Reflections, NOT Resolutions!

We all know what happens to resolutions this time of year, so instead of lining up those things that will ultimately make me feel bad when I fail, I've decided to reflect on the past year, and ponder the coming year in a more positive manner.

In March, after a wonderful trip to Phoenix, The Perfect Child and I decided to embark on a new, and healthier lifestyle. Hubby Dearest came along for the ride. :) A modicum of success was achieved on my part....I began this blog. The Perfect Child's blog kinda fell by the wayside, but her efforts at being healthier did not. After eating my way thru every Mexican restaurant in Phoenix, I also decided it was time to lose some weight as well as regain my health. Initially I lost 16.4 pounds!! After sending out a search party in the last month or so, I found almost all of those pounds again. DAMN!!! I am down about 2.2#, which, if I really look at the positive side of this, is not a total bust. At least I still have a small loss to form the base of my new program.

According to my Dr., even with a weight re-gain, I have, in fact, improved many factors regarding my health. That's a positive for sure, but I know I can improve even further. Another trip to another Dr. (ortho guy) reaffirmed what I already knew. My remaining original equipment knee is shelled and is going to have to be replaced. No big surprise. However, what I did learn, is that cortisone (or any steroid) will raise blood sugar! Well, color me shocked. In spite of that, my blood sugar levels went down, and all is well on that front. After spending a good deal of time on my feet over the holidays, I now have a knee that is swollen to the size of a volleyball and is stiff as a board. I'm thinking an excess of sodium (and alcohol) might also have played a part in this little "problem", so I'm drinking gallons of water to begin the flushing of my system. I have learned a little something along this journey. :) Exercise is a key, but I will have to sort out those exercises that I can do safely, and not stress my knee any further.

I NEED to journal my foods. Even when I think I'm just so damned smart I don't need to keep track anymore, I find myself back in trouble. I know, I know, everyone will agree that a food diary will help more than almost any other thing one does, but for whatever reason, there was a time (recently) that I thought I had it all organized in my head and no longer needed the paper "crutch". Reflecting.....I was wrong. So I pulled out the food diary today, and am back in the fold. The lost sheep had been found.

Soooooooo, reflecting on the past year has made me realize several things. I really do like blogging, and communicating with other bloggers. I do need to journal my foods. I do need to try and do the exercises that I am able to do. I want to continue to incorporate healthy choices into our everyday living. We've been doing pretty well in that department, so I want to keep at it, refine it, and make it a healthy habit. None of these reflections are meant to be resolutions, so therefore I cannot break them......as I usually do. :)

In closing this particular blog entry, I'd like to wish everyone a very Happy, Healthy New Year.
Happy 2010!!!!

OK, So Shoot Me

Yes, I know, I said I was done posting for a while. So Shoot Me!!! I lied. Besides, when you have a picture as cute as this one to share, how could I possibly resist the temptation to post a picture of my precious grandchildren.

Things have actually gone to hell in a hand basket since I last posted. Just plain ignored what I should be paying attention to. Was at the Dr.'s today for blood work, and did not like what his scales told me. Now, they are always 9# higher than my scales at home (and believe me, the ones at home are scary enough), so I was semi-prepared for a shock. I was not shocked, I was awed!!! I am not at all surprised, but I certainly am dismayed.

"Time has come, the Walrus said"....Yep, it is time to get my fat ass in gear and do something about this lethargy that has overcome me. I'll not procrastinate any longer. Now, today, right this moment, I'm beginning anew. I know what to do, I just need to jump start myself and "Get 'er done"!!! Have I now used enough cheesy quotes for this to count as a humorous post? Yes, I think so.

It occurs to me that I can't even make good on my promise to not post for a while, so how am I gonna do this whole livin' right thing? Hmmmmm. Good question. For one thing, I'm coming back to my blogging friends, reading their posts, and keeping my mind on the business at hand. I hope you'll forgive my foolish departure from the blogosphere. It was ill advised. I'll do a little penance as I ride my bike, and shovel what looks to be a substantial amount of snow on the way. So, I'm back, I lied, so shoot me. :)

Yes, I Would Like Some Cheese With This Whine

I'm bored. I'm bored with my blog, I'm bored with typing it, I'm bored with not progressing and having anything interesting to report in my blog. I still enjoy reading the blogs I've signed onto, but all in all, I think I'm really boring AND bored. Evidenced by the lack of comments for my last few posts (enter the whiner, now) I can tell that all of you are bored with me, too. Now, I realize I never had hundreds of comments, or even dozens, but when I only get one or two per post, it sends me a message. I AM BORING!!! Shoot, I even lost two followers!!!

I haven't made any progress in my attempt to lose weight, either. Wednesday brought a small change. I was down .2#. Big deal. I have improved our eating habits immeasurably, and we do watch what we eat more closely. That part of this journey has been a huge plus. Not being able to do the exercises I once did, and the way I was once able to do them, is a big downer for me. I don't have the enthusiasm I once did. I'm stuck at having lost 10# total, so it's hasn't been a total bust.

So, for the foreseeable future, I am going to cease and desist, by popular demand. I'm just going to lurk and read other blogs, and let my blog sit and think about what it's done. It is in a "Time Out".

Chuggin' Along

After a rather uneventful week, I feel kinda under-motivated. Not UN-motivated, just under motivated. Snow is on the ground now, with more on the way Wednesday. That really should put me in a festive mood, but as yet, the Yuletide Spirit has not yet kicked me in the butt. I'm just chuggin' along with all my usual routines. I need a kick in the pants! I have to brag just a tad on being better about our food choices. Hubby Dearest and I both decided we need to get back to being a bit smarter in that regard. So, I must admit, that we did better this past week.

Since I didn't do Weigh In Wednesday last week, I'm thinking I might just get back to where I was Pre-Phoenix. That would actually be ok with me for right now. I anticipate some snow shovelling in my future, so that will up the exercise quotient a bit. To be honest, I'll use the snow blower, but it is huge and so is our driveway. Trying to keep warm burns calories, too, right???

I am also pleased to announce that almost 2 months after my cortisone injection, my knee is still feeling ok. Even after the 5K, and 3 rounds of golf, I'm still feeling better than before. It's never going to be great 'til I have the surgery, but for now, I'll settle for ok. I am beginning to do a little bit more leg and hip exercising, but I am taking it slow and easy. No need to upset the apple cart by going overboard. The small downside is that I can still predict a change in the weather with my knee. :)

So, all in all, I think I'm finally moving along in the right direction. But, as I've read in so many blogs, winter is a tough time to keep it going. That will be my greatest challenge, I suspect. My outdoor walks will be few and far between, so it will be back on the "Gerbil Wheel of Doom" and of course, my beloved recumbent bike. With dreary days ahead, I'll have to really push to get myself motivated, but I remain hopeful.

Been There, Done That, And Now Have The Damned T-Shirt

Yes, friends and family, I did, in fact, complete the 5K Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving Day! I was passed by an 86 year old man "slogging" his way along the route, chatting merrily as he blew by me, and having a lovely day. His 35th year of running in this sort of event. I was duly impressed, believe me. At about the half way mark, I had a bit of a twinge in my knee so my pace slowed a trifle. That's when the "Old Runner Guy" passed me. After walking a bit slower, and with shorter strides, the knee re-seated itself and off we went again. I say "we" because the Perfect Child and Hubby Dearest held back and walked with me at my pace. Love is grand, ain't it? They could easily have blown by me and waited for my arrival at the finish line, but they didn't. Thanks to both. I had set a time limit of 1.5 hrs. to complete this event, and we made it in just over 1 hr. I really felt I could have done better if the knee hadn't acted up at the half way mark, but overall, I'm pleased that I made it. And, yes, I did get the damned t-shirt, as I stated as my original goal. :)

Still, the 5K and three rounds of golf did not wear off all of the damage we did in the adult beverage and football food department. Today was Weigh In Wednesday, and I have actually decided to skip it because I know it will depress me. My jeans still fit, but not because I exercised any sort of self control at all.....I'm just plain lucky. I admit I worried about what I might have to wear home on the plane if the jeans became too tight. :) Thank goodness, I didn't have to worry.

So last night, it was back to doing what should be done. Being sensible, and righting the ship. I've been adrift a bit too long, so now I must seek calmer waters and begin cruising my way to reclaiming myself again. Off I go now. Good health awaits!!!

Thanksgiving Traditions

While our family has had many traditions over the years, some going by the wayside after my parents were gone, one is still alive and well. So as we travel to Phoenix for this year's repast, I shall keep this one last motherly tradition up and running. It is actually a tradition for all holidays and family meals that my mother began once I started taking over the family holiday festivities. The day begins with a nice breakfast (ok so far). As I begin the turkey prep, I open a bottle of wine (I'm going to need it....it is purely medicinal). BINGO! The first salvo is launched. "I never put anything under the skin of MY turkey." Ahhhhh, Mom's Thanksgiving Day had begun. Next, Hubby Dearest asks if anyone would like a holiday toddy. Since I've already begun, I decline, but Mom pipes up, "Yes, Dear, but make mine light, I'm on medication, you know. Just a little Southern Comfort and 7-Up, please.". Comin' right up, your highness. Never moving from her perch at the kitchen table, she sees me beginning to work with the giblets for the dressing and gravy. "I always washed my giblets and used the neck, too, you know." Yes, ma'am, already done. I'm sipping away at my wine by now. "I don't cook my parsnips that way, and you bought way too many this year." "I like left over, cold parsnips, Mom." Sip, sip, sip. "Are we having any nibbles before we eat? I could use a cracker or two." Hubby Dearest to the rescue. "Cheese would be nice on these fancy crackers. Don't you ever use just saltines?" Hubby once again to the rescue. Sip, sip, sip. "My glass is empty, just one more light one, please." Hubby Dearest, her new manservant, is off and running again. Guzzle, guzzle, guzzle.

Ok, all the prep work is done, turkey is cooking, Mom is sipping away at #3 (light ones, you know), and I finally have time to sit down. I'm looking for the hard stuff now! I might be a bit wobbly, but I am not done yet. "Isn't there something you should be doing rather than sitting down here with us?" "Well, yes Mom, I probably shouldn't take time to talk to my family on such a busy holiday." (I wanted to ask if it would be ok if I ate with the family, but I resisted the urge.) Gulp, gulp, gulp.

Time for dinner has arrived. There are more exchanges about my preparation techniques, but I'll skip over those. "Who wants wine with dinner?" "I'll take a small glass" Mom answers. One of the kids begins to pour the wine for all of us. Mom requests "Just a bit more, honey."
Hubby Dearest has carved the turkey beautifully and is ready to present it to us for our dining pleasure. "How did you carve the breast, it looks funny." Just give me the damned bottle with a straw and let me have it!!!!!

Now, this year, with The Perfect Child preparing Thanksgiving for her father and me, I get to be the mom at the kitchen table "assisting" HER preparations. "Thanks, hon, just a small glass for me, I'm on a diet." Sip, sip, sip. In spite of the frustration and craziness, I do sometimes miss being yelled at for using chicken broth instead of cream in my mashed potatoes, 2% milk instead of 1/2 & 1/2 in the gravy, and for leaving the wings in the kitchen instead of on the serving plate. I just wish both of my parents, and Hubby Dearest's, as well, could see what great kids we've turned out. I think they would finally approve of something we've done. I know we are certainly pleased with our "work". :)

A very, very Happy Thanksgiving to one and all.

I Just Might Be Turning Into My Grandmother

Not that it would be a bad thing, mind you, but it's a little early for that, I think. My grandmother could tell the weather, with a great deal of accuracy, by just knowing how her arthritic joints were feeling. I think I might be following in her footsteps. Wonder if the Weather Channel needs another forecaster? I could be at least as accurate as most. You guessed it, my knee can now forecast the weather here in DM. The past three days have been foggy, dreary and moisture was in the air. My knee felt a bit "off". Today, the sun is out, temps are on the rise, and my knee is almost "perky". Lest I get too cocky about my uncanny prediction capabilities, I'll just be thankful that my knee feels better today. I think it just might be an outdoor walk day. YAY!!

As a matter of fact, this morning I did some weight bearing exercises for my hips and knees. I have no ill effects thus far. I tried my mini-squats and even tried some easy, not too deep lunges. At present, my knee is feeling ok, so I'm hopeful I can get these two exercises back into the rotation again. I will keep the weights light, and the reps fewer than usual, but I would like to have them back again. I keep feeling like I'm really neglecting my other knee and my hips by eliminating all of the leg exercises.

Thanks to all who weighed in on the B-complex issue. I've been looking over the suggestions and have done a little research. In reading the comments, I find that I'm already doing some of the things suggested. I have only 1 diet coke per day. I do drink green tea ( I love it), and I work on getting the right amount of protein in my diet. I remain baffled. So, in the interest of science, I'm going to buy a bottle of B-complex vitamins and give them a 30 day trial. We'll see what happens. I do know that if I OD on B vitamins my body will eliminate them in my urine, so I'm not afraid of that. Whew!! I hope they sell small bottles of the stuff, I'd hate to be stuck with a 300 day supply and have them not do one darned thing. We'll see, and I'll report back in 30 days.....if I have the energy. :)

Weigh In Wednesday was not a total loss this week. I was down .3#. Not a huge amount, but at least the scale moved this week, and not upward, which was nice. For having a week of virtually nothing happening in the exercise department, a small loss was really what I'd call a bonus. Not sure it was deserved, but I'm sure as hell gonna take it. I've been at a standstill for so long, any movement at all is welcomed. (Especially a downward one.)

One last tailgate this Saturday, then I can settle down and get back to business. I've been monitoring myself pretty well, and the walking to the stadium does help, but I still think this might be why the scale hasn't been moving for a while. We'll see. Happy Weekend to everyone, and thanks for all of your help.

To B-complex Or Not To B-complex?

That is the question. At lunch with friends yesterday, we discussed the supplements we were currently taking. The group ranges in age from 26 to 63, so we all had different needs and requirements. And before you ask, I am not the 63 year old.....yet!! Give me time. (3 yrs.) I asked if anyone had a great idea for someone (me) who is suffering from lethargy and has no energy. Everyone (there were 7 of us) said that a B-complex vitamin supplement would be just the thing. So now, before I rush out to get the magic potion, I am asking my blogger friends to weigh in on this important issue. Do I rush out and get a bottle of these little beauties, or do I simply rely on my multi vitamin and its dose of B vitamins to do the trick? Whaddaya think, people?

I would also welcome any other advice you all may have. I am just plain stuck!!! I don't want to do anything beyond what is absolutely necessary. I don't actually sit around all day, but getting my butt in gear is a major effort. I need a boost of some sort. Helpful hints are accepted happily, and I'd be willing to try almost anything.

Next Tuesday we leave for Phoenix, and Thanksgiving with our daughter, The Perfect Child. I'm doing the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving Day come hell or high water. It's a 5K which I had planned to "slog", but since the Dr. ruled that out, I'll be walking the course. I am very hopeful I'll complete the Trot before Thanksgiving dinner is served. Our daughter has assured me that she can drive home, get the turkey on, and get back to pick me up if it takes me more than 4 hrs. to complete my "run". :) I'm really just doing this for the T-shirt. Hope it isn't too dark when I finish so I can take a picture of me in my spiffy new shirt. The race starts quite early in the morning, so I am hopeful. Even with my lethargy, I have been doing some recumbent bike riding to keep my knee moving. I may progress to the "dreadmill", but to tell you the truth, I like sitting down while I exercise. :) Ahhhhhhh! Perhaps it isn't lethargy so much as it is just plain old fashioned laziness. But don't you agree, lethargy sounds better?

It's My Lucky Day!!!

Yes, it is true, Friday, November 13 is my lucky day!! Actually, any November 13 is one of my lucky days. This year it just happens to fall on a Friday. Today is The Perfect Child's 33rd birthday!! It was one of the three luckiest days in my life!! Of course the other two are July 3, the day I was married, and September 15, the birth date of The Primary Child. Geez!! Just typing the number 33 made me feel extremely old. UGH!

After the last week of being carefree and not worrying at all about my food intake, I'm back on track. My exercise routine leaves something to be desired, but I'm doing a little bit more each day. Even tho' my knee is feeling pretty darned good, I'm taking it easy on the leg "stuff". I want to be in good shape, knee-wise, to walk the 5K Turkey Trot in Phoenix Thanksgiving morning. In order to do that, I've put a moratorium on golf for the duration of the time we'll be here in DM. We have golf plans for Phoenix as well as the Turkey Trot, so I'm trying my best to be ready for both. Luckily, the weather is turning a bit colder and wetter in the near future, so I don't think it is going to be a huge sacrifice to stay away from golf for 11 days. I don't mind coming home a bit hobbled, but I'd hate to be a party pooper in Phoenix.

My cold is in the last stages, so I'm feeling a bit more like being out and about. I'm almost out of apples, so a grocery trip is on tap for today. I've been consumed with lethargy lately, so the cupboard, fresh fruit and veggie-wise, is kinda bare. Can't stay on track if the food isn't readily available. I've found that out the hard way. Cheetos are not a good substitute for apples and pears. I know that, but chose to eat some Cheetos anyway!!! They are the work of the Devil. I even choose the baked variety, but still.....it's just plain dumb to eat them mindlessly. Not going to buy a bag this shopping trip, no matter how hard Hubby Dearest begs. :)

Happy Friday the 13th to all!! Hope you all are as lucky as I am!!! Enjoy the weekend.

That Was The Week That Was!

Holy Cow!! I've never dreaded Weigh In Wednesday like I dreaded this one! After almost a week of debauchery I felt sure I'd be breaking my scales. Last week, The Perfect Child and her roommate came for a visit. The sojourn included a big tailgate weekend with her brother, The Primary Child, and about 16 of our closest tailgate buddies. We did a Mexican Fiesta themed tailgate. I was at death's door with a cold, so luckily I had help in the preparation department. Thank goodness, or we'd have starved. Prior to game day, we squeezed in a couple of rounds of golf, some adult beverages, some free chili and beer, and various and sundry food stuffs that I know are not on anyone's approved list. "Feed a fever, starve a cold"??? I think not. I did the complete opposite. However, it was totally worth it, as everyone had a wonderful time. The visit was not long enough, but we'll be going to Phoenix for Thanksgiving, so we'll have more time to spend together then. This was the week that was. I was prepared for an ugly Wednesday morning.

To say I was surprised this morning when I weighed in would be a complete understatement. I was exactly the same as when I began the week!!! I truly had been anticipating an extra pound or two, or three, to appear before me this morning. Imagine my delight at seeing the same number as last week. Not usually a pleasant sight, but after The Week That Was, it was a sight for sore eyes, knees, back, legs, etc.

Since my Halloween Challenge did not turn out nearly as well as I had hoped, I have extended it to Thanksgiving and added the pounds that did not magically disappear in Oct., to the 5 more I hope to lose by Thanksgiving. I am hopeful that having stayed at the same weight over the last week will enable me to give this Challenge a real run for it's money. My knee is still ok, although I've found that golf tires it out a bit and makes it sore for a little while afterwards. THAT is not good news. Still, it's better than it was, so that IS good news.

Having been busy nursing my cold and entertaining last week, I've fallen woefully behind on both my blogging and my blog reading. I'm hoping to catch up with everyone in the next day or so. I miss reading all of your blogs, so I'm going to dedicate extra time in the next few days to getting current with everyone.

It's Been Almost A Week

Yes, tomorrow will mark the one week anniversary of my injection of cortisone. I know everyone has been keeping track of the days, and you are all anxiously awaiting the verdict. I am ever so happy to report that, as of today, the pain is gone and my knee feels better than it has in quite some time. The question remains, however, how long this relief will last. At the moment, I am delighted with the result, and if I can get even a few weeks of feeling this good, I'll be a happy camper.

Even with this happy turn of events, I am losing steam in my journey. I'm making little to no progress, and I'm starting to feel myself caring less and less. Blogging helps keep me at least a bit on track, but I still don't have that over powering urge to succeed anymore. I'm not gaining weight, but I'm not losing, either. Just kinda hangin' around doin' nothing. Boring, I know, but I kinda really don't care. This is NOT good news. I am usually better at sticking with something than this. I think this problem might be genetic. The Primary Child has said he's kinda backing off his blog about running, and The Perfect Child isn't into this anymore, either.

My Halloween Challenge is probably going to be a major bust, unless I can lose 4# by the 31st. Doesn't look promising at this point. I do have something to look forward to this week!! Our 5 yr. old granddaughter has two days off from school and I'm going to pick her up tonight and bring her here for a visit. I always enjoy that.....plus, she will keep me moving, so maybe that will prompt me to action again. I hope something does. I really don't like feeling so down and negative about all of this. I think it probably best that I finish this post for the day, so I won't bore you all to the point of no return.

Hey, Buddy Can You Spare A Joint?

No, not that kind of joint....although it might be a good idea eventually. I've just come from the Orthopod's office. I have NO cartilage whatsoever in my right knee. I used to have some, I'm pretty sure, but it has flown the coop. Nothing, even behind my kneecap, where I know there used to be a small dab hiding. Dr. said it's no wonder my knee feels lousy. Even IF I wanted to have the surgery, which is now inevitable, I'd have to wait 7 months for an opening. Ok by me. In the meantime, we'll try cortisone every 3-4 months until I can't stand it anymore, then schedule the replacement. I have had wonderful luck with my first replacement, so I'm not at all hesitant to do it again, I just would like to postpone it until walking around is really, really so painful I have no other choice. Right now, I think I can get by with the cortisone. I had my first injection today, so I've already begun counting the days until my next shot.

I have been given a list of no-no's in regard to my exercising. Some things I've already either quit doing, or modified, but some others I'm going to have to alter a bit. No weight bearing exercises unless I use the physio-ball to sit on. No weights over 8#. No squats, but a slight "dip" is permissible. No "slogging" or slow jogging, no jumping, and no climbing. Other than an occasional "slog" the other two things weren't in my plan anyway. Easy on the stretching, and when I stretch be extra careful not to "bounce" when trying to stretch out the leg. Also, no power walking....as if!!! Unfortunately, nothing about vacuuming and cleaning toilets was mentioned.....although when I relate the details to Hubby Dearest, they might make the final list of no-no's. And Kids, no tattling to your father, or Christmas might be pretty bleak this year. :)

My plans for the 5K at Thanksgiving have been altered slightly. I'll now have to walk the entire thing instead of a moment of slogging now and then. The Perfect Child has graciously consented, I think, to hold dinner until I get done. I'm hopeful I won't cause the turkey to burn.

All things considered, I got exactly the news I expected, although I was hoping that the surgery option was going to be a bit further into the future. I'm still going to try and hold out as long as possible, but if doing that interferes with my golf game, I'll go get the new knee in a heartbeat.

Whew!!! and Whoa!!!!

Well, I'm not going to tell you how long it took for me to get the new badge affixed to the side of my blog. Suffice it to say, I worked up a sweat, and exercised my vocabulary muscles. Thank you again 266. I'm only sorry it took me so long to get this done. Now, if I could actually remember "how" I accomplished this miraculous feat, I'd be ever so delighted. Dumb luck is a wonderful thing, but I sure would like to know how to do it again.....should I ever be so lucky as to get another award. Not begging, just sayin'.

Yesterday was simply an ok day. I went out to lunch with our lunch group. I had a lovely Moroccan Chicken Flatbread sandwich with a small side salad. I didn't eat all of the flatbread, so I was pleased with myself about that. One of the women I went to lunch with suggested that since we were in the downtown area we should "pop" over to the Italian Sausage & Grocery store only a few blocks away. As Julia Roberts said in Pretty Woman...."Big mistake, HUGE!" The trek through the store started out just fine. Found my favorite canned tomatoes and some lovely olive oil.....no problems yet.....turned a corner and POW! Fresh, hand made Italian sausages, Prosciutto, Pancetta, Mortadella, etc. I stopped and stared, it was useless to fight it, I simply could not. The only choice I had was to mitigate the damage I was about to do by showing a little self restraint. Only 2 garlic sausages, 3 small slabs of pancetta, and two 1# pkgs. of med hot bulk Italian sausage. Got to the checkout where we found all of the frozen stuffed pastas. I resisted the temptation to buy one bag of each, and settled on a tri colored tortellini for when our granddaughter visits, and a bag of chicken ravioli. That's about the very best I have ever done in an ethnic grocery store. In some respects I was quite pleased with the self restraint I showed, but in truth, I was completely off base. I promise to use these ingredients judiciously, and only for special occasions. I just got a new Food Saver vacuum sealer, so I sealed everything up nice and tight, that way it will keep longer, and I won't be tempted to pull something out once a week "to keep it from getting freezer burn".

I was kinda smart with dinner. I did use one of the bottled tomato basil sauces I bought with the chicken breasts I had already thawed out. Not really a chicken parm, but close enough to satisfy my Italian craving. I gotta stay away from that part of town. Unfortunately, it is right south of the Farmers' Market area, so now that I know where it is, I'm going to have to monitor myself. Perhaps house arrest would work.

Tailgate Success Story!!!

Yes, folks, I did navigate my way through the tailgate this weekend with little, or no difficulty. As you can see, the tent was up early, and a few friends began mingling around, so I snapped this photo before I forgot. Then as people began to gather, out came the food. What you can't see is the turkey breast, which went very rapidly, and about 1/2 of the meatballs are already gone. My introducing healthy fare had no detrimental effect on the participants whatsoever!! Although, get 'em all liquored up and they would probably eat a cow pie if it had BBQ sauce on it. Just sayin'. But for those who really didn't care if the food was healthy or not, I did have our Pizza Bread (kinda copied from Johnny's Italian Steak House), my famous Pepper Dip & Pretzels, Chocolate Chip Cookies, M & M's, Skittles, Combos and assorted other chips and stuff. I refrained from all of the "other stuff" with the exception of two pretzels with my pepper dip on them. I walked those off just getting to the stadium, I am quite sure.

I would like to thank 266 for a blog award, but as we all know my techno skills are such that no matter what I tried, I could not for the life of me get the award picture posted. I have also forgotten some of what I am supposed to do after receiving the award. I know I was supposed to link to her blog, so I managed that. I think I'm supposed to come up with 6 things that might be interesting about myself. Now that's a tough one. I really have only about 4 1/2 things about myself that are interesting. I'll fake the other 1 1/2, I guess.

1. I love reading and doing crosswords.

2. I love the smell of a bookstore and a library, I find being around books very comforting.

3. I am old, and forget which of my children is which. Last post I said it was the Primary Child that signed me up for the 5K in Phoenix, it was, in fact, the Perfect Child. It's easy to confuse them- one is a tall, red haired male and the other a dark haired female. See how easily I'm confused???

4. I really, really, really hate exercising on a regular basis. I have not yet had those "I gotta do it" endorphins kick in yet.

1/2 I could be a mole. Not a spy, a really life rodent mole. I don't seem to object to living in a dark house. Lights are strictly optional to me. Although I do love the sunshine. Hubby Dearest, gets so perturbed at me for reading the paper without light. Doesn't seem to bother me in the least. Lest you think I am conserving energy, I'm not doing it consciously. I've always had lights off around the house.

I guess the last 1 1/2 things about me that are not even remotely interesting is that I really love golf, and hate it when the season begins to come to a close. I get a bit "misty eyed" at the prospect of days on end without golf.....which is on some occasions, my only exercise for the day.

Now, I'm sure I'm supposed to award this blogging badge to others, but since I can't seem to get my badge on my own blog, I'd be forced to ask all my blogster friends to wander about looking for the badge. However, EVERYONE, I award you this wonderful honor. I truly do love all the blogs I read. I try to comment as often as I can and be as positive as I can. You ALL do the same for me, and I appreciate it to no end. You are a community of wonderful, caring people, and I am so grateful to the Perfect Child for suggesting I begin blogging, and to the Primary Child who was already a blogger, and taught me where to go to begin blogging and how to do it. Now, if someone could just update my blogging skills, I'd really be all set, wouldn't I? Thank you ALL again.

P.S. I think I got the kids in the right order this time. :)

Been There, Gonna Do That, Now Give Me The Damned Tee Shirt!!

"Put me in coach, I'm ready to play." Well, sort of. We are headed to Phoenix for Thanksgiving to see The Primary Child. Guess who thought a 5K Turkey Trot would be a fun preamble to the traditional gluttony of the Thanksgiving meal? Yep, our little Phoenician!! She has taken the liberty of signing Hubby Dearest, herself and me up for the event!! I wasn't going to do it unless I got a tee shirt, and by damn, I do. So I guess that means I'm now committed. To say I'm looking forward to it would be slightly overstating things, but I do think it will be fun to at least say I did a 5K. I plan to "slog" the route, meaning a very slow jog, moderate walk. Might turn into just a walk depending on what I learn at the Dr. next Thursday.

Tomorrow is another tailgate. I've planned it all out, and I'm armed and dangerous. I am also thinking some cooler weather and some shivering might wear off a few extra calories as well. I now have an entire notebook devoted to healthy choices for tailgate food. I'm using 3 of the recipes tomorrow.....Hawaiian Meatballs, King Ranch Casserole and Brined & Grilled Turkey Breast. I'll have some low cal snacks of some sort, too, but the major players are all going to be healthy.

I have to admit, yesterday was a lousy day for me and food. I did too much boredom eating, and no exercise at all. My exercise routines have been limited, but at least I've kept doing them. Yesterday, it just simply didn't happen. I didn't want to, so I didn't. I am kicking myself every which way today, cuz I know that any movement at all is good, so my total "slugdom" kinda pissed me off. The food portion of the day was no better than the exercise portion. I just grazed on things randomly. No thought went into a darned thing, until it came to dinner. Then it occurred to me that a healthier dinner might be a good idea. I was already grilling the Brined Turkey Breast, so I threw on some chicken breasts, roasted some veggies and shared a baked potato with HD. At least I salvaged the last part of the day. Sometimes it feels like I should just lift up the other foot and shoot myself in that one, too. KA-POW!!

Zip, Zero, Zilch, Nada, Nil, Nothing!!!

That sums it up!!! The Wednesday Weigh In produced NOTHING!! I suppose I should be somewhat heartened by the fact I didn't gain, but I'm not. I just finished reading "Sixty by Sixty" and Sheilagh is suffering through a gain last week, and swearing that there will be no more negativity!! I really don't know if I'm strong enough to swear off anything.

OMG, I just heard on the television (Dr. Oz Show) that saying you'll "TRY" is a form of not doing anything!!! You must say you are going to "DO", not try. I hadn't thought of it that way....ever. I am always saying I'll try to do something, to get a job done, to finish a project, to start over again, you get the idea. Seldom do I say that I WILL "Get 'er done". Now the question becomes, CAN I change the way I look at this journey? Am I going to try or am I going to do? I truly believe I want to do, but I've been stuck trying for so long, my learning curve might be steeper than I think. I am thinking that this show came on at just the right time to wake me up a bit. Perhaps it was "Divine Intervention", who knows.

I had originally thought this post would be a quick little "Oh poor me" post cuz I didn't lose anything this week. Now, having just heard that quick little snippet on TV, I'm completely rethinking a lot of things. I have lots of work to do, I am quite certain. I must learn to DO things that will be of benefit to my well being. I must DO what is right for myself. I need to learn to be a DOER, not a TRYER. Geez, a whole new project is in the making. And here I thought I'd just complain a little bit, inject a bit of humor, bemoan my lack of progress and be off to read all of my blogger friends' postings. New Day, New Plan, New Philosophy, New Way of Thinking. Gonna take a little time and a lot of work to turn things around, but I'm certainly going to DO it this time.

Techno Challenged

I admit it, I am techno challenged. It's hard to fathom since The Primary Child is a whiz kid, technology based media teacher. He did not get this skill set from me. Many of you might remember the difficulty I had (well, still have, really) posting pictures, so this problem can't come as a complete surprise. This disclaimer leads me to a thank you to Karen @ FITCETERA. She gave me the Over the Top Blog Award, and I am most grateful to her for thinking of me. However, this being a two part award, one posting the sign on your blog, which I did, after much fiddling around, and part two -answering a bunch of questions. Here's my problem, I cannot for the life of me figure out how to cut and paste the questions so I can answer them. Now, to be completely honest, none of my answers would be all that interesting, so consider yourselves lucky I'm a techno challenged old lady. I remember the first question, which was "Where is your cell phone?" My answer would be "In my purse, turned off." See, nothing interesting at all. :) Now, of course it is my privilege to pass this prestigious award on, so to everyone who has a blog I follow, consider yourselves awarded!! I simply cannot chose just a few anymore, I follow so many, and I honestly enjoy each and every one of your blogs. I followed the directions to the best of my ability....which as you see, is limited.

Weigh In Wednesday. Hmmmmm. I was looking forward to today with great anticipation since I had been behaving this week. My good behavior was rewarded with a measly .3# loss. I know, a loss is a loss, but come on .3#??? Good thing I revised my Halloween Challenge downward from 10# or I'd really be screwed!! I do think part of the problem is that with my cold, my exercise efforts have been cut short by congestion issues. I've not been putting the usual effort forth, and it shows. I still have one week before the next tailgate, so I can hopefully get more accomplished by then. Today is my day for cooking some of the healthy tailgate food I'll be packaging up for later use. The Hawaiian Meatballs await! I'm really looking forward to some of the new and unusual things I've found in my recipe hunt. This is going to be fun, I think. Both kids are willing participants in this experiment, as is Hubby Dearest, so I'm hoping the other tailgaters will approve, as well. My theory is, "If it tastes good, they will eat it". Simple as that.

I heard on the news this morning that we may have a slight possibility of snow this weekend. I am so NOT ready for that. I was looking forward to going to the Dr. on the 22nd, having my knee injected, and going to play some more golf. I am hopeful that can still happen, but the darned weather this year has been so unusual, ya just never know. The change in temps also means more walking on the dreadmill. I'd much rather be outside, especially since I would like people to see my spiffy shoes. :) Oh well, exercise is exercise no matter where it's done, right?

Will staining the deck count as exercise, or just busy work? HD decided that he could powerwash and stain his own deck since the deck itself is TREX material, he'd only have to do the railings and beams. HA!!!! Not as easy as he thought. Very tedious. I like to remind him that there are people who do this for a living, and that it would have been done by now if we'd found one of those people earlier in the year. I had to begin helping a few weeks ago, but now with cooler weather coming, I don't know if we'll get it all done. I think I could count at least part of the process as an upper arm workout, don't you? How many calories will I burn by repeatedly telling HD "I told you so!" ???? Hundreds, I'm quite certain.....I'm very good at what I do.

Weekend One, In The Books!! Literally.

Whew! I made it! No major slip ups this weekend. Now, in order to keep myself honest, as I promised I would do, I must admit I was still battling my fall cold, and didn't feel like misbehaving. Hey, whatever works, right? I don't recommend going out and getting a head cold, but it did keep me from falling off the wagon. I also found out that the Halls cough lozenges we have on hand have 15 calories each!! That was a major bummer. It was bad enough when I found out that some of my vitamin and mineral supplements had calories, but a throat lozenge with calories is just too much to endure. According to my handy-dandy calorie/carb counting book, there are sugar free varieties, so I must put those on my shopping list. Geez, 15 calories might be 2T of something I really like!!!

I think, in my debilitated state, I developed a bit of OCD. Actually, a bit more than usual, to be totally honest. I scoured the cookbook cupboard, and while doing so, I cleaned it out and rearranged everything, so that the healthier option cookbooks were right smack dab in the center of the shelf. Got rid of excess books. Well, not really got rid of them, I just relocated them to the basement. Now, I need an extra bookshelf. Then, because this wasn't enough of a task, I began the tedious job of taking all of the recipes I've torn out of magazines, newspapers, etc. and calculated the calorie counts in those I might be interested in using. Good Lord, I collect a lot of recipes I have no way of ever getting time to cook. I had two file folders full of recipes torn from various sources, but I only got about 6-10 completely calculated. I figured I'd just do the new ones I wanted to use for tailgating, then when winter finally hits around here, and it will, I'll do some more as time allows. Now, all that remains to do is make the darned recipes and have them ready to go. I have to say, I am quite proud of myself. I feel armed and dangerous now.

I realize I seem to obsess over the tailgate issue, but that is currently where my biggest challenge lies. I am trying very hard to plan well, and be sensible, so lining up some menus and recipes that will fit into my personal plan is a big deal for me. Sorry it's kinda repetitive, but blogging about it helps me focus on what I need to do. Perhaps, at the next tailgate I'll take a quick picture so you can see what our little pre-game party looks like.

Oh Drear, Oh Drear!

Dreary, rainy, cool, crappy day today. To prove just how crappy the day has been so far, I finally put away my golf shorts nice & neat. Usually I just fold them, then pile them up after washing, after all I'm just going to put them on again and get them dirty in another day or two. :) I organized our closet while I was at it, as well. I think my topper will be digging into the smelly laundry next. Well, for goodness sake, who doesn't just love sorting one's workout clothing and getting it ready to wash. It is certainly a highlight of my week. Even tho' I have virtually no sense of smell, the workout clothing (both mine & Hubby Dearest's) seem to sneak through the one olfactory nerve that works. Tells ya something, doesn't it? One small bright spot....when I went into the jeans drawer, my old jeans are a bit looser than last year. My small NSV for the day. :)

I continue to work on my tailgate recipes. Several hours and several cookbooks later, I find myself wandering around Barnes and Noble. Four new cookbooks and another book later, I find myself at home, formulating my plans. I have actually gotten out an old notebook, made copies of recipes I'm going to use and divided them up according to the game day I'm going to use them. My organizational skills often amaze me, particularly when you remember that I have the attention span of a gnat. Must be where The Perfect Child gets it...organizational skills, that is. :) As a "for instance"....one game I'm doing Hawaiian Meatballs for myself. Four meatballs are 115 calories. Along with that I'll have some Chicken Schwarma. One serving of that is 300 calories. I'll use a low fat/low cal pita to accompany that. Both should be filling and delicious. I will also have almonds available for my "munchies" instead of the M & M's, Skittles, Combos, Peanuts and Popcorn. Those will all be there, I just won't be diving in head first this time. I might throw in a 100 calorie pack of Cheetos, and I mean ONLY one pack. If I take only one with me, I won't be tempted to eat the entire box!!! AND, in keeping with my plan, I will faithfully report just exactly how I did in regard to this new plan. No "fudging", no shading the truth, I'll give you the straight stuff. Promise.

Tomorrow is our team's week off because we play next Thurs. night. So instead of tailgating, I'll have a time off to cook and prepare for Oct. 17's game. This also gives me a little "lead time" in getting myself on the right track. I am actually quite happy about that, even tho' I miss seeing our team play. This weekend's events will kickoff with a trip to the Farmers' Market. A much healthier beginning to my Saturday, I'm happy to report.

I found an interesting website in one of the magazines I was perusing yesterday. It was an older issue of Taste of Home. It is a Belgian website, complete with blog, that has wonderful, if sometimes odd, combinations and pairings of foods. For instance, tonight I have chicken set out for dinner. Who knew that fresh cut grass goes well with chicken???? Well, this website told me it was so. :( Other combinations make much more sense, but I found many of the pairings interesting and unusual. I'm definitely going to try some of the suggestions. They put the pairings together according to main ingredient, the do kind of a "spokes of a wheel" chart of things that work well together. It's kinda fun to look at. I would use the fresh cut grass tonight, but it's too wet to mow, so I'll have to settle for a more mundane rendition of a chicken dish. Maybe next week, if the weather improves. I'll keep you posted. :)

Too Soon??

After only 1 day of my Halloween Challenge, is it too soon to change my goal? Well, hell no. It's my game, my rules. After another serious discussion with myself (and yes, I'm still answering, too) it occurred to me that 10# might not be as realistic as I had hoped. If I were truly able to do the exercises at full speed and for the full time, I might have a chance. But, with my knee giving me such difficulty, and the Dr.'s appt. not until Oct. 22, I may have to pare back the expectations. It is therefore necessary for me to recalculate what weight loss might be reasonable. I would now like to restate my goal.....5-6# lost by Halloween. Needless to say, I'm shooting for more, but I need to be sensible when I exercise and not overdo just to make my original goal. So, after only one day, I'm changing my rules. I'll admit it, I'm a bit of a wimp, but also a bit of a realist.

Weigh In Wednesday was everything I thought it might be. It was not as awful as I thought, but it was not good. I stayed the same. A small victory, but a hollow one given that I behaved so stupidly. Had I just stayed on some sort of an even keel, I would have probably shown a small loss. This is the kind of behavior I'm trying to change, but it is really IS hard to teach an old dog new tricks. Woof!Woof!!!

I am now fighting the "Fall in the Midwest Obligatory Cold". A time honored tradition here in our house. It is not the flu, so I'm heartened by that, but I still feel like crud. My time on the recumbent this morning was cut short by my sneezing fit and a stuffy nose making my breathing difficult. I did 30 min, tho. I had hoped to up the time to 45min. this week, but I'll settle for the 30 for now. Maybe I'll try another few minutes this afternoon, in between sneezing fits.

I spent a good portion of my afternoon yesterday sorting recipes, calculating calories for those not already done, and sorting into categories. I found some new things that I think will make good tailgate fare, and some that just plain sound yummy. I'd forgotten I'd saved some of them, so it was like finding them all over again. Today, I'll finish sorting and begin making tailgate plans. I'm not used to doing that, so having an actual list of things we'll be eating will be a new and exciting experience. I take this step as a very good sign that I'm trying to get control over my weekends. I am counting on all of you to help keep me honest. :)

BOO!!

Not boo hoo, either. :) I have issued myself a Halloween Challenge. After pondering what I could possibly do to get my big fat ass back into gear, I came up with a short term challenge that I think will be completely doable. Taking into consideration that we have only two home games between now and Halloween....meaning only two tailgates to get through....I am re-committing to my 75% plan, with the addition of a few "tweaks" at the tailgates. I can make at least one dish that is a healthy, delicious treat for ME. If someone else wants to partake, there will be plenty, but I'm making at least one main thing just for me. I will supplement the usual chips and crap with a tray of healthy nibbles, too. The last few tailgates I have made healthy salads which no one touched. So my healthy salads idea will be made with just me in mind. I make tons of food each week, I think it's time I make things that are just for ME. I don't have to partake in the ribs, buffalo tenders, pizza bread, cheesy corn, mini-mac 'n cheese, and crunchy potatoes. I can still make them, I just need to pass on them, or be more sensible when enjoying them. Starting today, I'm scouring my many, many, many cookbooks for healthy alternatives. I'm making a shopping list for supplies I don't already have on hand, which doesn't happen often, so I need to be specific and have a list. Cooking Light and Eating Well have provided assistance previously, so I'll begin with those two "go to" recipes. I'll also use some of the wonderful recipes Mary Fran was so kind as to forward to me. As you can see above, I have plenty of reference material. This is only 1 shelf in 1 location housing my cookbook collection. It is in my pantry where I can get at them easily. I do NOT lack for information.

Therefore, Mr. Primary Child and Ms. Perfect Child, prepare for a healthy dish or two when you arrive at the tailgate tent. I realize, Ms. PC, that you'll only be at one tailgate this year, but there will be a healthy tray of food somewhere on the menu. I have to say, I'd be surprised if more people don't enjoy some different stuff and dive into the "good for you" fare. Hubby Dearest might be the toughest sell, but even he will come around, I'm sure.

The hardest portion of my challenge will be the tailgate beverage station avoidance. Perhaps taking this into consideration, and planning ahead will help. This is one of the reasons I think I came up with the 75% rule originally. Even taking alcohol into consideration, we do walk a fair distance to and from the stadium, so at least I'm not sitting still and drinking for hours and hours. There IS a game in between. :)

Having issued myself this challenge, I am hoping to lose 10 pounds by Halloween. I think if I truly implement the ideas I have just espoused, I can be successful in this endeavor. The plan is still kinda forming in its entirety, but I think I've made a good start. The Halloween Challenge is a short term goal kinda thing, so I'll consider expanding to a Thanksgiving Challenge, Christmas Challenge......you get the idea. Baby steps, mostly because I have an extremely short attention span.

"Stupid Is As Stupid Does"

Sound familiar? Yep, another Monday morning apology for yet another tailgate indiscretion!! Lucky for me we have a bye week, so I can get down to business. Now, truthfully, the tailgate was not "what done 'er in" specifically. It was just the starting gate for a downhill thrill ride. Now, even tho' my granddaughter is being taught not to use the word "stupid", I cannot think of another apt word for what I did this weekend. I was STUPID!! And up until right now, I wasn't really feeling all that guilty about it. THAT is what worries me. Beginning with an evening football game and all afternoon tailgate, the food and beverage consumption was, to say the very least, a bit excessive. Expected, but excessive. Late night, early morning, to boot. After the game we return to Omaha, where we stay over night, thus knocking off an extra hour of drive time. Sunday morning got up and on the road so we could make a noon tee time with friends. Noon, of course signals the appropriate time to begin consuming adult beverages. Had two on the course. Golf is over after about 4 hours, which brings us to the "cocktail hour", which leads to dinner with friends. Well, you see how it goes. I am not taking a quick peek at the scales this week. I'll wait to be surprised at my Wednesday Weigh In. Not looking forward to that, I'll admit.

After my "regroup and rethink" week, I did show some progress at the Wednesday Weigh In. I was down 1.2#. It's still over what my lowest has been, but since I'm looking at this as a completely new challenge, I lost weight, and that was good. Unless I can really get my butt in gear these next couple of days, I fear my next Wednesday will not show any progress. I am going to take this bye week as a sign from the diet and health Gods that I am to behave myself and stick to the plan I have repeatedly promised to adhere to. What really gets me is that for the most part, I stick to the plan quite nicely. The 75% plan I set forth works really well..... until Saturday. Whatever self control I might possibly possess, I must "sleep off" Friday night. So now, to set myself straight, I am going to focus on my weekends. Tailgates will be included, so I am working on a plan. I have just begun thinking about this, so it really doesn't have a shape or form yet. But it does seem to me that for 2 lousy days of the week, I should be able to exhibit some sort of self control. I think that this weekend will begin with a Saturday morning trip to the farmers' market. We've not been going lately since our CSA has been giving us such wonderful produce. Friday was our last day for the CSA deliveries, so I think an early morning walk through the downtown market will be just the ticket to start off a new weekend plan.

So, Stupid here is off to make that plan....."Run, Forest, Run!!!" And I will.

Honestly, I've Been Scrapped!!

Thanks to Jo, I've been given the Honest Scrap award. If memory serves, it's been 2 min. since I read about this award, and I have the attention span of a gnat. I am supposed to tell 10 things about myself that no one knows and then pass the award on to 10 more bloggers. Hopefully, that is the correct explanation of this prestigious award. So, I'm pondering ten things about me that no one would know. Since my kids read my blog periodically, I assume this is intended to enlighten the blogosphere, not family. :0 They pretty much know everything there is to know at this point. As has been said ,"Rarely do I have an unspoken thought". It all comes rolling out at some point or another.

1. I have only lived here in Iowa for about 2 years. After 25+ years in Omaha, I'm not a huge fan of Iowans. Never have I heard so much whining about infringement of personal rights. At the moment, it is because bike riders want car drivers to be nicer. It is the bike riders' personal right to be on the road. Whine, whine, whine over everything imaginable. To top it off, Iowans may just possibly be the second worst group of drivers, ever. Second only to Massholes. Directional fluid does not come in cars sold in Iowa, I am convinced.

2. I love all things golf, but I'm assuming you all knew that. I'm counting it as one of my ten anyway. (I am also pretty darned good at golf, too.)

3. I love a good party!! Actually, I can make a bad party good, so I guess I just love parties in general.

4. I can procrastinate 'til the cows come home, and NO ONE can out stubborn me.

5. Geez, this is getting hard now. I love to cook for a crowd.....which usually means A PARTY!! I do love to cook, and will try a new recipe at the drop of a hat. I have an amazing pantry and freezer. Rarely do I have to run to the store for a strange ingredient. Although finding some of my stuff here in Iowa has been a challenge.

6. I want, more than almost anything, a huge outdoor kitchen, complete with a huge brick oven and all the bells and whistles. I have a great grill, but I want it ALL!!!

7. I love, love, love gourmet grocery stores. I will buy almost any obscure thing in them I can find.

8. I have an affinity for golf shoes. Not regular shoes, but golf shoes. I have way too many pairs hiding around the house and in my locker at the club. It's kinda embarrassing, but I really don't care.

9. I collect recipes knowing I will probably never use them. I have books, folders, binders, and way too many cookbooks, but I still don't have enough. I buy cookbooks and actually read them. I'll read anything, but I really do enjoy reading cookbooks.

10. I miss my grandkids. In Omaha, we lived 5 min. away and I could go babysit at the drop of a hat. Now I have to schedule visits cuz we're 2 hrs. away. That is what truly sucks. They are so cute and so much fun, I really miss being close to them.

Now, Jo.....drop down to DM sometime and we'll hang out together. I know you've been "in the hood" before, so come again. Thanks for the award, but thinking this hard has made me tired. But, as instructed, here are the 10 bloggers I will bestow the award upon. In no particular order, as they say on "Dancing With The Stars".
1. Sheilagh
2. Kate
3. Tina
4. Teresa
5. Gigi
6. Cammy
7. Tammy
8. Mary Fran
9. Suzi
10. Irene
11. Jack
12. Amy

Guess my #11 should be I don't follow directions very well.


I know I left a few people out, but I love all my fellow bloggers, and read everyone regularly.
Ok, I've done my part, now it's your turn to do your thing. I'll await the answers. I hope you have more luck thinking of 10 things than I did. :)

To Tea, Or Not To Tea, That Is The Question!

On this rainy Monday morning, I'm sitting with my cup of green tea in hand reading the newspaper. Not that it is like a real newspaper, more like "My Weekly Reader" used to be. But I digress. Generally speaking, the news articles are not really interesting or well written. However, this morning one headline caught my eye. It was telling me that green tea may not be all that good for your bones!! Lab rats lost a bit of bone density in their leg bones, according to this article. I continue sipping my green tea as tho' nothing has happened. I even brew myself another cup!! Bravery at its finest, I'd say. But as time wore on, I began to think....yes, I do that on rare occasions....just how much green tea did they actually give these poor rats? Usually in these studies the quantities given are so much greater than we'd ever actually ingest, that they make no sense to publish them. Kinda like the "Boy Who Called Wolf", if you ask me. Sip, sip, sip.

I'm going to continue my green tea enjoyment while slurping down vitamin C & D, Calcium and anything else I can think of to build my bone strength. Even tho' at my last bone scan my Dr. told me I had wonderful bone density. So there, green tea PooPoo'ers. Sip, sip, sip. Besides, now I have to get more Vitamin D to prevent the H1N1 virus. (Here in the Hog Capital of the US, we do NOT refer to it as swine flu, under penalty of death.) I'm putting the toilet seat down when I flush, lest the "aerosol" floats germs into my home, I wash my hands, I Lysol everything, I cough and sneeze into the crook of my elbow instead of into my hand, I got my regular flu shot Saturday, I'm am armed and ready!!! And I'm sure my green tea is gonna help. Sip, sip, sip.

Promising to behave 75% of the time this past week, I think I'm doing ok. 75% means that 5.25 days I have to make good decisions and stay on my plan. So far, so good. I took Sunday off to play golf and have dinner with friends. That always means a cocktail, or six, after golf, and then on to dinner. I did fish tacos for dinner (small plate portion) instead of the build your own burger extravaganza, so calculating the calories I used swinging at the golf ball numerous times, I came out only slightly "off" plan. I am heartened by that. So currently my score is 4 days, good, 1 day partly good. I have only today and tomorrow to be good, and I will have actually exceeded my target of 75%. Hubby Dearest is going out of town, so I can make some of the new, healthy recipes I've been wanting to try. That will be fun. We found out Friday night HD is NOT a fan of grilled okra or brussel sprouts. So, since the CSA provided ample amounts of both, I'll be trying something new with those ingredients. Both of which, I like. Sip, sip, sip.

I am also happy to report that I really do think my new "mini" squats, and spiffy new shoes are helping stretch and strengthen my knee. I am experiencing much less pain while golfing and doing the steps in the house. Progress, I'd say. I am extremely thankful for that, believe me.
No walking today, so it'll be the recumbent for me today. I like the stretch that gives me, so I'm happy to be able to do that, at least. But first, one more cup of green tea, just cuz I don't care what the paper said. Sip, sip, sip. Pfffft.

Just Takin' A Quick Peek

Yes, I did sneak a peek at the scales this morning. After all, it has been 2 whole days since my recommitment!!! I was sure I'd see a huge difference. I did see a difference, a good one even, but I don't want to kick myself in the a** by announcing my small success prematurely. Karma can be a bitch, ya know. I also think that playing golf yesterday probably contributed to a bit of the loss. Oh well, as we all know, we'll take what we can get and be damned grateful for it.

My new plan is off to a good start. Without really bragging, I would like to say I've stayed with the plan I set out for myself. Granted, it's only been two days (plus a few hours this morning) but for whatever reason, it seems easier this time. Prior info is helping, I suspect.

I have also developed a guilty pleasure while riding my recumbent bike. I watch Dr. Oz!! I find his show fascinating and informative. Who knew that flushing the toilet with the lid open, spreads germs like crazy? That's a habit we are trying to break. The germs that showed up on people's toothbrushes, counter tops and drinking glasses, and even towels, was so gross, it sent me running to the computer to warn my children. Odd, the things that move me to action, isn't it? Dr. Oz has also prompted me to be more faithful to my green tea consumption. I'm really good about getting the water thing done, but a cup or two of green tea might be a good thing, too. Reading back over this paragraph, I just might have become a Dr. Oz groupie. How odd, at my age. :)

Today it is back to doing some weights. The "mini" squats have had no ill effects on my knee, so I am going to continue to do those. I think I'll try increasing the number of sets, but cut down the number of reps. That way I can do them throughout the day, thus giving the knee a slight rest in between. I have found that anything over my head with the weights still has my shoulder aching, but that, too, is getting better. Perhaps my layoff rested things sufficiently so that I am now ready to resume the exercises in their true form. No need to modify.

Lastly, I have cured my computer blues. It seems that somehow a program attached itself to my computer and provided those double green lines to show me ads related to those words. It was part of a game package, which I did NOT download, and added pop ups and advertisements willy nilly on my computer. After an "uninstall" I am happily green line free. However, a happy happenstance has also occurred. It seems that now, when I receive comments from all of you lovely bloggers, your signature picture appears on the screen along with your comment. That's new, and I did nothing to prompt that. Technology truly baffles me.

Concentration Constipation

Yep, that's what I have, alright. Focus, or in my case, lack thereof is becoming a bit of an obstacle to my ultimate success. I seem to have lost sight of the big picture and have dialed in on just the weight loss portion of my journey. Today was Weigh In Wednesday, and I was struck by the emphasis I put on getting on the scale this morning. No change, so that was ok, I guess. However, in the larger sense, I became annoyed with myself at being so dependent on what my scale shouted back at me.

After a frank discussion with myself. (And yes, I did answer myself back.) I have decided to return to the basic premise that brought me to the blogosphere.....better OVERALL health. I've been slipping a little in that department lately. My meal prep and planning has not been nearly as good as it was a month or two ago. The Dinner Challenge I issued to the Perfect Child has kinda gone belly up, so I became a bit lax. Lack of Focus at its finest. I still have all of the "tools" necessary for success, I've just been ignoring them, I guess.

So, after my re-evaluation of the situation, I have decided to start all over again. I'm starting with today's weight and going forward with renewed vigor. I am confident that if I put this new beginning out here in the blogosphere, you will all help me remain accountable. So starting today, it is back to the basics. I'm going to re-focus and remove the "blockage" that has my concentration constipated. I think if I can remain on track at least 75% of the time each week, I'll be back to where I want to be. 75% , you say, is not much....however, if you're regaining focus a little at a time, 75% is a good starting point. Maybe it is a low expectation kinda thing, but at least it is something, and I have to re-start somewhere. :) I know there will be slip ups, so I am allowing myself an "oops" now and then. No recriminations, just get my butt back in gear. I hope this approach proves successful. If it does, I'll up the percentage to 90% eventually, then up to 100% !!! I will be a work in progress.

Gimme A "Z"!!!!! Please.

Gimme several "Z's". I want a full night's sleep. Anyone else have the same problem? I can get to sleep, have about 2-3 hrs. of pretty good sleep, then wake up all "banjo eyed" and ready to rock and roll. I then stay awake, toss, turn then eventually get up and go downstairs to the kitchen. The only good part of the scenario is that I don't eat when I go downstairs, I read and drink water. So that's ok. After about 1-2 hrs. of futzing around in the kitchen, I can get back into bed and get another 2-3 hrs. of sleep. I have numerous sleep aid pharmaceuticals, melatonin, Tylenol PM, Sleep Eze, Unisom, and my personal favorite Clonezepam, the choice of schizophrenics everywhere. It is an addictive medication used for spasms (restless leg), and is also a choice for treating schizophrenia. ( I do not suffer from this affliction. FYI) I have been taking absolutely nothing for 2 weeks in hopes of getting my system to adjust to a normal sleep pattern. No luck so far. I was also hopeful that my lovely walks were going to assist me in having a restful night's sleep. So far they haven't done one damned bit of good.....other than I enjoy them, and I get to wear my cute shoes. :)

Ok, so now my second rant. When did reading blogs become a commercial endeavor? All of a sudden, key words are being underlined in blogs with links to ads. I notice them in almost all of the blogs I read, including mine. A key word is double underlined in green and suggests that I have linked a reader to an advertisement. How does one shut this off? I certainly am not advocating for any of these companies or services, and would prefer to have them eliminated. Am I the only one that has noticed this, or is my computer the only one affected?

As an aside to yesterday's post.... The comment made by my stinky friend was, in fact, said in such a way as to make me believe she was, indeed, moving to facilitate the "Wide Load Comin' Thru". It was not just a polite gesture. I, myself, have often moved to the side of an aisle if I think I'm taking more than my fair share. This was clearly not the situation yesterday. However, I've had several good laughs over the situation, so all was not a total downer. :)

I didn't really intend for this post to turn into a rant-o-rama, but guess it kinda did. I do feel somewhat better, so I suppose the rant served its purpose.

Wide Load Comin' Thru!!!

Or at least that's what I assume this person meant today. I was at Bed, Bath & Beyond scouring the aisles for things I don't need, but must have, when a young woman (who, may I say, was not the poster child for good grooming) said "Here let me get out of the way so you can get through here." Since I did not have a cart, I assumed she meant that I was taking up more than my fair share of the aisle in which she parked her cart. Now, admittedly, I am fat, we all can assume that since I write about it constantly.....but I AM NOT bigger than the aisles in Bed, Bath & Beyond will accommodate!!!!! In fact, I breezed right through the space she left available by parking in the middle. So there, you stinky young thing!!! As I was gliding effortlessly through the aisle beside her I said (just barely loud enough to be heard) "Next time shower before you shop. Thank you." Looking back, perhaps I was just as snarky as she was, wasn't I? But ya know what? I don't give a rat's a**!!!

Tailgate #2 went quite nicely. I was actually pretty darned good, if I do say so myself.....and I do. I stuck to the breadless brisket and had one turkey sandwich, but the rest of the turkey was sans bread. I'll admit to a few, well ok, several adult beverages, but I'm thinking my walks helped mitigate those. In an effort to get my butt moving again, I hopped on the recumbent bike this morning. WOW!!! I hadn't anticipated how stiff my knee had become. I'd not ridden for a while, cuz I'd been out walking in my spiffy new shoes. WOWZAH!!! Things have tightened up a trifle, and not in a good way. I think today's plan will be to do 40 min. of biking. I'm gonna try 10 min. at a time to get started back without undue pressure on the knee. Hopefully, after a couple of days I can get back to doing it all at once. I also did a few weights earlier today. I'm going to try some "mini" squats with the 8# weights to see if I can tolerate it. I am also hoping that this might strengthen the muscles surrounding the knee. Guess we'll see.

The football game this week is an away game, so I can "chillax" and not cook all week long. That also means it will be easier to maintain a healthy diet while viewing the game in the comfort of our own home. We were going to go to the local Husker watch site, but we decided staying home with our feet up sounded better to us. This way we can curse and yell, scream and throw things and not be afraid of lawsuits. :)

So, it feels as tho' I might have turned the corner on both my lethargy and my lack of commitment. I'm feeling slightly more motivated this morning, and I must say, that makes me happy. If only that smelly shopper hadn't gotten my morning off on the wrong foot, I'd really be a happy camper. :)

I Was Right, Dadgummit

Yep, my Wednesday Weigh In was everything I thought it would be....and a bit more! Not surprisingly, I was up 3.4#. Not huge in the grand scheme of things, but certainly more than I wanted to see. I am improving my habits this week, but Tailgate #2 is tomorrow. I'm including some healthier options, so I'm going to really try and stick to the plan. I spent all day yesterday smoking a turkey breast and two briskets, so the turkey is ready for me. Also included in the day's activities is about a 2 mile walk to the stadium, a 1 mile walk at half time, and another 2 miles back to the tailgate spot after the game. That should all help, I hope.

I have been taking short walks this week, so that is certainly an improvement on my part. I do love my spiffy new shoes, and I really do notice a slight pull in my legs and butt when I walk with them on. Now, whether or not that will show any real results, or not, remains to be seen, but they are comfy and ever so cute. Even Hubby Dearest commented on how cute he thought my new shoes were. THAT never happens, so I am led to believe they really are as cute as I think. :)

I'm sad to see the last days of my CSA deliveries coming. Only 3 more Friday deliveries counting this one. I'm finally getting the kinds of produce I really want, and now it's almost done for the season. The abundance of kohlrabi in the early season almost had me wanting to quit the CSA and go just to Farmers' Markets, but I'm rethinking that now. We get our first winter squash this week! Those are among my favorite things, so I'm anxious for those to start appearing. I suppose, as with most farming operations, a lot of the success depends on the weather conditions at the farm. This year was certainly better than last year when we had all of the flooding around here, so the produce quantity and quality reflected the improvement.

Well, much remains to be done to prepare for our tailgate. We leave tomorrow morning at 7 so we can be in place and ready to party at 10-10:30. Minor details remain, so I'll piddle around doing little things for the rest of the day. I do LOVE this time of year, tho' , so it really isn't a hardship. It's just lots of fun, and it keeps me moving all day long. That's a good thing, right?

Anyone Available for an Intervention?

I do believe I might be in serious need of one!!! This past two weeks have taken a real toll on my heretofore successful endeavors at health. And, before you ask, the tailgating did figure into my downfall, but it certainly was not the main cause of my fall from grace. For whatever reason, I just simply went crazy this past couple of weeks. I didn't keep track of calories, I just kinda "winged it", and now I know exactly what that is going to mean at tomorrow's weigh in. I can hear the scale speaking to me..."One at a time", is it's usual plea. I'm expecting an addendum of "And put the bowling ball down, too!". I suppose, after a suitable talking to, I'll get myself back into the correct mindset, but at the moment, I'm not feelin' it.

I did break down and make an appointment to see the Dr. about my knee. Can't get in until Oct. 22, so I must hobble around a bit longer. I've been hesitant to see a Dr. here, as my previous Dr. is in Omaha, and I had a wonderful experience with him. He was a friend and golf buddy, so I'd like to go back there to have the surgery if that's what is necessary. Guess we'll see when the time comes. Today the knee feels pretty good, so hopefully a longer, brisker walk will be possible. And, if nothing else, that will make me feel better about what is facing me tomorrow at my Wednesday Weigh In. At least I will have tried to get back on the wagon.

I must take a moment to brag about a project I just completed. I made beef jerky!! It is delicious. The dehydrator has been sitting on our kitchen island for over a week now drying its little heart out. I've done tomatoes, peppers and herbs. I decided I'd really like to give jerky a whirl. I used round steak, seasoned it and voilà! Beef jerky. Drying the beef jerky took less time than drying the sage leaves, which I found shocking. It was also kinda fun braggin' about my interesting cooking stuff. My next adventure is going to be making Feta cheese!! I'm not going to start that until later, but I'm gonna do it.

Well, time to put on the walking shoes and go for a spin.

Perspiration and Inspiration

Or lack thereof. There has been very little of the former, and the latter is sadly lacking, as well. I have been doing a little walking, but with cooler temps the sweat just ain't happenin'. Inspiration is another matter completely. It is just simply not in my "hood" at the moment.

However, I've managed to keep busy, if not physically active. I've been tending to my harvest. I've dried tomatoes, made more chili powder, and today is "dry the herbs" day. I've taken excess potatoes from my CSA farmer and made ready to use hash browns. I've made and frozen several tailgate dishes, too. This necessitates many trips up and down our stairs to get to the freezer, so I'm kinda using the "stairmaster" theory of exercise.

Speaking about tailgates.....thanks to everyone, Mary Fran is particular, for your help. I copied some of the recipes and am ready to go. I'm doing the 7 layer salad next week. Not that anyone really cares, but this week is pulled pork sandwiches, cole slaw, potato casserole (I have an abundance of CSA potatoes), deviled eggs, pepper dip & pretzels, and all the other stuff that accompanies a tailgate. The "Aftergate" will be turkey wraps. We always stay after the game is over to let traffic clear, so we have and aftergate party, as well. So actually, I am making two tailgate meals each game.

I must tell you, the Pepper Dip is a real crowd pleaser. I'm actually kinda famous for it. However, it is NOT the least bit healthy or low fat, low calorie or any other "low". But, boy is it good. FYI....3 (8oz) bricks cream cheese, 1 stick butter, 1 pkg dry Hidden Valley mix (can be either dip or dressing), 1/2-3/4 c shredded Parmesan cheese (the real stuff, not the stuff in the green can) Mix it all together, put it into containers that have been sprayed with PAM and then coated on the bottom with coarse ground pepper. FREEZE!!! Pull it out an hour or two before serving and it is ready. Serve with pretzels. It has to be frozen first for some reason, I've found that serving right away just isn't the same. Also, 1- 1 1/2 brick of cream cheese can be low fat, but not no fat....don't know why that is, either. Like I said, not healthy, but really wonderful.
Could treats like this be how I got into this shape? Hmmmmmmm.

Tailgating 101...HELP!!!

This is a picture of "The Pistol", our grandson, and smallest of our tailgaters. For those of you who don't know, I am a huge fan of tailgating. Not tailgating in general, a specific, all consuming tailgating event entirely devoted to watching and supporting our beloved Nebraska Cornhuskers. We travel 3 hrs. each Saturday from Des Moines to Lincoln, NE. If there is a home game, we must be in place, neatly set up, complete with tent and grill, in our same parking area at least 3 hrs. prior to kickoff. I do most all of the cooking for the event, although more and more I'm doling out small tasks to others. I might be just a tad OCD in this regard. We have all of the necessary equipment to transport both hot and cold foods, beverages, tables, chairs, etc. Hubby Dearest and I have packing for the event down to a science, but this year a small difficulty has arisen. I'm trying to make some of the food healthy choices. I don't dare spring the whole healthy food thing on the crowd all at once. I'll edge into it with some healthy stuff each week, and before they know it.........ah, hell, who am I kidding, one or two healthy dishes each week will be all I can pass off to these people.

To this end, I would like some assistance from you, my blog buddies. I'd like a recipe or two, or three that would feed 10-30 people, is low cal, low fat and healthy. I have a complete repertoire of the regular tailgate fare, so all I'd really need is a salad or two, and casserole or two, a wrap or two, things of that nature. The catch, of course, is that it has to be able to be easily transported. I can keep it hot or cold for an unlimited trip, but portability is key. My current project is slimming down my world famous killer chicken pot pie. Not sure how I'm going to go about that, but I'm determined to try.

Luckily, we do have breakfast tailgates once in a while, so we can cook healthy fare for those. Although, most prefer the M & M's to the strawberries, we also have fruit and veggie plates available each week, but some real rib-stickin' foods that are not loaded with fats, oils, cream, butter, you know, all the good stuff, would be nice. HELP!!! And Thank you.

I'm going to sit by my computer and await the millions of wonderful recipes that I'm sure will be coming my way shortly. Thank you to you all!!! GO BIG RED!!! (That's the Nebraska cheer, for those of you who might not know that.) AND, I should mention that if you are a huge fan of another team, I won't be offended if you send me a recipe dedicated to your favorite team. :)

I just love college football season!!!

It Ain't Sauerkraut, But....

Realizing the work that goes into making sauerkraut, this doesn't rank up there in that category. However, I did marshal up all of my inner Martha Stewart and dehydrate my wonderful tomato crop as well as the two lovely Ancho peppers I produced. I now have about 2T of Ancho Pepper Powder ready for use. Nine hours of waiting and hoping, and all I got was 2 measly tablespoons. I'm going to have to choose my use very carefully. Unfortunately, the plant shows absolutely no signs of producing another pepper at this time. It looks healthy and is still perky as the dickens, just blossom free. Luckily, my other pepper plants look like they are going to provide me with some fine specimens.

Today was Weigh In Wednesday, and I am afraid that my soireè at the fair may have finally caught up with me. The good news is that the plateau has been broken, the bad news is that it was broken by going up 1.7# this week. I do realize that with my knee in my brace some of my exercises might not be quite as vigorous, but I was still hoping that at least by moving about, I'd stay at the plateau until I could bust through it. Damn!! My wonderful, cool new shoes were supposed to help, too, but I don't know if that's happening either. However, I do wear the shoes whenever I am going to be walking anywhere, so perhaps eventually they will be of some assistance. I shall not be defeated by this setback, I will make adjustments where I can, and continue the fight.....albeit at a slightly slower pace. I suppose now I will be the tortoise in this race, rather than the hare I had such high hopes of being. Double Damn!!

Brag, Brag, Brag

I wasn't actually going to write a post today. My inspiration is not as "up and at 'em" as it should be. I know, so sad. However, a phone call this morning followed by the cutest picture ever, changed my mind in a hurry. Our "Primary Grandchild" started kindergarten today. Above is the picture of the "Cutest Kindergartner Ever". I'm sure you will all agree. Right? Right! Unfortunately, her wonderful curly hair doesn't really show, but still, cute as a bugs ear. :) This is only a part of the bragging portion of this post.

The next boastful paragraph is about what she chose for her lunch today. (She is in all day kindergarten.) The school was offering pizza for lunch. What kid doesn't like pizza? Well, that did not appeal to her at all. So she decided that her first lunch as a kindergartner would be a sandwich made on whole wheat bread, spread lightly with whipped cream cheese, sprinkled with dill, with sliced tomatoes and cucumbers in another container to add to the sandwich when she's ready to eat. What 5 yr. old comes up with a wonderful, healthy sandwich like that? I'm so proud I am practically tearing up again just thinking about it. :) Brag, brag, brag!!! Oddly enough, she doesn't like jelly, so PB&J sandwiches are not an option, much to her Papa's dismay. PB&J is Hubby Dearest's go to sandwich for every occasion.

So you can see how verklempt I became at the thought of my little darling going to school, then realizing what a smart and healthy eater she was. Just like "G".....that's what she calls me. Well, to be truthful, I'd have eaten the pizza offered as a 5 yr. old, but at 60, I'd have her make my lunch for me, cuz it sounds yummy. Brag, brag, brag.

A Lovely Blog??? Who Knew?

Why, oh why, can I not make my pictures save properly? Damn.

At any rate, thank you to my new blogging buddy at 266 for giving me the Lovely Blog Award. It was so very thoughtful of you. Now I must, as the rules state, say something nice about the donor, and pick 15 blogs of note, ones that I frequent and really enjoy. Well, of course, you've read all about the dilemma that this creates and the anxiety that goes with it, so I'll not go into all of that. I'll just try to pick 15 of my blog buddies that perhaps haven't been picked thus far. First order of business, to say something nice about the donor. 266 is a new blogger and I am enjoying her entries very much.

And Now...The list: and in no particular order, as they say on "Dancing With The Stars"....

1. Patty at both Abneylane and Fit by My 50th.

2. Amy at FattieMcButterpants

3. Mary Fran at New Start

4. Jill at Sassy Pear

5. June at MammaBears Health

6. Cammy at Tippy Toe...that's just so obvious I almost didn't include it :)

7. Suzi at Spunky Suzi....with Get Well Greetings

8. Vee at Vee's getting healthy

9. Dutch at myupsdownsofevrydaylife

10. Anne at Carb Tripper

11. Jo at 282.5 ....simply because she left me out and I want to annoy her

12. Sheilagh at slimsexysassysixty....cuz we share the same age issues

13. Gigi at Chunky Monkey Mama...probably another repeat, but who cares?

14. Karen at Fitcetera.....I'm on a repeat roll here, aren't I?

15. Teresa at 40 is the new 30

There you have it. I do feel a disclaimer is in order, however. There are many, many blogs out there that I enjoy. These are but a few who have been kind enough to encourage me on my health journey. I consider all of my bloggin' buddies to be real friends and are constant sources of inspiration to me. Thank you one and all. Enough mush, right?

Rain has postponed my walk this morning, but I'm expecting clearing this afternoon, so hopefully I'll get my walk in then. Weigh In Wednesday brought no changes, good or bad, so I guess after the State Fair and all the goodies I should be delighted. So, ok, I am.

Little Susie Homemaker

I thought I'd best be for posting these wonderful pictures as soon as I could, if for no other reason than to get the ridiculously long gap between my last post and the comment button off the blogsite. Not exactly sure what happened there, but it was aggravating to say the least. Made me feel stupid, besides. :(

Saturday, I spent the afternoon (I was supposed to be golfing, but that's another story) being Little Susie Homemaker. I made a double batch of pepper jelly and a double batch of pepper relish. I had so many peppers in the fridge I had to do something!!! This is not the same problem as having too many kohlrabi, however. :) The peppers were of both the sweet and hot varieties, and both of my creations are quite tasty. I realize it isn't rocket science.....or sauerkraut....but it was a big deal for me. 'Sides, it was kinda fun.

The Dinner Challenge with the Perfect Child is going quite nicely. She is doing some very nice and creative cooking. I am even contemplating stealing one of her salad ideas and using it myself. Now that I've had success with eggplant, I'm going to try and interject a chickpea or two into a meal for Hubby Dearest...a.k.a. The Pickiest Eater in the World. I probably shouldn't be so hard on him because he has been pretty good about trying new things lately. But then, I also know what absolutely, positively NOT to feed him, too.

Went out for a short walk yesterday without my knee brace. I'm trying to build up the surrounding muscles and "stuff" so that perhaps I can get by a few more years without surgery. It went well, and I had no awful effects from the stroll. However, it did rather depress me that on my stroll/walk I don't have wonderfully beautiful things to photograph like so many of you do. Maybe that's why walking "in my hood" is always such a chore. But then it seems kinda silly to drive to a spot that's prettier, just so I can walk in a scenic area. I don't think I'd walk longer, faster or better if I liked my surroundings more, I think I just want to be able to post pretty pictures. :) Even tho' I cannot figure out the whole picture posting thing correctly half the time.

Well, speaking of pictures, I'm gonna hit "Publish Post" now and hope like hell that the pictures align on the left side as I'd planned. If not, sorry 'bout that. I'll keep trying. Maybe sometime soon my five year old granddaughter can teach me how to do it right.

Disclaimers and Apologies

First, I must tell you that I went to the State Fair but did not get a picture of the Butter Cow!! That's the apology. After watching the Iowa State Fair Jr. Cowgirl Contest we simply couldn't get thru the line in time before the building closed. Why, you may ask, would anyone not associated with a young lady in this Cowgirl contest sit thru 1 1/2 hrs. of this mind numbing horse riding thing? Well, I'll tell you. The friends we go to the fair with bought us tickets....yes, it costs money to do this. Their granddaughter is a horse riding kid, and one of her best friends was entered in the contest. That's it in a nutshell. Thankfully, we did not have to stay for the Sr. Cowgirl contest, or I'd have missed out on my Pork Chop on a Stick!! We got to the stand with only 10 pork chops left!!! Whew! Crisis averted. We were #7 & #8 in line.

Our next stop was to try the ever popular Roast Beef Sundae. Dear Lord, it was mashed potatoes with roast beef and gravy on top, shredded cheddar on top of that, and a healthy little cherry tomato on top for decoration. It got rave reviews from our crowd. I thought I detected a slab of butter underneath the beef & gravy, but I can't be certain of that as they were making the sundaes way too fast. They were selling them by the hundreds.....and at 8:30 at night, no less.

I took a few pictures of some of the other heart attack inducing foods available. Unfortunately, the quality of the pictures doesn't do the stands justice. But you get the idea. The deep fried turkey legs are quite a huge hit at the fair, so I did try to capture a picture of one. Of course, 10 minutes later I saw one that was much larger. Oh well, can't have everything, I guess.

From here we moved on to the dessert portion of the event. A Peppermint Bar was my choice. It was HUGE!! Hubby Dearest and I argued over the actual size. I said it looked like a Rubik's Cube, he said it was larger than that. Whatever! It had a double crust of oreo cookies, with a layer of fudge, then a 2" (or more) layer of peppermint ice cream. I took the picture after I'd ea ten about 1/2 of the darned thing. Finally, I had to ditch the cookie crust & fudge filling and just finish off the ice cream middle. It way way too much for one person, and everyone else had consumed their Turtle Sundaes and would not help me. The old poops. :(

I didn't bother taking pictures of all the beer tents we passed by.....well, stopped at, actually. I figure those are a given, and everyone knows what they look like. :)

To my credit, I did lots and lots and lots of walking in my spiffy new shoes. They were really comfortable. I have to admit, the next day I did feel a little "tug" in the old glutes. Maybe they do work and are not just cute.

The disclaimer portion of this post is for the quality of the pictures. I forgot my camera so the crackberry pics are a little fuzzy at times.

All in all, it 'twas a wonderful evening of eating, friends, horses and people watching. Notice eating came before friends?