Thursday, September 12, 2024

This is our last morning on Block Island (we take the 11 am ferry). The weather is as picture perfect as it has been the prior 2 days. Boy I hope we have this kind of weather for DD's wedding in 16 days. Yesterday we did rent bikes which worked out well except for a couple of things. The chain came off on my first bike so we had to call the place to have them drive over a replacement. The second bike was in much better shape all around. But the areas we were biking in which Google Maps described as "mostly flat" were mostly not flat at least in the part where we were biking to see some beautiful cliffs. DH pointed out later that we should have figured that out since we were starting at sea level and going up to the top of the cliffs. We would love to come back in the future but might rent e-bikes and bring them over on the ferry. For some reason you can't rent them on the island but can next to the ferry on the mainland. They are more expensive and you have to pay a higher ferry price to bring them than a regular bike but they sure would make it easier. We did an 8 mile tour but skipped an additional 9 miles because we were too tired. We'd like to see that other part of the island next time.

I forgot to tell you that our Inn which is just off the center of town is next to some kind of a farm which has all kinds of animals including a llama and a camel. Interesting and surprising to see them out the side windows of our room.

After we make our way back off this lovely island we will be picking up Justice and getting my car which hopefully is fully repaired from the rodent damage. Weird to think that I only have another month to drive it before we leave for Florida.

Today is also injection day. Without feedback on my first thing in the morning weight I will probably stay at the same dose which I have been maintaining at for 10 weeks now (5 mg). I feel like I have been eating well but not snacking so I should be about the same.

Time to walk to Ernie's for a cooked egg breakfast. It seems to be the only place on the island with a real breakfast as opposed to an egg sandwich or baked goods.

Have a thankful Thursday!

Liz, that was a serious expedition y'all did. I'm impressed.

Question for Liz: Do you have any idea how your calories are averaging over the course of your post-weight-loss 10 weeks of maintenance? I'm not too far from your weight right now and am trying to figure out my maintenance calorie budget at this weight.

Question for Diane S: Do you know how old the "elderly" lady was who was found after 2 days in the woods (yay!)? That word is getting my attention a lot lately, given my upcoming last-year-before-turning-80.

Yesterday, we accomplished neither the mowing nor the mopping. Instead, we made some plans/lists about all the remaining chores, packing, decluttering and eventually moving that needs to happen between now and mid-December.

Today I'll visit the local moving companies and learn about what's involved in moving a grand piano. I will also join my old Ozarks book club for a discussion about historian Doris Kearns Goodwin's new book, "An Unfinished Love Story: A Personal History of the 1960s." Should be a good conversation.

I hope your day's a good one.

Plans are good to have when there is a lot to do. I have To Do lists on my phone to keep me focused.

I don't really know what my calories are because this is the first time in my life when I didn't track or count calories to lose/maintain. However, when I was maintaining at this weight previously it was at an average of 1300 calories. More muscle would allow more calories as would better metabolism.

Thanks, Liz. It's good to know what I should plan for here.

When Covid showed up in spring of 2020, we were told it was especially dangerous for "elderly". Oh those poor old people I thought. Then I read that the old people they were talking about were 60 years +. I was coming up on 59. Suddenly those poor old people were me!

Good luck with the moving planning! We still need to go through and get rid of lots of stuff but are still thinking of having an estate sale and either buying new or buying a home that is already furnished.

If you can part with your furniture it is so much easier to do that!

I can part with most of my furniture. The things that matter most to me aren't more than 4-5 pieces, including my grand piano. DF's furniture is lovely.

I took approximately that many pieces with me to Florida. The rest doesn't matter though we are swapping out some of DH's stuff at the other Cape house because mine is much newer.

Age is so interesting. If you have a strong hold on your marbles and good mobility, that feels youthful no matter the date on your birth certificate. My dad at 83 falls in that category despite his cancer and periodic stent clogs. He would not get lost in the woods. While some is bad luck, how much marble retention is in our power through behavioral habits is an interesting subject that I'm not sure science has a clear grasp on yet. I do think food, particularly sugar, holds a significant role. Instead of what we were told about sugar rotting your teeth, the focus should be on sugar contributing to rotting your brain. Ironically, even knowing that connection I eat too much of it. Similar to eating too many calories, it's the fight between the pleasure of immediate reward versus long term health, which feels like a problem for a later date.

After the fire department, the gas company, and the irrigation company came (they also cut through a sprinkler pipe), we might get a gate today. It looks great. My shower before we went to dinner was lukewarm with the gas shut off, so my lifelong training as a native Californian and recent Arizonan to take very short showers was put to good use.

Sometimes September here is freezing with endless winds from the north and sometimes it's like this - warm and beautiful. 6 days until I return home and it's becoming unseasonably cool in AZ (which means 70s this time of year).

After bumping up my dose to 12.5, I had bad reflux yesterday. I ended up taking 2 Prevacids and chewing several Tums. Today feels better. I'm happy to be on 12.5 as that was 10 weeks on 10 and the effectiveness was really waning. A super responder I am not.

I was reading a ridiculous story about Kate Moss's sister who weighs in the 120s and her "overdose" on Ozempic and her message to everyone about how dangerous it is. She had seizures from dehydration and ended up in the hospital. A) she is a waif and shouldn't have been taking it, B) she got it from a friend who bought it "under the counter" so zero doctor involvement, C) she took a huge dose. It's not a dangerous drug, it's just dangerous to idiots!

Anyway, enough rambling, I should go get dressed! Take care all...