More Random Observations

The volume of the music in the library's Zumba class is directly proportional to how quiet the rest of the building is. The quieter we are, the louder they get!

People enjoy the Zumba class rather a lot, judging by the volume of their shouts during the class.

It only took 55 and a half years, but I'm finally happy with my hair.

My actual hair color now. No dye, no filters.

If you have more than two unfinished craft or needlework projects packed away, you have too darn many hobbies.

One really can have too many books.  Or is the problem really never enough bookshelves? Still pondering that one...

Sometimes, a nice cocktail at the end of the day is a very pleasant and relaxing thing.  The process of mixing it is part of the joy of the thing.

There are few things as pleasant in this life as good coffee, and something sweet to dunk in it.

The older I get, the creepier my hands look.  (Arthritis helps in this process.)

There are few things sexier than a man who is willing to do dishes.

My sinuses really are out to get me.

The likelyhood that nail polish will get chipped is directly proportional to the time it took to do the manicure.

The current manicure.  Base coat, color, glitter, and top coat.

The battery in the tablet will always run out in the middle of the best part of the story you are reading.

A small bottle of good quality single- malt Scotch Whisky is necessary for medicinal purposes.  (Such as feeling the incoming cold front in  your joints on a windy night.)

When it is really time I should be sleeping, I'm wide awake.

The capacity for hate and evil in humankind is a constant source of dismay to me.  Conversely, the amount of love and kindness I see pouring out in response to evil acts is a source of hope.  It shouldn't require a tragedy for us to pour our love and support out on a hurting world, though.  That should be evident every single day.

No matter how cold it is when you start your exercise walk in the morning, before you're halfway done, you'll still be sweaty, if you're doing it right!

Fall weather has truly arrived the day I finally put the heated mattress pad on the bed.

If I am rooting for a football team, they seem to do better if I don't watch the game...

Every single "holiday" can of Coke Zero I have had this year has said I should "Share a Coke Zero with a POLAR BEAR. " Every. Single. One.  Tell me, where do I find a Polar Bear that can drink Coke Zero?

Every single can in the 24 pack I just bought looks just like this.

The reason some of us really love to wear spandex workout wear is because it makes us feel like a superhero.  (Also, if you've lost as much weight as I have, it is excellent reward and motivation all rolled into one!)

Aren't these cool?

 

 

Some people will never understand about "personal space", no matter HOW many anti-harassment trainings they've been to. (Get outta my face, ok?)


It's always pleasant to find out that people assumed you are younger than you are. (Well, if you're as old as I am, it's pleasant!)

Some people get better looking as they age.  Really not fair to the rest of us. 

When you realize that someone who has a lot of fans actually knows who you are, and is glad to see you when you visit at a convention, it's still unbelievable.  (But it's great! )

Small acts of kindness eat away at the sadness and hopelessness so rampant in this world.  I am grateful both for the kind gestures others extend to me, and for the chance to be kind to others.

Some workplace break rooms really need the sampler someone hung in the school kitchen where I taught: "Your mother doesn't work here.  Please clean up your own mess."

I really do wonder if the Hokey Pokey really IS what it's all about.

Those who think suggestive or vulgar language in song lyrics is a new thing really need to listen to a cd I own.  It's called the "Art of the Bawdy Song" , and is all about tunes from the 16th century, and perhaps before.

Sometimes, you just have to decide you're finished with something and call it good.  I'm calling this post good.

Not Much Going On...

Pretty much into the "put your head down and slog" part of the New Year.  Still working out the kinks of the resolutions, working on other goals that need to be met, trying to avoid the flu that seems to be running all over the place. 

Had a very lazy weekend so far, and so tomorrow I have to play catch up.  Even the laundry has been allowed to languish a bit because the appliances (including washer and dryer) had their annual professional tune-up and maintenance checks yesterday. 

So far, the resolution to up the exercise is going pretty well.  Have done at least an hour of exercise most days, split between walking and the elliptical, or all on the elliptical, depending on weather.  One of the things I need to do tomorrow is figure out how to get my weight routine  back into the mix.  (Gotta tighten up these flabby arms!)

On the plus side, I must have looked really skinny on Friday, because at least four different patrons asked me if I'd lost weight.  That helps the motivation a LOT!  Friday was also good because I heard from some Twitter correspondents I don't always hear from, and it brightened up my day.  (Even if I DID get teased about my notorious typos.) 

Have to start watching the diet more closely, as the checkup with cholesterol checks is next month.  Guess I better plan now on low-fat, and more fruit and veggies.  Gotta cut back on the caffeine, too, so the BP won't be high.  (More sleep would also help this, but hey, I have a hard time turning the brain off any earlier.  Of course, less caffeine would probably help that, too...)

Speaking of turning the brain off earlier, it's working on midnight, so I guess I better cut this short and start trying to shut the ol' brain down for the night. 

I hope all who read this are finding success in this new year, and encouragement, and progress toward your goals. 
Never give up, never surrender!  (To quote a very good parody.)

Now Is The Summer Of Our Discontent

Now is the summer of our discontent
We end each workday aching and spent
The loud gales of noisy childhood
Pierce our eardrums, chill our blood
The endless parade of picture books
That need sorting and critical looks
To ensure no damage has been done
Them on their journey's run.

But also a summer of renewed hope
As yes, we struggle to cope
Though to find ourselves needed,
Our help and services pleaded,
Helping young ones make a new start
Does much to soften the heart.
And seeing a child excited to read
Makes us all very glad indeed.


Summer is our busy time at the library.  We are THE place for kids to go for activities, books, fun, movies, and a place to cool off and relax for a bit. 
It is a good and glorious thing that our library is so important to our community, especially to our children. They have a safe place to come to, a place to learn on their own, meet their friends, or just fool around on the Internet for a little while.
We are also a resource for the entire community.  We have business services, and all sorts of computer classes for adults, book clubs, teen activities, many community groups have meetings in our meeting rooms, we're the happening place in town. 
It's true all year, but especially hectic in Summer.  The kids set goals and read books, or are read to by their parents, and so we have a lot more traffic both of people and of books in and out of the building.  Also, we have many special programs during the summer, and on program days (like today was), things can be pretty loud for a library.  I made six new library cards today in my two hour desk shift, and replaced several lost ones.  Summer is also the time for lots of that.  Many fines were paid, and since this is Fine Forgiveness week, some people actually got NO FINES on their very overdue items.  (It's all good, we get our stuff back, and they save some money.  )

This summer I am finding myself discontented because I have been having trouble losing any more weight, and indeed I have gained a few pounds.  I have about 14 pounds left to my goal.  I find it harder to stick to my diet because I want to eat more sugar to have more energy.  I also find it harder to work out as much as I should some days because it is so HOT outside.  Today went better, but last year, it seemed easier, seemed like the weight came off faster and easier, too.  Maybe it's just because I'm older.  Harder to get the old metabolism going fast enough.  Who knows?  Whatever the reason, it's bumming me out.  And I STILL haven't made it to the Farmer's Market yet this year.  Must try to go this Thursday during my "dinner" break.  It is, most conveniently, right next door to the library, in the Community Center parking lot.

Here's to Summer, a time that actually means more work for me, but a time that also allows us to spend more time in our gardens, relaxing and watching the birds and squirrels and rabbits that come by to visit our yard. 

Birthday Week Part III: The Rest Of The Story

This is what I did for the rest of my birthday week, as near as I can remember.  This being Sunday afternoon, it may take a bit of thinking to figure out what happened when.

Wednesday was the day after my birthday, and I had to go in to work for a short meeting.  I didn't mind, after all, it was a short, productive meeting, and I got to see my fabulous coworkers! 
I also bragged to a select few about my birthday tweet from Ron Perlman! 
Before my meeting, I stopped at Lowe's to get a new doorbell.  Seems the reason we didn't know when my flowers arrived on Tuesday was that the doorbell was broken.  Our friend Mike discovered that when he arrived.  I did all the things I could think of, and it didn't resurrect the doorbell, so I bought a new one.  It was an easy replacement job, as both this one and the old one are wireless doorbells.  No electricity involved!

This is the inside portion of the new doorbell.  The new button is also dark, which will make it easier to see on the white woodwork next to the front door!  I will not be posting a picture of the bell because it is freakin' COLD our there right now, and I didn't make a picture the other day. 
Took me just a few minutes, and the doorbell was back in working order.  Doesn't sound like real bells like the old one did, but it's a doorbell.  Plays Westminster Chimes.

After the meeting, I went to Kohl's to check out the sales.  I found a black pencil skirt in a size that I can wear now, as opposed to the ones I have that I pray stay up when I wear them.   I also found a very nice pair of black Levis in the cut and size that I really like.  Nice to have enough pairs of decent jeans to wear.  I also found some really nice fleece thermal tops.  They are thin enough to layer under a sweater, and they are WARM.  I may exchange the shirt I'm wearing now for one of them. 
For dinner that night, we had leftover corned beef and toast.  Just the good things.  Of course, there was cake for dessert...

 That was excellent corned beef, and a very good cake, if I do say so myself! 





We also actually managed to make it to choir practice Wednesday night!  It was a relief to be there again!

On to THURSDAY:

On Thursday morning, I had an appointment with my hairdresser.  Time for a trim and to re do the color.  (The older I get, the more often this must be done.  Not ready to let the gray out yet.  I wanna wait until it's a little better distributed than it is right now...)  After my haircut, I came home and took another shower (itchy cut bits of hair all over the place) but of course, didn't wash my hair.  (Can't wash until after the color's had 24 hours to settle in.)  I got dressed, and though I had wanted to go out shopping again, I just didn't feel like it.  I lazed around and read a lot.  (Hey, what else is a vacation for?)

On Friday, I got up, did my walk, and got myself out to the stores.  I got a frame for the one autographed picture of Ron that was not already hanging in my office, and I got cartridges for the ink jet printer, and I stopped at Penney's, where I found a lovely silver grey top on sale, and a little black dress on clearance for $9.99!!  I could totally not believe that the dress was only $10, but it was.  Fits beautifully, and will be very versatile, as any little black dress should be. 

The rest of Friday was a lazy lovely day.

Saturday I did laundry and read and played on Twitter.  Watched Quest For Fire last night, and when we were done, picked up Twitter to find the #Perlgirls all upset that Ron had apparently injured his hand.  He tweeted us eventually that he was OK, just had a little accident.  He knows we worry.  Well, I feel kinda like I have an extra brother these days.  I do worry about him, like I worry about my brothers and my sister.  God knows, I even used the family admonition on him when we said goodbye in Dallas.  Yup.  I told him to behave himself.  (Like THAT'S going to happen!) ;)

So, after all the excitement last night, I went back to my reading and finished folding my last load of clothes.  Then I took my Nook to bed and read there for awhile until Matt was ready to go to sleep. Still working on too many books at once and not finishing any.  (At least I didn't finish one this week.  I have to update my Goodreads, because I have finished a couple since the last update.)

This morning, I got up, got myself organized and got showered and dressed, and then looked at the road conditions.  No way were we going to make it safely to church.  Well, we might have gotten there, but we would not have made it home, given what the weather has been doing since about noon.  It was already icy and snowing a little, but since noon we have had thunder sleet and snow.  Roads are REALLY awful now.  So, even though I have a great haircut and had a great outfit, I had to stay home.  But I made pictures. 

 Here's the new silver grey blouse and the new skirt.  I know this will be comfy even under choir vestments, and I did have a jacket to wear over it for the rest of the time. (Plus I would have worn one of my hooded capes)  The outfit with jacket is shown below: 

 I also was playing around with the camera and came up with this self portrait:

It looks like I've seen something suspicious on my phone, doesn't it? 

That wraps up the birthday week pretty much.  I discovered while eating my cereal this morning that one of my molars has a problem.  Perhaps a broken filling, perhaps time for another crown.  Much as it hurts, I suspect a crown in my future.  Doesn't help that the sinus issues have already got all the nerves in the area unhappy.  Going to be fun trying to get to the dentist tomorrow too, always assuming he can see me.

So Birthday Week ends not with a bang, but with a whimper.  At least it'll be easy to stick to my diet until I get the tooth fixed.  Eating can get painful.  Still at 139 pounds right now, but I'll take it.  Better than 168, which is where I started out last year. 
Here's hoping I'll be down to 130 or 125 by next Birthday Week, 'cause that's my goal weight.

A Feeling of Accomplishment!

This was written on Tuesday, January 14, 2014


Today I finished this round of Nerdy Dozen training for my job. It's a chance to investigate various web 2.0 applications and see how they might be  useful to us in our jobs, or to recommend to customers. We have to blog about each topic on the training website, and it has taken me longer to do so this time around than it did the first time out.  I was one of the first to complete the first round of Nerdy Dozen.  That's when I actually did something with my Twitter account, and boy, that has certainly snowballed.  (As has my continued use of Facebook, Pinterest, and my fitness sites.)

I felt like I got a lot done at work, as I finished the last two Nerdy Dozen posts from work for once.  I usually have to complete them at home because there's too much actual work to do at work. ( I find myself writing in comments on people's posts who DO have off-desk time "What is this "off-desk time" you speak of?  I do not know of it.")

...This bit is being added on Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Monday, the plumbers finally got the go ahead from the service line insurance company to do the water leak repair.  My next water bill ought to be considerably lower!  It had been leaking for AWHILE, they said.  I feel like I accomplished something there by being smart enough to buy the coverage when the city informed us that such was available, and for remembering I had when this happened! 

Today has been behaving an awful lot like a Monday even though it is, in fact, Wednesday.  First off, I have a stuffy head, I know not whether it's the insane cedar pollen count, or a cold, but the sinuses are unhappy.  So far (knocking on wood) my voice is not effected,  but that could change if it IS a cold, and a cough develops. 
So, this morning, I was a bit sluggish, and it was hard to get moving.  I DID get my walk done, and I got to the store to pick up some things we needed.  Good thing I decided to go to work a bit early to drop off some stuff I bought for the staff snack stash.  It turns out I was supposed to be in Norman by 1 pm for a training on using our fancy new catalog to its fullest, and I had completely forgotten.  I got there only a few minutes late.  (This is what happens when my schedule does not make it to my phone.  Chaos.)  I got back to work by 3:30, and had to go straight out to the Customer Service Desk.  I hadn't eaten breakfast, or lunch, so I scarfed a granola bar and drank some water before I actually went to the desk.  Everything at work went well, but I felt rushed all day. 
By the way, you should check out our enhanced library catalog.  It's great.  You can choose your search variables, you can even get "read alikes" or "similar authors" for any book by clicking on the "Novel list content" bar at the bottom of each item entry.
Our library catalog is Here. Just type your search term in the box and go.

You will then get a page of results which you can further refine with the choices along the left-hand side of the page.  Really cool.  MUCH better than the old catalog for general use.

We made it to choir rehearsal, where I was once again the lone first soprano.  Only a couple of notes all to myself, but a challenge to find them on pieces we were sight-reading.  Hard to counter the years of habit that say "Follow Lou".   Sunday's anthem was fairly easy to stay with my own note, because it was a very familiar piece.

 On Monday, I was also able to get my voice to work better at higher pitches than it has in the past, leading Karen to believe that it is undergoing some stretching and deepening up there.  (As it should, if I keep practicing.)  I hope that the sinus issues do not turn into a cold, because that will set my vocal work back quite a bit.  It is VERY hard to come back from things like that.

I am about to go and give myself another accomplishment.  I'm going to do an elliptical workout.  Because I need to start doing that every day again.  Because my weight is still not all the way back down to what it was before Thanksgiving and Christmas with all their food showed up.

Sunday Shamblings

This morning, it was sunny and bright, and I wore a pastel dress.  By the time we got home from church, it was cloudy, gray, and cold, and I am now wearing jewel tones.  (Jeans, long-sleeve tee, and one of my paisley shawls.)

I made of cup of hot tea and had some soup for lunch.  All of the sudden it went from a golden Autumn day to a dreary one.  That's Oklahoma in the transitional seasons.  Changeable weather, often turning on a dime to the great dismay of anyone trying to plan for comfortable clothing for the day. Autumn here is much tamer and more beautiful than Spring.  Nearly everyone plants mums, and so there are as many blooms in appropriate colors in Fall as there are in Spring.  We do get severe weather, but traditionally not as deadly as that in the Spring.  And the trees.  Oh, the beautiful trees, where the tornadoes of Spring have left them for us, that is.  The tree in the neighbor's yard across the street has turned golden already, and is shedding gold upon the ground.  Our oak is beginning to redden in places, other trees around town are turning orange and gold and red as well.
Perhaps this impresses me more than it would some of you who hail from places back East where the seasons change dramatically from one to another, but living in Central Germany was my first experience of it.  I grew up in Los Angeles County, CA.  There ARE seasons there, they just aren't dramatically different from one another.  It gets hot in Summer, but never all THAT cold in Winter.  Autumn and Spring can pass you by unnoticed unless you pay attention.  Out here, in the Great Plains, where the land has barely been occupied a hundred years, Mother Nature slaps us in the face on a regular basis.  We CAN'T ignore the changing seasons, because it can be dangerous to do so.  It also makes me more mindful of the passing of time, of other changes going on in life, and I enjoy it.

The changing seasons help me remember that life is not standing still, that I am not standing still, however much I might like to sometimes.  Things are moving on, and so must I.  I then reflect for a moment and see all the things I have done, and to my sorrow, the things I have not done, and feel I should.  There is a reason, I think, that one line in one of Confessions Of Sin in the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer says: "...by what we have done, and by what we have left undone." Sometimes we KNOW something we could have done would have made something better or easier for someone else.  This prayer lets us acknowledge that we are lax, and that we are sorry for it.  The trick, then, is to pick ourselves up and try to be better about doing what we ought in the future.  Not easy.  Sometimes, in my own case, I am just too wrapped up in my own problems, my own needs, to see the needs of another, or even the little things that maybe aren't needs, but would make another person's life easier.  My challenge is to get out of my own head and pay more attention to others. REALLY not easy for someone who was basically an only child, and had few playmates as a youngster.  Took me a LONG time to learn to tolerate and cooperate with others in school.  (I like to think I learned to do so pretty well, but there are days...) Because I had so much adult attention at home, I learned to read and write long before most of my peers, had a better grasp of more esoteric things than my peers at a young age, and grew impatient easily with those who hadn't gotten there yet.  I really didn't know other kids just couldn't automatically decipher the written word.  I thought it was something that just came naturally.  I don't ever remember not being able to read. Before the end of first grade, though, I realized that some people couldn't do everything I could do, just like I realized I couldn't run, jump, catch a ball, or grasp the finer points of any sport as well as most of my peers.  No physical impairment, just that I always preferred to exercise my mind rather than my body.  (I have paid for that over the years, and now must exercise at least twice daily to keep myself at a reasonable level of health and fitness.) So, my peers and I learned how to respect our differing talents, and to learn from each other.  This was the best thing about school.  I learned things everywhere, not just in the classroom.  I also got my first taste of teaching, in a very informal way.

Here lately a few of the "things I have left undone" are projects related to my job that aren't really required, but would go a long way toward keeping me sharp and more useful as an employee.  I don't have time to do these things at work, as I am supposed to, so I try to do them at home.  I don't always succeed, as home has many distractions for my wandering mind to grab onto.  Going to try to remedy that this week. 

Another sign of time passing for me lately has been the weight I have lost since Matt and I changed our diet and started exercising more.  Matt made some more pictures of me today.  This keeps me motivated to stay on the program.

That's about all the rambles I have for this Sunday. 

Further Reflections On My Trip and Return

One thing that amazed me is how many people ignore the view out the airplane window.  Do they fly so often that it now fails to amaze them?  I can understand if it is night time, or there are lots of clouds (though I enjoyed the cloud formations we flew above on Saturday morning), but on a clear, sunny day?  I'm glued to the window, watching the miniature world scroll by.  Farms, towns, factories, suburbs, vast stretches of apparently empty space.  It's all interesting to me.  I don't get to fly all that often, and the perspective gained by viewing our civilization from a distance can be heady stuff.  Our world really is pretty small, no matter how big it feels from down here.  What we do to the land matters, it shows up even from a distance. 

Though I like flying, and I like seeing new things, I don't like being away from my base of operations that much.  It unsettles me.  I guess I haven't found a good way to take it with me yet.  Ever since I got back, this song has been playing in my head, and refuses to be exorcised, no matter what.
Traveling Wilburys: Inside Out

The weeds in Alabama could probably rival the plants in Australia for vindictiveness and danger. Most of the vines I had to remove from in and on my mother's azalea hedges had HUGE thorns.  They are carnivorous, actively seeking the slight bit of bare skin between my long pruning gloves and my shirt sleeve.  I have multitudinous scratches and puncture wounds on my elbows.  I also ran afoul of the top of the chain link fence.  I was grateful over and over again for the tetanus shot I got shortly after the tornadoes.  At least I knew I was protected from disease.  Much antibiotic cream and cortisone cream have helped the scratches start to heal.  I also have bruises all over me.  Branches that argued with me, things that poked me through the sheet we used to transport our clippings to the curb, the abominable fence, my own pruners, these are the things that bruised me.  Stumps of old shrubs bruised my knees when I tried to kneel on them to reach the roots of some weeds. Also, I don't know if it is the bending and lifting I did while at Mom's or the vigorous workouts I've done since I got home, but my leg muscles are sore.  Something has worked them hard!

As hard as my sister and I worked every day, I still missed being really active.  I missed my walks and my elliptical time.  I listen to music and just move it when I am walking or using the elliptical.  Gets my blood pumping, and gets my heart rate up.  All that yard work was not aerobic.  Didn't benefit my heart or lungs much.  (In fact, being up close and personal with so much pollen was not so good for my allergies.  I am still living on antihistamines and eye drops.)
I also missed my regular clothes.  I had only yard work clothes at Mom's, except for the outfit I wore on the plane to and from.  None of my yard work clothes is the right size any more.  Most are about two sizes too big.  I felt really odd wearing those clothes every day.  (Although it was a bit of an ego boost, knowing how tight those clothes USED to be!)

REALLY missed my singing.  I just get lost in my songs and in the challenge of making my voice do what it needs to do to function properly.  Just couldn't do that at Mom's.  (Sister's snide comments didn't help, either.)  Voice lesson today was a challenge because I went so long without practice, and haven't really had time to practice much since I got home.  Once I found my groove, though, things went pretty well.

Since I got home, we have been OD-ing on the Pacific Rim Blu-Ray.  Lots of really neat extras on that set of discs, and we've been working our way through all of them.  I really love that movie.  It's just NEAT!!  (Added bonus, Ron Perlman is in it, and his daughter Blake  composed and performed a song for the closing credits .)

Matt framed our art posters that we bought at Dallas ComiCon Fan Days.  They look good in our hall.  Finally have art that really reflects our lifelong interests.

A Hellboy as an adolescent painting, and Gipsy Danger fighting a Kaiju by Devin Kraft of Cheshire Cat Art.  We met him at the con, and gave Ron Perlman a smaller print of the Hellboy painting as a token of our esteem.  (We thought it was cute.)






Here is a picture of a frog on the back wall of Mom's house.  May be a little blurry, it's zoomed in.

Here's the front of Mom's house after we got done taming the azaleas.


















When I got home, my Boot Campaign boots were waiting for me.  These boots are sold as a fundraiser for a program that gives aid to servicemen and women returning from overseas.  I bought them to support the cause, and to reward myself for a 30 pound weight loss since I started this effort in January.

Speaking of my weight loss, here are some before and after photos to give a little perspective on how much difference 30 pounds makes.

This is me at 168 pounds.

And this is me at 138 pounds.  BIG difference, eh?  Biggest difference is in how I feel and in the numbers on my health records.  BP lower, Cholesterol lower, everything looking good!









Guess that's about all for this outing.  I have wandered around in the wilderness long enough.  Hope you enjoyed the trip.

Musings on a Friday Night In the Not So Big Town

Tonight was a special Friday night for me.  I got to meet someone in person that I have only ever "spoken" with online!  It was very nice to meet Mary, who is every bit as warm and funny in person as she is online.  Her grandson Ryder came along, and he is a sweet little guy.  Typical two almost three year old, but well behaved as that age group goes.  And so cute!
We all met up at Back Door BBQ in OKC for dinner.  Matt was along, of course, and he was glad to meet Mary, too.  
 It was a very nice time of good food and good company.  Someone was having a birthday celebration at the restaurant while we were there, and they sure had some great singers at that party!  Best "Happy Birthday" I've heard in a long time!
Here's Me and Mary and Ryder in the parking lot after dinner.  (Poor Ryder was having his neck tickled over Grandma's shoulder by silly old Aunt Katie.)

Once Matt and I got home, I relaxed for awhile and then headed out for a short walk.  (.85 of a mile instead of the usual 1.78.)  I could hear the high school band playing at the stadium.  (When the wind is just right, the sounds from the stadium carry over to this side of town.)  Friday night lights and football games already.  My thoughts are with one member of that band whose mom is in the hospital right now.  Praying for her recovery and for the family as they deal with yet another in a series of many battles with cancer.  She is such a brave warrior in that battle.  One of the last poems I put in this blog was for her.  She's the most Christ-like Christian I know.  Gentle, accepting, loving, and never thinks of herself.

As I turned the corner onto our street on my way home, I saw our house for once all lit up with the proper outdoor lights, and the front windows all lit.  It felt so good to be walking toward home.

Since May, my husband and I have been trying to alter our diet and exercise habits in order to help him keep his diabetes and his high blood pressure under control, and in general make ourselves healthier.

Here is how I am doing right now.
I average over 10,000 steps a day.  I am eating fewer calories than I burn.
I have lost 19.8 pounds since May 7, and 26.8 pounds since January.
I take two walks daily, or use the elliptical once and walk once, or use the elliptical twice almost every day.
My measurements have come back to more normal proportions.  (38-29-37- I have a waist again!)

More importantly, I have more energy, I feel better, and I feel better about myself.

My weight was stuck around 145 for a long time, but now has crept lower, 141.2 this morning.  Appears to be a bit stuck there for now, but will go down again, I have no doubt.

I recently had to order another one of Michael Ornstein's "Blue Sweater" art t-shirts. Both the others I own are too big now!  Those are my "lucky shirts", they have gotten me through doctor's appointments and two tornadoes safely, so I HAVE to have one I can wear somewhere besides around the house.

This was me, wearing the size XL shirt in May, right after we started the diet.

This was me in July, a few pounds heavier than I am right now.  I will have to get a decent picture make of me this week and see if I can add it in later.  Right now, it's late, I just got off the elliptical, and I look horrible. Skinnier, but horrible.

The clothes that have gotten too big to wear at all are not of the sort that could be altered.  Some garments it just isn't practical to try.  I have plenty of things I saved from thinner times that fit now and are still in style.  (Well, as much as I am ever in style, rather frumpy library denizen that I am...)

The green dress that I have always loved, and that hasn't fit in years now fits again, so I will be getting some pictures made in it soon!

Here is a quick shot of me in this dress late last night.  I haven't been able to zip this dress in I don't know how long, and now it fits well!

I feel so very blessed tonight.  I have good friends, a wonderful husband, a nice home, a job I love, coworkers that make my job more fun than work, a church family that is loving and supportive and all the things church is supposed to be, and I have music.  It is a gift and a privilege to be able to sing.  I don't have a great voice, but it is pretty darn good.  I have my health, and I am finally doing something positive to keep it.  By the way, this dress is a favorite for Holiday recitals, but I think I only fit in it for one recital in the past.  Perhaps it will make another appearance this Holiday season.
That's all for this Friday Night in the Not So Big Town.
All my best from Moore, Oklahoma
Katie

Some Thoughts on a Friday Night

"Friday Night in the Big Town!"  Gary England always says.  Yeah, well, Moore isn't really a big town.  It's a nice little suburb, and full of great people, has a fabulous theater, a Harley Davidson dealership, and a wonderful library.  (And lots of other shops and parks and restaurants, but you get the idea.) 
Oklahoma City is considered "the Big Town" around here.  To  a girl who grew up in the suburbs of Los Angeles County, it's not so big, either.  A few Friday nights when I was in high school, (in the late 70's when things were pretty wild), my friends and I used to gas up Kathy's old Delta 88 and head to Hollywood for "Hollywood Boulevard Safari."  That's what we called cruising Hollywood Boulevard.  We had rules.  All doors must remain locked and all windows rolled up for the entire cruise.  There was to be no interacting with the nightlife, we were only there to observe.  And observe we did.  Drag queens so fabulous, the women looked less like women than they did, generally funky people out ambling around, the odd cop or two questioning people.  We never told our parents where we were going.  We'd all still be grounded if we had.  We lived in a nice middle class suburb in the San Gabriel Valley called Hacienda Heights.  Our school's band and football team won all kinds of state titles the four years my friends and I were attending.  At least four of us were in the Shakespeare Club at school, and all of us were Honor Roll students.  Going out to cruise Hollywood Blvd. was our only real vice.  None of us had boyfriends that year, so we had fun being "just us girls."

The kids around here think cruising 12th Street in Moore is a big deal.  I don't get it.  Nothing interesting to see here, certainly nowhere near the entertainment value of our forays into Hollywood.  Yet, for YEARS the kids in this state would come from all over to cruise 12th Street.  The cops have pretty much put an end to it, well, their presence and the much higher price of gas these days.  Neighbors have told us of being unable to leave the subdivision for the traffic on cruise nights, and the NOISE was something awful.  Thankfully, the cruising had been pretty well shut down before we moved here.
These days, my Friday night is seldom more than a chance to really relax and not worry too much about how late I happen to stay up writing.  I do have to watch the clock tonight, though.  I have to get up and get the weeding and mowing done before it gets too stinking hot tomorrow.  The yard looks disgraceful.

On another tangent; our quest to lose weight and be healthier is going pretty well.   Matt is back in size 36 slacks, and I am back in my size 10 jeans.  It is hard to log everything we eat and all the exercise we do, but worth it.  Both of our recent blood tests have come back with excellent results.  Matt has even been taken off one of the heart medications they put him on since he has done so well losing weight and keeping his blood pressure in control.  I am proud to say that I take no prescription medications at this time.  My numbers were all really good, and the doctor knows my high blood pressure readings in the clinic are white coat hypertension.  (I had a very bad experience in an emergency room as a young child, and hospitals and doctor's offices have freaked me out, at least on a subconscious level, ever since. )  I have to really concentrate on my breathing and relaxing myself to get a near normal reading in a clinical setting.  My numbers here at home have been going down as my weight goes down.
It makes me feel good to be able to wear clothes I haven't fit in for a long time.  I also need to start my workout with free weights again, as I need to strengthen my muscles and prevent bone loss.  I know I will never recapture my lost youth, but I think I look pretty good, and I'll settle for looking good for my age and being healthy.  Very excited that Matt is starting to look like the man I married again instead of a much too heavy man.


To start yet another topic, I am so far behind on the books I want to read that it isn't even remotely amusing.  I have several things on my Nook that I really do want to read, but I keep getting distracted.  Maybe now that the weather is settling down, and life around here is settling back to something like normal, I'll be able to concentrate on my reading again.  I have been  reading, but have had to backtrack and re-read a lot because my mind wanders off in the middle of things.  Not that the books are not interesting and engrossing, just that my ability to concentrate hasn't been too great lately.  Have also been distracted by trying to catch up with some movies and TV shows that I have not been able to watch.  Netflix is a wonderful thing, but boy, you can sure overdose on it if you aren't careful.  I try to save stationary chores like ironing for the times I want to watch say, Sons of Anarchy,  so I won't be so inclined to watch more than I can absorb in one sitting.  There is a lot going on in that show that is not immediately apparent.  Layers upon layers.  My husband doesn't like it, says it glorifies outlaws, but he hasn't really watched it, I don't think.  I do know there used to be a motorcycle club that hung out across the street from where he bought his house in San Bernardino.  They were pretty small-time, and mostly pretty amusing, but I didn't hang out with them too much, only with Saundra, who ran the Star Trek fan club we belonged to.  (Yes, a biker chick who liked Star Trek, they DO exist.)  In fact, I think it was Saundra who told Matt he really ought to ask me out.  His Mom was in the club, too, and SHE actually introduced us to each other.  (Yeah, my mother in law wrote sci-fi stories and sometimes called herself "Granny Space".  She was a good writer, had a wonderful sense of humor, and I really miss her.)

Anyway, that and the dread of the hot, humid hours I must spent dealing with weeds and grass tomorrow are what has been rattling around in my brain this evening.  Hope everybody has a great weekend.
As Ever,
Katie 

There Is A Lot Less Of Me To Love...

Since my husband's recent hospital adventure, and discovering that he has seriously high blood pressure and is diabetic, we have BOTH been watching our diets and exercising more.  It is finally easier for me to stick to a diet without SOMEBODY sabotaging me.  For him it is a matter of life and death, for me, a matter of pride.  I want to be as thin as I was when he married me.  I want to look as good as I can, and be as healthy as I can. 
My goal is to weigh 125 pound again, like I did in this picture.

His goal is to get back to the weight HE was in this picture, and to get his medications decreased because of the weight loss. 
Neither of us will be as smooth of skin as we are in this picture, this picture was made in 1990.  A lot of time and experiences have passed since then.  I also have a LOT less hair, because I cut it all off a few years ago because I was just plain tired of messing with it.
I have about 27 pounds to go.  I've lost 16 pounds since January, more than 8 of it in the last month. I can wear clothes now that haven't fit me for MONTHS.  I am very glad I kept them.  Some of my favorites among my newer jeans now require a belt, and some may be just plain too big now.  I got into a pair of size 10 jeans yesterday that I haven't been able to wear since the last Star Trek movie came out.  (That's the last time I remember wearing them before this.)  I have an absolutely beautiful green dress with a velvet bodice and a chiffon skirt that I want to fit once again.  When I can wear it again, I will proudly post a photo.  (I hope to get a good portrait of me in it, without my glasses, because they reflect the flash too much.)  It has literally been years since I have been able to wear the dress, and I love it. 
To accomplish our goals, we have changed the way we eat, including more fresh fruits and vegetables, and using sugar substitutes in some things simply because Matt shouldn't have the sugar.  (I have to watch it, though, my digestion rebels at too much Splenda.)  I also have gone back to the way I learned to cook, when I had to cook for my Pop, who had to limit his salt intake.  I use Lite Salt, or Mrs. Dash instead of regular salt.  In some things, I still use Sea Salt, or Kosher Salt, because of the flavor profile, but I use less. 
We are also having a bit of a competition about the number of steps we take each day.  So far, I am beating the pants off him, because I take two walks most days, and I walk a LOT in my job.  Circulation is not sedentary.  We are constantly on the move, emptying book drops, moving full carts around, sometimes shelving books or roaming the stacks doing reports, and going back and forth from the desk to the copiers and the self checkouts, and the automated book drop.  I also stand to check in, and I have developed my own little "checkin dance" that I do moving between the bin, the checkin antenna, and the carts we sort the books on.  There is usually music playing in the work area, so this makes it easy for me to get LOTS of steps in. 
I also spend a lot of time walking from one end of this house to the other, doing whatever chores are ongoing on any particular day.   
We both wear a FitBit tracker that tracks our steps, and monitors the number of times we wake at night.  He does better at sleeping than I do, but then again, I AM a "woman of a certain age", and I do have a tropical heat wave of my very own that seeks me out at inopportune moments.  (Like when I'm trying to sleep.)
We are both also using LoseIt!  a free app that we have on our cell phones.  Makes it easy to log our exercise and our food.  You can even scan barcodes on the packages of what you eat, and it will enter the nutritional information in the app for you.
So far, Matt has probably dropped more weight than I have, but he had more to lose, and he has been eating a LOT less than he used to.  Strangely enough, he finds what he does eat very satisfying, and the difference in how he feels is even more satisfying.  (Personally, I am glad to be able to get closer to him than I have been able to lately.  ;-> )
I have a lot less trouble from my various arthritic joints now that my weight is down.  This will get even better as I approach my goal weight.  My recent checkup revealed that my cholesterol is lower now than it has ever been, and everything else looks really good,too.  (Now, if the follow up mammogram next week show that the suspicious cyst has gone away or gotten smaller, things will be perfect.) My blood pressure is also going down as my weight does.
We are very glad we had not gotten rid of our old clothes before we started this adventure.  I had cleaned out the closet, and had the clothes in the car ready to go to the veteran's charity collection point, but pulled out the barely-worn stuff in the smaller sizes once we started losing weight.  Good thing I did, or Matt would have NO pants that fit at all.
This is working very well so far, I hope we can continue on to our goals and then maintain them long term.  That is the hard part.  Once you get to your goal weight, it is entirely too easy to slack off and gain everything back and then some.  I've done it more than once in my life.
I'll check back in here on my progress after I lose a bit more.  I also promised myself that soon I will order a pair of Boot Campaign boots as a reward for losing and keeping off the first 10 pounds.  Should happen soon.  (I hope.)

Thursday Again

Thursday again, and what a difference a week makes.  Matt had the procedure to correct his heart rhythm last Thursday, and today he had his follow up with the cardiologist.  His checkup was very satisfactory.  He is doing really well, the doctor is pleased at his attitude and his progress.  This Thursday is a lot more upbeat than last Thursday.
Also, MY weight is down some more.  I have been logging on LoseIt! again, and have gotten a FitBit.  (Matt has one now, also.)  I am amazed at how much walking I actually do that previous pedometers have not recorded.  (Like all the numerous trips from one end of the house to the other putting stuff back where it goes, and going back for what I forgot, etc.)  My blood pressure is doing lots better, will probably be low normal again once I get the rest of the weight off.
This is the long day for me at the library.  I work until closing on Thursdays.  Some Thursdays are truly crazy, others are more normal.  My coworkers on Thursdays are a special bunch.  We usually have fun in spite of what else goes on.  It's my night to pick the music we listen to in the work area.  Hope my coworkers are up for Rod Stewart and the Pogues.  (The Pogues are Irish traditional music with a twist.)  Our customers are always fun.  Lots of cute kiddos yesterday afternoon.  I got to give away a bunch of stickers.

It is hoped that poetry
Will present itself once again to me
To keep the skills sharp
To keep the tune in my heart's harp.

This Thursday at least will be more normal for me.  To be at work nails down routine and gives me purpose.  Those mountains of picture books are not going to sort themselves out.  Someone has to do it.  Not to mention the backlog of Inter Library Loans that need to go home or out to customers.
I have said in the past that I forsee my death as coming at the hands of an avalanche of children's picture books.  In summer, this is not so far fetched as you might believe.  Here are a couple of pictures to illustrate, and this is not even Summer yet.

 As you can see, the majority of what is in the drop bins is children's books.  The center photo is of a very dangerous book stack made by a colleague.  This behavior almost always leads to the heartbreak of picking scattered books up off the floor.  If you are my age, that is a very difficult punishment to bear, as the floor seems harder to get up from every time I get near it.

Our shelvers have my undying admiration.  They routinely put things on very low shelves.  This is backbreaking labor, and very painstaking, especially if you are working with non-fiction children's books which must be shelved in order in our modified Dewey system.  The ordeal comes in that the books are very thin, there are literally thousands of them, and their cutter numbers wrap around the spine to the front of the book.  When your eyes are as challenged as mine, shelving in children's non fiction is a job that takes forever.  Thankfully, I don't often have to shelve. I spend most of my time checking in, answering phone calls, dealing with damaged items or missing pieces, booking meeting rooms, processing ILLs, and sorting checked in items for shelving.  I also work the Customer Service Desk, where I have the opportunity to greet and work with our wonderful customers.  Yes, most of them are pretty wonderful.  There are a few stinkers, but that is true of any group of people anywhere.  Most of our customers are friendly, polite, and patient.  They like that they can recognize some of us outside the library, out around town, because we live here, too.  They are our neighbors, and they know we'll do right by them.
Anyway, it's time I got done with this and got myself ready to go to work.  Here's hoping I survive this Thursday at the library.  I'm anxious to see how many steps the FitBit sees me taking in an eight hour work day.  Yesterday's four hours wasn't typical, because I had 2 hours in a meeting, and 2 hours at the desk.  Not my usual amount of walking, bending, lifting and stacking.

An Adventure I Could Live Without

Or maybe I'll live better because of it...


Here I sit in a hospital room with my husband, waiting to see what the doctor has to say.  Not a fun way to spend a Monday.  Dear Husband evidently has high blood sugar in addition to a slight atrial flutter in his heart.  Lord only knows what else they will find while they're at it.

Guess both of us are in for a change in diet, and he's going to have to start exercising again at some point. Personally, I think if he can just lose the weight that he needs to lose, a lot of his other problems will go away, or at least improve greatly.  I have been struggling with trying to eat better and exercise more for the sake of maintaining my own health.

I am now home from the second day of sitting in a hospital room with my somewhat bored and resigned husband.  He has accepted that the lifestyle changes we've been saying we OUGHT to make, are now MANDATORY.  He is looking at this as a challenge to his considerable culinary skills. He is going to set out to develop diabetic and heart health friendly versions of some of our favorite foods.  He is also going to be exploring new foods and new ways to prepare foods that will let us eat well within the restrictions he faces.  (He has also demanded that I go and get all my numbers checked again, since it has been awhile.)

I know that I eat too many sweets, I also know that I could stand to lose about 20 pounds, but 35 would be even better.  (That would put me back where I was in my 20s.)  The real challenge for him is going to be exercise that he can safely do.  Me, I walk about a mile and 3/4 every day.  I also do free weights from time to time, and yoga once in a while.  Guess I'll have to step it up. 

Guess I should re-set my goals in my Lose It! app, and get busy.  Already started today eating better and logging my food and exercise again.  I have already lost four pounds from the last time I logged my weight. 

At least this hospital we are dealing with is close to home, and is full of nice staff.  Most of them are also very helpful and will answer what questions they can.  We have a friend who works in another part of the hospital, which is nice, because we get to see her if she has a chance to stop up and say hi.  Her daughter also works for the hospital, and she was up to see us also.  One of the priests from the church stopped in today as well.  Canon Susan was a stalwart support during our previous bout with a hospital when Matt had to have surgery on his spinal column.  I realize now we've known her for about 18 years, ever since we got more involved at St. Paul's.  Our church family was very supportive during that time, and I am sure they will be this time also. The fact that we will be developing healthier recipes will mean everyone at the cathedral will get healthier "After the 11" snacks when it's our turn from now on.  Probably a very good thing.

Well, this is enough disjointed and tired ramblings from me.  Time to crash and get up tomorrow and do it all again.