I am finding that this year is slipping by far faster than I anticipated. Is that because I’m getting older, or is the time really flying by? I was looking at pictures of darling Quinn and he has been growing so quickly and changing so much, just in the few months since his birthday! See…

The left is his second birthday in March and the right is at the end of May, at Savannah’s birthday. He went from toddler to a little boy!

In any case, here are the five things I am thinking about this Friday.

1. The French Open Tennis has been a real surprise. Well, except for Raphael Nadal, who will more than likely win it all. I think the most exciting thing this year is all the young newcomers. I will miss the older generation when they retire, but there are so many you, energetic and healthy young players.
2. I’ve been trying new recipes this week and have a new salad recipe. It includes the usual things like lettuce and cukes and tomatoes, but I added a few strawberries and mandarin oranges! All I can say is…YUM!
3. It’s the start of Motorcycle Week here in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire. Motorcyclists from all over descend upon our area and take over. The drone of bikes permeates my house from morning till night! And forget about going to the grocery store or Post Office. The roads are clogged and there are no parking places! Ugh!
4. It has been overcast and humid the last few days. Not exactly beautiful, but at least it is not raining, and the temperatures have been in the 70’s.
5. What are my plans for the weekend? Laundry and housework! I need to catch up. It seems like the perfect time.

Have a great weekend!

As you may recall, last week I returned to Weight Watchers to try to get a handle on my weight. I decided to follow the plan to the letter, to write down everything I ate and just see what happened. Here is how my week went.

1. The first thing I did was to sit down and read everything I was given at class, twice! There is so much information and I wasn’t sure I understood it all.
2. After reading everything, I decided that I needed to journal my eating (write everything down so I could keep track of the points accurately!). Since I have purchased both the online and in-person meeting program, I’ve been keeping track of everything online.
3. Then I set about fixing wonderful Zero point salads, and also Zero point meals. I was thinking about how to plan things that I was eating. For instance, I attended Savannah’s party and I knew there would be steak and cupcakes! And I also knew I would want both! So, I ate only Zero point meals until dinner that night. Then I had my steak and my cupcake too!
4. I was in the grocery store and I saw the first bags of California New Potatoes. A particular favorite of mine. Hmmmm. Well, I checked and a 5-ounce potato was 5 points. Okay, I can do that. So with my wonderful Haddock fillet, I had the New Potato and Corn on the Cob, which is also Zero points!
5. It struck me after a few days that I was never feeling hungry. I was eating balanced meals, and snacks too, and never felt like I was deprived. I am eating all the things I enjoy and it was working.
6. I also got a little worried. Could eating this well really produce a weight loss? What if I did everything right and come Wednesday morning, didn’t lose an ounce! Or worse yet, gained weight! Perish the thought!
7. As I got ready on Wednesday morning for class, I didn’t even dare to sip a cup of coffee before weighed in! I just knew that one sip of coffee would put on at least a pound of fluid in my body!
8. I got to class, went to Tami who has been weighing me in since 2008 when I have attended class and has always been rooting for me. I told her that my scale showed a good weight loss, but if I didn’t show the same weight loss at class, that old scale was being thrown out!
9. I stepped on the scale and………Tami said my scale wasn’t going to the dump just yet! I was down 5.2 pounds!!!
10. I cannot tell you how happy I was and How relieved too. But my leader, Pam and my cousin Rikki were both right. They told me that if I worked the program it would work for me! And it had!
11. So, when class began Pam asked if anyone had anything to share, good or bad or helpful? I raised my hand and was all but jumping out of my seat, much like Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter movies!
12. She called on me, and I started out by recounting my week. I spoke of Zero Point foods and meals, of not feeling hungry. I also spoke of some of the things I ate, like Baby-back ribs, pork chops, the best grilled steak ever, and the California New Potatoes! And how I had lost 5.2 pounds this week! And how good I felt! Many of the people there asked questions, and other people talked about their struggles and their triumphs with the program.
13. It was a great way to re-start my quest for a healthy weight through the Weight Watchers program. I know I will not lose 5 pounds every week, but I do believe that this is an eating plan I can live with lifelong.

1. Describe your 30’s in one sentence. If you’re not yet 30 tell us one thing you hope to accomplish once you hit that particular decade.

It was a decade of learning, living and trying to find balance, as I traveled the world and saw places I’d only dreamed about.

Me standing on top of the Wall in Berlin, Germany, shortly after it “came down” and Germany was reunified.

2. Is it harder for you to exercise or eat healthy?

Both. It always has been, but last week I returned to Weight Watchers and I actually love their new plan. I’m eating well, feeling satisfied, and starting to move better as well.

3. June 7th is National VCR Day. Huh? Anyway this reminded me of something I saw on Facebook listing household items we no longer have and the VCR was on it. I couldn’t put my hands on that list, but found another list here of 21 items we all had ten years ago, but which are now obsolete-

Still have my VCR, Joyce. I am so retro! LOL!

bookshelves (WHAT!!???)
Yes
drip coffee makers,
Yes. And used every single day.
alarm clocks,
Yes
file cabinets,
Yes.
desktop computers,
Yes
printers,
Yes
printed phone books,
Yes
answering machines,
Yes
fax machines,
Yes
paper shredders,
No
a Rolodex,
Yes
CD racks,
Yes
CD burners,
Yes
china cabinets,
Yes
home phones,
Yes.
entertainment consoles,
Sort of.
DVD players,
Yes
calculators,
Yes
takeout menus,
Yes
incandescent light bulbs,
Yes
and cable TV

Yes

Your thoughts? How many on the list do you still have? Still, use?

I still have almost all of them, (see list above) and I still use them all.

4. What’s something you see disappearing in the next ten years?

Oh, I am not sure. I do know that my husband’s much love, 15+-year-old flip-phone will become obsolete as Verizon will no longer support the signal, as of January 1, 2019. He is not thrilled, even though I have gotten my old Galaxy S5 cleaned up and programmed just for him. He hates change of any kind though.

5. How did you celebrate your birthday this past year? Is that typical?

It was a very nice, quiet family dinner. That’s usually how we do it. Nothing big, but my daughter made a great meal and cake!

Quinn feeding Oma (me) my cake!

Later this year, (November) is my 60th Birthday and I hope there will be some sort of special celebration!

6. Insert your own random thought here.

I saw the sun briefly on Tuesday morning before the clouds returned and also some rain. I’m hoping it clears up before later on this afternoon. I must drive over the mountain here, for my test, and would really enjoy the drive more if it was sunny.

I was thinking about my childhood the other day, and I was recalling my childhood home on Clipper Lane. This was the house my parents brought me home to when I was born. It is where I spent the first ten years of my life. Even now, when I think of places that I felt really grounded and safe, Clipper Lane is at the top of the list.

Whenever I go back to Falmouth, I always go by and say hello to my old homestead. It is still there and the new family that lives there loves my old home too, and take very good care of it.

This house is a five-minute walk from the beach, and a five-minute walk in the opposite direction takes you into town. The perfect place.

I guess that was why, when my parents decided to sell it and move to the other side of town, I was really devastated. I remember feeling like my entire world had been turned upside down. Which, looking back wasn’t true because we were moving 2.7 miles away from my much-loved home on Clipper Lane. But to me, it was the end of the world!

I had to start in a new school, meet new kids, and carve out a whole new life as a fifth grader. I was terrified, but eventually, I settled in, only to be moved two years later to another home that was 4.4 miles in the opposite direction.

I’m not sure how military kids do it because it was really tough for me, and I never even left Falmouth. But somehow, that first move away from Clipper Lane never really left me.

Sometimes I dream about moving back to Falmouth, but I know it wouldn’t be the same. So I will just keep going back for short visits. Enjoying every moment that I can while I am there.

Here I am on Sunday night, my first week back at Weight Watchers, and I have not strayed at all. I’m reading and planning and so far I find that there is plenty to eat to fill myself up. The key here has been the planning.

I’m trying to eat as many fish, chicken and vegetable meals, as I can. It seems to be working as I have not been overcome with hunger. I am also drinking a lot of water and iced tea.

I wasn’t sure I could handle my withdrawal from sugar, but so far I have done very well. I also plan meals and snacks with as many Zero point foods as I can. Trust me, there are plenty of those.

My weigh in is Wednesday and I am anxious to see how I have done. I really hope that I have lost enough weight to spur me on. I admit to being easily discouraged.

We shall see.

Saturday came and it was so hot that I decided to be an indoor girl yesterday! I did our meals, worked on a few projects and watched The French Open Tennis on the TV. So far, my favorite players are winning, but a few of the matches have been nail-biters.

I’m reading everything I can about the new Weight Watchers plan, and as of this morning (Sunday), I have not strayed from my eating plan. I do need to go to the grocery store today and buy more fresh vegetables and fruits, and another package or two of chicken pieces and a bag of shrimp.

I’d like to be able to celebrate my 60th birthday in November looking like one pretty hot Sexagenarian! That’s the plan. I would also like to spend more time out walking with Arnie. He goes at my pace and is a nice companion.

I’ve got a big test coming up on Tuesday. I don’t want to say too much about it, but I do want to pass this one with flying colors.

Yesterday when I got up and walked the dogs it was 72 degrees at 5:15 AM. I just walked the dogs in my nightgown and it was perfectly warm. Well, overnight we must have had a cool front pass through because it was 48 degrees and the air is very clear. Needless to say, I needed my robe. The winds are quite heavy right now, but the sun is shining and the skies are bright, robins egg blue. A truly lovely Sunday.

The grandparent’s all gathered for Savannah’s dinner celebration on Friday night. She opened her gifts, enjoyed each and every one of us, and felt our special love!

Savannah and Oma.

Savi and her grandfather, Bob.

Savi and her Nana, Mary.

(Notice Quinn photo-bombing)

Despite the fact that it was Savannah’s birthday celebration with her various grandparents on Friday evening, I managed to stay on the WW plan. Amanda bought the most awesome steak and marinated it, and Matt cooked them up on the grill. That man knows how to cook a fantastic steak, and I sure did enjoy every bite!

Dinner also included corn on the cob and Parmesan Cheese Noodles. Now I know that corn on the cob is a zero point food, so I had that and the steak (which does have points, but is really lower than you might think) and I did not eat the pasta. Now, I wanted the pasta, but I wanted a loss at the scales on Wednesday, more than I wanted the pasta yesterday, so it was an easy choice. I also wanted a birthday cupcake, so the noodles never even saw my plate!

I also drank…WATER…ugh, not a big fan of water, but once again, I am trying to make better choices. I knew I wanted that darn cupcake and so I made no other breaks from my eating plan and ate zero point foods all day before that dinner.

So when I got up this morning, I raced to the bathroom scale and hopped on, just knowing that I must have lost at least ten pounds for all my great planning (and sacrificing!). Ah no. It is also very humid up here right now, and in this humidity, I always retain fluid. (That is my story, and I’m sticking to it!)

Savannah’s party was great, all the grandparents are good friends, and we all adore our mutual grandchildren. We laughed and joked and lamented the fact that the last six years have gone awfully fast!

And then we looked up and there was the kitty cat Bear, the mouse hunter, with a chipmunk in his mouth! This time Matt was here to go out and rescue me from the creature.

I finally knew I’d better hit the road, as I was working under a time constraint. I needed to get home before dark (my car will turn into a pumpkin!) as I cannot see well at night, and the Friday night, summertime traffic can be a nightmare.

I kissed and hugged one and all, and off I went. No traffic and I managed to pull into the garage at 8:41 pm! I just beat the onset of darkness.

After the heat and humidity and two long drives, I collapsed into bed at 9:15 and slept like a rock never moving until 5 o’clock this morning!

Well folks, here we are, the first Friday in June! Where is the time going? I started to think today, that I need to sit down and make a Christmas gift list and then start picking things up as I go. Crazy, yes?

So as we end this week, here are the five things happening in my life right now.

1. Our old, but tried and true push lawn mower died. We use it to go into tight places and do the trim mowing. So, we started to look around. I told Jack that this time we had to get a self propelled mower because I can no longer handle the old push mowers. It’s not that I expect I will be doing much with this mower, but in the event, I need to use it, I should be able to handle it with some ease. We drove down to Lowes, found the model I liked and brought it home. Jack set about putting it together, only to find an integral screw missing! We immediately called and they said to bring it back in the morning and they would have one all set up for us.
2. Off we went on Thursday morning to bring back the first one and bring home the second one. Wonderful, right? Well, no one knew anything at first and I could see real fear on the face of the Customer Service Agent. I told her to relax. I knew that it was there, and it was just a matter of finding it. Sure enough, after several minutes, Becky came out rolling the new machine. Patrick lifted the old one out of the Highlander and picked up and loaded the new one into it. Thus operation new lawn mower was complete! And at this point, Jack has already used it and it looks as dirty as our very old one! Ha!
3. Today (Friday) the family is getting together for a quiet celebration of Savannah’s birthday. She will have her kids party on Sunday. I’m driving down myself and will enjoy watching Savi open her gifts. I got her some really sweet stuff! Shhhhh! No telling what it is!
4. I am being plagued by the telemarketer from He!!. In the last 24 hours, he has called 12 times and counting. I have filed several complaints with the Do Not Call Agency in Washington. I have the name of the person through caller ID and the phone number. The first few times I answered and asked him not to call. The last time I answered I told him I had reported him, and yet the calls persist. We are no longer answering our landline. So if you need to reach me, either call my cell phone or message me on Facebook. Honestly, I have never been harassed like this before! Not even during elections!
5. Wednesday I returned to Weight Watchers. I am not happy with my weight, and so back to class, I went. I was greeted with many hugs, open arms, and the feeling like I was not alone. At the ripe old age of 59 ½, I am no longer looking for a quick fix diet. I need something that will help me understand food, and how to plan out what I am eating. I’m writing everything down, so I can get used to their new program. After class, five of us went out to lunch, and we were good little WW members. One of us ordered Haddock, and the rest of us ordered a Spring Berry and Chicken salad! We talked and laughed and had such a great time. It felt so good to be back with my friends!

So that is it for the last week in May and the first day of June 2018. I hope you have something wonderful planned to do that will make you smile!

Today is my granddaughter, Savannah’s Sixth Birthday! I cannot believe how quickly the last six years have gone by!

The first time I held Savannah in my arms, I remember thinking how I couldn’t love anyone more than I loved her at that moment. But the wonderful thing is, that love continues to grow and grow!

I also remember thinking that I could hardly wait until Savannah could talk to me and tell me what she was thinking and feeling. Now, at the age of six, she is able to tell me everything, and how I absolutely love that!

So Happy Birthday, My Darling!

Since there is no Wednesday Hodgepodge this week I will write about a few things that I have been doing and also thinking about.

The Peach Tree died this afternoon. Jack set about cutting it down and I somehow felt I should go out and play taps. Truly it is a sad day for me. I loved that tree.

There is a bear in our neighborhood. The bear attacked an unsuspecting Bob-House (an ice fishing house) and did quite a number on it. I worry about the little dogs mostly. You know, they are snack size. I do not worry about Lili. We have a Yorkie living next door and Lili is terrified of it! She can run faster than any bear, that is for sure!

I’m enjoying watching the French Open Tennis. I wish I was coordinated enough to play tennis, but I am not. I do, however, enjoy watching these fantastic athletes!

Tomorrow I will be running around doing errands, but I will also be getting together with some of my friends for lunch. I am so excited about that!

Have a great Wednesday!