I didn't eat great yesterday but I did go to my workout and pushed myself with some higher weights. We got to push a "sled" with weights and for some reason I enjoy doing that exercise-its a bit silly but fun to really push something hard. At home DD wanted to have some cat time so we went to BFF's to see the lovely cat there, and worked on a puzzle. BFF's dtr was there and it was nice to have a four way chat. I started investigating possible vacation destinations for November. some places are too muggy or in the hurricane path etc, so we'll see.
Bill-love the idea of barnacles for humans. Great for DGD to get skilled with skiing while young and fearless.
Onebyone-so cool to send prints to each other! I didn't know we were in a rare year, interesting.

Coaches,

Hail from the tropics. Singapore is as advertised - incredibly easy to navigate and beautifully clean. Their world is the mass transits which end in the malls which then exit into gardens. Period. It is a place of 100% city dwellers. That is one of extreme. Another is the heat. I am so lucky with the heat weather. February is the coolest month and also the driest. Yet when it rains, boy howdy. There has just been one downpour.

I spent the first day on the big bus. The ultimate tourist. Good info. Last night was a brilliant pianist in a wonderful waterfront venue. Today is botanical gardens, newton food center as seen in Crazy Rich Asians movie then Orchard boulevard for shopping. Somehow I left my dressy silky shirt at home and I have another concert tomorrow.

Food is as planned. Free breakfast has three food sections all you can eat: Indian, local and Western. My snacks have been enough for everything else. Today I will try fish ball soup for my meal out.

exercise is 10,000 steps plus

The day before
 

Hi Coaches

I've spent the day finishing up the year of the fire horse prints. They are all in envelopes and I'll head to the post office tomorrow to mail them. I only want real stamps on them. Not the metered postmark thing. For many years we could get Canadian Chinese New year stamps. Not anymore and I don't know why. I really enjoyed using those stamps for my Chinese New Year mail-out.

Today Inlaid low again. I had a bit of a headache all day and I tried not to dwell on the CT scan I'm having tomorrow night at 8pm
The CT scan is quick. It I'm having some thoughts about seeing something bad on the scans. This is just scan anxiety. I wouldn't be able to feel it if things are good or bad. I take the test and wait for the results. So far so good. May this one be the same... Or better.

I had an email today from someone asking if I could go to their place to teach ceramics to them and their friends. They'd been iny Newmakeit handbuilding class a few years ago and wanted to do it again. I said we'd need to talk on the phone and that Is only do it in the Spring, but it's a possibility. Actually it's a privilege to be asked! Made me feel good to be wanted.

With that I'm heading to bed. Super tired.

Friday - Statesman Stamford Raffles founds Singapore as a British trading post (1819)
 

Diet Coaches/Buddies - Got out in the cold for a pair of errands. The bright sunshine made it feel like it wasn't so cold but all thermometers agreed that it was. Did a touch of lifting exercise, CREDIT moi, clearing more snow from the sidewalk at the curb for all trash containers to fit without spilling onto the driveway blocking our cars. The snow can still be shoveled. Was reminded that the Great Blizzard of '78 started yesterday some 48 years ago. That blizzard was 27 inches; our recent snow was 23 inches. My memory is that the Great Blizzard of '78 shut down the state for a week. Cars weren't allowed on any roads except for medical personnel.

Got some reading done for my Spring courses that start next week. Felt good to have a comfortable chair in a warm home for leisurely reading. Made an appointment to join a friend this morning to fight a website together. His computer isn't joyfully accepting all the layers of security.

Eating was on plan, CREDIT moi, with snacks. Dinner was reheated grilled salmon, brown rice, sauteed spinach, and my green salad. A standard meal for us that I consider to be rather elegant. Conversation was dominated by listening to the choices DW has been given by her doctor on care of her knee. Apparently, many, many folks with gray hair have traveled the path of knee concerns. To my surprise, DW offered that getting another five or ten years of healthy walking would be enough, suggesting that high activity into one's nighties isn't guaranteed in life. I'm stuck on stories like the "Lobster Lady" in Maine who just died at 105 years old who'd only quit working on lobster boats two years before.


onebyone – That really is flattering that you're wanted for a private class; Kudos for accepting it as such. Wish you well on your CT scan today.

maryann – Glad you're in the tropics while the US East Coast is headed to its lowest temperatures ever. I wish Singapore would teach us how to made mass transit an integral part of life. Congrats on those 10,000 steps even while touring.

curlyjax – Lovely notion, "wanted to have some cat time." Pushing a sled must exercise a whole bunch of muscles.

Readers -

I led an exercise class yesterday and got some stretching in that way. I got into the chocolate kisses but that was it for off eating at work. Afterwork was a zoom meeting with my financial advisor. I had him explain what exactly I was looking at on the investment website which was helpful as I have no clue. I'm going to get as much info as I can from our meetings for a year as i'm paying him a lot. He did mention it can be good for a second set of eyes to look at the tax return before its filed, so i will do that this year. I looked at various hotels in Aruba as a possible option. I'm thinking that it could actually be a good idea to visit somewhere i've already been for next fall, as i do get so anxious about traveling, and DD would love to go back. And DS hasn't been. I'm looking into two bedroom and two bathroom places -if we're spending the money anyhow, I want to have some extra room for the 3 of us to not drive each other nuts.
Bill-is it arthritic pain that she has? I wish my dad had done a knee replacement when 80, he was in such pain at the end of his life with his knee at 93. But then, it didn't hurt enough at 80 to warrant that.
Onebyone- that is wonderful to be asked to do a private class! Good luck on the scan-that is a late one!
Maryann-the transit system sounds great. How fun to see gardens in such a warm climate, they must have some amazing flowers.

Wonderful day. I spent several hours in a Buddhist temple . It was quiet and cool and I did a little formal meditation. It houses a tooth relic of Buddha. I will categorize this with my visit to St. Peter’s bone in Vatican City and the three wise men’s’ in Cologne

Food remains food. Today I tried Fishball soup. The texture was tough to swallow.

The other highlight of the trip was the orchid museum. Could be top three museums to which I have ever been . BBE it is a must for DW.

Saturday - Henry Clay, "I would rather be right than president" (1839)
 

Diet Coaches/Buddies - Excitement was a journey to my barber for an overdue haircut. She never fails to scold me for waiting so long between visits. As always, she asked about DW. Was pleased, as a fellow gardener, that I told her she was busy in the basement getting seeds into potting soil in preparation for their spell under grow lights. Got a parking space directly in front of her shop despite DW's insistence that there would be no space. Good show. I can now go out in public like a grownup.

When I got home rather quickly, DW was astonished to hear how easily I had parked. Immediately picked up her coat and headed out to get her own hair cut. My barber and her hair stylist are the same woman. When she sat in the chair, she was surprised to be asked about her seed planting - I hadn't told her of my conversation. Weird connection.

Eating was on plan, CREDIT moi, with snacks. Dinner was a Whole Foods beef barley soup with a whole wheat roll and my green salad. The toasted roll went so well with the beef barley soup - maybe just because hot soup is so right for a cold winter evening. No dinner conversation because DW was glued to a Zoom meeting of a botanical society lecture about photosynthesis. Turns out that there are three kinds of photosynthesis, not just two: C3, C4, and CAM. Link to more than you need to know about that. Fun to be reminded that I'm so dependent on photosynthesis to have come into existence. No doubt about it; I'm a fan.


maryann – Meditating in a Buddhist temple is truly experiencing the local culture. Yep, an orchid museum would appeal big time.

curlyjax – I didn't realize that you led exercise classes at work. What a great motivator to know what you're doing. Aruba sounds like a good family choice. DW's knee issues are a combination of all the ways a knee ages. Yes, arthritis is one of them.

Readers -

Busy day at work. .I helped an elder look at her finances; she's thinking whether her money would last for another 10 years. I checked in with another senior going through a rough time, who told me "you're my girl" which made my day. My colleague unloaded some stress on me, which she got from a friend unloading onto her. I listened to DD a lot at home and even though it was a nice conversation I was done listening and talking after that. Got the groceries done and that was it for productivity.
Quick wave to all-I'm zipping out to breakfast with my older friends and it looks like I have to get some snow off the car.

Last Day in Singapore. Tonite I fly to Australia wearing my 7 continents club t shirt I ordered for this occasion.

I tried Fishball soup and it didn’t sit well. I ended up eating more of known food I brought to settle my stomach. Why do I think more food settles a tummy. Anyway, I’m today I hope to go lite in food.

Fabulous evening on the Riverwalk. I return to the orchid gardens in the cool and quiet this morning.

Curly: it is always the question will the money last.

Sunday - Dmitri Mendeleev, "The Periodic Table", born (1834, Siberia, Russia)
 

Diet Coaches/Buddies - Happy Super Bowl Sunday, for all who participate. Exercise, CREDIT moi, was shoveling the few inches of snow. In the bitter, bitter cold. Got enough done to be legal and move the cars; the rest can wait until my local teen is available at 8am this morning. I stopped after less than an hour in honor of the notion that gray haired gentlemen shouldn't push themselves in the snow shoveling department.

Despite the bitter cold, we drove to a Baroque music concert last night. It was a single performance so no opportunity to change the date of our tickets. The performance was sold out, but the venue was only half full. A whole bunch of folks just didn't choose to venture out in howling winds in 5 deg F temps. We had to walk about 15 minutes; CREDIT moi for double the energy used in blowing wind.

Eating was on plan, CREDIT moi, with snacks. Dinner was lentils, a repeat of the whole wheat roll, and my green salad. Another belly warmer for a cold day. DW had prepared diagrams to show me the C3, C4, and CAM types of photosynthesis. Just because she could. And because she got really into the notion. There is no better idea for life than to convert sunshine into ATP for cellular energy and then to use the ATP to produce sugar for growth. So glad that our planet figured out how to do that. Know I'm repeating myself, but Thank You photosynthesis.


maryann – Waving back to Australia wearing your 7 continents club t shirt. There can't be too many of you in that club. Your Singapore River Walk shows a dazzling modern city. Is an old city hidden somewhere inside there?

curlyjax – Do recognize the question whether the money will last. It's amazing how stress is dumped from one person to another.

Readers -

My 79 year old friend called me yesterday to pick her up to go out to breakfast so she wouldn't have to wipe snow off her car twice-I gladly obliged. It was a little slippery driving and we joked about being crazy for being out there. The diner is usually packed and you have to wait for a seat, but we got right in, thanks to the snow situation. We met our third participant there, who is 70. We all worked together years ago and get together about twice a year. The diner is pricey- the coffee was 5.00! with plenty of refills -but the food is plentiful and good. I ended up bringing quite a bit home and eating it all day. I did indulge in two slices of sourdough bread with melted butter-good enough to be dessert. Gosh I love warm bread. I got sucked into spending a few hours of internet browsing at home, and looked up to see my neighbors outside dealing with the snow which had stopped. We probably got about 5 inches maybe, enough to shovel. More socialization during the day with me calling playgroup friend and chatting for an hour- apparently she and her husband are thinking of moving to a slightly smaller house in the next town over at some point. And then later my old boyfriend called to chat. A satisfying winter day, ended with watching Brittney Runs a Marathon, to possibly inspire me to get my butt in gear.
DD is working today so I have another day to myself yay. I slept terribly but am going to push myself to do SOMETHING with papers or the clutter. It is super cold out and i'm staying put today.
Maryann-the Riverwalk looks nice. Good job trying those new foods!
Bill-good for you for braving the weather for the concert. Enjoy the superbowl.

Oops! Didn’t mean to disappear for the whole start of the month. I’m not even quite sure why that happened, although life has felt very busy.

I’m enjoying the Olympics, especially Mixed Doubles Curling. I know very little but I did figure out how the scoring works!

Yesterday, I exercised along with cross-country skiers and today with long-distance speed skaters.

I’m ignoring the other big sporting event of the day.

Exercise: 60, 420/1800 minutes for February

Monday - British Parliament declares Massachusetts Colony in rebellion (1775)
 

Diet Coaches/Buddies - Got my exercises, CREDIT moi, by 45 minutes of clearing snow. Worked at a steady, measured pace. The energetic teenager showed up. He worked at a steady, high-energy pace. It's not an issue for him to toss a shovel full of snow atop a five foot mound. Best part: he discovered the ice patch on the path behind our house leading to our compost bin. I'd told him that it needed to be cleared so that DW could empty our kitchen compost bucket into the outside bin. "Tell her she really shouldn't walk here; too dangerous," he warned. Surprised me to be warned about safety by a teen. And more surprised that he thought I was to tell her what she shouldn't do.

Delightful visit by the DS - the DDIL and (5 yo) DGD weren't available for their normal Sunday visit with us because they have joined some of her family in a condo in Florida that became available for a mini family reunion. He showed us pictures of them enjoying the sun - sent to him as he shoveled the snow back home. A delightful hour just chatting with him without interruptions. Do enjoy his adult mind.

Eating was on plan, CREDIT moi, with snacks. I didn't indulge in the standard Super Bowl Sunday appetizers that are advertised as required for watching the game. Ate dinner at my computer where I watched the Super Bowl with dismay since the Seattle Seahawks won a decisive victory over the New England Patriots. Wasn't until the second half that the Patriots got a couple of scores to prevent it from being a total rout. Time to be a good sport; celebrate that we earned AFC Championship taking us to the Super Bowl and mutter the expected, "Wait until next year."


Joy (gardenerjoy) – You enticed me look up the rules for curling. I still don't understand the sweeping part. But then I don't understand cricket either. Congrats for not watching the Super Bowl; even if one was cheering for the winning team it wasn't a great game. Congrats for keeping up with your exercise goal despite the difficulty of going outside.

curlyjax – If you need consolation for high priced coffee, read the articles about food pricing at the Super Bowl. One example is a . I join you at being a sucker for warm sourdough bread.

Readers -

Productive day yesterday although I didn't get to everything on my list. I did 20 minutes of the elliptical first thing. Dishes done twice, the second time after making banana brownies and a chicken broccoli casserole. Washed out the kitchen trashcan which has been collecting smells. And shredded a whole carton of my parents old stuff. I listened to podcasts about decluttering and weight loss as I worked. I found a new one I like called Disrupting Obesity-the woman lost 200 pounds and has kept it off, and she's quite positive to listen to. Food during the day was pretty good considering. It was very nice to putter about myself and not be interrupted. I saw my neighbor throwing what I believe was pantyhose or socks up on his roof to deal with ice (you fill it with calcium chloride and its supposed to melt) and I'm crossing my fingers my roof continues to be okay.
I have got to get back to the paperwork stuff, especially gathering info for the lawyer. I didn't sleep well which sometimes effects what I get done later on.
Gardenerjoy-thanks for reminding me about the Olympics. Good idea to exercise along with those amazing athletes.
Bill-nice to have time alone with DS, I imagine that doesn't happen much.

February is a short month, so my usual 60 minutes a day won’t get me to 1800 minutes for the month. I’m counting on some exercise breaks with the Olympics to push up the minutes this week. Today’s inspiration was 90s dance music, the theme for the Rhythm Dance for the ice dancers and freestyle skiing.

Exercise: 70, 490/1800 minutes for February