Back from the vet. Hershey has lost 1.4 pounds in two weeks which is terrific when you figure it on body weight! That's be 6 pounds in two weeks for me! Miss Lucy The Virgin Queen has gained 3 in four weeks and is now at her proper weight of 42 pounds so the new raw food natural diet is doing the right thing for my babies. I may go on it myself!

The other great piece of news is that Snow Mountain has melted away and my daffies are showing in the front bed! Last year they were still covered with lots of snow on April 13. It IS an early spring.

The SF trip sounds like it was great fun, Kel. I've never been to CA but SF is certainly on my list.

Linda, I thought of you yesterday when I rummaged in my linen closet and, way at the back, found a cake of that lovely goats milk soap you gave me a year or so ago! It's cranberry spice and was wonderful for my bath. I felt like drinking my bath water!

L144S, nobody can be more of a prima donna than a volunteer! And the problem is that they can't be fired. That woman sounds like *****y Drawers who was in my dog training class and needs a good slap. It's time to pick and choose your volunteer jobs.

DTL, please do hang out with this group. We have all been doing this weightloss thing for a while and have lots of hints and support. LindaBC's "group roast" trick sounds just great! I'd never thought of that.

Have to take Harry to the Library, Hershey to her job at the Clinic and then to treadmill so I'm outta here. Just call me Roadrunner Ruthie!

Happy Hump Day!

Dear Linda:
Thanks so much for all the great suggestions. I never thought of cooking meat all together like that. It sure would save a lot of time.I will also try eating a bigger breakfast. I usually have an egg with canadian bacon and fat free cheese on a slice of whole wheat bread. I think my problem in the afternoon is boredom because I don't feel like house cleaning,which I hate. I do enough just to get by but I will definately take your suggestions into consideration. Another thing I need to do in the afternoon is excercise. When all this rain stops I should get out there and start walking. Do you have an excercise routine? If so, what is your secret? I can't seem to stick to it.
I am so glad to be able to talk to everyone and to get advice and give it to. Thank you. I appreciate it. Have a great day.

P.S. Dear Ruth: you can definately call me DTL. Hope to speak with you soon.

Well, DTL, I'm ashamed to say that I don't exercise nearly as much as I should. In fact, I'll do just about anything to avoid it, INCLUDING doing housework. How pathetic is that!? I do try to get to the pool three mornings a week and do deep water jogging for about 45 min to an hour. Often it works out to only once a week though, due to my laziness. No worries for me about sinking. It would take a torpedo. All this blubber makes me bob like a cork in the water.
I have a large garden that should also get more attention than I give it. I used to do a Body Flex workout every day but stopped before Christmas and haven't been able to talk myself back into it. I've also considered joining Curves as I've heard good results from them, but knowing me it would be a waste of money as I'd dream up every excuse under the sun to avoid going. Yes, I have to say that exercise is my biggest problem and I'd probably lose weight a lot more easily if I could just commit to doing something energetic for at least 20 min a day. I mean, how hard can it be???
Ruthie, I'm glad you've enjoyed the soap. The lady who sells it usually rents a table at my club's craft sales, so I'll try to get you a few more bars next time we have one.

Morning chickies, welcome DTL, I've only got a minute,but it's been a couple of days so I just HAVE to post............ if I don't you know that the carb monster is gonna pound on me, and he seems to be winning lately, so I really need a dose of you chicks to help me out. The coffee's brewing and I am in the middle of packing an overnight knapsack - working in NYC today AND tomorrow, so I'll stay at dd's tonight and save myself an extra 100 miles of driving! - not to mention, get hours and hours of play with the grandbabies! (a real hardship, that!! )

Linda, I'm seriously considering Curves, too - my friend started recently and goes 3 or 4 x per week....... with my crazy schedule I don't know that I can get there, tho........ they close at 7pm and I usually don't even get home until 7:30 or 8, and I often have to leave at 7or 7:15 am (like today!!) and they don't open until 6:30, so how could I do that? I'll have to figure SOMETHING out - I'm getting more and more uncomfortable, those last happy 10 lbs have found their way back home and I AM NOT HAPPY! Well, it's raining really hard, and I have got to pack up and get outta here for the drive into NYC.......... have a great day ladies; will try to check in from dd's this evening, otherwise, will get back tomorrow night............

It's gloomy and rainy and snow is in the forecast but I am trying hard not to let it get to me. The darn kitchen floor looks like it should be planted in grass rather than washed again so you have an idea of the condition of the Dog Garden! I wish I could dope the dogs so they'd sleep until it dries up! Nobody report me to the SPCA, please!

My weight is NOT moving one way or the other! I just don't seem to get around to walking althought I do have time to take Hersh to treadmill - a 15 minute drive each way! There have been a few transgressions in the carb department as well.

Yesterday's drive was a tad exciting as I decided to drive back roads from the Clinic to the treadmill place. One road was absolutely pure deep mud but there was no way to get off it once I started as it was swamp on either side. Scary as there was a bit of tire spinning - not that I was going fast! It was one of those situations where I realized I should have a cell phone.

However, out there in the bush and swamp wilderness, I did run across some lads who were gathering the last of the maple sap using two gorgeous big horses and a wagon, the old-fashioned way. Lots of the syrup makers around here tap their trees and connect them all with plastic tubing that runs into big tanks. It's just not the same but probably more efficient.

Drat! Now I'm thinking of pancakes with syrup! I'll resist the temptation. In two weeks It'll be the Maple Syrup Festival and I'll be cooking pancakes and sausages for hours. That'll finish me!

I'm off for another coffee and to make a grocery list. Jane comes to stay with Harry so I'm off to the Big City for a super-store shop this afternoon.

Have a super Thursday.

morning sono and Ruth, All to come too...

Boaring morninng. I took the laundry to the laurndymat. I needed to get the 6 loads done and it was more efficiant to do it in 2 hours than all day. Well I know myself it would take me a week!

meetings yesterday and today for the school auction. Rain rain and more rain!

Sosno I hope you have a good day with the grandkids. The sacrafices we make :wink:

Ruth I am glad you have a little time for you and that H has company at home. How is he doing?
ok on the fly....
-L

Hi Everyone:
Having a busy and crazy day! Just wanted to quickly pop in and say hello. Hope everyone had a good day. Linda, you still excercise more than I do so you can definately give yourself credit for that.I had joined curves last year and I loved it but I have back problems and it wasn't too great for me, but I loved going in working out to the music and getting done in 30 min. I felt comfortable and probably would have stuck to it!! Oh well sometimes I wonder if I was just meant to be overweight.
Hi Sono. I know just what you mean about the carbs. They are my downfall but each morning when I wake up I thank God I have a new day to start. I'll just keep trying until I get it. Hang in there.
Hi Ruth. Having kids I know what you mean about the kitchen floor. Mine doesn't stay clean for long. Between the crumbs and the dirt it never stays clean.
Hope everyone has a good night. Talk to you tomorrow.

Hi gang. I'm popping in late today. It's been a busy one as it was my monthly women's club meeting and we had an international pot luck lunch planned. There were lots of good things to eat and I tried a bit of everything. Amazingly enough, most of them (except the apple pie) were allowed on my plan. I think I ate too much though.
After I got home from that I had to make a run to the bank and then to the pharmacy so I didn't get home until after 3. It makes for a long day.
I bought some pansies today and tomorrow I hope to plant them in my front window boxes. Such pretty, happy faces on pansies. I love 'em. Too bad they get leggy when the weather heats up but by then the begonias should be reaching their peak. That's the plan anyhow.

Oh, Linda! Thank you for the idea - I've been looking for a little something to perk me up. Something small that I can acomplish and I think planting a small planter or two with some bright spring color is just the ticket! I'll see if I can get to that this weekend.

Busy week here too - traveling afternoons to baseball games 3 times this week. Plus playing catch-up from being out of town last weekend - whew! I think I could sleep for a week.

Gonna go fold some laundry then fold me into bed.....

Kel

Dull and rainy here today with the threat of snow on Sunday! I just may start some seeds this weekend to give me hope of spring!

Hersh and I are just back from her treadmill session and a very minor grocery shop. A volunteer from the Cancer Society was selling daffies in the parking lot and looking frozen to death. Of course I bought daffies and have them sitting here looking tremendously cheery!

This afternoon I'll run Harry to the Library and pick up the crud I need for prep for my colonoscopy next Wednesday. Now....shall I really eat bad stuff on Monday as it won't be in me very long? Monday evening is my last meal and will be just soup. Maybe Chinese Buffet for lunch? Actually I think I would not be able to survive the guilt. Whaddaya think?

Happy TGIF! Do something to make your life spring-like today!

Ruth the prep for the colonoscopy sucks, But remember what goes in HAS to come out, so think about that ok? But would I go for it, yeah I more than likely would if i didn't get a carb headache from it.....

Meetings, upon meetings apon meetings this week. I am going to be so far behind on the auction. I was supose to have the forms monday and will not have them till this sunday night...

I have to get ready for Passover over the weekend.....but much to do along side that....
-L

Ruth, I had no idea you had to go for that test. I must have missed a post or two, unless it's in your journal which I still can't figure out how to read. Not that I have time to go snooping into people's journals anyhow.

It was absolutely spectacular outside today and I got in 3 hours of intensive border clean-up. It was sunny and warm enough to work in short sleeves but cool enough that I didn't get all sweaty.

I also went for my swim this morning and felt so much better for it. I don't know why I talk myself out of it so often.

Yesterday the book I ordered from Amazon arrived (finally). It's the BioChemical Machine which is the diet plan I've been trying to follow just using the outline in a magazine article. I can see I'm going to have to study this book in depth but the basic premise is fairly simple. There are three lists of allowed foods. The A list is mostly carbs such as potatoes, whole grain products and some dried fruit. The B list is cooked protein, a few veggies like cooked spinach, and many fruits. You are not supposed to eat A list foods with B list foods but food from either list can be eaten with the Neutral food list. Sounds confusing but it's really quite sensible. There is no limit on how much you can eat of any food but you must wait 3 hours between eating an A List meal and a B list meal. Neutral foods can be eaten at any time in any quantity. Neutral foods include cream, butter, almonds, brazil nuts, coconut, smoked and cured meats and fish, cream cheeses (any high fat cheese) and most vegetables except potatoes. The food lists are all quite extensive except for the protein foods. The author recommends that anyone over 40, obese and with health problems (like me) should try to avoid protein such as beef, pork, chicken, fish and seafood as much as possible. This sure is a turn-around from Atkins. I've been playing with it for the past week or so but I'm going to sit and read the entire book this weekend, do my shopping and get serious about it. I'll keep you all posted on how I make out. The recommended breakfast every day is an apple or two and 3 glasses of whole milk. Luckily she says you can substitute full fat yogurt which I intend to start making again.
Anyhow, that's what's happening in my life. How have you been?