Friday. July 21

Hello All

it seems an age but first, and have not read everyone's posts, Diane, a virtual hug. And 11 for Ella, one for Ben and more to everyone else.

Wow! Busy is not the right word. For everyone.

needless to say things are coming back to normal after surgery ( not mine ) , a wedding, ( not ours ) a house fire ( not ours thankfully ) and sadly a death. I thought that when one got to a certain age one would be able sit down a lot and drink tea.

Weight the same so that is good but not good if you know what I mean.

if one day you are looking for something inane you might consider Would I Lie To You on You Tube. A wonderful British panel show. Endlessly entertaining.

happy Friday everyone.

Good morning Carbon. Nice to hear from you! I think in some ways that as we get older not only does life keep changing around us, but it does so at a quicker pace.

Weight 114.5, calories 610. I ran around all day yesterday getting the dogs and other car tuned up. Three hours for the car tune-up while I waited (felt like a waste of a good beach day)! The dogs both had physicals and though Duchess (beagle) is stable, Chiquita's (chihuahua) heart sounds a bit worse. Apparently she was so stressed out (as she usually is at the vet) that her tongue turned blue. I don't exactly understand why, but the vet warned that that may mean she is at risk of sudden death. She is almost 16 and dying in her sleep wouldn't be terrible for her, though it would be hard for us. She was our daughter's beloved dog so when she goes we will have her cremated and bury her ashes in our daughter's grave.

DH and I went to the weekly summer band concert last night which is very enjoyable. There is another concert (smaller stage with rotating performers) on Fridays at 6 but we find it difficult to get to tha one because of the day/timing.

I'm getting the car this morning so the whining on that will be done.

Have a good end to your week!

You were missed Carbon ! Glad to have you back. Paula, I second and third the recommendations to prioritize self care, as you continue to be the "strong one", holding everything together. We strong people need TLC too ... and giving it to ourselves is not selfi**** is self preservation. BB... my doctor always said that morning sickness was a sign of strong hormones and a healthy pregnancy. It sure doesn't feel like it ! Think back to your post VSG days, and drink liquid like its your job, and maybe more, smaller meals of what your body is asking for, as protein forward as possible. Devon... those sweet little puppies. I'd subscribe to a live cam in a heartbeat ! Eleven !!! Shel...love how your are pushing yourself to higher and higher physical achievements (no pun intended). Dave and Ann... your projects and homesteading responsibilities sound so good to me. I don't see myself doing any of it in a tutu, but will enjoy it vicariously through those of you who do. Liz..hope your second support group went well, and that they find you the perfect car. Everything happens for a reason. Diane... visiting your gallery is moving up on my bucket list. Your community sounds so fun ! I appreciate everyone's posts... apologize in advance for anyone I didn't personally mention.

We joined a fitness center less than a mile from the house, and I discovered that the local school offers lap swimming on a limited basis. (The nearest YMCA is 20 miles away.) Devon and Ann as well as lugging bags of river walks, have inspired me to do some concerted strength training in addition to free weights. I've seen some recomp...clothes looser, muscles firmer..weight up four pounds. I'm liking the way my body feels and moves and have shifted my five pound range to

132-137. I've given up trying to edit my ticker.

Protect your skinny and do something nice for yourself today!

Carbon! Welcome back! You, too, DianeS. My trip to Iowa is coming up. August in Iowa. Fireflies will make it worth it.

I have my bossy hat on today. Look out! We are making a quick run to Crater Lake this weekend. None of us have ever been. We are car camping. This was sort of on the fly and while I know where everything is, I know it will take longer than I expect to pull it together. Gotta keep the bossy hat under wraps because it is my family's least favorite version on me. DD already doesn't want to go. DH claims he wants to go but I am uncertain. I directly asked yesterday (because I don't want to travel with two passive aggressive companions) but he says "if I don't see it now, I never will." Is that enthusiasm? I have doubts. I grew up with parks as family vacations so it feels second nature to me. DH's family simply didn't, despite have a zillion national parks within a couple of hours in every direction! What is wrong with them!

Paula, I had a paragraph devoted to bossing you about your ticker but I took it out because it isn't a good look for me. Just so ya know :)

Amazon is arriving before 7am with my car camping eats and drinks. Honestly, I don't care if Amazon takes over the world if they can deliver eats and drinks on command.

Be the boss of you skinny today,

Shel

A friend of mine is doing a bike trip in Iowa in the next couple of weeks. She is more than a bit of a fanatic about biking and is constantly on a trip somewhere (which is why it is hard to keep track of the specific location). She did a west coast to east coast trip in spring of 2015 from San Diego to Saint Augustine. This fall she is doing a biking trip from Vancouver to San Diego, then next year she is doing a northern route west to east coast trip. It exhausts me just to list this! Just to highlight her fanaticism, she generally loses quite a bit of weight that she can't afford to lose on those trips and often ends up sick with bronchitis or pneumonia. When she left for the current mid-west tour she was still recovering from a bout with bronchitis during which she coughed so much that she cracked a rib. I'm not sure what self-care means for my friend Robyn.

Greetings Great People

So good to be home in my own little cloud bed. I was awakened very early by a call from a social worker at my mom's hospice organization wanting to know what they could do for us. I wanted to say start by not waking me up so early but they are in another time zone and don't know I am in California now. Oh well.

I did see some high school friends at the services and may go back for a high school reunion in September as I have to go back and deal with the house.

This area of the midwest has these fast food sandwiches called "Runzas" that are ground beef, onions and cabbage baked in a little bread loaf. They are so good . DH and I split one frequently on this trip. Hence up to 138 and have to get serious about unloading that.

Carbon good to hear from you. Sorry for all the issues. As Liz says, its part of life.

Gallery duty today which is kind of a pain but may be a solace.

Sorry I am not more responsive to everyone's news but I sure appreciate having you all here.

We had a house sitter who is the daughter of a good friend. This girl has some sort of developmental disability and is rather childlike. We were concerned about how she would do but she turned out to be wonderful. Loves the dogs, followed instructions to the letter and mainly watched kids movies on net flicks and played with the dogs. No partying etc. I would have her again anytime. .

gotta go. thanks for the cyber hugs. Diane S

Your house-sitter sounds perfect. I wish she could sit with my dogs on the east coast periodically!

205.8. My son has been called "the boy" since he was very young and get me too riled to remember his name. Anyway, the boy suggested that we try to lose weight together instead of joining Weigh****chers again or a doctor's plan (co-pays). We will get on the scale in front of each other every morning, watch ourselves during the day, plan healthy meals ahead of time, and fit in as much exercise together as possible -- walks. He lost 12 pounds while he was in the hospital, so wants to continue it. I will ride his coattails.

He is planning to continue his quest for VSG, which is something he had given up on after being denied by psychologist. He needs to discuss the denial with the psychologist which is a gargantuan task considering his issues.

My daughter should be going home from the hospital today.

Goal status 23.8 lbs. to get back to 182 ... 35.8 to 170 goal ... 46.8 to 159 "normal" BMI.

This sounds like a good mini support group Joey. I hope it works for both of you!

Hey Joey, good for you and "the boy". Hope he gets the vsg someday. Diane S