Lack Luster

That's me this week. Lack of Luster, Lack of Motivation, Lack of Energy, Lack, Lack, Lack.

Weigh In Wednesday was extremely lack luster. I had anticipated at least a decent week, and was truly thinking I'd have a loss....after all, I'd had 2 days of flu-like stuff. To say Wednesday was disappointing was an understatement. I'd gained!! Not a little, a LOT. I was up 3.1#!!! How I managed that is a complete mystery to me. I have no explanation for it. I am baffled, and also a little depressed. To my credit, I did not turn to a bag of Cheetos to erase the memory of the gain. That, in and of itself, was a great victory for me.

After reading Jack's blog the other day, I began to wonder about my blog. I'd never thought about how many responses I get, or how many followers I have. Apparently, I am lacking the desire to really knock the blogosphere on it's ear. I'm just plodding along in my own little world. I assume people read my blog once in a while, cuz I do get comments now and then, and that has always been enough for me. Now I wonder, should I be more concerned with my lack of readers and comments? Nah!! I love all of the "Popular Kids" blogs, I read them religiously. I comment when I feel I have something to say. But Jack made me think about my own blog for the first time since I've started blogging. I'd say, by comparison to the "Cool Kids" I have a fairly lack luster blog. It's fun for me, and it is serving its purpose, but it certainly isn't the bee's knees. I'm actually ok with that. Is that normal? Should I be striving for more and better?

On the bright side of being Lack Luster, I don't have to moderate my responses like the real bloggers do. :)

I am in the process of reviewing a product sent to me this week. It is a tart cherry drink from CherryPharm.com called CherriBundi. Since I've had a "bug" this week, I've not had a chance to taste all three flavors, but when I do, I'll be reviewing it for all of you. I'm anxious to try them all. I think my innards are ready to experiment now. So, I'll get back to you all when I'm done with the samplings.

Lacking Luster, I'm off to peruse the Cool Kids' blogs.

How I Spent My Earth Day

Today was Earth Day, and as part of doing something "earthy" I planted my herb garden, pepper plants....AND, tempting the gardening fates, I hung my tomatoes!! May 15 is the magic date for planting tomatoes, but I can't wait that long. I'm hoping that getting a jump start on the season will provide an extra early crop. We'll see. I want bragging rights in the neighborhood.

As part of this gardening project, I included the lifting, walking and bending over as part of my exercise for the day. As for the "not so green" part of the day, I had to run to the store to buy an extra bag of potting soil. Seems that taking out all of the strawberry plants in my tomato planter took a considerable amount of soil out as well. So I did have to take one extra trip to get the job completed.

Since taking the strawberries out I'm trying to decide what to plant in the top of the tomato "Thingy". I have 3 (soon to be 4) pepper plants and one stray dill plant. I'm thinking of putting in radishes. Ed loves radishes, and the CSA usually has only a few each week. The planter isn't really deep enough to try carrots or any other root crop, so maybe an early lettuce could work. Any ideas?? I'll pick up the seed on my next grocery shopping trip, as I want to remain as green as possible while doing this project. Looks so nice to glance out the kitchen door and see herbs just waiting for me. Gives me all sorts of new ideas for yummy concoctions for dinner.

Yesterday was Weigh In Wednesday, and I remained the same as last week. I was really hopeful after having done reasonably well over the tailgate weekend. I suppose I shouldn't complain, as it could have been (and has been in the past) much worse. I refuse to believe it was the M & M's I stole the other day. :) Other than that, I'd been doing quite nicely. I even lightened up a strawberry shortcake last night. Using Stevia to sweeten the strawberries and fat free angel food cake for the shortcake. The strawberries needed a little sweetener this time for some reason. Generally, they are plenty sweet all by themselves.

I hope everyone enjoyed their Earth Day as much as I enjoyed mine.

A Drive By Chew-ting!

It never pays to brag too early!! Last night as I was putting away the last remnants of the tailgate, I took the leftover bag of M & M's down to the freezer. On the trip I decided that one or two wouldn't kill me. Well, it was more than one or two, but not a great deal more. Just enough to satisfy my curiosity. I'm not a sweets person by nature, but for some reason an M & M nibble caught my fancy. So I had a quick drive-by "Chew-ting" on my way to the freezer. It's over now, and no one was hurt. I cannot explain why I wanted an M & M, because unlike most women, I'm not a chocolate eater. And, I don't really like desserts or sweets all that much. These little drive-bys remain a mystery to me. Luckily, they don't happen often, so I don't think I'll waste too much time worrying about them.

I was delighted this morning when I found that I could do a little dancing without the stabbing pain from earlier this month!! So, I turned up the music and had a little fun. I didn't overdo, but just knowing that I can do this without crippling myself was a wonderful surprise. Slowly, but surely, I'm getting back into the things I used to do. I'm trying to exercise caution while easing back in, so as not to overdo and end up back where I started. Patience is a virtue, I'm told. I am anxious to get back to the program, but I really am being careful. Slow and steady, right?

I got an email from my CSA farmer yesterday telling everyone that there may be a few spears of asparagus for delivery in a week or two. Just knowing that the deliveries may be starting made my day. This year he's added bok choi, and parsnips to the farm, and I am a huge fan of both, so that was something I was particularly delighted to see. I've suggested parsnips two years in a row, so finally we're going to have them!! Squeaky wheels...and all that. Pays to beg, I guess.

Weekend Review

As you may or may not recall, Saturday was the first tailgate of the season. All went very well, and I really did stay in the neighborhood of what I had planned. There were around 25-30 of us at the tailgate, and I do believe a good time was had by all. The kids had a wonderful time, and enjoyed all of the kid food we had for them. Lots of "junk" too, but I skillfully avoided that....save one small rugelach treat. As you can see, my favorite boys are ready to roll out the food and fun!

Breakfast with the family on Sun. morning was on track, too. In the past, I have treated myself to a little "heartier" breakfast after a game, but this weekend I decided to keep it simple. I am very hopeful that my good behavior will be rewarded come Wednesday.

I was all set to get my herb garden in place this week, but the weather has taken a bit of a turn, as it often does in the Midwest. The nights are getting down much lower than I'd like, and I'm too darned lazy to cover things up every night. I guess I'll wait. It is always advised that we not plant tomatoes until May 15, at the earliest. Last year I jumped the gun a bit and the plants were none the worse for wear. This year, I may heed the advice.

By the by, the Amberjack we grilled the other night was wonderful!! Although it is not a really good looking color to start with, it is a flaky, white fish after it's cooked. I'll be getting it again when it's available. To be able to see what it actually tasted like, I didn't make a sauce or salsa to accompany it, just lemon pepper. Really tasty. I'm anxious to find some new fish this week, too. It isn't as easy here in DM, but once in a while I am surprised and delighted at a new arrival at the fish "place".

Doin' A Little Math

After yesterday's post, I decided to check and see how I've really done with my Moron's Challenge. I had to look up the date of the post, which was Feb. 4. That makes today the 10th week following my bold proclamation. Up and down, and all over the town went my weight. However, after 10 weeks I have lost 8.2#. Not quite the 10# my plan proclaimed, but respectable anyway, in my opinion. Beats having put that back on again!! Right? Right!!

I am now hopeful that with an improved back and knee, I'll be able to resume a regular, if somewhat modified, exercise program. And of course, with golf season heating up, I'll be on the links as often as possible as well. I really do think the 1.8# that I did not lose during my ten weeks of the challenge may be due to the difficulties I was having with sciatica, no cortisone in my knee, and general malaise. Soooooo, since I am now perky as the dickens, the sky's the limit!! Well, at least the 2nd floor of the house should be possible. :)

Since this weekend will bring a few challenges with it, I'm going to make a real effort to use what little good judgement I possess and eat sensibly. Tailgating is always fun, but troublesome for someone on a diet. Since our grandson wants fruits, and lots of them, I'll try to stick to those items. I will have healthy options, so I will give it my all. The mac 'n cheese that I make is anything but healthy, so I'll stay away from that (well maybe a little taste), but I will account for it in my overall caloric count. Since it's a walk to the stadium, up the stairs, and back from the stadium, I'm counting the walking as mild exercise which will walk off the nibble of mac 'n cheese. Please don't tell me that this won't work, I'll be heartbroken. :(

Tonight, we are trying something we've never eaten before....Amberjack. Apparently, it is a fish that is similar to halibut, firm and steak-like. This is the first time I've seen it at the market, and the fish monger talked me into it. Looks like a slightly tanned halibut, so I'm anxious to give it a whirl. The same guy talked me into Barramundi several months ago, and we loved that, so I'm hoping his suggestion this time will meet with the same success. I'm going to go online and see what preparations I can find that might be interesting. Whatever I decide to do with it, I'll be having my favorite grilling delight alongside. Grilled pineapple with just a hint of Cajun or Creole seasoning on it. That is my favorite dessert when it's grilling season. My mouth is watering in anticipation.

The Moron's Pound

"Any moron can lose one pound per week", remember that proclamation? Well, today is Weigh In Wednesday and I lost .8# this week. I am calling that the "Moron's Pound. Not quite the real deal, but close enough. Given my lack of exercise (I'm told I can't count calories used in whining as exercise) I'm not totally disappointed. Not the full pound I'd hoped for, but perhaps after my haircut this morning, the other .2 will be gone.

I have to say, that the last two days have found me feeling a bit perkier. Still have a twinge or two in the hip, but overall, I'd say I'm back to where I was. Now I must re-energize my exercise program. With the arrival of Spring, I have drug out the baskets that will hold my herb garden, and the contraption that will house my upside down tomato plants. The strawberries I planted in the top of the tomato "thingy" look fairly good, and have some new growth, so I am hopeful that there will be more than the 8-10 berries I harvested last year. I am going to count my garden building as part of my exercise program. Hauling potting soil, lugging plants, etc.....that can double as doing weights, right?

I am happily compiling the list of the herbs, tomato varieties, and kinds of peppers I want to grow this year. This time of year is always exciting to me. Plus, it will only be a few short weeks before our CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) share deliveries will begin!! Barring no lousy weather, I'm anticipating some young, tender greens, asparagus and spring onions. We've been promised that the kohlrabi crop has been minimized this year!!! Hallelujah!! When all is in place, I'll try and post a few pictures.

One small downside to Spring around here....ALLERGIES!! Des Moines has been ranked as the 5th worst city in the country for allergies. So, at least we're really good at something. :)

I really, really love Spring! Everything begins to renew, and I'm going to renew myself and my health journey. I have all Summer to perk myself up, and get that one pound per week goal back on the right road. A "Moron's Pound" once in a while isn't going to deter me, I am hopeful it will make me work harder the following week. After all, a semi-famous old woman once said, "Any moron can lose a pound a week."

Piece by Piece, Bit by Bit

My body is giving up bits and pieces on a daily basis now. :( Oh poor me. The back and knee are in pretty darned good shape at the moment, but someone, somewhere decided that this condition was not to be tolerated. "Let's give her something else to bitch about" was the decree!! And so it was. On the fifth hole of golf, on a lovely Sunday, not a care in the world, playing well, enjoying friendly chatter, and just plain, old fashioned havin' a good time....POP! There it was a pop of some sort on the top of my right foot. Ouch! Oh poor me!!! Needless to say, I complained immediately, received an adequate amount of sympathy, but was told to suck it up and keep playing. Which, may I add, I had planned on doing anyway, but my husband and our friends thought this might be a ruse to go into the clubhouse to watch the Masters! (They have adult beverages in the clubhouse, so I'm sure they had that in mind, as well.)

Now, I am trying my damnedest to take this little glitch in stride, but I have to admit, these nagging little things that keep happening are starting to take their toll on my good nature. I admit to being crabby, so believe me, all this stuff is starting to wear thin. I don't want to start having to get up in the morning wondering what's gonna fall apart next. Getting old is really getting suckier and suckier!! However, as my friend pointed out, this new pain certainly took my mind off of my sore, bruised butt. Guess there's always a positive side if you look long enough, and hard enough. :)

This morning at the chiropractor, I mentioned my bruises, received an appropriate amount of sympathy, then made him try to fix my foot. I told him he owed me that much. :0 He did an adjustment, but thus far I'm not noticing a great deal of improvement. Gotta go get another gallon jug of BioFreeze, I think.

In spite of everything else, my food and exercise has been pretty darned good. I did sample a couple of fried artichoke hearts yesterday, but didn't go overboard. This coming Saturday will be a tailgate opportunity!!! It's the annual Spring Football Game for my beloved Nebraska Cornhuskers, so we'll all be going to the game for food, fun, frivolity and football. This is the one game each year that all of the kids and grandkids get to go to, so the tailgate is centered around kid food. It is so much fun, and this year will be particularly fun as it will be our grandson's first Husker game. He is very excited. He wants strawberries and yogurt for the tailgate. Smart kid, huh? Obviously gets that from his grandmother.

A Rare Saturday Post

I just had to tell you about my deep tissue massage yesterday! I will spare you the pictures (there are none) of the bruises on my hips, my butt and my thighs. I cannot tell you how happy I am that I opted for only the 30 min. massage!! Ed is beginning to wonder why I continue to do this to myself. I have two bruises the size of the palm of my hand, and several other half dollar sized ones. "It does feel better, though, doesn't it?" I was asked. What was I to say? Apparently I have a considerable pelvic tilt to the right because my right leg is shorter. This is what seems to be the root of all my evil. That and one of my vertebrae in my sacrum has partially fused to another. And my sacrum tilts to compensate for the other tilt. Well, it was just a morning of pure delight!!

Even with my new "look", I feel pretty good. I'm not going to admit it to the chiro, or the masseuse, but I think things are, in fact, loosening up. We'll take it for a test drive this afternoon when I go to play golf. Fingers crossed.

I'm still pretty well on track, but I did take a "day trip" yesterday with a few adult beverages with dinner. I'm saying it was pain management, but since there really isn't any pain, I'm imagining that the bruises really, really hurt. I forgot to include in my bio, that besides being old, fat, and lazy I am also a bit of a liar. Well, no body's perfect. :(

Happy Weekend to ALL!!!

Never Brag Too Soon!!

Yep, it's Weigh In Wednesday, and yesterday I posted all about my almost perfect week. Well, Karma did kinda "nibble" at my butt. Didn't really bite me, but did put me in my place. I did lose weight, 2.4# worth, but after regaling everyone with my stellar week, I had anticipated just a trifle more. Lest this sound whiny, I am NOT complaining!! Just sayin' that I was hopeful for a smidgen more of a loss. But I know, a loss is a loss, is a loss. I'm perfectly ok with 2.4#. After all, I did at one time in the not to distant past proclaim that any moron could lose one pound per week, then proceeded to gain regularly for 3 weeks. Now, after two weeks of losses, I'm feeling like a real smarty pants.

I resolve not to let this 2 week success roll go to my head. I am feeling better, I'm watching my foods, and I'm out and about more. Even tho' cooler weather and overcast skies have returned, I am still attempting to remain in a "sunshiny" mood. Today is my deep tissue butt massage, so that is taking a little bloom of my rose, but I'm sure it's going to be beneficial. My last whole body deep tissue massage was ok, except for the excessive number of bruises I had running up and down my spine. Hubby Dearest, was quite shocked to see all of them, and was glad I don't wear revealing tops, as he was sure he'd be questioned by someone about the abuse he was inflicting on me.

Best event of the day....a visit to my eye Dr. I have been having trouble reading with my old glasses, and my distance vision has diminished. At first I was really worried about this because I thought I had just been to the eye Dr. not too long ago. Well, we've been here in DM for 3 yrs, and I've never been, and when I looked at my records, my last exam was 5 years ago. I can now understand why my vision seemed to have changed. I am anxious to get some hip and happenin' new frames....plus I'll be able to see better, too. Not sure which is the bigger deal. :)

So, after 2 weeks of doing the right thing, I'm ready to stay on this path and continue my journey in a happy, healthy frame of mind. I feel as tho' I have finally turned a corner......hope I don't run into a wall!!

Dare I Brag A Day Early?

Well, I'm going to anyway. Karma be damned!!! My past week has been one of my best thus far. My mood and my food have been really good. My Greek inspired Easter dinner was simply wonderful. Ok, in keeping with my total honesty promise, I did have some strawberry shortcake for dessert (I KNOW it's not Greek!), but I did not indulge in the whipped cream everyone else heaped on top, and my strawberries were sweetened with Stevia. Plus, the shortcake was the sugar free Angel Food cake they had sitting next to the strawberries. So, I'm thinking I was not really so very far off of my caloric plan. I even accounted for my glass of wine to go with the racks of lamb.

Barring a real fall from the roof, calorie wise, today, I am anticipating another good Weigh In Wednesday. I remain hopeful.

Today I awoke with a little twinge back in my calf and my butt. It is certainly not severe, and it's not really a bother, but after several days of not having it, I'm a little disheartened. I'm hoping once I begin doing my "walk about" today I'll be getting rid of it. Tomorrow is another deep tissue massage concentrating on my butt, so that should be interesting. Never have I done anything like that before! I have to admit, I am actually a little massage phobic. I have never been a big fan on being touched by people I am not close to. I'm working through that, I guess. Growth is part of this journey, too, so guess this signals a little growth for me.

I am just so happy to finally feel positive about my journey again. I feel able to do the things that need to be done, and enjoy doing it. It's a lovely change from the previous few months. Amazing how a positive attitude, and a body that cooperates, will turn a lousy week into a successful one. I am going to do my best to continue with this positive new ME. I think I could grow to like this person very much. :)

Positively Giddy!

I really am positively giddy with delight!! I slept without pain, I woke up without pain, I played golf without pain, and I'm still wandering around waiting for today's tee time without pain! Ok, so my bad knee is a bit on the "wobbly" side, but with my knee brace strapped on, I'm ready to roll. I am so darned happy, I can hardly stand it.

That, coupled with the fact that I've been behaving myself food wise, has lifted my spirits enormously. I didn't realize how really down in the dumps, crappy I felt, until this fog of pain and dreary weather lifted. Yipppppeeeeeeee Damned Skipppppppeeeeee!! I'm feeling like a whole new person. Oh, yeah, I'm still a fat person, but at least now I can move around and work on remedying that situation. I think I've done well this week, so I'm now planning my Easter dinner to accommodate the calories that are acceptable. At the moment, I'm planning a Greek inspired dinner centered around a rack of lamb, and a tomato/cucumber/feta/olive/onion salad. I think I can make it all work, because we've added a round of golf to our afternoon activities. I can work off at least one or two calories that way!

I go again to the Chiropractor today for another spinal decompression, but I really don't feel as tho' I'm in need. I'm gonna go a time or two more and see what happens, but I feel so darned good I'm tempted to just get on with life. I don't suppose an extra adjustment or two is gonna hurt, so I might as well go ahead and do it. And, to be honest, the spinal decompression feels really good, and very relaxing, so it's kinda nice just lying there being "stretched". I'm only 5'4" now, but I'm almost positive I'll be around 5'6" or 5'7" when I finish this pulling compression thingy. I'm counting on it, as a matter of fact.

A happy byproduct of this new lease on life, is the new found energy I now have. I actually feel like doing "stuff". I've put things off recently cuz I've felt so lousy, so now, slowly and carefully, I'm adding things back onto my "to do list". Feels good, believe me. Even tho' I profess, proudly, to be lazy, I still like to be able to do things for myself. Now I'm feeling as tho' I can do those things, and not pay for it the next day with pain and stiffness. Hallelujah!

Everyone have a very Happy Easter Weekend. Whether you celebrate Easter, or not, enjoy the weekend!! I am certainly going to, for a change! :)