The snow continues to squeak underfoot - a product of temperatures remaining below freezing for a week. It retains the visual magic of a new snowfall because the snow remains white everywhere. There's little slush so any walking shoe is OK; once snow partially melts around here boots are mandatory to navigate the puddles at every intersection.

This winter continues to be good in my quest to drop the few pounds that I added during the stress of renovation a few summers ago. They came aboard and happily stayed. Like the guest who wasn't exactly welcome anyway who then overstayed that. My secret continues to be sticking to my eating plan even when faced with healthy snacks. I'm a sucker for nuts and raisins between meals - as if 'healthy' absolves calories.

Bargoo - I hope your TV came from an honorable dealer who'll replace it promptly. Perhaps even deliver and install it. Along with a cup of hot tea and an apology. (Note that as a realist I didn't add that the installer be a hunk.)

Welcome Bogey with the heartbreaking eyes.

Bill DH was commenting on the snow squeaking underfoot as we walked around last night. Apparently that's quite common in more northern areas in this province but he's not used to it here. DH also didn't have winter boots for years - no need. Until now.

Allison Congratulations on the new addition to the family. Have you had a lab/sheperd mix before?

I posted my bad news in the "battle of the bulge" - I too have joined those whose weight is going up. Don't know how I'm going to handle this - I have two long dog sits coming up and it won't be spring anytime soon. One thing I have to do is cut out the alcohol completely again. That has been the major change this past year and it's definitely working against me.

Maybe I should move to Colorado for stress relief?

Dagmar 139 lbs.

Good morning guys! All is generally well here. Babies slept well for two nights, then last night C was up frequently again. On the other hand, they have suddenly started sleeping all the way until 5:30 or 6:00, so it looks like the 4am wakings are a thing of the past (fingers crossed).

Carter decided to start whining at the baby gate this weekend so we got out the spray bottle of water as that is the only thing that is effective to stop whining. He's a smart dog though -- he will stand just out of range of the spray and whine, so that we have to actually leave the gated area in order to spritz him. He was pretty good after getting a couple spritzes though. I was upset with him yesterday afternoon again because in his old age he is getting more ornery and he snarled at me when I used my foot to encourage him to move away from the high chairs after he failed to respond to a verbal command (I didn't kick him or anything, just gently pushed him with my foot since my hands were full). We may need to keep a separate spray bottle near the high chairs. The vet told me that as dogs get older they tend to become more aggressive. :-/

I was sitting at my desk at work and realized that my hand kind of hurt. I figured it was dry skin and looked down at it to see where I needed lotion only to discover a gigantic scratch the entire length of the back of my hand! I guess I got hit by some sharp baby nails this morning without realizing.

Allison, Bogey is beautiful! I also want to hear how he and Misty are getting along. Did Misty miss Chico?

Bargoo, a TV that new should be under manufacturer's warranty still.

Bill, we're also at the squeaky snow stage here. I took Carter for a walk yesterday as it was finally warm enough, and he decided he wanted to go into the woods in an area where nobody had cleared any of the walkway. After trudging through the 18+ inch deep snow to get to the first couple trees I told him enough was enough and we turned around. Snow that deep wouldn't be so bad if I had on knee-high boots, but I was in ankle boots and jeans, and started getting snow down my ankles even with my jeans tucked in!

Misty gets along fine with Bogey but there are times when I feel like she's asking why on earth we brought him home. She's a calm, laid back Lab. He has the intensity of a shepherd. The cats hate him and don't come out at all when he is around. I hope that doesn't last long. I've enrolled him in basic obedience starting tomorrow night. He's a dream on the leash so I'm hoping he'll learn the other stuff quickly.

As for his eyes--DH says they're like the Twilight vampire eyes. And I have to agree!

I've never had a shepherd before, but my friend had a pure bred and I really do see a lot of shepherd in him. Not his face--it's all lab. But his hair and tail are all shepherd. And he has the mannerisms of a shepherd. He paces.

My first goal for him is to get him to do a sit-stay. I have to put him outside when it's feeding time as I cannot dish up the food while he is around as he has to be right in the bowl as the food is going in. He's not at all food aggressive,--he just wants to eat!

He'll be a work in progress for a while until he learns manners. But I really like him.

Bill, I've been meaning to tell you that an Italian friend gave me a bag of hazelnuts from her grandparents' trees. I've put them in a bowl with a small toy squirrel and I'm rationing them as they are so special and delicious. So every afternoon, ritually, I crack six of them and have them with my cottage cheese and apple. If one or two of the shells are empty, well, that's the luck of the draw and I don't try any more. Having to crack them is very civilised. This is working really well and I'm finding that I'm not tempted to have any other extra nuts during the day. There are one or two in my breakfast muesli and that's it.

Allison-- congrats on Bogey! The cats will come around. It may take awhile. My Charlotte finally doesn't hate Dewey and has on occasion even snuggled with him and let him clean her ears. He's almost three.

My weight... I hesitate to say it here because I may jinx it. So perhaps I'll whisper it.... today I was 125.2.... not going to change my ticker until I'm sure it sticks.... unfortunately I can't even enjoy it because I don't feel great. Super bad back all weekend.... and now I'm nauseous. Going to call the chiro this morning but no idea why I'm nauseous. Pain?

I really navigated the weekend well. Saturday dh wanted to go out for Italian which can be very hard for me as we have our faves that we always order. So, I did double exercise-- spin at the gym and bikram yoga to offset my dinner. I ate lightly the rest of the day and enjoyed my dinner-- 1.5 pieces of bruschetta, a shared blue cheese salad, a piece of salmon with beans (I didn't eat the mashed potatoes), and some roasted cauliflower. Afterwards we got a chocolate from the nearby homemade chocolate shop and I thoroughly enjoyed it as I haven't had dessert in a LONG while. Yesterday, I was down .2! Then I had my bookclub/ potluck to go to. It was my first time going and I had a pretty good time even though I only got 2/3 through the book. I brought fruit and had a handful of blueberries from that during the meeting. Nothing else. I even avoided the grapes I had put in the bowl! Afterwards, dh and I ate a very light dinner-- just asparagus and some roasted potatoes with onions (maybe that's why I'm nauseous-- no protein?)... And the scale was down more today!

Dh leaves again for China on Friday and will be gone for over 3 weeks this time, including my birthday... sigh....

You mean you don't consume nuts by the fistful while standing in front of a kitchen cupboard, thinking about something else entirely?

I'm in the CT office for the first time in maybe three weeks, due to my week of vacation and then ill-timed snowstorms that always wiped out the roads on my usual days in my office share. I feel like I have to readjust to civilization, lights, noise, other people, and making small talk. Even getting here was a bit of a victory because more snow fell overnight and the traffic was heavy and slow. Also, we're supposed to get another Nor'easter later in the week, so I suppose I should run errands and get in my human contact while the sun shines.

I keep telling myself, what good is all this heroic work of mine in the gym, even on the darkest, snowiest days, when I keep eating and eating?

I swear that this oppressed feeling makes me act out in ways that my ancestors would understand, and that under these conditions, you eat as many withered berries, moldy tree-nuts and animal meat as you can possibly scavenge. I've developed this thing for dried apples (sulphured, of course, as all white or yellowish fruit seems to be) and I am going to town on the unsalted mixed nuts that went on sale everywhere for Superbowl snacking, since I won't eat the wings or nachos traditionally associated with the game.

Rationally, I know winter is a waiting game, that I need patience, that I need to counter my instincts and go outside more and eat less, but it's hard to fight myself every day when I wake up to snow-clogged streets and everything feels slow, narrow and impeded.

Saef, I know what you mean about the winter instincts! I've been directing them mostly into soups lately, but I've also been roasting a lot of vegetables, and I've made maybe three pot roasts this winter, and I NEVER cook roasts. It was like some inner cave woman was putting her foot down and demanding meat and fat for winter. It's actually really frustrating, because I had the most comfort food/winter fare cravings when I was eating fewer calories, so in order to make it all work I had to strictly divvy out the portions when I cooked the roast, then have pot roast, pot roast salad, pot roast tacos, etc., at every meal because it had to make so MANY portions. Roasted veggies work much better; you can really gorge yourself on broccoli and cauliflower and just a little sweet potato, and the roasting process even heats up my apartment to a near-habitable temperature. I was going to say that increasing my calories has reduced my cravings for this stuff, but actually now I think I need to hit the store soon for more veggies to roast.

We have had so much fog in the last 2 weeks! That's what does me in, since it hasn't been particularly cold lately. I felt so oppressed after days of fog and no sunshine last week I wanted to snack nonstop. Oh, and monthly hormones weren't helping either. When I get snacky I tend to want things that won't fill me up, so giving myself permission to eat nuts actually usually helps me to stop eating sooner, since they do satiate me. I'm not immune to overeating them and do have to be careful, though.

It was sunny this morning for our long wog of the day and the fog is closing in again. I'm taking the day off to study for my first exam of the semester that's due to be finished by the end of the weekend (yup, here I am on 3fc... no comments please ). I do have my first hair appointment in over 3 months this afternoon and am trying a new, local stylist. I liked my old one but she was too far away for convenience. We also just got an Aveeda salon. Does anyone know what the "Aveeda concept" is? Does anyone like Aveeda? If this doesn't go well I'll try them next. Otherwise it's sitting AWAY from my computer with my notebook and hot tea for the afternoon. Tea will help me feel less enclosed by fog, right?

Bargoo, if you only bought the TV 10 days ago surely there is some warranty still in place. I hope it gets replaced quickly, without trouble or cost to you.

Michele, *whispering too* glad your weight is going in the right direction. I hope it sticks. Could you make plans with some good girlfriends for your birthday?

Allison, gl w obedience classes. How old is Bogey?

Bill, as I said, I can do the nuts ok. Raisins and other dried fruit? Nope. Dangerous territory. Yes, that "health halo" is deceptive.

Jessica, I hope the girls keep sleeping so well! Fingers crossed for you here, too. From each of your posts it sounds like they're sleeping better and everyone is adjusting, bit by bit.

Swan, one can never roast too many veggies. Sometimes I make big dishes of things for the week and end up with tons of portions, too (not necessarily pot roast, but I made a huge turkey eggplant casserole dish on sunday). My BF is not always thrilled about endless leftovers, but knows better than to complain since he is not stepping up to cook.

Ok, I AM off to study now. Have a good day all.

Megan~Bogey is about 1 1/2 years old. Still puppy-ish in many ways but he's really showing me how fast a learner he is. I've been keeping him on leash inside (unless we put him away) and he's very fast to sit when asked. Since he's leashed he can't pace and I think that keeps him calmer. Sunday night and last night we shut him in the guest room alone for about an hour or so. He'd had long days both days ad I figured he'd nap. Don't know if he did or not but he was quiet. While he's away we bring the cats out. Since it's been over 24 hours since he's tried to find them under the bed they're being a bit calmer. Ringo, my cat with issues, actually came out on his own this morning before I left for work. That made me happy. Oh, and this morning he was calm and sat while I dished his food!

Alinnell: Bogey is so cute. I had a shepherd/collie mix for several years that I adopted as a senior - he was a doll.

That is such a demonstration of mindful eating. I could allow a bowl of nuts if I did that. (The toy squirrel cracks me up.)

<sigh> . . . It's the thinking something else that allows it. The old mindless eating.

It's something to do with knowing where they come from, who picked them, the trouble there was with squirrels and so on that makes it impossible to eat them mindlessly. The sheer effort involved by people I know in getting them to the bowl on my dresser.

And it's also something to do with ritual, I think. "This is what we always do. We do this, and no more or less." That's part of why eating the same things for many of my meals really helps me. I ritualise it and take choice away. I only choose something different nowadays (you know, since January) for my evening meal.

I like the space that this gives me to ... think about other things. If I'm in front of the cupboard 'consuming nuts by the handful ... thinking about something else entirely', I'm not really managing to do either properly. I'm trying to have some time away from what's going on, some free time, some time for me, some just nothing time.

I have no experience with Labs but have a lot with German Shepherds. I was married to a Police Officer who had a K9 He lived with us and everybody in the family loved him, as long as he wasn't on duty he thought he was a lap dog. You can't find a better dog than a German Shepherd, miixed or pure bred.My son has one now German Shepherd and ? They think she might be part chow she is getting up in years but is still loveable I wish I could see Bogey in person, he sounds like he will be a great dog for you.

PS About the TV. It wasn't necessary for me to take the TV and go back to the store in a huff. it wasn't the TV, it was cable at fault.