop, but a change of scene is nice too, and its so peaceful in the morning, I wish it and the cool morning weather would last forever. i woke up way too early, ran to the bagel store and will no doubt crash later in the day.
Bill-good idea about the mattress flipping, it is a chore. Yay for great company that is considerate and stays just the right amount of time.
Maryann-I know what you mean, I get panicky without a computer, it is my portal to the outside world (although i guess the phone is too) your DH is so lucky to have you to help with food prep.

Good Morning,

Happily sitting in Tahoe with two friends. These two are in their 70s. Last trip was women in their 30s. I love have diverse ages in my life. Food was not great but oh well. I'll join DH in the food program as soon as I get home. Still no use gaining extra weight I will just have to lose.

Curly: Excellent news about the gym.
BBE: Nice to have gracious house guests.

Monday-Pierre Janssen discovers helium in the solar spectrum during an eclipse (1868)
 

Diet Coaches/Buddies - Was a quiet day. Seem a bit much to need time to recover from house guests but that's what happened. I did swallow one frog: I finished my input for the meeting with the 'estate' lawyer this week. Asked DW to review it all so that we're on the same page.

Setting out the trash and garbage bins to the curb felt good; just the normal Sunday evening chore with no juggling of guest schedules. I used the quiet time to move forward on two of the books I'm reading.

Eating was on plan with no daytime snacks, CREDIT moi. Dinner was gazpacho made from our garden cukes and tomatoes. Always killer good. Accompanied with avocado smeared on a baguette and my green salad overflowing with more cukes and tomatoes. Do hope my body is getting its year's worth of the goodness of cukes and tomatoes. Talked a bit about a vacation timeshare plan that one of the relatives said that they were enjoying - many uses each year. Read about it. It has all the parts of timeshare that are not my cup of tea. Biggest drawback: to get in, one has to accept a bargain weekend (legitimate bargain price) at one of their properties and listen to a two hour 'explanation' of the process. Buy in price is $7k to $750k with yearly dues/maintenance fees. Each stay requires payment of taxes and something. All discussed in terms of points that are allocated each year and charged for each property. Found a web site with some folks who loved it and some who hated it. A bit like everything else in life.


maryann – You're so fortunate to be able to cultivate friends in a spectrum of ages.

curlyjax - A five-year customer is a welcome recommendation. Finding a gym you like is so fortunate. One more adulting step for your DS to register his car in his own name.

Readers -

I'm still sore from the gym but that's okay. The co owner texted me yesterday to see how I was doing. They really do a great job in all of this.It will be interesting to meet the other co owner at some point and see what he's like.
I got the groceries done and made home made chicken tenders, and managed to clean everything up. We've been having a ton of fruit flies or something like it in the past week, and i'm trying to get on top of it. But there needs to be a lot more cleaning done, i'm sure there's some bits of forgotten food somewhere.
I ripped parts of the house apart trying to find the title to the car that DS drives. I'm hoping its in the safe deposit box otherwise getting him a parking permit is going to take much longer. One form states that if you've lost your title, you have to contact the bank that lent you money-no matter how long ago that was- and get them to write a letter stating you paid the money off. I'm not even sure what bank I used!! Thank goodness its my name on the title and not DH,as I do remember having to switch that a few years ago. I'm so mad at myself for being so disorganized! I did find the other car titles so there's that anyhow. DS thinks he can find a garage to park the car in when he moves, for a bit anyhow. I coached him about what's involved in setting up an apt ie they need to get electric going, wifi etc.
Maryann-it is fun to have friends that are different ages.
Bill-ya, I'm wary of those timeshares. Plus I like to go different places for vacation. There are presentations where you get a free meal but have to sit through a pressured talk; no thanks.

Good Morning, Coaches.

Wow! A flurry of activity yesterday. My friends have expert design eyes. We spent the day scurrying around and curating two rooms in my cabin. The gals rehung all my pictures into "vignettes." I bought a new lamp by their suggestion and the place is totally refreshed. Fun.

Also, my buddy is my hair stylist so my dream of waking up in the morning and having someone to do my hair was finally realized. Food was reasonable and healthy.

BBE: I share Curly's skepticism of time shares. I have observed it is making a pack with the devil that will then be visited upon your children.

Tuesday - The Chinese community in South Africa is granted "white" status (1970)
 

Diet Coaches/Buddies - Spend productive time preparing for an evening working Zoom meeting. Feels great to have a meeting that accomplishes what it needs to accomplish. I've fallen into the job of taken notes - not my best talent. I tend to write down the things that were unclear to me and leave out the obvious even when they're the major points. With volunteer talent, you get what you pay for.

Eating was on plan with no daytime snacks, CREDIT moi. Dinner was deviled eggs, sauteed asparagus, avocado on toasted baguette, and my honking big green salad overflowing with our garden cukes and tomatoes. Lunch was a tomato sandwich. I declare myself vegetarian for the day.


maryann – Impressed that you two house guests could curating two rooms. Delightfully put that timeshares are "making a pack with the devil that will then be visited upon your children."

curlyjax - Another sign that it's a gym that might be right for you. It's a big step to set up one's own apartment. I remember being shocked that I was expected to buy a toilet brush. May the title to his car be in the next place you look.

Readers -