Welcome to Sunday, Menuers!

Gooooood morning, weekend menuers!

What's your plan for the day? I've got a pickup order at a far-away Walmart and a visit to the bakery I found last week planned. They have amazing sourdough bread and I'd like to get a multigrain loaf if they're in stock. Will probably pick up a latte, too. I'm not docking points for the lack of tea options. It's a great bakery.

Yesterday I learned that even with a super thick exercise mat, I can't do a candlestick to stand exercise. I also learned what that was. A bunch of years ago I broke part of my lower back and it just doesn't cooperate on anything that requires rolling my weight up and down my spine. Sit ups are also not an option. I got through the majority of a level 3 cardio class and a half hour of stretching afterward, so yay!

I also visited a local seafood shop and can see myself returning in the future. They had great options and I picked up a couple of things to try including a small piece of halibut (it's expensive!), a gator sausage, and a small piece of smoked salmon. They were smoking another batch right outside the door and it took me back to childhood memories of smoking perch. Also hit up the farmer's market I recently learned about to take stock of offerings. This time of year it's lots of baked things, honey, popcorn, crafts...and mushrooms! I'll have to go back.

QOTD- Is there some special significance to your OH username/avatar? I created mine during my extensive research/lead-up phase to surgery and had already been reading and lurking for some time. I am cautiously hopeful that this tool I've been provided gives me the leg up on my decades-long battle with obesity. I've also had a thing for bitty Eeyore for years because unlike traditional Blue, he's got that optimistic lil smile. It touches something in me and helps me carry a torch of hope all the time.

Exercise is another 35 minute cardio session and 30 minutes of stretching.

Menu includes something with halibut, rest of the chicken enchilada casserole, boiled eggs, protein pudding, charcuterie, and probably a piece of sourdough bread.

Bonus picture of a Greek-inspired omelet from brekkie yesterday. It was delicious. Cheers, everyone. Life is short.

Even when I can find halibut I hesitate because it seems so expensive. But I do love it and and going to try to find a small piece.


My husband's memorial service was in my yard and there were about 200 people there. It was a beautiful day on September 15. I had a ceremony with white doves. There were four doves in cages. Three of them represented the father, son, and holy spirit. Another cage had a dove that represented my husband, Joe.

We all said some prayers and then released the first three doves. They were trained to fly into the sky, form a circle and then wait for the dove *****presented the deceased person to fly up into the middle of the circle. Then they all flew off signifying that they were leading him to heaven.

At my service the first three doves flew up and created their circle. Then we said another prayer and released Joe's dove. He did not fly up into the middle of the circle. Instead, he got on the garage roof, walked around making a lot noise like he was talking to everyone. He looked like a little master of ceremonies telling everyone, Hello.

After he walked back and forth across the roof a few times with lots of "talking", he flew up but not in the middle of the circle. Instead, he flew the opposite direction and up the road to a bar where Joe hung out. All of his friends from the bar watched in amazement as the bird landed on the satellite on the roof of the bar. He sat there all afternoon watching the memorial service.

The lady who brought the doves was so upset and kept apologizing. She had been training the birds and doing the ceremony for years and a bird had never acted like that. I told her that it was OK and exactly what Joe would have done. After the ceremony was over the bird did fly back home. They are actually a type of homing pigeon that is white and looks like a dove.

Whenever I would see a white dove, I wondered if it was a visit from Joe. People still talk about that dove and say they will never forget Joe's service. There is a picture on the bulletin board at the bar of the dove sitting on the satellite dish.

I love that story! And yes - that dove sounds like a lot of men I know, too - sounds like he (that dove) was perfect for a memorial service for Joe!!

I am sure Joe would have rather gone to the bar than go to heaven. I hope heaven is real and he is having a good time there, probably on a bar stool watching the Pittsburgh Steelers play.

What an incredible experience!

Wow, what a story! And what a remembrance for your husband.

People still talk about that and it was in 2009.

Good afternoon everyone!

yesterday morning I noticed the skin on my upper chest was REALLY rough. Well I now have a rash on my chest, upper abdomen and upper back. Fun fun. Going low gluten again and it pains me to say no to eggs again. I don't know if it's from them but I've been needing the push. So I'm super itchy. Fun times LOL

not a whole lot planned this week.

We're having my brother and family over today. I'm just baking up frozen pizzas for em and made a cake this morning.

Tomorrow I am hoping to hear from the neurosurgery clinic. They said they put it on as a top priority so crossing my fingers. So hopefully things will be rolling by the end of tomorrow!

QOTD: I'm not sure what my actual screen name is here lol. I think it's melsbells. It's a nickname my late uncle George gave me as a little kid and it's stuck.

food is ehh.

You show as Melody P. to me!

I'm sorry you've got to change your diet. There was a carton of Just egg right in front of me when I was picking up eggs today and I thought of you. It's hard to preserve variety.

Mornin' Weekenders!

MIL was having a panic attack last night, so DH went over to spend the night at her apt after the home health aide left. It's almost 1:00 here and he's STILL not back (he texted a couple of hours ago and said he had to run a couple of errands but then would come home, so...). I'm starting to feel like one of those "hunting widows". Although I guess it can't really be helped.. He took the rest of the chocolate-covered corn flakes with him that I made for the party Friday night that I ended up not going to because I was running a fever. After eating eight of them last night (after an otherwise-good food day), I insisted he take the rest of them over to his mother's because I had to have them out of the house. He reported that she loved them. Great! At least I found a good home for them!

it's beautiful outside so I'm hoping he'll get home soon so we can get out and do something - like walk or ride bikes. Other than that, I need to finish a book for my book club meeting tomorrow and wrap up a couple of loose ends. Same old, same old.

QOTD: "catwoman" because I, obviously, like cats. And the "7" on the end is because it's my favorite number. I picked the photo that goes with it because I especially like "odd-eyed" cats (cats with two different colored eyes). I used to have a white odd-eyed cat (one blue, one amber), and this pic reminded me of him (this condition isn't common in cats, but it's seen much more often in cats than in other species, for some reason)

coffee with half & half

protein pumpkin pancakes topped with plain skyr and lingonberries

protein shake

nine tortilla chips

Ratio yogurt

Danish bread with butter and jam

salad with some kind of protein

have a great day, everyone!