Counting down to vacation time - 7 days to go! Not going anywhere but am going to enjoy a lot of the summer things available in Toronto. In the plan are a Ghost Walk, the Aquarium, a play, a concert, a summer concert in the park near my home, using the local community pool, a movie, dinner out at a good restaurant, my annual pilgrimage to the bricks and mortar mall (where I never BUY anything) and whatever else looks appealing.

Also in the plan is a lot of dejunking of the house and some of those tasks I never seem to get around to doing.

My rule this vacation is something fun in the a.m., followed by dog walk with Trixie and then something housework/work related for about an hour before dinner prep. Usually I'm quite brain dead and tired at that time so all the mundane household tasks can be done then.

Dagmar

Sounds like you will have a good vacation, Dagmar! By the time late afternoon rolls around, I too am brain-dead, but also lack the energy for any extra chores. Good luck with your plan!

Boy it's hard to attend a dinner where the food isn't served 'til 8 p.m. There were all sorts of snacks available but they were all high fat or carb. I wound up eating the decorative grapes from one of the cheese and meat platters. We had to leave before coffee and dessert since it was already past my bedtime.

Dagmar

Dinner isn't served until 8? What! I would be dying.

My cousin's wife is originally from Italy. She is also not working and her kids are all adults who have left home so she never gets up until mid-day. So dinner is generally served really late. I wouldn't mind that so much if there were some veggie and fruit snacks available. But it was all high fat/high carb stuff. Whatever happened to the veggie and dip platter that everyone used to serve?

Dagmar

Here in Florida, gators are swimming in streets and climbing fences. It's been more rainy than usual--our back lawn is a shallow lake sort of like the Everglades. Perhaps I'll call it the Miniglades.

Anyone find themselves curious about that weight loss program being advertised heavily on TV whose name rhymes with Zoom? I looked into it. I decided it was just the same old diet and exercise program with the gimmick of an online group and coach. Their "analysis" told me that a 71-year-old woman could lose 35 pounds in 4 months. That's over 2 pounds a week. I couldn't lose at that rate when I was 10 years younger!

Gators swimming in the streets. Wow!

I haven't seen the ads for that diet but it does seem like an unsustainable rate of loss. Lots of online gimmicks dressing up the same old eat less, move more basic program. There are valuable tools online too - 3FC is one! - but I think most programs go back to those 2 basic things. It's boring but it works yes?

Dagmar

The "free" one that I was offered by my insurance gave me a free wifi scale ($50 value) plus up to three free telephone counseling sessions and a couple of apps that gave you workout and recipe recommendations. I signed up but after the first phone call session I quit. It was nothing more than the keto diet that I found way too difficult to follow. I'll continue to do my workouts and count my calories thank you very much.

Eat less move more is what works all right, but I don't have to pay monthly for that. And I hate adding apps to my phone. All I need is some app giving me notifications about weight loss every so often...

Finished the vehicle manual - took me just 2 hours to read through it all. It looked daunting due to it being in both official languages.

Booked a massage for this afternoon - hubby's health plan will pay a certain amount per year for this so thought I'd take advantage. I'm hoping this place has evening and Saturday bookings so I will do this again in November when I really need it!

Trixie is a bit confused. Lunch didn't happen at 9 a.m. and the cat is outside - what the heck? And why am I still here so she's not so comfortable about napping on the big "people" bed?

Dagmar

Dagmar, I'm impressed you read the entire vehicle manual! I just look up stuff when I need to figure something out or notice some light or knob I have no idea what it is.

Just returned from a 4 day 3 night backpacking adventure. I was supposed to have a companion but he got sick a few miles from the trailhead. Fortunately we were in separate vehicles, so I had the option to continue by myself. It didn't me take long to decide I would do the trip solo. I had invested a lot of time, effort and research to get ready, plus the weather report was excellent, and I'm not getting any younger! Previously I had done a few easy solo overnighters, but nothing on this scale. But I felt I had enough experience, and life has been fairly boring lately, so what the heck - time for a new adventure! The trip went great and the weather was perfect. For those who know the area, I hiked out of Mineral King over Farewell Gap, then up to Silver Lake on the second day, then over Shotgun Pass and Franklin Pass the third day, camped at Franklin Lakes the last night and had an "easy" day yesterday back to the truck. I carry an Inreach device which lets me send text messages to my DH, and also receive messages from him, but I didn't tell him I was going it alone until I got home, so that he wouldn't worry. It makes me feel proud that I did this trip myself. Part of it was over ground I had never covered, and a few miles were along a very sketchy trail marked by what we in California call "ducks" but others call cairns. (Basically a stack of rocks). I'm pretty sure I lost some fat on the trip too although the scale doesn't show it yet.

I'm having a very low-key day today because I'm really beat. Oh, and my Medicare card came in the mail to remind me that I have a right to feel old and tired. But on the last day of my trip, I met three people hiking up the trail who were obviously older than me. The woman will be 80 next month, one man was 80 and one was 82. They said they go a lot slower now, but are still able to carry packs and do overnight trips at the lake, which is almost seven miles of uphill. Meeting them was very inspiring

Woohoo Alice! that sounds like a very impressive hike. And solo!

I'm chugging along in vacation mode. I think I'm kind of doing a try out for what my retirement might be. I'm staying indoors a lot this time. Today I'm paying bills, reading the big fat-full -of-ads Sept. Vogue, walking the dog, listening to John Hiatt's latest, and making a nice dinner from scratch. Very low key and no scheduled times for anything.

I'm liking it. Not exciting but easy!

Dagmar

Howlin'! Wow! That is some adventure! But kinda dangerous, if anything happened, especially since the only person who knew you were out there alone had left, and no one else knew. I'm glad you had no mishaps!

Mudpie, nice to take some time to see what life without working could be like!

I'm retired now, and I like not having to get up every morning and start work. But I still tend to wake up early--I'm just a morning person. I like having time to do what I want when I want to, but retirement has its challenges, too. My neighbors are all retired, but some of them seem like they don't have enough to do. One guy was out trying to rake leaves out of the street in front of his house during a rainstorm... That seems rather driven. Not sure what his issue was.

Yeah, it seems some people don't have the ability to "unplug" and constantly need some kind of activity. I've been able to sit still and inhabit an imaginary world I mentally conjure up since I was a kid. My parents encouraged the "children should not be seen or heard" thing and I was an only child so I spent a lot of time in my imaginary world. Still like to do that but I have little opportunity. DH talks whenever he is in a room with another person. Most of the time that's me. I'm glad of his company but happily spend time with my non-talkers. They generally nap when I'm sitting still. We've been doing quite a bit of that the last week. The cat is a lot more "chatty" than the dog but she also likes to be quiet.

I'm going to go do that now - sit and read - for about an hour. Lunch, dog walk, and then a nap. I'm very happy with that.

Dagmar

Alice, that sounds like a great hike! I would have been worried doing it solo, I think. But, sounds like you had a great time!

Dagmar & Jay - I think I could totally be retired. I would have stuff to do, and wouldn't be bored. My mom retired just recently, and she is struggling with it a little.

Long week here so far already, and it is only Tuesday. Sigh.