Diet Coaches/Buddies - Success was installing the new light switch. I had waited until daytime since I had to switch off the circuit breaker that controlled all the lights on the floor. Did a good job. Noted with pleasure that the old dimmer had been installed by me and that I'd done a good job way back then, also. Owning a home means a lot of work where the end result is getting back to ground zero; this was one of those. To my great, great credit, I had matched the color of the new switch with an old switch plate from our basement. (Couldn't use the removed switch plate since it had a round hole instead of a rectangular hole.) And both match the other switches visible nearby. I've been known to totally ignore that kind of matching only to later have DW point out that white and beige are not the same color.

Fun was receiving a thank-you gift from a friend who parked in our driveway while she spent a week in Seattle. The gift: Smoked Wild Sockeye Salmon. Got us both drooling as we remembered out trip to the Pacific Northwest decades ago when we ate smoked salmon. So we jumped in our car for a joint trip to Whole Foods to buy bagels and cream cheese for this morning's breakfast. Whole Foods is over-the-top Christmas green: wreaths, trees, bushes, whatevers. I do like the smell of evergreen but am resisting Christmas this early. The bins where we could buy two or three bagels were all empty; had to buy a half-dozen in a bag which means that I'll be eating bagels and fig jam for a while after the small slab of salmon is gone.



Joy (gardenerjoy) - Congrats for taking care of yourself with warm boots. Feet certainly matter.

maryann - Yay for the start of ten days off. Yep, Kudos for closing your kitchen at a reasonable time.

Karen (karenrn) - Neat to have a chair that you really like.

curlyjax - Smart to recognized that you need to declutter more than you need the excitement of new pottery.

Readers -

The mammogram was quick and the staff was very friendly. The road right in front of it was ripped up which I didn’t know about so it took multiple tries to figure out how to actually get there. Afterwards there was a crazy amount of traffic-everyone was out getting ready for the holidays. I need to brave the grocery store myself this morning if there’s anything left I’m feeling a little better but will still take it a bit easy today.
I did manage to get a few things done for my dad management. I’m trying to add a credit card to his Amazon account but its impossible to do from afar- they want the former card’s expiration date, and I don’t have that or his Amazon password. I’m sure the guy I talked to on the phone thought I was trying to pull some scam off. Oh well, it will have to wait a bit.
Gardenerjoy: what a fun job! I can see the game playing would be appealing to the younger crowd for sure.
Maryann- sounds like you had a fun break. I can’t watch a lot of those violent series either.
Karen-great to go back to bed when you need the sleep. It is hard to get away from salt, i find myself craving cheese when I want protein, which is so salty.
Bill-great job on the switches. Ooh that salmon looks good, I do love lox.

My feet were warm!

We also completed the event that I was fretting about last where it seemed like my colleagues weren't stepping up to the plate. They did. Maybe I want to work on trust issues. Both that other people will come through and that things tend to work out.

We've had a mild warm-up today that will continue for a bit, so I'm committing to outdoor exercise this week, including a plan to walk at Shaw Nature Reserve on Tuesday before the roads and attractions fill up.

Exercise +50, 1010/1700 minutes for November
Wordcount +2158, 40,160/50,000 words for November

Good morning, Coaches.

I am feel much more positive today. DH came into my office after about an hour last night. we had a nice long talk. Three cheers for us.

This morning I have a list of puttering wants but few needs. That is just the best because then I can flit from one job to another which is very relaxing to me.
Wants:
1. Start making my XMAS walnut bundles to mail early December since I get very busy with school about now.
2. Fool around with my sewing machine. The last time I tried to use it I couldn't get it to work. My haircutting buddy is a brilliant seamstress and is selling a brand new babylock/embroidery machine for 4500. I have a Husquarvana which was top of the line 30 years ago but works on disks instead of internet. I have to decide whether I would use the machine. I don't know if I want a lot of hobbies that don't burn calories.
3. Make a few more gift baskets.
4. Tidy the garage.
5. Figure out how to make a bean soup package on the Instapot.
5. Figure out a high veggie smoothie I can live with. I am going to try a variation with cauliflower in it and maybe chocolate.

Needs:
100 oz. of water
gym for 45 mins climbing machine

BBE: You inspired me with your five bean recipe.
Curly: My aunt just got scammed so although I hate the precaution, I guess it is here to stay. Especially for the elderly. One thing I did for her is put her on my Amazon account while she figures it out. I am also a signer on my mother's checking account.
Joy: I love it when people surprise me with integrity.Huzzah!

Good afternoon coaches,

Food was on plan and weight down a few ounces. I hiked alone this morning and was going to do the 10 mile loop, but it was so windy that I turned back on my way up to the pass and did the shorter loop. It still was two hours so I'll take it. I listened to a podcast part of the time which was Switch4Good (plant based) from 11/18/22. Their guest was Dr. Arron Spitz who is a urologist. He was on the documentary Game Changers about plant based diet and male sexual function. He talked about plant based diet related to prostate cancer or at least elevated PSA. It's only a little over an hour long and I think maybe Maryann and GardenerJoy may want to hear what he had to say. It's in the second half at about 40 minutes in.

I just got home from the movie "She Said". It was very good and I recommend it. There were several of the previews that look good too.

Maryann I'm glad today is a better day for you. I hear you about not having similar interests in tv viewing. It seems Nature programs are about it for us, oh and Ted Lasso. I'm sure there would be more if I put more effort into it, but I don't.

GardenerJoy Ahhh, warm feet, that is just the best. Life is good with warm feet. Glad you're going to have some nice weather to enjoy.

Curlyjax That would be a difficult job to manage things from four hours or so away. I'm sure in time you'll have it all dow pat though.

Bill Do you think you could come out and replace a plug in for me? Dh isn't crazy about doing electricity things . . . or so I thought. I just asked him and he let me know that it is in his skill set. When I plug the vacuum in there it is loose and the plug falls out, so of course I don't use it. The bagels and fig jam sound delicious. Actually I used to like smoked salmon occasionally too.

Waving to Penny and Nationalparker.

Second check in.

Just had to share. . ..

I got on a roll and spent 8 hours cleaning my office craft room. It looks AWESOME!!! I am all set for Christmas- ing and crafting. On the way to cleaning the office I also cleaned my walk in closet ( a deep vacuum), my pantry (where I moved out some gift and decorating things) and my wooden roll top desk. I made labels for the cubby drawers ( that only took me twenty years to get around to doing.) Also cleaning up the desk meant organizing my paperwork. When I get on a roll like this I just flit, clean, flit, clean and get a tremendous amount done. The big bonus is when I have a day like today I eat next to nothing because I am so engrossed.

I broke away for an hour to walk with Bill and try my "Anderson House" lentil and sausage soup. Delish and we will have four more dinners. All total is 10,000 steps. Yeah for vacation.

Thanks for the rec. Karen. i will look into it.
Wave.

Diet Coaches/Buddies - The smoked salmon from the Pacific Northwest was terrific. It'll cost us because we'll now go out buy some more - either locally or via mail order from Seattle. We had it with bagels and cream cheese - not the right use. That's the way to eat lox; smoked salmon deserves to sit atop something else: a salad or avocado toast. We finally remembered that we ate it on crackers back on our trip out West decades ago. It's pricey enough that overeating is not a concern, LOL. When counting calories for a bagel with cream cheese and salmon, the calories of the salmon can almost be ignored.

Eating was on plan with no daytime snacks, CREDIT moi. Dinner was late because of a late visit from the DS, DIL, and (2.5 yo) DFGD. Once again, she ran non-stop around our first floor, driven in part by the sugar in a lollipop and donut holes used to bribe her to sit still during a long-delayed haircut she'd just completed. She loves that she knows where everything is in our house that's there for her to play with. And continues to get better with full sentences. Watched her negotiate with her Oma (our DIL) for one more circuit run around the house and then put on the coat to leave. "Two!" she said holding up two fingers. After both fully agreeing, two circuits were run and the process of leaving began. That was, itself, delayed as the world's most affectionate child came back for hug after hug from grandpa because it included a vigorous back rub. Who doesn't like a back rub?



Joy (gardenerjoy) - Super Congrats for causing yourself to have warm feet. A walk in the Shaw Nature Reserve sounds terrific.

maryann - Such a wise insight, "I don't know if I want a lot of hobbies that don't burn calories." Had to go look at sewing machines up in that class. Found a six-needle Baby Lock with a video that explains it all to the unwashed. Just WOW! I didn't know civilians were allowed to own such. That's an amazing feat to clean for 8 hours and have your room all prepared for doing Christmas crafts.

Karen (karenrn) - I'd never heard that plant based diet helps with male plumbing. Not such great news for those of us addicted to beef. Congrats for discovering that your DH replaces electric receptacles.

curlyjax - Congrats for taking the responsible path of getting your mammogram. Your report of crowed stores makes me fear for my trip to the supermarket either today or tomorrow.

Readers -

Yesterday’s exercise was grocery shopping at two stores. I forgot getting a “healthy” margarine to use for myself instead of butter, but not sure its worth going back to the stores for that. I just realized I forgot the turkey cheesecloth so i’m splurging on one from Amazon. I wasted a lot of time looking at condos the next town over-if you go on zillow you can see what has sold in the past and for how much, as well as how they were decorated etc which is kind of fun. I’m contemplating a move to one in about 5 years which would mean a lot of decluttering. Food was finishing up my leftover turkey casserole, and then eating a wedge of cambazola cheese with bread all day. I have fond memories of eating it as a kid. I’m so glad I didn’t grow up with a mother who was more concerned about me being thin than happy, as I suspect some women have. Lots of lovely memories of meals with no food shaming.
Maryann- that is awesome cleaning, wow were you productive. I love it the rare times when I get like that too.
Karen- interesting podcast, that could be a way to motivate older males for sure. Wow, that movie looks really good.
Gardenerjoy- yay for warm feet and people stepping up.
Bill-DFGD is getting so old! A back rub from grandpa is the best.

Good Morning, Coaches.

Up at a reasonable 8:00 am. I am deciding whether I will take on the outside or start with Christmas packages. I could certainly do both. Maybe I'll try the old "set my clock" trick. Do 1 hour outside and sometimes I just keep going. If not, I'll head back inside.

The scale did not get the memo that I had a perfect day yesterday. That is Ok. I did get a bunch of exercise and am a little stiff today. So maybe I am holding water. No worries. I feel really good.

Curly: I love looking at condos in places I would move if DH could take his walnut trees with us. It is relaxing.
BBE: What a joy to watch a little one. Developmentally, watching a youngster is uber important in building their positive self image.

Good morning coaches,

I've had a great hike with a friend and then walked Otis. I've got my steel cut oats cooking and I'll eat an early lunch before too long. I've planned my food for the day and it's logged on MFP. I see I purchased some small potatoes that I had better roast today. Dh can have some along with dinner and they'll last in the fridge. I need to be sure I know that I'm cooking for Thanksgiving and write a list of groceries. I think I'll save going to the store until tomorrow and hopefully no more Costco runs until after the holiday.

Maryann Boy did you have a productive day yesterday. Good for you. I'm sure it must be great to have the time off. My scale didn't get the memo either, so I'm going to be a little better with water today and hope again.

Curlyjax Looking at condos sounds really fun. Dh is a couple of years younger than I am and healthy so far, but I always figure if something happened to him I would be out of this house pronto. I really give you a lot of credit for all you handle.

Bill A plant based diet is great for lowering cholesterol and can even reverse some heart disease. The male plumbing is like the canary in the coal mine. The blood vessels are even smaller than the hearts. When things aren't working well it can be an indication that the vessels are getting clogged. There is more to it than that of course. I love hearing the tales of dfgd. She sounds like a moving machine.

GardenerJoy The gal I hike with most often does a lot of writing and classes, etc. This morning she was telling me about something called NYC Midnight. Have you heard of it?

I'm done with shopping before Thanksgiving and, maybe, for a whole week (although my track record hasn't been good on that, recently).

DH got interested and creative at that last minute while we were making the grocery list, so I got to buy turkey drumsticks, pecans, and brussel sprouts in service to a menu on Thursday that gives at least a casual nod toward the traditional meal.

Exercise +50, 1010/1700 minutes for November
Wordcount +2158, 40,160/50,000 words for November

karenrn: Thanks for the recommendation and for thinking of us. I had to look up NCYMidnight -- looks fun!

maryann: That's the best when I get on a cleaning and organizing roll. Good for you! I've also reconsidered hobbies based on activity level and, also, outdoor time. With my allergies, I pretty much want to be outdoors only when I'm exercising -- a main reason why gardening disappeared, even though it's still part of my username.

curlyjax: I find myself looking at small condos and apartments every time we do the growing old discussions. Like karenrn, I know that this house is not suitable for me living alone. Some of the condors are really cute and I feel like I could be much more in control of my space and my stuff. I do have to remind myself that I'll still be living with me. I have yet to prove that I'm as capable of keeping my stuff in order as part of me believes that I would be in that kind of space.

BillBlueEyes: We've been disappointed by local options of smoked salmon. I think I'll refrain from mentioning the mail order possibility. I'm not sure that we'll want the sodium in our holiday season.

Diet Coaches/Buddies - With all these stories of packed full supermarkets, I headed off for my weekly shopping on Monday instead of Tuesday. Was full of dread. With luck, I pulled into the parking lot just as someone was leaving. Then got a cart inside noting that few were left. Then . . . it all changed. The store had everything that I needed; I spotted cherry tomatoes that I'll need for salad Thursday so picked them up instead of a potential desperate run to some corner store on Thanksgiving morning. The dried figs that I've mourned had gone were back; I grabbed a month's worth. The triple-washed packages of lettuce were comfortably forward dated. Checkout line was short. Fresh turkeys were available, albeit with a sign, "Limit Two." They also sold half-turkeys without giblets - first time I've seen that. What a good idea for someone who wants all the pain of cooking a whole bird but doesn't need that much food. Later, DW taught me her new word, spatchcocking - an old British term for removing the backbone to cook a large bird flat. Those of you raised in more polite households might know the word "butterflying" that is unlikely to be removed by automatic censoring software.

Eating was on plan with no daytime snacks, CREDIT moi. Breakfast did, as planned, include a bagel and fig preserves - along with the bowl of fruit that I have every day. I've stopped complaining about the carbon footprint I cause by eating blueberries imported from Peru. Instead, I think about little old ladies in Peruvian hats happily feeding their families by picking blueberries. I think that means that I'm capable of justifying anything, LOL.



Joy (gardenerjoy) - Yay for creative cooking - even if invented at the last minute. Adding pecans improves just about everything.

maryann - Hope you figure out how to be both inside and outside all day. Without using quantum mechanics, LOL.

Karen (karenrn) - Interesting perspective, "The male plumbing is like the canary in the coal mine." I'll go look up the notions supporting plant based diet.

curlyjax - Congrats for looking at condos - an acceptance that you'll have a next phase of your life. This makes me so happy, "Lots of lovely memories of meals with no food shaming."

Readers -

Someone offered me a fancy chocolate bar at work, which wasn't worth the calories. At home I wasted some time looking at the Noom website, which has a program for prediabetics, but ultimately decided i'm not going to sign up for it right now. I need to write down a food plan and stick to it, and I do better with pen and paper than on my phone, even though there are cool apps to analyze your nutrition etc on an app.The latest Nutrition Action had an article about prediabetes, which was a great reminder that I need to do something about it NOW. I cleaned up a little but need to do more after work since i'm zipping into Boston tonight to pickup DD for thanksgiving. I am looking forward to having everyone at home-for a few days
My dad is still in the hospital but hopefully will get out to a rehab very soon.
Bill- I love that hat photo! I'll have to read up on why they are wearing bowler hats, too funny.
Gardenerjoy- nice to have a more manageable thanksgiving dinner.
Karen- I let some things go in the house, its impossible to do it all. Like cleaning
Maryann-sounds like you're having a productive and enjoyable time.

Good morning coaches,

Food was on plan and weight down a smidge. I'm going to the gym today to take the Strong class, but it doesn't start until 10. I'm writing my grocery list and will go to the store in an hour or so to get the things I need for the rest of the week (I hope).

I have the news on the tv and they are talking about seasonal affective disorder. Apparently we in Arizona have something similar in the summer which resolves in October. Imagine that.

Curlyjax You may want to check out You Tube videos on Mastering Diabetes channel. Mostly I just want to let you know that they are showing that the problem is fat, not carbohydrates. It's not that carbohydrates and sugar don't raise your blood sugar, but that the main problem is that the insulin in our bodies doesn't work to move the sugar into our cells when the cells have too much fat in them. That's my elementary description, but people like Dr. Neal Barnard can explain it much better. I hope your Dad gets out of the hospital soon, but I'm sure it's a bit of a relief to know he is being cared for.

Bill We have a couple of the alpaca hats with the earflaps displayed over a couple of paintings we purchase when we were in Peru. Dh had them in the drawer and decided they were colorful to display with the pictures of llamas and alpacas. You won't have any trouble finding back up for the claim that a plant based diet lowers PSA and decreases the risk of erectile dysfunction in the journal Urology.

GardenerJoy I hope like you do that today's grocery shopping will be the end of it for me for a bit.

Maryann How far is it from your home to your acreage? Are you wearing yourself out with your time off?

Well I guess I'll go clean a bathroom before I head out for the grocery store. I don't want to get there too early because I want some produce that may not be out too early. Have a great day everyone.

Great day yesterday. I continued on my turbo puttering. I have a classic old roll top wooden desk in my office. I finally utilized all the drawers effectively and was able to donate a 34 by 30 by 20 inch cabinet that was in my hallway. I put it out on the street with a free sign and it was gone in two hours. I had always hated it since the moment I brought it home. The doors were funky and it was a poor use of space. Feels good to release it to the God's.

Credit for water, logging all my target, motion, relaxation, and 30 mins on the climber at the gym. I put in a much needed hour of yardwork.

For my GG's "learn two new things a day" rule.:

1. I created an account on ioverlander. It is an amazing site for all forms of nomad life. I have been on a kick of taking a solo trip camping in my car. I hop down the rabbit hole of Amazon pre- black Friday lightening deals. I bought things I couldn't buy recycled. Car tent https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08MT3463Z...roduct_details, collapsable porta potty with bags, seat organizing, etc. . . I already have bedding and stove. DH thinks I am crazy. I might have to temper my "And you can stay at Walmart for free" because the safety issue will drive him crazy. He will be supportive if I stick to campsites. I'll downplay the "informal" campsites like the turnout on Big Sur hwy 1. In no way do I kid myself that I am roughing it. If I feel unsafe or need a shower, I have the luxury of being able to snag a hotel. Saying my mind is like a squirrel's habit-trail is no exaggeration.

2. I learned a crafting greeting card technique. Take seran wrap, remove the top layer of a decorative napkin, iron it on to cardstock and iron with some parchment paper. Add embellishments. They look 3D. I also tried it it with spray adhesive. I have had Thanksgiving napkins for ten years. Now I have up-cycled them. Martha Stewart watch out.

Karen: We live about 30 minutes from the ranch. We keep DH's grandmother's house as the office. It is nearly on site.
BBE: A great example of fake news. You challenged the idea that the supermarkets are a nightmare and found it untrue. Wish we could do that as easily with all the news today.
Curly: Credit for turning down food not worth the calories.

I am getting out of the way of the housekeeper this morning. I will take a long walk on an old railraod track that was made into a bike path. Mom is coming this afternoon and we will go to my AA meeting. Tomorrow we head up early to Tahoe to avoid traffic.