Shad
Sounds like you live in an interesting neighborhood . Our weather is in the 80's which is good for me but the humidity is definitely there. I like the 80's for Spring Summer weather. Been needing to get some weed killer for the fence.

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Mowed most of the yard yesterday and decided not to push it and make myself sick. Was going to mow the back yard with the rider but it wouldnt start. Think I didnt do something right. Called nephew but this week is their anniversary so they were going out to dinner.
Niece called last night and she is doing great. I'm happy. She has a weekend to herself. She is enjoying that.
It's almost 11 so I'm going to get out and finish the back yard.

Good morning ladies,

Sorry I haven't been very active. Woke up this morning for the first time in 2 weeks feeling like it MIGHT be starting to break up. I found that Nyquil at night that has an antihistamine which helps with the wheezing / whistling lungs paired with an effective cough suppressant has finally given me some much needed sleep at night. The heavy coughing I had was really tough on the body.

Thursday I was having stomach issues from the antibiotic I'm on and we had an eating event to go to. I loaded up on Immodium and crossed my fingers. The event was held at the farm we went to a few weeks ago. There were 25 people and we ate out on their huge porch. The weather was perfect for this. They started out with a tour of the farm which I declined because I was wheezy and didn't need any more irritants in my respiratory system. I sat it out and had a lovely conversation with another hold out who had recent knee surgery. DH went along and took pictures - they have several kinds of pigs, alpacas, chickens, ducks, ginny (pronounced Guinee) hens which are voracious tick eaters, horses, and goats. She is a real renaissance woman and spins the alpaca into yarn. She makes soap from the pig lard and olive oil. She and her husband (who has a full time job outside the farm) are dedicated to sustainable, renewable farming practices. They even make logs from the horse manure to heat their home. Only spent about $30 in propane gas to heat their huge home last year. In contrast we spent about $1800. Since there were so many people we had more of a tasting menu rather than a sit down dinner (much to DH's disappointment as he was rather hungry). We started out with a cup of Stinging Nettle Soup. The hostess picked the nettles and cleaned them. She was curious about cooking and using these. Once cooked into a paste it was rather yucky looking - like forgotten spinach that had gone gooey in the back of the refrigerator. But chef cooked up some vegetables - onion, carrot, celery, etc and pulverized them in the Vitamixer. Added that to the paste, some stock and simmered it. Finished it off with some cream. It was a thicker type of soup and was just heavenly. DH said he was going to pass on it but was glad he tasted it. Divine. But I'm not sure I'm going to risk messing with stinging nettles to make it myself Next month she is going to have a dinner featuring nettle pasta which we are attending. Our next course was an incredible slice of pork belly which is similar to bacon but not cured or salted. Like very fatty but butter tender pork roast. While you don't want to eat it every day, this fat is high in vitamins and minerals, monounsaturated fats AND - this I didn't know - since the pigs spend their life outside in the paddock foraging under the sunshine, the meat also contains substantial amounts of vitamin D. She raises the pigs in a timeframe specific to maximize the amount of vitamin D in the animal before processing. So we get this small piece of delicious pork - about 2 fingers worth and of course DH get the tiniest piece while the "grass fed moms" as my sister calls them in her neighborhood - the ladies who came to the farm dressed up in their fancy clothes and fancy jewelry, designer purses and matching sandals - sat there in horror "I'm NOT eating that FAT". Actually you can pick away the meat if you like. They barely touched theirs and DH looked at them in sadness - "I'll eat it if you don't want it" It came with a shredded carrot salad with dried cranberries and ginger dressing. Next course was a small slice of meatloaf made from ground venison (deer) and ground pork from her Mangalitsa pigs. As a meatloaf aficionado I just loved it. He did top it with a spicy green chili sauce (I cut the top off mine and gave it to DH) as well as a semi spicy red tomato ketchup that I also passed on. For dessert we had a slice of homemade cheesecake made from her duck eggs. It came with a few fresh blueberries and was topped with an edible wild violet that one of the grassfed moms had picked that day. Elegant presentation. For me being worried about eating too much it was just the right amount although if I had been in good health, like DH I would have been wanting for more. I did purchase a pork belly, 2 pork steaks and a dozen duck eggs as well as a jar of her pork lard. This pork is far superior to the pork I just bought from the other farm lady. Wish I had known that before and her pork while better is also about 1/3 cheaper than the other lady too. Most of the cost is determined by who they select as the butcher/processor. On our way home that night we stopped and watched a sunset with the sun behind some thin clouds so that you saw just a bare outline of the setting sun. DH got a picture but he had my Powershot camera and not his regular camera so while the picture is nice, it's not nearly as nice as our eyes saw it! There are all sorts of small farms in this area - full of interesting tree groves, old stone barns and buildings and wildlife abounds. Lots of great picture opportunities for DH.

Last night we went down the road for a fish dinner and the lady who owns the place asked DH if he would take some pictures at a state park known for it's waterfalls. She wants him to make postcards as they invested in a concession/snack stand at the park and they sell souvenirs. About 250,000 people travel through the park each year so that's a great opportunity for DH. It's cloudy and overcast today so he will be going out there tomorrow to take pictures.

I also spent some time looking online at cars. I'm thinking I should replace my car before winter hits and I have no idea what I want other than something like a small SUV / Crossover that will ride well in the snow. So I will be casually browsing.

The landscaping we had done last year is finally waking up and starting to bloom. However we are desperately dry and badly need rain. The landscaping has an automatic sprinkler system but our fire danger is very high which makes me nervous.

We stopped for lunch at the senior center on Friday and I went to see my friend afterwards. Lots of stuff going on. I was supposed to go help this week but begged off sick. Will go on Monday. Although I realized after I committed that Monday is pool walking day (I also took a pass last Thursday). So I will go into the pool a bit earlier than the other girls and still spend some time with them but get out early enough to shower and get over to the office before half the day is gone. I drank tons of water when I was sick, very little soda and didn't eat much as I had no appetite yet I still could not loose any weight. Must have been those throat drops I was sucking on constantly to stave off the dry hacking cough from the throat tickle. But hopefully I am on the mend now - everyone is having a tough time this allergy season with this. My Chicago travelling partner is going on her 5th week of dealing with this schmutz. Just can't get over it.

On a side note, after I left my Mom said to my sister "um I think I am coming down with what your sister had. I better go to the doctor". My sister said "she had ALLERGIES. Allergies. You don't have allergies and no, you are not 'catching' anything from her. And no. You are not going to the doctor until your next appointment scheduled in June". I think my Mom is becoming a nut case.

Shad - hope you can get your computer straightened back up again. Not everyone in America is fascinated by the royal wedding. But for some, it's a welcome distraction from the usual foolishness that abounds in every day life. Myself I am glad to see young people "freshen up" the monarchy but then again, as in the case of Lady Diana - a stray from pomp and circumstance often brings with it a certain kind of scandal so I don't know what is the right path. I can tell you I didn't rise at dawn to see the wedding. Seems like your neighbor sold her house quickly enough. I hope as you say that she did the right thing and didn't hastily jump into something far worse. However, if you don't feel safe in your home... You certainly live in an area of many tongues, don't you? Similar to Chicago but at least there, the various people seemed to settle into their own ethnic neighborhoods.

Ceejay - I can understand the compelling feeling that "I've GOT to do something about this hair IMMEDIATELY". I felt the same way - she had cut my hair on a side part with a long swoop of hair that hung needlessly. I was so tempted to cut in bangs or layers myself but resisted the urge as I knew I'd mess it up. At least you'll be cooler for the warm weather coming up Glad you and Sis decided to join forces and let the niece take responsibility for herself. Hope it works out.

Annie - I know how it's so much better to avoid the drama of fighting couples but for the sake of the kids (and probably the dog too) I am glad you got the kids out of that situation for the heated moment. You are a good person. How bad is it when the kid has to go looking for help, glad he did. Poor guy. Prayers out to Karen and Gregg. Life is precious. I often think about how I forget that. Alot. Hope the kids do well in the ballgames.

Hellos to the rest of you - enjoying your weekend I'm sure.

Time for me to get going here. I still have to put things away that I unpacked and left on the bed (I slept in the recliner all week) and I have a mountain of laundry to tackle. And some pork belly to score and marinate. Have a good weekend ladies.

Morning all. At the salon, color in my hair. Gonna go to the fitness center afterwards. Done time on the rower twice this week. I think I'll register for an equipment orientation and add on some strength training after rowing in the future. Signed on for two months to start with...will be at it longer though because my foot is the same. Doctor appointment/x-rays on Thursday showed no change in fracture from previous time.

Back home now. Stopped to get my library card renewed, then rowed & did some abs & stretching. Time for a shower. After that, lunch with bf & his mum.

Have a great day ladies!

Good morning. As usual the week got busy with work.

Genny started her last 4 chemo appointments and I was with her on Thursday. This is a different chemo. The first 4 were called AC and this one is called Taxol ( not sure I spelled it correctly). This one is supposed to not make her so tired and not as nauseous. She didnt get too nauseous with the AC but she took meds so she wouldnt.

Since they changed her meds the appointment was longer as they slowed it down when infusing. It was 4 hours and the preappointments before treatment began was 3 hrs. I did not make my TOPS meeting. I think I would have been down a pound.

I am like Annie that I keep gaining and losing the same 7 lbs. I am not happy with myself. Time to get more disciplined with myself. That includes my food and exercise but making it my prioroty. Why do I deviate from this when I know it is what I need to do and I feel better when I do?

I will come back for personals later. I need to go get ready for church.

Good morning ladies,

Beautiful morning out there. DH got up at the crack 'o dawn to travel north and take some pictures of waterfalls at a state park as requested by one of our business owner friends. She wants him to make post cards. Hiking is off the charts for me right now. Oddly enough my tendonitis and arthritis actually felt better in Chicago than here. Perhaps that's because I was distracted by raging sinus and allergy issues

I am disgusted. At my highest weight EVER. A lot of this came on as I was forced to get off my feet with the tendonitis. It wasn't bad eating as I mostly eat pretty evenly and healthy but I was just burning less calories so every calorie was magnified. Like you ladies I am committed today to turning this around. Also the reason I simply can't do foot surgery any time too - can't afford to be totally non weight bearing for 3 to 5 months.

So starting today I am back planning and tracking with MFP. I will get in 5 workouts a week - 2 with pool walking and 2 with NuStep. I'm thinking of starting light weights again - I have hand and ankle weights and I need to start doing stairs too to strengthen my legs/knees.

I did order a sous vide immersion cooker. Am excited to try salmon with that. I would hope that it also cuts back on calories although you do have to put a bit of oil in the bag with the food so that it doesn't stick to the bag while cooking. Also looked at recipes for using that Vitamixer I bought that has been used once.

The good news is that I am free of most of my volunteer obligations and the calendar stretches out ahead of me open to what I want / need to do. I am helping a friend at the senior center and working on a project but the thrift shop and shelter will have to get along without me for the summer. And I'm excited about that.

Susie - you are a great friend to spend the day with Ginny. She is in my prayers each night and I hope her battle is most successful. To you comment about being disciplined. For me sometimes I just get darn tired of watching and judging every single calorie that goes into my mouth. I'm good at about 80 percent discipline AND I also need to see almost immediate results to stay motivated. That's my personal challenge. We were unable to get enough ladies to start a TOPS group of our own and that made me sad. I think we tend to make everything else but ourselves a priority. Especially when it's those "oh this will only take a minute" kind of things and those minutes run into hours and the next thing you know, we're too tired to take care of us.

I do want to say that last week when I was at my sister's house I did make drinking ice water a big priority - so much so that there were several days I had no soda at all which was a big kudos to me. So I continue the water challenge with Annie and anyone else who wants in.

Laura - I'm very sorry to hear that you are not seeing any progress with your foot. That has to be most disappointing. What does this mean going forward? Not surgery I hope. Sounds like you like this rowing machine and this fitness complex might be a good fit for you.

Hello to the rest of the chicks

I have lots of laundry and some more disciplined meal planning to do today. I am supposed to help my friend getting her files organized at the senior center tomorrow - realized it's a water walking day so I'm going to the pool early to try and maximize my time. No EXCUSES!!!!

And wouldn't you know it? Now they are talking about some new super bug that they are finding in hotel pools that is antibiotic resistant! Oh well, life is full of chances - I have no open cuts (only because they have all healed from Bimmy since I've been home). And I won't swallow the pool water and will shower well afterwards.

Have a good Sunday chicks. Enjoy the sunshine

Oh and if I can ask - prayers for my cousin Dave. He's the one who was hit and mangled by a Uhaul truck when he was a policeman. Now he is fighting 2 kinds of cancer. He is very depressed and just tired of constant meds and poking and feeling the worse he can feel. I am concerned he is just giving up although quite frankly myself I'm not sure if I was in his situation I don't know if I could find the strength to push through each day. He's only in his early 50's and his last 10 years have been nothing but constant pain and medical issues. Thank you.

Happy
I'm so thankful that you are not volunteering this summer so that you can take better care of yourself. also glad that you are beginning to feel a wee bit better. Your trips to the farm remind me of my younger years of spending time on my grandparents farm.
Dont give up hope on making the pounds go down.

Laura
I like that you are trying different machines. I'm curious about the rowing machine. do you count the
number of reps or go by the minutes. I need to work on my ab/core.
What will your next step be for your foot?)
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It was pouring down rain this morning along with thunder and lightening. I text my sis and pastor and told them I wasn't getting out today to go to church.
I had a pleasant surprise phone call from a cousin yesterday. He and his wife have moved to Fort Leonardwood, MO to retire and be closer to their children. we will be getting together for a visit soon.
Also saw a post on FB to call a member of my graduating class for information concerning our 50th reunion. Called and talked to her. I'm getting excited about this.
Sis called me awhile ago and told me she would be going back to the condo today. Neice's bf is supposed to be coming to visit today and she doesn't want him in the condo. WW3 has begun.
Nephew came by yesterday afternoon and helped me start the rider. I was doing one thing wrong so next week I'm using the riding mower.

Good Morning Ladies.

Today's breakfast is an avocado, 10 almonds and 15 blackberries. I am actually getting full. Weird how protein and fats can fill you up so quickly and stay feeling full. Ballgames were of course comical as usual. One little kid on Royce's team is so cute. When he has decided that he is done for that inning he just walks off the field to the dug out. What was really cute was this kid hit the ball, got to second base, sat down for a spell, THEN he walked off to the dug out. Very entertaining. Then you have the 4 year olds that hang together in a group digging in the dirt. I know Royce would like to join them but he knows better and either me or Sam will be yelling at him. Good thing they only play two innings, which is usually about an hour and 15 minutes. SO SLOOOOWWW.

Got a lot of errands done. Hit the grocery twice over the weekend. Funny how you can take your list with you, get everything then get home and start another list. bah Worked out in the yard yesterday for a couple of hours. Mostly just sat and drank iced tea. It was peaceful, kids were with their other Gma, C had to work, Sam was taking a nap. It was almighty hot but nice.

HAPPY...the water challenge is still on. I hear you on your weight issues. These 7 lbs that I keep going up and down with are driving me insane. I was horrible with food over the weekend but am on track this morning and am determined to stay with it. Jump on the train with me sister. YOU CAN DO THIS!! I wish you could try KETO for a bit as it really does help with aches and pains. I have been out of KETO for several weeks and can tell the difference. I will get back with it TODAY. Glad you are taking the summer off from the shelter and such. You just need to work on you, getting healthy and healing. Insert MELLIE's rolling pin here. The farm adventure sounds wonderful. A lot of what she served is VERY keto.

Posting BRB bathroom calls.

OK back.

CEEG...our 40th reunion is in September. Cannot wait. I had a great HS experience and made a lot of friends. Will be good to see everyone. So far we have found about 350 of our 500 classmates.

LAURA...glad you liked the rowing machine. Boo on your foot fracture. What on earth is taking it so long to heal?

SUSIE...come on, jump on the "me" train with us and get back to you.

SHADDIE...air, come up for some.

Hi DEE.

Gotta get busy. This work life is killing me. Hugs

Good morning all,

Geez, going into my 3rd week sick with this pollen gunk. Yesterday I had a really bad sinus headache. I was bending over cleaning the toilet and I thought my head would explode from the pressure. My nose is clear, I can breathe ok but the sinuses are awful. Took a Sinex but did not get the "fast relief" they promised. I am still on my antibiotic. Picked up those new allergy pills Xizol (sp??) but they are 24 hour pills and said to take at night. I forgot. We are getting our tree pollen now and I'm going to need to take something. I miss my old Actifed that worked exactly when and how I needed it too. DH and I spent the day together. We went to the casino for lunch. I did do the buffet but I concentrated on portions and loaded my plate on vegetables (I wished they had that giant pan of brussel sprouts but had to make do with California blend veggies) also took a thin slice of meatloaf and a thin slice of prime rib for proteins. Did not drink any soda while I played and only had a few sips with my lunch. Dessert was 1/2 cup of soft serve vanilla ice cream and about 10 fresh raspberries. Came home and did some laundry. I did take about a 90 minute nap - I think the antihistamines are making me really tired. I put away the last of the stuff I had from unpacking. DH had a taste for spaghetti for supper so I made some ground pork meatballs and a quick box of Kraft spaghetti dinner making more sauce and adding in some fresh herbs and stuff. I measured a cup and a half of pasta. 1 cup was just not enough. I did spend the day thinking about food - resisted several temptations and drank my water.

As soon as I finish my coffee I am headed out to the hotel to meet friends for water walking for an hour. Then I will clean up and head over to the Senior Center to help my friend with her files. Bimmy found my shower puff and keeps digging to out of my bag and dragging it around the house. The puffer is about 1/3 the size of her so it looks funny with her carrying this great big mess ball in her mouth. She is STUBBORN though. I keep taking it away and hollering at her. She keeps sneaking back into the bag and digging farther and farther to retrieve it. Girl wants what she wants.

As as salute to Annie I am going to try "leaning towards Keto". I can't do it completely but I figure if I can go 2/3 to Keto, that's better than what I am doing now. I do love fruits and vegs like carrots and won't give them up but there is plenty of unnecessary sugars I can give up or cut back severely. My sous vide immersion cooker comes today. I am eager to try it out. Yesterday I started making a list of the foods I like to eat with the nutrition amounts from MFP. I did things like sweet potato, red potato, Yukon gold potato so I could make comparisons. I hate counting calories but I am going to have to plan like a maniac ahead of time. That's where I get into trouble - I am famished and grab at the first easiest thing available.

Annie - I loved your description of the kids at the ball game. I would totally enjoy them going off on their own and deciding "I'm done". How nice that you got to spend some time in the yard AFTER you no doubt did lots of work but at least having some quiet time. I love sitting on the deck with a gentle breeze just enjoying the peacefulness. Let's get cracking on getting this weight off. I can imagine with summer here - those crazy 7 pounds are just like lead weights banging on you. We can do this.

Ceejay - thank you for your kind words. I hope you can spend more time at home for a while yourself. Does this mean your cousin has moved closer to you so you can see each other occasionally? It's nice that you have more options for friends and family now. How are the uncles holding up? I'm glad your nephew got your mower going again. I have no mechanical ability so it's nice when someone can show you just the little things you need to get up and running!

It's getting time for me to pack my bag and head out so I will post more personals later when the rest of you check in. Have a good Monday!

A balanced diet...a taco in each hand.

Morning all. Rainy day today and yesterday was no prize either. Oh well. "Into each, some rain must fall..."

Susie – I hope Genny did okay with the chemo and the side effects were not so severe. == I hope you can get into an exercise groove this week!!

Happy – Is that bronchitis thing easing up by now?? Sounds awful. I can sympathize re all the cough drops – I thought my teeth would rot and I’d gain weight from all the sugar being consumed. Bleh. Sorry that the allergies are kicking your butt too – I recommend the Flonase – brand name or generic. Takes a few days to kick in, but after that it’s really effective for me. On the other hand – I spend a lot of time indoors, especially during the week. I’m sure if I spent more time outdoors, I’d have to supplement it with another med at this time of year. But for most of the year, I’m good with that. Oh, and it’s a steroid, so some people avoid those…always something. ==I know how you feel about weight gain from being too sedentary. I’d already gained back some weight a few years ago, and then gained more when I had a plantar fasciitis flare-up that wouldn’t pass, and then even more with the stress fracture. Seems we’ve both hit a point where we know we need to get back to what we need to do to stop the scale from going up. Let’s do this!! == I’ll be interested to know how you like the sous vide cooker. What a great way to cook fish. == Whoo, cutting back on the volunteer stuff!! == Prayers for your cousin Dave. What a rough road he’s had. == The farm visits you do sound so interesting to this city girl, lol. ==

Ceejay – The console on the rower I’ve been using shows a number of things, but I mainly just exercise by time. I do, however, keep an eye on the strokes per minute (SPM) too. I googled an article on rowing workouts and need to read the rest of the article I found, but I skimmed a bit and it mentioned SPM as one of the statistics to pay attention to. == How nice you’ll have more family in the area. == Is your niece’s bf visiting from the east coast? It’s interesting they’ve stayed together. I should think the long distance would make it difficult, and it might not be in her best interests to maintain the relationship. == Nice that the nephew got the mower going for you

Annie – How nice you helped out your neighbors. I hope they can get their issues sorted out. You certainly don’t want to end up the regular go-to with those problems, and those poor kids should not have to be in the middle of it either.  Prayers for your work friend and her hubby. Very sad. == Those chair massages are very reasonable! Right now I’m having some pain in my lower left back, so I’m not sure a chair style massage would help though… Okay sister, what do you plan to do to get your Keto mojo back?? == LOLOL re the ballgame entertainment. What a hoot!

Shad – Ugh, computer issues. Life is so complicated. We went to bf’s mom’s for lunch on Saturday and on the way over he picked up a replacement cable box for one that was overheating. Of course they gave bf a different one, and once it was hooked up, the channels didn’t load right away… took a call to customer service to get that sorted. And then bf addressed something that was blinking on her phone system. At least that just took a look at the user manual to remedy that. So anyway…life is easier physically in many ways but harder – as in much more complicated – in others. == Oh, your weather sounds lovely, 70’s and blue skies. == LOL re the royal wedding press pandemonium. I didn’t watch it, just looked at some photos online – more than enough for me.

Hi Dee!
==
Saturday we had lunch with bf’s mom. We brought a quiche from the bakery and it was delicious. I’d been wanting to try it for the longest time and we finally did. We’ll be buying more in the future, I’m sure.

Yesterday was chilly and rainy/overcast. I stayed home most of the day, and then bf and I had a late lunch and then I went to Walmart for a few things.

Last week's food wasn't great, but the weekend's was alright, surprisingly. I've been tracking on MFP for a bit now and it's helping. I'll get to the fitness center to row after work.

That’s about it for me, so I’ll get this posted.

Oh, forgot to report that the doc suggested three more months of the bone growth stimulator. Sigh. I've decided to seek a second opinion.

Happy Tuesday...Sunny and hot so far. Not sure what the rest of the day is supposed to be like. We did get a short evening T-storm which was much needed in our area. The past few days we have had predictions of rain but it seems to pass just north or south of us. We just get the gloomy skies with no rain. Sadly we need it to rain just a bit more.

Last night Sam and I ran over to my friend's house to check out her time share with RCI, for maybe a vacation. We actually found something. A week at Surfside, SC. Condo with Two bedrooms with beds for 6 and also a sleeper couch for 2, full kitchen, two full baths, balcony. 5 pools, lazy river<---yeah thats me, sauna, hot tub, game room, fitness room<---won't be visiting that I am sure, sounds too much like EXERCISE. Beautiful resort. Are you ready for the price???? 275.00 for the entire week. Checking in on Sept 15 out on the 22nd. Whew whoooooooooooo. Yes, hail, hail the gang is all going, including son. Maybe not C as he has to find someone to run his route for him. LAURA...and there is my motivation to get these pesky 7 lbs off and get back on the KETO wagon. Ya'll pretend you are going with and get on the diet wagon with me.

C watched the boys and when we got home there her nerf bullets all over the house. Some kind of nerf gun war was going on. As we walked in the door all the boys, including C grunted and didn't want us to come home yet. If nothing else C is a great papaw. We fed them all before we left so it was all about play time.

Will come back shortly to finish up personals.

Hugs

Hey everyone,

Quick post for me. We had a productive day at the center yesterday. L asked if I could come back today because we didn't finish up. I said ok, looking at the things I need to do here at home. I REALLY enjoyed the water walking in the pool yesterday. The water was cool - you had to keep moving or you'd get chilled but that's not a bad thing. It was good having others there to talk to, I think it would get boring and monotonous if it was just me alone. We had the pool to ourselves for 30 minutes until another lady came in to swim laps. The ladies said it doesn't get crowded with tourists until around 11 so that's good to know. I will continue to do this. I did have to shower because I was headed out afterwards. That is sort of kludgy because there is a tiny dressing area next to the open shower stall but I realized once I finished showering I could not stand and fix my hair and makeup because the floor was wet. Don't want to be plugging in a blowdryer on a wet floor So I had to go across to the bathroom to finish dressing. They are remodelling the hotel but with the existing layout, not sure if much will change. Will be easier when I can just pop in the car, sit on a towel and drive home and clean up. I was good, watched my food yesterday and ignored urges for chocolate chip cookies

Annie - SCORE on the condo deal The Carolinas are very pretty. You can get your "fitness" walking around. I will for sure join you on the diet wagon. But be careful I don't drive us off the rails. With vacation and the upcoming reunion it's nice to have motivation AND something to look forward to. Too funny about the boys having a nerf war when you were gone. At least they had fun. Who picked up all the bullets?

I am with you chicks on dearly needing some rain in our lives. We are at extreme fire danger and starting tomorrow we are getting into hot weather in the 80's touching 90. FAR TOO HOT for this Northwoods chick. Dig out the cotton t-shirts. No pants. Too hot. All the rain is drying up before it gets to us. Not good for anything AND I found out if we don't get rain, we don't get the wild morel mushrooms in the yard that should be poking their heads through the grass. Let's all hope for rain everywhere.

My new sous vide immersion cooker came yesterday. I am studying up on how to use it. Will keep you posted.

Laura - I think with the pollen and dryness that allergy issues will be around for quite a while. One of the first things I want to try cooking sous vide is salmon. I have some nice pieces of Alaskan salmon in the freezer. We have 2 lobster tails we bought for DH's birthday and I saw a recipe for that which looked good - people either loved it or thought it was mushy. Apparently one must be careful with salt when cooking that way - the method pushes the seasoning into the food and for fish it can be too salty with salted butter. I will have to stock up on the unsalted kind. Yum on the bakery quiche. It's all about that danged good crust. But I also think it makes a nice summer meal with a side of fresh fruit or salad. So ... what is this bone growth stimulator supposed to do again? How disappointing that nothing much is happening with it. Must be very frustrating for you. I'm glad you like the rower. Do you get winded or is it more of an arm and leg workout?

Guess I'd better get moseying along here. Have a good day ladies.

Afternoon all. I’m having a crummy day at work, so I’m taking a break to post.


Annie – Ooh, bet you’re looking forward to your vacay in SC, and what a deal! And yes, good motivation to lose those extra pounds. I’m with you!

Happy – I’m glad you enjoyed the water walking, and it sure helps having people to talk to when you can’t have music or tv as a distraction. == Wish I could have sent some of the rain up to you! Between Sunday and yesterday we’ve gotten quite a bit and the grass is really growing, and the weeds too, darn it. == I love pie crust, almost more than any type of pie filling, but this quiche’s filling was soooo good. The bakery sells several varieties, but I chose swiss and bacon. And it was baked perfectly, and was still moist when reheated in the oven. Definitely have to opt for a modest slice and with a light side – soup, salad, or fruit. We had ours with fruit. Okay, enough of the food talk. == The bone growth stimulator I have uses magnetic “forces” (I don’t know the right terms) to heal the fracture. At least that's the idea. == I worked up a sweat on the rower when I got up to 25 minutes. It hasn’t made me huff and puff (thank goodness), but it does get my heart rate up. Wish my old heart rate monitor still worked, I’d be interested in knowing how much. But I guess I could take my pulse and figure it out. I’m not all that great at doing that though. Anyway, it works the arms, shoulders, legs, and back.

Hellos to the rest of you. Hope you’re all having a good week so far.
==
I didn’t work out last night. I’ll go tonight. Going to increase the resistance level a wee bit and try for at least 25 minutes again.

Nothing much else to report. The boss & #2 will be out at a conference tomorrow, yay for that. The boss’s 3 direct reports (of which I’m one) and maybe some others were asked to do a 360 review of him. The due date was last Friday. I waited until the deadline day to submit, just to let him be mindful of his behavior for at least those three weeks we'd been given to do it. We’ll see if anything comes out of this.

Okay, back to it. TTFN.