Sunday, March 4, 2018

We live in NO BUG land. The occasional mosquito at night.

However, we've got critters (coyotes, boars, bobcats, rackitycoons, occasional big cats, and possums and turkeys - lots and lots of stupid turkeys!) and snakes - gopher, king, garter, and rattlesnakes - we've got lots of rattlesnakes!

Just got back from day #2 of snowshoeing. Breaking trail is getting easier as snow settles and my stamina builds. I still prefer cross country skiing because of the rhythm and glide of it. My center of gravity is also very narrow and focused as compared to snow shoes which are 4 to 5 times as wide, causing my stride to be much wider. I frequently bang my snow shoes into one another, forgetting I'm not skiing. The best is when I step on myself, propelling my suddenly stopped body forward. However, I love both forms of physical activity, and am forever grateful to be snowshoeing while collecting social security !

Love your thoughts about XC skiing vs snowshoeing. I think my XCski form is so bad I don't get the expected workout and I always feel like I need to go to the gym afterward.

In contrast, snowshoeing (esp breaking trail and going up hill) is such an obvious aerobic workout. I have only been on snowshoes 3 times but love it! I treasure that time. We won't have many more opportunities....esp around a work schedule. Darned work!

Do you have girl snowshoes? I'm so new to all of this but supposedly they are built for the wider female pelvis. Don't know if that would help with shoe-bang or not.

Wish we lived closer to each other.....love your energy!!!

Never heard of "girl snowshoes". This is my first season with them, but I cross country skied at around 250 pounds. Funny... Then I struggled to keep my skis in the narrow tracks because my thighs we're so big. Now, I LOVE the narrow tracks, and struggle for a wide enough stride to fit the snowshoes ! Snowshoes are a MUCH better work out, I agree !

Greetings Sunday Celebrators

146.5 today. Not much to celebrate there. Yesterday was pretty sluggy due to gallery duty. You can only get so many steps in walking in circles in a place thats only a few hundred square feet. But I will get to the studio and store today and otherwise out and about.

All this talk of snow shoeing is exciting and interesting. Something I have never done. I did used to cross country ski years ago in the midwest. Don't miss the snow. I could drive about 35 miles inland and find plenty. No thanks. But Shel and Diane O I am glad you are enjoying it. My hand therapist who is 66 tells me how she loves to ski and get a senior discount on a lift ticket.

I knew it I knew it! Justice will have a home. Hope the treatment goes well. Years ago a good friend had an extremely energetic active Labrador that got heart worm. This is a dog who was very happy and outgoing but never still for one second! She managed to get him through the heart worm treatment and he did fine. Justice will too.

Well Shel, I still have to send you this area map with my marks on it. Guess I better get it done. I still can't find the hidden hiking book. Be sure to consider rainy day options in your planning as it will happen.

Cecily, having to bring a "C" food made me think of chocolate or cheetos. Chili cheese dip is better. Or even celery, carrots and cheese spread. Enjoy the party. We will probably watch but I think I have seen only one of the nominated movies.

Hey Paula, DH did not bring any e waste home. He had all these boxes of it hidden around the house that I did not know about. But at least he got rid of it. Still, I bet there is more lurking about....

Well I am going to go lurk in the kitchen for more coffee. Cheers all. BB, yoo hoo!!

Diane S

I would love to have your area map with your marks! I greatly value your insight! No worry about the lost hike book....there is plenty of stuff on-line and I downloaded a kindle book too.

As for what to do when it rains to the point that even we Seattleites don't want to be out....you stopped me cold. Tourist town shopping? College student coffee houses? That's a great question.

Well if its raining you can:

Go around the little shops in Trinidad (there are only a few) plus the marine lab there for the university. (small)

Go around the Plaza in Arcata and do all the shops and coffee places (there are quite a few)

Go around Old Town in Eureka - even more shops, bookstores, coffee places and such right on the bay. Lunch at the marina.

Go to the one and only Mall in Eureka (a crashing bore)

Go to the county museum and art museum in Eureka. Interesting collection of Indian baskets but these places are not large.

Investigate coffee houses and bookstores

Hang around my house and stay warm and dry.

Diane S

144.2 , I think the same as yesterday. Calories were 1311 with C: 188, F: 38 and P: 74.

I'm sooooooo tired. I think it is from the increase in both my beta blocker and Cymbalta. Napped both weekend days after a full night's sleep. I could barely stay awake in church today!

Ben is getting even more skin lesions (he was opting to not tell me about some of them - not sure why). We talked about it and I think he will give me full disclosure from now on. He is tired too. Thank goodness our kids are mostly self sufficient.

Time to make dinner! Have a good rest of the weekend - not much left!

Sorry about Ben. Was this something you were told to expect? Is it indicative of the treatment or of the disease?

Don't overestimate self sufficient in your boys. I was raised by a mother who lost her father at 14 and her mother when she was 18. Granted, times were very different in the 1940s, but believe me those scars ran deep and directed her life until she died. Everything you are going through, your boys are going through without the benefit of an adult understanding.

Not preaching... just asking you to be aware. Like you need one more thing to think about!

Hugs!

The skin tumors are indicative of more widespread metastasis. Rare for esophageal cancer to metastasize to the skin (less than 1%). In reading about it, the prognosis is poor with an average lifespan of about 4-5 months. Who knows how the immunotherapy might change that.

I do know that my boys are not really self sufficient. I guess what I meant by that is they can make their own meals if need and 2 out of the 3 can drive themselves places. DS #1 actually called me from work tonight to talk him down from a panic attack. I'm glad he called and I think I helped