Saturday's Air

[jaminkw]

Morning All! Took the blanket off my bed yesterday and could have stood to have it on when I woke this am. Desktop temp says 72 but I'm a little chilly. But then, I'm chilly a lot. Stan's taken to saying, "I'm sorry honey" instead of laughing or telling me it's definitely not chilly. It's nice.

Am conserving my energy until it's time to go out today. My trip to town Thursday was a disaster. The dread "d" word made me cut short my lunch on cuban chicken soup and bread and cut out over half my errands.

Yesterday I got the first feel good reprieve since Monday or Tuesday. I was feeling pretty bad about noon but did something different. Picked myself up and took a short walk down Boca Chica Road where I live. I was dragging my butt but it seemed to help, the activity that is. Got a few chores done and ALL my ironing for the trip. I was truly a happy camper. The top of to the day was the Waichai (Panda bear) spicy garlic chicken Stan made. OMG, the chicken he pan fried in little pieces was delish even before the sauce and sprouts and water chestnuts went in. I ate a pretty darn good size portion for me these days which made him very happy.

O.k., on to my day. Stan and I are going to town and I'll get to finally pick up an over-the-ear bluetooth for my phone. Hadn't used it in years but started again recently then the connector on the phone end died. I'll also get to replace my mini mouse. The tips of my fingers are always kinda numby and I hate using the touch pad. My mouse hasn't died altogether, just works off and on all the time in a most annoying manner. I'll also go to the grocery store and get the ingredients to make Stephanie's granola. I can't wait. I've wanted to for ages just haven't had time to go get the stuff let alone make it.

Hope you all have as grand a day as I plan to have. Just hope feeling good is my companion today, at least until I get through my shopping.

Judy in KW

[Bud Baker]

Good morning, everyone!

It was 68 degrees when I got up this morning. Forecast high is 87.

I'm going to hop on the bike in a few minutes and do 40 miles or so, then I'm thinking I'll take a short run over to Lake Benbrook and see if there are any spawning crappie to be found.

Benbrook is less than 10 miles from home, but it's a tough old lake that I haven't had much luck fishing at, the few times I've been. With Granbury likely lost for the year to golden algae though, I'd like to find another close to home lake, so I'm going to keep trying to learn Benbrook.

Good luck with the diet, Becky. Have a great day, all!

[Annette]

Good morning all - had a great great great ( you get the idea ) evening last night - me and basketball - that's right watched the whole basketball game - and my throat is a little sore because well that's just my coaching style - and they were all the way in San Antonio so I had to be a little loud so they could hear me. First time my alma mater VCU made it into the Sweet Sixteen and the first time my alma mater made it into the whatever they call the top 8. Super exciting - except now I will have to watch a basketball game on Sunday - and they are playing a team that well it may not be a pretty game - but I'm ever hopeful.

We had to be up by 9 a.m. and Marco's outreach worker has already stopped by. Now I gotta get him off the game and into cleaning cause he wants to have his little girlfriend visit - sigh. I just want a nap.

Judy - so so glad you are feeling better - hope it lasts thru the day and you get everything done. We are expecting some weather here later I believe so I'm not planning on doing much or going anywhere. I did bring a little work home just in case.

I'll check back in later,

Annette

[Snowflake]

Here we are, day one of diet hell...lol...so far, right on schedule, just need to down more water. On my scale, I have lost six pounds since Tuesday. I DO know that will not be how it continues, since the 3-day cleanse gets rid of salt and therefore a lot of accumulated water weight. Once the water weight is gone, I have to lose fat...and I'm more than willing to do just that, just need to get the ol' body on board. Why can't healthy food taste as good as the stuff that's bad for you? All fresh veggies and non-processed meat....with the occasional starch thrown in for a tease (very limited starches, I can have bread, just not the GOOD stuff, I can eat cardboard)

BUT, it needs to be done. Hate it when my closet tells me how fat I am...lol

Need to figure out where everything is going to fit in this tiny kitchen...the mini blender, food scale, packets of "shakes"...I need a smaller me and a bigger kitchen!

I hope you're feeling better, KW Judy, and MI Judy - all that bad news just sucks! Keep riding for me, Bud. If I get up to it, I'll join you, but not before the roads are ice-free and I know where all the loose dogs in the neighborhood live. I really, REALLY hate loose dogs, they're all such big, toothy creatures with loud, scary barks!

I figure one week, just diet, then on the treadmill, and the Wii fit. I just hate that smug little critter who is supposed to be me commenting on my weight...just want to crush her little head!

Off I go, time to measure out my fruit! Play nice, all!

[lilyjohn]

Good morning everyone. Judy I am so glad that you are feeling better. I hope it keeps up so you can take your trip and enjoy it.

Bud I could sure use a good mess of those Crappie or any fresh fish. I haven't been fishing in a couple of years. I hope to change that this summer. My son leaves on the second for his annual trip to Toledo Bend. Just him and several other guys spend the whole week bass fishing and eating. What a life! lol

I just want to say congratulations to Bruce. Grandkids are great! Spoil him a lot. That is what they are for.

Becky I really have to struggle with the weight issue. I am doing pretty good right now but having a lot of stomach problems. Darn thing is the bad for me food doesn't bother me. The good food sends my digestive system into shock and I am not feeling that great all of the time. Still trying to do some moving and eating a lot less. Hope I can continue and my stomach will adjust and behave itself.

[Joppette]

Hello everyone,

As I said yesterday, just had a couple tough days. When I am at Gilda's Club, sometimes I'm afraid to ask how they are doing, because it breaks my heart. But when you see a young man, with 2 little kids, with advanced lung cancer, and wasting away, it just breaks your heart.

Anyway, I'll write later....at someone's computer and they just showed up so I have to go!

MI Judy

[ts]

Hey Judy - when we were in Hawaii I was about 4 or 5 months on Tarceva. Despite those lovely temperatures, I was still chilled and wore a light jacket most of the visit. It's part of its charm. Did I tell you I have actually broken a sweat now and then since I've been off it? And I get hot sleeping once in awhile now too?

I walked to the post office in the sunshine yesterday - downhill. It felt great. Coming home, that little incline was a chore. Got me out of making dinner since I crashed and took a nap. But I managed to rally later in the evening and made 5 grain cereal cookies - very similar to granola, but in a handy to eat form, plus egg and butter.

Bud, I think you asked about the garden? I used to plant in a community garden, then I had two plots, then I had my flat yard and plot, then my yard, then we moved and I have little appropriate space for it.

At one point I had 35 tomato plants and a bunch of tomatillos! I ended up sharing with some chefs I know, so some ended up in restaurant food (I'm sure that was illegal) but at least one looked at me and said, these are coming home!

I've raised potatoes, onions, lettuce, garlic (except the year when the street guys stole everyones crop and were selling organic garlic on a nearby commercial street), tried to grow okra (got a handful of pods), cukes, broccoli, squash, cabbage, peppers, eggplants, spinach, beans, peas...pretty much anything that doesn't take too much sun. Never got more than a golf ball sized melon, sadly. Also have harvested figs, blueberries, and strawberries.

For years, my Saturday morning in the garden patch was my meditation time - weed, thin, water, plant, watch for birds and stray cats, get some sun, work till I was tired, hot, and dirty. A great balm for a worker typically chained to a desk. I did get out in the field for work sometimes, but not often.

Now, we have three big pots outside the kitchen, one full of herbs, and two will hold a few tomato plants, also a strawberry pot. I added a couple of herbs to the rockery garden out front, have 4 blueberry plants, with no berries after two years! A bay tree (much smaller than at my old house), a fig tree (also smaller), rhubarb that we may be able to harvest this year, and an old Italian plum tree - since it split at the base last year, we planted a new one in December, so now we have two. I'll probably plant some winter squash - well, we have volunteer plants from our compost and they produce a strange variety of edible specimens, some lettuce, maybe some beans and chard, but the area that I plant is very small.

Okay - that was a crazy long post!

[Joppette]

Hi all again,

I'm back. Don't have much to add. I'm still struggling with the cough and hacking. Just don't understand it.

8 weeks of illness, and still sick.

I'm so sorry to be such a sourpuss. I am starting to feel that this might be more than a cold.

Damnit. I do not know what else to say.

MI Judy