I may never wear pink again!

What sort of kicked off this summer's bucket list is when I went out of my comfort zone and bought blue nail polish.  I think I may have talked about the experience in an earlier blog, but as I look at my nails today - after my horseback riding lesson and before my kayak lesson tomorrow - I realized really and truly what a big thing it is for me not to be wearing pink (or shades of pink/red) polish.  I also didn't realize that switching to the blue polish would kick off an entire summer of adventures - I didn't know then that I would be riding a horse or a kayak!

At the beginning of the summer I had a doctor's appointment and was telling him that I really wanted to make some changes this summer - not just the "usual" like drinking more water, exercising, etc. - but personality changes.  He said - "I see you have already started."  I asked what he meant, and he pointed to my nail polish (both on toes and fingers).  I had to laugh then and I had to laugh now.  The blue polish was really a harbinger of coming out of my comfort zone, wasn't it? I am getting a mani-pedi before the weekend and I am so worried I won't get the exact blue/greens (both of them Essie summer colors ) that I want that I am bringing my own polish!

Meanwhile - on the eating front - I have migrated back to mostly a South Beach way of eating.  I find that I feel best and do best when I stay away from processed carbs and sugar - which I have known forever, but it's so easy to eat this way during the summer with the bounty of fruits and vegetables and simple grilled proteins.  I don't feel like I am dieting at all, and it really does go hand-in-hand with the intuitive eating program that I was immersed in last summer.

Anyway - I will check in after my kayak lesson tomorrow - I am so pumped!

Miriam

First thing off the Bucket List

I did it!  I had my first horseback riding lesson.  First of all, let me say - I had a wonderful time and I don't know why it took me so long to try it! :)  My husband had a wonderful time too and on the way home said how we MUST do it again.  Not only did he love the horseback riding, but he loved that we spent time together out of the house, away from daily chores and obligations.  I had a Belgian draft horse that everyone who went by asked - "Oh, don't you love her? It's like sitting on a sofa."  All I wanted to answer was: "Boy you must have some really odd uncomfortable furniture!" LOL - But really, it was comfortable sitting on her, and I was able to get on and off unaided.

At first I was so scared of falling off.  I think that if I wasn't worried about protecting my knees I would have relaxed a bit, even at the prospect of falling off.  I told the instructor I just wanted a big-girl's pony ride, and that I didn't want her to let go of the lead (my husband was on his own almost from the beginning - but the instructor said that for some reason guys are a natural at this - they are all genetically cowboys, I guess).  I did get as far as an almost trot (she called it jogging) and I did learn to post (standing up and down in the saddle so you just aren't bouncing on the horse's back).  I was so proud of myself - really - and that alone made it all worthwhile.  The instructor let go of the lead once, and I was so scared (because I was afraid I still didn't have control over the horse) that I told her to hold on again, but she took a "lunge lead" which allowed her to control the horse but she could do it standing further away, so I was responsible for steering the horse.  Oh, by the way, my horse's name was Belle (and hubby's horse was Bart). 

I wasn't sore that evening or even the next morning, but by Saturday night I was starting to feel it, but the soreness passed quickly - and my knees and quads (actively used in the posting) didn't hurt at all!  Maybe I'm not as decrepit as I think I am! I wish it wasn't such an expensive hobby, because I would have signed up immediately for another lesson.  We did say, however, that it would be a perfect activity for my birthday weekend (in September). 

Anyway - just wanted to report in!  My next activity is a kayak lesson this Thursday evening.  I'm already sad that the summer is coming to a close (I know, I know - it's not even August, but when I measure the summer in weekends left before school starts, we are talking only 5....) but I'm happy that I have taken wonderful advantage of it!

Miriam

Yikes! Dog Days of Summer

We are in our official third heatwave of the summer.  Yep - temperatures over 90 for a minimum of 3 days in a row.  Wouldn't be so bad, I guess, if I had an air conditioned house.  Unfortunately I do not.  I have one window AC in a little bedroom which I sleep/eat/live in for the summer, just waving to the rest of my family in passing while I get something out of the fridge. 

Whenever I read articles that ask, is it easier for you to diet in the summer or the winter, I always answer (without thinking too much about it) "Pshaw... how can anything compare to fresh summer fruit and the desire to drink water?"  Alas... I got an aha moment last night when I realized that this is not true at all.  It has been so hot in my kitchen, that despite my desires (and available ingredients) to cook, I just cannot.  I have been eating salads with WW entrees for every lunch and then whatever there is for dinner.  Even my new egg discovery I couldn't bare to make this morning (the house thermostat said it was already 85 degrees at 6AM and I'm sure it was hotter than that in the kitchen) - I went to my old standby of Laughing Cow cheese on Wasa crackers - which I really do enjoy, they had just fallen out of favor since I started making my egg sandwiches.  I think I will try to make the eggs tonight for dinner if I can stand in the kitchen for more than 3 minutes.

I am not succumbing to take-out and fast food, although not having a satisfying dinner is prompting me to look for "something else" in the evening, in spite of my prominent crowing about how the work I am doing is cutting down on even my thoughts of eating after dinner.  However, I get to the kitchen and there is nothing, so that takes care of that.

I swear if I still had my cot in the office (I had brought one in for my first few months after knee surgery so that I could nap at lunch if I had taken even a small dose of a narcotic pain killer after arriving in the office) I would not even go home tonight.  I would whip a second WW entree out of the freezer, set up my cot, and call it a night.  I am so sad to think that my friends might not be able to visit this year - I said that if we are coming out of, going into, or being in, a heatwave the visit is off because everyone would be too miserable to leave their bedrooms - even with the pool and the lovely shaded deck with the fans on.

Okay so this officially ends any desire to retire to Florida or other points hot. 

Stay cool.
Miriam

p.s. I looked ahead to next Friday (which is my horseback riding excursion) - thank heavens... it's predicted to be ONLY in the high 80s!

'Tis what 'tis

Saw a new knee doctor yesterday.  I actually love the doctor who did my surgery but I was miffed at his staff so took my records elsewhere.  I'm glad I didn't burn any bridges because I think I will going back to him.  Meanwhile I did get some questions answered.  My initial concern was that I needed a PT referral because my surgical knee feels so tight.  Doctor told me that my knee has a fabulous range of motion, but what I am feeling (and what is common) is a sensation of tightness.  I can't describe it any way other than my kneecap feels like a ball made out of tight rubber bands.  He said that I would be disappointed with PT because there is nothing that can be done about the sensation if the range of motion is already at a really good stage.  Also, the sensitivity (god forbid I bang my knee on something) and the stinging that I sometimes get are also within normal range.  I can accept all that - I just needed reassurance.

With regard to the other knee, it is whimpering right now to be replaced, but I'm not ready.  I'm waiting to accrue enough time off so I can take 3-4 months off like I did with my other knee, so maybe two summers from now if I can wait that long.  Meanwhile I got a nice new soft brace for it that should help if I have any serious walking to do. 

So meanwhile for lunch, I'm having a WW frozen dinner.  They've made some improvement in their products but I warn you not to get the pot roast dinner.  I'm surprised but the meat portion of it is decent - really does taste like pot roast, but I don't like the gravy or vegetables. (I don't know what possessed me to buy a meat entree!)  I made a huge salad for myself last night to bring today but it was just too darn hot to prepare anything for the protein portion of my lunch.  I think next time I'll take the time in the kitchen even if I'm sweating bullets!

Boston is in its third official heatwave of the summer.  Remind me again how much I dislike the winter? Instead of going into the pool the minute I walked through the door last night I headed to the bedroom and turned on the one window AC that we have in the house.  I must have relaxed just a little too much because I was up at 4:30 this morning and couldn't go back to sleep.  No matter, came in to work super early and got a lot done.  Which pays off at the other end because I have to leave early for a dentist appointment!

Stay cool everyone!
Miriam

The end of the week came so fast!

Well I did speak at the Selectmen's meeting on Tuesday night. The reasoning behind the odd-even parking was explained to me, and I agree that it can't be taken on a street-by-street basis, and some streets in the town are too narrow for emergency vehicles to get through, were there to be cars parked on both sides of the road.  Meanwhile, we will continue to park in front of our house (and in the wrong direction) and play the odds that another ticket won't be forthcoming.  In any case, beginning January 2014, we will be on the correct side of the street!

I saw my doctor this morning and had a long - non-scolding - talk about my blood test results.  For now I refuse to take a statin drug.  He agreed to let me try fish oil twice a day and diet with less meat - including chicken -  and see where my numbers are two months from now.  I concede that if the cholesterol counts are too high that I will take a statin (my father died from heart disease and stroke, and at a rather early age, so that's why my own doctor is so concerned about me - even though my numbers are not astronomical, they are still a concern because of family history) - BUT a different brand, and half the dosage. My blood pressure was perfect, but I didn't have the nerve to tell him that I had also stopped taking - on my own decision - blood pressure medication, which was never prescribed for blood pressure, anyway (but rather something else non-recurring, that they thought the blood pressure medication could - and did - help).  So right now I am a supplement-only, prescription drug-free gal.

Speaking of drug-free - I am also blow dryer and curling iron free!  I have ventured into letting my hair dry naturally.  It has a soft wave bordering on curl, and if I use just the right product it can look nice - and not frizzy - all day long.  But the best curl comes from after I've been in the pool, so I actually have filled a bottle of (chlorinated) pool water and spritz my hair in the morning with it.  I know I know... but hey - it brightens the highlights in my hair, makes a nice soft curl, and I use a leave-in conditioner every day.  So what's the harm?  Maybe there is a way to combine chlorinated water with conditioner, bottle it, and become a millionaire!

This weekend my brother is coming up from Florida to visit my mother on her 97th (!) birthday.  Afterwards we (he, my other brother, perhaps spouses, and myself) are going out to lunch at the British Beer Company.  They have a lot of really lovely healthy menu choices, so I am going to try not to be swayed by the (probably) 2000-calorie burger!  Other than lunch out, and the usual housework and laundry, I'm free as a bird this weekend (I just had to check my calendar to make sure!) and even though I don't take work home with me, I am hoping to get through one paper I am editing (if I can't finish it this afternoon).  I have one waiting for me next week, and another one coming in tonight, so it's best I finish up with the one at hand.  I am so grateful that I do this work!

I'm also intensely doing Karly Pitman's program, and have been working on "Acceptance" for about a month now.  I have to tell you, nothing I have done up to now has provided such a strong breakthrough in the eating-disorder work that I have been doing for years now.  For this entire past week I have not even thought of food after dinner, and I have no desire at all to eat anything but what I have planned and what is in front of me -- not even seconds!  She explains night-time eating (and general bingeing) in such a way that now that I have that insight I find that what I eat really provides everything I need - both energy-wise and emotional-wise.  It's nothing I haven't heard before but she puts it in such a way, and her workbook is so intensely wonderful (but is only good if you actually use it) that for the first time I can see my stressors just floating by and not attaching themselves to me in a way that makes me hungry or craving anything.  The weirdest thing is that I don't even THINK about food when I'm not hungry, instead of the usual hunt through the kitchen at night to see what there is.  The three steps before "Acceptance" have been "Grounding", "Nurturing" and "Flowing".  I worked through each one of those (about 3-4 weeks each) but "Acceptance" is the one that has really touched my heart.  So anyway, another plan this weekend is to do some work in the workbook - I have to take small chunks at a time, they are so powerful and meaningful. 

I hope it's nice weather as I also want to enjoy the pool.  Gotta keep my hair curly, you know!

Miriam. 

Circling July 26

Made my appointment for my horseback riding lesson!  The owner was kind enough to extend the lesson so we would have to go down only once.  I heard from a friend that I will have muscles and joints that I didn't even know were in my body and suggested I not go for the full two hours.  The owner said that part of the time will be grooming the horses, so the entire time is not spent on the horse, but she booked 1 1/2 hours which she said would provide plenty of riding time.  I'm so excited!  Just to be on a horse makes it worth while even though I'm giving up 1/2 hour of what I paid for.  She was also kind enough to schedule it so we would be on the road before rush hour begins.

I was in sort of a funk today and got absolutely nothing done at my desk.  I think it might just be that I was tired.  I laid down on the floor and slept for about 1/2 hour before my husband's phone call woke me up.  I feel much better now, but I'm not going to do the editing as I have to be absolutely in the zone to do my best mental work.  I also had a tummy ache which is very unusual for me, so maybe something was just going through my system.  I'm going to take it easy tonight (I am going to speak at the Selectman's meeting about the stupid parking laws, but it's early and I will only be there about 1/2 hour, if that) and hope for a better day tomorrow. I promised a paper back to an author by the end of the week so I am going to absolutely bury myself in it tomorrow.

Okay so I discovered the best homemade fast food breakfast (which I am actually having for dinner tonight):
1 small container of egg substitute (now normally I am no fan of egg substitute because of all the chemicals to make them look yellow PLUS "flavorings" and other probably not-good-for-you ingredients) BUT they come in little 2-serving containers, and right now I'm just looking for easy (not that cracking two fresh eggs isn't easy... hmm... I am being lazy aren't I?).  Then I dice up a little green pepper and onion, and dice up about 6 slices of turkey pepperoni, and saute that mixture up in a small frying pan.  I take the veggie/pepperoni mixture and mix it with the container of egg, and put it all into a microwave omelet form and voila - a perfectly round egg to go into little pita pockets.  Regarding that omelet form - last year "one minute muffins" were all the rage and I cooked mine in that also.

I'm trying to eat a little upside down - the King, Prince, Pauper design.  It's probably why I am so hungry in the morning, but that's okay.  I find that if I eat lighter at night I feel better all around the next day.

Of course it doesn't help that there is left over rib eye steak and a massive sweet potato in the fridge, but I think I will wrap that up for lunch tomorrow and know that I have something yummy waiting for me with my lunch salad.

Anyway - if you are near a Walmart and like "fast food" egg sandwiches it's worth a trip to pick up that cooking gadget.

Miriam

Wow - something that had NOT been on my list! lol

So my son-in-law has a Jeep.  On Mother's Day he took the top off which was fine - it was like a convertible.  But on Saturday we went out on the road with NO DOORS!  Even with seat belts it can be a little scary taking sharp corners so finally - since he couldn't take the screaming any more (although I think he enjoyed it!) - he would just yell out "Turn coming up!"  We had a wonderful time but I'm still recovering from heat exhaustion.  We went house hunting and all but one of the houses was vacant, meaning not even so much as an open window in the close-to-100 degree heat, then getting into the car in the sun with no AC.  I eventually figured out that if I let my leg hang out it increased the breeze - my daughter chastised me because everyone could see my underwear (I was wearing a dress) but I figured for the split-second someone passed us their brain wouldn't register seeing my underwear - hey - at least I was wearing it (hmm... making going commando should be on the summer bucket list)!  

I've been in the pool every day - especially since going back and reading the first blog post I wrote while I was recovering from total knee replacement.  I laughed when I read my story of how I just walked right into the water with my crutches and all my clothes on.  My intention was only to dangle my toes in the water, but I couldn't help myself and went all the way in.  Reading that reminded me that when the weather is hot, the place to be is in the pool. I even went into the pool this morning before work - every summer... around the last day of August I ask myself why I haven't done that every day.  So this time I'm ahead of the ball, and now I have the whole months of July AND August to enjoy the pool - followed by breakfast out on the deck.  I may never go to work....

But, what I SHOULD add to my summer bucket list is reading lessons.  I thought the horseback lessons I had signed up for were in Marlborough (next to where I live) but instead that are in Middleborough - more than an hour away.  No matter... I'm trying to reach them to see if I can take one 2-hour lesson instead of 2 1-hour lessons.  No way I'm driving down there twice!  Hopefully they will understand and let me do it that way.

My water aerobics class starts tonight.  I have to go straight from work and won't be getting home until after 8, so I packed a PB sandwich and a banana to have before class.  If I'm still hungry when I get home I have wonderful leftovers from our BBQ dinner last night.

Well - have a great day and enjoy your Monday!

Miriam

Adding another thing on my summer list

Well I wouldn't have thought this would be on the list but I am going to speak at the Town Meeting on Tuesday night.  We have a government run by selectmen (i.e., no mayor) and something so ridiculous happened a few weeks ago I just have to get to the bottom of it.  Our town has odd/even year parking.  Meaning, this is an odd-numbered year, but because I live in an even-numbered house, I cannot park in front of my house.  This is a year-round policy, but I truly thought it was a November-May (or some other similar 6-month policy that ran the winter months) issue.  Imagine my surprise when there was a ticket on the car - AND a second charge for parking in the wrong direction (mind you, we have a narrow residential street, but because it is not one-way, there is technically a right side and a left side).  I have been living here for 25 years - and I know FOR A FACT - that it was because the trash guy was having a bad day and called the cops just to make himself heard.  He probably wanted to pull the truck down one side and up the other, and although he would encounter cars on the "odd" side he didn't want to deal with cars on the "even" side.  Why should I pay for someone's bad mood?  I paid the ticket just to get it out of my hair, but I'm not dropping the issue.  Now that I think of it I should have appealed the ticket, not complain about it after the fact.  Oh well, better late than never...  So I spoke to my neighbor across the street and she was absolutely appalled.  I am sure if I need signatures to change the law I will have no trouble getting them!

I'm getting used to my glasses.  I stopped on the way home to have the nose pieces changed to something shorter and softer.  It helped a bit, but then it made the bridge a little too heavy.  I rode home with a wad of tissue under the bridge - but I am getting used to the weight (these glasses are heavier than what I had previously).  Every time I think about the comfort factor I think about breaking in a new pair of shoes - especially if you've been wearing sandals or going barefoot all summer!  It's the same thing.  I know that the glasses are a good fit - I just have to get used to them.  The prescription is much stronger and that is giving me some problems at the computer, but the optician said just to outright rest my eyes if I need to, not switch to the old glasses.  He said that the brain needs time to acclimate to the new prescription and if I switch between the two I'll never get used to the new one.  Makes sense.

I am taking Friday off so that it will increase my chances of doing nothing between this afternoon and going back to work Monday morning.  Besides, it's going to be 90 degrees from today clear through to Monday so it's best not to knock myself out.

OH! LOL!  Just got a notice from the boss that the BIG boss has okay'd staff to leave at 2PM today.  Good to know since it is now 2:20.  LOLOL  I'll take it!

So with that I wish you all a wonderful 4th of July and "see" you next week if not a couple of times over the weekend.

Miriam

Just a quickie

Just a quickie today.  I picked up new glasses on my way home yesterday.  I am still getting used to them - they are a stronger prescription and, under the best of circumstances it takes a while to adjust to a new progressive prescription, but I get horribly car sick and have a vertigo condition - so my getting used to them might really stretch the envelope.  I don't want to take breaks with my old glasses and instead am just closing and resting my eyes periodically.   I opted for new frames and they are similar enough to the old ones that not one single person even noticed I had new glasses (but different enough so I don't feel I wasted my money)!  (Sandy - I had to take a second look at your new profile picture - they are sort of like yours but with different ornamentation on the corners.)

I looked at the temps ahead for this week - just lovely if you are spending the week at the beach (90 degrees and sunny through the weekend) but a little too hot to live in a house with no air conditioning (I swear it's more difficult after spending the day in an ac'd office and car).  However, miracle of miracles, the pool is clean and ready to go.  It's freezing cold though, so the most I will do is dip my toes - and mostly to shoo the ducks away.  Their stays are shorter and shorter as their little duck brains process the fact that they shouldn't be swimming in a chlorinated pond - even though it is their own private resort.  Vinnie also chases them off in the morning although I notice that he ignores them more and more, and is probably seeing the wisdom in Tiki's habit of pretending they are not there.

Anyway, I've hit my limit of staring at this computer screen.

Stay cool!
Miriam

 

The first of a new month on a Monday - how lovely

Boy, the weekend got away from me!  I did my grocery shopping, laundry, my last class for the season, tons of cleaning, and company yesterday afternoon.  So what else is new?  I am thinking of taking Friday off (tacking it on to having Thursday off), just to have a day of doing nothing - which, I am sure, is a futile plan...

I was telling my daughter how my bucket list is horseback-riding lessons, kayacking, and rock climbing (safely at the gym).  Just once for each, mind you, but doing them all this summer.  She looked at me with tears in her eyes (honest!) and said, you aren't dying are you?  I had to clarify that it was my bucket list before summer dies away! lol

I'm trying a few new recipes this week to start the month off.  I have a split chicken marinating in a tahini-based dressing - my husband promised to grill for me before he leaves for work so that it is ready for dinner.  Then, from my Italian Slow Cooker cookbook I made a tomato sauce with red wine yesterday, and tomorrow will make (from the same cookbook) a "Big Italian Meatball" with the sauce.  Then from my GI diet book (which was headed for Goodwill but I fished it out to see if there were any good recipes) I am making a chili recipe (crock pot also).  These should be plenty to get through the week.

I went through a (short) period of just cooking on the fly but found that didn't work for me at all.  I came home hungry, nothing prepared, and making poor choices all through the evening.  Even if I had something ready to cook, if it wasn't done and ready to go on the plate, it didn't get cooked or eaten.  I found that even with not dieting, being prepared is still the best way for me to go. 

Karly Randolph Pitman calls it "grounding" and I am so grateful to her for showing me that no apology is necessary to acknowledge that planning and cooking ahead is what I need to stay healthy and less crazed in the food department.  I had a friend who made fun of all the planning, grocery shopping and cooking that I did on a weekend to get through the upcoming week.  She intimated that something was really wrong with me to be so obsessed with this planning (she, on the other hand, picked up a pizza on the way home from work).  I felt bad about my "style" for a while and really did think something was wrong with me.  But, when I read Karly's take on it, I realize that no apology or explanation is necessary.  It is what makes my life run smoothly and contributes to my well being - both mentally and physically.

So anyway - chicken is on the grill (hopefully), sauce is made, two slow cooker recipes ready in the wings, and my bucket list at my side.  The new month is off to a good start!

Miriam