Food wasn't good at work and then I ended up getting Chipotle for dinner- although at least that has rice, beans, and lettuce. The title saga continues-I managed to figure out what bank had given us the car loan and went there to ask for a letter stating I had paid off the debt. The manager wasn't there so it will be finished tomorrow. Before that I had to run around looking for DH's death certificate which fortunately I found. The bank helped me figure out I do not need to notarize the surviving spouse affidavit; they were quite lovely and helpful. After I get the note I'll try to submit everything online and see. More texting with DS about various things to do etc. Then a kerfuffle with DD spilling over from yesterday and the decision on my part to spend the evening in bed watching tv as I was mentally exhausted and grumpy. I need to make today a better day in various ways.
Maryann-How fun to get a cabin refresh with friends.
Bill-what a wonderful vegetable filled day. Giggle at shock of young Bill confronted with responsibility of toilet brush obtaining.

Good Morning, Coaches.

I am exhausted but home. We ended the weekend by completely rearranging my bedroom at the cabin. My bed went o0n the big blank wall facing the view rather than the small wall facing my messy closet. Excellent.

Ok. I need to spend some attention on my hubby. I will cook up meals for the next days. He has done well following the program. I will putter. I need a vacation from the vacation.

I am following the low carb program starting with lunch today.

Curly: very much a good idea to just go to bed when overwhelmed.
:

Terrible eating at work-I got into the ice cream treats, ugh. But I did have my healthy chicken wrap for lunch at least. We went for a walk again later in the day and I did some pushups along the way as well. I was emailed the lien letter about my car from the bank. I decided to try applying for a duplicate title online, figuring they would ask me to scan in the application, lien letter etc. I was merely asked for various identification and to pay 25.00. I don't understand how you have to provide forms in person but not online. We'll see what happens! I also called my insurance and was told they could do all the transactions including new plates at the insurance agency once I have the title, so no need to go to the RMV. The bad news is, my son will have to own the car and have his own insurance policy, which will be a lot as he is not yet 25 when it goes down for young men. This whole move is complicated and pricey, but in the end I know he'll have a great time with his friends. I had a very unsettling dream last night which shows i'm feeling stressed about this and other things,but life should settle down in a few weeks.
Maryann- I hear you with the vacation from your vacation. Great that you got things done up there.

Wednesday - Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture" debuts in Moscow (1882)
 

Diet Coaches/Buddies - Trip to the eye doctor and supermarket in one journey. The doctor says my eyes are doing well, all is stable - the 'good news' for folks with gray hair. I never arrive with sunglasses because they never tell me in advance that they intend to dilate my eyes. This visit the assistant opened a drawer of new drugstore-quality sun glasses. I left looking like a State Trooper; just cracks me up. Sunglasses aren't my thing; I kept removing them to see better.

Dug a bit deeper down the rabbit hole. I continued to fail to understand the 'evil' nature of time share. This led me to answer an ad for a FREE brochure about getting saved from timeshare by a financial advisor. A simple brochure request - what could go wrong. Less than five minutes after submitting my request, a request that clearly stated that I don't own a timeshare, I got two phone calls from their salesman offering to extract me from my "indentured servant" role as a timeshare owner. I'm off the hook for phone calls and will get the brochure. This led me see ad after ad on Facebook for companies that will get me out of my timeshare contract. And I learned that the reason that one can take bargain vacations as often as once a year is because each comes with a 90+ minute 'review' of one's contract where it's offered to buy more points to get better service. That's the part I was missing. There's the second investment and then the third chasing the elusive ease of booking in the best resorts. As before, not for me.

Eating was on plan with no daytime snacks, CREDIT moi. Dinner on the patio despite the chill we're feeling because of Hurricane Erin moving up the East Coast. Grateful for the break in the heat wave. Hope we don't get the surges some are experiencing. Was entertained at dinner by a DW discussion of native plants. Anything to distract from current politics.


maryann – Such fun to make a dramatic change to a bedroom that you've used for years.

curlyjax - Amazing success that you figured out the bank that had held the car loan and that they were responsive to your request to certify that you'd paid if in full. Had sounded like one of those unsolvable problems.

Readers -

Quick check in. I have changed the details to show the raise in the scale. I am very uncomfortable in the 80s decade. The plan. I have a consultation with the personal trainer this morning.. I am starting the food program m y husband has ben on for 5 days.

Wish me luck.

Thursday - The Mona Lisa is stolen from the Louvre Museum (1911, recovered in 1913)
 

Diet Coaches/Buddies - Walk, CREDIT moi, to inspect a house under construction, optimistically calling out, "I'm going now because it isn't raining." Sorta. Until I was a block away when the slight drizzle started. I completed a short walk reminding myself that I'm not a sugar cube that'll melt in a little water. It does annoy me that I own rain gear but leave home without it.

Lovely dream conjured up a young woman at a party from my early 20's. True story: her phone (landline) rang during the party; she held the receiver to her ear without saying a single word after her initial, "Hello." After a long spell, she blurted out, "Is this an obscene phone call?" We all burst out laughing. First at being witness to an obscene phone call but even more that she had to ask to be sure it was. Have no idea how the brain can find that old memory that I haven't thought of in decades.

Eating was on plan with no daytime snacks, CREDIT moi. Dinner was eaten inside as we continue to feel cold air from Hurricane Erin along with light rain. Rather boring conversation as we prepared for our Zoom meeting this afternoon with the estate lawyer by discussing the 3" binder of lawyer-supplied documents and the 3" binder of the information we've collected for our personal representative (new name for executor). Some information we prepared five years ago needs to be updated. Good, you'd expect that for folks who're living their lives. Much was just fine, for example the Title for DW's car. One could easily get carried away keeping this up to date.


maryann – Bon Voyage into the new food program with your DH.

curlyjax - This cool weather sure supports taking a walk. LOL at how much less documentation is required on line than in person. I continue to find it awesome that I can sign documents on line with a digital signature. As could, I presume, a talented 14-yo with computer skills imitating me. Despite the burdensome costs, it's a small silver lining that you don't have to visit the DMV to get his new license.

Readers -

Succumbed to a grilled cheese with tomato at lunch; fabulous for a rainy day. And other stuff, ugh. I did feel productive at home with cleaning up the kitchen, helping DD apply for FMLA money as she's off work for weeks, and a long talk with my older brother who has quit his job. I do worry about him; he's very smart and capable but needs to lose about 100 pounds probably. Excitement was receiving things from Amazon to help organize my life hopefully, like some cool fridge containers where you can see the inside all around in the efforts to remember you have veggies and will eat them. I have to wash it all first etc so am not doing it yet. The next few weeks are a bit hectic with DS moving, i'm going to Maine for a few days next week, and then i'll go back home in 3 weeks to see people and work on my aunt's house. Whee! goals today are a walk with DD and 15 minutes clearing up some papers AGAIN.
Maryann-sounds like a great plan.
Bill-very cool to dream about something from the past that happened-and a nice memory, not a bad one. I too am amazed what we are able to able to do on computers these days.

Good Morning, Coaches.

I took the big plunge. I have signed up for personal training 3 days a week for a month. The focus is weight training. I had a full body analysis which declared I am mostly Stay Puff Marshmallow Man. Good news is the visceral fat around my organs is a health-ish ratio. OK so I have a baseline. The big struggle is giving up my twice daily weighings. I will weigh once a week with my trainer, Ralphie. I really like him. He reminds me of the Latino boys I would adore having in my class at high school. He graduated in exercise physiology so I feel I am in good hands.

Box Checking Day:
1. Pack breakfast and Lunch for DH. Check
2. Packed my lunch weighed and measured. Check
3. Redo my budget to accommodate my personal training. Check
4. Two appts for DH. - one for the sleep apnea.
5. AA meeting to watch my buddy get her 38 year sobriety chip. ( Ooops.I need to make a card.)

Curly: I love the throw off remark - heading to Maine. I would love to get to Maine.
BBE: Nope. No melting. Splash in a puddle next time to recapture your inner child.

Last week was challenging with lots of stressors and several back-to-back hungry days.

This week has been somewhat better. At least, the hungry days dissipated.

Through it all, my weight remained stubbornly in the 82s, which pleases me since I declared that to be my maintenance weight a few months ago. Today, I'm extra-pleased to be at the low end, instead of just above like I was early this month.

Tonight, I'll be leading a book discussion of James by Percival Everett. I felt a bit rushed yesterday and this morning. I just declared my preparation complete and, now, I'm looking forward to the meeting with some excitement about how the discussion will go.

Exercise: 60, 1210/1800 minutes for August
Weigh-in: 82.3, goal for August is 82.1

The Piper
 

Hi Coaches

I'm just checking in asy anxiety builds over my endocrinologist visit at 4:10pm today. It's at Sunnybrook. I may have neglected to get a bone density test done for the Dr. I'm just not sure if I was supposed to. it's not in any of my emails from their office, though there were plenty of reminders to get the blood test done. But in my calendar a message popped up to do a bone density test. Also, I was unable to follow the portfolio diet. I tried and retried a few times and each time I went off track and each time I ate over that and I just haven't been able to get a handle on my food at all. Possible my weight will be higher as they weight me in the office today.

I'm going to tell you, I feel like she's going to yell at me or she's just going to write me off as uncooperative and give up on me OR I will discover through my blood tests that things are worse than before. It's not wonder aim anxious and find myself here with you.

On a positive note, through an intrusive conversation with a stranger in a painting workshop I was given the unasked-fir information about a program targeting T2 diabetes and covered by OHIP (my provincial health insurance). I went there and have already had my intro zoom call. It's a 12 week program of weekly group sessions and Dr consults and real bloodwork and follow-up aimed to reduce A1C and blood glucose levels. My sessions begin mid September. I haven't finished and sent off my questionnaires yet. I do wonder if they will take a cancer patient in treatment. Sunnybrook and my oncologist don't see any issue with treating diabetes and cancer at the same time. I guess it's just me wondering about that.

I still get overwhelmed by everything health-related all the time.

Okay goong to start getting ready for the appointment. I wanted to wash my clothes but the people upstairs have been washing theirs since 9am. I'll need a few extra minutes to through something together.

Bye for now.

credit for eating my healthy lunch of whole wheat wrap, chickpeas, chicken, cuke and lettuce, with a smear of hummus. I did indulge in the ice cream social we had, but other people controlled the portion of ice cream for me which was helpful. An elder told me the outfit I wore today was slimming, and then insulted me by telling me that one I wore the other day was not good. Sheesh. It does reinforce that another reason to lose weight is to look better in my clothes. I'm also aware that the trashed state of the house and giving up on that for now goes along with giving up on eating well, so once again I need to reign that in.
I did get in a walk and was able to talk to BFF while I did it. Dinner was take out yet again but I saved part of it for lunch today anyhow.
I'm going to be on my feet for about 2 hours at work today so will certainly get some functional exercise that way. On with the day.
Maryann-so glad you're doing the training. I have really seen such great results when I consistently strength train. The nice thing about living here is you can travel easily to other states like Maine.
Gardenerjoy- good luck with the book discussion.
Onebyone-that diabetes program sounds great. I bet they won't have a problem taking a cancer patient either as long as you're followed by a doc which you are. My brother is doing an overeating group on zoom and it makes me want to find a group- support groups are great.

Friday- Saint Columba reports seeing a monster in Loch Ness (565, Scottish Highlands)
 

Diet Coaches/Buddies - Terrific walk, CREDIT moi, in the evening to a natural history museum for their members' night. We were given bags to fill with 'gorp' constructed as we chose from M&Ms, pumpkin seeds, craisins, and dried pineapple. So silly, to walk around a museum with strict NO FOODS policy with snacks they provided. Attended a fantastic lecture on Fireflies - the little beetles that flash in the summer evening. The flying flashers are males looking for a return flash from a female on the ground which he'll rendezvous with leading to mating. 2000 species each with its own flash pattern. Except for the one that imitates another flash pattern so she can attract a clueless male in order to eat him. The beauty of nature.

Big event was the Zoom discussion with our lawyer. Thanks to a bunch of preparation on our part, all is in order. Our original papers were complete enough that an adopted DGD doesn't require a change. A minor tax law change in Massachusetts also doesn't require a change because the original papers referred to "current MA tax law" instead of a number. Altogether a nothing burger for a hefty fee gaining only that each of us is a tad more comfortable contacting these lawyers if the surviving spouse. Discussion about being the surviving spouse is still in our guts a hypothetical thing.

Eating was on plan, CREDIT moi. Snacking on gorp while walking the museum was a "soft of" planned afternoon snack. Could certainly claim that watching videos of fireflies while eating gorp is an unusual experience. Dinner was planned sushi but our favorite place was unexpectedly closed. Chose an alternative nearby Japanese place for a bowl of Yaki Don - thin sliced beef and onions over a bowl of rice. The small amount of beef is a sane serving. I left half of the white rice; CREDIT moi since I hate to leave any single bite of restaurant priced food.


onebyone - How fortuitous to get unasked-for information that you find useful - instead of the standard "unwanted." Reminding you that you have a head full of art to express as well as all the health concerns.

Joy (gardenerjoy) - That book looks interesting - especially to folks living in the heart of Huckleberry Finn land. Always think you must have the best book club in the country.

maryann – It's a big deal to head off to a new gym experience. Liking your trainer is a good start.

curlyjax - Getting items to help with organization is so smart. As is anything to provide even a smidgen of motivation to the dreary task of getting organized. I'm already drooling for the lobster you'll get in Maine.

Readers -

Good Morning, Coaches.

Yesterday was dramatic. I LOVED my personal training session. But at the first of two Drs appt for DH the day went off the rails. Frustrated by the incoming news, DH shot a very disrespectful comment at me. It embarrassed both me and the Dr. I felt humiliated and DH didn't feel he did anything inappropriate. Sigh. The rest of the day was aching with resentment, sorrow and pain for both of us. My priority is to not lapse into blackout rage. I did not. I refused to go into the next appointment with him. Part of the issue is I do all the footwork and research so I become the messenger waiting to be shot. While he was in the appt. I went to a home shop to find a new pillow. Trivial. Yes. But it was joy to me, a distraction and didn't involve extra calories. I headed up to Truckee a day early.

I remind myself that just because an experience is painful or uncomfortable doesn't mean i did it "wrong."

Today I will process the emotions and putter.

Curly: Back handed comments are the worst.
onebyone: Thinking good thoughts through your appt.
Joy; Maintenance through a hard week is it's own victory.
BBE: Credit for the bittersweet work of lawyer-ing.

With somewhat cooler weather and nervous energy, I took my first long walk in ages yesterday. I'm pleased that it went well and that it still takes me 45 minutes.
'
I'm exhausted today, but I'm blaming the adrenaline rush of leading a book discussion plus a late night.

James by Percival Everett proved to be a great book for promoting conversation. I had prepared questions, but I think we would have done just fine without them. There is a lot of depth to explore.

Exercise: 60, 1270/1800 minutes for August
Weigh-in: N/A, goal for August is 82.1

Saturday - International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade (1998, UNESCO)
 

Diet Coaches/Buddies - Walk, CREDIT moi, to continue my supervision of the house under construction. Asked the guy working there if they were near completion. "Yep," he replied in a heavy accent, but leaving me to wonder what question he heard. "Yes," is the standard response to make someone go away - especially when it isn't worthwhile to explain that the English isn't terribly grand. My guess is that they're working hard to allow a Fall sale. Neighborhood rumor is that it's a spec house that'll be looking for a buyer.

Eating was on plan, CREDIT moi. I fell onto some shortbread cookies that had been hiding for months that I declared to be afternoon snack. Dinner was as lovely as outdoor dining can be. We have two grand nibblings starting first year of college. Such a different experience than when we trundled off decades ago, including one whose father posted a dozen pictures of their dorm room with mom looking like it was the end of the world.


onebyone - Waving toward Sunnybrook that's taking up so much space in your head these days.

Joy (gardenerjoy) - Yay for getting back to your longer walks. I like that the title James already slaps me upside the head since Jim is so thoroughly his only name.

maryann – Sending support for dealing with unwelcome news from doctors. Buying a pillow is a terrific distraction.

curlyjax - Now that's one healthy lunch. LOL at the reminder that gray hair often comes with diminished filter on making comments.

Readers -