Friday, May 24th

TGIF!

I am still tired, but better than yesterday.

Let's run thru what photos I have left. I was using gloved hands and boy does it show....sometimes literally!

You may recall that the day started sunny. Temps were moderate (40's?) at the start and from the beginning I only wore my base layer. In my pack I carried: fleece layer, medium puffy and big puffy (suitable for the top of Rainier) and a rain jacket. My uphill trainer guy said I should pack like I would for Rainier)

Taken on the way up, pics of the surrounding area, the white you see in the background are clouds.

Below, a picture of the spine of a worm. There were a million worms surrounded by snow. This pic doesn't capture the scale.

I am on top of the worm flow which is made up of volcanic rock boulders. The boulders ranged in size from a basketball to a car. The boulders aren't always stable because they sitting on volcanic ash/pumice which is slippery. So climbing up the spine looks like a fun scramble, but then the rocks shift or there are no rocks for a bit and then you are slipping on ash.

The top of some worm flows (like this one) can be fairly high up. There were short sections where fall exposure was higher than my (weeny) comfort zone. Perception is a funny thing, on the way back, it wasn't as bad as I remembered.

During this time I realized I had way too much stuff in the top of my pack which put pressure on my head/neck as I scrambled up, using hands and feet. It was hard to lift my head to look ahead. Also, the pack wasn't balanced and kept shifting around. Eventually, I took EVERYTHING out of my pack and repacked.

When the worm flow stops being fun, you start thinking about walking up the snow gullies instead, which are on the either side. But, they are a different challenge. I tended to stick on the spine, rather than snow, on the way up. Other people preferred the snow....all personal preference.

I had clear views of Mt Rainier's south side (usually we are looking at it's North side) and even closer, Mt Adams, another glaciated volcano. I didn't get a pic of Adam....I know I tried but my gloved fingers must have failed me.

Ok, I got to go to work. So, more tomorrow. I hope you all have a great day. Thinking of Shirl and her grand adventure, in particular. Hope weather/flooding is ok for some of you.

Shel

Weight 134.5 (unchanged), calories 1700. I had lunch and dinner out with friends so it was worth it. Today will be mainly home.

Everything from Florida has been put away and DH is established downstairs. I still need to work on the gate setup as he stepped over it this morning (he is very tall). Then he sat around in pants without a diaper. Luckily he didn't wet them until standing in the bathroom so cleanup was possible though not fun. He has been showered, fed, and everything is cleaned up.

I am starting to realize that not being able to leave him alone is going to be another huge burden. At least I could do errands previously.

But the sun is out and it is 70 degrees. Maybe a walk on the beach later... Youngest DD is coming tonight for a 1.5 day visit.

Have a full Friday!

Checking in.

Shel. I salute you. Officially a mountain climber. Being up there by myself would have freaked me out too.

BB congratulations on the new baby Charlotte. They are SO precious! You look great! Too great. Are you sure you did not photoshop?

It has been so long since my last post that it is embarrassing. I had written on the 1- 4 and again 3-18 and again 4-3 but don't think I posted any of it because they do not look complete. Perfect storm of situation kept me from posting. Mood mainly. Fighting depression and the dark places it takes me. When I feel peppy enough to do something I do not have time to write. When I am fighting my mood I probably should not write as it is all negative. Also feeling I have nothing to contribute because my maintenance goals were gone. Not really eating off plan because I have no plan except eat what ever when ever. Can not seem to find the motivation I need. I looked at my posts and most of it was talking about my grand daughters. Or the latest project I had. While I like to read about your lives I feel like I don't have much in the way of Obesity Help. I was healing from back surgery so I could not busy myself enough. Now I find no cartilage in my knees so steroid injections and talk of knee replacements. Steroids are ineffective. Alcohol works for pain control but is not good on the diet. So now, today, I am focused on making corrective choices. I read the posts most of the time. You are all truly a blessing.

More later, David

Weight: 139.6
Macros: Calories - 1,585, Carbs - 125, Fat - 57, Protein - 123, Fiber - 26
Sleep hours: 7 hours
Veggie/Fruit Servings: 9
Water glasses: 1
Exercise: 8,000 steps + yoga class (they're all tough classes these days!)

Shel, thanks for those new pix. I so admire that you regarded Wednesday's climb as a training hike. I can imagine the many "WTF?!" aspects of being alone on top and other times, having to rejigger your crampons and repack your backpack so many times, and mushing into soft, unsupportive snow. It sounds terribly hard. I don't know that I could have persevered. Also, that shot you posted yesterday of the mountain from down below with no trees hiding the length of the distance up the mountain is daunting. Gulp!

Dave, I am happy to see your words here, but so sorry you're having to deal with all that stuff. Boy, if I had a magic wand, YOU would make my Top Ten People to Wave at First.

So my scales here are doing the bouncy-bouncy thing again. I had one lousy craft beer last night with my book club friends, but jeez ... nothing that should have caused the gain. Oh well, time will pass whether I get up and do what needs to be done or not. So onward. :)

It's gone all hot and humid here. This morning was all about paying bills, sorting out some financial confusion and errors (not mine), airing up DH's truck tires, filling all the farm equipment with all the fuel on the property, and then driving to town to fetch nasty-smelling, easy-to-spill gasoline and diesel. It's already 1 pm, so I'm going to wait until tomorrow morning to start mowing. This afternoon looks like a fabulous time to enjoy a home spa day and a new book.

Today's theme: Spa days are self care, too. Some home spa music.

Greetings Adventurous Ones

155.5 today. Just goes to show that pizza is diet food. Actually one slice of super thin spinach chicken with low cheese amounts really is pretty good and filling. Feels like a pig out.

OMG Shel, I had no idea there were those "worms" of boulders up that mountain. Makes sense though. Glad you did this and even more glad you shared pictures. I assume they keep track of how many people are going up and down and you can't just go off up the mountain on a lark.

Hey Dave good to hear from you. Don't worry if you don't have words of weight maintenance wisdom to offer. Just tell about the girls and projects and such. We like hearing about stuff. I saw a facebook thing that said your diet is not just what you eat but what you listen to, see, watch, people you interact with and stuff like that. Makes sense. Its not all about eating or not eating.

Liz glad you are home safe and have DH in safe downstairs. Enjoy family visits and some down time.

Finally after a year and a half a guy is coming over to look at our deck to power wash and stain it. I would have dumped him ages ago but he is a good trusted friend and painted our house beautifully a couple of years ago. A true artist.

Otherwise I have a lot of shopping to do for dinners I am not cooking. We take our own meat to a cookout at friends and I am going for the ready made burgers at the health store. Spinach gorgonzola with grass fed beef. One burger feeds two of us. Plus extract of the grape.

My hands are healing and I was able to wash them yesterday. Who knows a way to get band aid sticky off?

Shirley have a great time on your trip. Want to hear all about it. Glad you are healed and travel ready.

Peps, hope you are "on the road" with airedales.

Take care all. Today's motto is "stop obsessing". (for me anyway). Diane S

Rubbing alcohol usually works on bandaid gunk ... Nail polish remover for tough areas.

Boy, oh boy. Sometimes **** just happens and throws you for a loop. My mother in law died yesterday afternoon while vacationing in Mexico with her middle daughter (one of Ron's 4 sisters) and daughter's husband. Her death was completely unexpected, out of the blue, and utterly shocking. I keep going back to look at the photograph Ron's sister posted on Facebook just an hour or so before her mother passed. I can't help but feeling that MIL chose her time and her terms. Maybe not exactly consciously, but there were choices that led up to her passing. She died while relaxing in a swimming pool, reclined on a pool-noodle type of chair thing with a margarita in her hand looking out toward the Pacific Ocean. Here one moment and gone the next.

Ron is with two of his sisters in Sonoma making arrangements with the funeral home and the church for when her body arrives back in the US. I'm hoping her body will be back in the US by early next week and that we are able to have services by Friday. Needless to say, the sister that was with MIL when she died is having a very difficult time. Poor thing is struggling with guilt. (I honestly don't understand feeling guilty, but I get it. It's not logical, but I get it. I felt guilty when I told my mom to help her let go that we all needed her to let go - that we would be just fine.)

Mexican authorities are not easy to deal with either. Sadly, American death in a Mexican resort is a bit of a money maker for the local economy. Ron's youngest sister is the current president of the American Jurist Association and is flying down to help her sister with arrangements and will have the involvement of the US consulate in getting the body transferred. Luckily, I have a dog client to help us through this ordeal. She had to go through this same thing two years ago when her husband passed suddenly of a major heart attack while visiting Mexico.

My weight was up just a tad this morning. I did do a bit of stress eating last night and we ate dinner extremely late because of all that was going on. I have a client later this afternoon, and then want to hit the gym and the chiropractor.

Festive Friday to all.

OMG, what a shock! But I agree that it sounds like MIL went on her own terms and in the easiest possible way. Hopefully Ron's sister will see that soon.

Peps, I know that kind of passing is hard on everyone else. And the out-of-the-country logistics are likely quite excruciating.

But y'know ... thinking only of myself, I could check that specific final option pretty easily.

Unexpected deaths are so hard on those left behind as you didn't get a chance to say goodbye, tell them how much you love them, or right any wrongs. But passing relaxing on a pool float looking out on the ocean with a margarita in hand (for me it would be an icy Diet Coke...), not suffering, sounds like a really wonderful way to go given we all have to go at some point.